Abstract:
A problem of damage, breakage or dirt of parts, resulting from attachment of the parts is solved by eliminating press-fitting and bonding for attachment of a clip ornament to a clip piece. The clip ornament is intended to be attached to the clip piece easily, thereby saving labor and reducing manufacturing cost.  
     A clip ornament includes an ornament main body  11  to be inserted into an attachment hole  22  of a clip piece  2  and grip portions provided at upper and lower portions of the ornament main body  11  so as to grip the clip piece  2  therebetween. An attachment jig  4  is moved along the lower surface of the clip piece  2 , the leading end of the attachment jig is inserted between the upper and lower grip portions, a gap between the upper and lower grip portions is widened while the clip ornament  1  is moved for attachment, and the lip of the attachment hole of the clip piece  2  is inserted between the upper and lower grip portions.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a clip attached to a barrel of a writing material such as a ballpoint pen or a mechanical pencil, and in particular to an ornament attached to the clip, a clip with the ornament and a method for attaching an ornament to a clip.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     As described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 11-129686, in attaching a clip ornament to a clip piece, an attachment portion of the clip ornament has been fixedly press fitted into an attachment hole provided in the clip piece. Alternatively, a clip ornament has been fixedly bonded to a clip piece. For press-fitting fixation, since the attachment portion of the clip ornament is strongly pressed, there arises a problem in that a component part is damaged or broken. For bonding, there is a problem in that an adhesive leaks to get a component part dirty. In addition, such fixation through the press-fitting or bonding poses problems in that slight shock causes the clip ornament to disengage from the clip piece, and in that the attachment requires much labor, increasing manufacturing cost.  
         [0003]     Incidentally, if a clip ornament and a clip piece are made of plastic, they may be made by two-color molding. The two-color molding has to use a mold that costs about two times; therefore, it is not adequate to small lot production. The mold for two-color molding needs a much higher degree of precision than that for one-color molding. Thus, the two-color molding tends to be avoided except for extraordinary necessity.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     It is an object of the present invention to solve the problem of damage, breakage or dirt of parts, resulting from attachment of the parts by eliminating press-fitting and bonding for attachment of a clip ornament to a clip piece. It is another object of the invention to facilitate attachment of a clip ornament to a clip piece, thereby saving labor for the attachment and reducing manufacturing cost.  
         [0005]     To achieve the above object, a clip ornament for a barrel according to an aspect of the present invention includes an ornament main body to be inserted into an attachment hole of a clip piece; and grip portions provided at upper and lower portions of the ornament main body so as to grip the clip piece.  
         [0006]     A clip with an ornament according to another aspect of the present invention includes a clip piece provided at one end thereof with an attachment portion to be attached to a barrel and at the other end with an attachment hole adapted to attach the clip ornament thereto.  
         [0007]     A method of attaching a clip ornament for a barrel according to another aspect of the present invention includes a first step of inserting one of upper grip portions of the clip ornament into an attachment hole of the clip piece from an under side of the clip piece and bringing an attachment jig into contact with a lower surface of the clip piece; a second step of moving the clip ornament and the attachment jig in a direction of approaching each other while inserting the upper grip portion into the attachment hole, thereby inserting a lip of the attachment hole between the upper grip portion and a lower grip portion opposite thereto; a third step of continuing the movement of the clip ornament and the attachment jig, moving the other upper grip portion of the clip ornament to a position capable of being inserted into the attachment hole, and inserting the other upper grip portion into the attachment hole; a fourth step of causing the lip to coincide with a gap between the other upper grip portion and a lower grip portion opposite to the other upper grip portion, and moving the clip ornament and the attachment jig in a direction of getting away from each other; and a fifth step of moving the clip ornament and thereby causing the longitudinally opposite upper and lower grip portions to grip and fix the lip of the attachment hole of the clip piece.  
         [0008]     The clip ornament of the invention is configured such that the upper and lower portions of the ornament main body to be inserted into the attachment hole of the clip piece are provided with grip portions adapted to grip the clip piece. Thus, the clip ornament is configured extremely simply, thereby providing the reduced number of parts and reduced cost.  
         [0009]     The clip with an ornament of the invention is configured such that the clip piece is provided at one end thereof with the attachment portion to be attached to a barrel and at the other end with the attachment hole adapted to attach the clip ornament thereto. Thus, the clip can be configured simply and obtained inexpensively, and the manufacturing process such as attachment can be facilitated.  
         [0010]     The method of attaching a clip ornament for a barrel according to the present invention involves moving a simple attachment jig along a lower surface of a clip piece, inserting a leading end of the attachment jig between upper and lower grip portions, widening a gap between the upper and lower grip portions while moving the clip ornament for attachment, and inserting a lip of the attachment hole of the clip piece between the upper and lower grip portions. Thus, the problem of damage, breakage or dirt of parts, resulting from attachment of the parts can be solved by eliminating press-fitting and bonding. In addition, a clip ornament can be attached to a clip piece comfortably and easily, thereby providing advantages of saved labor and reduced manufacturing cost.  
         [0011]     In particular, if a clip piece is made of metal and a clip ornament is made of plastic or is die-cast, since two-color molding cannot be applicable, the attachment method of the present invention provides a significant advantage in such a case. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a clip ornament according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of the clip ornament;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a bottom of the clip ornament;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a left side view of the clip ornament;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of a clip piece;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is an explanatory view illustrating a first step of a procedure for attaching the clip ornament to the clip piece;  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is an explanatory view illustrating a second step of the procedure;  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is an explanatory view illustrating a third step of the procedure;  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is an explanatory view illustrating a fourth step of the procedure;  
         [0022]      FIG. 11  is an explanatory view illustrating a fifth step of the procedure; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 12  is a front view of a writing material to which the clip piece with the clip ornament according to the invention is attached. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]     The present invention realizes a writing material having a clip with a clip ornament, in which the clip ornament can be easily attached to a clip piece. A description will be hereunder made of a clip ornament for a barrel, a clip and a method of attachment of the clip ornament to a clip piece according to embodiments of the present invention with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 12 .  
       FIRST EMBODIMENT  
       [0025]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a clip ornament of the present invention,  FIG. 2  is a plan view of the clip ornament,  FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the clip ornament,  FIG. 4  is a side view of the clip ornament, and  FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 1 . In the figures, the clip ornament  1  is made of plastic or is die-cast. The clip ornament  1  includes an ornament main body  11  to be inserted into an attachment hole  22  of a clip piece  2  described later and grip portions  12  and  13  provided at an upper portion and a lower portion, respectively, of the ornament main body  11  so as to grip the clip piece  2  therebetween. The ornament main body  11  has a cross-sectional diameter approximately equal to a diameter of the attachment hole  22  so that it will not move freely in the attachment hole  22  when inserted thereinto. The ornament main body  11  is formed with a press-protrusion  14  on at its undersurface central portion.  
         [0026]     Upper grip portions  12 L and  12 R are projectingly provided at only left and right (or longitudinally opposite) circumferential ends, respectively, of the upper portion of the ornament main body  11 . In addition, the grip portions  13  are projectingly provided at longitudinally and traverse opposite circumferential ends of the lower portion of the ornament main body  11 . In this embodiment shown in the figures, in view of assembling performance, continuous lower grip portions  13 L,  13 R are projectingly provided at the left and right circumferential ends, respectively, of the lower portion of the ornament main body  11 . In addition, the grip portions  13  are projectingly provided at the circumferential end other than the left and right circumferential ends so as to be separate from the lower grip portions  13 L,  13 R. The lower grip portions  13 L,  13 R are each formed convex to have a thick central portion  13   a  (see  FIG. 4 ). Consequently, a gap between the central portion of the lower grip portion  13 L and the upper grip portion  12 L is narrow. Similarly, a gap between the central portion of the lower grip portion  13 R and the upper grip portion  12 R is narrow. Alternatively, the upper grip portions  12 L,  12 R may be formed convex to have respective thick central portions. In addition, the upper and lower grip portions  12 L,  12 R,  13 L and  13 R may be formed convex to have respective thick central portions.  
