GB2211240A

GB2211240A - Apparatus for mounting sheet material clip

Info

Publication number: GB2211240A
Application number: GB8824295A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Alfred Jones
Original assignee: DAVID JONES DESIGNS Ltd
Current assignee: DAVID JONES DESIGNS Ltd
Priority date: 1987-10-15
Filing date: 1988-10-17
Publication date: 1989-06-28
Also published as: GB8824295D0

Abstract

The apparatus utilises a clip 10 comprising a first part with a pair of spaced apart jaws 18 for insertion of apertured sheet material (e.g. vinyl flooring samples 12, carboard, metal sheets) therebetween, and a second part which is releaseably attached to a rod 16 of the support. Clip may be moulded or extruded. The embodiment of Figures 1-4 has the clip 10 of extruded plastics material and the inner surfaces of jaws 18 each have a nib 20 to be pushed apart as sample 12 is pushed therebetween and biassed together to project through hole (22, Figure 3) in the sample. The second part 24 defines an open groove 28 to embrace rod 16. In the embodiment of Figure 5 the second part has L-shaped projections (34,32). In Figure 6 one jaw (40) is hinged away from jaw (44) to enable vinyl sample to be located. Figure 7 has latching lugs 62 on jaws 18 and Figure 8 has a bolt (72) threaded to one jaw 18. <IMAGE>

Description

Hounting of Sheet Naterial This invention relates to apparatus for mounting sheet material on a support and is particularly concerned with the mounting of heavy gauge material such as vinyl flooring samples on supports for display purposes. It is to be appreciated however that the invention is not restricted to apparatus for use with this type of material.

Heretofore samples of vinyl flooring have been rotatably mounted on a plurality of parallel, closely arranged rods which are releasably mounted on a display frame in such a manner that the samples can be viewed in the manner of pages of a book. Because of the nature of the vinyl material however it has been necessary to mount the latter in an elongate bracket, normally formed of a plastics extrusion, with the fixing being by way of screws and the like passing through the bracket and the vinyl. The bracket is normally rotatably mounted on the respective support rod in such a way that release of the sample requires release of the rod from the frame and sliding of the bracket with the sample away from the rod.This has resulted in a somewhat crude display arrangement which can be awkward to change when different samples are to be used, and also the display arrangement is relatively expensive to manufacture.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for mounting sheet material on a support, the apparatus comprising means for releasable attachment of the apparatus to a support, and clamping means including spaced parts which enable insertion of sheet material therebetween, the sheet material having an aperture arrangement which, when aligned with the clamping means, enables the latter, through the aperture arrangement, to clamp the sheet material in the apparatus.

Preferably the apparatus is integrally formed from a plastics material, and may be formed by moulding or extrusion.

The spaced parts of the clamping means may be resiliently biassed together but movable apart to enable the insertion of the sheet material. Further, the spaced parts of the clamping means may be in the form of a pair of jaw members, the clamping means including inwardly extending and aligned nibs formed on facing surfaces of the jaw members.

Alternatively one of the spaced parts of the clamping means is hingedly arranged relative to the other to enable insertion of the sheet material. Preferably, said one spaced part has a through hole, and said other spaced part has an inwardly extending pin on a surface thereof facing said one spaced part, the pin being locatable through the aperture arrangement in the sheet material and being releasably lockable in the through hole to clamp the sheet material.

In a further alternative, on facing surfaces, each of the spaced parts has an inwardly extending latching lug, one of the lugs being locatable through the aperture arrangement in the sheet material, and being adapted to releasably coact with the other of the lugs to clamp the sheet material.

In another arrangement, a locking member may be engageable through one of the spaced parts and is movable towards the other of the spaced parts, whereby the locking member can be located through the aperture arrangement in the sheet material to clamp same in the apparatus.

Preferably the attachment means comprises an open groove which has at least one resilient wall to enable snapfit around the support. Alternatively the attachment means comprises a pair of aligned U-shaped projections opening in opposite directions, whereby to enable location of the support therein by a pivoting movement of the apparatus relative to the support.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention in the form of a mounting clip; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the clip of Fig. 1 indicating the way the clip is used; Fig. 3 is another perspective view of the clip of Figs.

