Wire Clip Opening and Closing Device

Abstract

To provide a wire clip opening / closing device which allows a wire clip provided on the main body of a rod-shaped member such as a writing instrument to be opened easily and widely.SOLUTION: Provided is a wire clip in which a locking end 4 of a clip member 1 made of an elastic metal wire is attached to a clip holder 5 to generate a pressing force on a tip 2 of the clip member. A clip piece 13 is pivotably attached to the clip holder. A pressing portion 15 is formed at the rear of the clip piece, and a lateral line portion 3 of the clip member is engaged with and connected to an insertion groove 18 formed on the side surface of the front portion of the clip piece. When the pressing portion 15 of the clip piece 13 is pressed, the clip piece swings, the clip member 1 is rotated by the clip piece 13, and the tip 2 is separated from the main body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a clip provided on a writing instrument or the like, and more particularly to a wire clip opening and closing device that can reliably open and close the tip of a wire clip. [Background technology]

[0002] Clips attached to writing implements such as mechanical pencils and ballpoint pens, cosmetic tools, and other products with rod-shaped bodies are designed with an open tip to allow them to be attached to pockets, notebooks, diaries, clothing, fabric, etc. Various configurations of such clips are known. When made from plastic materials, they are molded integrally with the barrel body or cap when molding the body, etc. When made from metal plate materials, metal plates are pressed using a mold and then incorporated into the barrel body, etc. However, press-forming requires the use of a press mold, making them economically difficult to obtain. Furthermore, plate-shaped clips often have a narrow opening limit, and when the clip tip is opened wide to clamp thick fabrics or diaries, they are prone to deformation. Once deformed, they cannot return to their original position and are no longer able to clamp objects. Some clips also use a spring material, separate from the clip body, at the base or elsewhere of the clip body to elastically bias the clip body against the outer surface of the barrel, but this requires a large number of parts and is therefore uneconomical. On the other hand, wire clips, in which the clip member is made of elastic metal wire material, are widely used because they can be easily formed using the tools of a processing machine, are easy and economical, and the opening limit of the clip can be made wider (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] With a typical wire clip, it is difficult to open the tip of the wire clip when attaching it to thick fabrics, notebooks, etc. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, an opening / closing device is known in which the rear end of the clip member is extended rearward to form a rear end portion, and the rear end portion is pressed to open the tip. Specifically, the clip member described in Patent Document 1 has a longitudinal middle portion held on a side of the writing instrument body, and the portion extending rearward from the middle portion is bent into a generally rectangular shape to form the rear end portion. A clip attachment portion for holding the clip member to the writing instrument body is integrally formed with an inner tube or the like provided on the writing instrument body. Then, by inserting the end of the clip member into an attachment hole provided in the clip attachment portion and pressing the rear end portion, the clip member is rotated around the middle portion held by the clip attachment portion as a fulcrum, and the tip portion of the clip member is moved radially outward so as to separate from the writing instrument body, thereby opening the tip portion. However, in this configuration, the rear end of the clip member must extend further rearward than the end of the clip member inserted into the attachment hole of the clip attachment part that is integral with the inner tube, etc. If the rear end is extended too far rearward to reduce the pressing force, it becomes a hindrance when used as a writing instrument and is inconvenient to store. Furthermore, if it is extended too far, the rear end of the clip member must be directly pressed to lift the tip, so the tip cannot be opened unless the rear end is pressed with a strong force. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-163826 A (Claims, Figures 1 to 4) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] To provide a wire clip opening and closing device which is a wire clip type clip mechanism and allows the tip of the clip to be opened lightly and widely when attached to thick fabrics, notebooks, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, a wire clip is provided which comprises a clip member having a tip made of elastic metal wire material whose front end is bent into an approximately U-shape, a lateral wire portion extending rearward from the tip in the longitudinal direction opposite to the tip, and a locking end portion formed at the rear end of the lateral wire portion, and the locking end portion of the clip member is attached to a clip holder provided on the main body so as to generate a pressing force on the tip portion of the clip member, wherein a clip piece is pivotally attached to the clip holder so as to be swingable, a pressing portion is formed at the rear end of the clip piece, a part of the clip member is connected to the front portion of the clip piece, and when the pressing portion of the clip piece is pressed, the clip piece swings and rotates the clip member in a direction such that the tip portion moves away from the main body.

