AU744379B3 - Improvements in clothes pegs - Google Patents

Description

P00012 Regulation 3.2 Revised 2/98

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act, 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PETTY PATENT TO BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICANT NAME OF APPLICANT: Janusz Frank Tekiela ACTUAL INVENTOR: Janusz Frank Tekiela ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: Peter Maxwell Associates Level 6 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 INVENTION TITLE: IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOTHES PEGS DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION NO(S): NIL The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me:- IP Australia Documents received on: 0 6 MAR 2001 D Batch No: The present invention relates to a clothes peg.

Many forms of clothes pegs are known. A common type has a pair of opposed arms that are pivotally linked by a metal spring coil or torsion spring, the metal torsion spring being so disposed from one arm to the other as to apply a tensioning force against any pivotal separation of the arms. Pegs of this type predominate over the structurally simpler, integrally formed snap on and off pegs because of their greater ease of use. However, pegs employing a metal torsion spring are more costly to manufacture and are vulnerable to the corrosive effects of water which, over time, may cause the metal torsion spring 10 to rust and leave stains on the clothes being held by the peg. Furthermore, the oo Imetal torsion spring may occasionally escape from its intended position provided by outer grooves in the arms of the peg as a result of improper use and age, thus compromising the structure and function of the peg.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome, or at least substantially ameliorate, the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a clothes peg that see employs a non-metal clip having sufficient strength and elastic memory for prolonged performance.

•..."According to the present invention there is provided a clothes peg comprising first and second opposed arms pivotally interconnected by a clip formed of a resiliently flexible plastic material, wherein said clip has an incomplete circular body defining first and second free ends of the clip, the first and second free ends being spaced apart to an extent whereby the incomplete circular body of the clip can receive therein pivotally co-operating portions of the first and second arms and whereby the first and second free ends urge against respective surfaces of the said co-operating portions so that the clip applies a tensioning force against any pivotal separation of the first and second 4 1 1 UI p 0 t IVIp rL I R VI nA T L L 01 JV I n L W7 21/1212001 9 arms, the resiliently flexible plastic material having sufficient elastic memory that any force applied in pivotally separating the first and second arms is opposed by the tensioning force, wherein the pivotally co-operating portions of each of the first and second arms include respective interengaging structures that, when interengaged, so locate the first and second arms that the clip is fitted into a cavity created by the juxtaposition of the arms, and wherein the respective interengaging structures of the first and second arms comprise a portion of the first arm from which a pair of lugs project and a portion of the second arm into which a pair of apertures are formed, the said lugs being adapted to engage within said 10 apertures.

Preferably, the resiliently flexible plastic material is a polyoxymethylene copolymer.

In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:- 15 Fig 1 is a perspective view of a clothes peg (disassembled) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Fig 2 is a sectional side view of the clothes peg (assembled) of Fig 1, Fig 3 is a side view of the clip used in the clothes peg of Figs 1 and 2, Fig 4 is an end view of the clip of Fig 3, Fig 5 is a perspective view of the clothes peg (assembled) of Fig 1, and Fig 6 is a side view of the clothes peg of Fig 5 in which its first and second arms are pivotally separated.

The clothes peg 10 shown in Figs 1, 2, 5 and 6 has a pair of opposed arms 12, 14 pivotally interconnected by a clip 16. The arms 12, 14 may be fabricated of a suitable plastic material commonly used in the construction of clothes peg arms, such as recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Each arm 12, 14 has a grip portion 15, 17, and a corrugated or ribbed surface region 18 is formed along the SRAZ, uter surface of the grip portion 15, 17, so that, in use, 21/12 '01 FRI 16:54 [TX/RX NO 6666] w^ s^ ^^jCsf.'-ft 4 each arm 12, 14 can be gripped by a digit of the user's hand to squeeze open the peg. Each arm 12, 14 has a profile of grooves 20, 22, 24 formed along the inner surface of a contoured wall 25 of the arm, which profile is adapted to, in co-operation with the like profile of opposed arm, grip the clothes line and article of clothing. Each arm 12, 14 also has an interconnecting portion which pivotally co-operates with an interconnecting portion of the other arm, each said portion including an interengaging structure which, for the arm 12, comprises a pair of apertures 26 and, for the arm 14, comprises a pair of lugs 28, the lugs 28 being adapted to engage within the apertures 26 upon 10 assembly and during use of the clothes peg The clip 16 shown in the drawings is fabricated of a resiliently flexible plastic material which, in this case, is a polyoxymethylene copolymer.

