A New or Improved Clip for Papers, Letters, and for other Articles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 5th Sept., 1887,
Complete Accepted, 7th Oct., 1887
A New or Improved Clip for Papers, Letters, and for other Articles.
I, ALFRED HAVILAH WOODWARD of Vittoria Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"A NEW OR IMPROVED CLIP FOR PAPERS, LETTERS, AND FOR OTHER ARTICLES,"
to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object principally, to simplify the construction of, and to
render more convenient and efficient when in use, letter and other clips for holding
and securing letters, papers and other similar objects.
The said invention consists essentially of two gripping spring arms or spring finger
clips, working one against the other, in such a manner, that when the heel or back
part is pressed between a thumb and finger, the two arms are made to open out or
recede from each other, and on pressure being relaxed from the said heel part, the
said arms again come together, and forcibly grip or hold a letter, paper or other object
placed between them.
In carrying out my invention, I take a length of spring wire, and bend it into a
form somewhat resembling an hour glass or a loop, contracted or drawn in about its
middle; the one part of which is to form the upper gripping arm, while the other is
to form the lower gripping arm, when the blank is folded upon itself at the contracted
part, and with the wires or legs of the one, passing through the loop of the other.
The limb which constitutes the lower gripping arm is cranked upwards at a short
distance from its cranked end, and at the top of the upright of the cranked part, two
coiled loops are situated, with a continuation loop sloping to the back, and from thence
continuing on to the part which forms the underside to the heel part, which is a
continuation of the upper gripping looped arm.
The two wires of the loop at the heel part are connected together by a ring, while
the loop coils are connected and joined by a transverse peg or stay bar.
The terminal ends of the wire forming the loop are secured by a clip.
Thus the clip consists of two wire loops or arms springing or acting against each
other, and with the arms of the one running parallel, and with its front end crossing
the other.

page_text: Instead of the clip being opened and closed by a heel or back part, it may be made
to open, by simply raising the front of the upper arm, and with the looped coils and
cross bar forming the back to the clip.
Although I have described that the said clip or clips is or are made from spring
wire, yet the same may if necessary be made from sheet metal, cut out and pierced or
shaped in any desired manner. Or the blank may be made from strip metal,
fashioned in the same manner as heretofore cited with respect to wire.
In the clip, the thumb is placed upon the slanting heel or back part of the under arm
or limb, (running from the top of the elevated crank part) and with the finger placed
upon the underside of the heel or back part of the top arm or limb; and on pressure
being applied, the front ends of the arms or limbs are opened out, or made to recede
from each other; and between the top side of the one, and the underside of the other,
an object is gripped, on pressure being relaxed.
A New or Improved Clip for Papers, Letters, and for other Articles.
I, ALFRED HAVILAH WOODWARD of Vittoria Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-―
My invention has for its object principally, to simplify the construction of, and to
render more convenient and efficient when in use, letter and other clips, for holding
and securing letters, papers and other similar objects.
The said invention consists essentially of two gripping spring arms, or spring finger
clips, working one against the other, in such a manner, that when the heel or back part
is pressed between a thumb and finger, the two arms are made to open out, or recede
from each other; and on pressure being relaxed from the said heel part, the said arms
again come together, and forcibly grip or hold a letter, paper or other object placed
between them.
In carrying out my invention, I take a length of spring wire, and bend it into a form
somewhat resembling an hour glass or a loop, contracted or drawn in about its middle;
the one part of which is to form the upper gripping arm, while the other is to form

