Abstract:
A clip ( 10 ) is provided for securing an object such as a cable to a body ( 32 ) such as a wall of a supporting frame, which is of simple and rugged design and that allows one-hand operation. The clip includes first and second jaws ( 18, 20 ) with lower ends ( 60, 62 ) that are pivotally connected, upper ends ( 70, 72 ) that can grasp the object between them when the jaws are pivoted together, and middle parts ( 94 ). The body has a slot ( 22 ) that receives the middle parts of the jaws to hold the jaws together so the upper parts grasp the object.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     When a new peripheral device is added to a computer, a part of an engine is replaced, or a new piece of equipment is installed, the number of free cables, pipes, and the like also increases. Securing devices are used to hold cables to walls to avoid a tangled mess of cables, and to hold hoses in an engine to avoid them contacting a hot damaging surface or the like. 
     One type of holding device is an elongated plastic strip which can be looped around the object to be held, with the strip having teeth at one end and a locking mechanism at the other end that can move the teeth to tighten the loop. The strip can be passed through slits in the equipment wall to fix its position. Operation of the locking mechanism requires two hands, and it is easy to overtighten the strip and crush the cable or pipe that it holds. To remove a cable or pipe, the strip must be cut, so a replacement must be used. A clip that can hold a cable, pipe, or other object to a body wall, in a manner that enables easy one-hand operation, that avoids crushing the cable or pipe and that enables reuse, would be of value. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a clip and a body are provided for fixing the position of an object gripped by the clip, that enables easy clip operation. The clip has a pair of jaws with upper ends that can be moved together and apart to grasp and release the object, lower ends that are pivotally connected, and middles. With the upper ends of the jaws moved against the object, the clip is inserted into a narrow portion of a slot so the middles of the jaws are pressed together to thereby press the upper ends of the jaws tightly against the object. 
     The body can include a slot with wide and narrow parts, so the clip can be initially inserted into the wide part and then slid along the slot into the narrow part to hold the object in place. The jaws are preferably integrally molded with a web at their lower ends that couples them in a hinge joint to pivotally connect them. The lower ends have upstanding foots that can deflect during insertion down into the slot, and which then press up against the body. 
     The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an end elevation view of a clip of the present invention, shown in a fully open position. 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of a body in which the clip of FIG. 1 can be inserted. 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the clip and body, showing a section of the clip lying in a wide part of the body slot. 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, but with the clip part having been slid into a narrow part of the body slot. 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the clip and body of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded isometric view of the clip and body of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 7 is an end elevation view of a clip constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a clip  10  of the present invention, lying in a slot  22  of a plate-like body  32 . The clip has first and second jaws  18 ,  20  with lower ends  60 ,  62  that lie below a lower surface  64  of the body  32  and that are joined at a pivot axis  66 . The jaws have upper ends  70 ,  72  that lie above an upper surface  74  of the body and that can move together and apart when the jaws pivot. The clip is symmetric about a vertical plane  12   a  that passes through the axis. The upper ends of the jaws have downwardly facing surfaces  76  that abut the upper surface  74  of the body, while the lower ends of the jaws have lower surfaces  78  that abut the lower surface of the body. This prevents the clip from unintentionally coming out of the slot  22 , and avoids rattling of the clip in the slot. The lower ends  60 ,  62  include main parts  80  and upwardly-projecting foots  82  that form the surfaces  78  to engage the lower surface of the body. The foots  82  can bend slightly during downward insertion of the clip into the slot, and press against the lower surfaces of bodies of slightly different thicknesses. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the slot  22  has wide parts  24 ,  28  and narrow parts  26 ,  30 . A tapered slot part  90 ,  92  connects each wide part to a corresponding narrow part. The clip section shown in FIG. 3 lies in a slot wide part  24 , but can be slid to a narrow part. FIG. 4 shows the clip after it has been slid into the narrow part  26 . During such sliding, middle parts  94  of the jaws are pushed together by the narrowing slot walls, to the configuration shown in FIG.  4 . In FIG. 4, the foots  82  are still widely spaced, to provide stable positioning of the closed clip on the body. The jaws have tops  100  that lie above gripping surfaces in the form of jaw recesses that each receive part of the object to be hold. The tops  100  of the jaws preferably do not move together, but are separated by a distance A which is at least 10% of the width B of each jaw recess. Also, the middle and lower parts of the jaws have inner surfaces  106  that are parallel and spaced apart. Thus, pressing of the middle parts  94  of the jaws does not cause the jaws to press against each other, but causes each jaw to press against the object to securely grip it. 
