Abstract:
A document clip according to the invention comprises a first plate, a parallel second plate connected at a connecting end to define a document insertion space between the plates in which are provided two groups of elastic retaining members each comprising a series of elastically flexible transverse blades oriented obliquely toward the connecting end. The elastic transverse retaining blades ensure good retention of documents in the form of sheets whilst allowing them to be withdrawn by movement in axial or transverse translation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to devices for temporarily holding or fastening together documents in the form of sheets such as sheets of paper, memorandum sheets, enabling insertion and removal of one or more sheets.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the prior art  
           [0004]    Already known in the art are various types of fasteners for combining a plurality of sheets, including paperclips, pins and spring clips. These means are not suitable for fixing to a wall, table or other article to which the sheets must be temporarily fixed, however.  
           [0005]    There is also known in the art, from the document EP 0 438 895 A, a document clip comprising a first plate and a second plate parallel to the first plate from which it is separated by a particular document insertion space and to which it is connected at a connecting end to form a generally U-shaped structure. A first group of elastic retaining hairs inclined toward the connecting end project from an inside surface of the first plate toward the second plate. A second group of elastic retaining hairs inclined toward the connecting end project from an inside surface of the second plate toward the first plate. Documents in the form of sheets can be inserted into the insertion space by movement in longitudinal translation, which pushes the retaining hairs toward the connecting end, causing them to flex. When sheets are withdrawn by pulling on them in the axial direction, the hairs flex in the other direction, away from the connecting end, and release the sheets when they have passed beyond an orientation perpendicular to the plates. It is also possible to withdraw the sheets by movement in lateral translation. After the sheets have been withdrawn, the hairs resume substantially their original position, inclined toward the connecting end. A device of this kind is relatively satisfactory, but has the drawback that the retention of documents in the form of sheets against longitudinal extraction traction away from the connecting end is often insufficient. It does not seem to be possible to arrive at a good compromise between good retention of sheets against a longitudinal extraction force, easy insertion of sheets against the return force of the elastic hairs, and sufficient return of the elastic hairs toward their rest position after they have been flipped over by applying longitudinal traction to documents in the form of sheets.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The problem addressed by the present invention is therefore that of designing a document clip structure of the type described in the document EP 0 438 895 A but having an increased force to retain the sheets against a longitudinal extraction force, ensuring good return of the elastic members toward their rest position after extraction of sheets in the longitudinal direction, and ensuring easy and smooth longitudinal insertion of documents in the form of sheets by movement in translation.  
           [0007]    The aim is thus to provide a document clip that is very smooth in use whilst ensuring more reliable retention of the sheets.  
           [0008]    To achieve the above and other objects, the invention provides a document clip including:  
           [0009]    a first plate,  
           [0010]    a second plate parallel to the first plate, from which it is separated by a document insertion space, and to which it is connected at a connecting end to form a generally U-shaped structure,  
           [0011]    a first group of elastic retaining members projecting from an inside surface of the first plate toward the second plate and inclined toward the connecting end, and  
           [0012]    a second group of elastic retaining members projecting from an inside surface of the second plate toward the first plate and inclined toward the connecting end;  
           [0013]    according to the invention the first and second groups of elastic retaining members are elastically flexible transverse blades.  
           [0014]    In a preferred embodiment, at rest, the transverse blades are inclined at an angle from 50° to 60°, advantageously approximately 55°.  
           [0015]    In a practical embodiment, the transverse blades are approximately 1 mm thick. They can be approximately 5 mm long.  
           [0016]    The transverse blades preferably have a beveled free end defining an end facet substantially parallel to the plates.  
           [0017]    Transverse blades can be designed whose free end is rectilinear.  
           [0018]    However, better results are obtained by providing the free end of the transverse blades with longitudinal cuts distributed across the width of the clip.  
           [0019]    The transverse blades can advantageously be fastened to a base fixed, for example glued, to the inside surface of the corresponding plate. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, which is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of a document clip according to the invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2 is a front view of the clip shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 is a side view of the clip shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 is a side view in longitudinal section taken along the line I-I in FIG. 1;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5 is a side view showing the two plates prior to assembly;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 6 is a plan view of a group of elastically flexible transverse blades conforming to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 7 is a side view of the group of blades shown in FIG. 6;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 8 is a front view of an elastically flexible transverse blade conforming to an advantageous embodiment of the invention;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 9 is a plan view of a second embodiment of a document clip according to the invention;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 10 is a front view of the clip shown in FIG. 9;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 11 is a side view of the clip shown in FIG. 10;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 12 is a side view showing the two plates prior to assembly; and  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing how the document clip according to the invention is used. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0034]    In the embodiment shown in FIGS.  1  to  8 , the document clip according to the invention comprises a first plate  1 , for example of generally rectangular shape with rounded corners, as shown in FIG. 1, and a second plate  2  parallel to the first plate  1  and separated therefrom by a document insertion space  3 . The second plate  2  is connected to the first plate  1  at a connecting end  4  to form a generally U-shaped structure as seen from the side.  
         [0035]    Accordingly, in the FIG. 3 side view, the document insertion space  3  is delimited by the two plates  1  and  2 , and by the connecting end  4 , leaving a longitudinal insertion opening  5  (FIG. 3) and two transverse insertion openings  6  and  7  (FIG. 2).  
         [0036]    A first group of elastic retaining members  8  inclined toward the connecting end  4  projects from an inside surface  9  of the first plate  1  toward the second plate  2 . Similarly, a second group of elastic retaining members  10  inclined toward the connecting end  4  projects from an inside surface  11  of the second plate  2  toward the first plate  1 .  
