Patent Publication Number: US-2003224655-A1

Title: Multi-function clip

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to a multi-function clip, and more particularly, to a multi-function clip suitable for use with the pocket-sized wireless universal serial bus (USB) adapter.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] The newly-purchased personal computer supports an interface technology called USB. The USB interface technology provides the connection between a central processing unit (CPU) and newly-added peripheral elements, thereby automatically configuring the newly-added peripheral elements to the computer. Moreover, the USB interface supports a lot of equipments by the way of serially connection, i.e. first connecting the first equipment to the computer; then connecting the second equipment to the first equipment; and thereafter connecting the third equipment the second equipment; and so on.  
       [0003] Generally, the peripheral hardware uses a wire (or cable) to connect to the computer through the USB interface, but also can use a wireless way. For example, some mobile phones can communicate with the computer by the wireless USB interface. While the communication is handled by the wireless USB interface, a wireless adapter is used to receive and send wireless signals, wherein the computer is connected to the wireless adapter through the USB interface with a wire, and then the wireless adapter communicates with the peripheral hardware such as the mobile phone wirelessly.  
       [0004] There are many varieties of the aforementioned wireless adapter, and one of them is the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter. The pocket-sized wireless USB adapters can be classified into a portable type and a desktop type from the viewpoint of design, and into a desktop type and a wall-mount type form the viewpoint of use, wherein the type actually applied is determined by the user&#39;s environment.  
       [0005] Since the main body of the aforementioned portable pocket-sized wireless USB adapter is light in weight and small in size, it is very easily to be tipped over and cannot stay steadily while being connected to a USB cable. Moreover, since the portable pocket-sized wireless USB adapter is featured in wireless communication, it has to be placed on a higher position or on a space without barriers so as to obtain the best communication effect.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] Just as described above, the conventional pocket-sized wireless USB adapter still has room for improvement with regard to the holding mechanism. Hence, an objective of the present invention is to provide a multi-function clip connected to the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter, whereby the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter can be placed on the desk, placed or hung on a higher position, or further clipped on any proper places.  
       [0007] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a multi-function clip, wherein the material forming the multi-function clip is an elastic material such as plastics, so that the complicated movable mechanism is not required, thereby substantially saving the cost of parts.  
       [0008] According to the aforementioned objectives of the present invention, the present invention provides a multi-function clip suitable for use with a wireless USB adapter, wherein the multi-function clip comprises: a main body; and an clipping member having at least one positioning hole and a cross-section of such as L-shape, wherein one side of the clipping member is connected to the main body and the other side of the clipping member is able to extend outwards because of the elasticity of the clipping member. Moreover, the present invention also comprises at least one attaching element placed in the at least one positioning hole and installed on the clipping member. Furthermore, after the at least one attaching element is placed in the at least one positioning hole, there is a gap existing in the at least one positioning hole, so that the wireless USB adapter can be hung on at least one nail of a wall via the gap. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
     [0010]FIG. 1 is a 3D diagram showing the multi-function clip according to an embodiment of this invention;  
     [0011]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the front view of the multi-function clip according to an embodiment of this invention;  
     [0012]FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the top view of the multi-function clip according to an embodiment of this invention;  
     [0013]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the right side view of the multi-function clip according to an embodiment of this invention and a conventional vertical partition; and  
     [0014]FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the multi-function clip according to an embodiment of this invention and the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter are connected.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0015] The present invention is suitable for use in connecting to the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter. The pocket-sized wireless USB adapter of the present invention has multi-functions including a desktop type, a wall-mount type, an attaching type, and a clipping type after connecting to the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter. Please refer to the 3D view, front view, top view, and right side view respectively shown from FIG. 1 to FIG. 4. The multi-function clip  20  comprises a main body  30  and an clipping member  40 . The material forming the main body  30  and the clipping member  40  is such as plastics, but the present invention is not limited thereto. If the main body  30  and the clipping member  40  both are made of plastics, the main body  30  and the clipping member  40  can be formed in one single piece of material without the complicated movable mechanism needed, thereby saving the cost of parts substantially. However, the clipping member  40  has to be made of an elastic material in order to perform the function of clipping type (referring to the following description), although the material of the clipping member  40  is not necessary to be plastics. Moreover, the shape of the main body  30  can be a solid plate such as a rectangular solid plate or a solid plate of any other shape. However, the shape of the main body  30  can also be a hollow frame, which means that the hollow frame is formed from the aforementioned solid plate with an opening penetrating from one surface having the maximum surface area to the other surface. The following description is the connecting relationships among the elements of this invention.  
     [0016] Please refer to FIG. 4, which is the diagram showing the right side view of the multi-function clip according to an embodiment of this invention and a conventional vertical partition. The clipping member  40  has a cross-section of such as L-shape composed of a first side  45  and a second side  60 , wherein the first side  45  is opposite to the second side  60 . The first side  45  of the clipping member  40  is connected to the main body  30 , and the second side  60  is able to perform a horizontal displacement movement of extending away from or approaching towards the main body  30  in the direction as shown by the arrow  70 . The horizontal displacement movement of the second side  60  is achieved due to the elasticity of the clipping member  40 . When the multi-function clip  20  is closed to the external vertical partition  11  in the direction as shown by the arrow  72  with a space  71  formed between the second side  60  and the main body  30 , the top end of the vertical partition  11  is plugged into the space  71 . Even though the width of the top end of the vertical partition  11  is larger than the width of the space  71  formed between the second side  60  and the main body  30 , the second side  60  still can extend outwards in the direction of the arrow  70  due to the elasticity of the clipping member  40 , whereby the multi-function clip  20  can clip the vertical partition  11  tightly. The vertical partition  11  indicated herein stands for any object that can be clipped by the multi-function clip  20  of the present invention. Moreover, the vertical partition  11  is not necessary to be exactly vertical to the x-z horizontal plane. For example, the plane  130  where the vertical partition  11  is located may have some degrees of angle with respect to the y direction, as long as the multi-function clip  20  does not slip off while clamping the vertical partition  11 . Besides, there is a plurality of anti-slip ribs  75  located on a portion of a surface of the clipping member  40 , so that the multi-function clip  20  is able to clip the vertical partition  11  more firmly. When the multi-function clip  20  is clipping the vertical partition  11 , the anti-slip ribs  75  are in contact with the vertical partition  11 . Furthermore, the present invention has a block  80  to limit the depth with which the top end of the vertical partition  11  is inserted. The block  80  is installed on the main body  30 , and the shape of the block  80  is not limited to a specific shape provided that the block  80  is able to perform the limiting function. With regard to the position of the block  80 , basically, no particular limitation is used. However, when the block  80  is located more closely to the second side  60 , the space  71  is smaller, and the effect that the multi-function clip  20  clips the vertical partition  11  is less accordingly. On the contrary, when the block  80  is located farther from the second side  60 , the space  71  is bigger, and to the extreme, the function of the block  80  can be performed alternatively by a portion of the clipping member  40  near the first side  45 . Therefore, the depth with which the top end of the vertical partition  11  in inserted can be unrestricted, which means that the block  80  is not a necessary element. Accordingly, the multi-function clip  20  without the block  80  is also within the claimed scope of the present invention.  
     [0017] Then, the following description is stated for the attaching type function of the multi-function clip  20 . There is at least one positioning hole  50  on the surface  90  of the clipping member  40  to perform the attaching type function (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). Number of the positioning holes  50  in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is two, but the present invention is not limited thereto provided that the number of the at least one positioning hole  50  can achieve the attaching type function of the present invention. The at least one positioning hole  50  may be a hole completely penetrating through the clipping member  40 , or an area deep into a portion of the thickness of the clipping member  40  so as to form a depression structure. Moreover, the multi-function clip  20  of the present invention also can have at least one attaching element  100  placed in the at least one positioning hole  50 , and installed on the clipping member  40 . The at least one attaching element  100  can be for example a magnet or a Velcro, but the present invention is not limited thereto, as long as the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter can be attached to the vertical plate (such as the wall) more firmly by the at least one attaching element  100  after the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter is connected to the multi-function clip  20  of the present invention. It is well known that, if at least one attaching element  100  is a magnet, then the above vertical plate has to be made of the magnet-attachable material.  
     [0018] Regarding the wall-mount type function, it is achieved by the gap  110  in the positioning hole  50 . After the attaching element  100  is placed in the positioning hole  50 , there is still some extra space in the positioning hole  50  so as to form the gap  110 . After being connected to the multi-function clip  20 , the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter can be hung by fitting the gap  110  with a protrusion (such as a nail) located on a wall, thereby overcoming the disadvantage of the conventional clip not having the wall-mount function.  
     [0019] Moreover, such as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter can use the surface  90  of the clipping member  40  facing downwards to be positioned steadily on a horizontal surface of an object (such as a computer desk), so as to achieve the desktop type function of the present invention. Therefore, the multifunction clip  20  can overcome the disadvantage of the portable pocket-sized wireless USB adapter that is easily to be tipped over and cannot be held steadily when being placed on an object (such as the desktop).  
     [0020] Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 showing how the multi-function clip according to an embodiment of this invention and the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter are connected. In addition to the aforementioned main elements of the present invention, the present invention further comprises the slices  22  and the hooks  24  used for joining the present invention and the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter  10  together. The two slices  22  are placed on one side of the main body  30  and the two hooks  24  are placed on the other side of the main body  30 . The two slices  22  are plugged into the two sockets  12  respectively, and the two hooks  24  are plugged into the two cavities  14  respectively to join the multi-function clip  20  of the present invention and the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter  10  together. The slices  22 , the hooks  24 , the sockets  12 , and the cavities  14  can be made in any arbitrary shape provided that the multi-function clip  20  and the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter  10  can be joined together tightly. Thus, the multifunction clip  20  and the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter  10  are joined together to form one integrated body, so that the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter  10  can own the multi-functions of desktop type, wall-mount type, attaching type, and clipping type in accordance with various designs of the multi-function clip  20 .  
     [0021] To sum up, one advantage of the present invention is to provide a multi-function clip connected to the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter, whereby the pocket-sized wireless USB adapter can be placed on the desk, placed or hung in a high position, or clipped at any proper places.  
     [0022] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a multi-function clip wherein the material of the multi-function clip is an elastic material such as plastics, so that the complicated movable mechanism is not required, thereby substantially saving the cost of parts.  
     [0023] As is understood by a person skilled in the art, the foregoing preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrations of the present invention rather than limitations of the present invention. It is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements comprised within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structure.