US2918713A

US2918713A - Garment clasp

Info

Publication number: US2918713A
Application number: US682905A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harper Katherine Maher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-09-09
Filing date: 1957-09-09
Publication date: 1959-12-29
Anticipated expiration: 1976-12-29

Description

Dec. 29, 1959 HARPER 2,918,713

GARMENT CLASP Filed Sept. 9, 1957 so 9 9 a 2 i i 5 s i /3 i INVENTOR,

KATHERINE MAHER HARPER BY W/wtz. 0' W4? A TTORNEYS United States Patent GARMENT CLASP Katherine Maher Harper, San Francisco, Calif. Application September 9, 1957, Serial No. 682,905

3 Claims. (Cl. 24-259) The primary object of this invention is to provide a garment clasp that is simple in construction, positive in action and which will stay attached to a garment until manually removed therefrom.

Another object of this invention is to provide a garment clasp in which said garment is securely wedged between the strips of said clasp requiring manual force for the purpose of dislodging or taking olf the same.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a clasp which is simple in construction, cheap to manufacture and which shall give indefinitely long service.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows a belt the free end of which is secured to the same by a clasp comprising the subject matter of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a back view of the clasp.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the clasp.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section of the clasp showing a piece of material wedged between the strips of said clasp.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the same clasp showing a piece of material wedged between the strips, and

Fig. 6 shows said clasp attached to a hearing aid container.

My clasp 1, preferably made of good spring steel, includes a shield 2, which is shown as being substantially rectangular in shape. Three parallel strips: two outer strips 4 and 5 and a middle strip 6, are formed integrally with said shield 2, said strips being separated by slots 7 which are narrower than either of said strips. Preferably the outer strips 4 and 5 are of the same width, and the middle strip 6 is narrower than the first mentioned strips. The strips 4, 5 and 6 are bent toward the backside of said shield. The radii of the bends 8 of the outer strips 4 and 5 are the same, and are somewhat bigger than the radius of the bend 9 of the strip 6. The latter strip has preferably a straight portion 10 adjoining said bend and its end 11 touches the backside of the shield 2. The outer strips 4 and 5 are also formed with straight portions 12, but their free ends 13 are bent outwardly and are interconnected by a bridge 15.

Due to the fact that the curvature of the bends 8 and 9 are different, the straight portion 10 of the middle strip 6 is slightly depressed in relation to the straight portions 12 of the outer strips 4.

-It shall be noted that the strips 4, 5 and 6 begin at a place where the bends 8 and 9 begin, so that the slots 7 between said strips extend into the shield 2.

The clasp 1 may be used for different purposes as to hold a free end 20 of a belt 21 as shown in Fig. l, or to fasten the ends of a necktie to a shirt, and for many other 2 purposes where it is desired to hold securely two or more layers of flexible material together. It may, however, be also used for fastening small objects such as a hearing aid 25 shown in Fig. 6, to which a clasp 1 is secured in a manner shown in said Figure.

The clasp 1 may also carry secured to the shield 2 various ornaments, stones, or a watch, a portrait.

The clasp 1 is used in the following manner: a piece 30 of material, which may consist of two or more layers of material or materials, is introduced between the outer strips 4 and 5 and the inner strip 6, which movement is facilitated by the arrangement of the ends of said strips: the ends 13 of the strips 4 and 5 being directed outwardly and the end 11 of the strip 6 touching the back wall of the shield 2.

The piece 30 is forced upwardly as far as possible. It slides comparatively easily between and along the

straight portions

10 and 12 of said strips due to spring action of the strips 4 and 5, but when the upper end of said piece 30 approaches and finally enters the bends 8 and 9, the forward motion of said piece becomes progressively impeded by the comparative inflexibility of said bends and finally it becomes impossible to push said piece any further. This last position of said piece depends upon its thickness and flexibility: the thinner and the more flexible the piece is, the farther it can be pushed into the bends. The piece finally becomes firmly and securely wedged. This wedging action is so strong that it is impossible to move said piece sideways. The only way to disengage said piece from the clasp is to pull the clasp upwardly off the piece 30.

The upward movement of the piece 30 toward the bends 8 and 9 and its progress along said bends 8 and 9 is facilitated by the offset or depressed position of the strip 6 in relation to the strips 4 and 5, and also by the difference in the radii of said bends. But the farther the piece 30 is moved over said bends, the less becomes the difference in their offset, and hence the greater wedging action. Therefore this clasp can easily accommodate material of different thicknesses, and furthermore said clasp may be moved to a position to hold said material with practically any desired force within the possibilities of said clasp.

From the above description it is clear that I do not intend to hold my clasp on a piece of material by the pressure of the strips 4 and 5 against the shield 2. In fact, there may be a space therebetween, as shown in Fig. 3. The holding force is developed by wedging action exerted by said strips on the piece of material forced inbetween.

I claim:

1. A garment clasp comprising a shield and three parallel strips integral therewith, said strips being separated by slots and bent toward the back side of said shield, the end of the middle strip touching the back of said shield, and the ends of the outer strips being flared outwardly and away from said shield to provide an open mouth between said middle strip and the last mentioned strips, the radius of the bend of the middle strip being smaller than that of the other two strips.

2. A garment clasp comprising a shield and three parallel strips integral therewith, said strips being separated by slots and bent toward the back side of said shield, the end of the middle strip touching the back of said shield, and the ends of the outer strips being flared outwardly and away from said shield to provide an open entrance for a garment to be inserted between said outer strips and the middle strip, the radius of'the bend of the middle strip being smaller than that of the two other strips; said middle strip being depressed in relation to said outer strips.

3. A clasp for garments comprising a shield, two outer parallel spaced strips and a middle strip therebetween, bends connecting said strips with said shield, the free end of the middle strip abutting the shield, and the free ends of the outer strips being flared away from the shield, the radius of the middle strip bend being smaller than that of the outer strips, said middle strip being depressed in 10 relation to the outer strips, said strips being separated by 4. slots extending into the bends'for admitting agarment therebetween and for wedging said garment by pushing it toward and into said bend.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 893,353 McGill July 14, 1908 1,099,941 Scanlan June 16, 1914 FOREIGN PATENTS 474,279 Germany Mar. 14, 1929