AU2011101776A4 - Clip - Google Patents

Abstract

A clip 100 is provided. Clip 100 includes a first attachment means 102 for releasably attaching to a first article and a second attachment means 104 for releasably attaching to a second article. Clip 100 further includes a frangible connector 106 connecting the first and second attachment means.

Description

P10010111 Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Clip The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 Clip Field of the invention The present invention relates to a clip, and in particular a clip for releasably attaching articles together. 5 Background of the invention Clips for securing articles together are known. For example, it is often convenient to be able to carry articles (e.g. gloves or similar) by a clip which at one end holds the article in question and at the other end attaches to, for example an item of clothing worn by a person. This allows the person fast and easy access to the article whilst keeping the person's hands free and 0 without requiring the article to be kept in a pocket or similar. As articles carried by such a clip are carried in a relatively unrestrained manner (i.e. not within a pocket, pack or similar), the potential exists for the article to be caught up or snagged. For example, the article may be caught or entangled in a closing door or other machinery, or may snag/be caught on a projection or protrusion. If this occurs the catching of the article may pull 5 the person off balance. The person may then stumble or fall, potentially sustaining injury. It would be desirable to provide a clip which reduces the likelihood of a person being injured in the case of an article being carried by the clip being caught or snagged. Additionally, or in the alternative, it would be desirable to provide the public with a useful alternative to existing clips. 20 Reference to any prior art in the specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be ascertained, understood and regarded as relevant by a person skilled in the art. Summary of the invention 25 In one aspect the present invention provides a clip including: a first attachment means for releasably attaching to a first article; a second attachment means for releasably attaching to a second article; and a frangible connector connecting the first and second attachment means.

3 The frangible connector may be releasably attached to the first and second attachment means. The frangible connector may be attached and released from the first and second attachment means without damaging either the frangible connector or the first and second attachment means. Opposite ends of the frangible connector may be received in keyhole shaped slots provided in the first and second attachment means. Each keyhole shaped slot may include an aperture and a constriction, the aperture having a diameter larger than a diameter of the connector, and the constriction having a width less than the diameter of the connector. 3 The frangible connector may pass through additional apertures formed in the first and second attachment means. The frangible connector may have a breaking strain of between 4 to 8 kg. The frangible connector may have a breaking strain of around 6 kg. The first and/or second attachment means may be biased to a closed configuration. 5 The first and/or second attachment means may be of unitary construction. In a second aspect the present invention provides a kit including at least two attachment means and at least one frangible connector, the frangible connector being releasably attachable to the at least two attachment means to connect two of the at least two attachment means together. The kit may include a plurality of frangible connectors, each frangible connector having 20 the same breaking strain as each other frangible connector. Alternatively, the kit may include a plurality of frangible connectors, wherein at least two of the plurality of frangible connectors have different breaking strains. As used herein, except where the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise" and variations of the term, such as "comprising", "comprises" and "comprised", are not intended to 25 exclude further additives, components, integers or steps.

4 Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Brief description of the drawings Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a clip in a use configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a front view of the clip of Figure 1; D Figure 3 shows the clip of Figure 1 prior to being arranged into the use configuration as depicted in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a partial enlarged view of the clip of Figure 1; Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the connector of the clip shown in Figure 1; and Figures 6A to 6C show depictions of alternative attachment means suitable for use with 5 the present invention. Detailed description of the embodiments Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a clip 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In Figure 1 Clip 100 is depicted in what has been termed a "use configuration" - i.e. the configuration in which the clip 100 is ready to be used by a user. Clip 100 includes a first 20 attachment means 102 (in this instance a clip) connected to a second attachment means 104 (also a clip in this instance) by a frangible connector 106. As can be seen, the attachment means 102 and 104 of the present embodiment are quite similar in structure, with the exception that attachment means 102 is larger than attachment means 104. Attachment means 102 will be described, with the same reference numerals being 25 used to indicate like features of the attachment means 104.

