Patent ID: 7137175

Claim:
A clamping device for use in a clipboard, said clamping device comprising: a base plate fixedly attached to a board by bolts, nuts and washers; an upper clamping member having a front portion, a back portion and a tailing portion, said back portion having an opening corresponding to the tailing portion, and said tailing portion extending substantially in a plane defined by the front portion; a free end of the back portion being spring loadably connected to said base plate at a first spring loaded hinge; a lower clamping member extending substantially parallel to said upper clamping member, said lower clamping member being spring loadably connected to said upper clamping member via an intermediate connecting member; said lower clamping member being connected to said intermediate connecting member at a second spring loaded hinge and said upper clamping member being connected to said intermediate connecting member at a third spring loaded hinge; said lower clamping member extending through said opening defined in the back portion of the upper clamping member; and an actuating lever spring loadably connected to said upper clamping member and to said intermediate connecting member at said third spring loaded hinge, said actuating lever being used to move said lower clamping member between a raised resting position and a lowered clamping position in order to retain an existing clamped bundle of sheets on said board while said actuating lever moves said upper clamping member between a lowered clamping position and a raised actuating position in order to add an extra sheet to said existing bundle of sheets.