Dec. 17, 1963 o. w. CHILDRESS PIN-EQUIPPED HOLDER FOR PENCILS AND THE LIKE Filed June 22, 1961 Owen W Chi/dress INVENTOR.
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United States Patent 3,114,183 'PIN-EQUIPPED HOLDER FOR PEN CILS AND LIKE Gwen W. (Thiidress, Waynesboro, Va., assignor to Randolph P. Harrison, Waynesboro, Va. Filed June 22, 1961, Ser. No. 118,938 2 Claims. (CI. 2413) The present invention relates to a pin-equipped holder for relatively small miscellaneous articles such as, for example, pencils, pens, corsages, scarfs, handkerchiefs, badges and so on, the same being such in construction that it may be readily attached to the users clothing.
The invention relates, somewhat more particularly stated, to a holder which may be readily placed in a desired position on garment or equivalent support means therefor comprising holding means adapted to removably embrace the article (pencil for example) with which it is 'connectible, at least one substantially rigid pin having one end joined to said holding means and the other end free to pierce and retain itself on the support means, and a safety-type clasp carried by the holding means and provided with a self-applying and releasing guard normally cooperable with said free end.
In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention the clasp above referred to comprises a flexible resilient finger which is opposed to and spaced from the complemental pin and which has a free projectible and retractible end carrying the aforementioned guard, said guard being particularly novel in that it is specially shaped to achieve the end results desired and has an opening providing a keeper into which the pointed end of the pin is safely and fully projected when in its normal safeguarded position.
A further improvement resides in the several component parts briefly touched upon and wherein the holder comprises a sleeve or a band to encircle and embrace the article which is removably fitted and held therein. Further novelty is predicated on shaping and arranging the components of the guard to achieve a novel pressure responsive and camming effect at the time the pointed end of the pin is stuck in place and pushed home and also when it is caught hold of and forcibly Withdrawn.
Another object of the invention is to provide a construction and arrangement wherein, if desired, two pins instead of one, may be utilized, the finger and guard means for the pointed ends being accordingly constructed to accommodate the pin-ends.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective showing the improved pin-equipped holder and illustrating it in the manner in which it is used as a pencil holder;
FIGURE 2 is a view showing the pencil fragmentarily and showing the holder in section and elevation, the pin and guard being cooperatively associated in normal pin-guarding relationship;
FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the pinpoint about to be shoved through and pressed downwardly (through a piece of cloth for example) and at which time the guard is automatically cammed and deflected to the left to facilitate entering the pin;
FIGURE 4 is a view based on FIGURE 3 and showing the pin in its attached and guarded as well as final posi tion;
FIGURE 5 is a view which shows another step and which is expressly drawn to illustrate the relationship of the pin and guard when the pin is being manually and forcibly withdrawn from the cloth with the guard cammed to the left again (see FIG. 3) so as not to hinder the withdrawal step; and
FIGURE 6 is a view in perspective showing a duplex type pin-equipped holder which lends itself particularly well to use in holding and pinning a bouquet of flowers or a corsage on ones apparel.
