AU607062B2 - Clothes peg - Google Patents

Description

1.0 11111 111fF 11111 11111 liii,- I 1 1 1111 5805/2 S F Ref: 52270 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

nating at one hinge pair of face iter ends mmod ated the pair with its :he two 4 Class Int. Class Application Number: P17646 Lodged: 8 April 1988 Accepted: Published: A Priority: Related Art: ,I8~ FOR OFFICE USE: Name and Address of Applicant:

T

type of hal yes

T

appeara failing desi gne for all 10 constru jaws oc

I

thermop c is strc peg conf togethe at the jaws, s 20 transve of, eac pair of the otI and an 25 ones of the jav cc oc accompa to thi line 0 Price Enterprises Pty Limited 58 Southern Cross Way Allambie Heights New South Wales 2100

AUSTRALIA

Actual Inventor: Edgar Thomas Preisz 0 Address for Service: Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys, Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled: Clothes Peg The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us C-.O0066 7 4 1 ~/O4/8~ 58 15/2 IAD/375r

-V

V

-2- CLOTHES PEG This invention relates to clothes pegs, and more particularly to the type of pegs composed of thermoplastic material and formed in two identical halves.

Thermoplastic pegs of this type are popular because of their appearance, cheapness and resistance to weather conditions. However, a failing with the presently available construction of pegs is that they are designed either to achieve an opening of their jaws which is insufficient for all conditions of use, or in those cases of adequate opening the construction is such that excessive relative lateral displacement of the jaws occurs which detracts from the strength and durability of the peg.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide a thermoplastic peg of a construction which permits wide jaw opening and yet is strong and stable.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a thermoplastic peg comprising two elongated identical mating halves which when assembled together form a pair of co-acting jaws at one end, a pair of finger levers at the other end, and an intermediate hinge for opening and closing of said jaws, said hinge being formed by a pair of offset posts upstanding from a transverse arcuate recess on a first face of, and intermediate the length of, each of said halves with the outer ends of said posts radiused and the S pair of posts in one half being accommodated within said arcuate recess of the other half and interleaving with the pair of posts of that other half, S and an open-ended arched metal spring with its ends engaged with respect ones of said halves and acting to clamp the two halves together and to urge the jaws closed.

C0 The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the c ro accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes peg constructed according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a plan view; Figs. 4 and 5 are opposite end views of the peg; Fig. 6 is a transverse section to an enlarged scale as viewed on the line Vl-VI of Fig. 2; and, IAD/375r 3 Fig. 7 shows to an enlarged scale the metal spring incorporated within the peg.

The clothes peg 10 illustrated in the drawings is composed of two identical halves 11 and 12 formed from thermoplastic material. Each half 11 or 12 is of elongated form with a jaw 13, preferably with transverse serrations 14, at one end and a finger lever 15 at the other end. For conservation of material the halves are of shell form and of general rectangular configuration with the underside of the finger levers 15, i.e.

confronting faces thereof in an assembled peg, being provided with an outward taper 16. When the jaws 13 of the peg 10 are fully opened the tapers 16 will be disposed parallel.

Opening and closing of the jaws 13 is effected about a fulcrum, or hinge, 17. The hinge 17 is constructed by the provision of a pair of posts C€ C 18 (Fig. 6) upstanding from a transverse arcuate recess 19 near the midpoint of the length of each of the halves 11 and 12. The outer end of each post 18 of either half 11 or 12 is radiused and accommodated within the recess 19 of the other peg half. The posts 18 on each peg half are spaced from each other and as a pair are offset in longitudinal alignment from the peg half. Offsetting is provided whereby two identical halves 11 or 12 can be mated together in confronting juxtaposition by interleaving of their posts 18. To resist side play of the jaws 13 in the two halves 11 and 12 the spacing of the posts 18 on either half 11 or 12 is such as to permit a snug fit therebetween of one of the posts 18 of the mating peg half, i.e. the pair of posts 18 of the half 11 closely interleave with the pair of posts 18 of the other half 12. An effective hinge 17 is thus created with a fulcruni point positioned about the mid point of the posts 18 whose length may then be designed for the desired degree of opening of the j. aws 13 with manipulation of the finger levers The two halves 11 and 12 are clamped together by an open-ended arched metal spring 20 (Fig. 7) composed of a spring rod bent generally pear-shaped with reverse bends 21 at its open and spaced ends 22 and 23.

The spring 20 is inserted with its open ends 22 and 23 advanced through a hole 24 penetrating each of the halves 11 and 12 to a flexed condition with its ends 22 and 23 located within an adjacent channel 25 formed on the opposite side of the peg half from the jaw 13. Both the socketing of the ends 22 and 23 within the channels 25, as well as the interleaving of thq IAD/375r

-I

I 4 I posts 18 on the two peg halves, contribute to stability of the assembled peg by resisting relative lateral movement of the jaws 13.

Whereas a preferred embodiment has been described in the foregoing -I passages it should be understood that other forms, refinements and modifications are feasible within the scope of this invention.

d

I

Si k ,i 1'

"I

'I

i c i: i IAD/375r

Claims (6)

1. A thermoplastic peg comprising two elongated identical mating halves which when assembled together form a pair of co-acting jaws at one end, a pair of finger levers at the other end, and an intermediate hinge for opening and closing of said jaws, said hinge being formed by a pair of offset posts upstanding from a transverse arcuate recess on a first face of, and intermediate the length of each of, said halves with the outer ends of said posts radiused and the pair of posts in one half being accommodated within said arcuate recess of the other half and interleaving with the pair of posts of that other half, and an open-ended arched metal spring with its ends engaged with respect ones of said halves and acting to clamp the two halves together and to urge the jaws closed.

2. A thermoplastic peg according to claim 1, wherein the arched metal spring is bent pear-shaped with its ends spaced and having reverse bends.

3. A thermoplastic peg according to claim 2, wherein each of said halves has a penetrating hole and an adjacent channel formed in a second face of the half, and said spring is assembled to clamp the two halves together by having its ends inserted through respective ones of said holes and accommodated within respective ones of said channels.

4. A thermoplastic peg according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein confronting faces of the pair of finger levers, as assembled, are each provided with an outward taper.

A thermoplastic peg according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the two halves of the thermoplastic peg are moulded shells.

6. A thermoplastic peg substantially as hereinbefore described with ,f reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this SEVENTH day of APRIL 1989 Price Enterprises Pty Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON IAD/375r