Stationery clamp

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6370741
  • Patent Number
    6,370,741
  • Date Filed
    Friday, December 15, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 16, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Sandy; Robert J.
    Agents
    • Bacon & Thomas, PLLC
Abstract
An improved stationery clamp includes a first clamp member, a second clamp member, an adjustable screw bolt and an elastic member to form an adjustable displacement between the first and second clamp member for engaging with a partition of various thickness. The stationery clamp further has a holding slot located on a top side for engaging and supporting various types of stationery set such as paper clip tray, name card rack, mobile phone dock, tape stand or the like. The stationery clamp has great versatility and applicability to mate with different office partitions and hold various types of stationery sets.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




This invention relates to an improved stationery clamp and particularly a versatile stationery clamp that may be engaged with partition of various thickness for holding a wide variety of stationery sets.




Conventional stationery sets are usually being placed on desk top or being fastened to a wall by nails or screws. Desk top stationery sets tends to make the desk top untidy. Wall fastened stationery sets tend to make wall surface laden with unsightly pits and holes. In order to mitigate aforesaid problems, various stationery fixtures have been developed and introduced. For instance, there are hanger racks which may be nailed or screwed on a wall or partition. The hanger rack has multiple number of hangers for hanging things neatly. However the number of hangers is usually fixed for a given rack and the hangers can only be used for hanging articles. Its applicability and flexibility is severely restricted. Then there are double side tapes which may be stuck to a wall or partition to replace the hanger rack. The tape may stick to the wall or partition without nails or screws, but it leaves sticky residual marks on the wall that are difficult to clear and often become an eyesore. Many contemporary offices use modular office furniture which include partition panels. A pair of adjacent partition panels may join and connect by a bridge strut which has a plurality of slots. Mating stationery racks may be provided to engage with the slots. As office furniture producers have their own specifications and which are usually not compatible with other brands of furniture, the flexibility for mating stationery sets among different brands of furniture and partitions is limited.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In view of aforesaid disadvantages, it is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved stationery clamp that may be engaged with a wide variety of partitions or boards used in commonly modular office environments. The clamp further has a holding slot for selectively engaging with a paper clip tray, name card rack, mobile phone dock, tape stand or the like. All of this may greatly enhance the versatility and flexibility of the present invention.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention, as well as its many advantages, may be further understood by the following detailed description and drawings, in which:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of this invention.





FIG. 2

is an exploded view of this invention.





FIG. 3A

is a sectional view of this invention, taken on line


3


A—


3


A in FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3B

is a sectional view of this invention, taken on line


3


B—


3


B in FIG.


1


.





FIG. 4

is a sectional view of another embodiment of this invention.





FIG. 5A

is a pictorial view of this invention in use.





FIG. 5B

is another pictorial view of this invention in use.





FIG. 5C

is further pictorial view of this invention in use.





FIG. 5D

is yet another pictorial view of this invention in use.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the stationery clamp according to this invention has an adjustable width and includes a first clamp member


10


, a second clamp member


20


, an adjusting screw bolt


30


and an elastic member


40


.




The first clamp member


10


includes a first flange


11


located at one end thereof and extended downward, two side walls each has a slide slot


12


of a selected length formed therein, and a first chamber


13


located inside which has a first front opening. Inside the first chamber


13


, there is a rod


14


which has a step ring


141


at a selected location thereof to divide the rod


14


in two sections which have different diameters. The front end of the rod


14


has a smaller diameter which has a screw bore


15


formed therein. At the top side of the first clamp member


10


, there is a holding slot


16


.




The second clamp member


20


may be inserted into the first chamber


13


through the first front opening and includes a second flange


21


located at one end thereof and extended downward, a pair of resilient stubs


23


located at two side walls slidably engageable with the slide slot


12


, a guide wall


24


mating with the rod


14


, a second chamber


25


formed in the guide wall


24


for holding the elastic member


40


and a through hole


22


formed in a rear wall thereof. The elastic member


40


may be a compression spring which has one end pressing against the step ring


141


.




The adjusting screw bolt


30


runs through the through hole


22


, elastic member


40


and engages with the screw bore


15


.




Through the construction set forth above, the clamping width formed between the first and second flange


11


and


21


may be changed and adjusted to suit different partition or board thickness.




Referring to

FIGS. 3A and 3B

, when there is a need to adjust the clamping width, turning the adjusting screw bolt


30


in one or another direction may move the first and second flange


11


and


21


toward or away from each other to change the clamping width formed therebetween. The elastic member


40


helps the first and second clamp member


10


and


20


to move steadily during the width adjustment.





