US2638297A - Article holder - Google Patents

Description

M. WEINBERGER ARTICLE HOLDER Filed Feb. 2

May 12, 1953 IN V EN TOR M0111; Vein Zezyez:

A TTORIVEX Patented May 12 1953 TENT orrics ARTICLE 110mm Morris Weinberger, New York, N. Y.,assign'or of one-half to Dora M. Klein, Cedarhurst, N. Y.

' Application February2y1950, Serial No..141,901

4 Claims; (Cl. 248-126) This invention relates'to articleholders such as disclosed. in pending application Serial No. 767,674, filed August 9, 1947, now Patent No. 2,505,075, for Adjustable Article Stand. I

The present invention is an improvement over the above-identified disclosure and has for its principal object to provide an article holding device which is simpler in construction and therefore much less expensive, yet even more effective and practical, and which device is adapted for securely gripping an article, such as a flashlight, within its frame, and wherein such article may be swung to any desired position in respect to the frame, and wherein the article holding'device is. provided with resilient blades, normally reposin'g within the frame, but which are swingable outwardly from the frame to" form, togetherwith a portion of the frama'a substantial supporting base for both the device and the article held by it.

A more specific object of this invention is the provision of an article holder in the form of a substantially U-shaped frame having at its open end a resilient article clip which connects the free ends of the frame legs and which clip is rotatably mounted between them, and wherein friction. elements are interposed between the clip and the frame legs at the pivotal point of the clip so as to restrain the movement of the clip in respect to the frame, and wherein apair of resilient, permanently bent blades arepivotally associated with the bottom ends of the frame legs, with friction elements interposed between the legs and the blades to hold thelatter 'at any desired position in respect to. the frame, and which blades are adaptedwhen swung outwardly from the frame, to assume angular positions in respect to the frame, thus providing, in'combination with portions of the frame; a three-point supporting base for the latter.

A further object of this invention is to provide in such frame, means for facilitating suspension of the frame both at its closed end as well as along at least one of its legs.

Still another object is the provision of a com bination article holder and support or bracket therefore, and wherein said holder comprises a substantially U-shaped frame, at least One of the frame legs having spaced apertures with large and reduced ends, and wherein the support or bracket includes a clip for detachably securing it to an existing fixed object, and from which clip depends an arm from'which extend spaced, headed rivets, theheads' of the rivets being adapted to'be passed through the large ends of the apertures provided in the holder leg, while the shanks of the rivets are intendedto pass into the reduced-ends of the apertures and wherein the article holder i equipped 'with'permanently bent,

resilient blades pivotally associated With one of their ends to the legs of the holder, and-whereinat least one of the blades is adapted to cooperate with one of the apertures and with the corresponding head of the rivet passed through the aperture and projecting into the interior of the holder, and whereby that blade prevents, by pressing against the rivet head, the unintentional disassociation of the holder from the support or bracket.

. The foregoing and numerous other objects and important advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the ensuing description in connection with the accompanying drawings, and wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates a combination article holder and support or bracket therefore, in accordance with the present invention;

ig. 2 is a top. view of the detachable bracket;

Fig. 3 is an and elevation thereof, partly in section;

Fig. 4 is an end View of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top view of an article holder such as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the holder illustrated in Fig. 1

Fig. '7 is a front view thereof;

Fig; 8 illustrates a modified form of a holder in use, being suspended from a wall or the like;

Fig. 9 illustrates a holder in use resting on a fixed support; and

Fig. 10 is a section taken on line Ill-4G of Fig. 9.

In the drawings, numeral lil generally denotes the article holder, which comprises a substantially U-shaped frame, made preferably of strip material, and which frame has a closed end portion 1 l and two spaced legs [2. Between the free ends of legs I2 is arranged a resilient article gripping clip I3, which is rotatably mounted at it. Between the clip and legs l2 there will b seen friction elements it in the form of spring washers which are adapted to restrict voluntary movement of clip I3 in respect to the frame so that an article held in the clip may be swung to and automatically retained in any desired position.

F Pivotally associated at It with the lower ends of legs 12, adjacent to closed end H of the frame, are spring blades I? which are bent and permanently set to the. shape as shown in Fig. 101 Between th pivoted ends of these blades and. legs l2 there are again provided friction elements. 15, adapted to facilitate the positioning and the retention of the blades at any desired relation in respect to the frame. These. blades normally ongage the interior surfaces of the legs under tension so that their body portions between their ends normally project into the frame interior.

Thus when an article, such as a flashlight, is held by clip l3 and is forced into the frame, blades I! become compressed against legs l2 and will tensionally engage the body of the flashlight, thus retaining it in fixed position within the frame. With the flashlight thus held in the frame, it may be readily carried about or placed into a pocket, bag or compartment without unduly taking up too much space beyond the space normally occupied by the flashlight itself.

