Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
PINCHING CLIP ~042185
This invention relates to an improvement in and
concerning a pinching clip of synthetic resin, which improvement
enables a pair of pinching arms interconnected through the
medium of a hinge portion to be elastically braced regardless
of whether they are in a closed state or in an opened state.
In one typical version, said clip is made up of a
pair of pinching arms interconnected through the medium of a
hinge portion and an elastic brace disposed astraddle said
hinge portion and joined the rear sides of said pinching arms.
When this clip is operated to change form from its opened s`tate
to its closed state so as to pinch a soft article, for example,
the elastic force which has so far tended to hold the two
pinching arms back to their opened state reaches the point at -
which it switches to exert its effect in the opposite direction
of bringing the two arms into their closed state. This clip,
therefore, has a disadvantage that the pinching arms suddenly
grip a soft article and consequently inflict some damage on
the article. This clip is not suitable for use on such soft
articles. For the purpose of opening the clip from its closed
state, there is inevitably required a troublesome operation
of forcibly pushing the ends of said pinching arms of the clip
away from each other.
An object of this invention is to provide a pinching
clip of improved design such that possible sudden motion of the
~ip parts during the change of form from its opened state to its
closed state or vice versa can be retarded and said change of ~ -
form can be accomplished by a simple movement of the finger tips.
To accomplish the object described above according
to this invention, there is provided a pinching clip which compris-
es a pair of pinching arms interconnected through the medium f F
a hinge portion and an elastic brace disposed astraddle said
hinge portion and connected at the extremities thereof with
the rear sides of said pinching arms and incorporateS, in
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~ dition thexeto, damping ~ieceS disposed in tangential direct-
ions one behind each said pinching arm so that when the pinching
arms are closed toward each other between the finger tips, the
damping pieces serve the purpose of retarding the closing motion
of the clip.
When the finger tips are held against the outsides
of the pinching arms in their opened state and are moved toward
each other to cause the ends of said pinching arms to close toward
each other, the damping pieces disposed in tangential directions
behind the pinching arms apply themselves against the inner
sides of the fingers and serve to retard the closing motion~ of
the pinching arms. When the pinching arms are desired to be ;
opened from their closed state, the opening can be obtained by
merely pressing the damping pieces inwardly toward each other.
In a further embodiment, the invention contemplates
a one-piece plastic pinching clip which includes a pair of
arcuate arms each having a predetermined width and interconnected
along adjacent first ends through a hinge portion with the concave
sides of the arms facing toward each other, an elastic overcenter
spring brace disposed astraddle the hinge portion and integrally
connected at each extremity thereof with one of the rear convex
sides of the arms, and pinching means disposed within the concave
sides of the arms. An elongated damping piece extends sub-
stantially tangentially from the convex side of each arm along
a line positioned intermediate the ends of the arms, and an
operating means extends outwardly from the free end of each arm
opposite the adjacent hinged ends whereby an operator can embrace ~ -
the clip and grasp the operating means between his thumb and fore-
finger and apply pressure thereto to close the arms against the
action of the spring brace with the damping pieces riding on the
interior of the operator's finger and thumb.
The object and the characteristic features described
above and the other objects and characteristic features of the
present invention will become apparent from the description to be
given herein below with reference to the accompanying drawing.
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Figure 1 is a perspective view of one preferred
embodiment of the pinching clip of this invention, held in
its opened state.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the pinching clip of Figure
1, held in its opened state.
Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the
pinching clip of Figure 1 in the process of closing motion.
Figure 4 is a plan view illustrating the pinching
clip of Figure 1, held in its closed state.
The drawing illustrates one preferred embodiment
of the plastic pinching clip according to this invention. In
the illustrated embodiment, the two pinching arms 2a, 2b
interconnected at their respective confronting ends through
the medium of a first thin-walled hinge portion 1 are each
approximately in the shape of a semi-cylinder, so that they F
assume a roughly cylindrical shape when they are in a closed
state. The pinching arms are provided with pieces 3a, 3b which
are so shaped as to form chords with respect to the semi-cylind-
ers of said arms. An arcuate elastic brace 5 is disposed
astraddle said first hinge portion 1 and joined with the medium
of second thin-walled hinge portions 6a, 6b to the rear sides
of the arcuate pieces 4a, 4b of the pinching arms 2a, 2b.
