Patent Publication Number: US-5025536-A

Title: Pant&#39;s clip apparatus

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to the field of clothing article clips in general, and in particular to a pant&#39;s clip device that is designed to assist a patient confined to a wheelchair in keeping the front of their pants down during the act of catheterization. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     This invention was the subject matter of Document Disclosure Program Registration No. 239,885 which was filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Nov. 20, 1989. 
     As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,701,348; 4,380,999; 4,616,633; and 4,694,826; the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse retractor devices designed to space one surface from another. 
     While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions and more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, these patented devices are neither designed nor intended to provide the particular purpose and function served by the present invention. 
     As anyone who has either administered a catheterization or who has been catheterized is aware, one of the most vexing problems encountered during the procedure when the patient is confined to a wheelchair is the fact that the front of the patient&#39;s pants must be continually held down during the procedure. 
     As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a clip apparatus designed on one end to clasp and depress the front panel of a patient&#39;s pants while seated in a wheelchair, while the other end of the apparatus engages the front of a wheelchair or a wheelchair cushion, and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, the pant&#39;s clip apparatus that forms the basis of the present invention comprises an elongated, generally flattened, elliptical clip member having straight sides and overlapping ends. 
     In addition, one of the ends of the clip member is formed into a curved hook portion which overlies, in a quasi-safety pin fashion, the other end of the clip member which is flat. The intermediate portion of the clip member forms a curved resilient hinge element. 
     As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the curved hook portion is used to grasp and depress the front panel or crotch of the user&#39;s pants, while the curved intermediate portion engages the front of the wheelchair or a wheelchair cushion. 
     In addition, in those instances when a wheelchair cushion is employed, the generally flat end of the clip apparatus is inserted between the cushion and the seat of the wheelchair such that the patient&#39;s weight will archor the flat end of the apparatus and the resilient intermediate hinge will permit the curved hook portion to be depressed into a retractive type of engagement with the front of the user&#39;s pants. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other attributes of the invention will become more clear upon a thorough study of the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention, particularly when reviewed in conjunction with the drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the clip apparatus in use; 
     FIG. 2 is an isolated perspective view of the apparatus in its closed position; 
     FIG. 3 is an isolated perspective view of the apparatus being opened for deployment; 
     FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the apparatus; and 
     FIG. 5 is a detail view of the engagement of the apparatus with the patent&#39;s pants and a portion of the wheelchair. 
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     As can be seen by reference to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, the pant&#39;s clip apparatus that forms the basis of the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral (10). The apparatus (10) comprises a generally flat, thin, one-piece clip member (11) fabricated from a generally rigid, yet resilient material such as thin metal, plastic of the like and having a generally straigth end (12), a curved intermediate portion (13) and a curved end (14) forming a hook element (15). 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 through 5, the one-piece clip member (11) opens and closes in a quasi-safety pin fashion by depressing the straight end (12) relative to the curved end (14) and swinging the straight end (12) beyond either side of the curved end (14) to open the clip member (11) to the disposition illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 5. 
     As can also be seen by reference to FIGS. 2 through 4, the curved end (14) is dimensioned to overlie the generally straight end (12) of the clip member (11) to frictionally retain the clip member (11) in a closed disposition for storage purposes, wherein the clip member (11) assumes a generally elongated oval configuration having flattened sides. 
     In addition, the curvature and resiliency of the curved intermediate portion (13) of the clip member (11) causes the intermediate portion (13) to act as a resilient hinge element as depicted in FIG. 3. 
     As mentioned previously, and as can be seen particularly by reference to FIGS. 1 and 5, the clip apparatus (10) of this invention is designed to be used in conjunction with the seat cushion (102) and/or seat (101) of a wheelchair (100) to retract the front panel or crotch (51) of a patient&#39;s pants (50) while the patient is undergoing the process of catheterization. 
     As can best be seen by reference to FIG. 5, in the instance wherein no seat cushion (102) is present, the curved end (14) will be hooked over the front panel (51) of the patient&#39;s pants (50) while the curved intermediate portion (13) of the clip member (11) will be hooked over the front edge of the seat (101) of the wheelchair. 
     Furthermore, in those instances wherein a wheel chair seat cushion (102) rests on the wheelchair seat (101), the generally straight end (12) of the clip member (11) is intended to be inserted in between the wheelchair seat (101) and seat cushion (102) in a generally horiziontal disposition as depicted in phantom in FIG. 5. The user&#39;s weight will serve to keep the generally straight flat end (12) of the clip member (11) in a captive disposition in between the wheelchair seat (101) and seat cushion (102) in a well recognized manner. 
     Having thereby described the subject matter of the present invention, it should be apparent that many substitutions and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention as taught and described herein is only to be limited to the extent of the breadth and scope of the appended claims.