Self attaching holder

A holder for retaining sheet material such as a water bed liner against a surface such as a bed frame. The holder contains a head portion, a center portion and a leg portion. The head portion is biased to press against the surface to which the holder is attached. The center portion forms a space to hold a portion of the material. The leg portion includes a U-shaped portion insertable into a groove in the surface for removably securing the holder to the surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a holder and, more particularly, to a 
holder which may be used to secure the liner of a water bed or a plastic, 
cloth or paper decoration to a surface. The holder can be quickly and 
easily attached to and removed from any flat surface which contains an 
appropriate groove. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Holders of a similar type to that disclosed herein are described in my 
earlier U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,973,282 and 4,089,075. As pointed out these 
holders are easy to use and inexpensive to fabricate. 
The prior holders comprise three main integral portions: an upper or head 
portion, a center portion, and a lower or leg portion. 
The head portion is designed with a slightly beveled top to allow the 
insertion of the fingertips of an assembler. Inserting the fingers allows 
the moving or flexing of the head portion away from the surface and the 
insertion of the ends of a water bed liner or other sheet material into a 
storage space. This storage space is formed by the center portion which is 
slightly bowed to form the space between itself and the surface. 
The leg portion is used to position and retain the holder in a preselected 
location generally by being fastened with bolts or screws to a surface. 
Other methods of attaching the holder include gluing, tacking, and force 
wedging with another member. 
In order to be self-biasing or have spring-like action, the holder is 
designed to have the head portion offset by approximately one-eighth inch. 
When the holder is unattached with nothing to bias the head portion it 
will be about one-eighth inch offset from the leg portion. However, when 
the leg portion is aligned vertically with the surface, the surface biases 
the head portion. Thus, when the holder is connected to the surface the 
head portion will be forced back about one-eighth of an inch. This places 
an overstress in the center portion of the holder which induces a biasing 
force in the holder against the surface. This biasing force will insure an 
adequate restraint on the sheet material once it is tucked over the head 
portion and into the space and will also provide the spring-back feature. 
Hence, once tucking is completed, the assembler need only remove his 
fingers and the holder will spring back against the surface. 
It has been found that a holder of rigid polyvinylchloride material having 
a thickness of approximately 0.050 inches provides sufficient resiliency 
and works exceedingly well. 
Although this holder works extremely well and is effective in holding the 
water bed liner or other sheet material securely in place it may prove 
somewhat inconvenient to fasten to a surface. Not only do the screws and 
bolts require a lot of time to install, but they also constitute an 
additional cost in both material and assembly time. In addition, fastening 
the holder in this manner may limit the types of surfaces to which the 
holder can be attached. Furthermore, the number of fasteners and their 
spacing are factors affecting the tension exerted by the holder. An even 
tension is very difficult to achieve. 
The other methods of attaching the holder are more permanent in nature. For 
example, the counter molding used in connection with forced wedging has a 
barbed section. The barbs bite both the holder and the surface. The holder 
is thereby firmly secured but removal damages the holder and the surface 
and reattachment is difficult if not impossible. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The above-mentioned problems are overcome by the present invention which 
provides an improvement to the holders of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,973,282 and 
4,089,075 wherein the holder comprises a head portion for bearing against 
a surface with material being receivable between the head portion and the 
surface, a center portion connected to the head portion and bowed to form 
with the surface a space for storage of a portion of the material, and a 
leg portion having a generally U-shaped part, said leg portion being 
connected to the center portion and said U-shaped part being insertable 
into a groove for detachably connecting the holder to the surface. 
An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and easily 
manufactured holder which may be conveniently and quickly attached to and 
removed from a surface without damaging either the holder or the surface. 
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a holder that can be 
easily attached to or removed from a surface and yet not detach when 
flexed to receive material to be held. 
Still another aim of the present invention is to provide a holder with a 
leg portion that can be securely and snugly inserted into a groove in a 
surface to securely fasten the holder to the surface; this may be done 
without any tools and yet an even, lateral pressure is created. Thus, the 
wall thickness of the holder may be minimized. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a holder which is 
reliable and yet inexpensive and one which does not require additional 
fasteners for securing purposes. 
The foregoing objects, advantages, features and results of the present 
invention together with various objects, advantages, features and results 
thereof which will be evident to those skilled in the art in light of this 
disclosure may be achieved with the exemplary embodiment of the invention 
described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying 
drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
While the present invention is susceptible of various modifications and 
alternative constructions, illustrative embodiments are shown in the 
drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, 
however, that it is not the intention to limit the invention to the 
particular forms disclosed, but, on the contrary, the intention is to 
cover all modifications, equivalences, and alternative constructions 
falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the 
appended claims. 
