CLAMPING DEVICE FOR HANGING ARTICLES

DISPOSITIF DE SERRAGE DESTINE A DES ARTICLES SUSPENDUS

English Abstract

A clamping device for medium to heavier articles such as towels, shirts and
the like, as
well as lighter articles such as sheets, papers, films, charts, and the like,
comprising a back piece
and a front piece. The back piece has an inclined channel in which a gravity-
biased ball moves
to press an article against the guiding surface of the front piece.

Claims

CLAIMS
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege
is claimed are
defined as follows:
1. A clamping device for hanging articles comprising:
a molded body having a back piece and a front piece which are connected along
the upper
third of their lengths to form a generally u-shaped clamping device;
said back piece having a recess channel extending centrally along the lower
two-thirds of
the back piece, said recess channel being of sufficient depth and width to
enable a ball to
move freely with the channel;
said front piece having a guiding surface to prevent the escape of the ball
from the
clamping device;
such that when an article placed between the ball and the guiding surface, the
ball will
clamp the article in place.
2. The clamping device for hanging articles according to claim 1 wherein
the recess channel
has an angle of 15 degrees.
3. The clamping device for hanging articles according to claims 1 or 2
wherein the back
piece and the front piece are shaped such that they fit snugly and securely
together.
8

Description

CA 02950377 2016-12-02
CLAMPING DEVICE FOR HANGING ARTICLES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a clamping device for hanging articles. In
particular, the
invention relates to a clamping device for hanging medium to heavier articles
such as towels,
shirts, blankets as well as lighter articles such as papers, films, charts,
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hanging articles up over hooks is often unsatisfactory as the articles often
slide off.
Although other clamping devices utilizing gravity-operated elements have
heretofore
been known, they have had various disadvantages in that they were unduly
complicated in design
or structure, or could not operate effectively, or could not be readily and
easily unclamped from
the article being clamped.
Further, most prior devices were only capable of being used for lightweight
articles such
as papers, films, and charts.
U.S. Patent No. 446,486 describes a bracket for holding paper.
U.S. Patent No. 2,377,488 describes a device for holding articles in
suspension which
includes a corrugated wall to increase the gripping action of the ball.
U.S. Patent No. 3, 399,429 describes a clamping device for sheets such as
papers, charts,
and films which uses a roller.
U.S. Patent No. 4,039,134 describes a message holder for paper where the ball
detent
moves back against a spring bias.

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An object of the present invention is to provide a clamping device for hanging
articles
which automatically clamps a medium to heavier article and which is easily and
quickly
unclamped when it is so desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a clamping
device for
hanging an article in which a ball is retained within the device and can move
up and down within
a channel of limited length.
Advantages of the present invention include the following:
(A) The channel is angled in such a fashion that as the article is inserted
into the clamping
device, the article moves past the ball, the ball drops down behind the
article by means of
gravity, and consequently the article is secured between the ball and the
front piece of the
clamping device.
(B) The degree of angle of the channel in the clamping device is such that it
can secure a
minimal width of fabric (fine silk), as well as a thicker width of fabric
(bath towel)
(C) The unique combination of the following three measurements combined allow
the clamping
device to secure articles which range from light weight (e.g. scarf) to heavy
weight (e.g. bath
towel).
-- the degree of angle of the channel in the back piece of the clamping
device;
2 -- the exact space between the channel at its lowest point and the front
piece;
3 -- the length of space between the highest and lowest point of the channel.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view showing the clamping device according to a preferred
embodiment of the
invention, the clamping device being attached to a vertical surface and having
an article held
therein;
FIG. 2 is a side view showing the clamping device according to FIG. 1 wherein
the article is
shown being inserted into the clamping device;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the clamping device, not affixed to a vertical
surface, and
showing the ball in the channel;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the individual components of the clamping
device;
FIG. 5 is a rear view showing the individual components shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the back piece of the clamping device;
FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of the back piece of the clamping device;
FIG. 8 is a top view of the top piece of the clamping device;
FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the top piece of the clamping device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Structure
Referring to Figure 1, the clamping device 2 comprises a molded body 4 made of
any
suitable material, such as plastic, wood, metal. The body 4 has a back piece 6
and a front piece 8
3

