Books – strips – and leaves – Book or leaf holder
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-18
2001-05-22
Fridie, Jr., Willmon (Department: 3722)
Books, strips, and leaves
Book or leaf holder
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234535
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to portable organizers of the type utilized to retain various papers and documents as well as writing instruments and which also functions to provide a writing surface in the form of a clipboard. The invention is more specifically directed to portable clipboard organizers having at least one tray defining a compartment in which various articles may be stored and which is selectively covered by a lid having a clamping mechanism secured thereto for purposes of forming a clipboard writing surface.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Portable clipboard organizers are well known and are used frequently by those in professions wherein various documentation must be immediately accessible and wherein writing surfaces are not generally available. Police officers, fire fighters, courier and other delivery personnel, security guards, plant engineers and others frequently use clipboards having storage compartments in which papers which must be relied upon during the course of employment are stored. The organizers are usually carried and, when documentation is necessary, documents or other papers can be removed from the storage compartment and placed on a clipboard surface where the papers can be positively engaged by a clip or clamp assembly. Once documents have been signed or information placed on the documents, the documents can be removed from the clipboard surface and placed for safe storage within the storage compartment.
A number of conventional portable clipboard and storage organizers provide one or more storage trays to which a clipboard member is pivotally secured generally along an upper edge of an uppermost of the trays. The clipboard functions as a lid for closing the underlying storing compartments. Within some organizers, a latch is provided for securing the clipboard or lid member in overlying relationship with respect to the storage compartment(s) which clip is normally provided along the base or bottom of the organizer. Such conventional clipboard organizers are somewhat awkward to handle because of pivot assemblies are provided at an upper portion of the organizers. To gain access to papers in the organizers, the organizers must be opened and, if documents are placed on the clipboard, the documents are pivoted away from the individuals utilizing the organizers.
An additional drawback with conventional clipboard organizers is that the clamp assemblies utilized to secure papers on the surface of the clipboards or lids are spring loaded requiring some effort to be exerted to open the clamps to place or remove papers from the clipboard surfaces.
In addition to the forgoing, there is a need to provide portable clipboard organizers which provide increased utility for supporting more than one document from the surface of the organizers such that individuals can review a plurality of documents at the same time and yet have documents secured so that they need not be manually held. By way of an example, a police officer may wish to support a person's permit or driver's license at the same time the officer notes information on documents, such as citations or tickets.
Some examples of prior art clipboard organizers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,296 to Ratcliff; U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,744 to Dewitt; U.S. Pat. No. 2,417,879 to Merritt; U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,452 to Goodwin; U.S. Design Pat. Des No. 317,788 to Dewitt; and U.S. Design Pat. Des No. 322,891 to Samuelson et al.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A clipboard organizer which includes at least one storage tray having opposite upstanding end walls and opposite upstanding side walls which define therebetween at least one storage compartment. A lid is piviotly secured preferably along a lower end wall of the storage tray and is of a size to cover the storage compartment such that items may be stored and closed within the storage compartment. The lid includes a clamp assembly which is mounted thereto adjacent the upper end wall of the tray and includes opposing jaws which are resiliently urged toward one another in order to provide a positive clamping force for securing articles along an upper surface of the lid such that the lid and clamping mechanism form a clipboard structure.
To secure the lid to the at least one underlying tray, a clip extends from the clamp assembly and is engageable generally along the upper end wall of the tray. In a preferred embodiment, an elongated opening may be provided in the upstanding upper end wall of the tray in which a latch portion of the clip may be selectively seated.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a holding mechanism is also mounted generally centrally of a movable jaw of the clamping mechanism. The holding mechanism includes a thumb tab which is mounted in opposing relationship with a spring clip such that articles may be placed between the thumb tab and the spring clip and supported therebetween in space relationship relative to the surface of the lid. The holding mechanism also has utility in providing mechanical leverage by allowing the thumb tab to be engaged to pivot the movable jaw to allow articles to be placed between or removed from the opposing jaws of the clamp assembly. In some embodiments, the holding mechanism may be pivotally attached to the movable jaw thereby allowing the assembly to be raised to a use position extending outwardly relative to the movable jaw.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a clipboard type organizer which includes at least one storage tray to which a lid having a clamp assembly is pivotally secured such that the lid is opened by pivoting about a pivot axis at an end of the tray and preferably toward an individual who would be supporting the organizer so the documents and papers, placed on the surface of the lid which forms a clipboard, will be oriented at all times toward the individual and wherein access can easily be obtained to articles placed within the storage compartment defined by the tray.
It is a primary object of the invention to provide a portable clipboard organizer which provides for increased utility for supporting a variety of documents and which includes not only a clamp assembly for clamping papers or other articles along the surface of a lid forming a clipboard for the organizer but which also incorporates a secondary holding mechanism which can be utilized to support articles in spaced relationship from the surface of the clipboard portion of the organizer and which can also be used to facilitate opening of the clamp assembly.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a portable clipboard organizer which incorporates at least one storage tray and an overlying clipboard assembly which forms a lid for the tray and wherein a plurality of clamp or clip mechanisms are used for securely retaining articles relative to the clipboard assembly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable clipboard organizer which includes at least one tray which is selectively covered by a clipboard assembly and wherein the clipboard assembly includes a clamp mechanism from which extends a clip for securing the clipboard in fixed relationship with respect to the tray and wherein the clip is preferably provided along an upper end wall of the organizer.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 317788 (1991-06-01), DeWitt
patent: D. 322891 (1992-01-01), Samuelson
patent: 2417879 (1947-03-01), Merritt
patent: 2850296 (1958-09-01), Ratliff
patent: 3215452 (1965-11-01), Goodwin
patent: 3977744 (1976-08-01), DeWitt
patent: 4628572 (1986-12-01), Chang
patent: 5658014 (1997-08-01), Barker
Dowell & Dowell
Fridie Jr. Willmon
Saunders
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