US3079659A - Snap fasteners - Google Patents

Description

March 5, 1963 PL B. JENSEN ETAL 3,079,659

SNAP FASTENERS Filed Feb. 6, 1961 INVENTOR Philip B. Jensen John H- Humlsl'on 3,079,659 SNAP FASTENERS Philip B. Jensen, Naugatuclr, and .lohn H. Humistou, Watertown, Conn., assignors to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Feb. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 87,167 3 Claims. (Cl. 24216) This invention relates to snap fasteners and more particularly to -an improved socket member for snap fasteners.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved simple two-piece socket structure that will be relatively thinl in overall height and be particularly adapted for use on leather goods or sheet plastic material such as currently used for pocket-books, bill folds, pass cases and the like.

Another object is to provide an improved two-piece socket structure consisting of a socket member adapted to be positioned against one side of a support piece and a clincher cap adapted yto -be positioned against the opposite side of said support piece, and wherein the socket member is provided with a series of attaching prongs which are adapted to pierce through the support piece during the fastener setting operation and be permanently clinched within the clincher cap.

A further object is to provide an improved socket member of the above character in which the clincher cap is provided with a central Opening, the edge of which is positioned to protect the spring lingers of the socket member. Also, the clincher cap is dished inwardly to assist in guiding the head of the stud member into the socket member coincident with the snap fastener attachment.

The foregoing and other objects, as Well as various features of the invention may be fuliy understood from a consideration of the following description in the iight of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. l is a cross-sectional view through the socket member and attaching clincher cap disassembled and showing a support piece in position between the two;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the prongs pierced through the support piece and ready to be clinched in the clincher cap;

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the socket member and clincher cap in compietely assembled position;

FIG. 4 is a plan View of the same; and,

FIG. 5 is an upper plan View of the socket member, per se.

Referring to the drawin the socket structure consists of a socket member 19 disposed on one side of a flexible Support or carrying medium 11 and a clincher cap 12 disposed on the opposite side of said medium. Since this socket structure is designed principally for leather goods or the like, it is necessary that the support medium be provided with a pierced opening 13.

The socket member 19 consists of a circular base 14 and a series of spring or resilient fingers 15 extending vertically upwardly from said base and terminating in inwardly directed lips or beads 16 adapted to snap over the bulbous head 17 of a stud member 18, such as shown in phantom in FIG. 3. in order to lessen the overall height of Ithe finished socket structure, the lingers 15 are joined to the base 14 by a downwardly offset annular section 19 immediately surrounding said lingers. The oset annu lar section 19 is of suicient depth to dispose the upper beaded ends of the fingers i5 on a plane substantially common with the upper circumferential edge of the base -1-4.

The socket member 16 is provided with -a series of attaching prongs 2t) that are sheared and formed upwardly out of the body of the base 14. The prongs 2t? are 3,679,659 liatented Mar. 5, 1963 adapted to pierce through the support medium 11 and be clinched over by the clincher cap 12. The clincher cap 1,2 in its :initial stateV isbest shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and consists of an inwardly dished portion 21 having a central opening 22 therein. The opening 22 is of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the circular series of the socket spring fingers 15 and is aligned therewith. A circumferential rim 23 of arcuate shapevin cross-section is connected to the dished portion 21 and supports a ange 24 in spaced relation to said dished portion, thus providing a biased annular channel 25 therebetween into which the prongs 20 of the socket member are adapted to be initially received during the socket setting operation.

In assembling the socket structure, the socket member V1l-and clincher cap 12 will be disposed on opposite sides of the support medium 11 in proper alignment with each other and with `the prepierced opening 13 as shown in FIGA. As the socket member 10 and clincher cap l12 are forced together, the prongs 20 will pierce through the support medium 11 and abut against the underside of the dished portion 21 which functions as an anvil to deect the prongs outwardly into the channel 25.

Continued movement of the socket member and clincher cap toward each other by the appropriate setting tools will cause the channel 25 to close up and firmly grip the prongs 29 between the dished portion 21 and flange 24, thus permanently interlocking the socket member and clincher cap together on opposite sides of the supporting medium as shown in FIG. 3.

In the final setting operation, it will be noted that the shape of the dished portion 21 has been changed from its initial state to a curvature of larger and uniform radius that will then lower the overall height of the clincher cap and also serve to guide the stud member 13 into the socket opening in case said stud is not properly aligned for the fastener assembly. Also, after the iinal socket assembly, the dished portion of the -clincher cap, immediately surrounding the opening 22, will be disposed slightly above the spring fingers as a means for protecting said fingers from injury.

