IES62980B2

IES62980B2 - A clothes peg

Info

Publication number: IES62980B2
Authority: IE
Inventors: Edward Mccloskey
Original assignee: Edward Mccloskey
Priority date: 1994-05-09
Filing date: 1994-05-09
Publication date: 1995-03-08
Also published as: IES940382A2

Abstract

A clothes peg which comprises a mating pair of elements, each element having an obverse face, reverse face, side walls, a nose and a rear end. The obverse face is substantialy co-planar; the reverse face has a coil spring engaging and transversely disposed recess from which recess the reverse face tapers rearwardly. The reverse face also has a clothes line engaging transversely disposed recess located rearwardly of the nose; a mid-portion located between the said recesses; at least one element projecting from the mid-portion and adapted for engaging with a longitudinal recess of the other element. The obverse face has a transversely disposed recess for the reception of a free end of a coil spring.

Description

This invention relates to a clothes peg. In particular, it relates to a clothes peg with improved * characteristics.

The invention, therefore, provides a clothes peg which comprises a mating pair of elements each element having an obverse face, a reverse face, side walls, a nose and a rear end; the obverse face being substantially co-planar; the reverse face having a coil spring engaging and transversely disposed recess from which recess the reverse face tapers rearwardly; the reverse face also having a clothes line engaging transversely disposed recess located rearwardly of the nose; a mid-portion located between said recesses; at least one element projecting from the mid-portion and adapted for engaging with a longitudinal recess of the other element; the obverse face having a transversely disposed recess for the reception of a free end of the coil spring.

The invention will be understood in greater detail from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:' Figure 1 is an exploded and side elevation view of a clothes peg according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the clothes peg * of Figure 1 of the drawings being assembled; Figure 3 is a plan view of the reverse face of a first element of the clothes peg of Figure 1 of the drawings; - 2 Figure 4 is a plan view of the reverse face of a second element of the clothes peg of Figure 1 of the drawings; and Figure 5 is a plan view of the obverse face of the first (or second) element of the clothes peg of Figure 1 of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a clothes peg 10 according to the invention which comprises a pair of elements viz. a first element 11 and a second element 12. A coil spring 13 serves to secure the elements 11, 12 in operational relationship. The elements 11, 12 are identical in construction.

Thus, the element 11 comprises an obverse face 20, a reverse face 21, side walls 22, 23, a nose 24 and a rear end 25. The obverse face 20 is substantially co-planar having a transversely disposed recess 30. In addition, near the rear end 25, there is provided a step 31 which results in the obverse face 20 near the rear end 25 being in a plane parallel relative to the remainder of the obverse face 20.

The reverse face 21 has a coil spring engaging recess 40 from which recess 40 the reverse face 21 tapers rearwardly in the direction of the rear end 25. Located forwardly of the recess 40 is a pair of projecting elements 42, 43 in substantially parallel spaced apart relationship. The element 42 is located substantially mid-way between the side walls 22, 23; the element 43 is located substantially mid-way between the side wall 22 and the projecting element 42. The distance between the projecting elements 42, 43 is substantially equal to or greater than the thickness of the projecting element 42 for reasons which will be clear later in the specification.

Rearwardly of the nose 24 is a clothes line engaging recess 50. Between the projecting elements 42, 43 and the nose 24, there is provided a plurality of longitudinal recesses 51 interposed by a plurality of projections 52. In the present embodiment, a further clothes line engaging recess 53 is provided being located between the clothes-line recess 50 and the coil spring engaging recess 40. The recesses 51 and projections 52 which are in parallel arrangement following the longitudinal contours of the reverse face 21 to enable the recesses 50, 53 and the nose 24 to be present. All the recesses 40, 50 and 51 are disposed in a substantially parallel spaced apart and transverse relationship.

The recesses 51 and projections 52 terminate rearwardly of the recess 53 and just forwardly of the projections 42, 43 being delineated from the latter by a transversely disposed wall 54. The wall 54 together with a further rearwardly disposed wall 55 and the side walls 22, 23 defined a chamber 56.

