US3216742A

US3216742A - Clip board

Info

Publication number: US3216742A
Application number: US224632A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold T Strain
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-09-19
Filing date: 1962-09-19
Publication date: 1965-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-09

Description

Nov. 9, 1965 H. T. STRAIN 3,216,742

CLIP BOARD Filed Sept. 19, 1962 Harold 7. Strain IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent Office 3,216,742 Patented Nov. 9, 1965 3,216,742 CLIP BOARD Harold T. Strain, 137 Clubview Drive, Jackson, Miss. Filed Sept. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 224,632 1 Claim. (Cl. 281-44) This invention relates to a board and an attached sheet material clamping device combination which is popularly referred to in the trade and art as a clip board and has to do, more particularly, with a novel clamping device and a board which is functionally designed and structurally adapted to accommodate the clamping device.

Briefly the board is provided on one marginal side with T-shaped slot means which is arranged and adapted to facilitate the attachment thereto of the clamping device. The clamping device comprises a simple normally fiat unit featuring novel component parts which cooperate in part with the slot means and in part with the surface of the board on which the sheets are positioned and removably clamped.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention the board or panel is provided on one marginal side thereof which the aforementioned s-lot means, the latter being substantially T-shaped in plan and embodying a first slot which is adjacent and parallel with the cooperating marginal edge, and a second slot shorter than the first slot, disposed at right angles thereto and opening through said edge.

The clamping device is preferably of one piece construction and embodies a pair of main clamping arms having inner end portions attached to a centralized body portion and outer free end portions terminating in fingers which are designated and adapted to rest releasably on the sheets which are being positioned and clamped in place atop the board.

The clamping device also features a pair of normally coplanar auxiliary, arms which are resilient and are also joined at their inner ends to the body portion, have their outer ends spaced from the corresponding outer ends of the main arms and adapted to be removably seated in keeper notches provided therefor on the underneath side of the aforementioned board.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of the improved Clip board and wherein the clip or clamping device is shown in its attached ready-to-function position;

FIGURE 2 is a view in perspective similar to FIG. 1 with the hingedly mounted cover panel attached and shown in its open position in full lines and in its folded out-of-the-way position in phantom lines;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view in section and elevation taken on the plane of the section line 3-3 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view at right angles to FIG. 3 and taken on the plane of the section line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary section taken on the plane of the section line 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a View in perspective based on FIG. 1 but on a larger scale and which shows the construction of the slot means and also the clip means, the component parts of the clip means being disposed in normal coplanar relationship.

Referring now to the views of the drawing it will be seen that the board or panel, is denoted by the numeral 8 and that the clip or clamping device is denoted by the numeral 10.

The board or panel 8 may be of suitable material and size and, generally speaking, corresponds to a conventional-type clip board such as is currently used for assembling, positioning and holding loose sheets. The longitudinal marginal edges are denoted at 12, one transverse marginal edge at 14 and the remaining transverse marginal edge at 16. This edge portion 16 is provided with slot means denoted generally by the numeral 18 in FIG. 6. This means 18 comprises a substantially T-shaped slot embodying a first relatively long slot 20 which is adjacent to and parallel with the edge 16 and which has rounded end portions at the left and right as at 22 and 24 in FIG. 6. The complemental relatively short companion slot 26 communicates at an inward end with an intermediate portion of the slot 20 and then opens at its outer end through the edge 16 to provide an entrance for intended components or portions of the attachable and detachable clip or clamping device 10. This device 10 is made from spring steel or an equivalent sheet material. The component parts embody desired rigid and relatively resilient properties. Considering the normal or flatwise and coplanar relationship of the parts in FIG. 6, the median portion constitutes the body part 28 one edge of which is provided with an open mouth V-shaped kerf 39 which in practice may be employed for hanging or suspending the complete clip board from a fixed nail, hook or the like (not shown). In line with the kerf and on the opposite edge of the body portion an integral flap-like projection 32 provides a finger grip having a laterally offset tip portion 34 and the

surfaces

32 and 34 are suitably milled or knurled. Extending to the left and right (FIG. 6) of the body portion are the primary or

main arms

36 and 38, these arms being coplanar and in alignment with each other and having outer free end portions which are laterally directed as at 40 to provide holddown fingers. The fingers terminate in downbent or lateral detents 42. The companion secondary or auxiliary arms are denoted at 44 and the inner ends are joined with the body portion 28 to the left and right of the notch 30. The outer free end portions are rounded as at 46 and are spaced inwardly from the left and right fingers 40. While the

fingers

36, 38 and 44 are in the same plane when in a flat state (FIG. 6) it will be evident that these same parts can be and are deformed and placed under tension when the clip means 10 is attached to the slotted end portion 18 of the board 8.

