Grip clip

• US 6,302,366 B1
• Filed: 04/30/1999
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Inventors: Mitchell, Edward, Saylor, Charles, Phillips, Sheldon
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Anita
• Assistant Examiner(s): MORRISON, NASCHICA SANDERS
• Application Number:
  US09/304,166
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 248/452, 248/450, 248/229.25, 248/231.71, 248/229.6, 248/304, 248/307, 248/316.2, 244/89, 245/10, 244/99, 245/00, 245/01, 245/02, 245/11, 245/07, D19/65, D19/86, D19/90, D 8/395
• US Class Current: 248/452
• CPC Class Codes: B42F 1/006 Fasteners comprising two co-operating jaws closed by spring action and that can be manually opened, e.g. clamps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/44291 including pivoted gripping member
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/44393 Attached solely by spring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/44444 having specific surface material or irregularity on or along engaging face

Abstract

An office accessory arrangement including a stationary support rail and a grip clip removably supported thereon. The grip clip includes a pair of opposed grip members joined to one another by a hinge arrangement for enabling relative pivoting of the grip members about a hinge axis. The grip clip has a biasing structure which relatively pivotably biases the grip members in opposite directions towards a closed position in which opposed inner gripping services of the respective grip members engage one another or engage a document therebetween. The support rail has a channel-like part which defines an outwardly opening narrow slot, with one side of the slot being defined by a cantilevered wall of the channel-like part. The grip clip, when engaged with the support rail, is disposed so that the cantilevered wall of the channel-like part projects into a slot defined within the support rail to securely position the grip clip thereon.

Claims

1. A grip clip for engaging a document, said clip comprising:

a pair of identical, one-piece, monolithic elongate elements each constructed of a rigid plastic material, said elongate elements being disposed in adjacent and opposed relationship and pivotally joined together by a hinge structure which is disposed between the opposed elongate elements and substantially centrally between opposite ends thereof for defining a hinge axis which extends transversely of the elongate elements, a spring cooperating with the elongate elements for relatively urging the elongate elements in opposite directions about the hinge axis into a closed gripping position, said pair of elongate elements defining thereon integral first elongate arm portions which are disposed in spaced relation from one another on opposite sides of the hinge axis and are cantilevered upwardly therefrom, said pair of elongate elements also including integral second elongate arm portions which are disposed at opposite sides of the hinge axis and are cantilevered downwardly therefrom, said second arm portions adjacent free ends thereof having opposed inner gripping surfaces which are directly engageable with one another or a document disposed therebetween when the clip is in the closed position, the second arm portions of said elongate elements each having a forked construction when viewed in a plane perpendicular to the hinge axis and including inner and outer arms which are cantilevered downwardly and separated by a narrow slot which extends upwardly between the inner and outer arms and terminates at a closed upper end which is spaced downwardly a substantial distance from an upper free end of the respective elongate element, each said inner arm defining thereon a respective said gripping surface and being cantilevered downwardly through a greater extent than the respective outer arm, each said inner arm also defining thereon an outwardly facing surface which projects downwardly below a mouth of the respective slot to facilitate insertion of a support wall thereinto, and each said outer arm having a progressively increasing thickness defined in a direction transverse to the hinge axis as said outer arms project away from respective free ends thereof.

2. A clip according to claim 1, wherein said second arm portions are substantially aligned with and constitute extensions of the respective said first arm portions.

3. A clip according to claim 2, wherein, when the clip is in the closed position, the first arm portions diverge with respect to one another as the first arm portions project upwardly relative to the hinge axis.

4. A clip according to claim 1, wherein each of the elongate elements includes a pair of bearing support plates which project transversely inwardly from an inner side thereof toward the opposed elongate element, whereby the bearing support plates on the opposed elongate elements overlap, and the hinge structure includes a hinge pin which projects through aligned openings formed in the overlapping bearing plates.

5. A clip according to claim 1 wherein said outer arms each define an inwardly facing surface disposed in opposed relation with said outwardly facing surface of the respective said inner arm, each said slot having a width defined transversely between said surfaces of said inner and outer arms which is substantially uniform.

6. An office accessory arrangement, comprising in combination:

a stationary support rail having a channel member which defines an outwardly opening narrow slot;

a grip clip for holding a document, said grip clip being removably supported on said rail;

said grip clip including a pair of identical, one-piece, monolithic grip members constructed of a rigid plastic material, said grip members being disposed in opposed relation with one another and being centrally joined by a hinge arrangement which defines a hinge axis for enabling relative pivoting of said grip members about said hinge axis;

said grip members respectively including first elongate portions which project in one direction away from said axis and are disposed so as to be manually engaged, said grip members respectively including second elongate portions which project in an opposite direction from the hinge axis;

said grip clip having a biasing structure which relatively pivotally biases the grip members in opposite directions toward a closed position;

each said second elongate portion defining inner and outer cantilevered arm parts disposed in spaced relation with one another to define a slot therebetween which opens inwardly from a position adjacent one end of the respective second elongate portion and projects along the second elongate portion generally parallel with the axis and terminates at a closed end which is disposed a substantial distance from the other end of the respective grip member, said inner arm parts defining respective opposed inner gripping surfaces adjacent free ends thereof which are engageable with one another or a document disposed therebetween when the grip clip is in the closed position; and

said channel member of said support rail having a cantilevered wall defining one side of the slot in the support rail, one of said outer arm parts of said grip clip being insertable into the rail slot for confinement therein simultaneous with insertion of the cantilevered wall of said rail into the respective slot of the grip clip, each said outer arm part having a progressively increasing thickness defined in a direction transverse to the hinge axis as said outer arm part projects away from a free end thereof toward the hinge axis, and said thickness of said outer arm part adjacent said closed end of said clip slot is similar to a width dimension of said rail slot to provide a substantially snug mounting of said grip clip on said rail.

7. An arrangement according to claim 6, wherein said inner arm part has a cantilevered length which is greater than the cantilevered length of said outer arm part so as to project beyond a free end of the cantilevered outer arm part to assist in insertion of said cantilevered wall into the clip slot.

8. An arrangement according to claim 6, wherein said support rail is elongated and said slot thereof extends along the elongated direction of the support rail and opens transversely relative to said elongated direction for permitting engagement or disengagement of the clip relative to the rail due to moving of the clip in said transverse direction, said clip being slidable along the rail in said elongated direction.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the rail is elongated horizontally and the slot thereof opens generally upwardly.

10. An arrangement according to claim 9 including an upright support arm attachable to a work surface so as to project upwardly a significant distance thereabove, said support arm mounting the support rail on an upper end thereof.

11. An arrangement according to claim 6 wherein each said inner arm part projects beyond the respective said outer arm part and defines thereon an outwardly facing surface which projects beyond a mouth of the respective said clip slot to facilitate insertion of said cantilevered wall of said support rail therein.

12. An arrangement according to claim 6 wherein said outer arm parts are rigid and inflexible.