5 Attachment means 102 is a clip having a pair of arms 108 and 110 which extend from a generally flat base 112. Base 112 includes an aperture 113 sized to receive the connector 106 therethrough. Arm 108 includes a rectangular grip portion 114 which is curved so as to diverge outwardly from the base 112. The outer surface of the rectangular grip portion 114 is formed 5 with a plurality of transverse ridges 116 to assist a user in gripping the clip. Extending from the opposite end of the rectangular grip portion 114 to the base 112 is a web portion 118 which extends back over and away from the base 112. Web portion 118 is flush with one side of the grip portion 114 and is approximately half the width of the grip portion 114, for reasons which will be described below. At the opposite end of the web portion 118 to the grip portion 114 arm D 108 includes a jaw 120, which includes a first jaw member 122 extending away from the base 112 and a second jaw member 124 extending approximately parallel to the base 112. The jaw 120 is flush with the web portion 118 and wider than the web portion 118. The free end of jaw member 124 is formed with an engagement formation 126, in this instance a combination of a transverse V-shaped groove 128 and a transverse V-shaped edge 130. 5 Arm 110 is a mirror image of arm 108. Arm 110 includes a rectangular grip portion 132, an outer surface of which is formed with a plurality of transverse ridges 134 to assist with grip. Arm 110 also includes web portion 136 which, when clip 100 is in a use configuration as shown in Figure 1, lies adjacent web portion 118 and in opposed angular relation thereto. This is made possible by forming web portions 118 and 136 at approximately half the width of the rectangular 0 grip portions and 114 and 132 (alternative width distributions between web portions 118 and 136 would, of course, be possible). Finally, arm 110 is provided with a jaw 138 formed of first and second jaw members 140 and 142. Jaw member 142 is formed with an engagement formation 144 shaped and positioned to enmesh with the engagement formation 126 when the attachment means 102 is closed without an article lying between jaws 120 and 132. The engagement 25 formation 144 in this instance includes a transverse V-shaped edge 146 shaped and positioned to locate in the V-shaped groove 128, and a transverse V-shaped groove 148 shaped and positioned to receive the V-shaped edge 130. Arms 108 and 110 are formed of a resilient material and, as can be seen in Figure 3 (which provides a perspective view of clip 100 prior to being arranged into a use configuration), 30 are formed such that their natural/unbiased position is such that the jaws 120 and 132 are urged together/abut one another when the clip in placed in a use configuration (as per Figures 1 and 2). By pressing the grip portions 114 and 132 together a user is able to overcome the natural bias of 6 the attachment means 102 and open the jaws 120 and 132 to allow attachment of the attachment means 102 to an article (e.g. a belt loop, a pair of gloves, or other article of choice). On release of the grip portions 114 and 132 the resilience of the arms 108 and 110 results in the jaws 120 and 132 resuming a closed configuration in which they abut one another and engagement means 126 5 engages with engagement means 144. Attachment means 102 further includes a transverse web 150 extending between arms 108 and 110, relatively proximal to the base 112. A pair of angled supports 152 and 154 extend respectively from arms 108 and 110 to strengthen the web 150. As can be seen more clearly in Figure 4, a central portion of transverse web 150 is provided with a keyhole-shaped slot 156. 0 Slot 156 includes a circular aperture 158 having a diameter larger than the diameter of the connector 106, a constriction 160 formed in the circumference of the aperture 158 and having a width of less than the natural diameter of the connector 106, and a pair of walls 162 and 164 diverging away from the constriction 160. Attachment means 102 is of unitary construction and is injection moulded from a plastics 5 material, in this instance Polyoxymethylene (commonly known as acetal), though alternative materials are possible. When moulded the attachment means 102 is in the configuration shown in Figure 4. After moulding the attachment means 102 is arranged in the use configuration shown in Figure 1 by passing jaws 120 and 138 around each other (such that webs 118 and 136 lie adjacent one another in their opposed angular configuration), at which point the resilience of the 20 arms 108 and 110 naturally urges the jaws of the attachment means 102 closed as shown in Figure 1. As will be appreciated, the attachment means 102 may be arranged into the use configuration either before or after attaching the connector 106 to the attachment means 102. The features and manufacture of attachment means 104 are similar to attachment means 102. As noted above, the features of attachment means 104 have been labelled using the same 25 reference numerals as used in attachment means 102. Turning to Figure 5, the connector 106 of clip 100 includes an elongate, flexible shank 166 formed with a domed head 168 and 170 at each end. Domed heads 168 and 170 have a greater diameter than the diameter of the cylindrical member 166, defining inwardly facing shoulders 172 and 174. Annular ridges 176 and 178 are formed on the shank 166, inwardly of the 30 respective heads 168 and 170 to define attachment regions 180 and 182: attachment region 180 7 being defined between head 168 and ridge 176, and attachment region 182 being defined between head 170 and ridge 178. The shank 166 is formed with break region 184 - in this instance in the centre of the shank 166, though alternative positions are of course possible. On a pulling action (i.e. tensile 5 force), the connector 106 is manufactured to initially have some stretch, and if the pulling action continues and exceeds a pre-determined breaking strain, the connector 106 will break at the break region 184. When the clip 100 is assembled, the breaking strain of the clip is effectively the breaking strain of the specific connector 106 used. Connector 106 is injection moulded from a thermoplastic elastomer such as Santoprene T M D (though, again, alternative materials may also be possible). As discussed further below, clip 100 may be used in a variety of different applications and as such clips having connectors 106 with different lengths, diameters, and/or breaking strains may be appropriate or necessary. Connectors with different breaking strains may, for example, be provided by manufacturing connectors of different diameters and/or from different materials. 5 Returning to Figure 4, the releasable attachment of the connector 106 to the attachment means 102 will now be described. To attach the connector 106 to the attachment means 102, the attachment region 180 of the connector 106 is simply pressed through the constriction 160 so that the body 166 of the connector 106 locates in the aperture 158 (the connector 106 being sufficiently deformable to allow it to pass through constriction 160). The larger diameter of the 20 head 168 of the connector 106 prevents it from being pulled through and out of aperture 158, and the larger diameter of the ridge 176 prevents the body 166 from sliding through the aperture 158 in the opposite direction. The head 170 of the opposite end of the connector 106 is passed through the aperture 113 in the base 112 (aperture 113 having a sufficient diameter to allow the head 170 to pass freely therethrough). Once assembled the attachment means 102 can rotate 25 relative to the connector 106 (the connector 106 rotating in apertures 158 and 113). To detach the connector 106 from to the attachment means 102 a user can simply dislodge the connector 106 from the keyhole 156 (by pulling the attachment region 180 back out through the constriction 160) and pull the connector 106 back out through the aperture 113 (once, of course the other end of the connector 106 has also been freed from attachment means 30 104).