It is to be understood that the dished portion 21 of the clincher cap is initially shaped with a sufficient curvature so that the undersurface thereof will act as a suitable anvil to deiiect the leading ends of the socket member prongs 20 outwardly into the channel 25 for the final clinching operation without danger of the prongs piercing through or otherwise distorting said dished portion.

One form of the invention is presented herein for the purpose of exemplication, but it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible of other structural modifications coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A snap fastener socket assembly adapted for installation upon a exible support piece having a pierced opening therethrough and including in combination a socket member comprising a circular base, a circular series of upwardly extending resilient lingers terminating in inwardly directed stud-engaging beads, said fingers being joined to said base by a downwardly offset annular section immediately surrounding said fingers, and a series of prongs sheared from and formed upwardly of the body of said base and adapted to pierce through said support piece around said pierced opening and to position the socket base against one side of said support piece, and an attaching anvil cap disposed against the opposite side of said support piece, said cap having a central opening -aligned with said series of resilient fingers, a dished portion extending upwardly and outwardly from said opening and overlying said prongs, and a clincher tiange folded inwardly from the rim of said dished portion to clamp said prongs against the undersurface of said dished portion.

2. A snap fastener socket assembly as del-ined in claim 1 wherein the stud-engaging beads of the spring fingers are disposed slightly below the upper surface of said dished `portion irnrne'zdi'ately surrounding I said central opening. r A

3. A snap fastener socket assembly adapted for installation kupon a ileXible `supportmedium including in coin- `bination a socket member'comprisng a circular base, a cir-cular series'rof resilient upwarldy extending lingers terminating in inwardly directed'stud-engaging beads, said -iingers lbeing joined to said base by -a`downwardly offset annular section immediately surrounding' said'ngers, and

`aseries of prongs 'sheared from. and formed upwardly of vthe bodyof said `base Vand adapted'to pierce through vsaid "supportniediuin andYposi-tion Athe socket baise against one side'of said support niediurn,'and attaching'anvil cap disposed vagainst the oppositeside of'said support medium,

said cap havingV central opening aligned with s'aid-l series 'of resilient lingers, a'dishedportion extending upwardly and outwardly and overlyingsaid'prongs, said dished porsetting operation andato Ydeform the dished portion so Ithat its `rim and clincher flange and the Yinterposed prongs 10 will lie in close proximity to the 'supportmedium References Cit'eiin the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v383,073 Richardson Moy 15, 1888 2,371,813 Fenton Mar. 20, 1945 2,585,897 Johnson Foo. y12, 1952 2,624,090 -Jonos Jon. 6, 1953 REIGN PATENTS 1,124,889 Francesret--sommets-July 2, 1956

Claims (1)

1. A SNAP FASTENER SOCKET ASSEMBLY ADAPTED FOR INSTALLATION UPON A FLEXIBLE SUPPORT PIECE HAVING A PIERCED OPENING THERETHROUGH AND INCLUDING IN COMBINATION A SOCKET MEMBER COMPRISING A CIRCULAR BASE, A CIRCULAR SERIES OF UPWARDLY EXTENDING RESILIENT FINGERS TERMINATING IN INWARDLY DIRECTED STUD-ENGAGING BEADS, SAID FINGERS BEING JOINED TO SAID BASE BY A DOWNWARDLY OFFSET ANNULAR SECTION IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING SAID FINGERS, AND A SERIES OF PRONGS SHEARED FROM AND FORMED UPWARDLY OF THE BODY OF SAID BASE AND ADAPTED TO PIERCE THROUGH SAID SUPPORT PIECE AROUND SAID PIERCED OPENING AND TO POSITION THE SOCKET BASE AGAINST ONE SIDE OF SAID SUPPORT PIECE, AND AN ATTACHING ANVIL CAP DISPOSED AGAINST THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID SUPPORT PIECE, SAID CAP HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING ALIGNED WITH SAID SERIES OF RESILIENT FINGERS, A DISHED PORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM SAID OPENING AND OVERLYING SAID PRONGS, AND A CLINCHER FLANGE FOLDED INWARDLY FROM THE RIM OF SAID DISHED PORTION TO CLAMP SAID PRONGS AGAINST THE UNDERSURFACE OF SAID DISHED PORTION.

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