[0007] In order to connect a part of the clip member to the front part of the clip piece, an insertion groove is formed on the side of the clip piece and the side line part of the clip member is fitted and engaged in the insertion groove, or a tip insertion groove is formed in the front part of the clip piece and the tip of the clip member is inserted into the tip insertion groove so that the tip of the clip piece comes into contact with the main body such as a shaft tube.

[0008] In addition, according to the present invention, there is provided a wire clip opening and closing device in which the locking end portion provided opposite the rear end of the clip member is bent and formed with a position shifted forward and backward in the longitudinal direction, the clip holder is formed with a front mounting portion and a rear mounting portion positioned apart in the forward and backward direction for attaching the locking end portion, and the clip piece is pivotally attached to the clip holder at a position between the front mounting portion and the rear mounting portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The present invention is configured as described above, and the clip member, like the conventional clip member, has a tip portion made of an elastic metal wire and bent into a generally U-shape at its front end, side wire portions extending rearward from the tip portion in a longitudinally opposed manner, and a locking end portion bent from the rear end of the side wire portion. A clip holder is provided on a main body such as a barrel, and the locking end portion of the clip portion is attached to the clip holder so that a pressing force is generated at the tip portion of the clip member, elastically contacting the side of the main body such as a barrel, allowing a pocket, notebook, diary, etc. to be clamped between the tip portion and the main body. A clip piece is pivotally attached to the clip holder so as to be swingable, and a pressing portion is formed at the rear end of the clip piece. A part of the clip member is connected to the front portion of the clip piece. Therefore, when the pressing portion of the clip piece is pressed, the clip piece swings around the pivoting portion, and the clip member connected to the clip piece rotates in conjunction with the pressing portion, and the tip portion is pulled or pushed up in a direction away from the main body, allowing easy opening and closing. In this case, unlike conventional wire clips, the clip member is not rotated by directly pressing the rear end formed by bending the wire clip itself, so the clip member can be rotated more lightly and to a greater extent than conventional structures, allowing it to be opened and closed smoothly.

[0010] To secure the clip member to the clip piece, insertion grooves are formed on both sides of the front part of the clip piece, and the side lines of the clip member are fitted into the insertion grooves to connect them, making assembly easy. Also, if a tip insertion groove is formed in the front part of the clip piece and the tip of the clip member is inserted into the tip insertion groove, the tip of the clip member can be brought into contact with the main body such as a barrel, and by forming the clip member from a material that is not easily damaged, such as plastic, it is possible to gently clamp fabric or notebooks.

[0011] Furthermore, by bending and engaging the engaging end of the clip member by shifting its position back and forth in the longitudinal direction, and forming a front mounting portion and a rear mounting portion on the clip holder that are positioned apart in the front-to-rear direction for attaching the engaging end, and positioning the pivotal portion of the clip piece between the front and rear mounting portions, the load generated when the pressing portion is pressed is effectively transmitted to the clip piece, allowing the clip piece to swing easily, and since the positions of the pivotal portion and the mounting portion of the clip holder can be concentrated, the clip holder does not become large, and the pressing portion of the clip piece does not protrude too far rearward, so it does not get in the way of use or storage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B show an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is an explanatory view showing a state in which the tip of a clip member is opened. [Figure 2] Partial perspective view. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B show a clip member before being attached to a clip holder, in which (A) is a plan view and (B) is a front view. [Figure 5] Shows a clip holder, (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is a side view. [Figure 6] Shows the clip piece, (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is a side view. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B show another embodiment, in which (A) is a front view and (B) is a front view of the state in which the tip of the clip member is opened. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B show yet another embodiment, in which (A) is a front view and (B) is a front view of the state in which the tip of the clip member is opened. [Figure 9] 10A, 10B, and 10C show another embodiment of the clip piece, in which FIG. 10A is a plan view, FIG. 10B is a front view, and FIG. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B show an embodiment using the clip piece shown in FIG. 9, in which (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is an explanatory view of when the tip of the clip piece is opened. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] 1 and 3, clip member 1 is made of elastic metal wire such as stainless steel wire, as is well known, with its front end bent into a roughly U-shape to form tip portion 2, lateral wire portions 3 extending rearward from tip portion 2 in opposing longitudinal directions, and locking end portions 4 formed at the rear ends of the lateral wire portions. As is well known, locking end portions 4 of clip member 1 are attached to clip holder 5 provided on the barrel, cap, or other body 6 of the writing instrument so as to generate a pressing force at the tip portion. In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, clip member 1 has two longitudinally extending lateral wire portions 3 of different lengths, which offset the positions of the ends in the front-to-rear direction, and locking end portions 4 bent in opposing directions at the ends. The attachment parts provided on the clip holder 5 are formed by forming a front attachment part 11 and a rear attachment part 12 that are misaligned in the front-to-rear direction, and the locking end part 4 is attached to these attachment parts in a lined-up state to curve the side wire part 3 and generate a pressing force, but the locking end part 4 can be configured as appropriate as long as it has a shape that can generate a pressing force on the tip part 2 of the wire clip. For example, the side wire part 3 located between the tip part and the locking end part of the clip member can be pre-formed in an arc-shaped curve so that the tip part elastically contacts the side of the main body such as a barrel, and the locking end part can be fixed appropriately (not shown).

