Clip
OwnerKenneth B. Vermillion, Bradley N. Vermillioninventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A clip has an opposed jaw end, a bridged back end and defines a slot extending across the bridged back end. It is connected to an article, for example, another clip or a float, which has an enlarged spherical head extending longitudinally therefrom. The head of the post has a diameter which is slightly greater than the width of the slot so that the connected item has rotational freedom of movement by receipt of the spherical head through the slot.
Claims19
A resilient clip member having a front end defining openable opposed jaws, a bridged back end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the front end and the back end,
- said resilient clip member having an upper longitudinally elongated finger gripping portion and a lower longitudinally elongated finger gripping portion extending from the bridged back end and diverging from each other in vertically opposed relation when viewed from the side,
- a narrow rectangular portion extending from a forward end of each finger gripping portion in laterally opposed crossed relation, an upper L-shaped jaw portion extending from said narrow rectangular portion extending from the lower finger gripping portion, a lower L-shaped jaw portion extending from said narrow rectangular portion extending from the upper finger gripping portion, each L-shaped jaw portion being wider than the narrow rectangular portion;
- each of said finger gripping portions being sufficiently resilient such that when pressed together by the fingers of an operator, said jaw portions will open and when released will be biased toward an abutted condition,
- wherein the bridged back end of the resilient clip member is formed from a pair of juxtaposed arcuate links, a slot being defined between the links, said slot extending across the bridged back end and partway down the finger gripping portions, said slot having a width dimension and being for receiving a post having an enlarged generally spherical head, the head of the post having a diameter which is slightly greater than the width of the slot, the pair of juxtaposed arcuate links resiliently separating sufficiently to permit passage of the head of the post.
A clip assembly for maintaining articles releasably clipped together, comprising in combination:
- a first resilient clip member having a front end defining openable opposed jaws, a bridged back end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the front end and the back end,
- a second resilient clip member having a front end defining openable opposed jaws, a bridged back end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the front end and the back end,
- wherein the first resilient clip member further defines a slot extending across the bridged back end, said slot having a width dimension, and
- the second resilient clip member further defines a post having an enlarged spherical head extending longitudinally from the bridged back end, the head of the post having a diameter which is slightly greater than the width of the slot,
- said second clip being connected to the first clip for rotational freedom of movement by receipt of the spherical head through the slot,
- wherein the bridged back end of the first resilient clip member is formed from a pair of juxtaposed arcuate links, the slot being defined between the links, said pair of juxtaposed arcuate links resiliently separating sufficiently to permit passage of the head of the post and connection of the first resilient clip member to the second resilient clip member.
A clip and float assembly, comprising in combination:
- a resilient clip member having a front end defining openable opposed jaws, a bridged back end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the front end and the back end,
- wherein the first resilient clip member further defines a slot extending across the bridged back end, said slot having a width dimension, and
- a float element having an enlarged buoy-shaped first end and a second end having a post with an enlarged spherical head, the head of the post having a diameter which is slightly greater than the width of the slot,
- the float element being connected to the resilient clip member for rotational freedom of movement by receipt of the spherical head through the slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.