The invention relates to a holder with a plurality of spring clips of the type used for suspension of sheet material, such as photographic film or paper material .

Holding means of this type are known in several different embodiments.

Thus, it is known to use balls or discs as clamping means, and it is also known to use springs or spring- loaded members as holding means.

The known holding means of this type) which are described e.g. in the U.S. Patent Specifications 3 159 281, 3-262 579, 2 964 197, 4 194 635 and the German Offenlegungsschri ten 2 403 514, 2 138 627 and 2 506 588, are composed of several different construc¬ tional parts consisting of. different materials, which makes the production of them relatively complicated and expensive.

The object of the present invention is to provide a holder of the said type having a plurality of clamp¬ ing means formed as spring clips, which can be manufactured by a simple and economically advantageous plastics moulding process with a minimized consumption of materials and without noticeable mounting work.

These advantages in terms of production in connection with an operationally particularly expedient embodi-

ment of a holder of the said type are obtained accord¬ ing to the invention by constructing the holder so that each spring clip is formed by a disc located in a corner of a box-shaped case, a spring inside the spring case keeping the disc clamped against an engagement face disposed outside the spring case.

Such a holder differs significantly from the prior art in that the spring clips mounted in the holder are formed by the cooperation of simple discs (clamp- ing discs) moulded in plastics with a flat engagement face with which the clamping disc of each spring clip is kept resiliently engaged by a spring housed in a case (spring case) likewise moulded in plastics.

One part of the spring clip, viz. the engagement face for a clamping disc mounted in the corner of a spring case, may expediently be formed by an end face in an adjacent case, as stated in claim 2. Thus, the available case faces may be used as one part of the spring clip.

When, as stated in claim 3, the clamping disc is disposed in a wedge-shaped opening in a corner of a spring case containing the spring which acts on the clamping disc, the spring pressure will affect the clamping disc with a component of force acting on the engagement face of the adjoining spring case.

With a view to simplifying the manufacturing process the clamping disc and the spring of each spring clip may be made integral with a common mounting plate, and the unit thus formed may then be inserted into one end of a main housing whose other end is contiguous with the spring cases, as stated in claim 4.

Finally, one end of the outermost spring clips on a part of the main housing may be formed with an engagement face for the clamping disc in this spring clip, as stated in claim 5, and this part may then be constructed in the same manner as the cases of the spring clips.

The invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a holder with six spring clips, seen in perspective and partly in section, and

fig. 2 shows a part of the same holder, likewise seen in perspective.

The holder shown in fig. 1 comprises an elongated hollow body 10, which is defined by a pair of side walls 11 and end walls 12 and is closed at one end by a cover 13 formed as a mounting plate. At the opposite side the side walls 11 of the hollow b'ody are formed with a plurality of rectangular projections constituting side walls in a plurality of cases 14, which are closed by end walls 15 and 16 and whose cavities open into the hollow body 10. A substantially wedge- shaped cut-out 17 is provided in a corner of each case 14 and serves to receive a clamping disc 19 suspended from a spring 18; the clamping disc extends partly beyond the case 14 and resiliently engages an end wall 15 of an adjacent case 14.

Fig. 2 shows how the six clamping discs 19 are suspended from hook-shaped, resilient projections 13a on the internal surface of the mounting plate 13 by means of arc-shaped springs 18 enclosing the clamping discs 19 at one end. In this embodiment the clamping discs 19 and springs 18 are made integral vith the mounting plate 13, and this unit, preferably moulded in plastics, is mounted in the holder by insertion into the hollow body 10, where it is retained by the engagement of the hook-shaped projections 13a with corresponding projections in the inside of the hollow body 10. Each of the spring clips mounted on the holder 10 is thus formed by the resilient engagement of a part of a clamping disc 19 with an end face 15 qf an adjacent case; however, the clamping disc in the outermost spring clip which has no adjacent case engages a corresponding engagement face 15a in a part 10a of the holder 10.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 one end wall of the hollow body 10 is formed by a plate-shaped holding means 12a which is slidably mounted in a wall rail not shown in the drawing.

It will be seen that the hollow body 10 with the members provided in it -forms a housing, which in the preamable to the description is called main housing, while the cases 14 with the springs 18 housed in them are called spring cases.