To assemble the clothes peg 10, two elements 11, 12 are required together with the coil spring 13. The coil spring 13 is of conventional construction being well-known for use in prior art clothes pegs. The coil spring 13 essentially comprises a spring 70 per se as a pair of legs 71, 72 each of which projects from either end of the spring 70, each leg terminating in a transversely disposed respective foot 73, 74. The feet 73, 74 are disposed in parallel spaced apart relationship relative to each other and the spring 70.

Thus, in assembling the clothes peg 10, the coil spring 13 is offered to the element 11 so that the foot 74 engages in the recess 30 and the spring 70 rests in the recess 40.

Ensuring that the reverse faces 21 of the elements 11, 12 are facing each other as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, because the foot 73 is located above the reverse face 21 of the element 11, it is possible to insert the end 25 of the element 11 between the foot 73 and the reverse face 21 of the element 12 as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings., By sliding the element 11 to the right (as viewed in Figure 2 of the drawings) relative to the element 12, the foot 73 will eventually engage with the recess 30 of the element 11. Simultaneously, the spring 70 will engage with the recess 40 of the element 11. The projecting element 42 of the element 11 will now be disposed between the elements 42, 43 of the element 12; the projecting element 42 of the element 12 will be disposed between the element 42, 43 of the element 11. Having referred to the fact that the projecting elements 42, 43 of each element 11, 12 are not disposed centrally between the respective side walls 22, 23 and further having regard to the fact that the elements 11, 12 are identical in construction and with the respective reverse faces 21 facing each other , it will now be clear that the combination of the respective projecting elements 42, 43 of each of the elements 11, 12 will now be disposed centrally of the clothes peg 10.

The projecting elements 42, 43 of the clothes pegs serve to prevent lateral movement of the elements 11, 12 relative to each other which movement is the bane of conventional clothes pegs resulting in the undesirable dis-assembly of the conventional pegs. In the peg 10 according to the invention, such lateral movement is virtually eliminated resulting in a more substantially rigid clothes peg 10 with respect to lateral movement without loss of movement along the pivot at the recess 40 of the clothes peg 10 located about the spring 70.

In addition, the projecting elements 42, 43 enable quick, easy and accurate assembly of the clothes peg 10. This is achieved for the following reasons. In the condition shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the elements 42, 43 of the element 12 will be located in the chamber 56 of the element 11; the elements 42, 43 of the element 11 will be respectively located in adjacent recesses 52 of the element 12. The location of the elements 42, 43 of each of the elements 11, 12 provides a guiding means for ensuring that as the ' elements 11, 12 are in sliding interengagement during assembly, the elements 42, 43 of each of the elements 11, 12 will, in the assembled clothes peg 10, be correctly interengaging with ease.

The invention is not limited by or to the specific embodiment described which can undergo considerable variation without departing from the scope of the invention.

F. R. KELLY & CO.

AGENTS FOR THE APPLICANTS

Claims

1. A clothes peg which comprises a mating pair of elements each element having an obverse face, a reverse face, side walls, a nose and a rear end; the obverse face being substantially co-planar; the reverse face having a coil spring engaging and transversely disposed recess from which recess the reverse face tapers rearwardly; the reverse face also having a clothes line engaging transversely disposed recess located rearwardly of the nose; a mid-portion located between the said recesses; at least one element projecting from the mid-portion and adapted for engaging with a longitudinal recess of the other element; the obverse face having a transversely disposed recess for the reception of a free end of the coil spring.

2. A clothes peg according to Claim 1, wherein two elements project from the mid-portion and the distance between the two projecting elements is substantially equal to or greater than the thickness of each of the projecting elements.

3. A clothes peg according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the projecting elements from each element engage with the longitudinal recess of the opposite element to enable correct alignment of the projecting elements so that in the assembled state, the projecting elements from each element are inter-engageable.

4. A clothes peg according to any preceding claim wherein the projecting elements from each element are inter-engageable and disposed centrally when in an assembled form.

5. A clothes peg according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.