To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Solon E. Moore, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swanton, in the county of Franklin and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Pins; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to improvements in clothes-pins and clamps for other purposes; and it consists in the construction, novel arrangement, and adaptation of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which—

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a clothes-pin constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a view of the spring removed from the clamps.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A A indicate two clamps or sections, which are formed of wood, having a plain outer side and provided with a transverse groove, a, at a point which will be presently explained. The inner forward sides of these clamps are beveled outwardly, as at b, so as to present a flaring mouth for the ready entrance of the line or other article to be gripped and held in the clamps. At the inner end of these beveled portions, and slightly in advance of the outer transverse grooves, a, are transverse curvilinear grooves c, which are designed to receive the clothes-line. From these grooves c the inner sides of the clamps are approximately straight to the fulcrum-recesses d d, whence they taper or incline outwardly to their rear extremities, as indicated at e e, whereby, when the said tapered sides are forced together, the jaws of the clamps will be thrown open for disengagement from the line.

B indicates the spring, which is composed of a single piece of wire, and may be brass or galvanized to prevent the same from rusting.

In practice I form this spring by coiling its intermediate portion, so as to form a movable coiled fulcrum, D, to bear in the recesses d of the clamps, and from each end of this fulcrum portion are the tangential arms E, so arranged as to normally compress the clamping end of the pin. The outer portions of these tangential arms E are bent slightly inwardly, as at f, and terminate in oppositely-directed parallel branches g g, which are placed in the grooves a a of the clamps.

When the coiled fulcrum of the spring is placed in the recesses of the clamps and the branches g g are placed in the grooves a a, it will be seen that the arms E will pass on on opposite sides of the said clamps and prevent the spring from lateral displacement. It will also be seen that by this construction a firm grip may be had upon a line or other article inserted between the jaws, and that the parts may be put together quickly and without the employment of skilled labor.

I am aware that it is not new to form a clothes-pin with two arms having fulcrum-recesses on their inner sides, and having in connection with said arms a coil-spring having arms passing through apertures and their ends turned down upon the outer sides of the arms.

I am also aware that it is not new to employ a semicircular double spring in connection with two clamping-arms having transverse grooves on their outer sides to receive the ends of the said spring.

Having described this invention, what I claim is—

As an improved article of manufacture, the clothes-pin described, consisting of the two clamps having the fulcrum-recess on their inner sides about midway of their length, the line-grooves in the beveled jaws, and the transverse grooves a on their outer sides in rear of the said line-grooves, and the spring composed of a single wire coiled at D, with the tangential arms E at opposite ends of the coil, with angular branches f at their outer ends, to engage the sides of the clamps and prevent lateral displacement thereof, and the terminal parallel branches g, oppositely directed to engage the grooves on the outer sides of the said clamps, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Solon E. Moore.

Witnesses:

Eugene A. Ayers,

Rigney Marvin.