CA2750120A1 - Apparatus and method for posting documents - Google Patents

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR POSTING DOCUMENTS

A patent is hereby sought for the apparatus and manufacturing method for the following described device used to post documents to a variety of surfaces.

Applicant: Daniel T. Redekopp 1656156 th Street Surrey, BC V4A 4T1 Inventor: Daniel T. Redekopp Description The invention, as described in this document, is a clip (with various embodiments) used to temporarily post documents onto various surfaces. The various embodiments of the invention act as solutions to various problems with posting documents including (but not limited to):

1) Difficulties posting documents for those with physical impairments and limited reach;

2) Safety concerns with push-pins or tacks; and

3) The cost of cork and similar type bulletin boards.

Each embodiment of the invention utilizes a clip for gripping the periphery of paper documents and posting those documents onto a vertical surface such as a bulletin board.
The clip is permanently attached to a base. On the opposite side of the clip, the base has attached to it a method for temporarily adherence to a suitable surface. The invention is improved by affixing an eyelet on the clip side of the base. A wand is inserted into the eyelet to assist the user to post and remove the documents from the receiving surface. The purpose of the wand is to effectively extend the reach of the user.

Some people, with physical impairment, have difficulty posting documents on bulletin boards and other vertical surfaces. Many of the embodiments described here can be used to post documents with considerably less effort than conventional means. The incorporation of an eyelet to facilitate the use the wand allows those with compromised reaching ability to be able to post and remove documents to and from areas that would normally be out of their reach.
Some of the embodiments envision the use of elastic material that is formed to grip a document and hold it in place with friction. These clips have an opening that is designed to accept insertion of documents. The opening decreases in width until it becomes zero or near zero. The user slides the document into the opening at the bottom of the clip.
Friction, between the clip and the document, retains the document. The clips may be made of any suitable material. The clips may be in the form of a solid flap-like clip, an arced leaf spring or it may be in the form of a wire that is bent to form a suitable opening and gripping surface.

The method used to temporarily attach the clip's base to the receiving surface may be made of a "hook and loop" fabric (commonly known by the brand name Velcro'"'), magnet, push-pin or re-applicable adhesive. The "hook and loop" fabric is preferred in an office setting where fabric bulletin boards are economical alternatives to cork-boards. Furthermore, the "hook and loop"
method can also be used to post documents on fabric cubical walls. A magnetic means of adhesion is useful in the home where refrigerators or other major appliances provide a suitable ferromagnetic receiving surface for posting documents. A push-pin method is useful for use with existing cork and cork-like bulletin boards. Re-applicable adhesive is useful for posting on walls or other suitable surfaces.

The addition of the eyelet creates an embodiment that facilitates the use of a wand or similar device to extend the users reach in order to post and remove documents. The application of the wand extends the reach of users confined to a wheel chair or whose reach is otherwise impaired. The "hook and loop" fabric method and the magnetic method are the easiest methods for use with the wand. Besides facilitating the wand, the eyelet has a further function of providing a convenient protrusion for gripping the clip with the user's fingers. The protrusion does not have to be in the form of an eyelet for the previously-mentioned purpose and the spirit of the invention envisions all types of protrusions that may suit that function.

The clip's use of gentle friction allows the user to post and remove documents while the clip remains adhered to the respective receiving surface. This feature is advantageous where the adhesion method requires more effort than the "hook and loop" or magnetic method. It is also a time saving feature, regardless of what adhesion method is used.

Besides the embodiments mentioned, this document also describes a method for manufacturing the preferred embodiment. The preferred embodiment of the invention is manufactured by using a gem paperclip with three U-shaped bends. One of the bends of the paperclip is attached to the base in such a way that the larger bend is completely encased in the base. The next bend is bent away from, preferably perpendicular to, the base thereby creating the eyelet. That eyelet is used, with the wand, to post the documents in areas that would otherwise be out of reach to the user. The final bend of the paperclip follows on top of the surface of the base and continues parallel to the base. That final bend of the paperclip is angled slightly away from the top of the base such that a document may be slid between the clip and the base. The clip uses friction to gently grip the document with the base. The use of the altered gem paperclip means that the invention can be manufactured, in part, by using existing processes. Furthermore, the use of the wire paperclip method is ideal to provide the appropriate balance between the frictional grip to the document and the ease of inserting and removing the document from the clip. The spirit of the invention envisions either the large or small bend of the paperclip as the bend that is encased in the base.

One potential manufacturing method uses closed celled foam as the base. The foam is placed between the bends of a metal gem paperclip, in the manner typically used to clip paper. The metal paperclip is heated causing it to embed itself into the foam.
Alternatively, the paperclip is glued between the base and the adhering method with an appropriate adhesive. In a further alternative, the closed celled foam can be manufactured with the appropriate loop of the paperclip contained within.

