GB2443249A

GB2443249A - A hinged integrally-moulded clothes peg

Info

Publication number: GB2443249A
Application number: GB0621029A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Leslie Maidment
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-10-23
Filing date: 2006-10-23
Publication date: 2008-04-30
Also published as: GB0621029D0

Abstract

A hinged clothes peg moulded in a ready-for-use condition with two limbs 2, 3 joined by an integral hinge 4, having a gap between the mouth of jaws 5, 6 and between an opening lever 7 and a closing spring member 8 only slightly greater than the thickness of the thinnest items to be held. A recess 12 can be engaged by the end of member 8 to hold the jaws engaged and a protrusion 15 on member 8 can engage lever 7 as the jaws open to increase the applied closing force. As shown the engaging surfaces of the jaws extend generally radially from the pivot axis but the ends of the jaws can be turned to overlap so that those surfaces extend at an angle to the radius.

Description

A LOW-COST SELF -CLOSING HINGED PEG

All the present designs of self-closing hinged pegs require either a separate component which causes closure of the peg's jaws, or an action which preloads an integrally-inoulded, peg-closing component. The consequence of this is that the manufacture of self-closing pegs is now not economically viable in high-economy countries, unless automatic means for the preloading of the peg are provided.

However, even if such means are provided, there is still an economic barrier to the peg's manufacture anywhere other than in the developing countries, where both labour and machinery costs are relatively low.

The purpose of this invention is the provision of a highly effective low-cost, hinged, self-closing peg.

By way of example, an embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the following figures, in which:-Figure 1 shows the peg in its "as-moulded" condition.

Figure 2 shows the peg when closed around an item made of A material of average thickness.

Refbrring to figure 1, it can be seen that the peg I is comprised of limbs 2 and 3 which are hinged together by the flexible ligament 4; gripping jaws 5 & 6, a lever 7, for the opening of the jaws; and a torsion member 8 for the closing of them, the contact limb of which is inclined at 0 angIe as to the lower surface of the lever which is acute.

Figure 1 also shows that (unlike present pegs) the peg concerned is moulded in a "ready-for-use" condition, because the gaps left between the jaws 5 & 6 and between the under surface of the lever 5 and the end 9 of the torsion member 8 are made as small as is practicably possible. These gaps are therefore narrower than the thickness of the material of the majority of the items to be held by the peg; and, in most cases, the peg needs to be "opened" from its "as-moulded" condition, in order to accommodate an item secured by it, upon the clothes line 10. Only items such as thin bed sheets and curtains would have a thickness similar to the "as-moulcied" jaw gap.

Referring to Figure 2, it can be seen that the jaws have been opened significantly, by a force applied to the end of the lever 7 and the base of the torsion member 8; and are held down onto the item 11, by the force applied to the underside of the lever 7, by the end 9 of the torsion member 8. It can also be seen that the torsion member has been strained and its end 9 moved a small but significant amount in the direction of the jaws 5 & 6, and away from the recess 12 in the lever 7. And in this condition, there is an adequate grip placed upon the item 11, between the jaws at their entrance surfaces And between the line 10 and the surface of the jaw-recess 13. However, where the thickness of the item is similar to the "as-moulded" gap provided for the jaws, then the grip provided by the means described may be inadequate; particularly if the object is large, and is exposed to a lot of wind. In that case, the grip provided can be increased by securing the item and the line within the pegs smaller recesses 14, where the closing force is obviously greater. However, alternatively the peg may be locked onto the item and the line, by the use of the jaw-recesses 13; and by moving the end 9 of the torsion member 8 backwards, until it enters the recess 12 in the lever 2. There it is retained until it is manually forced forwards out of it. There is obviously some thickness of material at which locking of the peg in the manner stated becomes impossible, because an excessive force is required upon the end of the torsion member 7. However, for that thickness, the grip of the peg upon the item will be otherwise adequate.

Figure 2 also shows that there is a protrusion 15 upon the upper surface of the lever 7 which becomes the contact-surface of the torsion member 8, at a certain degree of the opening of the jaws 5 & 6. This protrusion is provided so that, for a given deflection of the lever 7 and the torsion memberS, the size of the opening of the jaws 5 & 6, and the closing force produced upon them, are both made larger than they would be otherwise. Also, the rotation of the limb of the torsion member is small; the radius of application of its jaw-opening force not small compared with the radius of application of the jaw-closing force; and, occasionally, the torsion member will be subject to reversed deflections. The torsion member should not therefore be subject to early creep or fracture, which reduces, or removes, the peg's grip.

Finally, for the arrangement of the peg shown, the angle of contact of the torsion member 8 with the lever 5 is about 60, compared to the value at which the peg would not open, i.e. 0= tan 1/u, where u is the coefficient of friction for the pegs surlces.

