GB2280471A

GB2280471A - Clothes line clip

Info

Publication number: GB2280471A
Application number: GB9315605A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jonathan Rowe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-07-28
Filing date: 1993-07-28
Publication date: 1995-02-01
Also published as: GB9315605D0

Abstract

A line clip for hanging clothes etc. on a line which is adapted to be slidably and detach ably clamped to the line which includes an upper portion 2 having releasable clamp parts 7, 8 for securing the clip slidably onto a line 17. The upper portion of the clip is further adapted by having an aperture 10 to enable it to be engaged by a rigid rod like member positioned above the line and secured to at least one of the upright supports for the line to enable a plurality of line clips to be supportively located serially and contiguously on the rod member. The releasable line clamp is hinged at 13 and held closed by a snap fastening 11, 12. Cross over parts of the resilient limbs 6 of the clothes engaging jaws 4, 5 have interengaging serrated surfaces 18 to prevent the jaws from easily disengaging. <IMAGE>

Description

LINE CLIP This invention relates to a line clip and is particularly concerned with a clip for securing to a line to enable, for example, clothing to be dried by attachment to the clip.

It is not an infrequent problem that shortly after clothes have been hung on a line to dry, rainfall ensues and the usual problem arises of gathering in the clothes quickly before they actually increase in wetness.

Certain clothes line systems incorporate the use of pulleys enabling the line to be continuously expendable from one end support to the other and likewise continuously retractable therefrom, enabling articles of clothing to be hung onto the line at a given point (eg a door or window) and progressively advanced along the line away from the loading point until the line is fully loaded with the articles of clothing.

According to the invention there is provided a line clip comprising a line attachment part integral with or detachably connected with an article engaging part wherein said line attachment part is adapted for releasable attachment to the line and also to permit of free movement of the clip along the line.

The article engaging part of the clip is fashioned from an element of spring material in a substantially figure of eight format with the lower half of the format being open and providing the article engaging jaw members of the clip and the upper half of the format created by the jaw members extending into the figure of eight configuration by first crossing over each other in a contiguous coplanar relationship and then completing the extension thereof by forming and completing a closed circle.

The line attachment part of the clip comprises upper section and a lower section. The upper section comprises preferably a ring shaped member or a member having an aperture therein preferably circular and substantially central of the member. The upper section of the line attachment part is releasably connected to the lower section of the line attachment part. The releasable connection may comprise snap connection means or a combination of a hingeable connection with a snap connection means.

The co-operating surfaces of the upper and the lower sections of the line attachment part are adapted to provide an aperture there between to enable said attachment part to be positioned on the line by separating the upper and lower sections of the attachment part,placing the line in the aperture recess and pressing the sections together to enable said snap connection means to engage and secure the attachment part of the clip to the line.

To attach an article of clothing or part thereof to the line clip involves squeezing the circular part of the article engaging part of the clip causing the jaw members to open, inserting the article to be secured and releasing the pressure on the circular part. The spring nature of the material of the article engaging part ensures the jaw members will exert a secure holding pressure on the article of clothing.

In a pulley mounted expendable clothes line of the type for example where the operating end of the extensible line is secured to a wall (for example, of the house) and the other end of the line is secured to a post, the clothing is hung onto the line or the wall end and the loaded line is moved outwardly to the post until the line is full. The clip of the invention conveniently enables the loaded line to be retracted towards the wall of the house in the event of sudden rain by having a rigid rod secured to the wall immediately above the line and extending outwardly above the line such that on retraction of the line the apertured part of or ring shaped part of the upper section of the attachment is engaged by the rod which supports the weight of the loaded clothes line. A hood or rain protecting overhead screen attached to the wall above the operating end of the line keeps the clothes dry during the shower of rain. When the rain ceases the line can be extended fully with the clothes still attached to continue drying without the need to remove and re-hang the clothes.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which, Figure 1 shows a front view of a line clip, Figure 2 shows a side view of part of the article engaging jaw member cross over configuration along line AA and Figure 3 shows a clothes line arrangement in co-operation with a wall mounted clip securing rod.

