Multi-piece two-hook hanger for a shower curtain

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9578995-B2
Application number	US-201514870980-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A hanger for a shower curtain comprises two opposing direction hooks and a captive roller for riding along the top of a curtain rod. A base part of the hanger has a hub with both a hook and a cradle at the lower end of a shank. The hook faces in one planar direction and a cradle faces in the opposite direction. The base comprises a spindle lying in said plane; the roller is rotatably captured on said spindle. The cap portion of a closure mounts on the free end of the spindle to keep the roller in place. The closure comprises a hook portion at the end of the shank; the hook portion mates with the cradle of the base. Preferably, the closure is rotatable about the spindle end, so that when the closure hook is disengaged from the cradle there is an opening which enables the hanger to be mounted and dismounted from a curtain rod.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hanger, configured for movement along a length of a shower curtain rod while holding the upper end of one or both of a shower curtain and a shower liner, which comprises:
(a) a base comprising
a hub;
a spindle, lying along a lengthwise axis, extending from the hub to a spindle free end, the spindle having an engagement feature at said free end;
a shank integral with the hub and extending transversely to the spindle from the hub to a shank end;
a hook integrally connected to the shank end, the hook lying in a plane with said spindle, the hook having an opening which faces generally in the direction of said lengthwise axis;
a cradle, integrally attached to shank end, lying in said plane, the cradle comprising a concave curve surface portion which faces generally in the direction of said lengthwise axis;

(b) a closure engaged with the base, comprising
a cap having an engagement feature that is mated with said spindle engagement feature;
a shank integral with the cap, extending from the cap to a shank end;
a hook integral with the shank end, the hook having an opening which faces generally in part in the direction of said lengthwise axis, the hook comprising a convex exterior curve surface portion shaped to mate with the concave curve surface portion of the cradle of the base; and,

(c) a roller having a concave exterior, rotatably mounted on the spindle intermediate the hub and the cap, for rolling lengthwise along said shower curtain rod;
wherein the arrangement of said shank of the base, said shank of the cap and said roller define a space shaped for receiving a transverse section of said curtain rod when the hanger is mounted on said curtain rod for use.

2. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the cradle is fastened to the hook of the closure by one or more of a connector, a fusion weld, an adhesive, or at least one fastener.

3. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the closure is rotatable about the spindle lengthwise axis at the location where the cap of the closure is engaged with the free end of the spindle; wherein the closure rotates from a home position in which the hook of the closure substantially lies in said plane of the spindle and hook of the base, to a non-home position at which an access opening to said space is created.

4. The hanger of claim 3 wherein the cradle concave surface portion comprises a channel for receiving the convex exterior curve surface portion of the hook of the closure, wherein the cradle concave surface portion sets within said channel when the closure is in a home position, and wherein the cradle concave surface portion is displaced from said channel when the closure is in a non-home position, which a non-home position provides an opening for access to said space, to enable mounting of the hanger on the shower curtain rod.

5. The hanger of claim 4 wherein the engagement feature of the spindle comprises a tab at the end of the spindle, the tab extending transverse to the lengthwise axis of the spindle; and wherein the engagement feature of the cap comprises a bore having a lengthwise slot, shaped for passage therealong of said tab when the cap is rotated about the spindle end to align the tab with the slot.

6. The hanger of claim 5 wherein said lengthwise slot in the bore of the cap is circumferentially offset from the tab at the end of the spindle by 90 degrees or more.

7. The hanger of claim 4 wherein the cap engagement feature comprises a threaded through hole, and wherein the spindle engagement feature comprises a threaded portion of the spindle free end.

8. The hanger of claim 3 in combination with a shower curtain or a shower liner, wherein said curtain or liner has an upper edge with a plurality of spaced apart holes, wherein said hook of the closure and said cradle of the base are mated with each other and positioned together within one of said holes.

9. A method of engaging a hanger of claim 3 with a curtain rod and hanging one or more of a shower curtain and a shower liner from the curtain rod, which comprises:
(a) rotating the closure about lengthwise axis of the spindle so the shank of the closure lies in a second plane which is at an angle to said plane of spindle and shank of the base, thereby to provide an access opening to said space;
(b) putting the hanger on the shower curtain rod by passing the curtain rod through said access opening, so that the roller rests on the curtain rod for rolling lengthwise along the curtain rod; and
(c) rotating the closure so that the closure lies in said plane of the spindle and shank of the base, and so that said convex exterior curve surface portion of the hook of the cap is mated with the concave curve surface portion of the cradle, whereby said shower curtain rod is contained within said space.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
(d) engaging a shower curtain or a liner having a plurality of holes with the hanger when the closure and cradle of the base are in the mated condition achieved in step (c) by positioning the hook of the closure and the cradle of the base within one of said holes, to thereby inhibit subsequent substantial rotation of the closure about said lengthwise axis of the spindle and resultant separation of the cradle and the hook of the cap.

11. A method of engaging a hanger of claim 3 with a curtain rod and mounting one or more of a shower curtain and a shower liner, which comprises:
(a) rotating the closure about lengthwise axis of the spindle so the shank of the closure lies in a non-home position characterized by a second plane which is at an angle to said plane of spindle and hook of the base, thereby to provide an access opening to said space;
(b) putting the hanger on the shower curtain rod by moving the curtain rod through said access opening, so that the roller rests on the curtain rod for rolling lengthwise along the curtain rod; and
(c) rotating the closure back to the home position, whereby said shower curtain rod is contained within said space.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
(d) engaging a shower curtain or a liner having a plurality of holes with the hanger when the closure and cradle of the base are in the mated condition achieved in step (c) by positioning the hook of the closure and the cradle of the base within one of said holes, to thereby inhibit subsequent substantial rotation of the closure about said lengthwise axis of the spindle relative to the hook of the base.

13. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the engagement feature of the cap comprises a blind hole having an internal ridge or internal groove; and wherein the engagement feature of the spindle comprises an external groove or an external ridge.

14. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the cap engagement feature comprises a threaded through hole, and wherein the spindle engagement feature comprises a threaded portion of the spindle free end.

15. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the engagement feature of the cap comprises a through hole; wherein the engagement feature of the spindle comprises a spindle free end having a retainer; wherein the spindle free end is positioned within the through hole of the cap and the retainer prevents the cap from moving lengthwise off the free end; and wherein the spindle is either integral with the hub or is a pin or bolt that passes through a hole in the hub.

16. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the spindle is threadingly engaged with the hub.

17. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the roller is comprised of a multiplicity of wheel-like segments.

18. A hanger, configured for movement along a lengt

Assignees

• Kenney Mfg Co
• Kenney Mfg Co

Inventors

• Hanley Michael

Classifications

• A47H13/04

  by hooks, e.g. with additional runners (by hooks specially adapted to pleat belts A47H13/16) · CPC title

• A47K3/38 Primary

  Arrangements for curtains · CPC title