CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a clip device for holding drawings, blueprints or the like. More particularly, this invention relates to a clip designed for removable attachment to a workman's tool belt, or to a similar supporting edge structure, which cooperates with similar clips to releasably hold a roll of drawings for convenient access.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In the construction and manufacturing industries it is customary for workmen to carry drawings, blueprints or plans of the project under construction; and these drawings must be kept accessible, as they must be frequently consulted during the day. For convenience, these drawings are often rolled into a compact cylindrical bundle; but even so, they are still cumbersome to carry and there is rarely a convenient place to put the roll of drawings when it is necessary to free one's hands. Yet, in spite of this well known problem, there are no devices available to assist a workman with these drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a clip device for conveniently holding a cylindrical roll of drawings. This object is accomplished by the clip device of the present invention: it is designed to be attached quickly and easily to a workman's tool belt (or similar supporting structure); and it provides a convenient place to secure, in cooperation with a second clip, a roll of drawings (or similar cylindrical object). For releasable attachment to the tool belt, this clip device has a hook shaped supporting portion formed as a resilient flexible strip of material; and, for releasably holding a rolled blueprint drawing, it has a generally circular shaped holding portion, also formed as a resilient flexible strip of material. When two or more of these clips are utilized, they cooperatively hold a roll of drawings for convenient access.

In a further feature, resilient flexing of the clip device under pressure from the user facilitates the mounting and removal of the clip to the tool belt, and the acceptance and release of the drawings. In yet a further feature, the supporting portion of the clip device is fitted with opposing teeth for securing the clip device to the workman's tool belt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of the clip devices of the present invention mounted to a supporting structure, such as a workman's tool belt, and cooperatively holding a cylindrical object, i.e. a roll of drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the clip devices of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the clip device of the present invention showing the grasping function of the teeth within the hook portion, and illustrating the release features of the clip device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of part of the hook portion of the clip device of the present invention depicting the wedge shaped teeth.

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that it is the intent to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning first to FIG. 1 there is shown a pair of clip devices 12 in accordance with the present invention mounted on a supporting edge structure 14 and cooperatively holding a cylindrical object 16, such as rolled drawings. (While two clip devices 12 are shown in FIG. 1, it should be apparent that any plurality of clip devices will cooperatively function in substantially the same way.) The supporting edge structure 14 will typically be a workman's tool belt, but the user may adapt any similar convenient edge structure, e.g. the waistband of the workman's pants. More generally, any convenient rigid or semi-rigid edge structure will suffice for supporting the clip devices of the present invention, as more fully described herein.

In the preferred embodiment the clip device 12 is formed as a single strip of thin, flexible, and resilient material (see FIG. 2); and this may be accomplished by molding or forming the clip device out of a suitable plastic material. (Alternatively, this clip device may be constructed from a formed, molded or stamped metal or formed from a combination of plastic and metal.) Although it is of a unitary construction, the clip device 12 includes, in combination, two basic functional parts: a hook portion 22 for attaching the clip to a supporting edge structure and an object holding portion 24 for securing the cylindrical object 16 within the clip device.

The hook portion 22 of the clip device 12 includes an inner side 26, an outer side 27, and spring biased hinge means 28 for facilitating and urging the movement of the outer side 27 toward the inner side 26. In the preferred embodiment this spring biased hinge means comprises a resilient flexible portion of the strip of material forming the clip device, but it may alternatively include other spring biased hinge means known to the art.

Additionally, for securing the clip device to the supporting edge structure, the hook portion 22 of the clip device also includes grasping means. This grasping means preferably comprises teeth 30 (shown in detail in FIG. 4) positioned on one or both sides (the inner side 26 and the outer side 27) of the hook portion 22 of the clip device for engaging the supporting tool belt 14 in cooperation with the spring bias of the hinge means 28. To facilitate installation of the clip onto the tool belt, as described below, these teeth 30 present a plurality of wedge shaped inward projections from the plane of the respective sides of the hook portion 22 of the clip device. The teeth 30 therefore present sharp edges 32 directed toward the supporting tool belt structure 14 and a taper to narrow bottom edges 34. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, when the teeth 30 are positioned on both sides of the hook portion 22 they are preferably offset relative to the opposing side. When so positioned, they serve to cause offset grasping indentations 35 in the supporting tool belt structure 14, and thereby resist movement of the clip device relative to the tool belt mounting.

Installation of the clip device onto a tool belt (or other supporting structure) is accomplished by first aligning and then pushing the hook portion 22 of the clip device downward over the edge of the tool belt. During this movement the tapered wedge shape of the teeth 30 will cause the hook portion of the clip device to flex at the spring biased hinge area 28, causing the distance between the inner side 26 and the outer side 27 to increase, and thereby allowing the hook portion 22 to slide over the edge of the tool belt (supporting edge structure) and into place as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

Removal of the clip from the tool belt (or from other supporting structure) is accomplished by applying upward pressure 36 on the release lip 38 of the outer side 27 of the hook portion to thereby flex the hook portion at the hinge area 28 while at the same time urging the clip upwardly. This applied pressure moves the outer side 28 of the hook portion to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 3, causing a spread of the hook portion and thereby releasing the tool belt supporting structure from the grasp of the teeth 30. At the same time, and in response to the upward pressure on the release lip, the clip is caused to slide upwardly and to be removed from the tool belt or other supporting edge structure.

The object holding portion 24 of the clip device presents a substantially circular receptacle area 41 designed to conform to a typical cylindrical roll of drawings 16, or other cylindrical object. This receptacle area 41 of the object holding portion 24 is bounded on one side by the inner side 26 of the hook portion and on the other by a release lip 42. Between the inner side 26 and the release lip 42, the object holding portion presents spring biased hinge means 43 for allowing the selective spread of the receptacle area 41, between open and closed positions, and for urging this receptacle area towards its closed position. In the preferred embodiment this hinge means 43 comprises the resilient flexibility of the metal or plastic strip of material composing the object holding portion of the clip device; but it may, alternatively, comprise any spring biased hinge like mechanism known to the art which accomplishes the same function in substantially the same way.

Operation of the object holding portion 24 of the clip device 12 is accomplished by the application of downward pressure 44 by the user on the release lip 42 of the holding portion 24. This, in turn, causes the hinge area 43 to flex and the receptacle area 41 of the object holding portion 24 of the clip device to open, as it spreads to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 3, whereby the insertion or release of the cylindrical object 16 is facilitated.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that modifications can be made to the apparatus and method for using same without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is only to be limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims.