AU2011101113A4 - Decorative clip - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A decorative clip 10 comprises a decorative novelty item 12, with a clip means 14 attached to its rear. The clip means 14 comprising a first stationary 5 portion 16 which is fixed to a rear face of the novelty item 12 and a second movable portion 18 of resilient material that faces the stationary portion 16. The second movable portion 18 can be moved away from the stationary portion 16 to receive an edge of a flat article 20 in the space formed there between. In this manner, in use, the second movable portion 18 presses 10 against a surface of the flat article 20 to resiliently hold the novelty item 12 on the article 20. Drawing to accompany Abstract: Figure 6 Fig. 8a Fig. 8b ro Fig. 8c

Description

ORIGINAL AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For an Innovation Patent Invention title: "DECORATIVE CLIP" Applicant: STREET BLING PTY LTD The following statement is a full description of the invention. Including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 "DECORATIVE CLIP" Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a decorative clip and relates particularly, 5 though not exclusively, to such a clip that can be worn as a clothing accessory. Background to the Invention Many varieties of decorative clothing accessories are now available to suit the styles and tastes of most people. Typically such items are designed to be 10 worn around the neck or wrist or attached to an item of clothing in some manner. For example, brooches are still popular clothing accessories for woman and these are typically attached to a blouse or dress using a safety pin provided for this purpose on the back of the brooch. Other types of clothing accessories may employ a fastener that has a pair of spring-loaded 15 jaws that are designed to grip the fabric with the teeth provided on the jaws. A problem with these types of accessories is that if they are removed and attached multiple times there is a danger that the fabric may be damaged. Every time the safety pin pierces the fabric it weakens the fabric in that region, and the teeth on the spring loaded jaws can easily rip the fabric. 20 The present invention was developed with a view to providing a decorative clip which can be easily attached and removed without damaging the fabric. It will be apparent that the decorative clip may also have other functions and is not limited in its use as a clothing accessory. References to prior art in this specification are provided for illustrative 25 purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission that such prior art is part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere. Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a decorative clip for attachment to an article of clothing or the like article, the 30 decorative clip comprising: 3 a decorative novelty item; and, a clip means attached to the novelty item, the clip means comprising a first stationary portion which is fixed to a rear face of the novelty item and a second movable portion of resilient material that faces the stationary portion 5 and which can be moved away from the stationary portion to receive an edge of a flat article in the space formed there between whereby, in use, the second movable portion presses against a surface of the flat article to resiliently hold the novelty item on the article. Preferably the clip means is manufactured from a substantially planar 10 member made of a resilient material, the planar member being formed so as to have the second movable resilient portion facing the stationary portion. Preferably the planar member is made from a resilient metal material, and the second movable portion is formed by the planar member being folded back onto itself using at least two folds. Preferably each of the two folds 15 subtends an angle of between 600 and 90*, wherein according to a first fold a first section of the second movable portion extends from the first stationary portion at an angle of between 600 and 90*, and according to a second fold a second section of the second movable portion extends from the first section at an angle of between 60* and 90*. 20 Preferably the second movable portion is formed with a third fold according to which a third section of the second movable portion extends from the third section at an angle of between 90* and 1600. Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word 25 "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Likewise the word "preferably" or variations such as "preferred", will be understood to imply that a stated integer or group of integers is desirable but not essential to the 30 working of the invention.

4 Brief Description of the Drawings The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of several specific embodiments of a decorative clip, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, 5 in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a clip means employed in a decorative clip according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the clip means of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an exploded rear perspective view of a first embodiment of a 10 decorative clip according to the invention; Figure 4 illustrates the decorative clip of Figure 3 in its assembled condition; Figures 5 (a), 5 (b), 5 (c) and 5 (d) illustrate several different embodiments of the decorative clip according to the present invention in 15 rear perspective views; Figure 6 is a side elevation illustrating the manner in which the decorative clip is attached to an edge of a flat article; Figure 7 illustrates a baseball cap having two different embodiments of the decorative clip attached thereto; and, 20 Figures 8 (a), 8 (b) and 8 (c) illustrated three other possible applications of various embodiments of the decorative clip according to the invention. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments 25 A preferred embodiment of a decorative clip 10 in accordance with the invention as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 comprises a decorative novelty item 12, in this case a cross-shaped design with a wing-shaped crossbar. The novelty item 12 has a clip means 14 attached to its rear, as shown most clearly in Figure 4. The clip means 14 comprising a first stationary portion 16 5 which is fixed to a rear face of the novelty item 12 and a second movable portion 18 of resilient material that faces the stationary portion 16. The second movable portion 18 can be moved away from the stationary portion 16 to receive an edge of a flat article 20 in the space formed there between, 5 as shown most clearly in Figure 6. In this manner, in use, the second movable portion 18 presses against a surface of the flat article 20 to resiliently hold the novelty item 12 on the article 20. Preferably the clip means 14 is manufactured from a substantially planar member made of a resilient material, the planar member 14 being formed so 10 as to have the second movable resilient portion 18 facing the stationary portion 16. So for example, the clip means 14 could be manufactured from a moulded plastics material. However, in the illustrated embodiments the planar member 14 is made from a resilient metal material, for example, anodised spring steel. The second movable portion 18 is formed by folding 15 the planar member 14 back onto itself using at least two folds 22 and 24. Preferably each of the two folds 22 and 24 of the planar member 14 subtends an acute angle, as can be seen most clearly in Figure 2. Therefore according to the first fold 22 a first section 26 of the second movable portion 18 extends from the first stationary portion 16 at an angle of between 600 and 90*, and 20 according to the second fold 24 a second section 28 of the second movable portion 18 extends from the first section 26 at an angle of between 600 and 900. In the illustrated embodiment of the clip means 14, the first fold 22 subtends an angle of approximately 700 and the second fold 24 subtends an angle of approximately 800. 25 Preferably the second movable portion 18 is also formed with a third fold 29 according to which a third section 30 of the second movable portion 18 extends from the second section 28 at an angle of between 900 and 1600. By turning the third section 30 upwards away from the first stationary portion 16 of the planar member 14, an open mouth 32 is formed between the ends of 30 the first and second portions 16 and 18 into which an edge of the flat article 20 can be more easily inserted. This also minimises the possibility of damage 6 being inflicted to the edge of the article 20 as the clip means 14 is being attached to the article. The novelty item 12 may be formed in an infinite variety of shapes and designs. A few examples are illustrated in Figure 5. Figure 5 (a) is decorative 5 clip 40 with a sun-shaped design, Figure 5 (b) is decorative clip 42 with a star-shaped design, Figure 5 (c) is a decorative clip 44 with a cross-shaped design (similar to Figures 3 and 4), and Figure 5 (d) is a decorative clip 46 with a thong sole-shaped design. In each case the clip means 14 is substantially identical to that shown in Figures 1 and 2. 10 Figure 6 illustrates how the second movable portion 18 can be moved away from the stationary portion 16 to receive an edge of a flat article 20 in the space formed there between, and how the second movable portion 18 then presses against a surface of the flat article 20 to resiliently hold the novelty item 12 on the article 20. In Figure 6 the flat article 20 is relatively thin so that 15 only the inside edge of the third fold 29 of the second movable portion 18 presses against the surface of the article 20. However for a thicker article substantially the whole of the second section 28 of the second movable portion 18 of the clip means 14 may press against the article. A typical application of the decorative clip used as a clothing accessory is 20 illustrated in Figure 7. In this case one cross-shaped embodiment of the decorative clip 44 is attached to the visor of a baseball cap 50, and another star-shaped embodiment of the decorative clip 42 is attached to the side of the baseball cap 50. In each case an edge of the fabric of the visor or side of the baseball cap is received in the clip means 14 provided on the rear of the 25 novelty item. Other possible applications of the decorative clip are illustrated in Figure 8. In Figure 8 (a) two cross-shaped embodiments of the decorative clip 44 are attached to the respective lapels of a shirt 52. In Figure 8 (b) a star-shaped embodiment of the decorative clip 42 is attached to a lap-top carry bag 54, 30 and in Figure 8 (c) a sun-shaped embodiment of the decorative clip 40 and a thong-shaped embodiment of the decorative clip 46 are attached to the cover 7 of a folder 56. In each case, the second movable portion of the clip means 14 presses against a surface of the flat article to resiliently hold the novelty item on the article. 5 Now that several preferred embodiments of the decorative clip 10 have been described in detail, it will be apparent that the described embodiments provide a number of advantages over the prior art, including the following: (i) They are simple to apply and can be attached to a large variety of flat articles. 10 (ii) The design of the clip means ensures that damage to the article when applying the decorative clip is substantially avoided. (iii) An infinite variety of shapes and designs of novelty items can be used in the decorative clip to satisfy the needs of all kinds of people. 15 It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts of the present invention. For example, the number of folds and the angles of the folds in the planar member may vary 20 from that illustrated, although the design of the clip means in the preferred embodiments is particularly advantageous. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. 25

Claims (6)

1. A decorative clip for attachment to an article of clothing or the like article, the decorative clip comprising: 5 a decorative novelty item; and, a clip means attached to the novelty item, the clip means comprising a first stationary portion which is fixed to a rear face of the novelty item and a second movable portion of resilient material that faces the stationary portion and which can be moved away from the stationary portion to receive an edge 10 of a flat article in the space formed there between whereby, in use, the second movable portion presses against a surface of the flat article to resiliently hold the novelty item on the article.

2. A decorative clip as defined in claim 1, wherein the clip means is manufactured from a substantially planar member made of a resilient 15 material, the planar member being formed so as to have the second movable resilient portion facing the stationary portion.

3. A decorative clip as defined in claim 2, wherein the planar member is made from a resilient metal material, and the second movable portion is formed by the planar member being folded back onto itself using at least two 20 folds.

4. A decorative clip as defined in claim 3, wherein each of the two folds subtends an acute angle, wherein according to a first fold a first section of the second movable portion extends from the first stationary portion at an angle of between 600 and 90*, and according to a second fold a second section of 25 the second movable portion extends from the first section at an angle of between 600 and 90*.

5. A decorative clip as defined in claim 4, wherein the second movable portion is formed with a third fold according to which a third section of the second movable portion extends from the third section at an angle of 30 between 90* and 1600. 9

6. A decorative clip substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in one or more of the accompanying drawings. Dated this 30th day of August 2011 5 Street Bling Pty Ltd by its Patent Attorneys Janet Stead & Associates 10