US3235950A

US3235950A - Paper clip applicator

Info

Publication number: US3235950A
Application number: US378606A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Joseph Smotzer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-06-29
Filing date: 1964-06-29
Publication date: 1966-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 1983-02-22

Description

Feb. 22, 1966 SMQTZER, JR 3,235,950

PAPER CLIP APPLICATOR Filed June 29, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH SMOTZER JR.

BY m nd/1 wry Attorney Feb. 22, 1966 J. SMOTZER, JR 3,235,950

PAPER CLIP APPLI CATOR Filed June 29, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F 2 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH SMOTZER,JR. BY ypm Attorney United States Patent 3,235,950 PAPER CLIP APPLICATOR Joseph Smotzer, Jr., 119 W. Walnut 1, San Diego, Calif. Filed June 29, 1964, Ser. No. 378,606 3 Claims. (Cl. 29-212) The present invention relates to a paper clip applicator and more particularly to a paper clip applicator which dispenses and applies paper clips to papers which are to be clipped together.

According to the invention, a plurality of paper clip-s are vertically stacked in a magazine within the paper clip applicator. A paper clip selector comprising an elongated strip of steel with a raised tongue portion on one end is moved horizontally beneath the vertically stacked paper clips and the raised tongue portion selects the bottommost paper clip from the stack moving it forward. On each side of the raised tongue portion on the paper clip selector are two portions which are lowered forming cam follower surfaces. These cam follower surfaces then contact a camming surface beneath the paper clip magazine forcing the paper clip selector downward, and thereby spreading the paper clip for application to a plurality of papers presented thereto. After the paper clip has been moved in proximity to the papers to be clipped, the paper clip selector is then moved back to its original starting position for the next application.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a paper clip applicator for applying paper clips to papers to be clipped with a minimum of operator attention and movement.

Another object is to provide a paper clip applicator which has relatively few moving parts.

A further object is a provision of a paper clip applicator in which reloading is simple and convenient.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a paper clip applicator which is relatively foolproof.

Yet another object is to provide a paper clip applicator which is simple, inexpensive and convenient to use.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view, partially exposed, of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, partially sectioned, of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view, partially sectioned, of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the clip slide housing of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the paper clip selector of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, housing 11 has magazine 12 with walls 1 3 and 14. The bottom edge of wall 14 has extension 16. Housing cover 17 is placed at the top of magazine 12. Lever 18 is pivotally mounted at axle 19 within housing 11 and. pivots through slot 21 by moving handle 22 which is fixedly attached to lever arm 18. Lever arm 18 is spring biased by coil spring 23, which is attached at one end to lever arm 18 and at the other to housing 11. Clip slide housing 24 accommodates lever 18 in slot 26 and is attached to housing 11 as by a screw and nut at 27 through aperture '28.

Rod 31 is fixedly attached to cover 17 and has a flared end at 32. Compressed spring 33 is coiled around rod 31 and holds plate 34 against flared end 3-2, which fits through 3,235,950 Patented Feb. 22, 1966 paper clip stack 36. Plate 34 biases paper clip stack 36 downward in magazine 12.

Paper clip selector 37 rides in clip slide housing 24 and accommodates lever arm 18 and aperture 38. Paper clip selector 37 has a raised tongue portion 39 at one end thereof, and lowered c-am follower portions 41 at the same end. Housing 11 has a camming surface 42 for cooperation with camfollower portions 41 of paper clip selector 37. 'Face 43 of housing 11 and extension 16 of housing 11 cooperate to'form a paper feeding platform and slot.

Operation To load magazine 12, a'stack of paper clips 36, preferably held together by a light adhesive such as a banana oil base glue, are inserted in magazine 12, and lid 17, together with its attached rod 31 and coil spring 33, placed on the top thereof. Coil spring 33 then holds plate 34 against flanged portion 32 of rod 31, and plate 34 then holds or biases the entire stack of paper clips 36 downward in a position for raised tongue portion 39 of paper clip selector 37 to grasp the inner loop of the bottommost paper clip.