[0014] The clip holder 5 may be formed directly on the main body 6 such as a shaft tube, but in the illustrated embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, it is formed on a rear tube 7 that fits onto the rear end of the main body 6. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the rear tube 7 has a connecting portion 8 at its front portion, and a base portion 9 that protrudes outward in a semicircular arc shape is formed on the side of a large-diameter portion provided behind the connecting portion 8. A semicircular receiving groove 10 is provided in the base portion 9, and the front mounting portion 11 and the rear mounting portion 12 for mounting the locking end portion 4 of the clip member 1 are provided in the front-rear direction of the receiving groove 10. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the front mounting portion 11 and the rear mounting portion 12 are formed as bottomed mounting holes that are open on one side so that the locking end portion 4 of the clip member 1 can be inserted from both sides, but they may also be formed as through-holes or latching grooves (not shown).

[0015] A clip piece 13 is pivotally mounted to the clip holder 5 so as to be able to swing. The clip piece 13 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and a rotating support shaft 14 is provided on its underside. A pressing portion 15 is formed on the upper surface behind the rotating support shaft 14, and a raised surface 16 is provided at the rear end of the pressing portion. The front portion of the clip piece 13 is formed wide, and insertion grooves 18 into which the side wire portions 3 of the clip member 1 are fitted and locked are provided on both sides of the wide portion 17, so that a part of the clip member 1 (the side wire portions) is connected to the front portion of the clip piece 13. The rotating support shaft 14 provided on the clip piece 13 is rotatably fitted into a receiving groove 10 provided in the clip holder 5, thereby pivotally mounting the clip piece 13 to the clip holder 5 so as to be able to swing. Note that a receiving groove may be provided on the clip piece 13 side, and a rotating support shaft may be provided on the clip holder side for pivotal swinging, or a connecting hole may be provided through both, and connected with a pin (not shown).

[0016] Referring to Figure 3, the rotating support shaft 14 of the clip piece 13 is fitted into the receiving groove 10 of the clip holder 5 so as to be pivotally mounted so as to be able to swing, and then the engaging end portions 4 of the clip member 1 are inserted into the mounting portions 11 and 12 of the clip holder 5, respectively, and the side line portions 3 of the clip member 1 are fitted into and engaged with the insertion groove 18 provided in the front portion of the clip piece 13 as shown in Figure 2, thereby connecting them, and the front end portion 2 of the clip member 1 can be assembled in a state where it comes into contact with the side of the main body 6 with a pressing force.

[0017] In the assembled state as described above, the tip 2 elastically contacts the side of the main body 6 as shown in Figures 1A and 1B, and when the pressing portion 15 of the clip piece 13 is pressed as shown in Figure 1C, the clip member 1 is pulled up or pushed up by the front part of the clip piece 13 and rotates, and the tip 2 separates from the side of the main body 6 and opens.

