US3156024A - Cuff link construction - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 10, 1964 D. w. GREEN 3,156,024

CUFF LINK CONSTRUCTION Filed July 15, 1965 INVENTOR, Dav/0 W Gees/v,-

United States Patent 3,156,024 CUFF LINK CONSTRUCTION David W. Green, Box 3066, Grand Central Station, Glendale, Calif. Filed July 15, 1963, Ser. No. 294,917 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-41) This invention relates to a cuff link construction which maintains a shirt sleeve cuff so that the cuff has a neat, dressy appearance and the cuff link is displayed to best advantage on the cuff from an ornamental standpoint.

An object of the invention is to provide a cuff link adapted to be applied to the cuff prior to inserting the wrist and hand through the cuff, the cuff link construction permitting expansion thereof followed by contraction after passing the hand through the cuff.

My invention overcomes this noticeable defect as it holds the cuff in the position shown in FIGURE 1.

The culf link of my invention is designated as an entirety by 10, and the same includes a pair of heads 11 and 12 which are interconnected by a shank or linkage 13.

The heads 11 and 12, in the present instance, are of disk form, of any configuration, and ornamented as desired. Generally, and in the present invention, the heads as shown are elliptical with the shank or linkage 13 con- Shirts worn by both men and women have sleeves which 7 terminate in cuffs of various forms among which cuffs are the well-known French type wherein the cuffs have folded back portions. Cuffs of this type are provided with button holes for the insertion therethrough of cuff links. However, modern trends and styles often indicate cuff links having heads of such size that they will not pass through the button holes in the cuffs. Under these conditions, manufacturers often provide the heads on the back thereof with posts or shanks having turnable cross bars for passage through the button holes. However, if a cross bar should happen to turn so as to parallel the post, the cuff link may be lost due to repassage through the button holes.

An object of my invention is to provide a cuff link construction wherein the heads may be separated without disconnecting the heads, the heads resuming what is termed a normal position after stress therebetween to separate the heads, is relieved. My invention, likewise, contemplates a cuff link construction wherein the heads may be disconnected and reconnected to permit the use of the cuff links on another shirt sleeve cufi.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cuff link construction which will accommodate passage of any oversized hand through the cud or withdrawal of the hand therefrom.

Other objects include cuff link construction which assures that the cuff link is at all times held to the cuff without any fear of loss of the cuff link, inexpensive in cost of manufacture, and generally superior to cufl? link constructions now known to the inventor.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel and useful provision, formation, construction, association and relative arrangement of parts, members and features, all as shown in one embodiment in the accompanying drawing, described generally, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a French type cuff with a cufl link of the invention engaging said cuff;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, sectional view on an enlarged scale, and taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the cuff link, parts being in a moved position from that of FIG- URE 2; and,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawing, I have shown in FIGURE 1 at 1 a sleeve provided with a French cuff 2 of the type which has a double fold to provide four thicknesses of fabric. The end and fabric are provided with button holes indicated generally in FIGURE 2 as 3. A French cuff of this type provides a thickness of fabric which, unless the edges of the cuff and sleeve are matched, produces a lack of uniformity in appearance and at best a lack of neatness.

nected at the centers thereof. The shank 13 includes a shallow cuplike member 14 secured centrally of and to the inner surface or back of one of the heads; to wit, the head 12, by silver soldering or by other convenient means, as indicated at 15. It will be noted that the base of the cup rests against the inner surface of the head. The side wall of the cup 14 is annular and fitted within the cup is a tubular member 16 preferably secured to the cup by silver soldering, as indicated at 17. Tubular member 16 is provided with an internal flange 18 at its upper end. An inner tubular member 19 is telescopically received within member 16, the member 19 at its lower end being provided with an external flange 20. The tubular member 19 is capped at its upper end by an end wall 21. When the two tubular members 16 and 19 are telescoped as shown in FIGURE 2, the flange 20 rests against the base of the cup 14 and when expanded or separated as shown in FIGURE 3, the flanges 18 and 20 contact to limit outward extension of tubular member 19 relative to tubular member 16. A coiled tension spring, designated generally as 30, is confined within and between the two tubular members. The base of the cup 14 is internally provided with an eye member 31 and the wall 21 is internally provided with eye member 32, the ends of the tension spring being hooked between the eye members. Normally the spring 36 holds the tubular members in the position shown in FIGURE 2; that is to say, fully telescoped. The outer surface of the wall 21 is provided with an eye member 33 which has fiat parallel sides 34 and 35 and a substantially elongated or rectangular slot 36. The eye member 33 is secured to the end wall 21 in any desired manner such as by silver soldering, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Secured to the inner surface or back of the head 11 is a bifurcated stud 40 and received between the bifurcations of said stud and secured by means of a transverse pin 41 is the shank 42 of a hook member 43. The hook shank 42 is substantially fiat sided as is the hook portion 44, the width of the hook being such as to be closely accommodated within the slots 36 of the eye member 33. As shown in FIGURE 3, the hook portion 44 bears against a surface of the shank 42 to close the hook and maintain the eye member 33 therein. The hook and the shank are preferably formed from spring like material so that the hook may be opened by pressing downwardly on the end 45 to release the eye member 33 therefrom.