Referring now to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a water bed frame 12 having 
interior lateral surfaces or perimeter 14 and a bottom member 16. A holder 
20 comprises an elongated element shown attached to the interior surfaces 
14, extending substantially the length of each side of the perimeter and 
coming within about an inch and one-half of each of the corners of the 
perimeter such as at a corner 22. 
As mentioned, holders designed for retaining water bed liners or other 
sheet material were disclosed in my earlier U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,973,282 and 
4,089,075. The holder disclosed herein, however, has a number of 
advantages over my previous holders. One improvement allows the holder to 
be easily and detachably connected to a surface such as a bed frame, and 
yet be easily flexed so that material can be tucked. Another improvement 
allows the holder to be used with a rail cap as will be described 
hereinbelow. 
Referring to FIG. 2, the holder 20 includes an upper or head portion 24, a 
center portion 26, and a leg portion 28. It has been found suitable that 
the holder have a height of about three inches. In order to provide the 
self-biasing or spring-like action of the holder, it is designed to have 
the head portion 24 offset by approximately one-eighth of an inch to the 
left as shown in FIG. 3. However, when the holder is attached to a flat 
surface, the surface biases the head portion. Thus, when the holder is 
connected to the frame, the head portion will be forced back about 
one-eighth of an inch as shown in FIG. 2. This places an overstress in the 
center portion of the holder which induces a biasing force in the holder 
against the interior lateral surface 14. 
The center portion is slightly bowed to form between itself and the surface 
14 a storage space designated 30. The storage space provides a place for 
the material tucked into the holder. The biasing force insures an adequate 
restraint on the sheet material and also provides a spring-back feature 
for the holder. Hence, once tucking is completed, the assembler need only 
remove his fingers and the holder will spring back against the material. 
The leg portion 28 is integral with the center portion of the holder and 
comprises a reverse S-shaped part having a spine 32 and oppositely 
directed curved fingers 34 and 36. The leg portion also includes a 
U-shaped part having an upper arm 38 and a lower arm 40. The extended ends 
of the arms 38 and 40 are connected together via a base 42. A push bar 44 
is connected to the other end of the upper arm and a spacer 46 is 
connected to the other end of the lower arm. 
One way in which the present invention differs from the previous patented 
holders is by the simple and reliable means provided for quickly and 
easily attaching and removing the holder from a surface. 
This particular improvement relates to the leg portion of the holder; the 
upper and center portion of the new holder may be identical to those 
portions of the previously patented holders. 
Still referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the leg portion 28 of the 
holder 20 comprises a unique attaching means. As mentioned, the attaching 
means is generally U-shaped including the arcuate upper arm 38 and the 
arcuate lower arm 40 extending from and flexibly attached to the base 42 
so that the lower arm 40 is movable relative to the upper arm 38. 
It should be noted that the securing holder is made of a single piece of 
material extruded in a special shape. The shape is designed so that the 
holder will exert tensions in particular directions when positioned in 
place. This one-piece construction allows for easy and inexpensive 
fabrication of holders of consistently high quality. 
FIG. 2 illustrates the manner in which the holder 20 is attached to a 
surface such as the lateral surface 14 of the water bed frame 12. The 
surface must be provided with a groove 48. The leg portion of the holder, 
comprising the arms 38 and 40 extending from the base 42, is inserted into 
the groove 48. As is readily apparent from FIG. 3, when unstressed the 
other ends of the arms 38 and 40 are separated by a distance greater than 
the width of the groove 48. Thus, the arms 38 and 40 are compressed as 
they are inserted into the groove. The base 42 flexes in order to 
facilitate this compression. This resiliency creates a spring-like force 
directing the arms 38 and 40 towards their unstressed position, thereby 
tightly pressing against the groove. Thus, the leg portion of the holder 
acts as a clasp when inserted into the groove. 
The unique shape of the arms 38 and 40 further facilitates a secure 
attachment to the groove 48. FIG. 2 illustrates the holder in its attached 
position. Note that locations designated as 50 and 52 of the upper arm 38 
contact the top surface 51 of the groove while the location designated as 
54 of the lower arm 40 contacts the bottom surface 53 of the groove. This 
three point clasp securely maintains the holder in place. 
The leg portion of the holder 20 is shown in detail in FIG. 3. The push bar 
44 is formed at the end of the upper arm 38. The push bar facilitates the 
insertion of the arms into the groove by providing a convenient surface 
with which to push the arms into the groove. The essentially vertical 
spacer 46 is formed at the other end of the lower arm 40. The top of this 
spacer establishes the minimum distance between the upper arm and the 
lower arm when they are compressed toward each other. The lower portion of 
this spacer facilitates the removal of the holder. By inserting a 
fingernail or tool between the spacer 46 and the surface to which the 
holder is attached and pushing the spacer upwardly (as shown in FIG. 2) so 
as to further compress the arms 38 and 40 together the holder may be 
easily removed. By this compression, the holder can be pulled out by 
grasping the spacer with the fingernails or by leveraging with a tool. 
