US2532674A - Clothespin - Google Patents

Description

M. O. NELSEN Dec. 5, 1950 CLOTHESPIN Filed Oct. 21, 1946 FIG. 5

INVENTOR MAGNUS 0. NELSEN ATTORN EYS Patented Dec. 5, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLOTHESPIN Magnus 0. Nelsen, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application October 21, 1946, Serial No. 704,575

2 Claims.

This invention relates to clothes pins.

The common types of clothes pins on the market have several disadvantages. The spring type having a pair of legs with a spring therebetween urging the lower parts of the legs together is subject to rusting and thus often breaks or soils the clothes. It also comes apart quite easily in ordidiary use. This type also becomes frozen in very cold weather, making it difficult to remove from the line without twisting it or moving it angularly in the plane of the clothes line. This movement, however, usually results in the device coming apart.

The wooden type of clothes pin embodying a single bifurcated piece of wood which wedges over the clothes and the line, comes loose in the wind. This type of pin also freezes to the line and often breaks if it is twisted to free it. In addition, the legs of these pins tend to spread when they are wet.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved clothes pin which does not have the above noted disadvantages.

It is also anobject of the invention to provide a pin which tends to clamp the clothes and line rather than wedge the same, as is the case with the ordinary bifurcated pin.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a wooden pin which tends to close up tighter when it becomes wet.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a clothes pin which may be easily opened manually for initially pinning the clothes to the line or later for removing the pins from the line. In this connection it is an object to provide a clothes pin which can be safely used for pinning silks and other fine fabrics.

It is a still further object to provide a clothes pin which, should it become frozen to the line and the clothes in cold weather, may be readily broken free without damage to the pin.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawing and following description thereof. Referring to the drawing, which is for illustrative purposes only:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the clothes pin of Fig. 1, partly broken away;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view, partly in section, of the wedge member and. portion of the stem;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another form. of clothes pin embodying the invention: and

Fig. 6 is a section on line 5 of Fig. 5,

Referring to Figs. 1-4, reference numeral 19 generally indicates the body of the clothes: pin, which has a relatively fiat-sided head ll from which depends a pair of legs l2. The body of the pin may be made of any suitable material, such as a. hard Wood, or of a so-called plastic material having a certain degree of spring quality.

The legs I2 are relatively wide with relatively flat inner and outer surfaces and may be defined as being inwardly bowed. At their lower ends the legs have opposing inner surfaces M which are substantially parallel and straight and normally only slightly spaced apart. These surfaces are each interrupted by a groove Hi, the groove in one surface being opposite the groove in" the other.

It is to be noted that the head is slotted at l6l6, thereby providing a depending portion I! on the head between the legs. With this construction greater flexibility is obtained in the legs, while at the same time a long bearing area is provided in the head for the stem I8, now to be described.

The head is provided with a bore 29 extending on the longitudinal axis of the pin. The bore is adapted to slidably receive the stem l8 heretofore mentioned which carries a manually operable button 2| at its outer end. The stem carries a wedge 22 at its lower end. This wedge maybe formed on the stem in any suitable manner. However, in the form of the invention illustrated (Fig. 4), the wedge is shown as being provided with a tapped hole 23 into which is screwed the lower threaded end 24 of the stem l8. Preferably the wedge is substantially frusto-conical. except that the sides 25 thereof are slightly convex in order to provide only limited contact or bearing between the wedge and the inner surfaces of the legs l2 of the pin.

With the construction outlined, in order to spread or expand the legs of the pin to initially pin clothes 21 to a line indicated at 2B or to remove the pin, the button 2! at the outer end of the stem is depressed or pressed toward the body of the pin, thereby causing inward movement of the stem and the wedge 22 which bears against the inner sides of the legs l2 effectively spreads them sufliciently to accommodate the clothes and the line. In this connection the button. 2! limits inward movement of the wedge and prevents the legs being spread apart too far. When pressure on the button is removed, the curved surfaces of the legs, together with the slightly convex surface on the wedge and the inherent spring quality of the legs, causes the wedge to return to its normal position adjacent the portion I! of the head and the legs to return to their normal position except as this may be prevented by the line 28 and clothes 21. In this connection, the legs serve to clamp the line and clothes, receiving them in the grooves l5.

In Fig. 5 there is shown a simplified form of the invention which does not have means for spreading the legs of the pin. In this form of the invention the pin 30 comprises a head 3| from which extends a pair of inwardly bowed legs 32 which are Similar in curvature and shape to the legs of the pin shown in Figs. l- 4'. The

head has an outer rounded surface 33 and an" inner curved surface 34. The legs are tapered or flared outwardly in the region 35., Inward 1y thereof are relatively flat faces 36 which are interrupted by the grooves 31;

With this construction the pin may be easily slipped onto the clothesline over the clothes and the line by pushing it against thesame, the flared surfaces 35 acting as cam surfaces tofs'pread the ,/'end in said space whereby, upon inward move -fl of other material, such as plastic, the material should be such as to permit of its being sprung. Without breaking. 7

It is to be noted that in Figs. l-and'2 the legs are shown with flat sides. This is a preferable construction if the pin is made of wood. In Fig. 5 the legs of the pin'are" shown as rounded or convex throughout the major portionof "their length, as indicated at38. This construction is preferable if the pin is to be made of a so-called plastic since it provides a stronger pin. It is to be understood, however, that either a flat or a rounded leg may be employed with either form of the invention'illustrated.

Although the invention has been particularl shown and described, it is contemplated that various changes and modifications can be-made without departing from the scope of the'inven file, of: this patent:

legs extending a substantial distance therefrom, said head and legs being formed to define a wedge-shaped space between the legs adjacent the head, said legs being normally positioned closely together beyond said Wedge-shaped space for gripping engagement with a clothes line and an article to be attached thereto, and a stem slidably mounted in the head and extending into said space in the same general direction as said legs, said stem having a wedge at its inner end in said space whereby, upon inward movement of said stem, said wedge effectively spreads said legs, said stem projecting outwardly beyond said head for manual engagement.

2. A clothes pin comprising a body having a head and a pair of converging, inherently resilient legs extending therefrom, said head having a portion-extending between the legs and separated therefrom by slits, said legs defining a wedgeshaped spacebeyond the head and being normally positioned closely together beyond said space-for gripping engagement with a clothes line and an article to be attached thereto, and a stemslidably mounted in the head and extending intosaid space in the same general direction as said legs, said stern having a wedge at its inner ment of said stem, said wedge efiectively spreads said legs,rsaid stemprojecting outwardly beyond said head for manualiengagement.

'MAGNUS O. NELSEN;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 687,129 Davison NOV. 19, 1901 40 1,330,646 Moyer 1 i Feb.- 10, 1920 *7 1,434,237 Warnock Oct; 31, 1922 1,899,982 Olson are Mar. 7, 1933 2,162,045 VVinkler I June 13, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 Number Country Dat'e 14,778 Great Britain of- 1909 18285 Great Britain of 1897 Germany Dec. 19, 1906

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