         [0027]     In this way, the lip of the attachment hole  22  can linearly be gripped by the left and right grip portions  12 L,  13 L and  12 R,  13 R, whereby the clip ornament  1  can be firmly attached and fixed to the clip piece  2 . The upper grip portion  12 L (on the left side in the figure) of the ornament main body  11  which is first assembled is protruded by a width of W 1  from the lower grip portion  13 L opposite to the upper grip portion  12 L. In addition, the lower grip portion  13 R which is assembled later is protruded by a width of W 2  from the upper grip portion  12 R opposite to the lower grip portion  13 R. Incidentally, in  FIG. 1 , an engaging rib  1   a  is formed integrally with the ornament main body  11  between the upper grip portion  12 R and the lower grip portion  13 R so as to engage the attachment hole  22  of the clip  2  described later. In  FIGS. 1 and 3 , reference numeral  1   b  denotes a gate needed for die-forming.  
         [0028]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of the clip piece  2  to which the clip ornament  1  is attached. The clip piece  2  is made of a metal plate for instance. The clip piece  2  is formed with an attachment portion  21  for attachment to a barrel  31  mentioned later by folding its one end into a U-shape. In addition, it is formed at the other end with the attachment hole  22  for attachment with the clip ornament  1 . The clip piece  2  may be made of a synthetic resin and formed as described above by mold-forming. The attachment hole  22  is of an elongate hole having a semicircle at each end. This elongate hole serves to lock the ornament main body  11  having the same diameter as that of the elongate hole.  
         [0029]     According to the first embodiment with the configuration described above, the clip ornament  1  is constructed extremely simply, composed of the small number of parts and provided inexpensively. In addition, the ornament clip  1  is formed on its undersurface with the press-protrusion  14  having a most-protruding central portion. Thus, when the clip piece attached with the clip ornament  1  is put on a pocket of a jacket, the press-protrusion  14  is pressed by the cloth of the jacket to provide the firm attachment of the clip ornament to the clip piece. Therefore, the clip ornament will not disengage from the clip piece even if some impact is applied thereto.  
         [0030]     As described above, since the clip ornament  1  is formed with the press-protrusion  14  on the undersurface thereof, it is not necessary for the clip piece  2  to be formed with the press-protrusion, thereby providing the inexpensive clip piece  2  with a simple configuration.  
       SECOND EMBODIMENT  
       [0031]     Next, a description is made of a procedure for attaching the clip ornament  1  of the first embodiment to the clip piece  2  with reference to  FIGS. 7 through 11 . Incidentally, the attachment uses a simple attachment jig  4 . This jig  4  is made of a metal thin plate, which is thinner than the clip piece  2  so as to be insertable between the upper and lower grip portions.  
         [0032]     In a first step, an upper grip portion to be first assembled, that is, the left upper grip portion  12 L in the figures is inserted from below into the attachment hole  22  of the clip piece  2  and the attachment jig  4  is brought into contact with the lower surface of the clip piece  2 .  
         [0033]     In a second step, while the upper grip portion  12 L is pressed into the attachment hole  22 , the clip ornament  1  and the attachment jig  4  are moved in the direction of approaching each other. Since the upper grip portion  12 L protrudes to a width of W 1  from the lower grip portion  13 L, the tip of the upper grip portion  12 L can be easily brought into contact with the upper surface of the lip of the attachment hole. At this time, the lower grip portion  13 L bends while coming into contact under pressure with the attachment jig  4  moving along the lower surface of the clip piece  2  in the direction of the arrow. In this case, because of being separate from the grip portions  13  projectingly provided at the other circumferential end, the lower grip portion  13 L bends easily. Consequently, a gap G between the upper and lower grip portions  12 L and  13 L is widened, which makes it easy for the lip of the attachment hole  22  to enter the gap G.  
