GB1591060A - Clothes peg - Google Patents

Description

(54) CLOTHES PEG (71) I, RAYMOND LESLIE WOOD LEY, a British subject of 20 Nook Road, Scholes, Leeds, Yorkshire, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a Patent may be granted to me and the method by.which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a clothes peg for pegging clothes or other articles on a line to dry, and concerns a modification of the invention set forth in British Patent No.

1,314,400.

The invention the subject of my British Patent No. 1,314,400 has for its object to provide an improved form of peg and in particular one which will be well adapted for retaining its grip on a line and for holding on a line articles having a range of thickness or bulk for which existing forms of pegs are not suited, that is a peg which will act effectively with quite thin articles or considerably thicker ones.

The invention the subject of said Patent No. 1,314,400 relates to a peg having a pair of limbs which project from a handle portion and which can grip a line between them because they are resiliently formed with the handle portion, there being one or more pairs of co-operating projections on the inner faces of the limbs forming a restriction for the passage of a line into the peg and forming at each side of each restriction, at least one space, the space at one side having a different width than the space at the other side so that the line can lodge to hold different thicknesses of clothes.

A peg according to the invention the subject of said Patent No. 1,314,400 comprises a body or handle portion from which project a pair of limbs adapted when passed over a line to grip the line between them by reason of their resilient connection to the body or handle portion, the inner faces of said limbs having at least one pair of laterally extending ribs projecting towards one another to form a neck which has to be forced past the line, leaving at least two spaces between the limbs in either or any of which spaces the line may be located to suit different thicknesses of clothes or other articles, the inner face of each limb lying generally in a respective plane and these two planes converging towards the outer ends of the limbs in the unstrained state of the limbs, "laterally extending" being defined in the said Patent No. 1,314,400 as applied to the ribs meaning transverse to the longitudinal direction of the limbs, and the term "rib" includes either a continuous ridge or a line of small projections.

It has been found that the said laterally extending ribs, apart from ribs at or near the outer ends of the limbs, can be omitted without adversely affecting the functioning of the peg and therefore according to this invention there is provided a clothes peg comprising a body or handle portion from which project a pair of limbs adapted when passed over a line to grip the line between them by reason of their resilient connection to the body or handle portion, the inner faces of said limbs having a pair of laterally extending ribs projecting towards one another to form a neck which has to be forced past the line, said ribs being situated at or near the outer ends of the limbs which are otherwise free of laterally extending ribs leaving only a single space between the limbs for the location of the line, the inner face of each limb lying generally in a respective plane and these two planes converging towards the outer ends of the limbs in the unstrained state of the limbs.

Thinner articles are gripped with the line by the peg nearer the ends of the limbs where the pressure of the resilient limbs is comparatively light, whereas thicker articles would be gripped with the line nearer the inner ends of the limbs where the pressure is comparatively greater.

The limbs may either be formed with or secured rigidly to the body or handle portion. Preferably, the peg will be formed in one piece from a rigid synthetic plastics material although it may be made from wood, metal or other suitable material.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood and carried into effect one embodiment thereof is illustrated merely by way of example in the accompanying drawing which shows a peg intended to be produced by moulding in one piece from synthetic plastics material. In this drawing: Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a front and a side elevation of the peg shown in its unstrained state, that is when not in use, and Figure 3 is a section taken on line A-A in Figure 1.

As shown in this drawing the peg has a body portion 1 with a head 2 and shoulder portion 3 from which latter project a pair of limbs 4, these having their outer ends 5 curved divergently to facilitate application of the peg over a line. A strengthening ribbing 6 extends longitudinally and centrally along the peg from the head 2 to the beginning of the divergent ends 5 to provide strength but still allow the limbs to flex from their points of junction with the shoulder portion 3. The particular form of the body or handle portion and strengthening ribbing will, however, be governed by design considerations and moulding requirements.

Each limb 4 has its inner face 7 lying generally in a plane and these two planes converge slightly towards their open ends at an angle of (say) two degrees to produce a bow effect of the shoulder portion 3. As opposed to the embodiment of the invention disclosed in said Patent 1,314,400 in which inwardly projecting ribs 8B, 8C extend the full width laterally straight across the faces 7 as indicated in Figure 2 of the drawings of the said Patent No. 1,314,400, these ribs are omitted in the present modification, although ribs 8A located at the outer ends of the faces 7 where the latter begin to diverge, are included.

