WO2014032076A1

WO2014032076A1 - Holder such as for a learner/probationary driver plate or the like

Info

Publication number: WO2014032076A1
Application number: PCT/AU2013/000848
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rodney John WESTBLADE; Belinda Janeece WESTBLADE; Nathan Anderson Pollock; Thomas Addison Grant
Original assignee: Westblade Illustration Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2012-08-29
Filing date: 2013-08-01
Publication date: 2014-03-06

Abstract

A holder comprising a central support, a clip at each of two opposite sides of the support, one of the clips serving for attachment to a mounting and the other clip serving to hold paper, documents, card or other relatively thin lightweight material such as a learner/probationary driver plate, each of the clips being pivotally mounted at the respective side of the central support, and each clip being independently pivotally movable relative to the central support to permit adjustment in the configuration of the holder.

Description

HOLDER SUCH AS FOR L/P PLATE OR THE LIKE

[0001] The present invention relates to a holder for relatively thin lightweight material, such as an L plate or P plate, paper, or card. More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a holder for attachment to part of a vehicle for carrying an L/P plate.

[0002] The licensing requirements for motor vehicle drivers in many countries require drivers who are in the process of learning or who are inexperienced to apply identification plates concerning their status to the front and rear of the vehicle. In Australia and other countries the plates typically consist of a plate signifying a learner driver, an L plate, and a plate signifying a probationary driver, a P plate. Some licensing regulations specifically require the plates to be on the outside of the vehicle. Certain regulations may even require the plates to be attached to or adjacent to the front and rear licence plates of the vehicle but even if not a specific requirement, the licence plates do form a convenient means for attachment of the L/P plate. \

[0003] The present invention in its preferred embodiments relates to a holder for an L P plate or the like which attaches to a licence plate by clipping and is capable of significant adjustment so that it is able to be used on most current motor vehicles.

[0004] According to the present invention there is provided a holder for an L/P plate or the like comprising a central support, a clip at each of two opposite sides of the support, one of the clips serving for attachment to a vehicle licence plate and the other clip serving to hold the L/P plate, each of the clips being pivotally mounted at the respective side of the central support, and each clip being independently pivotally movable relative to the central support to permit adjustment in the configuration of the holder.

[0005] Although holding of the L/P plate or the like is a principal envisaged usage of the holder, the holder of the invention does have a wider range of potential uses.

[0006] Accordingly a further aspect of the invention provides a holder comprising a central support, a clip at each of two opposite sides of the support, one of the clips serving - for attachment to a mounting and the other clip serving to hold paper, documents, card or other relatively thin lightweight material, each of the clips being pivotally mounted at the respective side of the central support, and each clip being independently pivotally movable relative to the central support to permit adjustment in the configuration of the holder.

[0007] An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front of a holder in accordance with the preferred embodiment;

[0009] Figure 2 is a front view of the holder;

[00010] Figure 3 is a rear view of the holder;

[00011] Figure 4 is a top view of the holder;

[00012] Figure 5 is a partly cut-away view to better illustrate the construction; and

[00013] Figure 6 is an exploded view showing the components of the holder prior to assembly.

[00014] The holder of the preferred embodiment comprises a central support 2 with a spring-loaded clip 4 projecting from each side of the support 2. One of the clips serves for attachment to a vehicle licence plate and the other serves to hold the L/P plate. The two clips are identical so that either clip can be used for attachment to licence plate with the other clip then being used to hold the L/P plate. Each clip comprises an inner jaw 6 of a thickness which enables it to slide behind the vehicle licence plate and an outer jaw 8 which is pivotal relative to the inner jaw about a vertical axis A-A as defined by a hinge pin 10 at the side of the central support. The clip is spring biased by torsion springs 12 mounted on the hinge pin 10 to displace the outer jaw 8 towards the inner jaw 6 and thereby provide the gripping function of a plate between the two jaws. Although the two jaws 6, 8 are of the same height, the inner jaw 6 is preferably of greater width to provide greater stability in the retention effect to the licence plate and the L/P plate. It will of course be understood that although the inner jaw 6 is of greater width it will be concealed behind the licence plate or L/P plate and will therefore not impair the visibility of either plate. The greater width of the inner jaw also provides greater leverage and purchase to facilitate opening the jaws by hand when applying the holder to the licence plate for example.

