US2633617A - Safety pin - Google Patents

Description

April 7, 1953 Q CLARK 2,633,617

SAFETY PIN Filed Sept. 20, 1951 INVENT OR Charles M Clark ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 7, i953 UNITED STATES PATENTTOFFICE Charles Milton Clark, Clearwater, Fla. Application September 20, 1951, Serial No. 247,411

The present invention relates to improvements in safety pins.

- Heretofore the standard type safety pin has been made with a metal guard which receives the point end of the pin. This metal guard of the,

prior art includes a beak portion or nose against which the pointed end of the pin presses when the pin is closed. These metal guards, particularly at the nose or beak portion, are subject to becoming bent and distorted, so that the pin point will often become displaced and the pin point exposed resulting in possible injury to the wearer of the pinned garment;

It is an object of the present invention to provide a plastic pin guard, which will not bend or become distorted, whereby the pin will stay closed at all times until manually released.

Another object is to provide a pin with a safety guard having a side guard entrance and exit opening and wherein the pin is resiliently biased laterally of the guard and in a direction toward the opening, to thereby always keep the point of the pin within the confines of the guard.

Another object is to provide lateral resilient yieldability of the guard on the fixed end of the pin structure by the addition of an auxiliary spring, thereby facilitating the opening and closing of the pin.

Still another object is to provide a pin guard having a double locking effect.

Yet another object is to provide a pin with a safety guard which is more efficient in use, more durable and economical than the guards of prior pins of this type.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein one embodiment thereof is illustrated. It is to be understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. To determine the scope of the present invention, reference should be had to the appended claim.

In the drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is an enlarged perspective view of the present invention pin in closed position.

Figure 2 is a side longitudinal cross section view of the novel pin guard on the section line 2-2 showing the pin structure combined therewith in side elevation.

Figure 3 is a side transverse cross section view 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-156) 2 of the pin guard showing the pin structure combined therewith in front elevation.

Figure 4 is abottom plan view of the novel pin guard with a transverse cross section view of the pin structure on the section line 44 of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings there is shown a pin combination A comprising a guard 19, a U-shaped pin structure having a leg I i and a leg i2 and a loop holding base I3. The leg ll of the pin structure is free at its upper end and is formed with the-usual pin point 14, see Figure 2, at this free end, while the end i5 of the leg I2 is curved and embedded in the plastic material at one end of the guard l0. Also, the leg i2 intermediate the base l3 and the end 15 is formed into a coiled spring Hi to provide lateral yieldable movement of the guard ill on the leg I2, to thereby aid in the pinning action prior to locking the pin in the guard and to always bias the pointed end of the leg II to a position under the guard.

The guard i3 is a rectangular body closed at the top I! and preferably'rounded for engagement by a users finger to rock the head or guard ill on leg [2 and is formed with a rectangular opening l8 at the bottom and one side wall 23. The opening is divided by a partition l9 inset or countersunk within the body substantially parallel to the side wall, see Figures 3 and 4. The partition l9 provides for a lateral channel or side opening 20 defined by the downwardly sloping end wall 2| of partition l9 spaced from the interior face of the end wall 22 of the guard opening l8. This channel 20 serves as a side entrance and exit for the laterally spring biased pin ointed free end of the leg H of the pin structure. Thus the partition 19 is within the confines of the top wall [1, the side wall 23 and the end walls of the guard between which the partition extends, so that the pointed end of the leg H is always biased inwardly under the top of the guard whether the pin is in actual use or not. With the pin point unexposed under the top wall the point is never out of the confines of the guard.

The rectangular opening I8 is bounded by an interior face of side wall 23, see Figure 4. The wall 23 is formed with a projection, such as a ratchet tooth 24, which slants upward away from the side opening 20 into an abutment surface at substantially right angles to the side wall 23. This surface serves as a stop to hold the free end ll of the leg ll seated and latched inside the guard I0, until manually released by pushing the end I4 toward the partition l9 and thence to- 3 ward the lateral exit channel 20. As shown in Figure 4, the exterior face 25 of the partition I9 is countersunk below the edge 28 o! the guard 10 on the same side with the channel and serves to indicate to the user which direction the leg II is to be pushed to release its end 14 from behind the abutment surface of teeth 24. Also, even after the pin end I4 has been released from the tooth. .24,..it is still necessary to push outward laterallyzat ithezchannel 320 to clear'thepin point It from the confines of the guard'lfl. This feature provides additional safety as the pin point is always confined Within the guard except when manually forced laterally outward from. the exit channel 20. The partition L9 drops down enough to be seen below outside wall-23'; When the pin is in cloth this willgshow lthefopening 28 where free end l4 enters.

When using the present novel pin and assuming the pin point 14 is free of the guard In, the pointiis inserted lintoithefoldszof :the fabric fastened. Then tthe index- .finger mayi'be placed upon the rounded exterior-top surface of the guard 1H3 ,andwthe-sthumhusedto manipulate :and' direct the leg lzLandzpinpoint hit/into .therchannel 29 and forward between the partition and adjacent interior faceof ithe side wallzwithin: the opening; I 3 rover the tooth :24 x and" into resiliently yieldable. engagement-with the abutment surfaceof the-tooth.

To release :thespin: kt :fromwthegua-rdthe ac tion is. reversed byslight-1M rocking the plastic guard It on thespring leg st-2' of the pin structureand forcin theleg: il l; toflandrfrom the; channel 2 B so asltoiclear-lthe guard t8:

Thus th re iissproyided: ainoyel guardv tructure Q durabl mnQll'rbfin-dalble material 'formedto:nor:- all-y nfine and double lochthe in point-of a. novel pin r i g nreltoitherebyprovideiforlgreater safety and 1,1Perioroperation than heretofore, a dn n poi theingzalwat s biased Witl'nn'lthecon fines of the guard. ad acent. the partition conl W t n he walls; off the-guard for maximum:

ateth prising a hollow rectangular body open at the bottom and side thereof and having a top wall, one side wall, opposite end walls, and a partition extending longitudinally of the guard from one end .walllinspaced relation to the other end wall in the provision of a slot for receiving the pointed end' of said biased leg, said partition being spaced from the side wall and within the confines of the topawall, saidside wall andrsai'd end-walls,v so that said top wall and end walls extend :laterally of the .guard beyond the exterior face of the partition, whereby the leg of the loop having the pointed endis biased :to a position under the said top. wall totimaintain the nointediend of the loop always under cover of thestopwall.

CHARLEQWLTGN CLARK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7 573,002 Kelso Dec. 1 5, 1896 644L962: Farmer Mar. 6, 1980 1,387,512 Puc Aug. 16, 1921 1343,423 Parker Apr. 18; 1922 2;351 5169; White June 13, 1944 2,55 .1;663 Sneirson- May 1', 1951

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