Gripping device

Claim 1

A GRIPPING DEVICE FOR SECURING AN OBJECT TO A GENERALLY FLAT SUPPORTING SUFACE AND ATTACHABLE TO THE SUPPORTING SURFACE BY A SCREW COMPRISING: AN INTEGRAL RESILENT WIRE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS AND FORMING A TORSION COIL SPRING THEREBETWEEN, THE LENGTH OF SAID WIRE BETWEEN SAID SPRING AND SAID FIRST END DEFINING A SECURING ARM AND THE LENGTH OF SAID WIRE BETWEEN SAID SPRING AND SAID SECOND END DEFINING A GRIPPING ARM, SAID SPRING BEING POSITIONABLE ADJACENT AND ABOVE SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE, SAID GRIPPING ARM EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID SPRING AND CURVING DOWNWARDLY TO ENGAGE THE SUPPORTING SURFACE AT A FIRST CONTACT AREA OF SAID GRIPPING ARM, SAID GRIPPING ARM BETWEEN SAID SPRING AND SAID FIRST CONTACT AREA BEING SPACED UPWARDLY FROM THE SUPPORTING SURFACE TO DEFINE AN OPENING THEREBETWEEN, SAID SECURING ARM EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID SPRING AND IN A DIRECTION WHICH IS GENERALLY OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION IN WHICH SAID GRIPPING ARM EXTENDS, A PORTION OF SAID WIRE ADJACENT SAID FIRST END BEING SHAPED TO FORM AN EYELET FOR RECEIVING THE SCREW, SAID EYELET HAVING A SECOND CONTACT AREA ENGAGEABLE WITH THE SUPPORTING SURFACE, AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID EYELET INTERSECTING THE SUPPORT SURFACE TO FORM AN ACUTE ANGLE WHEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONTACT AREAS ARE ENGAGING THE SUPPORTING SURFACE, INSERTION OF THE SCREW THROUGH SAID EYELET AND THE TURNING THEREOF INTO THE SUPPORTING SURFACE CAUSING SAID ACUTE ANGLE TO BE REDUCED IN SIZE AND BIASING SAID FIRST CONTACT AREA OF SAID GRIPPING ARM TIGHTLY AGAINST SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE THEREBY APPLYING A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TORSION TO SAID SPRING, SAID WIRE ADJACENT SAID SECOND END FORMING A LOOP; AND A FINGER RING RETAINED BY SAID LOOP FOR PULLING SAID GRIPPING ARM AND SAID FIRST CONTACT AREA AWAY FROM THE SUPPORTING SURFACE TO ALLOW INSERTION OF THE OBJECT BETWEEN SAID GRIPING ARM AND THE SUPPORTING SURFACE, SUCH MOVEMENT OF THE GRIPPING ARM APPLYING ADDITIONAL TORSION TO SAID SPRING, SAID GRIPPING ARM MOVING TOWARD SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE UNDER THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING WHEN SAID FINGER RING IS RELEASED, SAID GRIPPING ARM HOLDING SAID OBJECT SECURELY AGAINST THE SUPPORTING SURFACE BY AT LEAST SAID PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TORSION OF SAID SPRING.