Foldable clothes hanger
A foldable clothes hanger including a hub; a first arm rotatably coupled to the hub; a second arm rotatably coupled to the hub; an actuation unit retractably movable with respect to the hub along an extension axis; a hanging hook extending from the hub and non-movable relative to the hub along the extension axis; and a biasing member disposed to bias the actuation unit, wherein the actuation unit comprises a user-actuable portion extended out from the hub when the actuation unit is in an extended position and retractable into the hub when an external force is applied on the user-actuable portion against a biasing force of the biasing member to move the actuation unit to a retracted position, wherein the actuation unit is operatively engaged to the first arm and the second arm to rotate the first arm and the second arm when the actuation unit is moved.
1 . A foldable clothes hanger, comprising
a hub;
a first arm rotatably coupled to the hub, the first arm being rotatable about a first rotational axis;
a second arm rotatably coupled to the hub, the second arm being rotatable about a second rotational axis, wherein the first rotational axis and the second rotational axis are parallel to each other;
an actuation unit retractably movable with respect to the hub between a retracted position and an extended position along an extension axis lying in a plane perpendicular to the first rotational axis and the second rotational axis,
a hanging hook extending from the hub, the hanging hook being non-movable relative to the hub along the extension axis of the actuation unit; and
a biasing member disposed to bias the actuation unit towards the extended position,
wherein the actuation unit comprises a user-actuable portion extended out from the hub when the actuation unit is in the extended position and retractable into the hub when an external force is applied on the user-actuable portion against a biasing force of the biasing member to move the actuation unit to the retracted position,
wherein the actuation unit is operatively engaged to the first arm and the second arm to drive and rotate the first arm and the second arm away from each other into an opened state when the actuation unit is moved from the retracted position to the extended position by the biasing force of the biasing member, and to drive and rotate the first arm and the second arm towards each other into the closed state when the actuation unit is moved from the extended position to the retracted position.
2 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein, when the actuation unit is in the extended position with the user-actuable portion of the actuation unit extended out of the hub, the user-actuable portion of the actuation unit and the hanging hook are respectively at opposite sides of the hub.
3 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the actuation unit is moved towards the hanging hook when the actuation unit is moved from the extended position to the retracted position and moved away from the hanging hook when the actuation unit is moved from the retracted position to the extended position.
4 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the actuation unit comprises an arm actuation portion having an engagement arrangement in engagement with a corresponding engagement arrangement at a longitudinal end portion of the first arm and a corresponding engagement arrangement at a longitudinal end portion of the second arm,
wherein the first rotational axis extends through the longitudinal end portion of the first arm,
wherein the second rotational axis extends through the longitudinal end portion of the second arm,
wherein the engagement converts a linear motion of the arm actuation portion of the actuation unit along the extension axis into rotating motions of the first arm and the second arm about the first rotational axis and the second rotational axis respectively.
5 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 4 ,
wherein the engagement between the engagement arrangement of the arm actuation portion of the actuation unit and the corresponding engagement arrangements respectively at the longitudinal end portion of the first arm and the longitudinal end portion of the second arm is a rack and pinion type engagement.
6 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 5 ,
wherein
the engagement arrangement of the arm actuation portion of the actuation unit comprises a first row of teeth and a second row of teeth, each row of the first row of teeth and the second row of teeth being parallel to the extension axis of the actuation unit, the teeth of the first row of teeth and the teeth of the second row of teeth extending in opposite directions away from each other,
the corresponding engagement arrangement at each of the longitudinal end portion of the first arm and the longitudinal end portion of the second arm comprises a set of arcuately arranged teeth, and
the set of arcuately arranged teeth at the longitudinal end portion of the first arm is in engagement with the first row of teeth of the arm actuation portion of the actuation unit, and the set of arcuately arranged teeth at the longitudinal end portion of the second arm is in engagement with the second row of teeth of the arm actuation portion of the actuation unit.
7 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 6 , wherein each row of the first row of teeth and the second row of teeth of the arm actuation portion of the actuation unit comprises two teeth,
wherein the set of arcuately arranged teeth at each of the longitudinal end portion of the first arm and the longitudinal end portion of the second arm comprises two teeth.
8 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 4 ,
wherein the actuation unit comprises an arm locking portion having an interlocking arrangement interlockable with a corresponding interlocking arrangement at the longitudinal end portion of the first arm and a corresponding engagement arrangement at the longitudinal end portion of the second arm,
wherein the arm locking portion of the actuation unit locks the first arm and the second arm in the opened state when the actuation unit is in the extended position,
wherein the arm locking portion of the actuation unit unlocks the first arm and the second arm for rotating into the closed state when the actuation unit is moved from the extended position towards the retracted position.
9 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 8 ,
wherein the interlocking arrangement of the arm locking portion of the actuation unit comprises a pair of locking hooks,
wherein the corresponding interlocking arrangement at each of the longitudinal end portion of the first arm and the longitudinal end portion of the second arm comprises a locking tooth,
wherein, when the arm locking portion of the actuation unit locks the first arm and the second arm, a first locking hook of the arm locking portion of the actuation unit interlocks with the locking tooth of the first arm and a second locking hook of the arm locking portion of the actuation unit interlocks with the locking tooth of the second arm.
10 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 9 ,
wherein each of the pair of locking hooks of the arm locking portion of the actuation unit comprises a locking surface parallel to the extension axis of the actuation unit,
wherein the locking tooth at each of the longitudinal end portion of the first arm and the longitudinal end portion of the second arm comprises a corresponding locking surface oriented parallel to the extension axis of the actuation unit when the first arm and the second arm are in the opened state.
11 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 10 ,
wherein the locking surfaces of the pair of locking hooks of the arm locking portion of the actuation unit are facing one another.
12 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 8 ,
wherein the user-actuable portion, the arm actuation portion, and the arm locking portion are arranged in series along the extension axis of the actuation unit,
wherein the arm locking portion is proximal to the hanging hook and the user-actuable portion is distal from the hanging hook.
13 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 10 ,
wherein, when the arm locking portion of the actuation unit locks the first arm and the second arm, the locking surface of the first locking hook of the arm locking portion of the actuation unit abuts against the corresponding locking surface of the locking tooth of the first arm so as to interlock the first locking hook with the locking tooth of the first arm, and the locking surface of the second locking hook of the arm locking portion of the actuation unit abuts against the corresponding locking surface of the locking tooth of the second arm so as to interlock the second locking hook with the locking tooth of the second arm.
14 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the hanging hook is integrally formed with the hub.
15 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the biasing member is disposed between an internal wall surface of the hub and the actuation unit, and pre-loaded to bias the actuation unit away from the internal wall surface of the hub such that the actuation unit is bias towards the extended position.
16 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the biasing member is a compression spring and the compression spring is pre-compressed to push the actuation unit away from the internal wall surface of the hub such that the actuation unit is bias towards the extended position.
17 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the hub comprises a guide arrangement to guide the actuation unit to move along the extension axis of the actuation unit.
18 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 17 ,
wherein the guide arrangement of the hub comprises a guide track or a guide rail or a guide rib,
wherein the actuation unit comprises a corresponding protrusion or a groove or a notch to engage the guide arrangement.
19 . The foldable clothes hanger as claimed in claim 18 ,
wherein the guide arrangement of the hub comprises a pair of parallel guide walls to guide the user-actuable portion of the actuation unit for extending out from the hub and retracting back into the hub.
20 . The folder clothes hanger as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the hub comprises a stopper arrangement to limit the first arm and the second arm when the first arm and the second arm are rotated away from each other into the opened state.