The use of the "hook and loop" method of adhering clip(s) to vertical surfaces is an inventive step from prior art and can therefore claimed as an invention, either in and of itself or by way of a manufacturing method. Any traditional document clip, attached to the "hook" material, can be adhered to many fabric surfaces for the purpose of posting documents.
It is not necessary that the receiving surface be of a "loop" type material. Prior art does include the use of many types of clips using magnetic, push-pin or adhesive methods to attach the clip to a vertical surface. The use of the "hook and loop" method, in prior art, is restricted to attaching "hook" material directly to the document with an adhesive. By adhering "hook"
material to a clip, the document is unharmed and the clip may be reused. The spirit of the use of the "hook and loop" method in the present invention can utilize all manners of clip including, but not limited to, all of those previously mentioned as well as alligator type clips.
Alligator clips have been previously used on fabric cubicle walls with the push pin method. The "hook and loop"
method is easier to use and safer, both to the user and the receiving surface.

4 The use of the term "vertical surface", throughout this description is in reference to the preferred embodiment of the invention. The receiving surface may be at any angle to the vertical plane. The receiving surface does not have to be flat but may also be curved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric drawing of the preferred embodiment of the document clip.
FIG. 2 is an isometric drawing of the preferred embodiment of the document clip with a document in its clip.
FIG. 2a is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the document clip with a document in its clip.
FIG. 2b is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the document clip with a document in its clip.

FIG. 3 is an isometric drawing of the clip bonded directly to the base FIG. 4 is an isometric drawing of the wand.
FIG. 5 is an isometric drawing of the wand as used with the clip.
FIG. 6 is an isometric drawing of a telescoping wand.
FIG. 7 is an isometric drawing of the clip without the eyelet.
FIG. 8 is an isometric drawing of the clip without the eyelet as manufactured with a gem paperclip.
FIG. 9 is an isometric drawing of a flap type clip.
FIG. 10 is an isometric drawing of a flap type clip with an eyelet.
FIG. 11 is an isometric drawing of an arched leaf spring type clip.
FIG. 12 is an isometric drawing of an arched leaf spring type clip with an eyelet.
FIG. 13 is an isometric drawing of the preferred embodiment using "hook"
fabric.
FIG. 13a is the side view of FIG. 13.

FIG. 13b is the rear view of FIG. 13.
FIG. 14 is an isometric drawing of the preferred embodiment using push-pins.
FIG. 14a is the side view of FIG. 14.

FIG 14b is the rear view of FIG 14.

FIG. 15 is an isometric drawing of an alligator clip using "hook" fabric.
FIG. 15a is the side view of FIG. 15.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. The drawing shows a gem paperclip altered such that the first bend in the paperclip is itself bent perpendicular to its normal configuration to form an eyelet 1. The larger bend of the paperclip 2 is shown embedded into the base 3 (the hidden lines of the base 3 have been removed to avoid confusion). The user slides a document between the exposed bend in the clip 4 and the base 3.
FIG. 2 shows the invention with a typical document 5 clipped as per its intended use. FIG. 2a shows the front view of the clip and document and FIG. 2b shows a side view of the clip and document. This embodiment has the advantage of being economical to manufacture. By encasing the larger loop into the base, the risk of deforming the document is reduced, as may occur with simply bonding the clip directly to the base as illustrated in FIG
3.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a wand used to post and remove documents to and from the receiving surface. The preferred embodiment is comprised of a handle 6, a shaft 7, a hook 8, and a cross-member 9. FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the wand hook 8 fitting into the clip eyelet 1.
The cross-member 9 is in place to prevent the clip from sliding down the shaft 7. FIG. 6 illustrates an improvement to the wand by giving it a telescoping shaft 7.

The spirit of the invention is fulfilled with or without the eyelet 1 and/or the wand. FIG. 7 shows and embodiment of the clip without the eyelet 1. FIG. 8 shows the same embodiment manufactured by the means depicted in FIG. 1 with the exception that the eyelet 1 is not used in this embodiment.

FIG. 9 shows the clip as designed with a flap like clipping mechanism. The document is inserted between the flap end 10 and the base 3. The purpose of the decreasing angle is to provide a gentle grip on the document keeping it securely in place yet allowing the user to remove the document with little effort. The decreasing angle also allows the clip to be applied to documents of varying thickness. FIG. 10 shows the same design as FIG. 9 with the addition of the eyelet 1.

FIG. 11 shows the clip designed in the form of an arced leaf spring. The document is inserted between the end of the leaf spring 11 and the base 3. FIG. 12shows the same design as FIG. 11 with the addition of the eyelet 1.

FIG. 13 shows the preferred embodiment with "hook" type material 12 adhered to the back of the base 3. FIG. 13a is a side view of FIG. 13 and FIG 13b is the view of the back of FIG. 13. In each of these drawings, the "hook" material depiction is of an exaggerated size in for illustration purposes.

FIG. 14 shows the preferred embodiment with push-pins 13 adhered to the back of the base 3.
FIG. 14a is a side view of FIG. 14. FIG. 14b is the rear view of FIG. 14. In these drawings the push-pins 13 are perpendicular to the rear of the base 3. The spirit of the invention envisions push-pins 13 at any angle to the rear of the base 3.

FIG. 15 shows an alligator clip 14 with "hook" type material 12 adhered to its back 15. FIG. 15a is a side view of FIG. 15. In each of these drawings, the "hook" material depiction is of an exaggerated size in for illustration purposes.

Claims