Oh, patents! Clips (1)

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

To install lights outdoors or indoors, a variety of patented clips are available. The following clip was awarded the US design patent USD601412S, titled Banister clip. The patent was granted on October 6, 2009, to Patrick Brown and Robert Dorsey, the inventors.

The three images below respectively depict a perspective view of the clip, as filed in the patent Figure 1, an image of the marketed clip attached to a banister with lights threaded through the loops, and an image of a single marketed banister clip, made of translucent plastic. Banister clips are sold in hardware stores, in boxes or bags containing dozens.

As a reminder, a US design patent covers only the ornamental aspects of an invention, or how the invention looks. In contrast, a US utility patent covers how an invention works, or is manufactured.

Reference

USPTO MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent.
https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html