EP1042969A2

EP1042969A2 - Safety pin

Info

Publication number: EP1042969A2
Application number: EP00107031A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gaetano Ciminelli
Original assignee: Eurotex di Ciminelli Gaetano
Current assignee: EUROTEX S.R.L.
Priority date: 1999-04-02
Filing date: 2000-03-31
Publication date: 2000-10-11
Also published as: EP1042969A3; ITMO990061A1; IT1310908B1; ITMO990061A0

Abstract

A safety pin which comprises a movable rod (2) and a fixed rod (3) which are mutually connected by an elastic bridge (4) which is substantially U-shaped, the movable rod (2) having a pointed free end, the fixed rod (3) ending with an open bridge (5) which is substantially U-shaped and is contoured so as to form a seat (6) for coupling with the free end of the movable rod (2) in the closed configuration, the movable rod (2) and the seat (6) being mutually disengaged in the open configuration.

Description

The present invention relates to a safety pin, particularly for supporting the labels of items of clothing.
In the wide variety of clothing accessories, it is known to use safety pins which are used to keep two or more flaps of fabric joined or, alternatively, to support one or more labels indicating the type and/or origin of an item of clothing which is manufactured and on display in shops, stores and the like.
These safety pins can be of different sizes, are made of a metallic material such as steel, and are constituted by a double spring-type pin comprising a thin rigid rod, whose free end is pointed so as to facilitate engagement of the flaps of fabric to be joined, and a sort of protective clasp which is open laterally and which, in the closed configuration, is adapted to receive and cover the pointed end of the rod.
Conventional types of safety pin are not devoid of drawbacks, including the fact that since they are made of metallic material they tend to rust over time, they require considerable production costs and times, are aesthetically unpleasant and have a relatively significant weight.
Moreover, these safety pins are not very practical to use, since opening and/or closure occurs in only one way, the pointed rod being disengageable from the protective clasp by moving it only at the lateral opening of the clasp.
The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional types of safety pin, providing a safety pin which is very light and functional, has a pleasant aesthetic appearance and is not easily subject to breakage or wear-related effects such as rust and the like.
Within the scope of this aim, another object of the present invention is to achieve the above aim with a structure which is simple, relatively easy to provide in practice, safe in use, effective in operation and relatively low in cost.
This aim and this object are both achieved by the present safety pin, characterized in that it comprises a movable rod and a fixed rod which are mutually connected by an elastic bridge which is substantially U-shaped, the movable rod having a pointed free end, said fixed rod ending with an open bridge which is substantially U-shaped and is contoured so as to form a seat for coupling with the free end of the movable rod in the closed configuration, the movable rod and the seat being mutually disengaged in the open configuration.
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a safety pin, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a side view of a safety pin according to the invention in the closed configuration;
Figure 2 is a side view of the safety pin according to the invention in the open configuration;
Figure 3 is a sectional front view of the safety pin according to the invention, taken along the plane III-III of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a front view of the safety pin of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a sectional front view of the safety pin according to the invention, taken along the plane V-V of Figure 2;
Figure 6 is a sectional front view of the safety pin according to the invention, taken along the plane VI-VI of Figure 2.
With reference to the above figures, 1 generally designates a safety pin according to the invention.
The safety pin 1 comprises a movable rod 2 and a fixed rod 3 which are mutually connected by a substantially U-shaped elastic bridge 4.
The free end of the movable rod 2 is pointed, whereas the fixed rod 3 ends with an open bridge 5 which is also substantially U-shaped.
The open bridge 5 is contoured so as to form a seat 6 for coupling to the free end of the movable rod 2 in the closed configuration of the safety pin 1 (Figure 1); in the open configuration, the movable rod 2 and the seat 6 are mutually disengaged (Figure 2).
The rods 2 and 3 and the bridges 4 and 5 are made of an elastic material such as acetal resin, nylon and the like, i.e. a plastic material which makes the safety pin 1 very light and at the same time strong and allows the movement of the movable rod 2 in order to pass several times from an open configuration to a closed configuration and viceversa.
The material of which the safety pins according to the invention are made is also non-toxic, does not rust and allows to produce safety pins having different colorings according to the application requirements.
The seat 6 is semicylindrical and is constituted by a first sector 7 and by a second sector 8, each of which covers a quarter of a circle; these sectors are arranged one after the other so as to form a sort of cradle for accommodating the tip of the movable rod 2.
The two sectors 6 and 7 are mutually spaced and allow to insert the movable rod 2 from both sides of the seat 6, so as to make the safety pin 1 more functional and practical with respect to conventional types of safety pin.
In the closed configuration (Figure 1), the elastic bridge 4 and the open bridge 5 have substantially identical shapes, while in the open configuration (Figure 2) the open bridge 5 deforms partially, following the movement of the movable rod 2 that is rigidly coupled thereto.
The movable rod 2 has a substantially circular cross-section which gradually tapers towards the pointed free end; the fixed rod 3 instead has a substantially flat cross-section which allows easier and firmer grip of the safety pin 1.
Advantageously, the bridges 4 and 5 are thicker than the rods 2 and 3 and have lateral surfaces 9 which are wide enough to form respective regions for supporting lettering, logos and the like.
In practice it has been observed that the described invention achieves the intended aim and object, i.e. to be particularly lightweight, functional and wear-resistant as well as aesthetically pleasant.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept.
All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.
In practice, the materials employed, as well as the shapes and the dimensions, may be any according to requirements without thereby abandoning the protective scope of the appended claims.
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MO99A000061 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

A safety pin, characterized in that it comprises a movable rod (2) and a fixed rod (3) which are mutually connected by an elastic bridge (4) which is substantially U-shaped, said movable rod (2) having a pointed free end, said fixed rod (3) ending with an open bridge (5) which is substantially U-shaped and is contoured so as to form a seat (6) for coupling with the free end of the movable rod (2) in the closed configuration, the movable rod (2) and the seat (6) being mutually disengaged in the open configuration.
The safety pin according to claim 1, characterized in that said rods (2, 3) and said bridges (4, 5) are made of an elastic material such as plastics and the like which allows the movement of the movable rod (2) in order to pass from an open configuration to a closed configuration and viceversa.
The safety pin according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said seat (6) is semicylindrical and is constituted by a first sector (7) and by a second sector (8), each of which covers a quarter of a circle, said sectors (7, 8) being arranged one after the other so as to form a sort of cradle for accommodating said movable rod (2) and being mutually spaced and suitable to allow to insert the movable rod (2) from both sides of said seat (6).
The safety pin according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the closed configuration said elastic bridge (4) and said open bridge (5) substantially have the same shape.
The safety pin according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said movable rod (2) has a substantially circular cross-section and in that said fixed rod (3) has a substantially flat cross-section.
The safety pin according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said bridges (4, 5) are thicker than the rods (2, 3) and have lateral surfaces which are broad enough to form respective regions for supporting lettering, logos and the like.