When the blades are swung outwardly from the frame, in the manner indicated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, these blades assume a distinct angular position in respect to the frame, thus providing, together with the closed end of the frame, a very substantial and secure, so-to-speak three-point supporting base for both the frame and the article held therein, in that the edge portions of the blades and frame end H touch their supporting surface at three, relatively widely spaced lines or points.

As clearly shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 7, the closed end of the frame is provided with a hanger l8 which is pivoted at 19 and which is normally positioned within the frame as it rests against frame end H, but which hanger may be swung out, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 5 and in full line in Fig. 8, for engagement with a nail or hook, in which case blades I! are preferably swung downwardly against the vertical support from which the nail extends.

In addition to the facility for suspending frame H) from a wall, it may be also detachably suspended from a bracket in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1. That bracket, shown in detail in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, is indicated at 2B, and comprises a clip 2| which may be attached by means of bolt 22 to an existing object, such as a steering column 23 of an automobile, indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2. Depending from clip 20 is an arm 24 from which extend rivets 25 with their heads 26 spaced from the arm so that the shanks of the rivets are free.

Corresponding to the spacing of rivets 25, there are provided in one of th frame legs apertures 27, as clearly seen in Fig. 6. These apertures are large at their lower end and relatively narrow at their upper end to facilitate the insertion of heads 26 and the passage of the rivet shanks into the narrow ends of the apertures. Thus the rivet shanks suspend the frame and heads 26 prevent the disengagement of the holder from the bracket.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the left blade I! cooperates with the upper perforation and with the head of the upper rivet. Since the blade is resilient, it tensionall engages the rivet and thus forces frame it against the undersurface of the rivet head, thereby minimizing the possibility of an unintentional disengagement of the frame from the bracket.

Obviously, either one or both frame legs may be equipped with apertures'ZI, and by the same token these apertures may be omitted, as shown in Fig. 8 when the holder is not intended for suspension from a bracket.

While in the drawings specific forms of the device are illustrated, it is quite obvious that when the holder is to be used for different sizes of flashlights or for holding other articles, its construction may have to be altered, such alterations being deemed to reside within the scope and intent of the present invention, as defined in the annexed claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In an article holder, a substantially U- shaped, one-piece holder frame, closed at one end and having legs extending from that closed end, a pair of individually operable, bent spring blades pivotally associated at one of their ends with the leg ends adjacent the closed end of the frame, said blades, while within the frame, normally engaging with their free ends the interior faces of the legs so that their bent body portions between their ends extend toward one another, said blades being adapted, when swung out of the frame, to assume with their major body portions such divergent angular positions in respect to the frame so that wide-spread points of support for the frame are provided as the edges of the bent blades and the closed end of the frame come to'rest upon a supporting surface.

2. In an article holder, a substantially U- shaped, one-piece frame, closed at one end, composed of a fixed connecting portion and a pair of legs extending therefrom, a resilient article clip at the free ends of and connecting the frame legs and being rotatably but frictionally held between them, a pair of individual and independent resilient blades rotatably associated at one of their ends with the fixed ends of the legs adjacent said frame connecting portion and being in frictional engagement with the legs, said blades being so bent that their free ends normally engage the interior faces of the frame legs and their bowed portions tensionally bear against an article held in the holder and being adapted, when swung out of the holder, to serve as diverging support elements for the latter, and means provided with the holder for facilitating its suspension.

3. In an article holder, a substantially U- shaped, one-piece resilient frame comprising two spaced legs and a fixed spacing and connecting portion for and forming a continuation of the fixed ends of the legs and constituting the closed end of the frame, a resilient article-gripping clip rotatably but frictionally held between the free ends of the legs, a pair of independent, individual- 1y operable spring blades pivotally but frictionally secured with one of their ends to the fixed ends of the legs adjacent said fixed leg-spacing and leg-connecting portion of the frame, said blades being bowed and permanently set to retain their bowed shapes so that when they are swung out from the frame they will assume a distinct angular position in respect to the frame, and when swung into the frame, their bowed portions will project into the frame interior.

4. In an article holder according to claim 3, at least one of the legs having means for accommodating suspension means for the holder, one of the spring blades associated with said one leg being adapted, when held within the frame, to

tensionally bear against said accommodating means.

MORRIS WEINBERGER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 673,430 Flanders May 7, 1901 1,304,787 MacNeale May 27, 1919 1,621,645 Thorp Mar. 22, 1927 1,869,226 Subick July 26, 1932 2,015,795 Greene et a1. Oct. 1, 1935 2,156,025 Paul Nov. 23, 1937 2,247,131 Muldoon June 24, 1941

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