Polyoxymethylene copolymer is manufactured by copolymerisation of trioxane and a suitable monomer, such as dioxolane, to form linear chains in which the statistically distributed and firmly attached comonomer is responsible for significantly higher stability to heat and chemical degradation by comparison with a homopolymer. The polyoxymethylene copolymer possesses a partially crystalline structure with a high degree of crystallinity. Because of this, polyoxymethylene copolymer is more rigid and stronger than other thermoplastic material, particularly in the temperature range of -500 C to 1200 C. At room temperature, polyoxymethylene copolymer has a pronounced yield point at about 8 to 10% strain. Below this limit, polyoxymethylene copolymer exhibits good resilience, even under repeated loading. In addition, polyoxymethylene copolymer has high creep strength and a low tendency to creep. A preferred polyoxymethylene copolymer for use in the present invention is marketed under the trade mark ULTRAFORM by BASF of Germany. The polyoxymethylene copolymer can be treated with UV stabilizers and certain pigments, such as carbon black, to provide protection against adverse weather conditions and UV radiation, leading to a prolonged service life.

The incomplete circular body of the clip 16, as with the arms 12, 14, may be formed by injection moulding processes well known to persons skilled in the art. Alternatively, the incomplete circular body of the clip 16 may be formed by well known tubular extrusion processes followed by precision cutting to the dimensions required.

The incomplete circular body of the clip 16 has a pair of free ends 30, 32 10 that are spaced apart such that imaginary lines extended inwardly in line with the face of the free ends 30, 32 meet at an angle of 300 (see Fig 3) and such that the innermost edges 34, 36 of the free ends 30, 32 are separated from each other by about 1 mm prior to assembly.

°oooo In order to assemble the clothes peg 10 from its component parts of first and second arms 12, 14 and clip 16, the arms 12, 14 are brought together so that the pair of lugs 28 on arm 14 engage the pair of apertures 26 on arm 12.

The diameter of each of the apertures 26 is slightly larger than the diameter of each of the lugs 28 to accommodate the pivotal separation of the first and second arms 12, 14 which occurs about a pivot axis 37 (shown in Fig 6) located where the grip portion inner surface 38 of arm 12 meets the grip portion inner surface 40 of arm 14. The engagement of the lugs 28 within the apertures 26 so locates the arms 12, 14 that the clip 16 is fitted into a cavity 42 created by the resulting juxtaposition of the arms 12, 14, and the free ends 32 of the clip 16 are forced against respective leading edges of the contoured walls 25a, 25b so that the free ends 30, 32 are flexibly pushed apart, and then the clip 16 is forced further into the cavity 42 so that the free ends 30, 32 are frictionally dragged over the part of the contoured walls 25a, 25b that support 6 the interengaging structures 26, 28 and the first co-operating pair of grooves As a result, the incomplete circular body of the clip 16 receives therein the pivotally co-operating portions of the arms 12, 14 provided at the locations of the pivot axis 37 and the interengaging structures 26, 28. The free ends 30, 32 of the clip 16 thereby urge against respective outer surfaces of the contoured walls 25a, 25b so that the clip 16 applies a tensioning force against any pivotal separation of the arms 12, 14.

The extent of the elastic memory present in the resiliently flexible plastic material is such that any squeezing force applied in pivotally separating the S.I 10 arms 12,14 is opposed by the tensioning force, so that upon release of the user's grip causing pivotal separation of the arms 12, 14, the arms 12, 14 will be forced by the clip 16 to close to the extent allowed by whatever, if anything, is to be held or gripped by the peg.

The incomplete circular body of the clip and its formation from a resiliently flexible plastic material, such as polyoxymethylene copolymer, provide the clothes peg of the present invention with numerous advantages over prior art clothes pegs utilizing other forms of clip. As well as contributing to reduced cost of manufacture of the clothes peg and immunity to the corrosive effects of water, the clip used in the present invention provides an even tension at each of its free ends and throughout its incomplete circular body. It also possesses sufficient strength and elastic memory for prolonged performance.

Various modifications may be made in details of design and construction without departing from the scope and ambit of the invention.

Claims (2)

1. A clothes peg comprising first and second opposed arms pivotally interconnected by a clip formed of a resiliently flexible plastic material, wherein said clip has an incomplete circular body defining first and second free ends of the clip, the first and second free ends being spaced apart to an extent whereby the incomplete circular body of the clip can receive therein pivotally co-operating portions of the first and second arms and whereby the first and second free ends urge against respective surfaces of the said co-operating *portions so that the clip applies a tensioning force against any pivotal separation of the first and second arms, the resiliently flexible plastic material having sufficient elastic memory that any force applied in pivotally separating the first and second arms is opposed by the tensioning force, wherein the o pivotally co-operating portions of each of the first and second arms include respective interengaging structures that, when interengaged, so locate the first and second arms that the clip is fitted into a cavity created by the juxtaposition of the arms, and wherein the respective interengaging structures of the first and second arms comprise a portion of the first arm from which a pair of lugs project and a portion of the second arm into which a pair of apertures are formed, the said lugs being adapted to engage within said apertures.

2. The clothes peg of claim 1 wherein the resiliently flexible plastic material is a polyoxymethylene copolymer. Dated this 21st day of December 2001 Janusz Frank Tekiela Patent Attorneys for the Applicant PETER MAXWELL ASSOCIATES 21/12 '01 RI 16:54 [T/R NO 6666 21/12 '01 FRI 16:54 [TX/RX NO 6666] f Ds i-ja-