8 Attachment/detachment of the other end of the connector 106 to attachment means 104 is achieved in the same way as described above. As noted above, clips with alternative characteristics may be manufactured for different applications. One embodiment the clip 100, for example, is a clip 100 usable to attach gloves or other articles to a users belt loop. This may, for example, be useful for tradesmen/women (or others) to enable them to carry a utility article whilst keeping their hands free. In this embodiment the smaller attachment means 104 is attached to the users belt loop by opening the attachment means 104 (squeezing the grip portions 114 and 132 of the arms 108 and 110 together) and then allowing the jaws of the attachment means 104 to close around the belt loop ) (by releasing the grip portions 114 and 132). The larger attachment means 102 of the clip 100 can then be used to secure the pair of gloves (or other utility article) by clamping the gloves between the jaws of the attachment means 106. For an application such as this: the smaller attachment means 104 (intended for attachment to a belt loop or similar) may be manufactured to have an opening range of approximately 0 - 20mm; the larger attachment means 102 (intended 5 for attachment to a pair of gloves or similar) may be manufactured to have an opening range of approximately 0 - 30mm; the connector may be approximately 50mm long and have a shank 166 diameter of approximately 3mm; and the breaking strain of the connector 106 may be approximately 59 Newtons (corresponding to an approximate weight of 6.0 Kg). In the event that the pair of gloves (or other article) is caught up or snagged, the two 20 attachment means 102 and 104 will be pulled away from each other, exerting a tensile force on connector 106. If the force exerted exceeds the breaking strain of the connector 106, the connector 106 will break at the break region 184. The breaking strain of the connector 106 is selected such that the connector 106 is likely to break before a user is pulled off balance, therefore reducing the likelihood of the user being injured. 25 Other uses of the clip 100 are of course also possible. By way of non-limiting example, clip 100 can be used to attach a wide variety of articles to tents, packs, lines, vehicles, wheel chairs, furniture, or other items. In some of these uses the advantages of frangible nature of the clip 100 are in that when a force is applied the connector 106 will break before damage can be caused to the article (tent, pack, etc) to which the other end of the clip 100 is attached. Given the 30 entirely plastic construction of the clip 100 it is also suitable for wet environments (e.g. for scuba divers or similar) where metallic components may rust or otherwise degrade.

