AU776596B2 - Peg device - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2 -1-

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT APPLICANT: GEORGE STAVROPOULOS NUMBER: PQ 7356/00 FILING DATE: 5/ 5/2000 Invention Title: PEG DEVICE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: HOLDING DEVICE Technical Area This invention relates to the area of holding devices and in particular to a device of the peg type which is used to fasten clothing to a clothesline. While it is to be understood that the device of the invention can have many applications, as will be detailed herein, for convenience sake it will be discussed here in terms of a peg device.

Background to the Invention Pegs for attaching clothing to clotheslines have been virtually unchanged for many years. Standard types of clothes peg have customarily been manufactured from wood with two elongate side elements surrounding a spring device. These types of peg are known to rot if left out in the weather and otherwise exposed to the elements and also can be relatively easily twisted off their springs..

The next development in pegs of this kind was the development of a plastic peg, Once again this was of a similar style to the wooden peg but, the elongate wooden sides surrounding the spring device were replaced by plastic elements.

This type of peg has the disadvantage that they too tend to become separated from their spring devices and also to be relatively easily flicked off a line when the wind blows the clothing that is upon it. Consequently, use of this form of clothes peg results in a significant loss of these items.

A form of springless peg is the "dolly peg" which was of wood originally but more recently has been of plastic and consists of the same elongate sides as the standard K:WP51/SPEC/STAVROPOULOSCAP/4 May, 2001 pegs described above which are however connected at one end. The peg is pressed over clothing and a line however the elongate sides do not provide much pressure and the structure is prone to fatigue at the junction of the two sides.

Such pegs also make no accommodation for the size of the object which they are attaching to a line. In other words, all previous pegs have been of more or less the same size irrespective of whether they were required for fastening a light garment or a heavy duty object such as trousers, jeans or the like.

Outline of the Invention It is an object of this invention to provide a form of peg device which can be used for attaching clothing to a clothesline and which peg device is not internally connected by a coiled spring. The device also has surfaces for holding material which are designed to more effectively distribute their required loads.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a peg device in a form which can have multiple different applications in the area of acting as a holding or gripping agent ~as opposed to other peg devices.

The invention in one aspect is a peg device which includes a first side element and a second substantially parallel side element separated by a spacer located generally centrally between said side elements, said elements being adapted to move relative to one another in a flexible manner such that material to be held by the peg device is held by the pressure of the elements' tendency to resiliently return to their original orientation when not in use.

It may be preferred that when pressure is applied at an area on the exterior periphery of the device that the first and second elements are caused to separate on an opposing K:WP51/SPEC/STAVROPOULOSCAP/4 May, 2001 side of the device and resiliently tend towards their initial orientation when the pressure is released thereby grasping any material placed between the elements.

It is preferred that the coplanar elements be of the same shape as one another and it is also preferred that adjacent the outer edges of said coplanar elements a ridge structure be provided to give additional strength to the periphery of the peg device.

It is further preferred that said ridge form a lip interior to and adjacent the periphery of each element which can engage with material when it is clipped and cause the coplanar elements of the peg device to be more widely separated elsewhere than at the said l.ii periphery. This not only improves the grip on the material held but permits the device to be used to hold non sheet material such as coins or a key or the like.

*e While the device may be of any desired shape, such as circular, it may be preferred in one embodiment of the invention that the coplanar elements be effectively triangular in shape such that pressure along an apex of the triangular shape will cause the opposing edges of the triangle to move apart so that material can be inserted between them and to clamp onto the material clothing) when the pressure is released and the elements return resiliently towards their initial position. Alternately pressure could be applied on either side of one edge of the device in order that the opposing apexes would accept material to be clamped.

In one aspect of the invention it is preferred that the two coplanar faces of the peg device should inter-engage at or near the centre of that device and it is further preferred that this engagement is effectively permanent although in another aspect of the invention it is envisaged that these two components may be removably connected to one another.

K:WPS I/SPEC/STAVROPOULOSCAP/4 May, 2001 In order that the invention may be more readily understood we shall describe by way of non limiting example embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawing Figures Fig. 1 is a plan view of an upper face of a triangular embodiment of the peg device; Fig. 2 is a side view of the device as viewed along one edge; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of this embodiment of the device; o• In a first embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 1 the peg device 1 includes two triangular side elements 10 which are substantially parallel and coplanar when eo i engaged with one another. The means of engagement which is provided is an integral tubular spacer 20 which extends from the inner centre portion of one of the triangular elements to the centre of the opposing such element and has a central aperture 21. It may be that the spacer is solid however for flexibility a hollow device is preferred. It is not essential either that the spacer be moulded integrally with both side elements and it is envisaged that they could clip together, however for simplicity and strength the embodiment shown is preferred.

