FR2775008A1 - Clothes peg for hanging wet laundry on a clothes line - Google Patents

Abstract

The clothes peg has a space (5) near the top for the clothes line to be passed through, so that the clothes peg hangs vertically downwards to grip the suspended laundry by the two sprung legs (2,3), with a spring (4) of coiled steel wire. The clothes line suspension is a hook formed by a fold (5a) in an inverted U-shape as an extension end of one sprung leg (2b), to hang on the clothes line within the hollow U-shaped zone to lie in a recess (10). The other end of the hook (5a) is against the end of the other sprung leg (3b), with a small gap (9) between them to allow for the pincer movements of the sprung legs (2,3) but not large enough to allow the clothes line to escape. When pressure is relaxed on the sprung legs, to give the tensed gripping action on the laundry, the gap (9) is restored to its narrow dimensions. The free ends of the sprung legs have a structured surface for gripping by the fingers, for easy movement on to and off the clothes line. The surfaces are thickened, recessed, or have non-slip relief projections. The recess (10) for the clothes line has an inverted V-shape, with the peak towards the top of the clothes peg away from the pincer grip section. The legs (2,3) of the clothes peg are of a molded synthetic material. The clothes peg can be a solid cylindrical body, with a structured hook at the top to hang from the clothes line, and an elastic web material between the two leg sections for sprung elasticity. An Independent claim is included for a clothes peg mfg. process. The body is extruded of a synthetic material with two openings over each other along the length of the peg. It also has an opening to one side, at the top, to form the suspension hook. The bottom section is cut along the center line as far as the lower opening to form the legs. The extruded body is cut into separate clothes pegs.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA
The present invention relates to the field of household accessories and more particularly the tongs used to hang the laundry on a wired support, with a view to drying it generally after washing; being however specified that the use of such pliers is not limiting and the so-called "clothespins" pliers can receive various uses each time one wishes to removably join sheets or fabrics pinched together by pressing between the two jaws or branches of the clamp and / or in particular to allow their suspension on a support formed by a wire.

PRIOR ART
The traditional clothespins well known for their household use in order to extend the laundry coming out of the washing on a generally external thread, consist of two substantially identical branches and arranged symmetrically, facing each other by being joined by an intermediate spring member now elastically close together the gripping ends of the two arms, while keeping elastically separated the two gripping ends, ends opposite to the gripping ends.

Thus and in a banal manner the user grasping between two fingers the gripping ends of the two branches of the clamp and exerting a pressure with a view to their bringing together against the action of the spring, causes the separation of the opposite ends, active ends or pinching, these pinching ends then apart being able to position themselves astride the support wire having previously received a fold of the laundry to be dried, the elastic closure of the two nipping branches trapping the laundry and ensuring the holding of the laundry in place thread.

The placement of the laundry coming out of the washing thus requires the positioning of the laundry according to a fold on the thread, or its presentation in the immediate vicinity of the thread, while the operator grasps a gripper pending, either already on the thread, or in loose in a receptacle; after approximation of the gripping ends of the clamp, the latter is engaged both on the wire and on the laundry and closes on both, thus keeping the laundry in place in its drying position.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
As simple as it is, this maneuver, repeated several times for each piece of laundry, remains uncomfortable and takes time; the present invention relates to improvements to the structure of clothespins of the specified type and which considerably simplifies the work of hanging the laundry coming out of the washing for drying.

An object of the invention is therefore to allow the operator to have a set of clothespins waiting on the support, and immediately available for receiving the laundry, without the operator having to pick up a clamp. from the bulk stock, either to remove the clamp awaiting on the wire to position the piece of laundry to be hung beforehand; another object of the invention is to improve, in addition to the functionality of the traditional clothespins, the aesthetics of the assembly, either in the active clothes drying situation, or in the standby position, the clamps being spaced in standby on the support wire.

DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION
To this end the invention relates to a clothespin of the type known per se and consisting of two identical branches and arranged symmetrically, facing each other being assembled by an intermediate element forming a hinge pin, capable of holding the active pinching ends recalled elastically against one another, the ends of the two branches, opposite the nipping ends and forming the gripping ends, being returned to the separated position, and the clamp is characterized in that it comprises a housing capable of receiving the suspension wire and thus suitable for allowing the suspension and the sliding of the clamp on the wired hanging support.

