BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is another perspective view of an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 4A through 4F are schematic views of an embodiment of the invention in operating conditions.
FIGS. 5A through 5C are schematic views of an embodiment of the invention in other operating conditions.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Please refer to FIG. 1 for an embodiment of the invention. The invention includes a hollow body 10 which has an open side 11 on one side which has a track portion 30. The body 11 houses a sliding member 20 (as shown in FIG. 3). The body 10 further has a guiding portion 12 on an inner wall to confine the sliding member 20 from escaping the body 10. The sliding member 20 has a clipping unit 21 and a harness arm 22. The track portion 30 has a selected height. The harness arm 22 has a harness end 221 corresponding to the height of the track portion 30 to be confined in the track portion 30 to form a displacement path of the sliding member 20. The clipping unit 21 includes an upper clipping portion 211 and a lower clipping portion 212. The lower clipping portion 212 is connected to the sliding member 20 in an integrated manner through a movable linking member 24. The lower clipping portion 212 is connected to the upper clipping portion 211 through a flexible linking blade 213. The body 10 has an anchor portion 13 on another side (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). The anchor portion 13 is coupled with an elastic element 40 which may be a spring with two ends forming a first hook 41 and a second hook 42. The first hook 41 is fastened to the anchor portion 13. The sliding member 20 has an anchor trough 23 on a lower edge to be coupled with the second hook 42 so that the elastic element 40 can be stretched and retracted against the displacement path of the sliding member 20 to move and position the sliding member 20 rapidly.
Refer to FIGS. 4A through 4F for the embodiment of the invention in operating conditions. The harness end 221 of the harness arm 22 forms the displacement path of the sliding member 20 according the geometric shape of the track portion 30. The displacement path includes in this order: a starting position, a first stage depressing position, a depressed position, and a second stage depressing position. When the lower clipping portion 212 receives a force and is depressed to drive the sliding member 20 to move in the body 10, the sliding member 20 slides from the starting position (referring to FIGS. 4A and 5A) towards a closed end 101 of the body 10, and the elastic element 40 stores an elastic force, while the harness end 221 of the harness arm 22 is guided by a first directing surface T1 of the track portion 30 and moved to a second directing surface T2; at that moment the sliding member 20 is located on the first stage depressing position (as shown in FIG. 4B). When the force on the lower clipping portion 212 is released, through pulling of the elastic element 40 the harness end 221 is moved from the second directing surface T2 to a third directing surface T3 (referring to FIG. 4C) and anchored on a recess of a bulged portion T0; at that moment the sliding member 20 is located on the depressed position (referring to FIG. 4D and 5C); meanwhile the upper and lower clipping portions 211 and 212 form a clipping condition. When there is a desire to release a clipping article 50, depress again the lower clipping portion 212, the harness end 221 is moved from the third directing surface T3 to a fourth directing surface T4; at that moment the sliding member 20 is located on the second stage depressing position (referring to FIG. 4E). When the force is released, through pulling of the elastic element 40 the harness end 221 is moved from the fourth directing surface T4 to a fifth directing surface T5 (referring to FIG. 4F). Finally the sliding member 20 returns to the starting position.
Refer to FIGS. 5A through 5C for another operating condition of the embodiment of the invention. At the starting position, the lower clipping portion 212 is urged by a clipping article 50 to drive the upper clipping portion 211 about the movable linking member 24 through the pulling force of the elastic element 40 so that the upper clipping portion 211 and the lower clipping portion 212 are moved synchronously to form a first fan-type moving track (referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B). The lower clipping portion 212 continuously receives the force and moves to a vertical moving track of the first stage depression, and drives the upper clipping portion 211 to form a second fan-type moving track (referring to FIGS. 5B and 5C). The upper and lower clipping portions 211 and 212 form a clipping condition while the sliding member 20 is at the depressed position to clip the clipping article 50, and the elastic element 40 is pulled by the sliding member 20 to store a potential energy (referring to FIG. 5C). To aid forming of the second fan-type moving track, the guiding portion 12 has an arched portion 121. When the lower clipping portion 212 is in the condition of receiving the force, the movable linking member 24 slides over the surface of the arched portion 121 to allow the upper clipping portion 211 to form the second fan-type moving track. In order to enable the lower clipping portion 212 to be positioned accurately or to match the profile of the clipping article 50, a displacement space is formed between the sliding member 20 and the lower clipping portion 212, and a bucking surface 25 also is formed. Hence before the lower clipping portion 212 is depressed to form the first fan-type moving track and moved to the second moving track, it can be positioned accurately on the surface of the clipping article 50 through the bucking surface 25. Moreover, depress the lower clipping portion 212 one more time, the elastic element 40 provides a returning pulling force to move the sliding member 20 to its original position to release the clipping article 50 (referring to FIG. 5A). The invention can be adapted to a wide variety of clipping apparatus. Referring to FIG. 6, the lower clipping portion 212a is extended on side of the sliding member 20a. The sliding member 20a has another side connecting to the upper clipping portion 211a through a linking blade 26. When the lower clipping portion 212a receives a force and moved, it drives the upper clipping portion 211a to form a clipping zone close to the lower clipping portion 212a. Hence even if the construction of the clipping unit 21a is different, the structure of the invention is still adoptable.
In short, the invention has the elastic element 40 and the track portion 30 locating on two sides of the body 10. When the elastic element 40 moves and positions the sliding member 20 or 20a, the harness end 221 is moved on the track portion 30 towards to the wall surface of the track portion 30. Thus when the sliding member 20 or 20a is moved in the body 10, the harness arm 22 can be moved steadily on the track portion 30 without straying outside the selected track. Moreover, while the sliding member 20 or 20a is moved on each displacement track, it can be positioned rapidly and accurately through the elastic element 40.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Patent Application
20070294893