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which are connected along the upper third of their lengths to form a generally
u-shaped clamping
device 2.
The back piece 6 is adapted to abut against a generally flat surface 10, such
as a wall or
door. The back piece 6 may be secured or affixed to the surface 10 by means of
screws (not
shown) or double-sided tape.
The back piece 6 includes a recess channel 12 in the front surface 14 of the
back piece 6
thereof extending centrally along the lower two-thirds of the back piece 6 and
being of sufficient
width and depth to enable a ball 16 to move freely within the channel 12.
Preferably the channel 12 is inclined at about a 15 degree angle. Preferably
the two ends
of the channel 12 are square. Preferably the sides of the channel 12 are arc
shaped.
The front piece 8 has a generally flat guiding surface 18.
To assemble the clamping device 2, the ball 16 is inserted in the channel 12.
The back
piece 6 and the front piece 8 are connected together, and the operation of
securing the clamping
device 2 in place effectually closes the channel 12 to prevent the accidental
escape of the ball 16
therefrom.
An article 20 is shown being held in place between the ball 16 and the flat
guiding
surface 18 of the front piece 8.
In one particular embodiment of the invention, it has been found that the
width of the
widest point of the channel 12 should be 19 cm while the ends of the channel
12 should be
13.043 cm wide. The length of the channel 12 is 59.274 cm long, while the
channel 12 is 18.025
cm deep at its deepest point. The back piece 6 is 19.044 cm in height. While
the clamping
device 2 can be of any size, similar proportions have been found to be
particularly effect to
enable the ball 16 to hold the article 20 against the guiding surface 18 of
the front piece 8.
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Referring to Figure 2, the article 20 is shown inserted into the u-shaped
space formed by
the back piece 6 and the front piece 8. In this illustration, the article 20
has caused the ball 16 to
ride up within the channel 12.
Figures 4 to 9 show the individual components of the clamping device 2 in
greater detail.
Referring thereto, it will be seen that the back piece 6 has a block 22 which
is of sufficient size
and shape to fit snugly and securely within a corresponding aperture 24 on the
front piece 8.
While the block 22 has been shown as a rectangle, it will be apparent to a
person skilled
in the art that the block 22 and the aperture 24 can be of any size or shape
as long as they will fit
snugly and securely together.
It will also be apparent to a person to a skilled in the art that block 22
could be on the
front piece 8 and the aperture 24 could be on the back piece 6.
The block 22 includes a plurality of holes 26 which can be used for screwing
the
clamping device 2 to the flat surface 10 with screws (not shown). While the
use of screws is
preferable it will be understood that any similar means, such as nails or the
like, could be used.
On the front piece 8 the area 28 where the screws are inserted is recessed so
that the
heads of the screws are not flush with the front piece 8. A cover 30 can be
placed over the screw
heads to provide a neat appearance.
The screws also serve as an additional means of ensuring that the back piece 6
and the
front piece 8 remain securely fastened together when attached to the flat
surface 10.
If the user does not want to use screws to attach the back piece 6 to the flat
surface 10,
other fastening means such as double-sided tape could be used.

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Operation
The operation of the invention is clearly apparent from the drawings. As shown
in Figure
1, when the clamping device is attached to a vertical surface, the ball 16 is
biased into a clamping
position between the front surface 14 and the guiding surface 18 of the front
piece 8. In this
position, it is merely necessary to insert the upper edge of the article 20
between the ball 16 and
the guiding surface 18 and the ball 16 immediately acts to clamp it in place.
In order to release
the clamping grip, the article 20 is pulled upward and to the right or left to
cause the ball 16 to
release the clamping grip.
The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set
forth in
the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with
the description as a
whole.
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2 clamping device
4 molded body
6 back piece
8 front piece
flat surface
12 recess channel
14 front surface
16 ball
18 guiding surface
article
22 rectangular block
24 aperture
26 holes
28 area
cover
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Representative Drawing