Patent Publication Number: US-2007119034-A1

Title: Peg for holding articles on a line

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a peg for holding articles on a line.  
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
      Clothes-pegs for holding articles of clothing on a clothes-line are well known. A common type of peg has two elements of plastic or wooden material held together by purposely formed ends of a helical spring. The helical spring is arranged to force the two lever portions apart and force the jaws together. Thus in use, the jaws are opened by manually squeezing the lever portions together, and then closed onto an article on a clothes line by releasing the lever portions. The pressure that the jaws of the peg exert on the article depend on the particular design of the peg, and in particular the choice of spring used in the manufacture of the peg. Consequently, the user is unable to control the pressure that the peg applies to the article, resulting in too much pressure being applied to delicate fabrics, while too little pressure is applied to heavy or large articles such as towels, sheets, etc. that may fall or be blown from the line.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a peg for holding articles on a line, comprising: a first member having a first jaw portion and a first lever portion; a second member having a second jaw portion and a second lever portion; a pivot means pivotally connecting the first member and the second member at a position between the jaw portion and the lever portion of each member; and a releasable securing means for securing the position of the first member relative to the second member, wherein each of said jaw portions defines a jaw, and the peg is configured such that the jaws are pivotable towards each other by pivoting the levers towards each other. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  shows a clothes-peg  101  for holding articles such as clothes, sheets, towels, etc. on a line;  
       FIGS. 2 and 3  show further details of the clothes-peg  101  in a perspective view and in a front view respectively;  
       FIG. 4  shows the individual components of the peg  101 ;  
       FIG. 5  shows an alternative peg  501 ;  
       FIG. 6  shows the outer toothed arm  504  and the pivot pin  507  in further detail;  
       FIG. 7  shows a further alternative peg  701  embodying the present invention; and  
       FIG. 8  shows a further alternative peg  801 , which is substantially the same as the peg  101  of  FIG. 1  but which has a securing means like that of peg  701  of  FIG. 7 . 
    
    
     WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF THE BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION  
     
       FIG. 1 
     
      A clothes-peg  101  for holding articles such as clothes, sheets, towels, etc. on a line is shown in  FIG. 1 . The peg  101  comprises a first member  102  and a second member  103  which are pivotally connected by a pivot mechanism  104 . The first member  102  comprises a jaw portion  105  and a lever portion  106 , while the second member comprises a jaw portion  107  and lever portion  108 .  
      The jaw portions  105  and  107  each define one of a pair of opposing jaws,  109  and  110  respectively. The jaws  109  and  110  each have a concave surface configured to receive a clothes-line and portion of an article, such as an article of clothing, such that the peg may be used to hold the article on the line.  
      The pivot mechanism  104  is positioned between the lever portion and the jaw portion of each member  102  and  103 . The members  102  and  103  are moveable in a scissors-like manner such that when the lever portions  106  and  108  are rotated towards one another the jaw portions  105  and  107  are similarly rotated towards each other. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 1 , when the lever portions  106  and  108  are at their closest the jaws  109  and  110  are closed.  
      The peg includes a ratchet mechanism  111  which provides a means of securing the relative orientations of the first and second members  102  and  103 . The ratchet mechanism  111  includes a button  112  which disengages the ratchet mechanism when depressed to allow the two levers  106  and  108  to be moved apart, thereby moving the jaw portions  105  and  107  apart.  
      The button  112  is provided with a spring means  113 , such that when the button  112  is released the spring means acts upon the button to return it to its usual position and so re-engages the ratchet mechanism.  
     