Figure 1 shows a line clip 1 having a line attachment part 2 and an article engaging part 3. The article engaging part 3 is in substantially a figure of eight format with the upper part of the format comprising a circle opening out in a crossover fashion to form article engaging jaw members 4 and 5 of the lower part. At the point where jaw members 4 and 5 crossover to form the complete circle 6, a length of each of the masters 4 and 5, which are in sliding contact with each other in operation, is rebated. The surfaces of the rebate in contact each with the other are serrated or ribbed to reduce tendency of jaw members to open under weight of cloth secured there between.

The line attachment part 2 comprises upper and lower sections 7 and 8 respectively. Section 7 is ring shaped at its upper end with the ring 9 having a circular aperture 10. Upper and lower sections 7 and 8 are separable by way of hinge connection 13 at one end and secured each to the other by way of a snap connection engagement between co-operating parts 11 and 12 of sections 7 and 8 respectively. The abutting surfaces 14 and 15 of sections 7 and 8 respectively are recessed centrally to form in engagement an aperture 16. The surface of each of the recesses is shaped to present a line clasping profile when the sections 7 and 8 are secured each to the other by the snap connection means 11 and 12. Figure 2 shows a side view of a length of each the article engaging jaw members 4 and 5 at the point where the said members cross over, ceasing to be jaw engaging members and forming part of the circle 6 of the article engaging part 3. The members 4 and 5 slidably engage each with the other at this crossover point and the slidably engageable surface of each member 4 and 5 is rebated to reduce distortion of the figure of eight format. The surface of the rebated length of each member 4 and 5 is ribbed or serrated.

Figure 3 shows a view of a clothline arrangement comprising line posts 19 and 20, pulley wheels 21 and 22 respectively mounted thereon and carrying an endless clothes line 23. Line clips 24 carrying clothing 25 are shown with two of the clips 24 engaging and carried by clip securing rod 26 mounted on po5t 19 and extending substantially horizontally from the post 19 and imnediately above and parallel to the line 23. The position of the securing rod 26 above line 23 is such that it will protrude through the aperture 10 of ring 9 of the line attachment part 2 of the clip. A waterproof cover or hood 27 is secured to post t4 above the securing rod 26 to protect clothing supported by the clip 24 on the securing rod 26.

Claims

1. A line clip comprising a line attachment part integral with or detachably connected to an article engaging part wherein said line attachment part is adapted for releasable attachment to the line and also to permit of free movement of the clip along the line.

2. A line clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein the article engaging part of the clip is fashioned in a substantially figure of eight format with the lower half of the format comprising openable article engaging jaw members and with the upper half of the format formed by the jaw members extending into the figure of eight configuration by first crossing over each other in a contiguous coplanar relationship and then completing the extension thereof by forming the closed circle of the upper end of the configuration.

3. A line clip as claimed in claim 2 wherein the openable article engaging jaw members are urged into article engaging/closure position by means of the material of the clip comprising resilient material at least in part.

4. A line clip as claimed in claim 2 wherein spring means are located within the upper half of the clip format to bias the article engaging jaw members into a closure position.

5. A line clip as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the line attachment part of the clip comprises an upper section and a lower section with the upper section of the line attachment part being releasably connected to the lower section thereof.

6. A line clip as claimed in claim 5 in which the releasable connection means comprises snap connector means.

7. A line clip as claimed in claims 5 and 6 in which the releasable connection means comprises a combination of a hingeable connection and a snap connection means.

8. A line clip as claimed in claim 5 in which the upper section of the line attachment part comprises a ring shaped member.

9. A line clip as claimed in claim 5 in which the upper section of the line attachment part comprises a member having an aperture substantially centrally of said member.

10. A line clip as claimed in claim 5 in which the lower surface of the upper section of the line attachment part and the upper surface of the lower section thereof are adapted to provide on closure of said sections each to the other an aperture therebetween substantially centrally of said closed sections through which aperture a line upon which the clip is to be hung may be located.

11. A line clip according to any one of claims 8 to 10 in which the apertured or ring shaped member of the upper section of the line attachment part is adapted for engagement by a rigid rod-like member positioned above the line and secured to at least one of the upright supports for the line to enable a plurality of line clips to be supportively located serially and contiguously by said rod-like member.

12. A line clip substantially as described herein with references to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawing.