Spring clip for holding sheets of paper or the like

Claim 2

A spring clip for holding sheets of paper or the like, comprising a pair of cooperating confronting holding members, each said holding member having opposite side edges, a free continuous leading end portion, including a leading edge, a rear portion opposite said leading end portion and joining means for resiliently joining said holding members together at their respective rear portions such that said leading end portions are normally resiliently biased against each other with a predetermined clamping force, the joining means having no means for diverging said holding members, at least one of the side edges of one of the holding members corresponding to one of the side edges of the other said holding member, an ear-like projection for diverging said holding members extending a predetermined amount from each of said corresponding side edges and having portions spaced from each other to permit insertion of a spreader member between said ear-like projections in removable relationship for exertion of a separating force by said spreader member against each of said ear-like projections to cause divergence of said holding members and separation of said leading end portions whereby said sheets of paper or the like can be disposed between said holding members to be gripped by said leading end portions when said ear-like projections are disassociated from said spreader member, no portion of said ear-like projections being in contact with each other at the leading edge of each said holding member, and wherein said ear-like projections are stepped away from said side edges.

Claim 3

A spring clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ear-like projections on at least one holding member are spaced from the leading edge and disposed between the leading end portion of said one holding member and the joining means.

Claim 4

A spring clip as claimed in claim 2 where the ear-like projections on the other holding member are spaced from the leading edge and disposed between the leading end portion of the other holding member and the joining means.

Claim 5

A spring clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein said clip is formed from a resilient sheet bent to form a bridge portion between said pair of confronting holding members, said joining means being defined at the bridge portion of said sheet.

Claim 6

A spring clip as claimed in claim 4 including a notch formed in said bridge portion and a suspension member disposed in said notch to permit hanging or suspension of said clip.

Claim 7

A spring clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein the other side edges of each said holding member correspond, and respectively include ear-like projections extending from said other side edges said predetermined amount.

Claim 8

A spring clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ear-like projections on at least one holding member are continuous with the leading edge of said one holding member.

Claim 9

A spring clip as claimed in claim 7 wherein the ear-like projections on the other holding member are continuous with the leading edge of the other holding member.

Claim 10

A spring clip as claimed in claim 8 wherein said leading end portions and the ear-like projections thereon include a portion bent away from its confronting holding member.

Claim 11

A spring clip as claimed in claim 8 in combination with an applicator device for dispensing said clip onto said sheets of paper or the like to grip said sheets, said applicator device including a channel of predetermined width for receiving at least one said clip, a driver member slidable in said channel and engageable with the bridge portion of said clip to move said clip in a first direction, a pair of said spreader members disposed on opposite sides of said channel at a predetermined spacing from each other and arranged to diverge in said first direction such that said clip, when disposed in said channel with said leading end portions facing said spreader members, engages said spreader members in surface to surface contact with said ear-like projections when said driver member is moved against the bridge portion of said clip in said first direction to cause divergence of said leading end portions, to permit said sheets of paper or the like to be disposed between said diverged leading end portions and whereby further movement of said driver member against said clip disassociates said clip from said spreader members to permit said leading end portions to grip said sheets of paper.

Claim 12

A spring clip for holding sheets of paper or the like, comprising a pair of cooperating confronting holding members, each said holding member having opposite side edges, a free continuous leading end portion including a leading edge, a rear portion opposite said leading end portion and joining means for resiliently joining said holding members together at their respective rear portions such that said leading end portions are normally resiliently biased against each other with a predetermined clamping force, the joining means having no means for diverging said holding members, at least one of the side edges of one of the holding members corresponding to one of the side edges of the other said holding member, an ear-like projection for diverging said holding members extending a predetermined amount from each of said corresponding side edges and having portions spaced from each other to permit insertion of a spreader member between said ear-like projections in removable relationship for exertion of a separating force by said spreader member against each of said ear-like projections to cause divergence of said holding members and separation of said leading end portions whereby said sheets of paper or the like can be disposed between said holding members to be gripped by said leading end portions when said ear-like projections are disassociated from said spreader member, no portion of said ear-like projections being in contact with each other at the leading edges of each said holding member, and wherein the ear-like projections on at least one holding member are spaced from the leading edge and disposed between the leading end portion of said one holding member and the joining means.

Claim 13

A spring clip for holding sheets of paper or the like, comprising a pair of cooperating confronting holding members, each said holding member having opposite side edges, a free continuous leading end portion including a leading edge, a rear portion opposite said leading end portion and joining means for resiliently joining said holding members together at their respective rear portions such that said leading end portions are normally resiliently biased against each other with a predetermined clamping force, the joining means having no means for diverging said holding members, at least one of the side edges of one of the holding members corresponding to one of the side edges of the other said holding member, an ear-like projection for diverging said holding members extending a predetermined amount from each of said corresponding side edges and having portions spaced from each other to permit insertion of a spreader member between said ear-like projections in removable relationship for exertion of a separating force by said spreader member against each of said ear-like projections to cause divergence of said holding members and separation of said leading end portions whereby said sheets of paper or the like can be disposed between said holding members to be gripped by said leading end portions when said ear-like projections are disassociated from said spreader member, no portion of said ear-like projections being in contact with each other at the leading edges of each said holding member, and wherein the ear-like projections on at least one holding member are spaced from the leading edge and disposed between the leading end portion of said one holding member and the joining means.

Claim 14

A spring clip as claimed in claim 11 wherein the other side edges of each said holding member correspond, and respectively include ear-like projections extending from said other side edges said predetermined amount.

Claim 15

A spring clip as claimed in claim 12 wherein said ear-like projections are stepped away from said side edges.

Claim 16

A spring clip as claimed in claim 11 wherein the ear-like projections on the other holding member are spaced from the leading edge and disposed between the leading end portion ofthe other holding member and the joining means.

Claim 17

A spring clip as claimed in claim 14 wherein the ear-like projections on the respective said holding members are disposed closer to the leading end portions thereof than to said joining means.

Claim 18

A spring clip as claimed in claim 14 in combination with an applicator device for dispensing said clip onto said sheets of paper or the like to grip said sheets, said applicator device including a channel of predetermined width for receiving at least one said clip, a driver member slidable in said channel and engageable with the bridge portion of said clip to move said clip in a first direction, a pair of said spreader members disposed on opposite sides of said channel at a predetermined spacing from each other and arranged to diverge in said first direction such that said clip, when disposed in said channel with said leading end portions facing said spreader members, engages said spreader members in surface to surface contact with said ear-like projections when said driver member is moved against the bridge portion of said clip in said first direction to cause divergence of said leading end portions, to permit said sheets of paper or the like to be disposed between said diverged leading end portions and whereby further movement of said driver member against said clip disassociates said clip from said spreader members to permit said leading end portions to grip said sheets of paper.