Patent Application
20170251794
The invention concerns a clip of an item holder with a clamping wall and connecting elements for the holder.
Clips for holders are designed to attach holders of personal items, particularly on various parts of gear or clothing, e.g. on a belt. The attached items may include light firearms or weapons, as well as flashlights, various tools etc., which may be attached directly on the gear to guarantee easy access for the user. The attaching mechanism of the holder and of the clip may be the same for several types of holders and one clip thus may be used to connect several types of items.
An example of a clip with outside straps adjustable to the belt width is a clip made based on EP 1604587. The clip is attached to a holder with an attachment mechanism containing screw connections and the mutual bearing surfaces of the holder and of the clip are provided with interlocking round toothing which, if the right pressure is applied, enable to turn the holder and the respective item into a desired angle position in respect to the belt and to keep the holder in the desired position.
Another simple variant of the clip is shown in the industrial design RCD 0022236324. In this clip the outer straps are replaced with an enclosed sleeve to slide on a belt. The sleeve is inside provided with a moving adapter that allows to set up a gap between the bearing surfaces of the sleeve based on the belt's width. A similar screw connection is used to attach the holder to the clip as in the above described variant.
One of the potential variants of the holder designed for a pocket flashlight and suitable for attachment to the clip described above is shown in RCD 001958181. On its surface facing the clip the holder is provided with an opening with round toothing along its perimeter and a system of pins as a part of the attaching mechanism. In combination with the clip the toothing fits into the corresponding toothing on the front side of the clip and the pins fit into openings in the adapter placed on the back side of the front wall of the clip. The adapter is attached to the holder with a screw connection. This attachment mechanism allows, identically as the variant according to the above-described European patent, to turn the holder into different positions in respect to the belt.
One disadvantage of the above-described clips consists in the screw connection between the clip and the holder which is reliable but its installation requires certain time and skills to handle the relatively small pieces that make up the connection. This also implies that it is practically impossible to attach a given clip to a different holder.
The purpose of the invention is to create a clip with a design allowing fast and, at the same time, safe replacement of different holders attached to the clip without using a screw connection.
The invention of a clip for a holder of items with a clamping wall and connecting elements for the holder consists in the fact that the clamping wall is provided with opposite guiding plates ended with a semi-circular bottom and lateral surfaces, a pivoting catch and with a spring pushing the pivoting catch arm on the inner side to the guiding plates.
Subsequently, other possible variants of the invention are provided which further develop or specify its significant features.
The clamping wall is on its back side provided with a partition which defines a space in the clamping wall to insert connecting elements to the holder.
A round toothing is located on the clamping wall along the perimeter of the semi-circular bottom.
The pivoting catch is in the form of a two-armed lever with a controlled upper arm.
The clamping wall is attached to the back wall via lateral surfaces and a bridge so that a space is created between the clamping wall and the back wall to insert a belt or harness.
In the space between the clamping wall and the back wall there is an adapter containing means to secure it's position between the clamping wall and the back wall.
The key advantage of the clip according to this invention consists in easy and fast connection/disconnection of the item holder to/from the clip while keeping the opportunity to turn the items into different positions with regard to the clip and keeping the holder in that position. Another advantage is that the clip is more universal and therefore the holders, and thus also the items, attached to one clip may be easily and safely replaced.
The clip for attachment of replaceable holders on a belt is shown in the enclosed drawing, where:
The example shows one of the possible embodiments of the clip for a holder, specifically for attachment to a belt. As shown in the view of
The guiding plates 12 and 13 are designed to insert attaching elements of the holder 8. In
In the space between the clamping wall 1 and the back wall 2 there is a moving adapter 3 with a screw connection 31. The free part of the screw connection 31 is placed in a groove in the back wall 2 which allows to set up and to fix the adapter 3 in a position that defines the size of the free space between the walls so that it is appropriate for the belt height.
In order to attach the holder 8 to the clip the cylindrical lug 71 with the nut 7 is inserted from above between the guiding plates 12 and 13. At the same time, the pivoting catch 4 is pushed into the inner space of the clip and the nut 7 is inserted into the free space 16 behind the partition 11. In a position when the cylindrical lug 71 gets into contact with the semi-circular bottom 14 and the nut is under the lower arm 41 and under the concave surface 45 of the pivoting catch 4, the pivoting catch 4 is released and falls back on the inner side of the guiding plates 12 and 13. The nut 7 props against the inner surface 45 of the arm 41 and this secures safe attachment of the holder 8 in the clip. The planar round toothing 15 on the clamping wall 1 and the complementary planar round toothing 75 on the back side of the holder 8 form an interface between the clip and the holder 8, while the surfaces are pushed against each other by an elastic element 73. The cylindrical shape of the lug 71 allows its turning on the semi-circular bottom 14 and the mutually interlocking planar toothing on the clamping wall 1 of the clip and on the back side of the holder 8 fix the holder on the clip, while the strength of the fixing is defined by prestressing of the elastic element 73.
The holder is taken out from the clip by pressing the upper arm 42 of the pivoting catch 4 towards the guiding plates 12 and 13. The surface 45 thus releases the nut 7 and the entire holder 8 can be taken out from the clip in the direction away from the semi-circular bottom 14.
The clip for the item holder is not limited to the application described above, i.e. attachment to a belt. To attach the clip to a different part of gear or clothing the clip does not need the back wall and its clamping wall may be provided with another suitable clamping element, including a screw connection.
The clip of the invention may be used, in combination with various holders, to suspend any type of personal items on parts of the gear or clothing or, if applicable, other equipment. The personal items may include truncheons, various defensive and offensive weapons etc., used e.g. by riot police, fire services or army. The clip may be used by other professionals as well, e.g. for works at height, mountain climbing etc.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-120 | Mar 2016 | CZ | national |
