The Invention of the Coat Hanger衣架的發明

Mary Bellis 張寧

Todays wire coat hanger was inspired by a clothes hook patented1 in 1869， but it wasnt until 1903 that Albert J. Parkhouse， an employee in Jackson， Michigan， created the device2 that we now know as the coat hanger in response to co-workers complaints of too few coat hooks. He bent a piece of wire into two ovals3 with the ends twisted together to form a hook. Parkhouse patented his invention， but it is not known if he profited4 from it.

In 1906， Meyer May， a mens clothier of Grand Rapids， Michigan， became the first retailer5 to display his wares on his wishbone-inspired6 hangers. Some of these original hangers can be seen at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Meyer May House in Grand Rapids.

Schuyler C. Hulett received a patent in 1932 for an improvement which included cardboard tubes screwed7 onto the upper and lower parts to prevent wrinkles8 in freshly washed clothes.

Three years later， Elmer D. Rogers created a hanger with a tube on the lower bar which is still used today.

Thomas Jefferson invented the early wooden coat hanger along with other inventions like the hideaway bed， the calendar clock， and the dumbwaiter9.

Todays Coat Hangers

Todays coat hangers are made of wood， wire， and plastic. Some are with fine materials such as satin10 for expensive clothes. The soft， plush11 padding12 helps protect clothes from shoulder dents13 that wire hangers may make. A caped hanger is an inexpensive wire clothing hanger covered in paper. They are most often used by dry cleaners to protect clothes after cleaning.

今天的金屬絲衣架靈感來自于1869年的專利衣鉤，但直到1903年，密歇根州杰克遜的一位公司雇員阿爾伯特·J·帕克豪斯，為了回應同事關于衣鉤太少的抱怨，才發明了一種我們現在稱之為衣架的裝置。他把一根鐵絲彎成兩個橢圓形，兩端擰在一起形成一個鉤子。帕克豪斯為他的發明申請了專利，但我們不知道他是否從中獲利。

1906年，密歇根州大急流城的一位男裝零售商邁耶·梅，成為第一個將自己的商品陳列在以叉骨為靈感的衣架上的零售商。在大急流城內由弗蘭克·勞埃德·賴特設計的邁耶·梅的房子里，可以看到一些這樣的原始衣架。

1932年，舒爾勒·C·休利特獲得了一項改進專利，該改進包括將硬紙板管擰在衣架的上下部分，以防止剛洗過的衣服出現皺紋。

三年后，埃爾默·D·羅杰斯發明了一種衣架，在衣架下面的桿子上裝有一根管子，這種衣架至今仍在使用。

托馬斯·杰斐遜則發明了早期的木制衣架，以及其他的發明，如隱藏式的床（內置在其他家具內、不用時可以收起來的床）、日歷時鐘和（樓層間運輸食物和餐具的）升降機。

今天的衣架

如今的衣架是由木頭、金屬絲、塑料制成的。有些包有精細的材料，比如用來做昂貴衣服的緞子。柔軟的毛絨墊料有助于避免金屬線衣架可能造成的衣服肩部痕跡。包紙衣架是一種廉價的金屬線衣架，上面包著紙。干洗店常用它們來保護清洗后的衣服。

（英語原文選自：www.thoughtco.com）

【Notes】

1. patent [? ? ?] v. 取得……的專利權;授予專利

2. device [? ? ?] n. 裝置;設