TWI555489B - Clamp - Google Patents

Description

Clamp

The present invention relates to a clamp, and more particularly to a one-piece clamp that is durable, resilient, and molded from a thermoplastic material.

A clamp is typically a fastener that hangs clothes, socks, pants, and other textile materials on a clothesline. A clamp having a low cost design consists essentially of two opposing plastic or wood grips and is interconnected by a small spring.

A typical clamp grips an object by leveraging. More specifically, when the upper end portion of the holder is pressed, one side of the holder is opened toward the end portion toward each other, and conversely, once released, the portion close to the tail portion is restored. To the original position and close to each other.

Conventional clamps are generally made of springs that are less aesthetically pleasing and tend to rust. The current one-piece clamp is made up of two clamping members that are separated by a small distance from each other. The two mutually adjacent clamping members can form a clamping action, in particular when the clamping members are pulled apart from each other and then abut against each other in order to return to their original position. This type of clamp is usually constructed of plastic or wood material.

In order to avoid corrosion or contamination, a clamp made of a thermoplastic material is suitable. More suitable is a one-piece clamp that is durable, non-corrosive and made of thermoplastic material.

A prior art, U.S. Patent 3,600,763, discloses a clamp molded from a thermoplastic material. The clamp includes a handle having a plurality of clamping members that can be pulled apart for gripping on the clothesline. Another prior art, US Pat. No. 5,179,768, discloses a one-piece peg made of a plastic material. The one-piece clothes peg has two needle-shaped clamping members that are adjacent to each other. However, the structure and mechanism of the two prior art are quite different from the system of the present invention. The present invention introduces a clamp that has additional features over the prior art. The clamp of the present invention has a guide groove for avoiding accidental dislocation of the clamp member and a handle having a plurality of grooves for facilitating handling and retracting of the handle. Further, the clamping member of the present invention further has a convex clamping rib and a concave clamping rib.

Therefore, a clamp that is elastic, is not easily dislocated, and provides optimum clamping properties is more suitable for current applications.

The present invention discloses a clamp, and more particularly a one-piece clamp that is durable, resilient, and molded from a thermoplastic material.

In an embodiment of the invention, a clamp includes a pair of clamping arms having a clamping gap, and a pair of curved elements coupled to the clamping arms, the curved elements being extendable by the clamping arms a clamping member, a U-shaped handle that is in contact with the curved surface member, a guiding member formed on an inner surface of the U-shaped handle, the guiding member having a protruding structure and engraved on the inner surface of the U-shaped handle A slot that engages the guide member to prevent the clamp arm from accidentally dislodging during use. Further, the inside of the U-shaped handle of the clamp of the present invention is provided with a gap.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the clamp is more preferably a one-piece device molded from a thermoplastic material.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower surface of the clamping arm further includes a plurality of convex clamping ribs and a plurality of concave clamping ribs.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer surface of the U-shaped handle is provided with a plurality of grooves.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the U-shaped handle is resilient and flexible when an external force is applied to the outer surface of the associated U-shaped handle.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the width of the void located inside the U-shaped handle is reduced by the compression of the outer surface of the U-shaped handle, expanding the clamping arm and the clamping gap.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the U-shaped handle further includes a lower gap between the interior of the U-shaped handle.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower void in the U-shape provides a space for the clothesline or thread to penetrate so as to lock the clamp to the clothesline or line.

Referring to the first figure, there is shown a front view of the clamp 100 of the present invention. The clamp 100 of the present invention includes a pair of clamping arms 12 that are parallel and have the same thickness. The clamping arm 12 is coupled to the curved member 14 and a U-shaped handle 15. The clamping arm 12, curved member 14 and U-shaped handle 15 are molded from a one-piece thermoplastic material. Thermoplastic and flexible thermoplastic materials are considered suitable materials for making the clamp 100 of the present invention. The clamping arm 12 further includes at least one outer clamping rib 10 and at least one concave clamping rib 11 corresponding thereto, the concave and convex clamping ribs 10 and 11 being disposed at the front end portion of the clamping arm 12. The clamping ribs 10 and 11 reinforce the clamping action of the clamp 100 of the present invention. Moreover, when the clamp 100 of the present invention is in a standby state or when the clamp arm 12 is closed, it has a clamping gap 13 disposed between the inner surfaces of the two clamp arms 12. The primary function of the clamping gap 13 is to clamp the clothes or lighter items and hang them.

The clamp 100 of the present invention is also provided with a pair of curved elements 14. The pair of curved elements 14 are located between the two clamping arms 12 and the U-shaped handle, wherein the clamping gap 13 for clamping and hanging the articles is formed between the two clamping arms 12 and the U-shaped handle 15. The two curved elements 14 are all symmetrical in size and shape to facilitate gripping of the garment or other items by the clamp 100 with equal grip. According to the structure of the clamp 100 of the present invention, the pair of curved members 14 are overlapped with each other. Further, the curved elements 14 may be in sliding contact by the inner surfaces of each other.

