TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a clothespin and a method for making the same.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Clothespins are widely used in life. A common clothespin typically includes two clamping members and an elastic member provided between the clamping members such that the two clamping members cooperate to form an openable clamping structure under the action of the elastic member. The connection between the elastic member and the clamping members is prone to be weakened during long-term use, and the elastic member and the clamping members may be easily disengaged and thus damage may be incurred to the clothespin.

[0003] In addition, generally, the clamping members of a clothespin are made of plastic, and the elastic member thereof is formed as a metal elastic member, such as a spring. A significant drawback of the clothespin in this type is that it is inconvenient to be recycled, since the recycling process thereof requires classification of the plastic components firstly and then recycling the metal members and the plastic members separately.

[0004] The present invention seeks to solve the above problems and/or other problems existing in the prior art.

SUMMARY

[0005] The main object of the present invention is to provide a clothespin and a method for making the same to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art.

[0006] In order to achieve the foregoing object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a clothespin is provided, including two clamping members and an elastic member, wherein the two clamping members cooperate to form an openable clamping member under the action of the elastic member; wherein the elastic member comprises a body and two attachment portions respectively formed integrally with the body at both ends thereof, and wherein the elastic member is attached to the two clamping members by molding of the clamping members onto the respective attachment portions.

[0007] In some more specific embodiments, through injection molding of the clamping members onto the respective attachment portions, the two clamping members are overmolded onto the two attachment portions respectively. [0008] In some more specific embodiments, prior to the attachment with the two clamping members, the elastic member is formed by molding.

[0009] In some more specific embodiments, each of the attachment portions includes a first anchoring portion embedded in the respective clamping member and a connecting neck portion embedded in the respective clamping member and connecting the first anchoring portion to the body of the elastic member; wherein the first anchoring portion extends in a first direction along the extension of the respective clamping member, protruding relative to the connecting neck portion.

[0010] In some more specific embodiments, ridge(s) are formed on the side of the first anchoring portion closer to the connecting neck portion.

[0011] In some more specific embodiments, each end of the first anchoring portion is provided with one ridge.

[0012] In some more specific embodiments, the connecting neck portion is smaller in cross-sectional area than the body, such that a shoulder is formed at the connection area between the body and the connecting neck portion, and wherein the shoulder is engaged with material of the respective clamping member.

[0013] In some more specific embodiments, each of the attachment portions further includes a second anchoring portion extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and protruding relative to the connecting neck portion.

[0014] In some more specific embodiments, the second anchoring portion is shaft-shaped. [0015] In some more specific embodiments, the clothespin is made of plastic materials only.

[0016] In some more specific embodiments, the clamping members are made of plastic with hardness greater than that of the plastic of the elastic member.

[0017] In some more specific embodiments, the elastic member has a different color than the clamping members.

[0018] In some more specific embodiments, the elastic member is made of virgin plastic.

[0019] In some more specific embodiments, the clamping member is made of recycled plastic.

[0020] In some more specific embodiments, the elastic member is made of polyoxymethylene plastic.

[0021] In some more specific embodiments, the clamping members are made of polypropylene plastic. [0022] In some more specific embodiments, the elastic member comprises an arc-shaped structure with an opening portion facing towards the clamping structure.

[0023] In some more specific embodiments, the elastic member is “W” shaped.

[0024] In some more specific embodiments, each of the clamping members is formed with a toothed structure, and the toothed structures respectively formed on the two clamping members are engageable with each other in the closed state of the clamping structure.

[0025] In some more specific embodiments, the clamping members each have an elongated shape.

[0026] In some more specific embodiments, each of the clamping members is formed with a hollow structure inside the end thereof adjacent to the openable clamping structure.

[0027] In some more specific embodiments, the clothespin further includes a detachable hanging string having a string body and a closed loop at each end thereof, wherein one closed loop defines an aperture for the passage of one half of the opened clamping structure so as to move the closed loop to a position surrounding the body of the elastic member; and wherein the other closed loop is sized to be passed through by the end of the hanging string carrying the elastic member and the clamping members so that a hanging loop is formed by the other closed loop and the string body.

