US2170204A - Clothespin - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 22, 1939. J. E. LEMOINE CLOTHESPIN Filed Nov. 29, 1938 I? d i 2 Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT oFrrcs 1 Claim.

This inventionv relates to improvements in clothespins of the ordinary bifurcated wooden type. Such pins are usually made with a central slot extending up from the lower end for a considerable fraction of the length of the pin, the slot being of such width that the legs on either side will be sprung apart to some extent when the pin is forced onto the clothes line, the resulting frictional pressure serving to hold the pin on the line.

According to the present invention, the faces of the slot are modified so that the legs need not press so tightly against the clothes line, the improved pin being of such a nature that it can easily be'mounted on a clothes line but will be very effective in holding clothes on the line. A clothespin embodying the invention is furthermore relatively easy to remove from the line.

As hereinafter described, the invention consists in notching the inner surfaces of the legs of the pin in a novel manner so as to form suitably placed shoulders for retaining the clothes line in position when the pinv is mounted thereon.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had tothe following description and to the drawing of which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a clothespin embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is an edge elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1.

The clothespin illustrated on the drawing is of the squared type now widely used, but the invention can also be embodied equally well in the round-bodied type of clothespin. As shown, the pin consists of an upper body from which a pair of legs l2 and I4 extend downwardly. Be-

inner face of the leg I4 is notched as at 24 to form an upwardly facing shoulder 26. Opposite the respective shoulders 22 and 26 the inner face portions 30 and 32 are sloped so as to be in substantially parallel planes which make small angles with the longitudinal axis of the clothespin. Thus between the shoulders 22 and 26 there is formed a substantially rectangular space 34 having a width slightly greater than the width of the upper portion of the slot l6 and a length approximately twice as great as the width, this rectangular space being inclined at a slight angle with respect to the vertical axis of the pm. This clothespin is employed in the usual manner, the clothes line and clothing wrapped thereon being disposed within the rectangular area 34. The shoulder 22 tends to prevent the clothes line from penetrating too far up the slot between the legs l2 and i i. The shoulder 23 tends to prevent the Clothespin from being accidentally dislodged from the line by Vibration of the line or otherwise. Since the width of the space 34 is greater than that of the upper portion of the slot IS, the line and clothing thereon are not so tightly pinched by the legs of the pin as by the legs of the conventional pin of the same size. Thus there is less possibility of splitting the body of the pin when the clothing supported by the line and embraced by the pin is thicker than usual. While the shoulder 26 is highly effective in preventing accidental dismounting of the clothespin, it does not interfere with the intentional removal of the same. Such removal can be facilitated by manually rolling the clothes line so as to ride over the shoulder 26.

I claim:

A clothespin having a pair of legs with a slot between, the inner face of one of said legs having a transverse notch forming a downwardly facing shoulder nearly perpendicular to the vertical axis of the pin, the inner face of the other leg having a notch forming an upwardly facing shoulder vertically spaced from the downwardly facing shoulder, said shoulder and adjacent face portions of the legs forming a substantially rectan-' gular space between said legs which is inclined at a small angle to the vertical axis of the pin.

JOHN E. LEMOINE.

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