9 As will be appreciated, the construction of the clip 100 is such that the connector 106 can be installed/replaced/exchanged without having to damage or destroy either the connector 106 or the attachment means 102/104. This allows the attachment means 102 and 104 to be fitted with connectors having different breaking strains (either at manufacture or by an end user) according to the desired use. For example, the embodiment of the clip 100 described above for use by tradesmen/women may only be suitable for relatively fit and healthy people. If the clip 100 is intended to be used by less fit/able people (e.g. the elderly) an alternative connector may be provided having a breaking strain of less than 6 kg, for example of 4 kg (or even less depending on the intended use). Alternatively, if a clip is intended to for use a particular article having a ) weight of greater than 6 kg, a connector with a higher breaking strain, e.g. 8 kg (or even higher depending on the intended use) will be appropriate. This may, for example, be appropriate where a clip is to be used to secure an article to a structural object. By way of still further example, different industries and/or different countries may apply alternative safety standards to clips. Such safety standards may impose different minimum 5 breaking strains. In this case, different connectors 106 which meet the various standards can easily be provided and fitted to clips 102 and 104. In order to distinguish between connectors having different breaking strains the breaking strain of a connector may be written on the connector, or connectors may be colour coded. Additionally, when the connector 106 is broken (e.g. due to an article held by the clip 100 20 being caught/snagged and the breaking strain being exceeded), the two ends of the broken connector 106 can simply be removed from the clips 102 and 104 and a replacement connector installed. While attachment means 102 and 104 have, in the illustrative embodiment, been described as being of largely similar construction, it would of course be possible to provide 25 alternatively shaped/constructed first and/or second attachment means. While any attachment means will have features allowing the connector 106 to be retained, the other structural elements of the attachment means and, consequently, the way in which the attachment means attaches to an article, may well differ to those described and illustrated in respect of the above embodiment. By way of non-limiting example, an attachment means may be provided with a simple hook 186 30 (as depicted in Figure 6A), a split ring 188 (e.g. as used in many key-chains and depicted in 10 Figure 6B), a snap-lock/carabineer type attachment 190 (as depicted in Figure 6C) or any other appropriate connection means. Various combinations of attachment means secured to either end of the connector 106 are of course possible. The clip 100 may be sold in a kit form with at least two attachment means (e.g. 5 attachment means 102 and 104) and one or more connectors 106. The connectors 106 may all have the same breaking strain or have different breaking strains. Similarly, varying attachment means may be provided. This allows a user to select the components and assemble a clip with the desired attachment means and desired breaking strain. Additionally and/or alternatively, various attachment means and/or connectors may be sold separately as replacement parts. D It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

Claims (15)

1. A clip including: a first attachment means for releasably attaching to a first article; a second attachment means for releasably attaching to a second article; and 5 a frangible connector connecting the first and second attachment means.

2. A clip according to claim 1, wherein the frangible connector is releasably attached to the first and second attachment means.

3. A clip according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the frangible connector can be attached and released from the first and second attachment means without damaging either the 0 frangible connector or the first and second attachment means.

4. A clip according to any one of claims I to 3, wherein opposite ends of the frangible connector are received in keyhole shaped slots provided in the first and second attachment means.

5. A clip according to claim 4, wherein each keyhole shaped slot included an 5 aperture and a constriction, the aperture having a diameter larger than a diameter of the connector, and the constriction having a width less than the diameter of the connector.

6. A clip according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the frangible connector passes through additional apertures formed in the first and second attachment means.

7. A clip according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the frangible connector has 20 a breaking strain of between 4 to 8 kg.

8. A clip according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the frangible connector has a breaking strain of around 6 kg.

9. A clip according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first and/or second attachment means are biased to a closed configuration. 12

10. A clip according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first attachment means and/or the second attachment means is of unitary construction.

11. A kit including at least two attachment means and at least one frangible connector, the frangible connector being releasably attachable to the at least two attachment means to i connect two of the at least two attachment means together.

12. A kit according to claim 11, wherein the kit includes a plurality of frangible connectors, each frangible connector having the same breaking strain as each other frangible connector.

13. A kit according to claim 11, wherein the kit includes a plurality of frangible 3 connectors, wherein at least two of the plurality of frangible connectors have different breaking strains.

14. A clip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A kit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying 5 drawings.