The above-described construction of peg the peg can be located on the clothes line 10 in any position along the length direction of the limbs and three such positions are indicated in Figure 1 by lOX, lOY and lOZ. The first position lOX is suitable for thin or light articles (e.g. ladies' stockings), the second lOY for articles of medium thickness or weight, and the third lOZ for still thicker or heavier articles (.e.g sheets, blankets, curtains). It will be understood that the resilient grip exerted by the limbs on the line will be greater the nearer the line is located to the shoulder face 9.

Moreover, the slight convergence of the faces 7 in the peg's unstrained state tends to hold the peg down on the line and to oppose a tendency for the peg to spring upwards and come off the line. Also the neck formed by the outer pair of ribs 8A acts as a potential guard against the peg coming off the line accidentally because the limbs would have to be forcibly opened by the pressure of the line against the ribs. Of course, this resistance to displacement of the peg from the chosen position on the line operates in any selected position.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A clothes peg comprising a body or handle portion from which project a pair of limbs adapted when passed over a line to grip the line between them by reasori of their resilient connection to the body or handle portion, the inner faces of said limbs having a pair of laterally extending ribs projecting towards one another to form a neck which has to be forced past the line, said ribs being situated at or near the outer ends of the limbs which are otherwise free of laterally extending ribs leaving only a single space between the limbs for the location of the line, the inner face of each limb lying generally in a respective plane and these two planes converging towards the outer ends of the limbs in the unstrained state of the limbs.

2. A clothes peg according to Claim 1 and formed in one piece from a rigid synthetic plastics material.

3. A clothes peg constructed substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (3)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. comparatively greater. The limbs may either be formed with or secured rigidly to the body or handle portion. Preferably, the peg will be formed in one piece from a rigid synthetic plastics material although it may be made from wood, metal or other suitable material. In order that the invention may be more fully understood and carried into effect one embodiment thereof is illustrated merely by way of example in the accompanying drawing which shows a peg intended to be produced by moulding in one piece from synthetic plastics material. In this drawing: Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a front and a side elevation of the peg shown in its unstrained state, that is when not in use, and Figure 3 is a section taken on line A-A in Figure 1. As shown in this drawing the peg has a body portion 1 with a head 2 and shoulder portion 3 from which latter project a pair of limbs 4, these having their outer ends 5 curved divergently to facilitate application of the peg over a line. A strengthening ribbing 6 extends longitudinally and centrally along the peg from the head 2 to the beginning of the divergent ends 5 to provide strength but still allow the limbs to flex from their points of junction with the shoulder portion 3. The particular form of the body or handle portion and strengthening ribbing will, however, be governed by design considerations and moulding requirements. Each limb 4 has its inner face 7 lying generally in a plane and these two planes converge slightly towards their open ends at an angle of (say) two degrees to produce a bow effect of the shoulder portion 3. As opposed to the embodiment of the invention disclosed in said Patent 1,314,400 in which inwardly projecting ribs 8B, 8C extend the full width laterally straight across the faces 7 as indicated in Figure 2 of the drawings of the said Patent No. 1,314,400, these ribs are omitted in the present modification, although ribs 8A located at the outer ends of the faces 7 where the latter begin to diverge, are included. The above-described construction of peg the peg can be located on the clothes line 10 in any position along the length direction of the limbs and three such positions are indicated in Figure 1 by lOX, lOY and lOZ. The first position lOX is suitable for thin or light articles (e.g. ladies' stockings), the second lOY for articles of medium thickness or weight, and the third lOZ for still thicker or heavier articles (.e.g sheets, blankets, curtains). It will be understood that the resilient grip exerted by the limbs on the line will be greater the nearer the line is located to the shoulder face 9. Moreover, the slight convergence of the faces 7 in the peg's unstrained state tends to hold the peg down on the line and to oppose a tendency for the peg to spring upwards and come off the line. Also the neck formed by the outer pair of ribs 8A acts as a potential guard against the peg coming off the line accidentally because the limbs would have to be forcibly opened by the pressure of the line against the ribs. Of course, this resistance to displacement of the peg from the chosen position on the line operates in any selected position. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A clothes peg comprising a body or handle portion from which project a pair of limbs adapted when passed over a line to grip the line between them by reasori of their resilient connection to the body or handle portion, the inner faces of said limbs having a pair of laterally extending ribs projecting towards one another to form a neck which has to be forced past the line, said ribs being situated at or near the outer ends of the limbs which are otherwise free of laterally extending ribs leaving only a single space between the limbs for the location of the line, the inner face of each limb lying generally in a respective plane and these two planes converging towards the outer ends of the limbs in the unstrained state of the limbs.

2. A clothes peg according to Claim 1 and formed in one piece from a rigid synthetic plastics material.

3. A clothes peg constructed substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.