US3421341A - Clasp combined with detachably mounted ornament - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 14, 1969 F'. A. HODGE CLASP COMBINED WITH DETACHABLY MOUNTED ORNAMENT Filed Oct. 18. 1966 Pl-ll i P ALLAN HODGE Zt m ATTORNEY Int. Cl. A44c /02; A44c 17/20 United States Patent O 3,421,341 CLASP COMBINED WITH DETACHABLY MOUNTED ORNAMENT Philip Allan Hodge, Warwick, RJ., assigor to Anson, Inc., Providence, RJ., a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Oct. 18,1966, Ser. No. 587,591

U.S. CI. 63--4 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A jewelry catch for clasping the ends of a flexible member and for simultaneously detachably securing a medallion to the exterior of a hollow housing forming the female portion of the catch. The medallion has a portion extending into the hollow housing and Secured by male portion of the catch.

This invention relates to a combination of an ornamentable catch and removable medallion retainer for jewelry of the type having flexible means encompassing body portions, such as a necklace or bracelet.

More particularly, this invention relates to identification bracelets, having removable medallion and means for disengaging the bracelet.

Bracelets of the type known as identification bracelets are very common. The bracelet is constructed of a heavy chain, usually of silver, which is joned to the opposite ends of a silver plate. Engraving may be accomplished on the plate to provide suitable indcia. Often times, raised ornamentation, such as a medallion or insignia is secured to the upper surface of such silver plate to improve the design appearance thereof and/ or to provide information, such as would a school or service insignia. The medallion in the present invention consists of a small medallion separable from the plate. It will be appreciated that the applicable medallion may be one of hundreds that the public may find desirable. A jewelry establishment in order to satisfy the wants of potential customers would have to keep on hand hundreds of bracelets each with a difierent medallion when the medallion is permanently aflixed thereto. It will be seen that it is of advantage to make the medallion removable or interchangea'ble, so that only the various different medallions need be kept on hand in the establshment while the actual bracelet may take limited forms. By means of the present invention, a customer need only select the medallion desired or medallions, so that he will have a number at hand for use on various occassions.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a bracelet or necklace having a removable medallion on the connecting plate thereof.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, the invention consists of a novel ari-angement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and more specifically defined in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing:

FIGURE l is a front View of a bracelet embodyng the invention showing portions of the chain;

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line A--A of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3-6 are sections of the engraving plate with the top portion removed to expose the end connections;

FIGURE 7 is a section on the line B-B of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 8 is a bottom perspective of a medallion;

FIGURE 9 is a view of a catch per se;

FIGURE 10 is a section of the engraving plate with top portion removed to expose the end connections having another embodiment and Patented Jan. 14, 1969 FIGURE 11 is a bottom perspective view of another embodiment of the medallion.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the silver rectangular plate 11 is designed to receive suitable engraving on the surface thereof as in conventional plates. The right narrow side has a loop 12 afiixed thereto, to which a conventional silver chain 13 is secured. At the other end of the plate 11, the plate is designed to receive a catch 14, said catch termnates in a loop portion 15 so that the other end of chain 13 is Secured thereto to complete the annular configuration of the bracelet. It will be seen that a medallion 16 is position ed on the surface of the plate 11. Similarly, a necklace may be constructed where the chain, will, of course, being longer; and the plate may be smaller.

FIGURE 2 clearly shows the plate 11 to be generally hollow forming a housing thereby having a top 11A and bottom 11B with connecting side walls 11C and 11D, along the long sides of the rectangular plate, the internal portion 11C of one can be seen in FIGURE 2. Additionally, it will be noted that the plate is arcuate so as to conform to the wrist of the wearer.

For better elucidation, FIGURES 2 and 3 should be viewed together. In FIGURE 3, with the top of plate 11 removed, the side walls 11C and 11D are clearly discernible. It will be seen that loop 12 has a flat portion 12A which extends into the right end of plate 11, as viewed. The loop 12 is held in place by ridges 17, accomplished by mechanically upsetting the sidewalls 11C and 11D. This may be accomplished when loop 12 is in position with the flat portion 12A thereof sutably notched previously or not notched, until the upsetting operation is effected, thereby accomplishing the notching of flat portion 12A and producing ridges 17 in one operation.

On the left side, as viewed is catch 14, which retains the medallion 16 in place. The catch, or frame member, has a fra-melike configuration having a split. 19. Leg 20 of the catch by being relatively thin possesses a certain degree of resiliency. By constructing the catch 14 to have a slightly larger dimension, than the opening of the plate 11, catch 14 is lightly frictionally held in place.