1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a plurality of the clips in use; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the mounting clip; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the mounting clip; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a yet further embodiment of the mounting clip; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a still further embodiment of the mounting clip; and Fig. 9 is an elevation of a display frame with which the mounting clip can be used.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 and Fig. 9 of the drawings, there is shown a clip 10 for use in mounting sheet material such as vinyl flooring samples 12 on a display frame 14. The latter is of rectangular form, having, in a central section thereof, a plurality of parallel and closely adjacent rods 16 extending parallel to the shorter sides of the frame 14 and being secured to the latter for a purpose hereinafter described. One of the rods 16 is also shown in Fig. 4.

The clip 10 is preferably formed of an extruded plastics material and comprises two parts having different functions. The first part has the form of a pair of parallel spaced apart jaws 18, on the inner surface of each of which is formed an inwardly extending nib 20. The latter may be of circular cross section and is sloped from the inner surface of the respective jaw 18 at the free end thereof to a maximum inwardly extending dimension remote from the free end. At their maximum dimensions, the nibs 20, in the normal condition of the jaws 18, are oppositely disposed only a short distance apart.

Each of the vinyl flooring samples 12 is provided at spaced locations along one edge and inwardly spaced from the edge with a pair of through holes 22 (see Fig. 3). The vinyl sample 12 is mounted on two of the clips 10 by pushing the sample 12 between the respective jaws 18 of each clip 10 with the hole 22 aligned with the clip 10. The edge of the sample 12 engages with the sloping surfaces of the nibs 20 and pushes the latter apart against the biassing force exerted by the resilient nature of the material of the jaws 18. The nibs 20 are pushed apart until the sample 12 can pass therebetween, but once the hole 22 aligns with the nibs 20, the latter are biassed together again to project through the hole 22 and secure the sample 12 to the clip 10.

There is therefore provided a simple, easy to use, and aesthetically pleasing arrangement for locating samples on a mounting arrangement.

The second part of each of the clips 10 is formed as a projection 24 of substantially L-shaped configuration on the base 26 of the jaws 18, the projection 24 and the outer surface of the base 26 thereby defining an open groove 28.

The inner wall of the projection 24 is preferably profiled so that the mouth of the groove 28 is of less width than the remainder of the groove 28. The latter thereby opens towards the plane of one of the jaws 18.

To mount the clip 10 on a respective support rod 16, the projection 24 and the base 26 embrace the rod 16 and snap-fit thereover until the rod 16 locates in the groove 28. The clip 10 can rotate around the rod 16 by virtue of the dimensions of the groove 28. There is therefore provided a simple snap-fit mounting of two of the clips 10 on each rod 16 which does not require the rod 16 to be detachable from the frame 14. A rod 17 on the frame 14 extends across the rods 16 at substantially right angles thereto and, on each rod 16, limits sliding of the clips 10 together. There results a simpler, less expensive, and easier to use display arrangement relative to the arrangements presently in use.

In each of the further embodiments of the invention, those features of the mounting clip which are identical to the features of the clip 10 of the first embodiment are identified by the same reference numbers.

The second part of a clip 30 (Fig. 5) comprises a pair of L-shaped projections 32,34 integrally formed on the base 26, the projection 32 extending from the plane of one of the jaws 18 to form, with the base 26, a U-shaped arrangement opening towards the other of the jaws 18, and the projection 34 extending from the plane of the other of the jaws 18 and forming with the base 26 a U-shaped configuration opening in the opposite direction. The projections 32,34 are spaced apart along the length of the base 26.

In use the clip 30 is mounted on a support rod 16 by locating the projection 32 over the rod 16 whereby the rod locates between the projection 32 and the base 26, the clip at this time requiring to be out of alignment with the rod 16 whereby the latter can pass on the outside of the projection 34. The clip is then pivoted on the rod 16 until the projection 34 is below the latter whereby the clip 30 can then be pivoted back to an aligned position and moved to locate the rod 16 also between the projection 34 and the base 26. By virtue of the oppositely opening U-shapes the clip 30 is retained on the rod 16.

The material of the clip may be so arranged that when the jaws 18 are moved apart against the resilient biassing force, this causes flexing of the projection arrangement towards the base of the jaws to thereby prevent detachment of the clip from the support rod while the sample is being mounted, for example for replacement, on the clips.

In the embodiment of Fig. 6, a clip 40 has a first part in the form of a pair of parallel spaced apart jaws 42,44.

The jaw 42 is connected to a base 46 of the jaw members by an area of reduced thickness of material whereby to form a hinge line 48. The jaw 42 is also provided with a through hole 50. On the inner surface of the jaw 44 there is provided an inwardly extending pin 52 having a neck 54 defining a head 56.