         [0034]     In a third step, the clip ornament  1  and the attachment jig  4  are continued to move in the direction of approaching each other, whereby the lower grip portion  13 L further bends and the lip of the attachment hole  22  further enters the gap G between the upper and lower grip portions  12 L and  13 L. As a result, the other grip portion of the clip ornament  1  to be assembled later, that is, the right upper grip portion  12 R can be moved to a position where it can be inserted into the attachment hole  22 . At this position, the clip ornament  1  is pushed up from below, thereby causing the right upper grip portion  12 R to enter the attachment hole  22 .  
         [0035]     In a fourth step, when the upper grip portion  12 R is inserted into the attachment hole  22 , the tip of the lower grip portion  13 R protruding to a width of W 2  from the upper grip portion  12 R comes into contact with the lower surface of the clip piece  2 . This contact prevents the upper grip portion  12 R from being inserted unnecessarily and causes the lip of the attachment hole to surely coincide with the gap G between the upper and lower grip portions  12 R and  13 R. Then the grip ornament  1  and the attachment jig  4  are moved in the direction of getting away from each other in contrast to the second step.  
         [0036]     In a fifth step, since the attachment jig  4  is removed by the movement of the clip ornament  1  and the attachment jig  4  in the fourth step, the lower grip portion  13 L is restored from the bending state to a straight state parallel to the clip piece  2 . Therefore, although the clip ornament  1  is moved rightward to reduce the amount of insertion of the lip into the gap G of the left upper and lower grip portions  12 L,  13 L, the clip piece  2  can be held firmly. On the other hand, the movement of the clip ornament  1  causes the right lip of the attachment hole  22  to enter the gap G between the upper and lower grip portions  12 R and  13 R. Consequently, the clip ornament  1  is gripped by the upper and lower grip portions  12 L and  13 L formed on the left side of the clip piece  2  and the upper and lower grip portion  12 R and  13 R formed on the right side. Thus, the clip piece  2  can be attached firmly. The lower surface of the clip piece  2  is pressed against the grip portions  13  provided at portions other than the left and right circumferential ends by the upper grip portions  12 L,  12 R. Therefore, along with the function of the engaging rib  1   a , the clip piece  2  can be attached and held firmly.  
         [0037]     According to the second embodiment, the attachment jig  4  is moved along the lower surface of the clip piece  2  so that its leading end is inserted between the upper and lower grip portions  12 L and  13 L. The relative movement between the attachment jig  4  and the clip ornament  1  for attachment widens the gap between the upper and lower grip portions  12 L and  13 L. The lip of the attachment hole of the clip piece  2  is then inserted between the upper and lower grip portions. In this way, the clip ornament can be easily attached to the clip piece while eliminating press-fitting and bonding.  
         [0038]      FIG. 12  is a plan view of a writing material  3  attached with the clip piece  2  to which the clip ornament  1  is attached as described above. The writing material  3  includes a barrel  31  and an attachment portion  32  which is provided at one end of the barrel  31  so as to be parallel to the surface of the barrel  31 . The U-shaped attachment portion  21  of the clip piece  2  is insertably attached to the attachment portion  32 . In this attachment state, when the writing material is inserted into a pocket of a jacket, the press-protrusion  14  formed on the lower surface central portion of the clip ornament  1  presses the cloth of the jacket to the barrel surface and holds it between the barrel surface and the clip piece.  
         [0039]     The embodiment described above takes a ballpoint pen as the writing material  3 ; however, it is a matter of course that the writing material  3  may be a mechanical pencil. In addition, the embodiment may apply to other barrels that need a clip, such as an eraser holder, a pen type container for containing a correction fluid, and a portable seal holder.