US2234624A - Fastener or clothespin - Google Patents

Description

March 11, 1941. wl H. DAVIS FASTENER OR CLOTHESPIN ,Filed Oct. 2. 1939 Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT 1 Claim.

This invention relates to fasteners or clothespins and has special reference to a one piece fastener or clothespin.

One important object of the invention is to provide a novel form of fastener or clothespin which can be cut and formed from a strip of spring metal with a, minimum of waste and by few forming operations.

Asecond important object of the invention is I0 to provide a novel form of clothespin of this character wherein the pin is permanently suspended in position to be applied to a clothes supporting wire.

A third important object of the invention is I to provide a novel clothespin of this character wherein the pin has a ilnger grip whereby it may be conveniently grasped to draw the pin into clothes grasping position.

A fourth important object of the invention is to provide a. novel clothespin of this character having a novel finger grip for moving the clothespin laterally into position over the clothes to be secured.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details'of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawing like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views. and:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the clothespin showing it associated with a pair of wire clotheslines.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the pin.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the blank from; which the clothespin is formed.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the clothespin d@ from the lower end thereof.

The blanks for the clothespins forming this invention are cut from a narrow strip of thin metal having suitable resiliency. These blanks are of uniform width throughout and the ends ifi of the blanks are at right angles to the side edges. Such a blank is shown at I0 in Figure 3 and has parallel side edges II and parallel end edges I2 at right angles to the edges II. The corners I3 of the blank are rounded off in order that, when i the pin is completed, thereA will be no sharp corners tending to injure hands or clothes. Adjacent one end, which afterward constitute the upper end of the pin, the metal is provided with a parallel sided U-shaped slit I4 providing a nu tongue I5 which has its root portion I6 integral with the body of the blank and extends from the root portion toward the adjacent end edge I2. The blank is also provided with a divergingly sided U-shaped slit II providing a tongue I8 whose root portion I9 lies between the center 5 of the blank and its upper edge I2. This tongue extends in a direction opposite the tongue I5 or downwardly.

This blank is formed into the pin by suitably bending certain portions, the finished pin having an upper body portion 20 and lower body portion 2| between which portions 20 and 2| the body is forwardly arched transversely of its length as at 22. This arched portion lies oppola site the free portion of the tongue but is spaced slightly above the lower extremity of said tongue. The upper end of the blank, except for the tongue I5 which lies in the plane of the body portions 2U and 2|, is bent rearwardly to form a loop or eye 23, the end edge I2 of this part of the blank 20 being close to the body portion 20 so that the eye 23 is substantially closed. The lower end of the blank is also rearwardly curved to an extent somewhat less than a semi-circle so as to form a :linger grip 24. 25

In use a number of pins such as have just been described are suspended on a line wire W by running the wire through the eye 23 of each pin. The wire W is vertically above and parallel to a clothes holding wire W', the distance be- 33 tween the two wires being such that the wire W may engage on top of the arch portion 22 and between the tongue I8 and body portion 2n. Thus when an article such as is shown in broken lines at C is positioned over the wire W one or more of the pins may be grasped by their upstanding tongues I5, which form finger grips, and f slid along the wire W until they are positioned opposite the article to be secured. The pins to be used are then successively raised to engage the article on the wire W' between the lower end of the tongue IB and body portion 2I whereupon a iinger is hooked on the grip 24 and the pin pulled down to spring the tongue I 8 away 45 from the body portion and allow the wire W' to take position as in Figure I.

There has thus been provided a simple and efficient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified. 50

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and constructionof the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, therefore, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described. but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, whatis claimed as new is:

A fastener or clothespin and the like consisting of a strip of metal having a body and pair of tongues extending in opposite directions, said pin having a rearwardly and upwardly curved finger engageable bend at its lower end, said pin 10 having a substantially circular and rearwardly disposed line engaging loop at its upper end, one ot said tongues extending from said body upwardly above said loop and providing means engageable by a nger to slide the pin along the engaged line, the other of said tongue being inclined forwardly of the body and the bodyhaving forwardly projecting bends at opposite sides of the last mentioned tongue.

WILLIAM H. DAVIS.

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