A PIPE CLIP

This invention relates to a pipe clip.

Pipe clips are known comprising a body portion, a closure portion, a hinge enabling the closure portion to open and close with respect to the body portion, and a pipe-receiving aperture for receiving a pipe. The pipe may be of varying diameter. It is not commercially practicable to produce a pipe clip for each of the many sizes of pipes that are available. Also, some pipes are only slightly different in their size, for example being 15 or 16mm in diameter. Often a user will get confused and will try and insert a pipe of the wrong diameter into a pipe clip. The result is that the pipe is either too loose in the pipe clip, or is too tight and very difficult to fit into place. Still further in some known pipe clips, the positioning of the pipe into the pipe clip causes automatic closure of the pipe clip. This can sometimes be a disadvantage, for example where pipes need to be inserted into the pipe clip, measured, removed for cutting to a required length, and then reinserted into the pipe clip.

It is an aim of the present invention to obviate or reduce the above mentioned problems.

Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided a pipe clip comprising a body portion, a closure portion, a hinge enabling the closure portion to open and close with respect to the body portion, a pipe-receiving aperture for receiving a pipe, and a pair of wing members defining a part of the pipe-receiving aperture, and the pipe clip

being such that each wing member is flexible about one end which is connected to the body portion, the size of the pipe-receiving aperture is able to be increased by flexing of the wing members, the flexing of the wing members is caused by pressure on the wing members from a pipe of a diameter requiring the pipe-receiving aperture to be increased in size from a size determined by the wing members when they are not flexed, and the closure portion moves between its open and closed positions independently of the flexing of the wing members.

The pipe clip of the present invention is advantageous in that the size of the pipe-receiving aperture is able to be increased by the flexing of the wing members such as to enable the pipe-receiving aperture to receive pipes of different diameters, for example pipes of two or three differing diameters. Normally the pipe clip will be constructed such that the pipe-receiving aperture is able to receive pipes of closely varying diameters. The ability of the pipe-receiving aperture to receive the pipes of closely varying diameters helps to avoid the above mentioned problem of users inserting the wrong diameter pipe into a known pipe clip with the result that the pipe is either too loose in the pipe clip, or is too tight and difficult to fit. Because the closure portion moves between its open and closed positions independently of the flexing of the wing members, the insertion of a pipe into the pipe-receiving aperture does not cause the closure portion to close the pipe-receiving aperture, and thus the pipe is easily able to be removed for cutting or other purposes, prior to being finally installed and the closure portion moved to its closed position.

Preferably, the pipe clip is one in which the pair of wing members are symmetrically located opposite each other on lower side parts of the pipe- receiving aperture. Other positions for the pair of wing members may however be employed.

Usually, the pipe clip will be a one-piece moulding from a plastics material, whereby the hinge is an integral part of the body portion and the closure portion, and the end of the wing member is integrally formed with the body portion. Other constructions may however be employed. The plastics material may be any suitable and appropriate plastics material such for example as those plastics materials currently used for known pipe clips.

The closure portion is preferably a clip closure portion. Other types of closure portion may however be employed.

The pipe clip may be one in which the body portion has a base part, and in which the base part is provided with a fastener aperture for receiving a fastening member for fastening the pipe clip in position on a surface. The surface may be a skirting board, a wall, or any other suitable and appropriate surface. The fastener aperture will normally be for receiving a fastener member in the form of a screw. Other types of fastener member, for example a nail, may however be employed if desired.

The pipe clip may be a stand-alone pipe clip.

Alternatively, the pipe clip may have side formations for connecting two or more of the pipe clips together.

Preferably, the side formations are tongue and groove formations. The tongue and groove formations may comprise an in-line tongue and groove on

a first side of the body portion, and an in-line tongue and groove on a second side of the body portion, the tongue and groove formations on the first and second sides being reversed in order so that a tongue on one of the pipe clips is able to fit into a groove on an adjacent one of the pipe clips with the two pipe clips being side-by-side.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a pipe clip of the invention in a closed condition;

Figure 2 is a front view of the pipe clip shown in Figure 1 and with a smaller sized pipe in position;

Figure 3 is a front view like Figure 2 but shows the pipe clip with a larger sized pipe;

Figure 4 is an isometric view of the pipe clip as shown in Figure 1 but in an open condition; and

Figure 5 is an isometric view from below of the pipe clip in the condition shown in Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a pipe clip 2 comprising a body portion 4, a closure portion 6, and a hinge 8 enabling the closure portion 6 to open and close with respect to the body portion 4. The pipe clip 2 further comprises a pipe-receiving aperture 10 for receiving a pipe 12.

The pipe clip 2 has a pair of wing members 14 defining a part of the pipe-receiving aperture 10. The pipe clip 2 is such that each wing member 14 is flexible about one end 16 which is connected to the body portion 4. The

size of the pipe-receiving aperture 10 is able to be increased by flexing of the wing members 14. The flexing of the wing members 14 is shown in Figure 3 and is caused by pressure on the wing members 14 from a pipe 18 which is of a diameter larger than the diameter of the pipe 12 shown in Figure 2. The pipe 18 has a diameter requiring the pipe-receiving aperture 10 to be increased in size from the size shown in Figure 2. The size of the pipe- receiving aperture 10 shown in Figure 2 is determined by the wing members 14 when they are not flexed. The pipe 18 exerts pressure on the wing members 14 and increases the diameter of the pipe-receiving aperture 10 by causing the wing members 14 to flex, as can be appreciated from a comparison of Figures 2 and 3.

The closure portion 6 moves between its open and closed positions independently of the flexing of the wing members 14.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the pair of wing members 14 are symmetrically located opposite each other on lower side parts 20 of the pipe- receiving aperture 10.

The pipe clip 2 is a one-piece moulding from a plastics material. The hinge 8 is thus an integral part of the body portion 4 and the closure portion 6. The end 16 of each wing member 14 is integrally formed with the body portion 4.

The closure portion 6 is a clip closure portion. More specifically, the closure portion 6 has a hooked free end 22 which clips to a complementary hooked formation 24 on the body portion 4.

As shown in Figure 5, the body portion 4 has a base part 26. The base part 26 is provided with a fastener aperture 28 for receiving a fastener member (not shown) for fastening the pipe clip 2 in position on a surface. The fastener aperture 28 is formed in a moulded portion 30 which enables the base part 26 to have openings 32 which reduce the amount of material required for the formation of the body portion 4. The fastener member for the fastener aperture 28 may be a screw, nail or other suitable fastener member.

The pipe clip 2 has side formations 34 for connecting two or more of the pipe clips 2 together. The side formations 34 are tongue and groove formations. More specifically, the tongue and groove formations comprise an in-line groove 36 and a tongue 38 on a first side 40 of the body portion 4, and an in-line tongue 38 and groove 36 on a second side 42 of the body portion 4. A shown, the positions of the grooves 36 and the tongues 38 are reversed on the first and second sides 40, 42. This enables a tongue 38 on one of the pipe clips 2 to fit into a groove 36 on an adjacent one of the pipe clips 2, with the two pipe clips being side-by-side. Also, with two exactly similar pipe clips of the same depth, then the two or more joined pipe clips will extend in a line of the same thickness.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiment of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings has been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the side formations 34 may be omitted, or the illustrated grooves 36 and tongues 38 may be of a different cross-sectional shape.