       FIGS. 2 and 3 
     
      Further details of the clothes-peg  101  are shown in the perspective view of  FIG. 2  and the front view of  FIG. 3 . The ratchet mechanism  111  comprises an inner toothed arm  201  extending from, and rigidly attached to, the lever portion  106 . The inner toothed arm has a free end  202  located within a channel defined by an outer sleeve  203  such that it is slideable within said channel. The outer sleeve  203  itself extends from, and is rigidly attached to, the second lever portion  108 . The inner toothed arm  201  and the outer sleeve  203  are each shaped to extend along an arc having a centre of curvature at the axis of the pivot mechanism  104 . Consequently, the inner toothed arm  201  is able to slide within the channel of the outer sleeve  203  as the lever portions are moved relative to one another about the pivot mechanism  104 .  
      An outer toothed arm  204  is pivotally connected to the second lever portion  108  by a second pivot mechanism  205 . The outer toothed arm  204  comprises the button  112  and a toothed portion  206  having teeth configured to engage with those of the inner toothed arm  201 . (The toothed portion  206  is shown more clearly in  FIG. 4 .) The spring means  113 , which is located between the sleeve  203  and the underside of the button  112 , acts upon the underside of the button  112  such that the teeth of the toothed portion  206  are brought into engagement with the teeth of the inner toothed arm  201 . When the button  112  is manually depressed, the spring means  113  is compressed and the toothed portion  206  is forced away from the teeth of the inner toothed arm  201  to release the ratchet mechanism.  
      As shown best in  FIG. 3 , the teeth of the inner toothed arm  201  and the outer toothed arm  204  have a saw-tooth profile. Thus, if a line is drawn from the axis of the pivot mechanism  104  to each of the teeth, each tooth has one side making a small angle of between 0 and 10 degrees with the respective line, while the other side makes a large angle of 45 to 60 degrees with that line. Consequently, when a manual force is applied, tending to bring the two lever portions  106  and  108  together, the toothed portion  206  is able to ride over sloping sides of the teeth of the inner toothed arm  201  as the inner toothed arm slides further into the outer sleeve  203 . However, due to the abutting steeper sides of the teeth, the movement of the inner toothed arm  201  out of the outer sleeve  203  is resisted by the outer toothed arm  204 , unless its teeth are actively disengaged by depressing the button  112 .  
      In use, this means that a user can close the jaws  109  and  110  onto an article on a clothes-line by forcing the two lever portions  106  and  108  together. The ratchet effect of the outer toothed arm  204  on the inner toothed arm  201  then maintains the force applied by the jaws on the article of clothing and prevents the release of the article until the button  112  is pressed. Because the amount by which the jaws are closed depends upon the force applied by the user, the user has control over the force that the peg  101  applies to the article to keep it fixed to the clothes-line. Therefore, a large force may be used to hold a heavy article such as a wet towel, or an article which is easily blown off a line, such as a sheet, while a smaller force may be used to hold a delicate fabric garment, such as a blouse.  
      The peg  101  also contains a second spring means  207  in the form of a helical spring. Either end of the spring  207  is located within a respective one of two opposing holes  208  and  209  formed in the lever portions  106  and  108 . The helical spring  207  is compressed such that it tends to force the lever portions  106  and  108  apart, thereby forcing the jaws  109  and  110  apart. However, such a movement is resisted by the ratchet mechanism  111  unless button  112  is depressed.  
      The second spring means  207  simplifies the use of the peg in that, when an article is to be released from the peg  101 , the depression of the button  112  releases the ratchet mechanism  111  and the second spring means  207  automatically forces the jaws  109  and  110  apart so that they are fully open. In the fully open position a lower face  210  of the lever portions butts up against an upper face  211  of the jaw portions to prevent further rotation.  
     
       FIG. 4 
     
      A perspective view of the individual components of the peg  101  is shown in  FIG. 4 . The peg  101  comprises only four individual components, namely: the first member  102 ; the second member  103 ; the outer toothed arm  204 ; and the helical spring  207 . The helical spring is a conventional metal spring while the remaining three components are each moulded from a sufficiently rigid plastics material, such as polypropylene.  
      Therefore, the jaw portion  105 , the lever portion  106  and the inner toothed arm  201  are moulded as a single item, as well as a pivot pin  401  which forms part of the pivot mechanism  104 . The pivot pin  401  extends from the first member  102  and has an enlarged head  402  formed at its free end. The pivot pin  401  has a central hole  403  passing through it and three radial slots extending from the hole to the outside surface of the pin. Thus the pin  401  is effectively formed of three parts which may be flexed inwardly towards each other.  
      Similarly, the second jaw portion  107 , the second lever portion  108 , the sleeve  203  and the spring means  113  are moulded as a single item. A circular aperture  404  is defined by the second member  103  having a diameter dimensioned to allow the enlarged head  402  of the pin  401  to pass through, but only when the three parts of the pin are flexed inwardly. Thus, to assemble the peg  101  the pin  401  of the first member  102  is simply snap fitted into the aperture of the second member  103 .  
      The holes  208  and  209  are formed within the first and second members  102  and  103  during the moulding process, and after snap fitting the two members  102  and  103  together the helical spring  207  is located within the holes.  
      The second member  103  also defines a pivot hole  405  produced in the moulding process, which has circular ridges formed on its wall. The pivot hole  405  is located on the lever portion  108  at a position from where the sleeve  203  extends.  
      In the current embodiment the spring means is in the form of a pair curved leaves extending up from the sleeve  203 . However, in alternative embodiments the spring means  113  is replaced by a single leaf-like element, and in one embodiment (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) the spring means is integrally moulded with the outer toothed member  204  instead of the sleeve  203 .  
      The outer toothed arm  204  comprises a back plate  406  from which extends the toothed portion  206  and the button  112  at opposing edges and toward one end. A pivot pin  407  extends perpendicularly from the surface of the plate  406  towards the opposite end. The pivot pin  407  has a cylindrical wall on which ridges  408  are formed. The ridges  408  are dimensioned to fit in the hole  405  but only when they and the ridges within the hole are flexed. Thus, during assembly of the peg  101 , the pivot pin  407  is push fitted into the hole  405  while the button  112  and toothed portion are positioned either side of the inner arm  201  and sleeve  203 . The ridges of the pin  407  and hole  405  then resist removal of the pin but allow its rotation within said hole.  
     
       FIG. 5 
     
      An alternative peg  501  is shown in  FIG. 5 . The peg  501  is substantially the same as peg  101  except for details of its button, its spring means and its pivot mechanism which supports the outer toothed member.  
      Peg  501  has a button  512  which is extended when compared to button  112  of peg  112 . The length of the button  512  is sufficiently long such that however widely the jaws of the peg are positioned, a portion of the button is always centrally positioned between the lever portions  506  and  508 . This assists a one handed release of the ratchet mechanism while fingers of the hand support the lever portions.  
      A single leaf-like element  513  is integrally moulded with the outer toothed member  504  and extends downwards from the button  512 . The leaf-like member  513  is orientated and dimensioned such that it is sprung against the upper surface of the sleeve  503 . Thus, the leaf-like element provides a spring means for maintaining the engagement of the teeth of the outer toothed arm  504  with those of the inner toothed arm  591 , until the button  512  is pressed.  
      A lip  592  extends upwards from the rear edge of the sleeve  503 , into a small gap between the leaf-like member  513  and the back plate  546  of the outer toothed arm  504 . The lip  592  provides additional robustness to the peg in that it resists the outer toothed arm  504  being pulled away from the sleeve  503 .  
      A pivot mechanism  505  pivotally connects the outer toothed arm,  504  to the lever portion  508 . The pivot mechanism differs from that of pivot mechanism  205  in that it comprises a hole in the lever portion  508  and pivot pin  507  which do not have ridges. Instead, the hole has a plane cylindrical surface and the pivot pin is configured in a similar manner to pin  401 .  
     
       FIG. 6 
     
      The outer toothed arm  504  and the pivot pin  507  are shown in further detail in  FIG. 6 .  
      The pivot pin  507  is generally cylindrical in shape with a diameter that is chosen to fit within the hole in the lever portion  508 . However, the pin  507  has an enlarged head  601  with a diameter that is slightly larger than that of said hole and, consequently, once located within the hole it is retained by the enlarged head. The enlarged head  601  is bisected by a slot  602  which allows the two halves of said head to be sprung towards each other and allow its insertion through the hole during assembly.  
     
