US2127666A

US2127666A - Clasp for garment supporters

Info

Publication number: US2127666A
Application number: US97809A
Authority: US
Inventors: Parker John Robie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1936-08-25
Filing date: 1936-08-25
Publication date: 1938-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 1955-08-23

Description

Aug. 23, 1938. J. R. PARKER CLASP FOR' GARMENT SUPPORTERS Filed Aug. 25. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR,

Au 23, 1938. J, R, PARKER 2,127,656

CLASP FOR GARMENT SUPPORTERS Filed Aug. 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR,

Patented Aug. 23, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE CLASP FO-R, GARMENT SUPPORTERS tario, Canada Application August 25,

1 Claim.

The invention relates to improvements in clasps for garment supporters as described in the present specification and shown in the accompanying drawings that form a part of the same.

My invention concerns particularly that type of device which comprises broadly a lower section carrying a stud and an upper section having a substantially keyhole-shaped opening adapted to receive said stud.

l 1 Heretofore clasps of this general type have been of a much greater thickness than is desirable and have presented, particularly due to the shape and arrangement of the stud an irregular outer face extending to bulge the overlying garments and 15' render the device conspicuous. Furthermore, due to incorrect construction and relative positioning of the parts comprising the said known clasps the force of the strain on the fabric is improperly distributed with the result that injury to the gar- J). ment becomes unavoidable.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a simple and efficient clasp, particularly adapted for use with hose supporting devices, which will lie snugly against the limb of the wear- :55 er and which will be of substantially even thickness throughout so as not to produce any noticeable bulging efiect on the garments thereabove, to provide a clasp which will grip the garment securely without danger of cutting or otherwise in- T0 ":jllrlng same, and generally to provide an attractive yet inexpensive clasp of strong and durable construction and which may be easily and quickly engaged and disengaged.

I overcome the objections and difficulties at- 55: tendant upon the use of the heretofore known devices and attain the above and other objects of my invention by the construction described hereinafter and shown in the drawings and which consists, broadly, in utilizing two main elements,

r ene being a rigid member having an elongated opening therein of reduced width towards it lower end providing intermediate shoulders and the other being a flexible tab secured to said rigid member above said opening and having an elongated, integral, shallow boss from the upper face thereof of slightly less width than said tab, and being grooved peripherally to provide a neck of a width to slidably fit within the reduced portion of the opening in the rigid member, the said gmboss, or button, extending upwardly to fill the opening in the keeper whereby to provide a clasp having a smooth exterior and also providing means for folding the fabric over the said shoulders whereby to distribute the force of the grip- -,;ping strain.

1936, Serial No. 97,809

In describing the invention reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved clasp in its open condition.

Figure 2 is a front view of a clasp having a slightly modified garment engaging face.

Figure 3 is a side view of the clasp shown in Figure 2 in its open condition.

Figure 4 is a front view of a clasp with a portion of the button broken away.

Figure 5 is a front view of a clasp in which the base member is perforated.

Figure 6 is a side view of a clasp having the outer face thereof cut obliquely to insure flexibility.

Figure '7 is a plan View of a modified form of clasp.

Figure 8 is a side view showing another method of cutting the face of the clasp to insure flexibility. I

Figure 9 is a front view modified form of keeper.

Figure 10 is a side view of the structure shown in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a cross sectional view taken on the line H of Figure 9.

Figure 12 is a longitudinal sectional View through a clasp of slightly modified construction.

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 12 showing a different method of securing the sections toether.

Figure 14 is a longitudinal sectional View of the upper portion of the clasp showing the method of securing the flexible base element to the keeper.

Figure 15 is an edge view of a portion of the flexible base member. 0

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

Referring to the drawings l is the upper section of the clasp, which for the purpose of identification is hereinafter termed the keeper.

The keeper is constructed of metal, or other inflexible material and is preferably substantially T shape in plan, the head being provided with a transverse slot 2 for the reception of the elastic tape, or other device, which may be employed to suspend the clasp from the garment, and the body being provided with a longitudinal elongated opening 3, approximately the lower half of which is of considerably lesser width than the upper portion, the reduction in widthof said opening serving to provide opposed intermediate shoulders 3a.

4 is a flexible tab which constitutes the lower, or inner, section of the clasp and is at its upper of a clasp having a end secured to the keeper l above the stud opening 3, preferably by extending the top end of the tab through the slot 2 and over the face of the keeper and rearwardly again through a slot 5 provided in the keeper.

To insure permanency the tab at its top end is preferably thickened somewhat to provide a transverse shoulder 6 which, when inserted through the slot 5 will effectually prevent separation of the tab from the keeper.

The portion of the tab which is turned around the keeper in securing the tab thereto is preferably recessed transversely, or scored, as indicated by the numeral 7, whereby the tab will follow closely the contour of the part it is folded around and will thus present flat surfaces on the opposite sides of the device whereby to render the device as compact as possible. That portion of the keeper, indicated at 8, which constitutes the lower wall of the slot 5 is preferably raised a distance equal to the thickness of the tab whereby to provide a smooth continuity in the face of the clasp.

The tab 4 preferably extends downwardly slightly beyond the lower end of the keeper and is of greater width than the stud opening 3 so that it will not normally pass through said opening.

The tab l is preferably made of rubber or other substance having similar properties, and on its face is provided with a button 9 which preferably is an integral part of the tab and is of lesser width than said tab, or base, whereby to permit of its entry within the larger part of the opening 3, but being of greater width than the reduced lower portion of said opening.

The edge of the raised portion constituting the button or stud, is grooved as indicated by the numeral ill to provide a neck whereby when the button is inserted through the larger part of the opening 3 in the keeper and is moved downwardly the opposing side walls of the keeper will enter the groove and thus lock the sections together and as the garment is adapted tobe placed over the button prior to the sections being brought into operative engagement with each other the said garment will be securely held into engagement with the neck and above said neck will be spread outwardly over the shoulders 3a and held in engagement therewith by the upwardly continuing portion of the button.

The length of the button 9 is preferably such that when the sections of the clasp are placed in operative engagement the entire longitudinal area of the opening 3 in the keeper will be filled thereby so that as nearly as possible the clasp will present a smooth exterior and thus render the device as inconspicuous as possible beneath the clothing.

A further advantage of the construction just described is that the two sections of the clasp are securely locked against longitudinal displace ment and can only be disengaged by forcing the upper portion of the button out of the enlarged portion of the opening in the keeper and sliding the tab upwardly until the lower portion of the button is released through the said enlarged opening.

It is essential that the lower section comprising the tab and button be sufficiently flexible to bend freely when it is being brought into operating position in relation to the keeper and to this end it is preferable that the button be provided with one or more transverse cuts l l, which may extend through the neck or such cut, or cuts,

may simply be in the form of notches in the face of the head as is shown in Figure 3.

The degree of flexibility of the flexible section may be further increased in any suitable manner such, as by perforating the material, as shown at l2 in Figure 5, or by cutting the surface of the head of the button obliquely as shown at l3 in Figure 6 or by cutting the head vertically as shown at M in Figure 8.

In Figures 7 and 8 the button is shown as comprising a single section integral with the base, or tab, and adapted to completely fill the opening in the keeper.

In Figures 9, 10 and 11 a modified form of clasp is shown in which the tab 4 is provided near its lower end with a button l5 relatively smaller than those heretofore described and the keeper is provided with an opening l6 adapted to slidably accommodate the neck of the button. That portion of the keeper between the top end of the opening 55 and the slot 5, and indicated by the numeral ll, is raised above the plane of the surrounding surface a distance cor-' responding to the thickness of the head of the button whereby to provide on the under face of the keeper a recess is of slightly greater width than the head of the button so that in the locking of the clasp the button head after having been inserted in said recess can be readily moved downwardly into a locked condition, with the neck of the button, over which the garment has been laid, closely engaged by the surrounding side and lower end interior Walls of the keeper.

It will be apparent that the top surfaces of the button, the raised portion ll of the keeper and the overlapping portion of the tab thereabove will be on the same plane and thus pro vide a clasp having a smooth exterior.

In Figure 12 a modified form of clasp is shown in which the tab is an integral part of the button and not of the base as in the case of the devices hereinbefore described. In this construction the tab l9 extends upwardly over the face of the keeper and is folded around the edge thereof within the slot 2 and is inserted in a slot 26 in the keeper.

The base 2! is of slightly greater plan area than the opening in the keeper so that it will not pass through said opening and in the locked condition of the device the button and its extension provide a perfectly plane surface throughout the face of the clasp.

In Figure 13 the clasp shown is constructed similarly to that shown in Figure 12 with the exception that the tab is extended for fastening from the rear to the face of the keeper and has its end inserted through a slot in the keeper.

In Figure 4 a form of button is shown in which the groove ll] extends only along the opposite sides of the button so that the lower end thereof will present a solid face whereby the end of the keeper will be exposed.

, In the use of this invention the flexible tab 4 carrying the button 9, and in the case of the device shown in Figure 1 the resilient boss thereabove, is placed under the edge of the garment. The two sections of the clasp are then readily closed over the garment by simply pressing the sections towards one another to bring the lower end of the button into the enlarged upper part of the opening in the keeper and then sliding the button downwardly to its lowermost limit whereby the interior side walls of the reduced portion of said opening will enter the grooves in the opposite sides of the button and will hold the garment securely in engagement with the comparatively resilient neck of the button with the upwardly extending portion of the button filling the enlarged upper portion ofthe opening in the keeper and thereby presenting a smooth upper surface which will not efiect the appearance of the covering garments.

As the width of the button 9 is substantially as great as that of the enlarged upper portion of the opening in the keeper and consequently greater than the space between the walls of the reduced portion of said opening and as the garment overlies the whole of the button it will be apparent that in the closed position of the clasp the garment will be forced outwardly at each side of the button around the opposed shoulders of the keeper and firmly held in engagement therewith by the sides of the button thus providing gripping surfaces at an outward angle in relation to the neck of the button.

It is of course understood that the flexible lower section of the clasp may be constructed of rubber, rubber composition, or any other material which will provide a firm grip but which will not present any sharp or hard surfaces likely to injure the fabric.

The present invention provides an efficient clasp of extremely small depth and is neat and attractive in appearance and while the preferred embodiment and certain modifications have been shown herein and described it is of course to be understood that alterations in details of construction and arrangements of parts as come within the scope of the following claim for novelty may be made.

What I claim is:-

A clasp for a garment supporter, comprising in combination a rigid keeper having an elongated stud opening of reduced width towards its lower end, a transversely recessed flexible tabinterlooking at one end with said keeper above said stud opening and extending downwardly below said keeper, and an elongated flexible stud of substantially even depth throughout carried by said tab adapted for cooperation with said keeper and in the closed condition of the clasp extending upwardly within said opening whereby to provide a filler therefor, said stud being provided with incisions in the upper surface thereof.

JOHN ROBIE PARKER.