The present invention relates to a clip and in particular to a clip for writing implements.

There are known clips used to arrange and/or fix writing implements such as e.g. a pen, a pencil and the like onto a supporting member, such as e.g. a pocket of a jacket or a cover of a book or copybook, and in particular to an edge thereof.

A clip typically comprises a clamping portion that is restrained to a writing implement by means of a connecting portion and generally extends along the axial direction of the writing implement. A clip may be integrally formed with the writing implement or be an independent separate member that can be mounted thereon e.g. by means of a band portion restrained to the connecting portion.

The connecting portion is configured so as to define a clearance between the clamping portion and the body of the writing implement suitable to receive the supporting member, thus allowing to fix the writing implement thereto. The writing implement is slid on the supporting member until when the connecting portion of the clip abuts on the edge of the supporting member. If the clearance has a height that is equal to or lower than the thickness of the supporting member, the writing implement may be fixed thereto by way of friction.

A clip is generally arranged proximate to one of the free ends of a writing implement, so that such a free end protrudes beyond the edge of the supporting member when the writing implement is fixed thereto, thus allowing to easily withdraw it.

When fixing a writing implement to a copybook or a notepad, if on the one hand it is desirable that one end of the writing implement protrudes from an edge of the cover or a sheet in order to ease its withdrawal, on the other hand when the copybook or the notepad are handled or stored e.g. in a bag, it is highly probable that the protruding end is engaged by nearby objects or hits them. The writing implement may therefore be moved or detached from the supporting member and may not be readily available to a user.

EP 1967386 discloses a pen comprising a clip provided with a pair of parallel clip legs that are restrained to the pen by means of a connecting member. The clip legs extend parallel to each other from the connecting member on either side of the pen tangentially thereto. The clip legs are thus spaced from each other and define between them a space suitable to receive and clamp a supporting member and in particular a plurality of sheets of a copybook or a notepad. In the case of a spiral binding, the pen may be fitted into the spiral, while the clip legs extend towards the copybook or notepad and contact the opposite covers of the copybook or notepad. Accordingly, the pen is readily available to a user and at the same time protected by the spiral binding from the accidental contact with nearby objects.

However, such a configuration does not allow to avoid the contact with nearby objects in the case of a traditional binding such as e.g. a gluing, being it possible to arrange the pen along the binding of the copybook or notepad or along one of their edges, but not to protect it from accidental contacts.

There is therefore the need for improving clips for writing implements so as to facilitate the withdrawal of a writing implement from a supporting member, while minimizing the risk that the writing implement is engaged or hit by nearby objects, which is an object of the present invention.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a clip for a writing implement that is easy and cheap to manufacture.

An idea of solution underlying the present invention is to provide a clip for writing implements wherein the connecting portion lies on a plane arranged tangentially to the writing implement and the clamping portion lies on a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the plane on which the connecting portion lies and extends from the connecting portion in a first direction and at least in a second direction different from the first one.

Thanks to this combination of features the clip according to the invention allows to fix a writing implement to an edge of a supporting member in two different directions.

A first fixing direction is preferably parallel to the axis of the writing implement, thus allowing to fix the latter to an edge of a supporting member along its length as it usually happens with the clips known in the art and to cause a free end of the writing implement to protrude from the edge of the supporting member in order to ease its withdrawal. The second fixing direction is preferably perpendicular to the axis of the writing implement, so that the latter can be fixed parallel to the edge of the supporting member and, since the connecting portion is arranged tangentially to the writing implement, this can be even completely hidden behind the supporting member, thus being fully protected from the contact with nearby obj ects.

The main advantage offered by the invention is to give a user the possibility to choose the most suitable direction along which to fix a writing implement on a supporting member on the basis of the type of supporting member and depending on the risk of hits when handling it together with the writing implement. When the supporting member is a pocket, in fact, there is a minimum risk that the free end of a writing implement is hit or engaged by nearby objects and the user needs to be facilitated in withdrawing the writing implement, because the room inside a pocket is generally rather small. On the contrary, when the supporting member is a cover of a copybook or a notepad, the user is more interested in protecting the writing implement from the accidental contact with other objects and thus in hiding as much as possible the writing implement inside the copybook or notepad. Withdrawing of the writing implement, in fact, is extremely simple in this case, because the inside of a copybook or notepad cover is always easily accessible.

Another advantage offered by the invention is that the manufacturing of the clip is extremely easy and cheap, the clip having a connecting portion and a clamping portion as a traditional clip and no other parts, and does not require special technical measures when it is manufactured integrally with the body of the writing implement or a cap thereof.