Reference will be made to FIGURES 1 to 5, inclusive. In these illustrations the article to be embraced and supported is represented by a pencil, as at 8. The holding means, and this may be varied in construction, is constr-ucted and designed to frictionally or otherwise embrace and retain a pencil or other article encircled thereby. In particular the means comprises an open-ended sleeve 10 constructed of suitable material. The integral depending pin-fastening is denoted as an entity by thenumeral 12 and it comprises an inverted L-shaped pin, that is one having a short shank :14 joined to and projecting radially from the surface of the sleeve and carrying a substantially rigid depending portion which constitutes the pin proper as at 16 the free end thereof being pointed at 18. .The complemental clasp is denoted generally by thenumeral 26 and it comprises a flexiblyresilient finger 22 the upper end of which is joined to the lower end of the sleeve, said finger being rectangular in cross-section and of a width or cross-sectional dimension appreciably greater than the cross-section of the pin so as to insure eifective pin-retaining results. The inherent resiliency of the finger is such that it norrnally' assumes a deflected position relative to the surface of thearticle 8 as brought out in 'FIGS. 1, 2. and 4. The lower free end of the finger is fashioned into a safety-type guard and amply and fully encloses the pinpoint when in the relationship depicted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. More particularly there is a first oblique-angled laterallybent portion 24 joined with an upwardly bent oblique-angled companion portion 26 these two portions defining a V-shaped terminal. The upper end of the second bend orbent portion 26 is again bent and directed toward but spaced from the body of the tongue as at 2 8. A slot 39 is provided in the bent portions the slot being somewhat diamond-shaped as shown best in FIG. 1 and constituting a keeper for the pinpoint. The inherent spring properties serve to urge the finger or clasp 20 toward the relativelystationary pin 16 with the result that the properly lined up parts effect the desired safe-guarding action. Consequently when the pin is not in use it is safeguarded to avoid accidents. This is also true after the pin has been applied and is being used. For example in FIGS. 3 to 5 thenumeral 32 designates a piece of cloth or fabric which could represent any suitable support means. This cloth is shown with a first opening at 34 which may be said to be the top opening, and a lower bottom opening at 35 (FIG. 4) through and beyond which the pointed end of the pin projects. 7
In use all that is necessary is to press the pointed end of the pin into the fabric or means 32 and in doing so the cam action which results presses or forces the guard from right to left. This is brought out in FIG. 3. As soon as the pinpoint passes through theopening 36 in FIG. 4 the guard (26 and 28) snaps back and automatically takes its safeguarding position and function. By considering the illustrations in a step-by-step manner beginning with FIG. 1 and ending with FIG. 5 the mode of attaching and detaching the guarded pin should be clear to the reader.
The principal purpose of FIG. 6 is to emphasize again the fact that the holder is not merely a device for accommodatingly supporting and attaching pens and pencils to garments and apparel. This is to say, the invention is capable of being satisfactorily used in connection with a tent fiap (not illustrated) and allows the flap to be pinned back when open or pinned down when closed. Another somewhat divergent use for the device would be to attach the same to a fishing rod near the tip and be able to pin it to the fishermans jacket while removing a fish or replacing a bait. In FIG. 6, to illustrate this theme of invention, a duplex adaptation is shown and used as a holder for a corsage. The open ended sleeve or holding means is denoted by thenumeral 38. Theclasp 40 comprises a flexibly resilient tongue which may be wider than thetongue 20 if necessary or desired. Here again the guard means is mechanically the same as that already described and comprises a first bend orbent portion 42, a second oblique angled upwardly directed bend orbent portion 44 and a third orterminal bent portion 46 directed toward the sleeve with theportions 44 and 46 having an opening therein at 48 to provide a keeper for the free pointed ends of the paired L-shaped attachingpins 50 and 52. Both pins are of the same constnuction and have their laterally directed shank portions joined to the sleeve and their pointed ends normally guarded and concealed.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may beresorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.
\Vhat is claimed as new is as follows:
1. An article holder which may be readily and detachably mounted on a garment or the like comprising: a sleeve, an elongated flexibly resilient tongue connected 4 at its upper end to a lower end portion of said sleeve, said tongue being flared at an oblique angle outwardly and away from the outer periphery of said sleeve, said tongue having a free lower end with a portion bent outwardly and downwardly, an adjacent portion bent outwardly and upwardly and a terminal portion bent in a direction toward the finger, said bent portions providing a substantially rigid V-shaped guard as Well as a pressure-responsive cam, and a substantially L-shape-d attaching and retaining pin, said pin being rigid and having an upper end attached to and projecting laterally from a surface of said sleeve in alignment with the upper end portion of said tongue, the pin proper being substantially parallel with and spaced outwardly from said tongue and substantially commensurate in length with the length of the tongue and having a pointed lower end releasably seated in said keeper opening.
2. The structure defined in claim 1, and in combination, a second substantially L-shaped attaching and retaining pin, said pin corresponding in construction to said first-named attaching and retaining pin and being disposed in spaced parallel relation thereto whereby to thus provide a pair of duplicate attaching and retaining pins.
References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 320,517 Washburn June 23, 1885 755,677 Krus Mar. 29, 1904 887,149 Tarnow May 12, 1908 1,074,927 Boye Oct. 7, 1913 1,484,461 Bayer Feb. 19, 1924 2,423,948 Prince July 15, 1947 2,500,367 LHeureux Mar. 14, 1950 2,924,085 Brooke Feb. 9, 1960