Slide holder and transfer device
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a slide holder and slide transfer device, and more particularly to a slide holder which releasably grips a group of photographic slides or transparency mounts to facilitate handling of the slides in a stack or group. 
     Prior art slide holders and transfer devices are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,711,905; 3,552,846; 3,244,273; and 2,698,765. All of these prior art slide holders are of relatively complex design, and/or are difficult to use and manipulate, and/or are expensive to manufacture. 
     The object of the present invention is to provide a simplified slide holder and transfer device (hereinafter referred to simply as &#34;slide holder&#34;), which is easy to use and manipulate, of simple mechanical design and which is therefore relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a slide holder and transfer device for receiving and releasably holding a group of slides in a stack, comprises a first resilient biasing member for bridging a group of slides over at least one dimension of each slide of the group of slides, and over the length or height of the stack of slides; a pair of spaced apart side gripping members coupled to opposite sides of the first member and adapted to grip the group of slides on opposite sides thereof, the first member always resiliently biasing the side gripping members toward a first relative position in which the side gripping members are spaced apart a distance which is less than one dimension of each of the slides, and the side gripping members being adapted to be movable relative to each other by resilient flexing of the first member to a second relative position in which the side gripping members are spaced apart a distance greater than the one dimension of the slides; and manual gripping means coupled to the first member and/or to the pair of side members for being manually operated to flex the first member against the bias thereof to cause the side members to move apart to the second relative position in which the spacing between the side members exceeds the one dimension of each of the slides, the side members being resiliently biased by the first member toward the first relative position so that after release of the manual gripping means the slides of the stack are held in a stack by the side gripping members. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the slide holder and slide transfer device is made of a resilient plastic material which inherently provides the biasing effect. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, but with the device in its flexed condition ready for engagement with a group or stack of slides; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 but showing the device engaged with a stack of slides; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 4 with the device engaging a stack of slides; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a modified embodiment of the invention; 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 are sectional views of another modified embodiment of the invention, FIG. 7 illustrating the device in its &#34;relaxed&#34; state, and FIG. 8 illustrating the device in its flexed state ready to engage a stack or group of slides; and 
     FIG. 9 is an end elevation of another modified embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the first embodiment of the invention comprises a main bridging or spanning member 10 (hereinafter referred to as bridging member) which is generally rectangular in plan view and which is made of a flexible, resilient material which has inherent biasing qualities. Plastic materials, such as polyethylene, are preferred. The bridging member 10 is dimensioned so as to be slightly larger than a given dimension &#34;d&#34; of a slide (see FIG. 4) and to be slightly longer than the maximum length or height of the group of stack of slides which are to be held by the slide holder (see FIG. 5). Extending downwardly from opposite sides of bridging member 10 are respective side gripping members 11,12 which are preferably integrally formed with bridging member 10, for example by molding. Side gripping members 11,12 have respective resilient pads 13,14 thereon for enhancing gripping of the sides of the slides, for example as shown in FIG. 4. Resilient pads 13,14 may be foam rubber or foam plastic material which is secured to side gripping members 11,12 for example by adhesive or an adhesive backing. 
     Also provided on bridging member 10 is a pair of manual gripping members 15,16, which are spaced apart and which are adapted to be manually gripped by the fingers of an operator for flexing the bridging member from the position shown in FIG. 2 to substantially the position shown in FIG. 3 for either engaging or releasing a group or stack of slides. The gripping and operating members 15,16 are also preferably integrally formed with bridging member 10, for example by molding. 
     In operation, the user grips the gripping members 15,16 and squeezes them together so as to flex the bridging member from the convex condition shown in FIG. 2 to the concave condition shown in FIG. 3 whereby the side gripping members 11,12 are spread apart so that they are spaced apart a distance greater than the dimension &#34;d&#34; of the slide. Then, the slide holder is placed over a group of slides and the gripping members 15,16 are released, whereby the resilient biasing effect of the bridging member 10 biases the side gripping members 11,12 toward their initial position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 so that they grip the sides of the slides, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The degree of gripping force is determined by the biasing force of the briding member 10. 