In use, the jaw 42 is hinged away from the jaw 44 to enable the vinyl sample 12 to locate with the pin 52 passing through the hole 22 in the sample. Thereafter the jaw 42 is hinged downwardly and the head 56 of the pin 52 deforms in passing through the hole 50 until the jaw 42 locates around the neck 54 and is thereby retained by the head 56 in a parallel relation with the jaw 44 to clamp the vinyl sample in position.

Referring to Fig. 7, a mounting clip 60 has each of its jaws 18 provided with an inwardly extending latching lug 62.

Each of the latter has a nose 64, the respective noses fac ing one another and normally overlying one another to latch the jaws 18 together as shown in Fig. 6. In use, the lugs 62 are deflected apart, one of the lugs 62 is passed through the hole 22 in the vinyl sample 12 and then is biassed into the latching relationship with the other lug 62 whereby to clamp the sample 12 in position.

In the embodiment of Fig. 8, a mounting clip 70 has an internally threaded opening in one of the jaws 18, through which can locate a threaded bolt 72 to thereby be movable towards the other jaw 18. When the bolt 72 is screwed so as to move away from the other jaw 18, the vinyl sample 12 may be located in position whereupon the bolt 72 can then be screwed towards the other jaw 18 to pass through the hole 22 in the sample 12 and thereby clamp the sample in position.

It is to be appreciated that the invention is not rest nweted to use with vinyl flooring samples and can be used for the mounting of other materials such as cardboard, metal sheets, etc.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example the shape of the mounting clip may differ from that described and shown in either embodiment, in particular the configuration of the nibs being different and/or the configuration of the projections being different. Also different materials may be used for the clip although the forming of the clip from an integral plastics material would be most advantageous as far as ease and expense of manufacture is concerned.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing Specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

1. Apparatus for mounting sheet material on a support, the apparatus comprising means for releasable attachment of the apparatus to a support, and clamping means including spaced parts which enable insertion of sheet material therebetween, the sheet material having an aperture arrangement which, when aligned with the clamping means, enables the latter, through the aperture arrangement, to clamp the sheet material in the apparatus.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the apparatus is integrally formed from a plastics material.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein the apparatus is formed by moulding or extrusion.

4. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the spaced parts of the clamping means are resiliently biassed together but movable apart to enable the insertion of the sheet material.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein the spaced parts of the clamping means are in the form of a pair of jaw members, the clamping means including inwardly extending and aligned nibs formed on facing surfaces of the jaw members.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein the facing surfaces of the nibs are sloped from a minimum to a maximum inward extension in the direction of entry into the jaw members.

7. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein one of the spaced parts of the clamping means is hingedly arranged relative to the other to enable insertion of the sheet material.

8. Apparatus according to Claim 7, wherein said one spaced part has a through hole, and said other spaced part has an inwardly extending pin on a surface thereof facing said one spaced part, the pin being locatable through the aperture arrangement in the sheet material and being releasably lockable in the through hole to clamp the sheet material.

9. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein, on facing surfaces, each of the spaced parts has an inwardly extending latching lug, one of the lugs being locatable through the aperture arrangement in the sheet material, and being adapted to releasably co-act with the other of the lugs to clamp the sheet material.

10. Apparatus according to Claim 9, wherein each of the lugs has a nose on its inner end, the noses of the respective lugs facing one another whereby to be adapted to normally overlie one another in a latching relation.

11. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein a locking member is engageable through one of the spaced parts and is movable towards the other of the spaced parts, whereby the locking member can be located through the aperture arrangement in the sheet material to clamp same in the apparatus.

12. Apparatus according to Claim 11, wherein the locking member is a bolt engageable through a threaded hole in said one spaced part.

13. Apparatus according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the attachment means comprises an open groove which has at least one resilient wall to enable snap-fit around the support.

14. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 12, wherein the attachment means comprises a pair of aligned U-shaped projections opening in opposite directions, whereby to enable location of the support therein by a pivoting movement of the apparatus relative to the support.

15. Apparatus for mounting sheet material on a support, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A support assembly for sheet material, the assembly including a support comprising a plurality of spaced, parallel rods and apparatus according to any of the preceding Claims for mounting sheets of material on respective ones of the rods.

17. A support assembly for sheet material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter herein disclosed in the foregoing Specification or Claims and/or shown in the drawings, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding Claims.