U.S. patent application number 10/964706 was filed with the patent office on 2005-04-21 for sticker clip.
Invention is credited to Brown, Melissa, Brown, Michael.
Application Number | 20050082412 10/964706 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34526616 |
Filed Date | 2005-04-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050082412 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brown, Michael ; et
al. |
April 21, 2005 |
Sticker clip
Abstract
The sticker clip is a clip for keeping a roll of sheet material
such as a sheet of scrapbook stickers displayed in an orderly
fashion for dispensing to consumers. The clip is provided in the
form of a pair of identical transparent rod-like rollers each
having annular recesses adjacent both ends of each roller. The
distance between the recesses on each roller is selected to be
greater than the width of sheet of stickers on the roll. One roller
is placed on the inside of the independently supported roll of
stickers. A rubber band is provided in the annular recess of
adjacent ends of the rollers on both sides of the sheet of stickers
to bias the rollers toward each other. A transparent tube,
preferably having a length equal to the width of the sheet of
stickers is mounted over the roller that extends across the face of
the roll.
Inventors: |
Brown, Michael; (Lima,
OH) ; Brown, Melissa; (Lima, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Richard C. Litman
LITMAN LAW OFFICES, LTD.
P.O. Box 15035
Arlington
VA
22215
US
|
Family ID: |
34526616 |
Appl. No.: |
10/964706 |
Filed: |
October 15, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60511657 |
Oct 17, 2003 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
242/422.5 ;
242/580 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 75/28 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
242/422.5 ;
242/580 |
International
Class: |
B65H 023/08; B65H
075/28 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A sticker clip, comprising: first and second identical rod-like
rollers formed from a suitable rigid material; each roller
including an annular recess formed adjacent both ends of each
roller, wherein the distance between the recesses of each roller is
selected to be greater than the width of a sheet of stickers in a
roll, each roller has a length at least one half inch greater than
the width of the sheet of stickers; a tube formed from any suitable
rigid material, said tube having an inner diameter greater than the
outer diameter said rollers, said, a length equal to the width of
the sheet of stickers and is mounted over said second roller; and a
first rubber band is looped over both rollers and rests in the
grooves on the left side of said first and second rollers and a
second rubber band is looped over and received in the grooves on
the right side of said first and second rollers, wherein said
rubber bands hold said rollers in parallel alignment on the roll of
stickers with said second roller and said tube extending across the
face of the roll and said first roller extending across the inside
of the roll of stickers, and said free end of said sheet of
stickers is passed under said tube during dispensing of said sheet
of stickers; wherein said rubber bands biasing said rollers toward
each other to sandwich the windings of the roll of stickers between
the rollers and maintain contact with the top winding of the sheet
of stickers on the roll as the size of the roll diminishes during
dispensing of the sheet of stickers.
2. The sticker clip according to claim 1, wherein said first and
second rollers are formed from a transparent plastic material.
3. The sticker clip according to claim 2, wherein said tube is
formed or a transparent plastic material.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 60/511,657, filed Oct. 17, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to clips and more particularly
to a clip for keeping a roll of sheet material such as a sheet of
scrapbook stickers displayed in an orderly fashion for dispensing
to consumers.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A problem for the staff of scrapbook stores that sell
scrapbook stickers provided on rolls is preventing customers from
accidentally tearing some of the stickers as the roll is unwound.
Another problem for the staff is keeping the display of rolls of
stickers (which have a tendency to unwind themselves due to the
weight of the unwound portion as stickers are dispensed or
accidental contact) in a tidy appearance throughout the day. Staff
members spend an extreme amount of time straightening the product
display.
[0006] Devices are known in the prior art for holding the free end
of material dispensed from a roll. For example, U.S. Pat. No.
329,191 issued Oct. 27, 1885 to J. E. McMurtrie teaches a ribbon
reel having a frame with adjustable sidebars for accommodating
rolls of various lengths. An adjustable ribbon-clamp bar is
provided with reduced neck portions adjacent each end for movement
within slots in the sidebars of the frame. The drum upon which the
ribbon is rolled is supported for rotation on the ends of two
elastic arms attached to the sidebars. Rubber bands cooperating
with small grooved pulleys on the ends of the elastic arms clamp
the roll of ribbon between the ribbon-clamp bar and the drum.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,348 issued Dec. 1, 1992 to Okami et al.
teaches a tube squeezer clamping device comprising two cylindrical
rods positioned in parallel that have notches to guide and hold two
bands or O-rings at each end. The bands or O-rings secure the rods
closely together so as to be able to sandwich the bottom flat end
of a tube having a pasty content placed between the two rods and
allow very little or no relative movement between the rods.
