US3861000A

US3861000A - Foldable edge clamp for newspapers and magazines

Info

Publication number: US3861000A
Application number: US365616A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ilse Naumann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-06-03
Filing date: 1973-05-31
Publication date: 1975-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 1992-01-21
Also published as: AT320207B; CH565046A5

Abstract

A foldable edge clamp for newspapers and magazines having several length sections connected together by a hinge and each section in the form of a cross-sectionally hairpin-shaped profile which is normally open and which can be closed by means of a rotatable cam knob.

Description

United States Patent Naumann 1 1 Jan. 21, 1975 1 FOLDABLE EDGE CLAMP FOR 948,287 2/1910 Trulove 24/258 ux NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES 1,302,771 5/1919 Cunningham et a1 24/137 A 1,412,078 4/1922 Gnmes 24/67.) X [7 6] Inventor: Ilse Naumann, Yorkstrasse 1,428,900 9/1922 Oppenheimer 24/679 Dusseldorf, Germany 2,456,990 12/1948 Powers 24/67 R 2,508,470 5/1950 Ritter 24/67 R X [221 Flledl May 1973 3,315,325 4/1967 Cornelius... 24/67 AR 21 AppL 3 5 1 3,551,958 1/1971 Belt er 24/675 3,555,622 1/1971 Ch1'1st1an 24/67 R [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner-Donald A. Griffin June 3, 1972 Germany 20887 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Joseph A. Geiger [52] U.S. C1 24/81 PC, 24/675, 24/67.9 5 AB R T [51] Int. Cl. B421 1/00, A44b 21/00 7] ST AC [58] F1616 61 Search 24/137 A, 252, 67.3, 67.5, A foldable edge Clamp for newspapers and magazmes 24/677, 258, 262, 67.9, 67.11, 67.81 PC, 67 having several length sections connected together by a R hinge and each section in the form of a crosssectionally hairpin-shaped profile which is normally 5 References Cited open and which can be closed by means of a rotatable UNITED STATES PATENTS Cam knOb- 639,721 12/1899 Fowler 24/6711 9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 '1 ll 1' 1 l 3 l o: 12 1 l l! 1 111 1 1 I l 1 i1 1 l1 l l1 1 12 FOLDABLE EDGE CLAMP FOR NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to clamps for paper articles, and in particular to edge clamps for newspapers and magazines whose purpose is to stiffen the fold edge of the newspaper or magazine, especially when the latter is large and pliable.

2. Description of the Prior Art Edge clamps for newspapers have been known for a long time and their usefulness and convenience, especially in connection with large newspapers, is well established. However, the large variety of known prior art edge clamps has one particular shortcoming in common, viz., they require considerable space and are therefore not suitable for storage in a small space, such as a pocket, bag or travel case. This disadvantage, in addition to other shortcomings of the various prior art devices, such as weight, cost and stability, make the known prior art edge clamps unsuitable for use as a personal article of convenience which, when not used, is stowed away and/or carried along by the user. Such a feature was found to be particularly attractive for travelers, especially on long-distance journeys, when they have to sit for extended periods of time in a restricted space, as may be the case in train, bus, and airplane travel. The reading of newspapers and magazines is a very popular mode of entertainment and employment of time under these circumstances.

Over the past years, both daily papers and magazines have tended to increase in size, and their lack of stiffness often requires complicated maneuvers and/or fatiguing forearm positions of the reader. Another disadvantage of the non-foldable, prior art edge clamp is the fact that, in order to be usuable for various size newspapers, its length has to correspond to that of the largest newspaper, meaning that very often an oversize edge clamp is used for a smaller newspaper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary objective of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings by suggesting a foldable edge clamp for newspapers and magazines which, because of its novel foldability, can be conveniently carried in a pocket, bag, or travel case.

The inventor proposes to attain the above objective by suggesting a novel foldable edge clamp for large unbound reading matter such as newspapers and magazines, which includes several sections of an edge clamp profile which are connected together by means of a hinge, or hinges, thereby permitting a quick and convenient extension of the edge clamp to its full length for use during reading, the clamp being folded and stowed away when not in use. Obviously, an edge clamp which would be composed of several separate lengths sections requiring joining before'use would be quite inconvenient and may be subject to malfunction for lack of proper instructions or assembly skills.

The invention thus suggests that the several actions of the edge clamp remain permanently connected to one another on their adjoining ends by means of a simple hinge. All the parts of the foldable edge clamp thus remain attached to one another, whether the clamp is extended for use, or folded for storage, so that no parts of the novel edge clamp can get lost. The operations of extending and folding the edge clamp are so simple that the risk of error and the application of excessive force are minimized. The folded edge clamp requires very little space and can therefore be easily carried in a bag or travel case.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the foldable edge clamp is composed of several length sections of a simple profile which has a hairpin-shaped cross section, the basic profile being normally open for the insertion of the fold edge of a newspaper (or of a stack of loose sheets of paper). The clamping action on the edge clamp is obtained by forcibly closing the legs of the resilient clamp profile against one another. This closing action can be accomplished in a very simple manner by providing a cam knob on one side of the edge clamp, the inclined surface of the cam knob allowing the edge clamp profile to remain open in one rotational postion of the knob, while closing it in another rotational position. These cam knobs are of a very simple design and require very little space. In order to permit the closest possible folding of the edge clamp, the distances of the various cam knobs are staggered with relation to the hinges so as to accommodate the knobs side by side, when the edge clamp is folded. In a preferred embodiment of the invention it is further suggested that the edge clamp profile includes a clamping lip which is bent downwardly from the upper leg of the clamp profile and which, when the latter is closed, bites into the paper article which is to be held in the edge clamp. The clamping lip serves the additional purpose of stiffening the upper leg of the edge clamp profile, thereby distributing the clamping force substantially over the entire length of the clamping lip. This makes it possible to arrange the cam knobs at a considerable distance from one another so that only one cam knob per clamp section may be adequate. The mouth portion of the edge clamp profile, besides having the aforementioned clamping lip on the upper profile leg, may also be provided with a cooperating ledge on the lower profile leg so that the paper article is firmly clamped between the clamping lip and the ledge on opposite sides of the profile mouth.

The cam knobs are preferably arranged on the upper side of the edge clamp. Each cam knob is mounted on a cam pin which extends through a bore in the upper profile leg and is attached to the lower profile leg. The cam knob is rotatable on the cam pin and is axially restrained on the latter. It has an inclined cam surface with which it contacts the upper leg of the edge profile which, in its open position, is similarly inclined in relation to the axis of the cam pin. The cam knob is preferably about equal in diameter to the width of the clamp profile, in which case the cam pin is provided in the center of the latter. Rotation of the cam knob on its pin thus causes the upper leg of the clamp profile to be bent downwardly against its lower leg, thereby closing the mouth of the edge clamp. In the closed position the cam knob is rotated one-half turn, the contact pointbetween the cam knob and the upper profile leg being near the clamping lip. Opening of the edge clamp is equally simple, requiring merely another rotation of the cam knob by one-half turn. The invention further suggests that the material of the foldable edge clamp be preferably a plastic extrusion, in order to minimize the weight of the clamp. It is further suggested that the color of the plastic material used for this edge clamp be different and contrasting from normally encountered colors of newspapers and magazines, in order to reduce the risk that the edge clamp may be left on the reading article when the latter is discarded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Further special features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description following below, when taken together with the accompanying drawing which illustrates, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention represented in the various figures as follows:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an extended edge clamp embodying the invention, the lower portion of the clamp being cut away;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the edge clamp of FIG. 1 shown in its folded position;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged cross section of the edge clamp of FIG. 1, when open; and

FIG. 4 shows a similar cross section of the edge clamp, when closed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 illustrates an extended edge clamp consisting of two length sections of a clamp profile, adjacent ends of the clamp sections 1 being connected together by means of a hinge 2. Each section 1 may, for example, have a length of 15 cm and a width of 3 cm. They may of course also be larger or smaller in dimension, and the foldable edge clamp of the invention may be composed of three or more hinged sections.

The basic profile of the novel edge clamp is hairpinshaped, the open end of mouth 3 of the profile being closable as a result of the resiliency of the material of the edge clamp profile. In its normal position the mouth 3 of the edge clamp profile is open. The material of the edge clamp is preferably plastic to minimize its weight, but the clamp may also be of sheet metal of any other suitable material.

The hairpin-shaped profile of the edge clamp is preferably continuous and has a narrow back 5 opposite its open mouth 3. The upper leg 4 of the profile includes a downwardly oriented clamping lip 6 adjacent the mouth 3, the lip providing a convenient longitudinal stiffening effect on the upper profile leg 4 at its bend 8. In addition to this stiffening effect, the clamping lip 6 also tends to bite into the paper article. If desired, the biting effect of the clamping lip 6 can be further increased by providing serrations at the edge 9 of lip 6. On the lower leg 7 of the edge clamp profile is preferably provided a ledge 10 which cooperates with the clamping lip 6. The ledge 10 may be an integral part of the lower leg profile 7, or it may be a separate part attached thereto, for example, a strip of corrugated rubber or the like, as shown in FIG. 3.