(00015] The jaws 6, 8 and the central support 2 are preferably formed by moulding in a suitable plastic such as ABS or PC and preferably the outer surface of the inner jaw 6 (that is the surface which faces the body of the vehicle behind the licence plate) is formed with a series of pads 14 of a flexible plastics material such as TPE to grip against the adjacent body of the vehicle and also to prevent scratching. Advantageously, the inner surfaces of the two jaws, that is the gripping surfaces, are formed with inwardly-projecting fins 16 of flexible plastic material, again such as TPE. The fins 16 extend along the length of each jaw, that is in the height direction of the jaw, and assist the gripping action. As shown, the fins 16 are angled inwardly towards the inner part of the clip in the zone of the hinge pin to facilitate application of the clip by sliding it onto the licence plate and by sliding the L/P plate into the clip. In an alternative to reduce manufacturing costs, the fins/pads of flexible material at least on the inner jaw could be of rigid material and thereby formed integrally with the jaws in the same plastic material and may even be omitted. However it is still desirable for the jaw to include gripping formations on its operative gripping surface and this could be constituted by an array of gripping teeth or other projections.

[00016] Each clip consisting of the inner arid outer jaw 6, 8 is mounted to the central support 2 for pivotal movement of the entire clip relative to the central support 2 about an axis which is coincident with the axis A-A about which the outer jaw 8 pivots relative to the inner jaw 6, that is, the axis of hinge pin 10. The pivot mounting system will be described in detail subsequently but this arrangement allows each of the clips to be pivoted about a vertical axis relative to the central support independently of the other clip and this permits a wide range of adjustment of the holder from a configuration in which the two clips and central support are approximately coplanar whereby the two clips are essentially "in-line" and a wide range of different configurations in which the two clips are in different planes essentially parallel to each other but spaced by varying distances depending on the inclination between the central support and each of the two clips, and configurations in which the plane of one clip is inclined to the plane of the other clip with further possible adjustment being provided by varying the inclination of both clips relative to the plane of the central support. It is this extensive range of adjustment which permits its usage on a very wide variety of motor vehicles.

[00017] The pivot mounting arrangement for each clip from the central support 2 is formed by a series of spaced bosses 20 at the inner edge of the inner jaw 6, as shown three bosses, cooperating with corresponding bosses 22 at the adjacent edge of the central support 2 and being pivotally interconnected by the hinge pin 10. The torsion springs 12 are mounted on the hinge pin 10 in each of the zones between the pairs of cooperating bosses as is illustrated in the exploded view of Figure 6. One arm of each torsion spring is engaged within a slot or passage in the outer jaw 8 during moulding of the jaw and the other arm of the spring bears against the inner jaw 6 to provide the required bias. It will be understood from the foregoing that the hinge pin 10 not only provides a pivotal mounting of the outer jaw to the inner jaw, it also provides a pivotal mounting for the overall clip from the central support jaw.