FIG. 4

illustrates another embodiment of this invention. Below the top walls of the first and second clamp member


10


and


20


, there are respectively a first and second strut


17


and


26


each has a first and second notch


171


and


261


formed at a lateral side opposite to each other. The elastic member


40


is an extension type which may be a spring or a rubber band, and has two ends engaged respectively with the first and second notch


171


and


261


. The first and second strut


17


and


26


have respectively a bottom end which have a first and second screw hole


172


and


262


formed therein. There is a first bottom lid


18


which has a first aperture


181


to engage with the bottom end of the first strut


17


through screwing the first screw hole


172


. There is a second bottom lid


27


which has a second aperture


271


to engage with the bottom end of the second strut


26


through screwing the second screw hole


262


. The first and second bottom lid


18


and


27


have respectively a first and second stopper


182


and


272


formed at one end thereof and facing toward each other for defining the adjusting width of the clamp, and preventing the first and second clamp


10


and


20


from disengaging with each other.




FIGS.


5


A through SD show this invention in use to clamp over a partition


50


and support various types of stationery set.

FIG. 5A

shows that a paper clip tray


60




a


has a first ridge


61




a


located below the bottom thereof for engaging with the holding slot


16


so that the paper clip tray


60




a


may be held securely on the clamp of this invention and mounted on a partition or board. By the same token,

FIG. 5B

shows that a name card rack


60




b


has a second ridge


61




b


for engaging with the holding slot


16


.

FIG. 5C

shows that a mobile phone dock


60




c


has a third ridge


61




c


for engaging with the holding slot


16


.

FIG. 5D

shows that a tape stand


60




d


has a fourth ridge


61




d


for engaging with the holding slot


16


. In addition to support various types of stationery set, this invention may also be adjusted to mount on partitions of different thickness.




It may thus be seen that the objects of the present invention set forth herein, as well as those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained. While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for 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.



Claims
  • 1. An improved stationery clamp having an adjustable displacement to engage with a partition of various thickness, comprising:a first clamp member including a first flange located at one end thereof and extended downward, a first chamber formed therein which has a front opening, a rod located in the first chamber having a step ring at a selected location dividing the rod in two sections of different diameters, and a holding slot located above the top side thereof, the rod having a front end which has a smaller diameter and a screw bore formed therein; a second clamp member movable in the first chamber having a second flange located at one end thereof and extended downward, a guide wall located inside thereof forming a second chamber therein mating with the peripheral wall of the rod, an elastic member held in the second chamber having one end pressing against the step ring, and a through hole formed in a rear wall thereof communicating with the second chamber; an adjustable screw bolt running through the through hole and elastic member for engaging with the screw bore of the rod; and a stationery set having a ridge located below the bottom side thereof engageable with the holding slot of the first clamp member; wherein the stationery clamp is engageable with the partition of various thickness to support various types of the stationery set.
  • 2. The improved stationery clamp of claim 1, wherein the first clamp member further has two side walls each has a slide slot of a selected length formed therein, the second clamp member has two side walls each has a resilient stub located thereon for slidably engaging with the slide slot for limiting the adjusting displacement and preventing the second clamp member from disengaging from the first clamp member.
  • 3. The improved stationery clamp of claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a compression spring.
  • 4. The improved stationery clamp of claim 1, wherein the stationery set is selectively a paper clip tray, a name card rack, a mobile phone dock or a tape stand.
  • 5. An improved stationery clamp having an adjustable displacement to engage with a partition of various thickness, comprising:a first clamp member including a first flange located at one end thereof and extended downward, a first strut extended downward from a top wall thereof, a first bottom lid which has a first aperture, and a holding slot located above the top wall thereof, the first strut having a bottom end which has a first screw hole formed therein for engaging with the first bottom lid through the first aperture; a second clamp member movable in the first clamp member having a second flange located at one end thereof and extended downward, a second strut extended downward from a top wall thereof, and a second bottom lid which has a second aperture, the second strut having a bottom end which has a second screw hole formed therein for engaging with the second bottom lid through the second aperture; an elastic member having two ends engaging respectively with the first and second strut; and a stationery set having a ridge located below the bottom side thereof engageable with the holding slot of the first clamp member; wherein the stationery clamp is engageable with the partition of various thickness to support various types of the stationery set.
  • 6. The improved stationery clamp of claim 5, wherein the first and second strut have respectively a notch formed thereon for securely holding the elastic member.
  • 7. The improved stationery clamp of claim 5, wherein the first and second bottom lid have respectively a first and second stopper facing each other for limiting the adjusting displacement and preventing the second clamp member from disengaging from the first clamp member.
  • 8. The improved stationery clamp of claim 5, wherein the elastic member is an extension spring.
  • 9. The improved stationery clamp of claim 5, wherein the elastic member is a rubber band.
  • 10. The improved stationery clamp of claim 5, wherein the stationery set is selectively a paper clip tray, a name card rack, a mobile phone dock or a tape stand.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Number Name Date Kind
4736878 Rasor Apr 1988 A
4752991 Wegner Jun 1988 A
5685732 Lane Nov 1997 A
5769292 Cucheran et al. Jun 1998 A
5791609 Hankins Aug 1998 A
6202266 Van Den Branden et al. Mar 2001 B1