[0018] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 above, the front mounting portion 11 and rear mounting portion 12 for attaching the engaging end portion 4 of the clip member 1 to the clip holder 5 are arranged in front of and behind the pivot portion (rotating support shaft) of the clip piece 13, so the pivot portion, front mounting portion, and rear mounting portion can be concentrated in one location, so that installation space is not taken up, and the pressing portion of the clip piece does not protrude far to the rear, so it does not get in the way of writing, and by pressing the pressing portion 15, the clip member 1 rotates slightly and its tip portion 2 can be opened.

[0019] The positions of the pivotal portion (rotating support shaft) of the clip piece 13 and the front and rear mounting portions 11 and 12 of the clip holder 5 can be adjusted as needed. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the front and rear mounting portions 11 and 12 of the clip holder 5 can be provided in front of the pivotal portion (rotating support shaft) of the clip piece 13. In this case, the pressing portion 15 protrudes rearward, making it easier to press but getting in the way. Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the front and rear mounting portions 11 and 12 of the clip holder 5 can be provided behind the pivotal portion (rotating support shaft) of the clip piece 13. However, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the clip holder 5 must be made larger in the longitudinal direction, and the pivotal portion (rotating support shaft) of the clip piece is positioned farther away from the front and rear mounting portions. This may require a greater pressing force to be applied to the clip piece 13 than in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in which the pivotal portion is located intermediately.

[0020] In the above embodiment, the tip 2 of the clip member 1 contacts the side of the main body 6, such as a barrel. However, the tip of the clip piece may contact the side of the main body. Figures 9 and 10 show such an embodiment. The clip piece 19 is made of a relatively damage-resistant material, such as plastic or wood, and, as in the above embodiment, has a rotating support shaft 20 on its underside and a pressing portion 21 on the upper surface of its rear end. The clip piece 19 has an arc-shaped protruding surface 23 on the underside of its tip 22, an opening 24 that opens downward in its front middle portion, and a tip insertion groove 25 that widens toward the tip end, provided inside the opening 24. Then, as shown in Figure 10, the clip member 1 is attached to the clip holder 5, and the tip 2 of the clip member 1 is inserted through the opening 24 and into the tip insertion groove 25 to connect the front portion of the clip member 19 to the tip 2, which is part of the clip member 1. When configured in this manner, as shown in Figures 10A and 10B, the tip 22 of the clip piece 19 elastically contacts the main body 6, and as shown in Figure 10C, when the pressing portion 21 of the clip piece 19 is pressed, the tip 2 of the clip member 1 is pulled up or pushed up and rotates, i.e., the tip 22 of the clip piece 19 separates from the main body 6 and opens. [Explanation of symbols]

[0021] 1 Clip member 2 Tip 3 Lateral line 4 Locking end 5 Clip holder 6 Main unit 10 Receiving groove 11 Front mounting part 12 Rear mounting part 13 Clip piece 14 Rotating shaft 15 Pressing section 19 Clip piece 21 Pressing section 22 Tip 25 Tip insertion groove

Claims

1. a tip portion whose front end is bent into a substantially U-shape by an elastic metal wire; a lateral line portion extending rearward from the tip portion in a longitudinal direction opposite to the tip portion; a clip member having a locking end formed at a rear end of the side wire portion; In a wire clip, the engaging end of the clip member is attached to a clip holder provided on the main body to generate a pressing force on the tip of the clip member, A clip piece is pivotally attached to the clip holder so as to be swingable, A pressing portion is formed at the rear end of the clip piece, A part of the clip member is connected to a front part of the clip piece, When the pressing portion of the clip piece is pressed, the clip piece swings and the tip portion rotates the clip member in a direction away from the main body. A wire clip opening and closing device, The locking end portions of the clip members are bent and shifted in position back and forth in the longitudinal direction, The clip holder is formed with a front mounting portion and a rear mounting portion spaced apart in the front-rear direction for mounting the locking end portion, The clip piece is pivotally attached to the clip holder at a position between the front mounting portion and the rear mounting portion. Wire clip opening and closing device.

2. 2. The wire clip opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein an insertion groove is formed on the side surface of the front portion of said clip piece, and a side wire portion of said clip member is fitted into said insertion groove to be connected.

3. A tip insertion groove is formed in the front portion of the clip piece, 2. The wire clip opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the clip member is inserted into the tip insertion groove to connect the clip member to the front part of the clip piece, thereby generating a pressing force on the tip of the clip piece.

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