page_text: the lower gripping arm, when the blank is folded upon itself at the contracted part,
and with the wires or legs of the one, passing through the loop of the other.
The limb which constitutes the lower gripping arm is cranked upwards at a short
distance from its back end, and at the top of the upright of the cranked part, two
coiled loops are situated, with a continuation loop sloping to the back, and from thence
continuing on to the part which forms the underside to the heel part, which is a
continuation of the upper gripping looped arm.
The two wires of the loop at the heel part are connected together by a ring, while
the loop coils are connected and joined by a transverse peg or stay-bar.
The terminal ends of the wire forming the loop are secured by a slipper.
Thus the clip consists of two wire loops or arms, springing or acting against each
other, with the arms of the one, running parallel, and with its front end crossing
the other.
Instead of the clip being opened and closed by a heel or back part, it may be
made to open, by simply raising the front of the upper arm, and with the looped
coils and cross bar forming the back to the clip.
Although I have described that the said clip or clips is or are made from spring
wire, yet the same may if necessary, be made from sheet metal, cut out and pierced
or shaped in any desired manner. Or the blank may be made from strip metal,
fashioned in the same manner as heretofore cited with respect to wire.
In using the clip, the thumb is placed upon the slanting heel or back part of the
under arm or limb (running from the top of the elevated crank part) and with the
finger placed upon the underside of the heel or back part of the top arm or limb;
and on pressure being applied, the front ends of the arms or limbs are opened out,
or made to recede from each other; and between the top side of the one, and the
underside of the other, an object is gripped, on pressure being relaxed.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawing, the
manner in which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, a letter or paper clip, constructed and made
according to my invention. Figure 2 is a plan of the upper side of the said clip, and
figure 3 is an inverted plan, or an underside view of the same. Figure 4 is a
longitudinal vertical section upon an enlarged scale, and upon the dotted lines A B
figure 2.
Figure 5 is an edge view, and figure 6, a top side plan, of a modification of the
said clip. The other figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 represent the various processes in
the bending up, formation and making, of the said clip, while figure 13, represents
the slipper, for securing the terminal ends of the wire, forming the under spring.
The same letters of reference, indicate corresponding parts, in figures 1 to 4.
a, a', are two spring gripping or clipping arms, forcibly working, or springing
towards each other; so that when the clip is in use, these limbs spring towards each
other, and between the top side of the one, and the underside of the other, letters or
papers, are clipped and held.
The rear opposite sides, of the limb constituting the lower arm a, are cranked or
diverted upwardly, at a short distance from the said clip's back end, and with the tops,
of these upwardly directed parts a², formed into spring coils, or circular loops a³, of
which the wire composing them, is directed rearwards, and sloping downwards, then
bent or folded in a reverse direction, of which the continuation thereof, constitutes the
limb a¹.
upper
The sloping rearwards and downwards of the top part marked at, with the under-side
returned part a, constitutes the heel part, which on being taken hold of, and pressed
together, the limbs a, a¹ are opened out, and autouatically close again upon an object
to be clipped, on pressure of the finger and thumb being relaxed.
The upwardly directed, or cranked part a³ of the lower limb, passes through the
loop of the upper limb, while the sides of the forward part of the said upper limb,
runs nearly parallel with, and on the outside of the sides, of the lower limb, and with
the extreme front loop end as of the latter, crossing the top of the middle of the
former.

page_text: C,
The heel part is provided with a suspension and connection ring b, while the terminal
ends of the wire forming the clip, are secured by a slipper or sheet metal shoe whose
edges are closed over the terminal ends as aforesaid; and further, rigidity and
connection between the two opposite sides, of the loop, are secured by a transverse peg
or stay bar d, passing through the loops a³ respectively.
The modifications figures 5 and 6, where the arms are simply drawn or raised from
each other, by hand, consists of a lower part a, top loop part à¹, which are respectively
connected by spring coils a³.
The lower limb a, has its terminal wire ends, closed over, by a slipper c.
The clip figure 1, is made from a wire figure 7, bent into the form figure 8, and
which latter is subsequently rebent into that of figure 9, while figure 9 is bent into
that of figure 10, and figure 10 into figure 11, and then finally finished as in figure 12;
and upon the front end of the lower limb, the slipper figure 13 is closed, thus producing
a clip, whose arms are levers of the third kind.
my
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
First. A clip for securing and holding papers, letters, and other articles, as herein
described, and illustrated in figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 11 and 12 of the accompanying
drawing; that is to say, a clip, consisting of a lower limb a, upper limb a¹, cranked
part a, loops a³ and stay bar d, lower returned part a³, and returned end a*,
substantially as, and for the purpose, as herein described and set forth.
Secondly. The production of clips, as described in figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, from a
single length of wire, and by the process or combination of processes of bending the
said wire, as described and represented in figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the
drawing.
Thirdly. A clip, for securing and holding papers, letters and other articles, as
described and set forth in figures 5 and 6 ; consisting of a lower limb a, upper limb a¹,
coiled loops a³, and slipper c, substantially as described and set forth.
Fourthly. Providing the forward and rear ends of clips as described in the
preceding claim, with a slipper c, and ring connection and suspending loop b,
substantially as described and set forth in figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Dated this Second day of September 1887.