     The clip  10  is preferably formed by a single integrally molded part that forms the two jaws and a web  12  that connects the lower ends of the jaw to forms a hinge that allows pivoting about the axis  66 . The clip can be constructed with a relatively short length that is about equal to the length C shown in FIG. 2 of a wide part  24 , a tapered part  90 , and narrow part  26 . It is possible to increase the length of the slot part C and to correspondingly increase the length of the clip. However, this results in a slot having a length  3 C that is three times as long as the clip. Applicant can use the slot  22  of FIG. 2 which has two wide parts  24 ,  28 , two narrow parts  27 ,  30 , and two tapered parts  90 ,  92  to use a clip having a length more than half the total length of the slot. FIG. 6 shows the construction of the clip that allows the use of a long clip in an only slightly longer slot. 
     As shown in FIG. 6, the clip has two end sections  110 ,  112  and a center section  114 . Slots  57  separate upper ends of the sections. The sections are spaced in a longitudinal direction M which is parallel to the pivot axis  66  of the clip. The center section  114  is different from the end sections because its middle part  94 A is thinner than the middle parts of the end sections  110 ,  112 . It is also possible to have the middle part completely cut away at  94 A. This construction allows the middle part  94 A to project down into, and to lie in the narrow part  26  of the slot while the end sections of the jaws are pivoted apart in the configuration of FIG.  3 . This allows the entire clip to be moved down into the slot  22 , by the end sections  110 ,  112  being inserted down into the wide parts  24 ,  28  while the center section  114  is inserted down through the narrow part  26 . The foots  82  deflect together during insertion. Then, the entire clip is slid in the direction of arrow F so the middle parts  94  of the end sections are pushed together to clamp the object  120 . 
     Instead of providing a slot with closed opposite ends  122 ,  124 , it is possible to provide a slot that extends to the extreme edge of the body  32 , so the clip can be slid into the slot and immediately clamps the object. The slot can be oriented vertically with respect to the Earth, with the narrow ends such as  26 ,  30  of the slot lying below the wider ends, to help avoid the clip moving back toward the wider ends as a result of vibrations. It is also possible to provide teeth in the middle part  94  and corresponding teeth in the narrow parts of the slot to avoid such movement. Pressure of the top surfaces  78  of the foots against the body provide friction to resist clip sliding. 
     While terms such as “upper,” and “lower,” have been used to describe the clip and combination of clip and body as illustrated, it should be understood that it is possible to use the clip and body in any orientation with respect to the Earth. 
     Thus, the invention provides a clip and a combination of a clip and body, which enables the clip to secure an object such as a cable or pipe to the body. The body has a slot, while the clip has a pair of jaws with upper ends that can grip the object and lower ends that are pivotally connected. The upper ends can be pressed together by the fingers of one hand to grip an object between them, and a middle part of the jaws can be slid down into or longitudinally along the slot in the body so the side walls of the body slot press the middle parts of the jaws together and hold them together. The clip is preferably molded as a single piece, with a web that connects the lower ends of the two jaws and that is molded integrally with the jaws. The slot in the body preferably has a wide part through which the clip can be inserted and a narrower part into which the clip can be slid to hold the jaws together. The lower ends of the jaws have primarily upwardly-projecting foots that can deflect together during insertion of the clip into the wide slot part, and which press against the lower surface of the body when the clip lies in the narrow part of the slot. A long clip can be installed into a slot of only slightly greater length than the clip, by providing the clip with opposite end sections and with a special center section. In that case, the center section has an indented middle part or is devoid of a middle part, and the body has with a slot with two wide sections that can receive the end sections of the clip, and two narrow sections. 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.