US3564668A

US3564668A - Holder for pencils or the like to be clipped on book

Info

Publication number: US3564668A
Application number: US845784A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles R Kirk
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-07-29
Filing date: 1969-07-29
Publication date: 1971-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 1988-02-23

Abstract

A HOLDER FOR PENS AND PENCILS AND THE LIKE HAS A PLURALITY OF SEMI-CYLINDRICAL CLIPS WITH A LONGITUDINAL OPENING ALONG ONE SIDE INTO WHICH THE OBJECT CAN BE INSERTED TO BE ENGAGED BY THE HOLDER. THESE CLIPS ARE POSITIONED PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER ON A SUPPORT. THE SUPPORT IS CONNECTED TO A BACK AND IS INTERMEDIATE TO FINGERS A PARALLEL TO SUPPORT. THIS IS A UNITARY APPARATUS FORMED OF POLYPROPYLENE BY INJECTION MOLDING. THE APPARATUS MAY BE SECURED TO AN ITEM, SUCH AS THE COVER OF A BOOK, BY SLIPPING THE FINGERS ACROSS THE INSIDE OF THE COVER WITH THE SUPPORT ON THE OUTSIDE SO THAT THE COVER IS FRICTIONALLY ENGAGED THEREBETWEEN.

Description

Feb. 23, 1971 c. R. KIRK 3,564,668

HOLDER FOR PENCILS OR THE LIKE TO BE CLIPPED ON BOOK Filed July 29, 1969 will Inventor Charles R. Ki r k United States Patent 3,564,668 HOLDER FOR PENCILS OR THE LIKE TO BE CLIPPED ON BOOK Charles R. Kirk, 408 S. Rush St., Roselle, Ill. 60172 Filed July 29, 1969, Ser. No. 845,784 Int. Cl. A44b 21/00 US. CI. 24-81 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A holder for pens and pencils and the like has a plurality of semi-cylindrical clips with a longitudinal opening along one side into which the object can be inserted to be engaged by the holder. These clips are positioned parallel to each other on a support. The support is connected to a back and is intermediate to fingers parallel to the support. This is a unitary apparatus formed of polypropylene by injection molding. The apparatus may be secured to an item, such as the .cover of a book, by slipping the fingers across the inside of the cover with the support on the outside so that the cover is frictionally engaged therebetween.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus which is simple, inexpensive and sturdy for holding pens, pencils and the like on an item such as a book cover, an automobile sun visor and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention holding a pencil and clip to the cover of a book;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an end view as viewed at line 33 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT The following disclosure is offered for public dissemination in return for the grant of a patent. Although it is detailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose, as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts, improvements, or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

The illustrated apparatus comprises a pair of spaced fingers connected to a back 11 along one edge thereof. Between the spaced fingers is a support .12. Support 12 is likewise connected to back 11 along the intermediate portion of the opposite edge thereof. A plurality of

mated lips

13 and 14 are positioned in pairs transversely of support 12. Along with portions of support 12, the

lips

13 and 14 form semi-cylindrical clips having a longitudinal opening 15. A larger cli-p having an opening 16 is formed by

mated lips

17 and 18.

The cylindrical diametrical size (see FIG. 3) of the clip defined by

lips

13 and 14 has a diameter slightly smaller than the cross-sectional diameter of an ordinary pen or pencil 20. The opening is somewhat smaller than that diameter. The sizes are such that the pencil 20 will not pass through opening 15 without some force being exerted to spread

lips

13 and 14 and permit the entry of the pencil. However, once the pencil has passed through the opening 15, the

lips

13 and 14 return toward their original position, but not completely to it, so as to grip the pencil securely and hold it in the clip. The clip formed by

lips

17 and 18 is for a similar object, but

3,564,668 Patented Feb. 23, 1971 one of a slightly larger diameter than that of pencil 20. Such a larger item could be a fountain pen which has a barrel diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the curvature of the inside of

lips

17 and 18.

The entire apparatus 10-18 is a unitary object formed of polypropylene. These may be made by injection molding at a very nominal price per unit. Polypropylene is required so as to avoid cold flow, which occurs in many other plastics. If a plastic which was subject to cold flow were employed and pencil 20 was left in a clip for some period of time, the lips would take a permanent set at the slightly larger dimension to which they were forced by the pencil. Thereafter the pencil would not be gripped securely in the clip formed by the outwardly spread lips.

The apparatus is intended for use to hold a writing instrument on an item such as the cover 21 of a book 22. This is done, as illustrated in FIG. 1, by placing the fingers 10 against the inside face of the cover 21 and the support 12 against the outside face. The operation of slipping the apparatus on the cover of a book or the like is facilitated by the fact that the support 12 is longer than the fingers 10, thus the support 12 can be placed on the outside of the cover adjacent the edge thereof and the fingers 10 pushed downwardly until they will pass across the inside face of the cover. At that point the apparatus may be slid across (and the fingers 10 under) the cover of the book until it reaches the position illustrated in FIG. 1, at which the back 11 is against the edge of the cover of the book. The apparatus is held securely in place by friction. This is facilitated by the roughening of the gripping faces of fingers 10, as illustrated by the cross hatching in FIG. 2. The underside of support 12 may be similarly roughened or have projecting points of the plastic, such as indicated at 24. The frictional grip is enhanced by the angular positioning of support 12 with respect to fingers 10 when they are in the relaxed position. This is best seen in FIG. 3. As will there be apparent, the support 12 passes through the plane defined by fingers 10. Thus, when the apparatus is affixed to a book cover, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the plastic is stressed and it wants to return to the FIG. 3 position. This provides a good gripping action on the book cover.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for attachment to an object of approximately a given thickness such as a book cover, a sun visor and the like for holding articles of approximately a given diameter such as a pen, pencil and the like, said apparatus comprising:

a back having two longitudinal edges;

a pair of fingers connected to said back at one of said edges and projecting in one general direction from the back, said fingers being spaced from each other along the length of the back, said fingers having portions lying generally in a common plane;

a support attached to said back at the other of said edges and projecting in said one general direction from the back, said support being between said spaced fingers, in the relaxed condition said support having a portion closer to said plane than said given thickness, said support having a face on the side thereof opposite said portion; and

a plurality of semi-tubular clips positioned side by side on said face, each of said clips comprising a pair of curved lips the main position of which are spaced approximately said diameter apart, said lips having distal edges which, in the relaxed condition are spaced slightly less than said diameter apart;

said back, fingers, support and clips all being poly propylene and a unitary item formed by injection molding whereby the item has suitable resiliency without cold flow and may be placed on said object by slipping said fingers to one side of the object with said support on the opposite side and an article may be inserted into each of said clips by forcing the article against said distal edges to spread them sufficiently to permit the passage of the article.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fingers and said support are planar and said support at the proximal end is at one side of said plane and at the distal end is at the opposite side of said plane.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Beck 2481PH Smith 2411CT Lamb 2484UX O borski 24 3'.TUX

Meletti 24-137 support extends farther from said back than do said 10 DONALD A. GRIFFIN Primary Examiner fingers.