The opposite side 21 of the catch has two notches 22 an-d 23, into one of which ridge or detent 24 extends from sidewall 11C, thus acting as a securing means. In the embodiment of FIGURES 3-6 and 9, it will be seen that the catch 14 has a partial transverse member 25 with a cam surface 26.

The medallion 16, has a U-shaped element 27 Secured to the bottom thereof as seen in FIGURES 7 and 8. The U-shaped element 27 is inserted in a passageway 28 in the plate 11; this passageway is perpendicwlar to the side openings of the plate 11. As is seen from the figures the outer edge of one of the legs of the U-shaped element 27 is Secured to the underside of the medallion; the outer side of the other leg is fiush with the underside of bottom 11B of the plate 11.

The cam surface 26 of transverse member 25 rides against the internal apex portion of U-s'haped element 27 thereby pushing the element and, concurrently, the medallion towards the side of passageway 28 which is closest to wall 11C. In this manner, member 25 constiutes a locking means by which the medallion is locked into place. FIGURES 3 and 7 show the medallion in a locked condition.

FIGURE 4 shows the catch 14 in a preliminary position wherein the catch 14 is partially inserted, completing the locking of the bracelet without retaining the medallion. In other words, the catch 14 has been inserted so that the first notch 22 is occupied by ridge 24. At this point, the U-shaped element 27 of the medallion is already in position, while in FIGURE 5, it is not yet pres- &421341 ent. Once the U-shaped element 27 of the medallion has been inserted into the passageway 28 as required, the catch 14 is moved further into the plate 11 as illustrated in FIGURE 3, wherein the second notch 23 is now occupied by ridge 24. The frame being resilient, due to its having a split 19, is compressible to permit the ridge 24 to slide into and out of the notches as the catch is moved longitudinally with respect to the plate 11. Knurls 29 on the loop portion 15 permit a better nger or fingernal grip to* compress the catch 14 and to pivot side 21 of the frame towards leg 20 thereof.

FIGURE illustrates the use of two catches 14 at both ends of plate 11 without necessarily having two passageways 28 so that only one medallion need be applied although two could very well be employed by providing two passa geways in the pl-ate. However, by using two similar catches 14 either side of the plate 11 may be the point for unlocking the jewelry, as desired. As in FIGURE 5, by unlocking the jewelry from the right side, it is possible to do this without disturbing the retained medallion.

In FIGURE 6, one uses the leading edge 26A of the transverse portion 25 as a locking means to abut against the internal apex portion of the U-shaped element of the medallion when the said element is turned 90 from that shown resulting in the embodiment of FIGURE 11 of medallion 16A and U-shaped element 27A. Again the tr-ansverse portion 25 retains the medallion in position, but in a slightly different manner.

When the set up of FIGURE 11 is used the catch may also be modified, as shown in FIGURE where catch 30 does not have a partial transverse portion separate from the side with the notches but has a wider partial portion 31 with its leading edge 31A acting as a locking means in abutment with the internal apex portion of U- shaped element 27A of medallion 16A. It will be apparent that rnany 'changes and modifications of the several features described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore apparent that the foregoing description is by way of illustration of the invention pather than lmitation of the nvention.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination ornamentable catch and removable medallion retainer for jewelry of the type having fiexble means for encomp assing body portions comprising a substantially fiat hollow housing, one end having means adapted to have one end of said flexible means attached thereto, said flexible means having its outer end 'attached to a frame member, said housing being open at the opposite end and adapted to receive a major portion of said frame member, said frame member having at least one notch along one side thereof said housing having securing means including a detent internally along a wall thereof adapted to m-ate with said notch of the frame member when it is inserted in the housing thereby retaining same in position, said housing having an opening therethrough perpendicular to the end opening, `a medallion positioned over said opening, said medallion having a U-shaped depending portion with the outer side of one leg thereof attached to the underside of said medallion, said U-shaped depending portion extendirg through said opening, said frame member having looking means comprisn g a portion intermediate the outer portions of said frame member adapted to slide into position between the legs of said U-shaped portion when said frame is slid into said position in said housing.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the frame member is slightly wider than said opening in said housing and said frame member is split whereby the frame is compressible so as to slide through said opening into said housing.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the frame has two notches.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the transverse portion has a cam surface adapted to slide on the internal apex portion of the U-sh aped depending portion.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the other outer leg of the U-shaped depending portion is of a dimension to be flush with the bottom of said housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 464,809 12/ 1 89 1 Bonner 63 69 2,908,95 3 10/ 1959 Anderson. 3,135,03l 6/1964 Brosse 63- 1 X 3,299,679 1/ 1967 Anderson 24-230 X F. BARRY SHAY, P' mzy Exam'ner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

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