US3914824A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Interconnected paper clips
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1974-11-11
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Granted: 1975-10-28
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Expires: 1994-11-11
Abstract
Abstract A system for organizing groups or sets of related papers in which a plurality of substantially identical, interconnectable paper clips are provided. Each clip is capable of receiving and retaining a single set or group of papers, and is provided with lateral or vertical interconnecting elements for connection to a like paper clip with the connecting elements being positioned so as to dispose the various interconnected clips and their associated retained sets of papers in segregated but connected, spaced-apart parallel planes forming a terrace-like or vertical stack array. The individual paper clips may be indexed, such as by labeling, color coding or other indexing devices to facilitate the indentification of the individual groups of papers in the interconnected array.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald D Purdy
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 02:41
CPC Classifications
B; B42; B42F; B42F9/00; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T24/00; Y10T24/20; Y10T24/202; Y10T24/205
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
172 words
An interconnectable paper clip for use in a system of like interconnectable paper clips, comprising: a base portion; a pair of jaw portions joined at the rear thereof by said base portion and forming a paper receiving and retaining slot opening at the front thereof; a male interconnecting element disposed on said base portion and extending laterally outwardly therefrom adjacent one side of said jaw portions and a complementary female interconnecting element disposed on said base portion and extending laterally inwardly thereof adjacent an opposite side of said jaw portions for detachable interconnection with a complementary male element of another substantially identical interconnectable paper clip; and said male and female elements being positioned on said base portion on opposed sides of a paper receiving plane defined by said jaw portions slot, whereby said interconnectable paper clip is interconnectable with a plurality of like clips in a side-by-side array with said paper receiving and retaining slots positioned in uniformly spaced apart planes for organizing groups of individually clipped papers in a terraced presentation.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
172 words
An interconnectable paper clip for use in a system of like interconnectable paper clips, comprising: a base portion; a pair of jaw portions joined at the rear thereof by said base portion and forming a paper receiving and retaining slot opening at the front thereof; a male interconnecting element disposed on said base portion and extending laterally outwardly therefrom adjacent one side of said jaw portions and a complementary female interconnecting element disposed on said base portion and extending laterally inwardly thereof adjacent an opposite side of said jaw portions for detachable interconnection with a complementary male element of another substantially identical interconnectable paper clip; and said male and female elements being positioned on said base portion on opposed sides of a paper receiving plane defined by said jaw portions slot, whereby said interconnectable paper clip is interconnectable with a plurality of like clips in a side-by-side array with said paper receiving and retaining slots positioned in uniformly spaced apart planes for organizing groups of individually clipped papers in a terraced presentation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The interconnectable paper clip as defined in claim 1, wherein said base portion and said jaw portions and said male and female interconnecting elements are integrally formed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
The interconnectable paper clip as defined in claim 2, said integrally formed base portion, jaw portions and male and female interconnecting elements being formed from a molded resilient plastic so as to impart a spring-like quality to said jaw means for resiliently retaining said group of papers.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
96 words
The interconnectable paper clip of claim 1 further defined by said jaw portions including a lower rigid jaw and an upper resilient jaw biased toward said lower rigid jaw for clamping said groups of paper therebetween, one of said interconnecting elements being positioned in a plane generally defined by said lower rigid jaw and the other of said interconnecting elements being positioned in a plane generally defined by said upper jaw such that the interconnection of said paper clip with like paper clips positions the paper receiving and retaining slots in said uniformly spaced apart planes.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
101 words
The paper clip as defined iN claim 4 wherein said lower jaw is wedge shaped defining a relatively large body section joining said base portion and tapering therefrom to a relatively smaller section adjacent the opening of said jaws, said female interconnecting element being positioned within said relatively large section of said lower jaw at its junction with said base portion and said male interconnecting element extending from a junction of said upper jaw with said base portion whereby said elements are positioned for interconnecting said paper clips with said slots positioned in successively increasing or decreasing uniformly spaced apart planes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
83 words
The interconnectable paper clip as defined in claim 1, said male and female interconnecting elements being further defined by said male element comprising a hook-like lateral projection extending from one side of said jaw portions adjacent said base portion and said female element comprising a mating contoured flange having a slotted opening for detachably receiving said hook-like extension of another like paper clip, said contoured flange extending generally downwardly and outwardly from the opposite side of said jaw portions adjacent said base portion.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
175 words
An interconnectable paper clip system for organizing papers comprising: a plurality of substantially like paper clips for individually receiving and retaining a separate group of papers, each said paper clip having a base portion and a pair of jaw portions joined at the rear thereof to said base portion and defining therebetween a paper receiving and retaining slot of generally planar configuration and opening at the front and sides of said jaw portions, each said clip having a rear abutment face for engaging and aligning edges of clipped papers, and each said clip further having complementary male and female interconnectable elements for detachable interconnection with complementary elements of another said clip, said male and female elements of each said clip disposed on said base portion on opposite sides of the plane defined by said slot and aligned with each other so that the interconnection of said clips disposes the planes of said slots in spaced apart parallelism and aligns said rear abutment faces for like alignment of the clipped edges of the groups of papers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
175 words
An interconnectable paper clip system for organizing papers comprising: a plurality of substantially like paper clips for individually receiving and retaining a separate group of papers, each said paper clip having a base portion and a pair of jaw portions joined at the rear thereof to said base portion and defining therebetween a paper receiving and retaining slot of generally planar configuration and opening at the front and sides of said jaw portions, each said clip having a rear abutment face for engaging and aligning edges of clipped papers, and each said clip further having complementary male and female interconnectable elements for detachable interconnection with complementary elements of another said clip, said male and female elements of each said clip disposed on said base portion on opposite sides of the plane defined by said slot and aligned with each other so that the interconnection of said clips disposes the planes of said slots in spaced apart parallelism and aligns said rear abutment faces for like alignment of the clipped edges of the groups of papers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
The interconnectable paper clip system of claim 7, wherein said male and female elements of each said clip are disposed in lateral alignment on opposite sides of said jaw portions, whereby the interconnection of said elements disposes said clips in a laterally aligned array.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
50 words
The interconnectable paper clip system of claim 7, wherein said male and female elements of each said clip are positioned in vertical alignment, substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by said slot, whereby the interconnection of said elements disposes said clips and papers retained thereby in a vertically aligned stack.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
53 words
The interconnectable paper clip system of claim 7, wherein said male and female elements of each said clip are formed with press fit rectangular cross sections resisting twisting between any pair of interconnected said clips and thereby structurally retaining said spaced apart parallelism between slots and said alignment of said rear abutment faces.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-10-27 | 1979-04-28 | 1979-10-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-10-27 | 1983-04-28 | 1983-10-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-10-27 | 1987-04-28 | 1987-10-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |