US3774267A — Stocking pair retainer

Claim 1

Independent Claim 221 words

A paired stocking retainer of plastic which is characterized in that said plastic, as a material, is resistant to repeated exposure to laundry soaps, powders, detergents and the like and at the same time is stable and unaffected with like repeated exposures to temperatures usually found in the drying chamber of an automatic clothes drier, said stocking retainer including: a unitary planar retaining member having a pair of keyhole-shaped sock retaining openings therein, each keyhole having a larger opening of about one-half inch in diameter and extending outwardly and away from each larger opening is a connecting passageway which is about one-sixteenth to three thirty-seconds of an inch in width which joins a small circular opening of about one-eighth inch in diameter, each larger opening formed so as to receive one of a pair of socks and in said connecting passageway and smaller opening to retain the sock during at least the washing of the pair of socks in a washing machine and without removal of the socks from their retaining opening to further maintain the socks in their secured condition during a drying period in an automatic clothes drier, said planar member includes an additional aperture midway of the two larger sock openings providing means for removably suspending said retainer and retained socks on a fixed pin and the like.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 221 words

A paired stocking retainer of plastic which is characterized in that said plastic, as a material, is resistant to repeated exposure to laundry soaps, powders, detergents and the like and at the same time is stable and unaffected with like repeated exposures to temperatures usually found in the drying chamber of an automatic clothes drier, said stocking retainer including: a unitary planar retaining member having a pair of keyhole-shaped sock retaining openings therein, each keyhole having a larger opening of about one-half inch in diameter and extending outwardly and away from each larger opening is a connecting passageway which is about one-sixteenth to three thirty-seconds of an inch in width which joins a small circular opening of about one-eighth inch in diameter, each larger opening formed so as to receive one of a pair of socks and in said connecting passageway and smaller opening to retain the sock during at least the washing of the pair of socks in a washing machine and without removal of the socks from their retaining opening to further maintain the socks in their secured condition during a drying period in an automatic clothes drier, said planar member includes an additional aperture midway of the two larger sock openings providing means for removably suspending said retainer and retained socks on a fixed pin and the like.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 206 words

A paired stocking retainer of plastic which is characterized in that said plastic, as a material, is resistant to repeated exposure to laundry soaps, powders, detergents and the like and at the same time is stable and unaffected with like repeated exposures to temperatures usually found in the drying chamber of an automatic clothes drier, said stocking retainer including: a planar member having opposed guideways in which a tongue member is slidably retained, said planar member having a pair of like-sized substantially circular apertures on a determined spacing, said tongue member also having apertures which are sized and spaced to correspond to the apertures in the planar member; means for determinedly limiting the travel of the tongue member in the guideways so that at a first extent of travel the apertures in the planar member and the tongue member are substantially in coincidence and at the second limit of travel of apertures in the tongue are displaced more than 50 percent of their diameter from the apertures in the planar member to provide a pair of releasable sock-retaining openings, and there is provided a spring means disposed to engage the planar member and tongue member to urge the tongue member to the second limit of travel.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 206 words

A paired stocking retainer of plastic which is characterized in that said plastic, as a material, is resistant to repeated exposure to laundry soaps, powders, detergents and the like and at the same time is stable and unaffected with like repeated exposures to temperatures usually found in the drying chamber of an automatic clothes drier, said stocking retainer including: a planar member having opposed guideways in which a tongue member is slidably retained, said planar member having a pair of like-sized substantially circular apertures on a determined spacing, said tongue member also having apertures which are sized and spaced to correspond to the apertures in the planar member; means for determinedly limiting the travel of the tongue member in the guideways so that at a first extent of travel the apertures in the planar member and the tongue member are substantially in coincidence and at the second limit of travel of apertures in the tongue are displaced more than 50 percent of their diameter from the apertures in the planar member to provide a pair of releasable sock-retaining openings, and there is provided a spring means disposed to engage the planar member and tongue member to urge the tongue member to the second limit of travel.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 214 words

