Patent ID: 7047603

Claim:
Retainer clips for securing together a plurality of rings in a stack for handling for a variety of procedures such as processing, shipping and use in attachment to other members, each said retainer clip being of a flexible wirelike construction and having an elongated connecting section extending along the length of said rings when stacked, said retainer clip having a support section located at the lower end of said connecting section for receiving and supporting the lower end of the stack of rings, and a resilient clamp section located at the opposite upper end of said connecting section and being flexibly movable to facilitate movement over the opposite upper end of the stack of said rings to resiliently engage the opposite upper end of the stack of said rings to retain them with pressure against the support section and being flexibly movable away from the opposite upper end of the stack of rings to permit removal of said rings from the stack, a plurality of said retainer clips adapted to be located in spaced relationship about said rings in a stack to secure said rings in the stack for handling, said rings having a predetermined width and thickness, said clamp section having a clamping segment with an open loop having an upwardly extending opening adapted to overlap the width and thickness of at least the one of the rings at the top of the stack, said support section having an open loop with a downwardly extending opening adapted to receive and overlap the width and thickness of at least the one of the rings at the bottom of the stack.