       FIG. 7 
     
      A further alternative peg  701  embodying the present invention is shown in  FIG. 7 . The peg  701  has many features in common with the peg  101  of  FIG. 1 . Thus, the peg  701  comprises a first member  702  and a second member  703  which are pivotally connected by a pivot mechanism  704 . The first member  702  comprises a jaw portion  705  and a lever portion  706 , while the second member comprises a jaw portion  707  and lever portion  708 . The jaw portions  705  and  707  each define one of a pair of opposing jaws,  709  and  710  respectively. The jaws  709  and  710  each have a concave surface configured to receive a clothes-line and portion of an article, such as an article of clothing, such that the peg may be used to hold the article on the line. The pivot mechanism  704  is positioned between the lever portion and the jaw portion of each member  702  and  703 .  
      The peg  701  also has a toothed arm  721  which extends from the upper end of the lever portion  706  in a similar manner to inner toothed arm  201 . The toothed arm is curved, having a centre of radius of curvature at the axis of the pivot mechanism  704 , and has a saw-tooth shaped surface  750  along its side facing said axis. However, unlike peg  101 , the peg  701  does not have an outer sleeve or a pivotally mounted outer toothed arm. Instead, the peg  701  has a spring arm  751  rigidly attached at one end to the upper end of the second lever portion  708 , and an enlarged button portion  752  at the opposite end of the spring arm. The enlarged button portion  752  has a square-C-shaped cross-section such that its upper wall  712  extends over the toothed arm  721 , its side wall extends down the side of the toothed arm  721  and its lower wall  726  extends underneath the toothed arm  721  across its saw-tooth shaped surface  750 . The lower wall  726  has an upper surface which has several saw-tooth shaped teeth configured to engage with those of the surface  750 .  
      In the relaxed position, before assembly of the peg  701 , the spring arm  751  extends from the lever portion  708  at approximately 90 degrees. However, during assembly of the peg, the spring arm  751  is flexed to position the enlarged button portion  752  around the toothed arm  721 , and consequently the spring arm  751  tends to force the teeth of wall  726  into engagement with the teeth of toothed arm  721 . When the teeth are engaged in this way the toothed arm and the spring arm provide a securing means which secures the position of the first member relative to the second member.  
      The C-shaped portion  752  is made sufficiently large so that its teeth may be disengaged from those of the toothed arm  721  by manually pressing against the upper wall  712  of button portion  752 . Once the teeth are disengaged the orientation of the first member  702  relative to the second member  703  may be adjusted.  
      Like the peg  101 , the peg  701  is provided with a spring mechanism which tends to force the jaws of the peg open. Therefore, when the teeth of the spring arm and toothed arm are disengaged, the spring mechanism forces the jaws open without any further manual effort. In the present embodiment, this spring mechanism takes the form of a spring member  761  extending from the first member  702 , and a post  762  extending from the second member  703  against which the spring member  761  presses. The spring member  761  is shown in  FIG. 7  in its fully flexed position. When the teeth of the spring arm and the toothed arm are disengaged, the action of the spring member  761  against the post  762  causes the jaws of the peg to open.  
      In an alternative embodiment the spring member  761  and post  762  are replaced by a helical spring in the manner of the spring  207  of peg  101 .  
      In a further alternative embodiment the spring member  761  and post  762  are replaced by a pair of spring members, each of which are attached to a respective one of the first and second members  702  and  703 . The spring members press against each other in the space between the two lever portions  708  and  706  such that they tend to force the jaws of the peg open.  
      It should be noted that the interlocking teeth of the spring arm  751  and the toothed arm  721  are configured such that the button portion  752  must be manually pressed to allow the jaws of the peg to open, and the teeth of the spring arm are able to ride over those of the toothed arm during closing of the jaws. Thus, the toothed arm  721  in combination with the spring arm  751  provides a ratchet mechanism.  
      In common with known pegs, and the peg  101 , the peg  701  has jaw portions which define an opening  763  for receiving a rope such as a clothesline. However, unlike known pegs, each of the jaw portions  705  and  707  of peg  701  is provided with a flexible inner jaw  764 ,  765  configured to flex when a rope is located in the opening  763 . When a small rope is used the degree of flexing is small and when a larger rope is used the degree of flexing is similarly larger. Thus, the inner jaws  764 ,  765  automatically adjust to the size of rope being used.  
      The peg  701  is formed by clipping together just two moulded plastic components. The first member  702 , the toothed arm  721 , the spring member  761  and the inner jaw  765  are moulded as a single component, while the second member  703 , the spring arm  751 , the post  762 , the inner jaw  764  and a split pivot pin of the pivot mechanism  704  are also moulded as a single component. In a similar manner to the pivot pin  401  of peg  101 , the pivot pin of hinge mechanism  704  has an enlarged head, and is effectively formed of four parts which may be flexed inwardly towards each other.  
      To assemble the two moulded components of the peg  801 , the toothed arm  721  is located within the button portion  752  of the spring arm  751 , and the split pivot pin is pushed through a hole defined by the first member  702 . The four parts of the pivot pin flex while they are being located within the hole defined by the first member  702 , and then spring back to their relaxed position as the enlarged head of the pin emerges from said hole. Thus, the pivot pin snap fits within the hole of the first member  702  to hold the two components of the peg together.  
     
       FIG. 8 
     
      A further alternative peg  801 , shown in  FIG. 8 , is substantially the same as the peg  101  of  FIG. 1  but has a securing means like that of peg  701  of  FIG. 7 . Thus the peg  801  has a toothed arm  821  extending from a first lever portion  805 , and a spring arm  851  rigidly attached at one end to the upper end of a second lever portion  808 . The spring arm  851  has an enlarged button portion  852  at its opposite end. The enlarged button portion  852  has a square-C-shaped cross-section such that it has an upper wall  812  extending over the upper surface of the toothed arm  821 , a side wall  861  extending down the side of the toothed arm and a lower wall  826  extending underneath a saw-tooth shaped lower surface  850  of the toothed arm. The lower wall  826  has an upper surface having several saw-tooth shaped teeth configured to engage with those of the surface  850 .  
      The peg  801  has a helical spring  807 , like that of peg  101 . Thus, when the button portion  852  is pressed to release the jaws of the peg, the helical spring provides a means of automatically opening the jaws of the peg.