Clip for attaching thermostats to pipes

A one-piece clip for attaching thermostats to pipes has a peripheral wall that is circumferentially interrupted to define adjacent end portions that are reversely bent into cooperative hooks. The clip has a top portion attachable to a thermostat and an opposite bottom portion that is positionable on the opposite side of a pipe from the thermostat. The clip is resiliently deformable to move the hooks into interengaged relationship and the clip then holds the thermostat against the pipe.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This application relates to the art of clips and, more particularly, to 
clips used for attaching or mounting one article to another. The invention 
is particularly applicable to clips used for attaching thermostats to 
pipes and will be described with specific reference thereto. However, it 
will be appreciated that the invention has broader aspects and can be used 
for other purposes. 
Thermostats are commonly attached to coils of heat exchangers for sensing 
the temperature thereof. Clips used to attach the thermostat to a heat 
exchanger coil are often difficult to assemble, particularly in blind or 
one-handed installations. Many clips of this type are easily dislodged or 
are not suitable for attaching thermostats to reversely curved exposed end 
coils of heat exchangers. 
It would be desirable to have a secure and easily installed clip that would 
also be capable of attaching thermostats to exposed reversely curved end 
coils of heat exchangers. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A clip of the type described has a peripheral wall that is 
circumferentially interrupted to define adjacent end portions that are 
reversely bent into cooperatively engagable hooks. The peripheral wall is 
resiliently deformable to move the hooks toward one another and into 
cooperative interengaged relationship. 
The clip surrounds a heat exchanger pipe and a thermostat, and resiliently 
urges the thermostat into engagement with the pipe. The clip is attached 
to the thermostat, and is installed by positioning same around a heat 
exchanger pipe and then squeezing the clip with one hand to engage the 
hooks. 
In a preferred arrangement, the shape of the peripheral wall is such that 
it includes generally opposite top and bottom portions and opposite side 
portions. The cooperative hooks are in one of the side portions 
intermediate the top and the bottom potions. 
The top portion of the clip peripheral wall has a substantially flat top 
central portion with a pair of opposite arms extending outwardly and 
upwardly therefrom. The substantially flat top central portion of the clip 
peripheral wall has a fastener receiving hole therethrough for attaching 
the clip to a thermostat. Longitudinal stiffening ribs are preferably 
provided in the substantially flat top central portion on opposite sides 
of the fastener receiving hole. 
The bottom portion of the clip peripheral wall includes a bottom central 
portion that is generally V-shaped for receiving a heat exchanger pipe. 
The generally V-shaped bottom central portion has a substantially reduced 
width provided by inwardly curved opposite side edges to facilitate 
mounting on reversely curved exposed end coils of a heat exchanger. 
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved 
one-piece spring clip for use in attaching thermostats to heat exchanger 
coils. 
It is also an object of the invention to provide such a clip that can be 
installed with one hand and is also suitable for attaching thermostats to 
exposed end coils of heat exchangers.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawing, wherein the showings are for purposes of 
illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only and not for 
purposes of limiting same, FIG. 1 shows a one-piece spring clamp A having 
a peripheral wall that is circumferentially interrupted to define 
spaced-apart end portions 10, 12 that are reversely bent into cooperative 
hooks. Squeezing the clip moves hooks 10, 12 toward one another until they 
become interdigitated as shown in FIG. 5. 
Clip A includes a top portion having a substantially flat top central 
portion 16 with a centrally located circular hole 18 therethrough for 
receiving a rivet to attach the clip rotatably to a thermostat housing. 
Substantially flat top central portion 16 has longitudinal stiffening ribs 
20, 22 formed in the outer edges thereof on opposite sides of hole 18. 
Ribs 20, 22 reinforce and stiffen flat top central portion 16 against 
bending in the area of hole 18. 
A pair of opposite arms 26, 28 extend outwardly and upwardly from opposite 
ends of substantially flat top central portion 16. The peripheral wall of 
clip A is bent at the outer ends of arms 26, 28 as generally indicated at 
30, 32 to provide a pair of legs 36, 38 extending downwardly and outwardly 
from arms 26, 28. One leg 38 has a first leg terminal end portion that is 
reversely bent into hook 10. The other leg 36 is inwardly bent at 40 
generally opposite from hook 10 to define a downwardly inclined first wall 
portion 42 that intersects an upwardly inclined second wall portion 44 at 
a generally V-shaped intersection 46. 