[00018] Particularly advantageously, the cooperating surfaces of the bosses 20, 22 of the inner jaw and those of the central support are formed with angularly-spaced teeth 26 which are in releasabie inter-engagement to provide a positive lock against rotation of the clip relative to the central support. The jaw 6 (and thus the overall clip) is mounted for limited displacement along the axis of the hinge pin 10 relative to the central support between a position in which the sets of cooperating teeth 26 are engaged whereby the clip is locked against pivotal movement relative to the central support and thus against pivotal adjustment relative to the central support, and a position in which the sets of cooperating teeth 26 are disengaged to enable the clip to be pivoted about the axis of the hinge pin into a selected angular orientation relative to the central support. The cooperating teeth on the inner jaw and central support are maintained in their engaged positions by the action of a compression spring 28 interposed between the central boss 22 on the central support and an adjacent part of the outer jaw 8 which surrounds the adjacent torsion spring 12 whereby axial movement of the clip into a released condition of the teeth occurs in opposition to that compression spring. In the released condition, the clip can be pivoted relative to the central support and when the selected angular position has been attained, the compression spring will act to turn the teeth to their engaged condition and thereby to positively lock the clip relative to the central support in the new adjusted position.

[00019] In the embodiment shown the teeth are equi-angularly spaced to permit incremental pivotal adjustment through successive angles of approximately 30 degrees although it is to be understood that other angles of incremental adjustment could be provided according to design requirements.

[00020] Although in the embodiment shown, the two clips are identical and which is desirable to reduce manufacturing, and particularly tooling, costs, that is not essential to the functionality of the holder and therefore in variants the clips could be different. Although as described the holder is attached to the vehicle licence plate, it will be understood that it could alternatively be attached to other parts of the vehicle particularly when used on vehicles such as trucks or motor cycles.

[00021] The holder is not confined in usage just to L/P plates. The same holder would be suitable for a variety of other uses in the workplace or home to hold and/or display various documents notices or paper, card and the like and for similar purposes in cafes and restaurants.

[00022] The embodiment has been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A holder comprising a central support, a clip at each of two opposite sides of the support, one of the clips serving for attachment to a mounting and the other clip serving to hold paper, documents, card or other relatively thin lightweight material, each of the clips being pivotally mounted at the respective side of the central support, and each clip being independently pivotally movable relative to the central support to permit adjustment in the configuration of the holder.

2. A holder for an L/P plate or the like comprising a central support, a clip at each of two opposite sides of the support, one of the clips serving for attachment to a vehicle licence plate and the other clip serving to hold the L/P plate, each of the clips being pivotally mounted at the respective side of the central support, and each clip being independently pivotally movable relative to the central support to permit adjustment in the configuration of the holder.

3. A holder according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each clip comprises a pair of gripping jaws spring-biased into a gripping configuration.

4. A holder according to claim 3, wherein the pair of gripping jaws consist of an inner jaw and an outer jaw pivotal about a common pivot axis.

5. A holder according to claim 4, wherein the inner jaw is of greater width than the outer jaw in a direction transverse to the pivot axis.

6. A holder according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein at least one of the jaws has a gripping surface including a series of substantially parallel fins.

7. A holder according to claim 6, wherein the fins are angled towards the pivot axis of the clip.

8. A holder according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the pivot axis of the jaws of the clip is also the pivot axis at which the clip is mounted to the respective side of the central support.

9. A holder according to claim 8, wherein the pivot axis is defined by a hinge pin by which the clip is mounted to the respective side of the central support and by which the two jaws of the clip are pivotally mounted.

10. A holder according to claim 9, wherein the inner jaw is mounted to the hinge pin by a mounting portion adjacent a hinge pin mounting portion on the central support, the two adjacent mounting portions including engageable formations which lock the inner jaw in a selected angular orientation relative to the central support, the inner jaw being displaceable along the axis of the hinge pin to release the formations from engagement and to permit movement of the inner jaw into a different angular orientation relative to the central support for retention in that orientation by re-engagement of the formations.

11. A holder according to claim 10, wherein the inner jaw is axially displaceable against a spring bias to release the formations from engagement.

12. A holder according to claim 11, wherein the spring bias is provided by a compression spring mounted on the hinge pin.

13. A holder according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the spring bias for the jaws is provided by a torsion spring mounted on the hinge pin.

14. A holder according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the pivotal mounting between each clip and the central support comprises means for positively locking the clip in a selected angular orientation relative to the central support.