It will be evident that the aforementioned body portion 28 of the clip means is proportional in size to be accommodatingly fitted through the entrance or slot portion 26 to assume the position illustrated in FIGS. -1 and 2. It will also be evident that, particularly from FIG. 3, the relatively long slot 20 serves to accommodate the major portion of the arms 44. By comparing the illustration in FIGS. 1 and 2 with FIG. 3 it ufiill be seen that the arms 44 fit into the

respective slot ends

22 and 24 and at the free tip portions are fitted into shallow keeper seats or grooves 48 provided in the underneath surface of the board. It follows that the two arms 44 provide attaching and retaining members for the overall clip or clamping device 10 and the inherent resilient properties serve to place these arms 44 as well as the

longer arms

36 and 38 under tension. Accordingly, the arms 44 when flexed bow down and out as illustrated in FIG. 3 and with respect to the fiat top and

bottom surfaces

50 and 52. On the other hand, the

longer arms

36 and 38 how upwardly and extend in a plane in close proximity to the top surface 50 somewhat in line with the slot portion 26. As a matter of fact, the intermediate portions of the

arms

36 and 38 ride and fulcrum on the upper corner portions 54 as shown best in FIG. 3. It follows that both pairs of arms are under tension and that the body port-ion 28 bulges upwardly into the space or slot 26. Consequently by resorting to the use of the fingerpiece or grip (components 32 and 34) as though it were press button it will be evident that by exerting thumb pressure on the same the

arms

36 and 38 will bow upwardly with the fingers 49 away from the surface 50 in a clearly understandable manner.

As will be evident the board 8 is distinguishable from other boards and panels in the clip board field in that slot means is provided on at least one marginal edge to accommodate the readily attachable and detachable clip means 10. In actual practice the slot means could be on an edge other than that shown and in fact it might be within the purview of the invention to employ slot means on two or more edges so that one may locate the clip means on the board in any desired way. The clip means too is unique in that it is cooperative with the slot means in such a way that the arms 44 and

arms

36 and 38 grip both top and bottom surfaces of the intervening board. Then, too, the manner in which the

respective arms

36, 38 and 44 are above and below the surfaces of the intervening board is novel in that the bowed or flexed portion of thee lamping means provides the desired depressible result when the fingerpiece, functioning as a pushbutton, is pressed down.

It is believed that a careful consideration of the specification in conjunction with the views of the drawing will acquaint the reader with the construction broadly and specifically of the board or panel 8 as well as the bodily attachable and detachable clamping device or clip means and, in addition, the manner in which these parts are assembled and function to achieve the full and dotted line result depicted in FIG. 3.

It is within the purview of the invention to provide a secondary panel. This panel is denoted by the numeral 55 and is constructed to fit over the main board or panel 8 either as shown in full lines in FIG. 2 or folded back and out of the way to underlie the bottom as shown in dotted lines in the same figure. Any suitable panel may be employed and the edge portion 56 is hingedly mounted on the cooperating edge portion 16 by way of adhesively attached fabric hinges 58.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A sheet material positioning and clamping device comprising a rigid loose-sheet positioning and stacking board having at least one marginal edge provided with slot means substantially T-shaped in plan and including a main relatively long slot having rounded terminal end portions, said slot being proximal to, parallel with and spaced inwardly from said one marginal edge and also including a companion and complemental shorter slot at right angles to said long slot and communicating at an inner end with a median portion of the long slot and having an outer end opening through said marginal edge, said T-shaped slot means being adapted to accommodate and permit the mounting of said clamping device on the stated one marginal edge portion of said board, and a clamping device comprising a one piece clip embodying a pair of companion main arms overlying and cooperating with top surfaces of said board and having outer free end portions terminating in laterally directed resilient fingers, said fingers and arms being in a common plane and having terminal downbent detents adapted to rest atop the aforementioned loose sheets of material, the respective median portions of said main arms being engageable with and adapted to fulcrum upon marginal edge portions of said short slot, said clip also having a pair of companion auxiliary bendably resilient arms, the respective inner end portions of the main and auxiliary arms being contiguous to each other and joined with and connected by a resilient body portion oriented and cooperatively asssociated with the long and short slots of said slot means, said auxiliary arms being of a length less than the long arms and positioned in said long slot, having free terminal ends projecting beyond the ends of said long slot and releasably engaging in keeper notches provided therefor in underneath surfaces of the board at the respective end portions of said long slot, and said body portion being provided with an integral grippable and depressible fingergrip projeetable into and accessible by way of said short slot.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,365,320 1/21 Hohnsbeen 2466 1,762,686 6/30 Hayashi 2466 2,329,974 9/43 Bennett 24259 X 2,751,652 6/56 Epstein 2473 2,943,372 7/60 Fleming 281-44 X FOREIGN PATENTS 103,919 5/ 3 8 Australia. 664,213 1/52 Great Britain.

JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, Examiner.