GB2233026A

GB2233026A - Spring biassed clamp

Info

Publication number: GB2233026A
Application number: GB8910297A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Arvids Putnins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-05-05
Filing date: 1989-05-05
Publication date: 1991-01-02
Also published as: GB8910297D0

Abstract

A clip or clamp comprises two members 11, 12 and a spring 10; the members each comprise a handle portion 20 and a jaw portion 22 with a hinge portion 21 therebetween; the hinge portions 21 interengage to confine the members to pivotal movement about a predetermined axis prior to assembly of the spring, and the spring embraces said jaw portions to urge them together and to hinder separation of said hinge portions. <IMAGE>

Description

CLIP 1 This invention concerns clips.

Clips exist in a wide variety of kinds, e.g.

clothes-pegs, clip-board clips, terminal clips and document clips. In some thereof, such as relatively expensive terminal clips, two members, each providing a toothed clamping jaw, are pivotally connected by a pivot pin which serves to locate a coil spring, and the spring urges the clamping jaws together. In some others, such as relatively inexpensive document clips, two members extend through apertures in a pressed-sheet-metal spring which embraces the two members to hold jaw forming portions thereof together, and the portion of the spring between the apertures provides fulcrums about which the members are arcuately movable to separate the jaw portions.

In general each kind has respective advantages and disadvantages. For example, the aforementioned terminal clips can provide a relatively secure grip upon appropriately dimensioned battery terminals, but have restricted utility because the jaws tend to indent that which is held therein, and are costly to manufacture; whereas the document clips are, as mentioned, inexpensive to manufacture, but afford an insecure grip# on thick rigid objects, especially relatively movable objects which tend to cause relative lateral displacement of the members.

Some of said kinds have been modified for particular purposes. For example a known form of canopy clip, for holding a canopy, awning or like sheet covering to a frame for a market stall booth, is very similar to the aforementioned terminal clip except in that the jaws are not toothed and have protective plastics end pieces fitted to the jaws. However. such canopy clips are expensive to manufacture, relatively bulky and can damage sheet material caught by unprotected portions of the jaws.

An object of the invention is to enable at least some of said disadvantages to be avoided or reduced.

According to the present invention there is generally provided a clip comprising two members and a spring, wherein the members each comprise a handle portion and a jaw portion with a hinge portion therebetween; characterised in that the hinge portions interengage to permit pivotal movement of the members about a predetermined axis, and the spring embraces said jaw portions to urge them together and to hinder separation of said hinge portions.

The interengagement is preferably sufficient to prevent any substantial relative movement between the members in an axial direction, and is preferably further sufficient to prevent relative movement in any plane parallel or close to a plane extending between the members.

The present invention further provides a clip comprising two members and a spring, wherein the members each comprise a handle portion and a jaw portion with a hinge portion therebetween; characterised in that each member has an aperture therein which aperture extends from within the handle portion towards the jaw portion; in that an outer surface of each jaw portion provides a transverse recess; and in that the spring is at least partially accommodated in said apertures and has limbs engaged in said recesses.

The hinge portions are preferably formed so that, as the members are pushed together during assembly, the interengagement of the hinge portions becomes sufficient to retain the members together prior to the spring being fitted thereto.

The apertures preferably interrupt the hinge portions; each hinge portion preferably comprises a male formation and a female formation spaced apart by the apertures; and the male portion of one member is preferably a push or snap fit into the female portion of the other member. Said formations preferably have arcuate noses which engage in co-axial concavities at the bases of said formations.

The jaw portions preferably provide ramp surfaces which converge from said recesses towards said apertures, for engagement by the limbs of the spring as the latter is fitted to the members.

Said members are preferably moulded or cast, e.g.

from plastics, filled plastics or metal.

The spring is preferably of metal sheet material pressed to C or U shape, but may be of plastics or reinforced plastics material.

The invention further provides a method of making a clip comprising the steps of making a spring and a plurality of members, thrusting two members together so that hinge portions thereof interengage, and thrusting the spring between handle portions of said members so that limbs of the spring pass through apertures in said members and engage in external recesses in jaw portions of said members to urge the jaw portions together.

The invention will be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 shows a clip in side elevation; FIGURE 2 shows the clip in plan; FIGURE 3 shows a section of part of the clip on the line 111-111 in FIGURE 2; FIGURE 4 shows a section of part of the clip on the line IV-IV in FIGURE 2, and FIGURE 5 shows a section of one member of the clip on the line V-V in FIGURE 2.

The clip comprises a steel spring 10 and two identical members 11,12 moulded from plastics material such as "Nylon 66".

Each member comprises a handle portion 20, a hinge portion 21 and a jaw portion 22. An aperture 23 is formed in the member to interrupt said portions. An external face of the jaw portion provides a transverse spring retaining recess 24 from which a ramp surface 25 extends, within the aperture, towards the handle portion.

The hinge portion has on its internal face a male formation 30 spaced apart from a female formation 40.

The male formation 30 projects from between concavities 31 and has a nose 32. The female formation 40 comprises projections 43, each having a nose 42, and a concavity 41 between the projections. The concavities and noses provide co-axial arcuate bearing surfaces. The formation 30 of one member is a push fit between the projections 43 of the other member. The flanks of the noses 32 may be chamfered to facilitate insertion into the female formations.

The spring has limbs 15 ending in flanges 16 which engage in the recesses to locate the spring so that the limbs extend through the apertures 23.

During assembly the members are thrust together to cause the male formations to move, in a direction which is generally perpendicular to a mid-plane (intermediate the members) and is generally radial to the axis of the bearing surfaces, to enter into the female formations so that the hinge portions interengage to inhibit any relative movement of the members other than pivotal movements about said axis, and a resisted movement in ot near to the reverse direction.

Thereafter, the spring is thrust between the handle portions so that the flanges engage, and are displaced further apart by, the ramp surfaces as movement of spring causes the flanges to traverse the ramp surfaces to reach and enter the recesses.

The jaw portions are shaped to suit that which is to be gripped, e.g., in this example to hold sheet material 50 onto a rail 51.

In use, the jaw portions are effectively and closely confined to arcuate movement, to provide a secure positionally stable grip up to the limit afforded by the thrust of the spring.

The invention is not confined to details of the foregoing example and many variations are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the clip may be made of metal, the jaws may have teeth and one portion may be adapted to receive a cable so that the clip forms a terminal clip. Alternatively, one member may have a greatly enlarged jaw portion to serve as a support panel or be secured to a support panel so that the clip serves as, or serves as part of, a clip board.

The portion 20 may have a finger grip embracing textured surface portion 52, and a hanging hole 53. The jaws may be of any suitable shape. The spring may be of coil form having end limbs shaped to fit into appropriate recesses in the jaw portions.

Claims

1. A clip comprising two members an a spring, wherein the members each comprise a handle portion and a jaw portion with a hinge portion therebetlçeen; characterised in that the hinge portions interengage to permit pivotal movement of the members about a predetermined axis, and the spring embraces said jaw portions to urge them together and to hinder separation of said hinge portions.

2. A clip as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the interengagement is sufficient to prevent any substantial relative movement between the members in an axial direction.

3. A clip as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the interengagement is further sufficient to prevent relative movement in any plane parallel or close to a plane extending between the members.

4. A clip comprising two members and a spring, wherein the members each comprise a handle portion and a jaw portion with a hinge portion therebetween; characterised in that each members has an aperture therein which aperture extends from within the handle portion towards the jaw portion; in that an outer surface of each jaw portion provides a transverse recess; and in that the spring is at least partially accommodated in said apertures and has limbs engaged in said recess.

5. A clip as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the hinge portions are formed so that, as the members are pushed together during assembly, the interengagement of the hinge portions becomes sufficient to retain the members together prior to the spring being fitted thereto.

6. A clip as claimed in Claim 4 or 5 wherein the apertures interrupt the hinge portions.

7. A clip as claimed in Claim 4,5 or 6 wherein each hinge portion comprises a male formation and a female formation spaced apart by the apertures.

8. A clip as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the male portion of one member is a push or snap fit into the female portion of the other member.

9. A clip as claimed in Claim 7 or 8 wherein said formations have arcuate noses which engage in co-axial concavities at the bases of said formations.

10. A clip as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the jaw portions provide ramp surfaces which converge from said recesses towards said apertures, for engagement by the limbs of the spring as the latter is fitted to the members.

11. A clip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A method of making a clip comprising the steps of making a spring and a plurality of members, thrusting two members together so that hinge portions thereof interengage, and thrusting the spring between handle portions of said members so that limbs of the spring pass through apertures in said members and engage in external recesses in jaw portions of said members to urge the jaw portions together.

13. A method of making a clip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A clip made by the method claimed in Claim 12 or 13.