[0028] Another aspect of the embodiment of the present invention provides a method for making a clothespin, the method including the steps of:

- providing an elastic member in a mold, wherein the elastic member includes a body and two attachment portions integrally formed with the body at both ends thereof;

- molding, in one molding step, a first clamping member onto one of the two attachment portions and a second clamping member onto the other attachment portion, such that an openable clamping structure is defined by the first and second clamping members and the elastic member.

[0029] In some more specific embodiments, the elastic member is held in a preloaded state during molding of the first clamping member and the second clamping member.

[0030] In the above embodiments of the present application, the clamping members and the elastic member are integrally formed by molding the two clamping members onto the two attachment portions of the elastic member, respectively. Therefore, the elastic member is not prone to be separate from the clamping member, and the service life of the clothespin is significantly extended. Moreover, the clothespin of the present invention is made of plastic material(s) only, so that no preceding disassembly and classification of the components are required during recycling, which greatly simplifies the recycling process. The molding process is simple and the manufactured clothespin has a firm structure and a long service life. Furthermore, the specified structures of the attachment portions of the elastic member also greatly improve the bonding strength of the elastic member and the clamping members, and thus prolong the service life of the clothespin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0032] Fig.1 shows a perspective view of a clothespin according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Fig. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the clothespin shown in Fig. 1;

[0034] Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the clothespin shown in Fig. 1;

[0035] Fig. 4 shows a front view of a hanging string of the clothespin in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[0036] Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a clothespin with a hanging string in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0037] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the present invention, a clothespin is provided. The clothespin includes two clamping members 100, 200 and an elastic member 300. The two clamping members 100, 200 cooperate to form an openable clamping structure under the action of the elastic member 300. The elastic member 300 comprises a body 310 and two attachment portions 380 respectively formed integrally with the body at both ends thereof. The elastic member 300 is attached to the two clamping members 100, 200 by molding of the clamping members onto the respective attachment portions 380.

[0038] Correspondingly, a method for making a clothespin is provided, the method comprising the steps of:

[0039] - providing an elastic member 300 in a mold, wherein the elastic member 300 comprises a body 310 and two attachment portions 380 integrally formed with the body at both ends thereof; and [0040] - molding, in one molding step, a first clamping member 100 onto one of the two attachment portions 380 and a second clamping member 200 onto the other attachment portion, such that an openable clamping structure is defined by the first and second clamping members 100, 200 and the elastic member 300.

[0041] The clamping members 100, 200 and the elastic member 300 are integrally formed by molding the clamping members 100, 200 onto the two attachment portions 380 of the elastic member 300 respectively. Therefore, the elastic member 300 is not prone to be detached from the holding member, greatly lengthening the life span of the clothespin.

[0042] As an example, the molding process may be performed by injection molding. As shown in Fig.l and Fig. 3, through injection molding of the clamping members 100, 200 onto the respective attachment portions 380, the two clamping members 100, 200 are over-molded onto the two attachment portions 380 respectively. Injection molding is particularly suitable for forming a part in which an insert (i.e., the two attachment portions 380 of the elastic member 300) is embedded, through which the attachment portions 380 are embedded in the corresponding clamping members and thus the elastic member 300 and the two clamping members are jointed more tightly.

[0043] Preferably, the elastic member 300 has been formed (such as by molding) prior to being placed in the mold, that is, elastic member 300 is first formed, preferably by molding, and thereafter the two clamping members 100, 200 are molded onto the elastic member 300. The above-described molding process may also be referred to as one-time molding. Since the elastic member 300 is also formed by molding, the clothespin can be produced in a fully automatic way.