The unique attachment means described herein provides a very secure 
connection to the water bed frame. The pressure along the length of the 
holder is substantially even when compared to the prior art and thus a 
better, more even grip is created. And because of the design of the holder 
the material secured thereby cannot force the arms out of the groove. Of 
course, short length sections can be used to create a plurality of 
independent gripping or tension regions. 
Referring now to FIG. 4 the deformations undergone by the holder during 
tucking are illustrated. Initially, the base 42 of the holder will flex 
until the top of the spacer 46 rests against the upper arm 38. Any 
additional stress on the holder causes it to flex at the reverse S part of 
the leg portion. This configuration assists in insulating the leg portion 
from forces exerted upon the holder. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the reverse 
S includes the spine 32 and the curved fingers 34 and 36. The curved 
finger 36 flexes when the upper portion of the holder is pulled back to 
tuck the sheet material. The flexibility of the holler allows the upper 
portion to be pulled back at least one and a half inches facilitating the 
tucking of the material into the storage space 30. 
After the base 42 flexes the location 52 is no longer in contact with the 
top 51 of the groove 48. However, locations 50 and 54 remain in contact 
with the upper and lower surfaces 51, 53 of the groove respectively. The 
same force that causes the base 42 to flex also tends to push locations 50 
and 54 in closer and tighter contact with the groove thereby more securely 
attaching the holder. 
An indication of the security of the attachment is that the arms will not 
loosen from the groove regardless of the force exerted against the upper 
portion of the holder. The holder will continue to flex until it fractures 
at the finger 36. 
Referring now to FIG. 5 there is illustrated a holder with a modified head 
portion 56. The head portion in this embodiment is radically tapered in 
order to present a minimum thickness. This tapered head is useful for 
several purposes. Among these is that the smaller surface area decreases 
the probability of accidental catching or pulling of the liner by the head 
portion. The tapered head portion can also be used in conjunction with a 
padded cap rail displayed in FIG. 6. A padded cap rail 58 covers the edge 
of the frame 12a providing a softer edge as well as a more aesthetically 
pleasing one. The cap contains inside vertical surfaces 60 and 62 and 
inside horizontal surface 64. These inside surfaces surround some of the 
bed frame as well as the head portion of the holder. 
The distance between the inside vertical surface 60 and the inside vertical 
surface 62 is slightly greater than the width of the top of the bed frame. 
This enables the cap to slip over the head portion of the holder when 
positioned on the frame. When the cap is in position the inside horizontal 
surface 64 abuts the top surface of the frame. At the same time the inside 
vertical surfaces press the upper porton of the holder against the frame. 
This creates a stressed condition in the holder whose resiliency creates a 
spring-llike force directed outwardly away from the wall of the frame. 
Thus, the holder exerts a horizontal force against the cap rails. This 
spring-like force tightly secures the padded cap rail to the frame. 
The thickness of the holder is especially important in the embodiment using 
the cap rail. It is desirable to maintain a tight and close fit between 
the cap and the frame. The thinner the holder, the closer the sides of the 
cap rail conform to the sides of the frame. The holder must not only be of 
the proper thickness to allow the cap to fit over it, but it must also be 
sufficiently flexible to squeeze when the cap rail is installed. In order 
to provide these qualities virgin polyvinylchloride has been found to be 
preferrable though up to 50% reground material or more can be mixed with 
virgin P.V.C. providing the material compound retains the necessary 
characteristics of resilience, fatique resistance and deterioration 
resistance. Several other synthetic materials may be suitable in addition 
to the P.V.C. These are A.B.S, polypropalene and various mixtures thereof. 
It can be seen that the improved holder described herein can be easily and 
securely installed without necessitating the use of screws, bolts, or the 
like. 
In operation, the U-shaped attachment means of the holder is pressed into 
the groove to secure the holder. This securing process is easily 
accomplished in a minimum amount of time. Next the assembly-person slips 
his fingers between the head portion of the holder and the surface. The 
fingers force back the head portion of the holder and allow the material 
to be tucked into the storage space. Once the fingers are removed the head 
portion snaps back against the surface securing the material in place. 
By pulling back the head portion, the material can be withdrawn from the 
storage space. This insertion and removal of material can occur as often 
as desired. Thus, the holder can be used to instantly and removably secure 
a sheet material without harming the material. 
The holder itself can also be easily removed without harming either itself 
or the surface to which it is attached. To remove the holder, the 
assembly-person merely pushes the spacer up, slips his fingernails or a 
tool between the spacer and the surface, and withdraws the holder.