More particularly, said housing is shaped by an inverted U-shaped fold extending the gripping end of one of the two branches, and thus suitable for resting on the wire support, the latter being engaged in the hollow of said fold. U inverted and the clamp being free to slide along said wire support
And according to a first embodiment of the invention, the end edge of the inverted U-shaped fold forming the said hook is located in the immediate vicinity of the end edge of the end of the other branch of the clamp, these two edges located at look facing each other, with little play.

And in particular the said edges each coming from one of the branches are located in the extension of one another being separated by a gap sufficient to allow the mutual displacement of the gripping ends of the clamp in its opening operation, the said gap not allowing passage of the wired support, in the pinching position, the clamp being able to be suspended on the wired support by its said hook, the wired support being inserted in its housing formed by the hollow of the hook by separation of the two gripping ends, their elastic return then closing the passage and preventing the fall of the clamp thus maintained on the wire support, especially in its standby position.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the two branches have a general half-cylinder conformation, facing each other by their diametrical plane and together forming a substantially cylindrical volume.

And again according to a more particular embodiment, the gripping ends of the branches have on their receiving faces of the finger support a local surfacing capable of facilitating gripping, in particular in the form of a flat, concavity, non-slip reliefs, facilitating the ergonomic grip of the ends. gripping and their approximation when placing the linen inserted between the opposite nip ends
More specifically, the branches of the clamp according to the invention will be made of molded synthetic material.

The receiving housing for the suspension wire will advantageously include a notch with converging edges, in the form of
Inverted V, to receive the suspension wire pinched in the bottom of the notch and slowing down the movement of the clamp along the wire.

According to a particular embodiment, the member forming an articulation pivot ensuring the mutual pivoting of the two branches and allowing the spacing and the elastic reconciliation of the nip ends is constituted by a bridging of material joining the two branches, the clamp being thus came in one piece.

According to yet another feature belonging to this particular shape, the two branches of the clamp meet by their gripping ends, opposite the nipping ends, to form an upper part common to the two branches, in which the receptacle for receiving the wire is made. suspension; The clamp being made of conventionally deformable material, the gripping of the branches and their bringing together by their gripping ends, causes the pivoting in the opposite direction and therefore the spacing of the gripping ends, around the axis consisting of the bridging of material the loosening subsequent gripping ends causing the elastic return of the gripping ends to their position conjugate against each other.

The invention also relates to a method of producing clamps according to the above characteristics, and characterized a) in that an elongated strip of synthetic material of rectangular section and comprising two respectively upper and lower recesses of ovoid section is extruded, superimposed in the height direction of said rectangle, the bar also comprising a rectilinear slot opening on one side on a vertical lateral face of said bar above the upper recess and on the other on a rectilinear and longitudinal housing running along and inside said bar, b) the base of the bar is cut along a vertical median plane, creating a slit opening onto the lower ovoid recess and separating the two lower ends of the branches by constituting the jaws nip, c) the said strip is cut transversely into sections each corresponding to a clamp u nitaire.

Other characteristics of the invention will emerge from the description which follows and which is given in relation to a particular embodiment presented by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT
In the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of a clothespin according to the invention,
FIG. 2 represents a sectional view of the same clamp,
And FIG. 3 represents a view in situation of clotheslines supporting linen with the clips of the invention.

Figures 4 and 5 show an alternative embodiment of the clamp according to the invention in a rest position (Figure 4) and in a pinch position (Figure 5); FIG. 6 represents a perspective view of an extruded bar for the manufacture of pliers according to FIGS. 4 and 5.

According to all of Figures 1, 2 and 3, we see that in a first embodiment, the clamp of the invention 1, consists of two branches 2 and 3, substantially identical and arranged symmetrically.

The two branches are each shaped as a half cylinder, without this conformation, more aesthetic, being characteristic of the invention. The assembly thus conforms to a generally cylindrical volume.

In a known manner, an intermediate pivot-spring 4 comprises a central helical winding inserted between the two branches 2 and 3, in a housing arranged for this purpose in the interface between the two said branches; and this spring is extended on each side by an L-shaped finger, 4a and 4b, each trapping one of the branches so as to bring one against the other the gripping ends 2a and 3a respectively of each of the branches. It is understood that the shape of the return spring pivot is not critical or characteristic of the invention and this spring made of metal wire, in particular steel, of helical type, can be replaced by a bridging uniting the two branches, in particular in the form of 'a veil of material from molding. This spring member, in the form of a bridging material is shown according to Figures 4 and 5, corresponding to another embodiment of the invention.

