US2251800A - Garment clasp - Google Patents

Description

j w. s. PAINTER 2,251 800 Y GARMENT CLASP Filed March 21, 1940 33 [alv Z0 lb 23 ZZ Patented Aug. 5, 1941 GARMENT CLASP Walter S. Painter, Middlebury, Conn., assignor to The Waterbury Buckle Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application March 21, 1940, Serial No. 325,102

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in garment-clasps of the type designed and adapted to be suspended from a strap or the like, such for instance as the strap of a suspender, and clasped upon a garment.

One of the objects cf the present invention is to provide a superior garment-clasp of the character referred to which is economical to manufacture and rugged and reliable in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a superior garment-clasp of the character referred to which will have a minimum tendency to tilt and thus become awkward and obtrusive in appearance, when the garment-clasp is suspended from a strap and is clasped upon a garment.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a superior garment-clasp of the character referred to which, to a maximum degree, is convenient to clasp upon and unclasp from a garment.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a superior garment-clasp in which the projection of the elements thereof is minimized when the clasp is opened for the reception of or the release of a garment.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, Ithis invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over -the prior art and which are not claimed in any separate application.

In the accompanying drawing, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. l is a view in front elevation of a garmentclasp embodying the Ipresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view thereof on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a view thereof in side elevation;

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 but showing the garment-clasp as opened;

Fig. 5 is a view of the garment-clasp in vertical central-longitudinal section;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 3;

` Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the front jawmember detached, and viewing the same mainly from the front; and

Fig. 8 is a similar View but Viewing the front jaw-member mainly from the rear.

The embodiment of the present invention herein chosen for illustration includes a front jawmember I0 which may be conveniently stamped up from sheet brass or other suitable material,

and includes opposite side-walls II and I2 projecting rearwardly and respectively joining at their lower ends an integral rearwardly-projecting clamping-jaw I3.

Each of the rearwardly-projecting side-walls II and I2 of the front jaw-member I0 is provided with one of two rearwardly-projecting perforated coupling-ears I4 and I5 for the purpose as will hereinafter appear. The upper portion of the front jaw-member IIJ is bent rearwardly to provide a top-wall I6, above and on each of the respective opposite sides of which extends an integral rigid suspension-loop Il. The said suspension-loop is formed with a horizontal slotlike aperture I3 located inunediately below the horizontal suspension-bar I9 which constitutes the upper terminal of the suspension-loop Il and the front jaw-member of which it forms a part.

Immediately adjacent the junction of the front panel or main portion of the front jaw-member II) with the top-wall I6 thereof, a rectangular aperture 2% is provided. The material on each side of the aperture 20 just referred to is forwardly upset to respectively provide one of two rearwardly-opening pintle-receiving sockets ZI and 22 for the purpose as will hereinafter appear. The portion of the front jaw-member Ill immediately below the aperture 26 therein is pressed rearwardly to provide a lever-receiving recess 23 extending vertically from the said aperture 20 downwardly into intersecting relationship with the lower edge of the jaw-member I0, as is shown especially well in Fig. 7.

Arranged in opposition to the front jaw-member IU and coupled thereto in a manner as will hereinafter appear, is a rear jaw-member 24 which is transversely curved as is particularly well shown in Fig. 6, and which is provided on each of its respective opposite sides with one of two forwardly-projecting perforated couplingears 25 and 26 tting against the respective inner faces of the coupling-ears I4 and I5 of the front jaw-member Ill. Extending through the coupling-ears I4 and I5 of the front jaw-member I0 and also through the coupling- ears 25 and 26 of the rear jaw-member 24 is a pivot-pin 2l suitably headed at its respective opposite ends to guard against its axial displacement.

At its upper end, the rear jaw-member 24 is provided with a forwardly-and-upwardly-curved portion 28 and at its lower end with a forwardlyprojecting clamping-jaw 29 adapted to be extended forwardly beyond the rear edge of the complemental clamping-jaw I3 of the front jawmember I0, as is especially well shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