When a plurality of stacked papers are to be clipped together they are placed on face 43 with one edge underneath extension 16 of housing 11. At this time handle 22 of lever arm 18 is pulled downward which pushes paper clip selector 37 against the inside loop of the lowermost paper clip, selecting that paper clip and breaking it loose from the stack 36. As lever arm 18 pushes paper clip selector 37 further, cam follower surfaces 41 come in contact with cam surfaces 42 pulling raised tongue portion 39 of paper clip selector 37 downward through slot 25 of clip slide housing 24, and spreading the selected paper clip. As the paper clip selector 37 is further moved by lever arm 18, the paper clip will be spread around any papers in the slot defined by face 43 and extension 16. At this time handle 22 is released and lever arm 18 is pulled back to its starting position by spring 23. This removes the paper clip selector 37 from the selected paper clip and the paper clip springs back holding the papers to be clipped.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A paper clip applicator comprising:

a paper clip magazine section for housing a plurality of stacked paper clips, said magazine section including a downward biasing means for biasing said plurality of stacked paper clips in a downward direction;

a paper clip selecting means comprising an elongated strip of resilient material, said elongated strip having a raised tongue portion in the center of one end thereof, said raised tongue portion being dimensioned for the selecting of an inner loop of one of said plurality of stacked paper clips, said elongated strip having an outside extension on each side of said raised tongue portion forming a camming surface means; and

a camming means mounted in proximity to said cam surface means for camming said paper clip selecting means when actuated by said actuating means for spreading a selected paper clip.

2. The paper clip applicator of claim 1 wherein said actuating means comprises a spring biased pivotally mounted lever arm mechanically coupled to said paper clip selecting means for moving said paper clip selecting means in operable relationship with said plurality of stacked paper clips and said camming means.

3. In a paper clip applicator for selecting and applying a paper clip to a stack of papers in proximity thereto of the type having a plurality of paper clips stacked in a paper clip magazine with biasing means downwardly biasing said stack of paper clips, the improved paper clip selecting and spreading means comprising:

an elongated resilient strip having a raised tongue pormeans into operable relationship with said plurality of stacked paper clips, thereby effecting a selection and spreading of a single paper clip for application to a stack of papers in proximity thereto.

tion in the center of one end thereof for selecting an inner loop of one of said plurality of stacked paper clips and an elongated section on each side of said raised tongue portion defining a cam surface means;

a camming means mounted in proximity to said cam surface means for eamming said paper clip selecting means in a manner for spreading a selected paper clip; and

a lever arm mechanically coupled to said paper clip se- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,156,743 5/ 1939 Skreba 29-2l2 10 2,641,051 6/1953 Vick 292-11 I 2,833,028 5/ 1958 Treimann 292l2 3,019,519 2/ 1962 Guarino et. al 292l2 3,100,932 8/1963 Pipkin 29- 212 15 WHIT MORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner.

Claims

1. A PAPER CLIP APPLICATOR COMPRISING: A PAPER CLIP MAGAZINE SECTION FOR HOUSING A PLURALITY OF STACKED PAPER CLIPS, SAID MAGAZINE SECTION INCLUDING A DOWNWARD BIASING MEANS FOR BIASING SAID PLURALITY OF STACKED PAPER CLIPS IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION; A PAPER CLIP SELECTING MEANS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED STRIP OF RESILIENT MATERIAL, SAID ELONGATED STRIP HAVING A RAISED TONGUE PORTION IN THE CENTER OF ONE END THEREOF, SAID RAISED TONGUE PORTION BEING DIMENSIONED FOR THE SELECTING OF AN INNER LOOP OF ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF STACKED PAPER CLIPS, SAID ELONGATED STRIP HAVING AN OUTSIDE EXTENSION ON EACH SIDE OF SAID RAISED TONGUE PORTION FORMING A CAMMING SURFACE MEANS; AND A CAMMING MEANS MOUNTED IN PROXIMITY TO SAID CAM SURFACE MEANS FOR CAMMING SAID PAPER CLIP SELECTING MEANS WHEN ACTUATED BY SAID ACTUATING MEANS FOR SPREADING A SELECTED PAPER CLIP.