On the side opposite the nipping ends, each branch offers a gripping end 2b and 3b recalled by the central spring in the separated position, in a manner known per se, the mutual bringing together of these two ends by the operator causing the separation of the ends opposite for the insertion of the linen when it is placed on the wired support.

According to the invention, one of the two ends, here the end 2b, comprises an inverted U-shaped return 5a, conforming a hook capable of receiving in its concavity the wired support 6, this concavity defining the housing provided for the wire 6.

And the terminal edge of this U-shaped hook 5a comes to die close to and facing the terminal edge of the end 3b of the branch 3.

The interstice 9 between this end edge of the hook 5a and the edge, located opposite, of the end 3b allows the free movement of this end 3b, when the two gripping ends 2b and 3b are brought together, for the maneuver of opening of the nipping ends 2a and 3a; but preferably this gap does not allow the passage of the wired support 6, when the fold or hook 5a is in the inactive position facing the end 3b; thus the wired support can be engaged in the receiving housing formed by the concavity 5, when the gripping ends 3b and 2b are brought together respectively, widening the passage, after which the wired support is trapped in its housing 5.

More preferably a notch 10, with converging edges, in the shape of an inverted V, makes it possible to receive the suspension wire and to brake, by lightly pinching the wire resting between said converging edges, any movement of the clamp in sliding along the wire.

Once in place on the wired support, the clamp, and all of the clamps, remains pending, between two uses, being trapped on the wired support, while being able to slide, so as to position itself on the support. appropriate location according to the needs and the width of the laundry items to be hung, as shown in Figure 3.

The invention thus makes it possible to leave a set of clips available on the clothesline, especially outside, for the next use. These pliers are trapped on the wire, without being able to escape; when placing linen on the rope, each clamp can be manually slid, for example by lifting it slightly, in order to avoid the brake effect, previously mentioned; and the clamp is thus brought to the appropriate place; once the damp laundry has been suspended the clamp stops in its place, the weight of the laundry causing the rope to jam in its housing and especially in the receiving notch 10. This avoids any unwanted movement of the laundry by drying position, for example in the wind.

And when the damp linen, possibly spun, has to be extended, the user benefits from a simplified maneuver since it suffices to approach with one hand the edge of the linen to be extended from the clamp, the other hand opening the forceps which close immediately after the edge of the linen has been inserted between the jaws formed by the gripping ends.

The user therefore does not have to apprehend the clamp waiting in bulk in a container, nor to release the clamp possibly waiting on the thread to position the laundry; the latter can be suspended without the need to fold the laundry overlapping the thread, which facilitates the exposure of all the laundry and better ventilation.

The clip of the invention made of molded synthetic material can have a renewed approval in the mixture of colors.

The standby clamp can slide on the wire and therefore be brought without difficulty to its best place of implementation according to the geometry of the laundry to be hung.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 illustrate a variant in which the housing 11 does not consist of a fold of material from one of the branches; the housing 11 is formed in the upper part 15 formed by the union of the two branches 2 ′, 3 ′, and this housing, opening towards the outside by a lateral face of the clamp, comprises as previously a notch with converging edges in V inverted 10 '. The pivot and spring member is here constituted by the bridging of material 8 joining the two branches 2 ', 3'. An ovoid upper recess 12 and a lower ovoid recess 13 also separate these two branches respectively above and below the bypass.

The entire clamp came from molding (or extrusion, as according to the method specified below) in one piece and it is made of elastically deformable material, the rigidity of the material being adjusted (from the choice of resin or resin mixture) so as to allow the branches to be brought together at the level of the upper ovoid recess 12 and simultaneously and consequently the spacing of the lower ends of the branches at the level of the lower recess 13, as illustrated in Figure 5.

The pliers of FIGS. 4 and 5 can be obtained from a continuously extruded bar, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

This bar coming from extrusion can, at the end of the die, be split at its base, by passing over a circular knife, so as to open the slot 14 in a median vertical plane, joining the lower ovoid recess and thus separating on each side the pinch jaws each coming from the lower end of the branches 2 'and 3'. Finally, the bar is cut transversely into unit sections, each corresponding to an individual clamp.

As seen in FIG. 6, the opposite faces of the pinching jaws may include unevenness in relief, such as pins or grooves, in order to ensure good hanging of the laundry in the hanging position; these unevenness in relief may also be complementary, spikes or ribs engaging in recesses located opposite the other jaw, so as to develop the pinching effect and therefore securing the laundry in place on the clamp .