Interposed and substantially housed between the respective front and rear jaw-members IU and 24, is an inverted U-shaped jaw-opening spring 30 having its front-arm 3| pressing against the rear face of the front jaw-member I and having its rear-arm 32 pressing against the forward face of the -rear jaw-member 24. The points of application of pressure by the respec tive arms 3| and 32 of the jaw-opening spring 30 are at points below the pivot-pin 21 so that the said spring 30 exerts a constant but yielding effort to spread or separate the lower ends of the said jaw-members lil and 24 and their respective clamping-jaws I3 and 2S. Respectively seated in the pintle-receiving sockets 2| and 22 of the front jaw-member are forwardly-facing pintle- portions 33 and 34 respectively located on the opposite sides of a jawclosing lever generally designated by the reference character 35. The said jaw-closing lever 35 is of inverted L-shaped form and has its pintleportions 33 and 34 before referred to located immediately adjacent the point of juncture of its vertical finger-piece 36 and its rearwardlyprojecting cam-arm 31. The said cam-arm 31 is wider than the finger-piece 36 so that the said pintle- portions 33 and 34 are constituted by front edges of the laterally-projecting side-extensions of the said cam-arm. The finger-piece 36 of the jaw-closing lever 35 normally extends downwardly for being seated in the lever-receiving recess23 in the front face of the front jaw-mem-V ber l0 and for projection downwardly below the' lower edge of the said jaw-member. The camarm 31 ofthe jaw-closing lever 35 extends rearwardly from the aperture 2li inthe said front jaw-member lil and has camming engagement with the forward or inner face'of the rear jaw-` member 24 adjacent the upper portion thereof. As before indicated, the garment-clasp herein shown and described is designed and adapted to be suspended by means of a strap such, for instance, as the suspender-strap 38 indicated by vbroken lines in Fig. 3, as being threaded through the slot-like aperture I8 in the suspension-loop i1 of the front jaw-member I6.

After the garment-clasp has had its respective jaw-members I0 and 24 clamped upon a garment such as the garment 39 indicated by broken" lines in Fig. 3 Yand when it is desired to release such garment, the release may be effected by engaging a finger with the rear face of the projecting lower end of the finger-piece 36 of the jaw-closing lever 35 and swinging the same forwardly" into the position indicated in Fig. 4. This movement of the jaw-closing leverv 35 will swing its cam-arm 31 downwardly and thus permit the upper portion of the rear jaw' member 24 to swing forwardly toward the rear face of the front jaw-member Vil) under the urge of the jaw-opening spring 33. As the upper portion of the rear jaw-member swings as just described, the lower portion thereof, including the clamping-jaw 29, will swing rearwardly into theposition indicated in Fig. 4 to thereby release the garment 39.

A garment maybe .clasped by swinging the finger-piece 36 of the jaw-closing Vlever. 35 rearwardly toward and into the lever-receiving recess 23 in the front jaw-member l0 to thus swing the rear jaw-member 24 in the opposite direction to engage its clamping-jaw 29 with a garment. During this operation the parts will have moved from the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 4 to the positions in which they are shown particularly well in Fig. 3.

By providing the front jaw-member with a rigid suspension-loop and pivoting the jaw-closing lever 35 or other operating-member thereto, the opening-up of the said jaw-closing lever is not required to the extent which would be necessary were the same mounted upon the rear jawmember 24.

By a construction and arrangement such as "is shown and described, the front jaw-member l0 or its equivalent is constituted the main or body-portion of the clasp with respect to which the jaw-closing lever 35 and the rear jaw-member 24 respectively move in opposite directions and minimize the total depth of the garmentclasp when the same is open.

By means of a construction such as is shown and described, the upper portion of the garmentclasp has a minimum tendency to incline forwardly under load since it is the front jaw-member which is directly suspended from a strap such as the strap 38.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claim are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

A garment-clasp comprising: a front jawmember having at its upper end a rigid suspension-loop for its attachment to a strap and having a clamping-portion at its lower end, the said front jaw-member also having a leverre ceiving aperture in its front face intermediate `its upper and lower ends and a depressed vertical lever-receiving recess also in its front face below the said aperture and extending uninterruptedly to and intersecting the lower end of the front jaw-member; a rear jaw-member located to the rear of the front jaw-member and pivotally connected thereto and having a clamping-portion at its lower end for collaboration with the clamping-portion of the said frontjaw-member; and an'inverted L-shaped jaw-closing lever pivoted to the said front jaw-member and extending through the aperture therein and having a finger-piece extending downwardly below the lower edge of the front jaw-member, the said nger-piece being swingable into and out of the lever-receiving recess in the 'front face of the said front jaw-member, the said jaw-closing lever operatively engaging the said rear jawmember and being constructed and arranged to force the said clamping-portion of the said rear jaw-member forwardly toward the clampingportion of the said front jaw-member as the lower end of the downwardly-extending fingerpiece of the said jaw-closing lever is forced rearwardly into the lever-receiving recess in the front face of the said front jaw-member.

WALTER S. PAINTER.

Images