Further advantages and features of the clip according to the present invention will become clear to those skilled in the art from the following detailed and non-limiting description of an embodiment thereof with reference to the attached drawings, wherein: figures 1 and 2 are perspective views showing a clip according to the present invention;

figures 3 and 4 are perspective views showing a writing implement on which a clip according to the invention is mounted;

figure 5 is a front view of the writing implement of figures 3 and 4; figure 6 is a lateral view of the writing implement of figures 3 and 4;

figure 7 is a top view of the writing implement of figures 3 and 4;

figures 8 and 9 show the writing implement of figures 3 and 4 fixed on a supporting member in two different positions.

In the following, reference will be made to a pen, but it will be understood that the clip according to the invention may be used together with a different writing implement such as e.g. a pencil, a felt-tip pen, a highlighter and the like.

Figures 1 and 2 show a clip 1 according to the invention comprising a clamping portion 2 suitable to contact a surface of a supporting member S such as e.g. a jacket pocket or a notepad cover, and a connecting portion 3 suitable to connect the clamping portion 2 to a pen P.

The connecting portion 3 and the clamping portion 2 are restrained to each other and respectively lie on planes T, F that are substantially perpendicular to each other and both parallel to a longitudinal axis Z of the clip 1.

The clamping portion 2 extends from the connecting portion 3 along a first direction A, that is preferably parallel to the axis Z of the clip 1, and along a second direction B different from the first direction A.

Preferably, the first and second directions A, B are mutually perpendicular.

In an assembled configuration of the clip 1, shown in figures 3 to 7, the longitudinal axis Z of the clip 1 is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the pen P and the connecting portion 3 is arranged tangentially to the pen P. Consequently, since the connecting portion 3 and the clamping portion 2 respectively lie on planes T, F that are mutually perpendicular, the clamping portion 2 extends substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the pen P.

The first direction A along which the clamping portion 3 extends is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pen P, whereby the second direction B is substantially perpendicular thereto.

The connecting portion 3 is configured so as to define between the clamping portion 2 and the pen P a clearance suitable to allow to receive the supporting member S. In this way, when the pen P is fixed on the supporting member S, the pen body contacts one surface thereof, while the clamping member 2 contacts the opposite surface. If the height of the clearance is lower than the thickness of the supporting member S, the pen P may be effectively blocked thereon by friction.

In the illustrated embodiment, the clip 1 is mounted on a cap C of the pen P, which is shown fitted thereon and thus covering its tip. Moreover, in the illustrated embodiment the clip 1 is a separate member with respect to the pen P, mounted on the cap C by way of a band portion 4 restrained to the connecting portion 3 and configured so as to be wrapped around the lateral surface of the cap C.

It will be understood that the clip 1 so configured might be mounted on the body of the pen P as well, and that it might also be integrally formed with either the cap C or the body of the pen P. In the latter case the band portion 4 is not strictly necessary, because the connecting portion 3 might be directly restrained to the body of the pen P or to its cap C.

The clip 1 so configured allows to insert and fix the pen P onto an edge of the supporting member S along two different directions, i.e. directions A and B. In other words the pen P can be arranged in two different positions relative to the supporting member S.

With particular reference to figure 8, by fixing the pen P on the supporting member S along the first direction A, i.e. parallel to the pen axis, an end 3a of the connecting portion 3 of the clip 1 will contact an edge SI of the supporting member S. Since the end 3a is spaced from the free end of the pen P, the latter will be only partially covered by the supporting member S and will protrude beyond its edge SI thus allowing a user to easily withdraw the pen P. This arrangement is preferred when the supporting member S is e.g. the pocket of a jacket from which a user wishes to easily pick up the pen P any time he needs it.

Referring now to figure 9, by fixing the pen P on the supporting member S along the second direction B, i.e. perpendicularly to the pen axis, the connecting portion 3 will contact the edge SI of the supporting member S at a different point 3b and the pen P will be parallel to the edge SI and completely covered by the supporting member S. This is due to the fact that the connecting portion 3 is arranged tangentially to the pen P, so that, once fixed the clip 1, the supporting member S is completely superimposed to the pen P, thus hiding it. This arrangement is very advantageous when fixing the pen P on a notepad or a copybook, wherein the supporting member S is typically a cover and the pen P needs to be protected from the accidental contact with nearby objects.

As shown in the figures, both the clamping and the connecting portions 2, 3 are flat-shaped bodies having e.g. a rectangular shape. The use of flat-shaped bodies allows to have a wide clamping surface in both arrangements of the pen P with respect to the supporting member S, as well as a wide contact surface on the edge SI of the supporting member S when the pen P is arranged parallel thereto, which prevents the pen P from being easily rotated relative to the supporting member e.g. by its own weight.

The embodiment of the invention herein described and illustrated is only an example susceptible of numerous variants. For example, the clamping portion might have a different shape and size according to the design of the clip and/or the writing implement.