Residual pasty content is forced to the top of the tube by moving
the device up the length of the tube.
[0008] None of the above inventions and patents, taken either
singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention
as claimed. Thus a sticker clip solving the aforementioned problems
is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention provides a clip for keeping a roll of
sheet material such as a sheet of scrapbook stickers displayed in
an orderly fashion for dispensing to consumers. The clip is
provided in the form of a pair of identical transparent rod-like
rollers each having annular recesses adjacent both ends of each
roller. The distance between the recesses on each roller is
selected to be greater than the width of the sheet of stickers on
the roll. One roller is placed on the inside of the independently
supported roll of stickers. A suitable pair of rubber bands holds
the second roller in parallel alignment with the first roller
across the face of the roll. A rubber band is provided in the
annular recess at adjacent ends of the rollers on both sides of the
sheet of stickers to bias the rollers toward each other clamping
the rotatably mounted roll of stickers between the rollers. A
transparent tube, preferably having a length equal to the width of
the sheet of stickers and a diameter greater than the diameter of
the rollers is mounted over the roller that extends across the face
of the roll. As the sheet of stickers is dispensed from the roll
through the rollers, the end of the remnant of the roll is
maintained in a fashion suitable for further display and
dispensing. The sticker clip also prevents the stickers from being
torn or damaged, as the sheet of stickers is unwound during
dispensing.
[0010] Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to
provide a sticker clip for keeping a roll of sheet material such as
a sheet of scrapbook stickers displayed in an orderly fashion for
displaying and dispensing the sheet material to consumers.
[0011] It is another object of the invention to provide a sticker
clip that also prevents the stickers on the sheet from being torn
or damaged, as the sheet is unwound during dispensing.
[0012] It is an object of the invention to provide improved
elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes
described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in
accomplishing its intended purposes.
[0013] These and other objects of the present invention will become
readily apparent upon further review of the following specification
and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of the sticker
clip according to the present invention in use on the rolls of
stickers of a sticker display stand.
[0015] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the sticker clip
according to the present invention.
[0016] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0017] The present invention is a clip for keeping a roll of sheet
material such as a sheet of scrapbook stickers displayed in an
orderly fashion for dispensing to consumers. FIG. 1 shows a
plurality of rolls of scrapbook stickers 60 rotatably mounted on
the arms 51 of a scrapbook sticker display rack. While the
preferred use of the clip is on sticker rolls, it is readily
apparent that the clip is suitable for use on any sheet material
displayed and dispensed in similar fashion.
[0018] As best shown in FIG. 2, the sticker clip 20 is preferably
provided in the form of a pair of identical rod-like rollers 33, 34
formed from a suitable rigid transparent plastic material. A
preferred material for the rollers 33 and 34 is acrylic. An annular
recess 36 is formed adjacent both ends of each roller. The distance
between the recesses on each roller is selected to be greater than
the width of the sheet of stickers on the roll. Each roller has a
length at least one half inch greater than the width of the roll of
stickers 60.
[0019] Roller 33 is placed on the inside of the rotatably supported
roll of stickers 60. As best seen from FIG. 2, a first rubber band
40 is received in the groove 36 on the left side of both rollers 33
and 34 and a second rubber band 41 is received in the groove 36 on
the right side of both rollers 33 and 34. Rubber bands 40 and 41
hold roller 34 in parallel alignment with roller 33 across the face
of the roll of stickers 60 and bias the rollers toward each other.
A transparent tube 35, preferably formed from any suitable rigid
transparent plastic material, has an inner diameter greater than
the outer diameter of rollers 33 and 34. Tube 35 preferably has a
length equal to the width of the sheet of stickers and is mounted
over roller 34 so that roller 34 and tube 35 both extend across the
face of the roll as shown in FIG. 1.
[0020] As the sheet is dispensed from the roll 60, the rubber bands
bias the rollers 33 and 34 toward each other to maintain contact
with the top winding of the sheet of stickers on the roll 60 as the
size of the roll 60 diminishes during dispensing of the sheet of
stickers. The dispensing end of the remnant of the roll of stickers
60 that has passed beneath the tube 35 is maintained at a length
suitable for further display and dispensing by sticker clip 20.
This saves the time used by the staff of a scrapbook store
rewinding the rolls of stickers to keep the scrapbook sticker
display orderly. The sticker clip 20 also prevents the stickers
from being torn or damaged, as the sheet of stickers is unwound
during dispensing of the stickers.
[0021] It is to be understood that the present invention is not
limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and
all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *