Clip and casing test telephone incorporating clip

Details Clip and casing test telephone incorporating clip Clip and casing test telephone incorporating clip

1999-09-27

2001-05-01

Sandy, Robert J. (Department: 3626)

Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.

Separable-fastener or required component thereof

Including member having distinct formations and mating...

C024S601100, C024S003120, C379S433020

Reexamination Certificate

active

06223402

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to clips and to casings, particularly casings for test telephones. A test telephone is an example of an article which must be releasably connectable to objects, for example to the belt of a telephone engineer, to a mounting structure affixed to a telegraph pole, or to a telephone cable. The clips according to the invention are particularly suitable for quick and reversible connection to the chosen mounting.
As shown schematically in
FIG. 1
, a known type of clip
1
′, includes a closed loop of stainless steel, the loop including a hook
3
′ and a gate
4
′ and being openable by moving the gate from a closed position to an open position relative to the hook. A first end of the gate is pivotally connected to the shank of the hook by a rivet
5
′. The second end of the gate is free but in the closed position it contacts the end of the hook distal to the shank so as to close the loop.
The gate is biassed into the closed position by a coil spring
6
′ which extends between the shank and a terminal portion of the gate adjacent its first end. The shank of the hook includes a central body of rectangular cross-section and a pair of parallel plates. The plates
7
are integral with the body and project from the same inwardly directed face thereof to provide a housing for the coil spring and for the terminal portion of the gate. Each plate has two an apertures
8
′,
9
′, corresponding apertures in the two plates being in register with one another. A first pair
8
′ accommodates the rivet
5
′ connecting the gate to the hook.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the clip
1
′ is mounted to a casing
10
′ of a telephone. The casing
10
′ has a channel
11
′ containing a mounting shackle
12
′. This has a spaced pair of upstanding flanges
13
′ with aligned apertures
14
′. A rivet
15
′ extends through these apertures and the second pair of apertures
9
′ of the clip, for pivotably mounting the clip.
This known type of clip assembly suffers from the disadvantage that in the open position, the gate lies against the shank of the hook. Accordingly, it hinders the movement of an object into the “mouth” of the hook when the object is being connected to the clip. This difficulty is particularly accentuated when the user tries to attach the clip to relatively large objects. Such movement is further hindered by the way the clip is mounted to the casing. The plates
7
′ have an exposed rear corner region
15
′ which will tend to snag an object over which the clip is sliding. Furthermore they project in a direction which narrows the mouth of the hook.
For the telephone engineer this difficulty may be especially important. The engineer may be working at a considerable height up a telegraph pole and therefore will need a quick and simple way of attaching an item, such as a telephone, to a mounting structure on the pole. The longer that the object is unattached to its intended mount, the greater the risk that it will fall.
The present invention aims to provide an improved type of clip, casing and test telephone which ameliorates the above disadvantage: the clip is suitable for quick and easy connection of an item, eg. a telephone, to a mounting structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in a first aspect the present invention provides a clip including a loop having a hook part and a gate part pivotally connected thereto, the loop being openable by pivoting the gate part relative to the hook part from a closed position to an open position against a spring bias, wherein the hook part of the loop includes a recess which accommodates at least a substantial portion of the gate part of the loop in the open position. Desirably, the loop is made of plastic.
The hook part may include a shank to which a first end of the gate part is pivotally connected, a concavity within the shank providing at least part of the recess within which the gate, or a substantial portion of it, is accommodated in the open position. The shank may be adapted for pivotal connection of the gate, for example through the provision of one or more brackets projecting from the shank. Each of the brackets may have an aperture, the two apertures being in register with on another so as to provide a pair of mounting sockets for accommodating a rivet which passes through the first end of the gate. The hook may have strengthening formations on its outer surface; one or more ribs may for example project from an outwardly directed surface of the hook, the ribs providing additional structural support to the hook.
A second end of the gate opposite to the first end is free, but in the closed position the second end reversibly engages with a portion of the hook distal to the shank. The second end of the gate may engage with the distal portion of the hook adjacent, but not at, a free end of this distal portion. Accordingly, the distal portion of the hook may include a terminal lip. Where present, the lip is preferably turned outwardly to thereby provide an inner guide surface which slopes towards the gate. This inner surface is therefore suitable for directing an object to be attached to the loop onto the gate.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the first part of the loop may include first interacting means and the second part may include second interacting means. The first and second interacting means cooperate with one another to guide the second part of the loop towards and into the recess in the first part of the loop as the loop is opened. The first interacting means may be provided within the recess itself. Desirably, a hole may be provided in a wall of the recess which receives and accommodates a guide member which projects from the second part of the loop. The hole may for example be a slot and the second part of the loop may be provided with a planar guide vane.
The second part of the loop may be biassed into its closed position by a coil spring, but other mechanical equivalents such as leaf spring may alternatively be used.
The first part of the loop may include attachment means for securing the clip to an item, for example to a telephone. The attachment means may include one or more sockets each of which may accommodate a mounting prong attached to the item.
In a second aspect the invention provides a clip having a hook part and a gate part, wherein the hook part is generally U-shaped having a mouth defined between outer and inner limbs connected by an arcuate portion, said outer limb having a free end remote from said arcuate portion, said inner limb having a main limb portion and a connection portion remote from said arcuate portion to which said gate part is pivotally connected, said connection portion being in line with and/or offset from said main limb portion so as not to obstruct said mouth. Preferably said inner limb defines a recess for accommodating at least a substantial portion of the gate part in its open configuration when it is pivoted away from said outer limb.
In a third aspect the invention provides a casing incorporating a clip according to the first or second aspect of the invention, the casing having an exterior surface portion, the clip being mounted so that it has a use configuration in which the mouth of the loop is aligned with said casing exterior surface so that a hookable object can slide over said casing exterior surface and pass smoothly into said loop. Preferably the casing exterior surface is shaped to define a channel, open at one end, closed at the opposite end by an upstanding wall portion, and having opposed side walls, and the clip is mounted within said channel and projects through said open end in said use configuration. Preferably said clip is pivotably mounted and is pivotable to a configuration in which the gate part abuts said upstanding wall portion or a vertex where said upstanding wall portion meets said casing exterior surface, further pivoting urging said gate part to pivot to open the mouth of the loop. Prefera

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Clip and casing test telephone incorporating clip does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Clip and casing test telephone incorporating clip, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Clip and casing test telephone incorporating clip will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2501324