[0044] Advantageously, the elastic member 300 is held in a preloaded state during the molding of the first clamping member 100 and the second clamping member 200. For example, the elastic member 300 is held in a stretched state in which the two attachment portions 380 of the elastic member 300 are moved away from each other, so that once the clothespin is taken out of the mold as a whole, the restoring force of the elastic member 300 brings one ends of the two clamping members 100 and 200 toward each other, so as to form a closed clamping structure 500.

[0045] As a preferred example, the clothespin is made of plastic material(s) only. In other words, all the components of the clothespin are made of plastic materials. Those skilled in the art can appreciate that requirements for the plastics for the clamping member and for the elastic member differ from each other, for example, the clamping members require higher hardness while the elastic member requires higher elasticity, and therefore, the clamping members are made of plastic with hardness greater than that of the plastic of the elastic member. As a preferred example, the elastic member is made of virgin plastic such as POM (polyoxymethylene) plastic. In order to save costs, the clamping member may be made of recycled plastic, such as PP (polypropylene) plastic. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited thereto, and the clamp members and the elastic member may be made by the same plastic material.

[0046] Since the clothespin is made of plastic material(s) only, there is no need to perform disassembly and classification of the components before recycling, or to recycle the components separately, which greatly simplifies the recycling process. Furthermore, the manufacturing process of the clothespin is simplified, and the clothespin has a longer service life.

[0047] As an example, the structure of the attachment portions 380 of the elastic member 300 is described in detail below. As shown in Figs 2 and 3, each of the attachment portions 380 includes a first anchoring portion 320 embedded in the respective clamping member 100, 200, and a connecting neck portion 340 embedded in the respective clamping member 100, 200 and connecting the first anchoring portion 320 to the body 310 of the elastic member 300. The first anchoring portion 320 extends in a first direction along the extension of the respective clamping member, protruding relative to the connecting neck portion 340.

[0048] Since the first anchoring portion 320 is embedded in the respective clamping member 100, 200 and extends in a first direction along the extension of the respective clamping member, the material of the respective clamping member surrounds the first anchor portion 320 and thus is jointed thereto during the injection molding, so as to prevent the elastic member 300 from being disengaged from the corresponding clamping member. As an example, the first anchor portion 320 may be formed in a plate shape.

[0049] As an example, ridge(s) 360 are formed on the side of the first anchoring portion 320 closer to the connecting neck portion 340. There may be one or more ridges 360. The ridge(s) 360 allows enhancing the bonding with the material of the respective clamping member, and preventing the elastic members from being disengaged from the respective clamping member.

[0050] Advantageously, as shown in FIG. 2, each end of the first anchoring portion 320 is provided with one ridge 360. Thereby the entire attachment portion 380 is substantially formed as an anchor-like structure, so as to be more firmly jointed in the respective clamping member.

[0051] Preferably, a second anchoring portion 330 may also be provided. That is, each of the attachment portions 380 further comprises a second anchoring portion 330 extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and protruding relative to the connecting neck portion 340. As an example, the second anchor portion 330 may be formed in a shaft shape. However, those skilled in the art can understand that the shapes of the first anchoring portion 320 and the second anchoring portion 330, and the respective extending direction thereof are not limited to the above description, as long as the first anchoring portion and the second anchoring portion can function to prevent the elastic member 300 from being detached from the respective clamping member 100,200.

[0052] As shown in Figs. 1-3, the connecting neck portion 340 is smaller in cross-sectional area than the body 310, such that a shoulder 350 is formed at the connection area between the body 310 and the connecting neck portion 340, and wherein the shoulder 350 is engaged with material of the respective clamping member 100, 200.

[0053] The shoulder 350, on the one hand, allows a firmer joint between the elastic member and the respective clamping member, and on the other hand, enables a smooth transition between the elastic member 300 and the respective clamping member. Thus, the quality and appearance of the clothespin are improved.