A paired stocking retainer of plastic which is characterized in that said plastic, as a material, is resistant to repeated exposure to laundry soaps, powders, detergEnts and the like and at the same time is stable and unaffected with like repeated exposures to temperatures usually found in the drying chamber of an automatic clothes drier, said stocking retainer including: a unitary planar member having opposed sock-retaining openings which are open ended slots extending from opposite edges of the member inwardly toward each other, the slots having a substantially constant width and a somewhat serpentine configuration and with the inner end of each of the slots terminating at a larger circular aperture and with the planar member portions on each side of the slot providing wing-like side portions, each wing-like portion having raised portions formed on each planar face and adjacent each side of the slot to provide a finger engaging and manipulating assist by which to move said wing-like portions to and from their originally formed planes and when said portions are laterally displaced to provide a misalignment of the portions and an enlarged open end into which the sock is slid thereinto after which the wing-like portions are moved to their original planar condition to grip and retain a stocking in the slot.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 214 words

A paired stocking retainer of plastic which is characterized in that said plastic, as a material, is resistant to repeated exposure to laundry soaps, powders, detergEnts and the like and at the same time is stable and unaffected with like repeated exposures to temperatures usually found in the drying chamber of an automatic clothes drier, said stocking retainer including: a unitary planar member having opposed sock-retaining openings which are open ended slots extending from opposite edges of the member inwardly toward each other, the slots having a substantially constant width and a somewhat serpentine configuration and with the inner end of each of the slots terminating at a larger circular aperture and with the planar member portions on each side of the slot providing wing-like side portions, each wing-like portion having raised portions formed on each planar face and adjacent each side of the slot to provide a finger engaging and manipulating assist by which to move said wing-like portions to and from their originally formed planes and when said portions are laterally displaced to provide a misalignment of the portions and an enlarged open end into which the sock is slid thereinto after which the wing-like portions are moved to their original planar condition to grip and retain a stocking in the slot.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 184 words

A paired stocking retainer of plastic which is characterized in that said plastic, as a material, is resistant to repeated exposure to laundry soaps, powders, detergents and the like and at the same time is stable and unaffected with like repeated exposures to temperatures usually found in the drying chamber of an automatic clothes drier, said stocking retainer including: a retainer which is a unitary molded device which includes a bar portion having a lower jaw attached to each end thereof, each jaw having smooth teeth molded thereon; an upper molded jaw adjacent each lower jar, each attached by a small bridge portion to the bar so that the jaws mate and form a toothed clamp each of which is retained and urged into a gripping condition with the mating jaw by an integrally attached bent beam member forming a handle whose unattached end rests upon an upper extent of said bar portion, said beam portions passing by each other substantially at their curved apex and providing means for singularly and simultaneously opening said jaw pairs for the insertion and removal of a sock.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 184 words

A paired stocking retainer of plastic which is characterized in that said plastic, as a material, is resistant to repeated exposure to laundry soaps, powders, detergents and the like and at the same time is stable and unaffected with like repeated exposures to temperatures usually found in the drying chamber of an automatic clothes drier, said stocking retainer including: a retainer which is a unitary molded device which includes a bar portion having a lower jaw attached to each end thereof, each jaw having smooth teeth molded thereon; an upper molded jaw adjacent each lower jar, each attached by a small bridge portion to the bar so that the jaws mate and form a toothed clamp each of which is retained and urged into a gripping condition with the mating jaw by an integrally attached bent beam member forming a handle whose unattached end rests upon an upper extent of said bar portion, said beam portions passing by each other substantially at their curved apex and providing means for singularly and simultaneously opening said jaw pairs for the insertion and removal of a sock.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1976-11-26	1977-05-28	1977-11-27	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1980-11-26	1981-05-28	1981-11-27	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1984-11-26	1985-05-28	1985-11-27	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Stocking pair retainer

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