The foregoing description is given only by way of examples and allows many variations, without departing from the scope of the invention. It will be understood that the clothespin of the invention can also be used, at the option of each, in a conventional manner, that is to say by pinching the folded linen in jumper on the wire, without necessarily being placed on standby being suspended freely on the support wire by inserting the latter into the receptacle for the suspension wire.

Claims (6)

CLAIMS 1- Clothespin of the type known per se and consisting of two identical branches (2, 3), arranged symmetrically, facing each other being assembled by an intermediate member (4), forming a pivot axis and capable of keeping the ends active pinch (2a, 3a) resiliently biased against each other, the opposite ends of the two branches, forming the gripping ends (2b, 3b), being recalled in the separated position, and the clamp is characterized in that it comprises at its top close to the gripping end a housing (5) capable of receiving the suspension wire and thus suitable for allowing the free suspension of the clamp on a wired hanging support (6). 2- Pliers according to claim 1 and characterized in that the said housing is formed by a hook constituted by a fold (5a) in the shape of an inverted U extending the gripping end (2b) of one of the two branches, and thus suitable for resting on the wired support (6), the latter being engaged in the concavity of said inverted U-shaped fold, defining the housing (5) and the clamp being able to slide along said wired support 3- Clamp according claim 1 and claim 2 and characterized in that the end edge of the inverted U-shaped fold forming the said hook (5a) is located in the immediate vicinity of the end edge of the end (3b) of the other branch of the clamp , the two opposite edges facing each other, with little play or gap (9). 4- Pliers according to one of claims 1 to 3 above, characterized in that said edges (5a and 3b) each extending one of the branches (2, 3) are located in the extension of one another being separated by a gap (9) sufficient to allow the mutual displacement of the gripping ends of the clamps in the opening operation of the clamp, the said gap does not allow the passage of the wired support (6), in the pinching position , the clamp being able to be suspended on the wired support, inserted in its housing (10) constituted by the hook, by spacing of the two gripping ends, their elastic return then closing the passage and preventing the fall of the clamp thus maintained on the wired support, in particular in its standby position.  5- Pliers according to one of claims 1 to 5 above and characterized in that the gripping ends of the branches have on their receiving faces of the support of the fingers a local surfacing suitable for facilitating gripping, in particular in the form of flat, concavity, non-slip reliefs, facilitating the ergonomic gripping of the gripping ends and their bringing together when placing the linen inserted between the opposite gripping ends 6- Gripper according to one of claims 1 to 5 above, characterized in that the housing (5) has a notch opening on the said housing, this notch (10) having converging edges, in the form of an inverted V, the point of the V being oriented towards the top of the clamp, opposite the ends of pinch or jaws, this notch thus being able to receive the suspension wire pinched in the bottom of the notch and slowing down the free movement of the clamp on the wired support. 7- Clamp according to one of claims 1 to 6 above, characterized in that the branches (2, 3) of the clamp according to the invention will be made of molded synthetic material. 8- Clamp according to one of claims 1 to 7 above and characterized in that the member forming the pivot axis of the two branches consists of a bridging of material (8) joining the two symmetrical branches of the clamp and allowing the articulated movement of one branch relative to the other, and the two branches are joined at their apex, forming the gripping ends, by a common part (15), the gripping and the bringing together of the two branches by their ends gripping causing their elastic deformation and the opening of the lower ends of the branches forming jaws, around the articulation axis constituted by the bridging (8), and the loosening of the gripping ends causing the elastic return of the nipping ends forming jaws against each other. 9- Pliers according to claim 8, further characterized in that it comprises a housing 11 and its notch 10 ', for the reception of the suspension wire, formed in said common part (15). 10- A method of manufacturing a clamp according to one of claims 8 or 9, characterized by the succession of the following operations: a) extruding a longiform strip of elastically deformable synthetic material, the strip being of rectangular section and having two recesses respectively upper (12) and lower (13) of ovoid section, superimposed in the direction of the height of the rectangular section, the bar also comprising a longitudinal rectilinear slot opening on one side at the top of a vertical face of the bar, and on the other on a housing (11) running along and inside said strip, above the upper ovoid recess (12); b) the base of the bar is cut along a vertical median plane, creating a slot (14) opening onto the lower ovoid recess (13) and separating the two lower ends of the branches, forming jaws; c) said strip is cut transversely into sections each corresponding to an individual clamp.