The cross-section of the torsion member 8 and the operating lever 7 is rectangular, but the limbs 2 & 3 have a thin-walled "H" cross-section which minimises the weight of plastic required for the peg.

It can be seen from Figure 2 that, when the item 11 and the line 10 are small, the component of the jaw-closing force produced by the torsion member 8 is also small,; and so is the degree of bending of the item as it leaves the line and enters the passage between the jaws 5 &6. Also, for a thin item 11, the jaw-closing force approximates to the pegs preload and therefore, unless the preload is large, the peg's grip on thin items can be inadequate. Moveover, the position with a thin item is made even worse because, when the preload is not high, the tension in the item caused by its weight results in the peg being pulled away from contact with the line and the effect of the contact being lost. And, obviously, if there is no preload (as is the case fbr the peg of the embodiment described above) the peg can have no grip upon the item which has a thickness less than the width of the gap present between the jaws in the as-moulded' condition of the peg.

It follows from the above and is confined by tests that, for the thin item, the pegs grip is only adequate with the peg of the embodiment described, if the item is located in the jaw recess 14 and if the torsion member 8 is held at the position of the recess 12-an action which more than compensates for the absence of a preload. And that with all other hinged peg the use of the smaller, jaw recesss is essential and gives a grip which is only marginally effective. Consequently, for the second embodiment of this invention jaws are provided for the peg which gives a significant grip upon a thin item, even when there is no preload,; and which significantly increases the grip of al the present preloaded, hinged pegs.

Referring to Figure 3, it can be seen that the jaw 5 and its jaw 6 has a short limb 16 protruding from its end, at an angle of 65 degrees to the pegs longitudinal axis; and that the jaws significantly overlap upon each other. Also that they cause the item 11 to be bent and compressed around their radiused ends, and the line 10 and the item 11 wrapped around it to be forced away from the lower part of the recess 13, into its upper part -as a result of the tension applied to the item 11 by its weight, or wind-load. Consequently, the surface of the jaw's recess 13 gives a significant force for preventing the item 11 from slipping around the line 10. And the force, added to that which is produced by the bending and compression caused at the ends of the prongs 16, make the peg's grip on the thinest items generally held to be quite adequate -even though there is no preload because, as moulded, there is a gap between the limbs 16 which is made as small as is practical in relation to the mould's requirements. Only slightly wider than twice the thickness of the thinest item generally held. (4.

Claims

A.n integrally moulded, self-closing peg comprised of two limbs bearing a gripping jaw at the first end of each; a flexible ligament joined to each which serves as a hinge for the rotation of them required to cause the required "opening" and "closing" of the said jaws; a lever extending from the first said limb, at its second end, to which manual pressure can be applied to its upper surThce, to cause "opening" of the said jaws; a U-shaped torsion member, one leg of which extends from the second end of the second limb and the other which can apply an inclined force to the lower surface of the first said limb, to cause "closing" of the said jaws; wherein the peg is moulded with a gap between the mating surftces of the said jaws,and between the lower surfhce of the said first limb and the end of one leg of the said torsion member, which is as small as possible with the mould required for the peg,; wherein a recess is provided in the lower surface of the first said limb into which the end of the said torsion member can be manually forced, and there retained, to prevent "opening" of the said jaws; wherein a protrusion is provided upon the upper surce of the torsion member which at some degree of "opening" of the said jaws, becomes the second means by which the torsion member applies closing force to the jaws; thereby increasing the magnitude of that force above that which is otherwise obtainable; and wherein the radial distances of the pertinent components and from the centre of the said flexible ligament are such that the "jaw-closing" force acting, at a given degree of opening, is greater than the force required upon the said lever to produce that opening; and the torsion member is lowly stressed, even at maximum "opening" of the jaws.
2. A peg as in claim I, except that the two mating surfaces of the said jaws, which are parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis of the peg, are replaced by two mating surfaces which are parallel to each other, but inclined to the longitudinal axis of the peg; wherein, in order that can be so, the end of each of the jaws has a limb which projects from it, is inclined to the longitudinal axis of the peg, and points in the direction of the peg's hinge ligament; wherein, when the peg is "closed", the opposing surfaces of the said limbs are separated from each other by a distance which is as small as is practical in relation to the requirements of the peg's mould; wherein the said limbs overlap upon each other and have radiused ends, around which the item held by the peg is wrapped, and against the upper of which the line and the item are drawn, by the weight -induced tension of the item, causing the line and the item to be forced into the lower part of the jaws-cavity and trapped within the peg.
3. Peg jaws as described in claim 2 which are applied to only hinged and preloaded peg.