US1778554A

US1778554A - Clasp

Info

Publication number: US1778554A
Application number: US446235A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward C Grassmann
Original assignee: HARRY C SCHICK Inc
Current assignee: HARRY C SCHICK Inc
Priority date: 1930-04-22
Filing date: 1930-04-22
Publication date: 1930-10-14
Anticipated expiration: 1947-10-14

Description

14, 1930. E. c. GRASSMANN ,7

CLASP Filed April 22 1950 INVENTOR. Mazda fiafs'mawm,

A ITORNE Y.

Patented Oct. 14, 1930 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICIE EDWARD C. GRASSMANN, 0F MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY C.

' SCI-TICK, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY onnsn 7 Application filed April 22,

This invention relates, generally, to improvements in clasps or fasteners for jewelry,

such as necklaces, bracelets, chains and similar articles.

The invention has for its principal object to provide a clasp or fastener comprising a female member and a separable male member, in which the female member is of a novel construction formed from a single blank of sheet metal, with its parts brought into operative relation and secured together by a simple interlocking structure, I d'uction thereof, soldering operations are avoided, with resultant saving of time and labor, while nevertheless obtaining a finished product of strong and durable character as well as of neat and attractive appearance.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the novel clasp according to this invention, with the male member operatively interlocked with thefemale member thereof; Figure 2 is an edge elevation of the same; Figure 3 is an end elevation of the female member of the clasp, looking toward the solderless interlocking elements thereof, whereby the parts thereof are retained in assembled relation;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the novel clasp, with the male member thereof released from interlocked engagement with the female member; and Figure 5 is aplan view of the integral metallic blank from which the novel female member of the clasp is formed.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to said drawings, the female member ofthe clasp is formed from a single metallic stamping or blank which is illustrated in Figure 5. This stamping or blank is so shaped as to provide a front plate section 6 and aback plate section 7, having their adjacent ends integrally joined together by a whereby in the pro- 1930. Serial No. 446,235.

gitudinal axially projecting tongue mem- 0 V ber 12. V j

' In folding or bending said stamping or blank to form the novel female member of the clasp, the spacer posts or lug members 11 are first bent downwardly at right angles 05 to the plane of said front plate section 6, and so as to depend from the under side thereof. The back plate section 7 is thereupon folded overinto parallel superimposed relation to the front plate section 6, the bend occurring at the bar or neck piece 8 which is thus formed into an end loop 8 of the finished female member of the clasp. In thus folding over the back plate section 7, the same is moved into abutting engagement with the ends of the downwardly turned spacer lugs or posts 11, whereby the latter serve to space the back plate section 7 from the front plate section in the finished female member of the clasp. The eye-member 9 connected with the front plate section 6 is angularly bent to ward the back plate section 7, whereupon the tongue member 12 of said bottom plate section is up-turned and inwardly curved to form an end loop 12, with the free end portion 12 of said. tongue member 12 inserted through the eye-opening 10 of said eye member 9, thus interlocking the adjacent superimposed ends of thefront plate section 6 and back plate section 7 together in operative assembled relation. The interlocking of said eye member 9 and tongue member 12 provides a jointure of the front and back plate ture thus produced is a mechanical interlock which requires no solder, brazing or'other adherent connection, and consequently the '10s provision of such novel jointure eliminates the time and labor required in making soldered or similar joints, while nevertheless providing a secure retention of the parts in desired assembled relation. The end loop 12, produced as above described, serves to receive a link 13 or the like for connecting the female member of the clasp to one extremity of a bracelet, necklace, chain or other article withlwhiclr the clasp isdesired to be utilized as a separable fastener means; i

The separable male element of the clasp may be of any well known conventional form, and usually comprises a substantially U-shaped member consisting'of two laterally

resilient arms

14 and 15 which are joined at their forward ends. Each. arm is provided near the rearward or outer free end thereof with a locking notch 16 to cooperate with posts 11 near the front end of the female member of the clasp. The free end portions of said

arms

14 and 15 are each provided with laterally indented finger-pieces 17. One of said arms, as 14;, is provided with an extension 18 at. the free end of which is formed an eye-portion 19 to receive a link 20 or the like for connecting the male member to the other extremity of a bracelet, necklace, chain or other article to be served by the clasp. In engaging, the male member with the female member of the clasp, the free arm 15 of the former is hooked over the end loop 8' of the latter, whereupon the male member is turned into axial alignment with the female member and thrust inwardly into the space between the front and back plate sections thereof and between the laterally opposite posts 11 near the receiving end of the female member. The

arms

14 and 15 will be compressed together between said posts 11 until their locking notches 16 register with the latter, the arms thereupon spreading outwardly to cause said locking notches to embrace said posts, and thereby interlocking the male and female members of the clasp operatively together. It will thus be understood that the clasp provides thewell known safety type connector, for should the male member-be accidentally disengaged from the posts 11 of the female member, its hook-like formation will, on outward movement from the female member, be engaged by the end loop 8, so that entire separation thereof from the female member is arrested and pre vented, until the male member is turned out of axial alignment with the female member.

From the above description it will be understoodthat the present invention provides a clasp of the safety type, in which the female member is of a novel one-piece construction, having its parts bent into finished assembled and cooperative relation, and thereupon firmly interlocked together against displacement from such relation,

without necessity for use of soldering or similar operations.

As many changes could be made in the above described construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shouldbe interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A jewelry clasp comprising a female member and a cooperating separable male member, said female member being made from a single blank forming a front and a back plate integrally connected at one end by an end loop portion, one of said plates having an eye portion at its opposite end and the other having a tongue at its opposite end, said tongue being bent to form an opposite end loop with its free end engaged through said eye-portion to interlock said opposite plate ends together, and one of said plates having integral with its margins spacer posts bent toward and adapted to abut theother plate, whereby said plates are maintained in superimposed parallel spaced relation one to the other. 7

2. A clasp body produced from a single blank of sheet material bent to provide superimposed front and back plates having an integral end loop joining the same at one end, one of said plates having an eye portion at its opposite endand the other of said plates having a tongue at its corresponding opposite end, said tongue being bent to form an opposite end loop with its free end engaged through said eye portion to interlock said opposite plate ends together, and means to maintain said plates in parallel spaced relation one to the other.

3. A clasp body produced from a single blank of sheet material bent to provide superimposed front and back plates having an integral end loop joining the same at one end, one of said plates having an eye portion at its opposite end and the other of said plates having a tongue at its corresponding opposite end, said tongue being bent to form an opposite end loop with its free end engaged througl'i said eye portion to interlock said opposite plate ends together, and means to maintain said plates in parallel relation one to the other, said latter means comprising spacer posts integral with the margins of one plate and bent toward and into abutting relation to the other plate.

4. In a device of the kind described, a female member formed from a flat unitary stamping, said member comprising a front plate, aback plate,v an integral interconnect ing end loop joining the same at one end, marginal spacer posts integral with oneplate,

and angularly bent to abut the other plate, and cooperative means at the other end of said plates for joining the same together in fixed assembled relation.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of April, 1930.

EDWARD C. GRASSMANN.