[0054] There is a boundary line or a seam at the junction of the elastic member 300 and the respective clamping member 100, 200, such as at the junction of the shoulder 350 and the respective clamping member 100, 200. In order to avoid that the user would think that the boundary line or a seam is a deficiency or a crack formed on the same part, the elastic member may be manufactured in a color different than that of the clamping members. Preferably, the color of the elastic member may be slightly different from that of the clamping members.

[0055] Although an exemplary specific structure of the attachment portion 380 of the elastic member has been described above, those skilled in the art can understand that the configuration of the attachment portion of the present invention is not limited thereto, as long as the attachment portion is embedded in the respective clamping member 100, 200 by overmolding, achieving a firm and reliable connection between the elastic member and the two clamping members.

[0056] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the elastic member includes an arc-shaped structure with an opening portion facing towards the clamping structure. Preferably, the elastic member is “W” shaped. The elastic member with the above simple structure achieves sufficient elasticity to open and close the openable clamping structure 500. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the body 310 of elastic member can also be formed in other configurations, such as U-shaped, wave-shaped, V-shaped, w-shaped, and the like. [0057] Preferably, as shown in Fig. 2, the first clamping member 100 and the second clamping member 200 have the same structure and are symmetrically arranged. Therefore, the first clamping member 100 is taken as an example to describe the structure. Those skilled in the art can envisage the structure of the second clamping member 200 according to the description on the structure of the first clamping member 100. The first clamping member 100 and the second clamping member 200 each have an elongated shape. The first clamping member 100 comprises a holding portion 110 and a clamping portion 120. The two attachment portions of the elastic member 300 are attached to the first clamping member 100 and the second clamping member 200 at intermediate portions between the holding portions and the clamping portions, respectively. The clamping structure 500 of the clothespin is formed between the clamping portions of the two clamping members.

[0058] As an example, a holding recess 111 matching the fingers is provided on the outer side of the holding portion 110 of the first clamping member 100, and anti-slip protrusion(s) are provided in the holding recess to facilitate operation of the user.

[0059] Advantageously, as shown in FIG. 3, each of the clamping members is formed with a toothed structure 121, and the toothed structures 121 respectively formed on the two clamping members are engageable with each other in the closed state of the clamping structure 500.

[0060] Advantageously, each of the clamping members is formed with a hollow structure 122 inside the end thereof adjacent to the openable clamping structure 500. In other words, the position of the hollow structure 122 may correspond to that of the toothed structure 121 formed on the clamping portion. The hollow structure 122 may be a plurality of holes that are connected with or isolated from each other, or one hole. The hollow structure 122 reduces the overall weight of the clothespin and saves material.

[0061] Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the clothespin according to the present invention further includes a detachable hanging string 400 comprising a string body 410 and a closed loop 420, 430 at each end thereof. One closed loop 420 defines an aperture for the passage of one half of the opened clamping structure so as to move the closed loop 420 to a position surrounding the body 310 of the elastic member. The other closed loop 430 is sized to be passed through by the end of the hanging string carrying the elastic member and the clamping members so that a hanging loop is formed by the other closed loop 430 and the string body 410.

[0062] FIG. 5 illustrates the clothespin in an assembling position where the closed loop 420 has been moved to the position surrounding the body 310 of the elastic member 300, and the other closed loop 430 has been moved over the end of the closed structure 500 toward the body of the clothespin, with a portion of the clamping members 100,200 having passed therethrough. Following the illustrated position, the other closed loop 430 will continue to be moved until the whole clothespin passes through the other closed loop 430 such that the other closed loop 430 and the string body 410 form a hanging loop, by which the clothespin can be hanged to other members. The hanging string 400 can be used for hanging the clothespin at e.g. a rod, such as a shower curtain rod, by placing the string body 410 around the rod prior to inserting the clothespin into the other closed loop 430. The hanging string 400 makes the clothespin convenient to use and not easily lost.

[0063] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical concepts and the characteristics of the present invention, and are intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly, but they should not be interpreted as limitative on the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent variations or modifications made in accordance with the spirit of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.