On each section 1 of the edge clamp is provided at least one clamping assembly, the latter consisting of a cam knob 12 which is rotatably mounted on a cam pin 13 (FIGS. 3 and 4). The rotation of the cam knobs 12 controls the opening and closing of the resilient clamp profile, the normally open profile being closable through the rotation of cam knob 12, thereby closing the mouth 3 and clamping the reading matter between the clamping lip 6 and the ledge 10.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the clamping assembly consists of only two parts, a cam knob 12 and a cam pin 13 retaining the cam knob against the upper leg 4 of the edge clamp profile. The pin 13 itself extends downwardly through a bore in the upper profile leg 4,

its lower end being attached to the lower profile leg 7 5 by a rivet connection, for example. The lower face of the cam knob 12 is inclined in relation to the axis of pin 13, thereby forming an inclined cam surface 14, the upper profile leg 14 having a similarly inclined orientation in its open position in which it bears against the inclined cam surface 14 of knob 12 as a result of the opening bias of the resilient edge clamp profile.

When the edge clamp is in its open position, as shown in FIG. 3, the fold edge of a newspaper or the like can be inserted through the open mouth 3 of the clamp until it abuts against pin 13 (FIG. 4). Following insertion of the reading matter, the clamp is closed through the rotation of the cam knob 12 from its position shown in FIG. 3 to its position shown in FIG. 4, or a position therebetween, depending upon the thickness of the material to be clamped.

In FIG. 4 the cam knob 12 is shown rotated by onehalf turn from its position shown in FIG. 3, the edge clamp profile being completely closed for maximum clamping action. In this position the lowest point of the inclined cam surface 14 of knob 12 bears on the upper profile leg 4 near its clamping lip 6. Another one-half turn rotation of the cam knob 12 in either direction allows the edge clamp profile to open for removal of the reading matter.

The hinge 2 between the sections 1 of the edge clamp is preferably so arranged that the sections 1 can only be folded in one direction from their extended position. In the folded condition of the edge clamp the cam knobs 12 preferably face toward the outside, as shown in FIG. 2. However, for certain purposes, it may be preferable to have smooth surfaces on the outer sides of th folded assembly, in which case the hinges are so arranged that the cam knobs 12 fold toward one another. In this case it is necessary that the distances of the knobs 12 from the hinge 2 are staggered so that the knobs come to rest side by side in the folded edge clamp. The hinge 2 of the edge clamp assembly is preferably so arranged that the extended position of the edge clamp is stiff in one direction. It is also possible to provide an additional extension lock in or near hinge 2 which maintains the sections 1 of the edge clamp in rigid alignment and which has to be released before folding of the edge clamp. Similarly, it is also possible to add a simple lock which maintains the edge clamp in its folded position.

A further modification of the preferred embodiment of the invention would make it possible to open the hinge 2 between the clamp sections 1 for the purpose of folding the newspaper or magazine along the separation line between the clamp sections 1, without the need for removing the edge clamp from the reading matter. If a safety against complete separation of the edge clamp sections is desired in such a case, this may be obtained by providing a loose connecting member, such as a band or string, between the two clamp sections, the latter permitting the opening of hinge 2 and sufficient separation of the clamp sections for the folding of the newspaper or magazine.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure describes only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of this example of the invention which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: l. A foldable edge clamp for unbound reading matter such as newspapers and magazines comprising in combination:

a plurality of edge clamp sections arranged in longitudinal alignment with one another, the edge clamp sections having an outwardly substantially flat, cross-sectionally hairpin-shaped profile with a mouth portion on one longitudinal edge and with an upper profile leg and a lower profile leg connected by a longitudinal back bend opposite the mouth portion, the edge clamp profile being resiliently deformable to close its mouth portion, by bending the profile legs together against their normal opening bias;

a hinge connection between the ends of adjacent clamp sections, the hinge connection permitting folding of the edge clamp sections against one another for stowage; and

means for individually clamping each edge clamp section to a common longitudinal edge of the reading matter.

2. An edge clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the edge clamp profile includes in its mouth portion a longitudinal clamping lip as part of the upper profile leg, the clamping lip being bent downwardly from the upper profile leg, thereby stiffening the latter.

3. An edge clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the edge clamp profile includes in its mouth portion a longitudinal ledge as part of the lower profile leg, the ledge protruding toward the mouth portion so as to concentrate the clamping action against any reading matter positioned in the mouth portion.

4. An edge clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the clamping means includes a cam-action means which is operable to forcibly approach the upper and lower profile legs against one another into a closed position and which is frictionally retained in its position corresponding to the closed clamp position.

