WO2016036235A1

WO2016036235A1 - Clip

Info

Publication number: WO2016036235A1
Application number: PCT/NL2015/000024
Authority: WO
Inventors: Taco BAARDMAN; Maikel GROOTENDORST; Tim Gijsbertus Bernardus VALENTIJN
Original assignee: Allclip License BV
Current assignee: Allclip License BV
Priority date: 2014-09-01
Filing date: 2015-08-25
Publication date: 2016-03-10
Anticipated expiration: 2017-03-01
Also published as: NL1040933B1; EP3189182A1

Abstract

Clip (2) comprising a first and a second, mutually opposite, pair of jaws (4, 6) of which the first jaw part (4a) of the first pair (4) and the corresponding first jaw part (6a) of the second pair (6) are interconnected by a first connecting element (12); the second jaw (4b) of the first pair (4) and the corresponding second jaw (6b) of the second pair (6) are interconnected by a second connecting element (18), said connecting elements (12, 18) intersecting planes (8, 10) through the respective jaws under acute angles and being pressed apart by two separate spring elements (30, 32), each connecting element (12, 18) comprising a mainly elongate central part (14, 20), mainly parallel to the planes (8, 10), which central part (14, 10) at each end merges into an end part (16a, 16b, 22a, 22b), diverging under an acute angle, of which the free end carries a jaw part (4a, 4b, 6a, 6b) while the spring elements (30, 32) comprise two short U-shaped leaf springs (30, 32) which are, with the respective heads thereof directed towards each other, accommodated in the space between the connecting elements (14, 20) and which each act with one end of the respective legs (34a, 34b, 36a, 36b) thereof on one of two opposite end parts (16a, 16b, 22a, 22b).

Description

TITLE: Clip

The invention relates to a clip, comprising:

a first and a second, mutually opposite, pair of jaws, of which the first jaw part of the first pair and the corresponding first jaw part of the second pair lie in a first imaginary plane and are interconnected by a first connecting element;

the second jaw of the first pair and the corresponding second jaw of the second pair lie in a second imaginary plane, parallel to the first plane, and are interconnected by a second connecting element,

wherein the first connecting element intersects the second imaginary plane under an acute angle and the second connecting element intersects the first imaginary plane under an acute angle

and comprising spring means with two separate spring elements which act upon the connecting elements to press them apart from each other.

Such a clip is known from DE 220167. In this known clip the two opposite convexedly curved connection elements each comprise an elongate strip of spring steel, of which the respective longitudinal ends are bent over into a cylindrical shape to form the jaw parts while in one of the strips, near the respective ends thereof, L- shaped incisions are formed resulting into two strips of material which are bent out of the body of the connecting elements and lie with their free ends springingly against the inner surface of the opposite connecting element; the connecting elements are secured to each other in that the small body part which rests when the incisions are formed in the material is bent out from one connecting element and goes through suitable cut-outs in the opposite connecting element.

The production of this known clip calls for a great number of production steps and is costly; furthermore it is a drawback that the length of the spring elements, formed out of the material of a connecting element is necessarily restricted so that the force of this spring element, and thus also the clamping force of the jaws, is also restricted. The properties of the used strip-shaped spring steel restrict the possible configuration of the jaws. Finally opening of one jaw by pressing the connecting elements together in the vicinity of this jaw influences the clamping force effected by the.jaws at the opposite ends.

The invention aims to eliminate these drawbacks and to provide an improved clip. This is according to the invention achieved in that each connecting element comprises a mainly elongate central part, mainly parallel to the two planes, which central part at each end merges into an end part, diverging under an acute angle, of which the free end carries a jaw part while the spring elements comprise two short U- shaped leaf springs which are, with the respective heads thereof directed towards each other, accommodated in the space between the connecting elements and which each act with one end of the respective legs thereof on one of two opposite end parts.

The proposed configuration of the connecting element has as a result that operating the clip is now unambiguous: pressing the two central parts results in a simultaneous opening of both the jaws and pressing the transition between the central part and one of the end parts results in the opening of exclusively the adjacent jaw while the other jaw remains positively closed.

The space between the connecting elements is used optimally in such a way that within this space two springs of optimal dimensions and thus having an optimal force can be accommodated. There remains considerable free room in the respective spaces delimited by the legs of the respective springs.

When, as proposed in claim 2, the springs are such that the opposite ends of the legs thereof can deviate in a direction crosswise to the main plane of the spring over a distance which is greater than the width of the jaws advantage is obtained that, starting from the >normal< configuration of the clip the jaws of each pair can be displaced in a sidewise direction with respect to each other and thereafter shifted with respect to each other so that they can assume the configuration as shown in fig. 5 of this application. This can be done for one or for both pairs of jaws. In this configuration the clip can still be used to clamp an object between the jaws thereof but now the space enclosed by the connecting elements and within the spring is accessible from the outside, for instance to accommodate a, for instance cylindrical, element without a free end to which the clip can be fastened. When the clip has been fastened in this way the jaws can be brought back into the state shown in figs 1 -4. This results in a wide range of new uses of the clip.

Further advantageous embodiments are described in claims 3 and 4.

