Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention In such drawing(s):
The above described drawing figures illustrate the described apparatus and its method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications to what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, it must be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as a limitation in the scope of the present apparatus and method of use.
Described now in detail is a fastener apparatus for attaching a cord or line to a fabric sheet. The apparatus includes two separate parts, a rigid spool 10 (
The clip 20 provides a pair of legs 22 joined at proximal end 24a of the clip 20, the legs 22 defining a central opening 26 therebetween. Each of the legs 22 terminates independently of the other with a toe 28 at a distal end 24b of the clip 20. The toes 28 are curved in mutually opposing lateral directions as shown in
Preferably, both of the toes 28 support a hole 25 therein, and a further hole 25 is preferably placed at the proximal end 24a. The holes 25 in the toes 28 are located for coaxial superimposition with one behind the other when the toes 28 are placed in the overlapping attitude as shown in
Preferably, the plates 12a and 12b, and the core 14 of the spool 10 are non-round and preferably elliptical so that the clip 20 is not able to rotate about the core 14.
Preferably, the legs 22 are shaped so that the central opening 26 is near circular at the proximal end 24a of the clip 20 and are convergent at the distal end 24b of the clip 20.
It should be understood, that the above described apparatus, because of its novel features and capabilities represents only one embodiment or aspect of the conceptual novelty of the present invention. In a further embodiment, shown in
In a still further embodiment, the described apparatus is mounted on the fabric article 30 wherein the mounting method can only be practiced with the present apparatus because of the physical features of the present apparatus, primarily the linkable toes 28. Likewise, the above described apparatus is only able to be mounted and used in the presently described method to achieve the objectives of the invention.
The method of this invention includes the step of placing the fabric sheet 30 against the outer surface 18 of one plate 12a, and in fact either of the plates 12a or 12b may be used interchangeably as they are preferably identical, but may differ in size or shape. Next, the fabric 30 is pressed across the circumferential edge 16 of plate 12a and directed toward the further plate 12b of the spool 10. Next, the clip 20 is pushed around the core 14 between the plates 12a and 12b so that the core 14 is positioned between the opposing legs 22 of the clip 20 and a portion 32 of the fabric sheet 30 is thereby pressed against and the core 14. Finally, the toes 28 of the legs 22 are overlapped and intertwined, thereby forcing the legs 22 into intimate contact around the core 14. The restraining line 40 may now be threaded through the holes 25 in the toes 28, knotted, and lead away as shown in
The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the apparatus and its method of use and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element.
The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim.
Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas.
The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that each named inventor believes that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented.
This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/510,182, filed Aug. 24, 2006, and which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11510182 | Aug 2006 | US |
Child | 11804614 | US |