     The gripping members 15,16 are curved outwardly, as shown at 17 and 18 to facilitate gripping and handling of the device by the user and to prevent the device from slipping out of the fingers of the user when it is in its flexed condition, such as shown in FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view (similar to the sectional views of FIGS. 2 and 3) of a modified arrangement wherein the bridging member 20 has a protrusion 29 extending downwardly therefrom and extending over the complete length of the bridging member 20. If desired, the protrusion need not be made as long as the bridging member 20, but may stop short of the ends thereof. The side gripping members 21,22 and the associated resilient pads 23,24 are substantially identical with the corresponding side gripping members and respective pads shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5. The manual gripping members 25,26 in the embodiment of FIG. 6 are shown extending from the side gripping members 21,22. This is an alternate arrangement to the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1-5. In use, when the device of FIG. 6 engages a stack of slides, for example as shown in FIG. 5, when the manual gripping members 25,26 are squeezed toward each other to flex the bridging member 20 to substantially the condition shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 29 bears downwardly on the slides which were engaged by the holder to facilitate releasing of the slides. A similar effect is achieved by the concave central portion in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, but this effect is improved with the special protrusion 29 provided in the embodiment of FIG. 6. 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 are sectional views, similar to sectional views of FIGS. 2 and 3, wherein the bridging member 30 is always in a generally concave condition. FIG. 7 illustrates the device in its &#34;rest&#34; or relaxed condition, and FIG. 8 illustrates the device in its flexed or operative condition for either releasing a previously engaged stack of slides, or for being in condition for receiving a stack of slides for engagement. The side gripping members 31,32 and associated resilient pads 33,34 are substantially identical with those corresponding elements shown in FIGS. 1-4. Similarly, the manual gripping members 35,36 of FIGS. 7 and 8 are substantially similar to gripping members 15,16 of FIGS. 1-5. Alternatively, gripping members similar to gripping members 25,26 of FIG. 6 may be provided in the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8. 
     As mentioned above, the device is preferably fabricated integrally of a single molded piece, for example plastic materials such as polyethylene, or similar materials having flexibility, but also having a &#34;memory&#34; so that the resilient biasing effect is provided. All of the embodiments are preferably wide enough to receive a slide with a dimension &#34;d&#34; of approximately 2 inches, and are long enough to engage and hold a stack of approximately 40 slides (see FIG. 5). A length &#34;L&#34; (FIG. 5) of approximately 2 inches is sufficient for this purpose. 
     FIG. 9 illustrates a further modified arrangement wherein the manual gripping members 45, 46 are integrally formed with the bridging member 40 and are interconnected by a &#34;living hinge&#34; type of interconnection, for example as indicated at 47 and 48. The gripping member 45 in FIG. 9 is shown in a folded-over position, whereas the gripping member 46 is shown in its operable position. The advantage of this arrangement is that the gripping members 45, 46 can be folded over, as shown with respect to gripping member 45 in FIG. 9, and in fact can be folded over even farther, if desired, to present a lower profile so that the slide handling device of the present invention is more easily stored. In use, the gripping members 45, 46 are pivoted about the respective &#34;living hinge&#34; connections 47, 48 to the position shown by gripping member 46 in FIG. 9. In this position, the respective bottom surfaces 49, 50 of the gripping members 45, 46 bear against the upper surface of bridging member 40 when a force is applied against gripping members 45, 46 to deform the bridging member to the position shown, for example, in FIG. 3. Clearly, the force is applied in the direction of arrows F in FIG. 9. The device of FIG. 9 is preferably formed of plastic material, rather than other materials, such as metal or the like, since plastic material is more adaptable to providing a living hinge-type of connection between the gripping members and the bridging member. 
     While the invention has been described above with respect to specific embodiments, it should be clear that various modifications and alterations can be made within the scope of appended claims. For example, the device may be made in more than one piece--the bridging member 10 may be fabricated separately from the side gripping members 11, 12 and the structure then secured together, the hand or manual gripping members 15, 16 need not be integral with the bridging member 10--they may be attached later by means of adhesive, screws, rivets or other suitable means. The device may also be fabricated from metal, rather than plastic. The above modifications are only exemplary of numerous modifications which can be made within the scope of the inventive concept whereby a simple slide holder having no moving parts (that is, moving parts in the normal sense of the term), which is simple to use and simple to fabricate, is provided.