US 4,063,333 A · Clothespin

Abstract

A highly stable clothespin of the type having a pair of elongated clamping members and a helical metal spring interposed therebetween is provided. Each of the pair of clamping members has a forward clamping jaw, a tail, and an intermediate portion. The hollow body of the helical spring serves as a fulcrum about which the intermediate portions of the elongated clamping members are pivoted for opening and closing the jaws with respect to one another for gripping articles inserted therebetween. In a first embodiment, the improved stability is achieved by providing a lateral recess about the top surface and sides of each of the clamping members adjacent the fulcrum. An integral clip formed into a rectangular configuration is provided for each of the lateral recesses and the two ends of each of the clips are inserted into the hollow body of the spring for securing the clamping members thereto. In a second embodiment, the improved stability is achieved by providing one or more pairs of elongated pin and aperture combinations disposed between the fulcrum and the clamping jaws. The tip of the non-metallic pin is disposed adjacent its corresponding aperture when the jaws are open and is telescopically received therein when the jaws are closed thereby preventing the article inserted between the jaws from contacting the metal spring while simultaneously reducing the tendency of the members to separate from the spring under abnormal conditions.

Drawings

Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO

Drawings

Claims5

Dependent claims

A clothespin comprising a pair of generally symmetrical, longitudinally, elongated, generally rectangular, block-like non-metallic members each having a longitudinal axis and similarly configured inner and outer surface portions;

each of said pair of elongated members including a forward clamping jaw having its inner surface portion adapted for gripping a clothesline and articles to be hangably suspended therefrom when the clamping jaw of one of said pair of members closes into clamping engagement with the corresponding clamping jaw of the other of said pair of members, a tapered tail adapted to be manually engaged for levering said forward clamping jaws open, and an intermediate portion between said jaw and said tail for defining a fulcrum about which each of said pair of members may be pivoted for opening and closing said clamping jaws with respect to one another;
metal spring means for pivotally urging said clamping jaws toward one another in a clamping position, said spring means including a coiled hollow body portion intermediate first and second relatively straight elongated end portions;
the intermediate portion of each of said pair of members including a transverse lateral groove across the inner surface portion thereof, said groove being generally perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional configuration such that the coiled hollow body portion of said spring means may be houseably received between the correspondingly opposed lateral grooves in the inner surface portions of said pair of elongated members and at least partially concealed therein, the intermediate portion and tail of one of said pair of members having a first relatively straight longitudinal recess in the inner surface portion thereof for receivably retaining and recessably concealing said first relatively straight elongated end portion of said spring means and the intermediate portion and tail of the other of said pair of members having a secong relatively straight longitudinal recess in the inner surface portion thereof for receivably retaining and recessably concealing said second relatively straight elongated end portion of said spring means so that the end portions of said spring means are recessed beneath said inner surface portions and said coiled body portion is at least partially recessed to prevent or at least minimize metal contact with said clothesline and said suspended articles, a first metal clip means for retainably securing one of said pair of members to the coiled hollow body portion of said spring means and a second metal clip means for retainably securing the other of said pair of members to the coiled hollow body portion of said spring means so as to prevent the inadvertent separation of said members and said spring means even under abnormal conditions, each of said members including a three-sided continuous slot formed in the external surfaces of the intermediate portion thereof and extending from one end of said lateral groove in the inner surface portion along the side of said intermediate portion, laterally across the outer surface portion of said intermediate portion directly opposite said lateral groove and along the opposite side of said intermediate surface to the opposite end of said lateral groove, the outer surface slot portion being generally parallel to said lateral groove and perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and said side slots being generally perpendicular to said lateral groove;
each of said clip means being an integral piece of resilient metallic material generally configured as a partially opened rectangle when in operative position, said clip means having a relatively straight intermediate clip body, a pair of relatively straight clip sides which are generally perpendicular to said clip body and a pair of clip ends disposed toward one another and generally parallel to said clip body and perpendicular to said clip sides, said body portion being adapted to be receivably retained and recessably concealed within said outer surface slot portion, said clip sides being adapted to be receivably retained and recessably concealed within said slot sides, and said clip ends adapted to be insertably received and retained within the opposite hollow ends of said coiled spring body thereby preventing separation while simultaneously recessing said metal clip means beneath the exterior side and outer surface portions of said members to prevent or at least minimize metal contact with said clothesline and the articles suspended therefrom to prevent rust spots and the like.

1 more element

In an improved spring-type clothespin having first and second clamping members and a spring means interposed therebetween, said members having front portions whose opposed inner surfaces are adapted to serve as clamping jaws for gripping clothes and a clothesline therebetween, said spring means being metallic and susceptable to rusting and being disposed between said members to serve as a fulcrum for normally urging said jaws toward one another in a clamping position, said members being non-metallic and not susceptable to rust and having tail portions adapted to be manually engaged to overcome the force of said spring means for opening said jaws to enable said clothes and said clothesline to be clampably received therebetween, the improvement comprising pin and aperture means disposed between said spring means and said jaws for preventing said clothes and said clothesline from contacting any portion of said metallic spring means thereby insuring that no rust spots are received on said clothes or said clothesline while simultaneously serving to improve the stability of the clothespin to prevent separation of the clamping members and the spring means, said pin and aperture means including at least one pin having a generally circular cross-section permanently positioned and secured in an aperture in the inner surface of one of said clamping members intermediate said clamping jaw and said spring means, said pin having an elongated body portion extending beyond said inner surface and generally perpendicular thereto, the other of said clamping members including a cylindrical aperture through the inner surface thereof intermediate said clamping jaw and said spring means for telescopically receiving said elongated body portion of said pin being tapered and having the tapered face disposed toward said clamping jaws to insure sufficient clearance as said elongated body portion is moved in and out of said cylindrical aperture, said elongated body portion of said pin being effective even when said jaws are fully opened to prevent said clothes or said clothesline from contacting said spring means so as to avoid rust spots, tears, and the like.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description4,022 words

Summary971 words

#This invention relates to clothespins, and more particularly to highly stable spring-type clothespins which will not fall apart under abnormal conditions.

#The prior art teaches many clothespins of the type having a pair of elongated clamping members and a spring interposed therebetween for normally urging the jaws of the clothespin closed upon one another. Many of the springs used in the prior art quickly lose their resiliency and render the closepin ineffective after a short period of use. Helical springs have proven to be extremely effective at providing a sufficient clamping force over an extended period of use.

#However, many of the clothespins of the prior art utilizing helical springs are structurally unstable. If a clothesline or an article of clothing or the like is inserted between the jaws of the clothespin to a point sufficiently closed to the fulcrum, the body of the spring may lift out of the grooves provided therefore causing the clothespin to fall or fly apart if any type of lateral or longitudinal force is applied to its tail portion.

Brief description of the drawings10 figures

#Other advantages and meritorious features of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description of the drawings and the preferred embodiments, the appended claims and the drawings which are described hereinbelow.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of the high stability clothespin of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the clothespin of FIG. 1;

Detailed description2,800 words

#FIG. 1 shows the highly stable clothespin 11 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Clothespin 11 includes a pair of generally symmetrical, longitudinally elongated members 12, 13, a spring assembly 14 and a pair of spring-retaining clip elements 15, 16 for retainably securing the members 12, 13 to the spring assembly 14 even under abnormal conditions.

#The elongated member 12 has a longitudinal axis 17, an inner surface portion 18, an outer surface portion 19, and a pair of side portions 21 which extend from the outer surface portion 19 to the inner surface portion 18. The elongated member 12 has a forward clamping jaw 22 having its inner surface portion 18 adapted for gripping articles, as by the inclusion of a lateral gripping configuration 23. The member 12 further includes a tail 24 adapted to be manually engaged for levering the forward clamping jaw 22 open and an intermediate portion 25 between the clamping jaw 22 and the tail 24 for defining a fulcrum 26.

#The other elongated member 13 also has a longitudinal axis, not shown, and a similarly configured inner surface portion 27, outer surface portion 28, and side portions 29. The elongated member 13 has a forward clamping jaw 31 having its inner surface portion 27 adapted with a gripping configuration 32 such that articles inserted between the jaws 22, 31 may be positively gripped when the clamping jaw 22 closes into clamping engagement with respect to the corresponding clamping jaw 31.

Clothespin

Life of this patent

Clothespin

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims5

Description4,022 words

Drawings

Classification6 codes

Life of this patent

Description4,022 words