         [0037]    The plates  1  and  2  have respective facing inclined facets  12  and  13  in the vicinity of the longitudinal insertion opening  5 , constituting a flared opening to facilitate longitudinal insertion of documents in the form of sheets. Similarly, as seen in FIGS. 1, 3 and  4 , the first plate  1  is slightly longer than the second plate  2 , and therefore has a longer front lip  14 .  
         [0038]    The groups of elastic retaining members  8  and  10  comprise transverse blades fastened to a base. Accordingly, as seen more clearly in FIGS. 4 and 6 to  8 , the first group of elastic retaining members  8  comprises a rectangular base  15  to which are fixed six transverse blades  16   a ,  16   b ,  16   c ,  16   d ,  16   e  and  16   f  which are generally parallel to each other, and inclined to the base  15  at an angle A from approximately 50° to approximately 60°, advantageously approximately 55°. The transverse blades  16   a - 16   f  are approximately 1 mm thick.  
         [0039]    Similarly, the transverse blades  16   a - 16   f  can advantageously be approximately 5 mm long, in the usual case of document clips intended to hold about fifteen sheets.  
         [0040]    Each base, for example the base  15 , is glued into a corresponding recess on the inside surface  9  of the first plate  1  (or the second plate  2 ).  
         [0041]    In the embodiment shown in longitudinal section in FIG. 4, when the device is at rest, the free ends of the transverse blades  16   a - 16   f  associated with the first plate  1  bear lightly and elastically on the free ends of the corresponding transverse blades of the second group of elastic retaining members  10  on the second plate  2 .  
         [0042]    The transverse blades, for example the transverse blades  16   a  in FIG. 7, have their free end  16   a   1  beveled, defining an end facet substantially parallel to the plate  1  or  2 . Note that this arrangement maximizes the surface area of contact of the transverse blades with a document in the form of sheets inserted into the clip.  
         [0043]    The plates  1  and  2  can be made, for example molded, from a rigid plastics material such as ABS.  
         [0044]    In contrast, the transverse blades  16   a - 16   f  are made from an elastomer, enabling them to flex elastically when a sheet is inserted into the document insertion space  3 .  
         [0045]    Good results are obtained by making the transverse blades  16   a - 16   f  from an elastomer such as TPE SANTOPRENE.  
         [0046]    The transverse blades  16   a - 16   f  are advantageously molded in one piece with the corresponding base  15 .  
         [0047]    The two plates  1  and  2  can clip together. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, at the connecting end  4 , female clipping means  1   a  on the first plate  1  cooperate with male clipping means  2   a  on the second plate  2 , and the clipping means have corresponding bearing faces  1   b  and  2   b  which bear on each other when the two plates  1  and  2  are clipped together at the connecting end  4 .  
         [0048]    In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the transverse blades  16   a - 16   f  have a continuous end facet forming a rectilinear edge at the end.  
         [0049]    In the advantageous embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the free end  16   a   1  of the transverse blade  16   a  incorporates longitudinal cuts, for example the cut  16   a   2 , distributed across the width of the clip. This improves the adhesion of the transverse blades to a sheet inserted in the clip.  
         [0050]    The embodiment shown in FIGS.  9  to  12  has the same components as the embodiment shown in FIGS.  1  to  8 , and additionally a pen or pencil clip. Elements that are a feature of both embodiments are identified by the same reference numbers, and it is therefore not necessary to describe them again.  
         [0051]    The only difference in this second embodiment is the presence of a pen or pencil clip  17  on the posterior face  18  of the connecting end  4 . The pen or pencil clip  17  can be a C-shaped section, for example, with an opening  19 , and having an appropriate elasticity so that it can spread apart radially on inserting a pen or pencil into the posterior opening  19  and thereby retain the pen or pencil once inserted.  
         [0052]    In both embodiments, the first plate  1  can advantageously have on its outside surface  20 , an adhesive surface  21  for fixing it to a fixed article such as walls, tables, etc. The adhesive surface  21  is preferably repositionable, which is achieved by an appropriate layer of repositionable adhesive.  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 13 shows how the clip according to the invention is used. A document  22  in the form of sheets can be inserted by movement in longitudinal translation  23  between the plates  1  and  2 . As can be seen in FIG. 4, for example, during this movement in translation, the document in the form of sheets pushes the elastic blades of the groups of elastic retaining members  8  and  10  elastically toward the connecting end  4 , the elastic blades continuing to bear on both sides of the document in the form of sheets. Thereafter, if traction is exerted on the document in the form of sheets in the opposite direction, to extract it longitudinally (arrow  23 ), the free ends of the transverse blades adhere to both sides of the sheet, and the stronger the sheet is pulled the stronger the free end facets of the transverse blades bear on the opposite sides of the document in the form of sheets. Because they are in the form of transverse blades, the groups of elastic retaining members produce a high retaining force. It is nevertheless possible, by pulling on the sheets sufficiently strongly, to extract the sheets by movement in longitudinal translation in the reverse direction (arrow  23 ), without damaging the groups of elastic retaining members  8  and  10 . These one flex in the direction away from the connecting end  4 , and then resume their rest position after extraction of the sheet.  
         [0054]    It is also possible to remove the sheets  22  by movement in translation in a transverse direction  24 , as shown in FIG. 13.  
         [0055]    It is also possible to remove the sheets by movement in translation in an intermediate direction between the longitudinal direction  23  and the transverse direction  24 .  
         [0056]    Once a document has been inserted into the clip according to the invention, it is retained very strongly.  
         [0057]    Despite this strong retaining force, documents can be inserted and withdrawn with one hand and by a simple gesture.  
         [0058]    The clip according to the invention does not damage the documents, and leaves no trace either on the documents or on the surface chosen to receive the clip.  
         [0059]    The present invention is not limited to the embodiments that have been explicitly described, but encompasses variants and generalizations thereof within the scope of the following claims.