The line "a" connecting the second hinge portions
6a, 6b forms the elasticity switching operative line. The
first hinge portion 1 which joins the pinching arms 2a, 2b
falls below the operative line "a" in the illustrated relative
position, namely within the space embraced in the arcuate
pieces 4a, 4b, when the two arms are in a closed state
tFigure 4). It comes above
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the operative line "a'~, namely outside the space embraced in
the arcuate pieces 4a, 4b when the arms are in an opened state
(Figure 2). When the clip is operated so as to change form
from its opened state (or closed state) to the opposite state,
the first hinge portion 1 gradually approaches the operative
line "a" and, as it advances past this line, the two arms 2a,
2b are impelled toward assuming the opposite state. If in
this case the clip is being operated in the direction of being
closed, the free ends of the arms snap into engagement to grasp
the article.
Preferably, a pair of operating pieces 7a, 7b are disposed
in mutually staggered relationship at the free ends of the
pinching arms 2a, 2b with which they are integrally to extend
outwardly and substantially parallelly with the diametric pieces
3a~ 3b so that when the two arms are brought into a closed state,
the pieces 7a~ 7b snap into mutually hooked engagement. When
these operating pieces and incorporated, desired opening of
the clip by the fingers can easily be attained by placing the
finger tips against the mutually hooked operating pieces and
moving said finger tips in opposite directions. When the arcuate
pieces 4a, 4b are held between the inner sides of the thumb
and the index finger and the two arms are caused to change form
from their opened state Into their closed state, the tips of
the fingers can be made to rest against the operating pieces
7a, 7b and the two arms can thus easily be retained accurately
in effective position.
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This invention is directed to providing the two pinching
arms 2a, 2b on their outer faces with damping pieces adapted
so that when the arms are moved into their closed state by being
held between the inner sides of the thumb and index finger,
the damping pieces come into fast contact with said inner sides
of the fingers. In the illustrated embodiment, the damping
pieces 8a, 8b are integrally extended substantially in tangential
directions from the vicinities of the free ends of arcuate
pieces 4a, 4b of the arms 2a, 2b. When the two arms are in
an opened state, these damping pieces extend beyond the ends
of the elastic brace 5 in parallel or somewhat convergent
relationship. When the arms are in a closed state, the damping
pieces are opened to the extent of forming an angle of about
45 each relative to the confronting surfaces of the pieces
3a, 3b.
If the two arms 2a, 2b in their opened state are held between
the inner sides of the thumb and index finger so as to be
closed, therefore, the damping pieces 8a, 8b come into intimate
contact with or come close to the inner sides of the fingers.
If the two fingers are moved toward each other ln an attempt
to close the two arms 2a, 2b, the damping pieces 8a, 8b gradually
diverge and press themselves against the inner sides of the
flngers and consequently prevent the free ends of the arms from
suddenly snapplng lnto closure as the first hinge portion 1
advances past the operatlve llne "a" and, instead, make them
close slowly. If the damping pleces are glven a length such
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that they protrude downwardly from the operative line "a" while
the arms are in an opened state, then the plnching arms can
be opened from their closed state by pressing the protruding
ends of the dampin~ pieces toward each othcr by the 'inger tips.
In short, the damping piece~ have only to be adapted 80 that
when thc two pinching arms are held between the fingers and
are brought into their closed state, the dampin~ pieces simul-
taneously come into intimate contact wi~h or come close to the
inner ~ldes of the fingers ana, as the arms gradually converge,
they proportionally di~erge and apply increasingly more pressure
against the inner sides of the fingers. ~he length and direc- -
tion of the~e damping pieces may sultably be fixed so as to
meet this end.
The pinching clip of thi~ preferred embodiment i8 a one-
piece product molded of a plastic material of proper elasticity
such as, for ex~mple, nylon 6 or polypropylene. It may otherwise
be obtained by ~oining a plurality of plastic and/or metal
parts w$th the aid of hinges. The shape o~ the pinching arms
2a, 2b i~ not limited to that which is illuqtrated hereln but
may be selected from a r~ch varlety of shape~.
According to the present invention, the disavantage that
~he pinc~llng arms suddenly snap into a closed state is eliminated.
When a plant ls grafted, thls pinchlng cl~p may be set in posi-
tlon to keep the ~olned endR tightly. AS the plant grows ana
qain~ in dl~meter to an extent such that the thin-walled portion
1 advances past the operative line ~a", the clip opens by itself
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and falls off the ~oined point. Thus, the cllp flna~ utl$,ity
a~ a gr~ftlng cllp, for examplc.
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