It is observed that US 2 099 177 describes a clip substantially according to the preamble of the main claim of this application but which has a configuration in which the connecting elements of the jaws cross each other at their respective ends and enclose in between them only a very restricted space. The springs as used in this clip are the wire springs such as commonly used in clothes pins of which the ends are pressed directly on the jaws and inhibit a sidewise shifting thereof. The measures according to the invention cannot be derived from this publication.

The invention is elucidated on the hand of the drawing. Therein shows:

fig. 1 a schematic side view on the hand of which the way in which the clip according to the invention is constructed is elucidated;

fig. 2 a perspective view of a practical embodiment of this clip; fig. 3 an upper view of this clip;

fig. 4 a side view of the clip according to the invention showing the results of the measures according to the invention;

fig. 5 a side view of the clip according to the invention in the state in which the respective jaws lie on top of each other.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the clip according to the invention on the hand whereof the principal properties thereof will be discussed.

The clip shown in the drawings, in its whole denoted with reference numeral 2, comprises a first pair of gripper jaws 4, with a first jaw part 4a and a second jaw part 4b, and a second pair of gripper jaws 6 with a first jaw part 6a and a second jaw part 6b. The first jaw parts 4a and 6a respectively lie in a first imaginary plane denoted with the dotted line 8 while the second jaw parts 4b, 6b lie in a second imaginary plane indicated by the dash line 10.

The first jaw parts 4a and the second jaw parts 6a are interconnected by a first connecting element 12 which comprises a central part 14 and, diverging therefrom at a acute angle, the end parts 16a, 16b. The end part 16a carries at its end the jaw part 4a and the end part 16b carries the jaw part 6a.

In a corresponding way the second connecting part 18 comprises the central part 20 with, extending therefrom, the first end part 22a and the second end part 22b. The first end part 22a carries the gripper part 4b and the second end part 22b carries the gripper part 6b.

The first end part 16a and the second end part 16b cross the second plane, indicated with the dash line 10 - which goes through the gripper parts 4b and 6b - while the first end part 22a and the second end part 22b cross the first plane which is indicated by the dash line 8.

An essential element of the invention is constituted by two spring elements which eccentrically act upon the connecting elements 12 and 18. These are constituted by two short U-shaped leaf springs 30 and 32 respectively. Of the leaf spring 30 the ends of the legs 34a, 34b are connected to the end parts 16a and 22a respectively while of the leaf spring 32 the free ends of the legs 36a, 36b are connected with the end parts 16b and 22b respectively of the connecting element 12 and 18 respectively.

Fig. 2 shows in perspective a clip according to the invention while fig. 3 shows an upper view thereof. In these drawings the width of one of the U-shaped springs, 32, is indicated with (b) and this width is preferably equal to that of the other spring 30 and furthermore equal to the width b of the end parts 16a, 16b, 22a, 22b, as indicated in fig. 3 for the ends parts 6a, 22a. The width of the central part 4 of the connecting element 12 is then equal to (2b). It will be clear that when the central parts 14 and 20 are pressed together both pairs of jaws 4 and 6 will open simultaneous, the same as in the prior art clips.

However when, as fig 4 shows the connecting elements are pressed together on the transition 40a between the central parts 14 and the leg 16a respectively the transition 40b between the central part 20 and the end part 16b only the gripper jaws 4a, 4b will be opened .meanwhile compressing the U-shaped spring 30 but the gripper jaws 6a, 6b will remain actively and surely closed under the influence of the spring 32.

Fig. 5 shows the configuration as this is when one shifts the jaw part 4a so that it comes to lie on top of the jaw part 4b, and the jaw part 6a comes to lie on top of the jaw part 6b. This shifting can be done for one pair of jaws or for both pairs. In this configuration the space delimited by the legs of the springs becomes accessible from the outside when one draws the jaws of a pair of jaws apart. In this way a cylindrical element without a free end or a continuous wire or cable can be inserted within the clip. Afterwards the jaws can be brought into the state as shown in the figs 1-4.

Figure 5 also documents that it is possible to produce the clip in a simple way, for instance by molding, because there are no components such as the end parts 16a, 16b, 22a, 22b which lie behind each other so that the shown configuration can be obtained by means of a simple mold. After the clip is produced with the

configuration as shown in fig. 5 it is simple to bring it in the configuration according to the figs. 1-4 or, if one wishes so, use it in the shown configuration.

Claims

1. Clip, comprising:

wherein the first connecting element intersects the second imaginary plane under an acute angle and the second connecting element intersects the first imaginary plane under an acute angle,

and comprising spring means with two separate spring elements which act upon the connecting elements to press them apart from each other,

characterised in that

each connecting element comprises a mainly elongate central part, mainly parallel to the two planes, which central part at each end merges into an end part, diverging under an acute angle, of which the free end carries a jaw part while the spring elements comprise two short U-shaped leaf springs which are, with the respective heads thereof directed towards each other, accommodated in the space between the connecting elements and which each act with one end of the respective legs thereof on one of two opposite end parts.

2. Clip according to claim 1 , characterised in that the opposite ends of the legs can diverge in a direction crosswise to the main plane of the spring over a distance which is greater than the width of the jaws.

3. Clip according to claim 1 -2, characterised in that the spring elements with the connecting elements and the jaws are produced in one piece.

4. Clip according to claim 1 -3, characterised in that the width (b) of each spring is equal to the width of the end parts and half the width (2b) of the central part.