The operation, uses and advantages of my invention, are as follows:

In order to fully describe my invention and its advantages, it may be stated that the diameter of the tubular member 16 as well as the diameter of the cup 14 is such as to allow ready passage of the said members through the button holes 3. However, in the construction shown, the heads 11 and 12 are of such size that passage thereof through the button holes is impossible. As a consequence, the cuff links are applied to the cuffs while the shirt is not being worn by the user. The head 11 is disconnected from the shank by releasing the hook 43 from the eye member 33. After passing the shank through the button holes 3, the hook is reattached to the eye member. Generally, the thickness of the cuff is approximately a quarter H of an inch when the cuff fabric is folded and, accordingly, 7 the spacing between the heads 11 and 12 is approximatelythis distance when the spring 3% is not tensioned, as it is Patented Nov. 10, 1964 found that this distance holds the folded cut? in such a manner as to give it a neat, uniform appearance. When the arm is inserted in the sleeve and the hand passed through the cuff, the spring 30 will be tensioned in moving from the position of FIGURE 2 to that of FIGURE 3. The fiat sided hook 43 will hold the flat sided eye member 33 against escape from the hook after a cuff link has been applied to a cuff. Side movement of the heads 11 and 12 is compensated by the pinned relationship of the shank of the hook with the bifurcated stud 40. Consequently, movement of the hand through the cutf will not release the heads from the shank. Upon removing the shirt the hand and the wrist are pulled through the cuff, the heads separating due to expansion of the spring 30, as shown in FIGURE 3, and thereafter the cuff links may be released from the but-ton holes 3 by disconnecting the hook from the eye member 33.

I claim:

1. In cuff link construction, a pair of heads, there being a shank between the heads, said shank comprising a shallow cuplike member secured to one head, a tubular member received in the cuplike member and secured thereto, said tubular member provided with an internal flange, a second tubular member telescoped within the first tubular member and provided with an external flange for cooperation with the flange of the first tubular member to limit outward movement of the inner tubular member relative to the outer tubular member, a coil spring within the inner tubular member and having one end secured to the shallow cuplike member, the opposite end of the spring being secured to the inner tubular member to maintain the tWo tubular members normally telescoped, the second head provided with a stud and a spring hook depending from the stud, and the inner tubular member provided with an eye member for connection with said hook.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, the stud being bifurcated and the shank of the hook being pinned to said stud between said bifurcations whereby the hook may have a swinging movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 712,426 Vogel Oct. 28, 1902 1,531,961 Lines Mar. 31, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,774 Great Britain July 8, 1894

Claims (1)

1. IN CUFF LINK CONSTRUCTION, A PAIR OF HEADS, THERE BEING A SHANK BETWEEN THE HEADS, SAID SHANK COMPRISING A SHALLOW CUPLIKE MEMBER SECURED TO ONE HEAD, A TUBULAR MEMBER RECEIVED IN THE CUPLIKE MEMBER AND SECURED THERETO, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER PROVIDED WITH AN INTERNAL FLANGE, A SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER TELESCOPED WITHIN THE FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER AND PROVIDED WITH AN EXTERNAL FLANGE FOR COOPERATION WITH THE FLANGE OF THE FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER TO LIMIT OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER RELATIVE TO THE OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER, A COIL SPRING WITHIN THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER AND HAVING ONE END SECURED TO THE SHALLOW CUPLIKE MEMBER, THE OPPOSITE END OF THE SPRING BEING SECURED TO THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER TO MAINTAIN THE TWO TUBULAR MEMBERS NORMALLY TELESCOPED, THE SECOND HEAD PROVIDED WITH A STUD AND A SPRING HOOK DEPENDING FROM THE STUD, AND THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER PROVIDED WITH AN EYE MEMBER FOR CONNECTION WITH SAID HOOK.

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