The U-shaped handle 15 of the clamp 100 of the present invention is placed below the clamp 100. The U-shaped handle 15 has elasticity and flexibility. Specifically, once physically compressed, the U-shaped handle 15 can automatically resume its original state. The outer surface of the U-shaped handle 15 has a plurality of notches 17 for gripping the object so that the user can easily press the U-shaped handle 15 even when the user's hand is wet. There is a gap 13 on the inner surface of the U-shaped handle 15. The gap 13 can pull the clamp arm 12 apart when an external force is applied to the outer surface of the U-shaped handle 15. Basically, an external force is applied to the outer surface of the U-shaped handle 15 of the clamp 100 of the present invention to open the pair of curved members 14 and the clamp arms 12, and subsequently reduce the area of the gap portion 16 and enlarge The gap 13 is clamped to accommodate and grip the garment or other item.

In an embodiment of the invention, the inner surface of the U-shaped handle 15 is provided with a slot 19 and a guiding member 18. In use, the slot 19 and the guiding element 18 can create a mutual cooperation. The guiding element 18 has a convex structure and is engageable with the slot 19 described. The middle portion of the slot 19 structure is engraved with a groove for allowing the guide member 18 to be easily inserted therein. It can thus be seen that the guiding element 18 and the slot 19 cooperating therewith prevent the clamping arm 12 from dislocating, especially when the outer surface of the U-shaped handle 15 is physically compressed.

The clamp 100 of the present invention is preferably molded from a thermoplastic material that is both elastic and durable. In addition to being used as a fastener for gripping clothes, the clamp 100 can also grip paper and other lighter weight sheets or articles.

The second figure shows the condition after the outer surface of the U-shaped handle 15 of the clamp 100 is pressed. The clamp arm 12 of the clamp 100 is also opened by the pressing of the handle 15, so that the clamping gap 13 of the clamp 100 is enlarged to sandwich the article. The larger the width of the clamping gap 13, the more it can be used to sandwich a relatively thicker garment or article. When the outer surface of the U-shaped handle 15 is compressed, the inside thereof is tight and contracted. In addition, the guide member 18 of the clamp 100 of the present invention is slidably engaged with the groove of the slot 19 engraved thereon. The interfitting slots 19 and guide members 18 prevent the gripper 100 from accidentally dislodging during use. Additionally, the void 20 located inside the U-shaped handle 15 provides a space for the clamp 100 of the present invention to be securely suspended from the clothesline or line.

Obviously, the shape and configuration of the clamp 100 of the present invention can provide a prior art The extra features of the advantage. The clamp 100 according to the present invention is one-piece and molded of a thermoplastic material, so that the durability and reliability thereof are improved compared to a clamp composed of steel or a material that is rust easily. Moreover, the clamp 100 of the present invention does not rust the gripped clothing or article as the prior art is rusted.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the clamp 100 can also be molded into different shapes and sizes according to its application requirements. The clamp 100 can also add some accessories, such as glass particles or blazed materials, to make it more beautiful. Further, the clamp 100 of the present invention may be molded from a thermoplastic material having fluorescent properties.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics. The present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive

10‧‧‧Outer clamping ribs

11‧‧‧ concave clamping rib

12‧‧‧Clamping arm

13‧‧‧Clamping gap

14‧‧‧ Curved components

15‧‧‧U-shaped handle

16‧‧‧ gap

17‧‧‧ grooves

18‧‧‧Directing elements

19‧‧‧ slot

20‧‧‧ gap

100‧‧‧clamp

The first figure is a front view of the clamp of the present invention.

The second drawing is a front view of the clamped portion of the clamp of the present invention being opened.

10. . . Convex clamping rib

11. . . Concave clamping rib

12. . . Clamping arm

13. . . Clamping clearance

14. . . Curved component

15. . . U-shaped handle

16. . . Void

17. . . Grooved groove

18. . . Guiding element

19. . . Slot

20. . . Void

100. . . Clamp

Claims (8)

A clamp comprising: a pair of clamping arms having a clamping gap between the pair of clamping arms; a pair of curved elements coupled to the clamping arms, the curved elements being extendable by the clamping arms a clamp formed; a U-shaped handle that is in contact with the curved surface member, the inner surface of the U-shaped handle is provided with a guiding member, the guiding member has a protruding structure; and a slot provided on the inner surface of the U-shaped handle The slot and the guiding member are engageable to each other to prevent the clamping arm from being accidentally dislocated during use; and a gap in the interior of the U-shaped handle. The clamp of claim 1, wherein the clamp is a one-piece device molded from a thermoplastic material. The clamp of claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the clamp arm further comprises at least one external clamping rib and at least one concave clamping rib. The clamp of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the U-shaped handle has a plurality of grooves. The clamp of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped handle has elasticity and flexibility, especially when an external force is applied to the outer surface of the U-shaped handle. The clamp of claim 1, wherein the gap inside the U-shaped handle is reduced by an external force applied to an outer surface of the U-shaped handle, and the clamp arm and the clamp are further The tight gap is enlarged. The clamp of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped handle further includes a gap between the interior of the U-shaped handle. The clamp of claim 7, wherein the gap between the interior of the lower portion of the U-shaped handle provides a thread for the clothesline or the wire to be inserted and the clamp to be locked in the clothes. Space on the rope or line.