Upwardly inclined second wall 44 is downwardly bent at 50 to define a third 
wall 52 having an upwardly extending leg 54 thereon that reversely bent to 
terminate in hook 12. Hooks 10, 12 on the end portions of legs 38, 54 
define cooperating means for releasably connecting legs 38, 54 to one 
another. 
The generally V-shaped bottom central portion of clip A has a reduced width 
provided by inwardly curved opposite side edges 58, 60 as shown in FIG. 2. 
This facilitates attachment of the clip to end coils of a heat exchanger 
with the reduced width portion located on the inside of the curve of a 
curved end coil. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a thermostat B having clip A attached thereto by a 
headed rivet 70. The shank of rivet 70 extends through hole 18 in flat top 
central portion 16 of clip A shown in FIG. 3. The enlarged head on rivet 
70 is larger than the diameter of hole 18. Relative rotation between clip 
A and thermostat B may take place around the shank of rivet 70. Thermostat 
B has a cup 72 that is longitudinally curved as generally indicated at 74 
for receiving a pipe 76 on a heat exchanger. 
To attach and assemble the clip and thermostat to a pipe, the assembly is 
manipulated to pass the pipe through the spaced hook end portions 10, 12 
of clip A until the pipe is received in the V-shaped bottom central 
portion of the clip. The top and bottom portions of the clip adjacent legs 
38, 54 are then squeezed between a person's thumb and fingers for moving 
hooks 10, 12 toward one another and into interdigitated engagement. The 
clip can be removed by pressing laterally on leg 38 to disengage hooks 10, 
12. Once installed, the clip is under bending stress, and this holds the 
hooks interdigitated and biases the thermostat cup into firm engagement 
with the pipe. 
The substantially reduced width of the generally V-shaped bottom central 
portion of the clip that engages the pipe minimizes the amount of heat 
that is transferred from the pipe to the clip and also allows secure 
mounting of the clip to an exposed curved end portion of a heat exchanger 
coil. 
The clip of the present application has generally opposite top and bottom 
portions and opposite side portions. Hooks 10, 12 are in one side portion 
defined by legs 38, 54. Leg 38 extending downwardly from the top portion 
of the clip is substantially longer than leg 54 extending upwardly from 
the bottom portion of the clip. Substantially straight legs 36, 38 are 
outwardly inclined when hooks 10, 12 are separated in the relaxed 
condition of the clip and are inwardly inclined as shown in FIG. 5 when 
hooks 10, 12 are interdigitated. End portion 10 of leg 38 is reversely 
bent outwardly to define a hook therein, while end portion 12 of leg 54 is 
reversely bent inwardly to define a hook thereon. 
The clip of the present application may be made in many different sizes to 
accommodate different sizes of pipes and thermostats. In the arrangement 
shown and described, the length of substantially flat top central portion 
16 is greater than the length of each individual arm 26, 28, while the 
combined length of the two arms together is greater than the length of 
substantially flat top central portion 16. Arm 28 is also somewhat longer 
than arm 26. 
Strictly for purposes of example and not for purposes of limitation, the 
dimensions of one size of clip will be given. The length of substantially 
flat top central portion is about 0.5 inches, while the length of arm 26 
is about 0.375 inches and the length of arm 28 is about 0.4 inches. Arms 
26, 28 are upwardly inclined at angles of about 20.degree.. The included 
angle between arm 26 and leg 36, and between arm 28 and leg 38, is about 
75.degree.. The length of legs 36, 38 will vary with the height of the 
thermostat. In an intermediate clip size, leg 36 has a length of about 
0.880 inch, and leg 38 has a length of about 0.840 inch. Wall 42 has a 
length of about 0.7 inches, and walls 44, 52 each have a length of about 
0.375 inches. The included angle between leg 36 and wall 42 at bend 40 is 
about 130.degree.. The included angle between walls 42, 44 at bend 46 is 
about 120.degree.. The included angle between walls 44, 52 at bend 50 is 
about 150.degree.. The length of upwardly extending leg 54 is about 0.260 
inches. The end portions of legs 38, 54 are reversely bent into hooks with 
included angles of about 45.degree.. 
Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a 
preferred embodiment, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and 
modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and 
understanding of this specification. The present invention includes all 
such equivalent alterations and modifications, and is limited only by the 
scope of the claims.