5. An edge clamp as defined in claim 4, wherein:

the cam-action means includes an upright cam pin connected to the lower profile leg and extending through a bore in the upper profile leg, and cam knob rotatably retained on the cam pin portion above the upper profile leg and axially retained on the pin; the cam knob including a cam surface which bears against the upper profile leg at a radial distance from the pin; and

the upper profile leg presents an inclined contact surface to the rotational path of the cam surfaceon the cam knob, the inclination of the contact surface against the pin being such the cam surface, when contacting the upper profile leg near its longitudinal back bend, allows the clamp profile to open and, when contacting the upper profile leg near its mouth portion following a one-half turn, bends the upper and lower profile legs against one another, thereby closing the profile mouth in a clamping action.

6. An edge clamp as defined in claim 5, wherein:

the clamping knob has a diameter which extends substantially over the entire width of the upper profile the cam pin is arranged near the center of the clamp profile; and

the cam surface of the cam knob is a substantially flat surface in general alignment with the upper profile leg in the open position of the latter.

7. An edge clamp as defined in claim 4, wherein:

the cam action means includes an upright cam pin connected to the lower profile leg and extending through a bore in the upper profile leg, and'a cam knob rotatably retained on the cam pin portion above the upper profile leg and axially restrained on the pin; the cam knob including a continuous cam surface around its rotational axis, the cam surface being substantially flat and inclined in relation to the pin axis; and

the upper profile leg includes a contact surface near the profile mouth which is higher in relation to the cam surface of the knob than other leg portions further away from the profile mouth; rotation of the cam knob thereby causing the upper profile leg to be forcibly bent toward the lower profile leg in a clamping action.

8. An edge clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the edge clamp sections are lengths of an extrusion profile of plastic material.

9. An edge clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the edge clamp is of a color which contrasts from that of commonly encountered reading matter and which makes the edge clamp prominently visible.

Claims

1. A foldable edge clamp for unbound reading matter such as newspapers and magazines comprising in combination: a plurality of edge clamp sections arranged in longitudinal alignment with one another, the edge clamp sections having an outwardly substantially flat, cross-sectionally hairpin-shaped profile with a mouth portion on one longitudinal edge and with an upper profile leg and a lower profile leg connected by a longitudinal back bend opposite the mouth portion, the edge clamp profile being resiliently deformable to close its mouth portion, by bending the profile legs together against their normal opening bias; a hinge connection between the ends of adjacent clamp sections, the hinge connection permitting folding of the edge clamp sections against one another for stowage; and means for individually clamping each edge clamp section to a common longitudinal edge of the reading matter.

2. An edge clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein: the edge clamp profile includes in its mouth portion a longitudinal clamping lip as part of the upper profile leg, the clamping lip being bent downwardly from the upper profile leg, thereby stiffening the latter.

3. An edge clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein: the edge clamp profile includes in its mouth portion a longitudinal ledge as part oF the lower profile leg, the ledge protruding toward the mouth portion so as to concentrate the clamping action against any reading matter positioned in the mouth portion.

4. An edge clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein: the clamping means includes a cam-action means which is operable to forcibly approach the upper and lower profile legs against one another into a closed position and which is frictionally retained in its position corresponding to the closed clamp position.

5. An edge clamp as defined in claim 4, wherein: the cam-action means includes an upright cam pin connected to the lower profile leg and extending through a bore in the upper profile leg, and cam knob rotatably retained on the cam pin portion above the upper profile leg and axially retained on the pin; the cam knob including a cam surface which bears against the upper profile leg at a radial distance from the pin; and the upper profile leg presents an inclined contact surface to the rotational path of the cam surface on the cam knob, the inclination of the contact surface against the pin being such the cam surface, when contacting the upper profile leg near its longitudinal back bend, allows the clamp profile to open and, when contacting the upper profile leg near its mouth portion following a one-half turn, bends the upper and lower profile legs against one another, thereby closing the profile mouth in a clamping action.

6. An edge clamp as defined in claim 5, wherein: the clamping knob has a diameter which extends substantially over the entire width of the upper profile leg; the cam pin is arranged near the center of the clamp profile; and the cam surface of the cam knob is a substantially flat surface in general alignment with the upper profile leg in the open position of the latter.

7. An edge clamp as defined in claim 4, wherein: the cam action means includes an upright cam pin connected to the lower profile leg and extending through a bore in the upper profile leg, and a cam knob rotatably retained on the cam pin portion above the upper profile leg and axially restrained on the pin; the cam knob including a continuous cam surface around its rotational axis, the cam surface being substantially flat and inclined in relation to the pin axis; and the upper profile leg includes a contact surface near the profile mouth which is higher in relation to the cam surface of the knob than other leg portions further away from the profile mouth; rotation of the cam knob thereby causing the upper profile leg to be forcibly bent toward the lower profile leg in a clamping action.

8. An edge clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein: the edge clamp sections are lengths of an extrusion profile of plastic material.

9. An edge clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein: the edge clamp is of a color which contrasts from that of commonly encountered reading matter and which makes the edge clamp prominently visible.