Both side elements are provided on their upper faces with a depression 30 about their periphery such that a ridge 31 is formed adjacent the periphery of the inner face of each element. The ridge 31 provides strength to the edges of the elements and also acts to grip material inserted between the side elements. The presence of the ridge means that I/SPEC/STAVROPOULOSCAP/4 May, 2001 the separation of the side edges is greater in the interior of the peg device which enables it to be used for storage purposes, for example, for coins or keys or the like.

As the peg device is required to be resiliently deformable it is preferably manufactured from some plastic or other synthetic material which has these properties. It can however be manufactured from any desired material and be in any chosen shape, and in another embodiment of the invention the device is circular. Both sides do not have to match exactly in shape however for the purpose discussed its functionality would best be served if both sides were substantially identical.

In the embodiment shown, slight elevations 15 are provided at each apex of each triangular side element as finger grips and it can be seen that for use as a peg the triangular shape is highly desirable. Where something heavy is to be pegged to a clothesline a side of the peg device can be used thereby providing a long contact area with the material and improved support over conventional pegs. If however something light is to be pegged sufficient support can be obtained between adjacent apexes.

The peg device has the further advantage that it can be easily used by being pushed on to a line and does not require the squeezing of conventional pegs, thereby making it desirable for use by those with arthritis.

We have described herein a peg device which comprises two planar elements connected centrally and manufactured of a plastic such that the planar elements can move relative to one and other and then resiliently return to their parallel relationship.

This effectively provides a spring relationship between the two planar elements.

IISPECSTAVROPOULOSCAP/4 May, 2001 It is envisaged however that other forms of inter-connection between the two planar elements may be provided and it is further envisaged that these elements may be either permanently connected together or be removably connected to each other.

The precise location of this spacer between the elements is also not germane to the invention neither is the precise material from which the peg is constructed although the material would need to exhibit the characteristics previously described.

It is envisaged that a clothing peg of this type can be manufactured in any particular shape desired such as a circle or rectangle or other such shape. In the embodiment described however, which is triangular, there is the advantage previously described that different parts of that peg have a different contact area for application to material placed between the side elements.

In another embodiment of the invention the peg device is circular in shape and the two side elements are again fixed together by a spacer between them at the centre of the device. The peg in this form can be resiliently pressed over clothing on a line without any concern for the orientation of the device.

Whilst we have described herein embodiments of the invention for use as a clothing peg it is envisaged that this type of peg or clamp device could be used in any other number of applications such as perhaps clipping paper together or for any fastening or clamping purpose of that kind and it seems to be particularly adapted to connecting sheet material together. The peg device can be further used as a toy, and can be interconnected, or a light weight clamp among many applications and, where it is provided with an aperture through the spacer, any number of the devices can be threaded together for any purpose which a user can imagine.

K:WP 51/SPEC/STAVROPOULOSCAP/4 May. 2001 Thus, whilst we have described herein several specific embodiments of the invention and their particular application of it as used in relation to pegging clothing to a clothesline it is to be understood that variations and modifications in this can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

S

.e K:WP51/SPEC/STAVROPOULOSCAP/4 May, 2001

Claims (7)

1. A peg device which includes a first side element and a second substantially parallel side element separated by a spacer located generally centrally between said side elements, said elements being adapted to move relative to one another in a flexible manner such that material to be held by the peg device is held by the pressure of the elements' tendency to resiliently return to their original orientation when not in use.

2. A peg device as claimed in claim 1 in which each side element has a periphery and a ridge is provided adjacent this periphery interiorly to the peg device.

3. A peg device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 where the device is formed integrally. go 0*

4. A peg device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 where at least one of the side elements is formed separately from the spacer and connected thereto. co •t, A peg device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the spacer is provided with an aperture therethrough.

6. A peg device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the side elements are substantially triangular. 9, 0

7. A peg device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the side elements are substantially circular.

8. A peg device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. K:WP51/SPEC/STAVROPOULOSCAP/4 May, 2001 DATED this 4tlh day of May, 2001 GEORGE STAVROPOULOS By His Patent Attorneys A TATLOCK ASSOCIATES I WKC\SAVROPOULOS.CAP