US3557410A - Snap-acting suspender fasterner - Google Patents

Abstract

A SUSPENDER FASTENER HAS A FEMALE COMPONENT DISPOSED AT THE OUTER SIDE OF A GARMENT, AND A MALE COMPONENT DISPOSED AT THE INNER SIDE OF THE GARMENT AND HAVING A POST PASSING INTO AN APERTURE IN THE FEMALE COMPONENT. THE COMPONENTS INCLUDE COOPERATING LIPS AND LEDGES WHICH ARE HOOKED AND SNAP ENGAGED TO SECURELY GRIP THE MATERIAL OF THE GARMENT THEREBETWEEN AND THE COMPONENTS PRESENT SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT, PLANAR SURFACES ADJACENT THE BODY OF THE WEARER OF THE GARMENT AND AT THE OUTER SIDE OF THE FASTENED COMBINATION.

Description

Jan. 26, 1971 H. s. VAN BUREN, JR 3,557,410

SNAP-ACTING SUSPENDER FASTENER Filed July 17, 1969 FIG. 5

FIG. 4

INVENTOR HAROLD S. VAN BUREN JR.

BY 9%) Q0 ATTORNEY FIG. 3

United States Patent 3,557,410 SNAP-ACTING SUSPENDER FASTENER Harold S. van Buren, Jr., Lexington, Mass., assignor to United-Carr Incorporated, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 17, 1969, Ser. No. 842,480 Int. Cl. A41f 11/04 US. Cl. 24-245 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A suspender fastener has a female component disposed at the outer side of a garment, and a male component disposed at the inner side of the garment and having a post passing into an aperture in the female component. The components include cooperating lips and ledges which are hooked and snap engaged to securely grip the material of the garment therebetween and the components present substantially flat, planar surfaces adjacent the body of the wearer of the garment and at the outer side of the fastened combination.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention The invention relates to suspender fasteners and particularly those used with garter belts, panty girdles, etc., for supporting stockings.

(2) Description of the prior art The prior art includes a large number of stocking supporting, suspender fasteners. The most widely known type of fastener comprises a female component having an elongated, generally keyhole shaped slot which receives a necked stud passing from the inside of the stocking, and carrying a portion of the stocking into the enlarged area of the slot, which stud is then forced into the narrower portion of the slot to pinch the stocking material between the components. The long recognized objectionable characteristic of the aforementioned arrangement is that the bulbous head of the stud is superimposed on the outer surface of the female component and frequently produces a pronounced and rather unsightly bulge in tight-fitting clothing worn over the stocking.

Another known type of suspender fastener, which is of molded synthetic plastic construction, utilizes a flat female component having a keyhole slot with serrated edges and a flat, mating male tab with external serrated edges which are pressed together to grip the material of a stocking therebetween. While this fastener substantially eliminates the unsightly bulges mentioned above, it has proved unsatisfactory in that the interlocking serrated edges of the components seat between the interstices of the woven or mesh material and often tend to tear and/or pull the fibrous material when the fastener is attached to and released from the stocking.

Still another known synthetic plastic fastener employs a female socket having inwardly opening pockets in the ends thereof and an elongate male tab which is seated to secure the stocking by inserting one end of the tab and a portion of the stocking into one end pocket, bending the tab about a transverse line to shorten its length, inserting the other end of the tab and another portion of the stocking into the opposite pocket in the female socket, and pressing the components together to flatten the tab. The aforesaid method of engagement is laborious and time consuming and care must be taken to insure that the components are properly seated to avoid accidental ice release of the stocking. Further, the suspender strap carrying the male tab, which is the external component in this case, must be attached in superimposed relationship to a central portion of the outer face of the tab, since both ends of the tab must be free for proper seating .in the pockets of the female socket. Thus, a thickness buildup in the fastening is created and the problem of unsightly bulging of clothing worn over the stocking arises.

The present invention provides a substantial improvement in fasteners of the type characterized by the prior art discussed above as will become evident from a reading of the detailed description of the invention which follows hereinafter, in conjunction with a viewing of the accompanying drawing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, a preferred form of a suspender fastener for supporting a stocking or similar garment includes mating male and female snap fastener components adapted to be secured to suspender straps and to efiiciently grip the material of a stocking therebetween when engaged. The components are molded from a synthetic resinous material. The male component includes a base having substantially flat, planar surfaces and an integral post projecting generally perpendicularly from one surface of the base. The post has a main body portion, which is preferably hollow, and a pair of lips overhanging opposite sides of the body portion and disposed adjacent the end of the post remote from the base. The female component includes a base having at least one substantially flat surface and a thickened portion having a post receiving aperture molded therein. The post receiving aperture is at least partially defined by a pair of opposed ledges lying within the thickened post receiving portion. Components are secured to a stocking by placing a portion of the stocking over the post, passing the post and overlying material into the aperture with a slight tipping motion applied to the female component to simultaneously seat one of the ledges therein beneath one of the lips on the post, and thereafter pressing the components together to snap the other ledge over the other lip. According to the disclosed embodiment of the invention, the height of the post is approximately equal to the thickness of the post receiving portion of the female component so that in the couple assembly the top of the post lies substantially flush with the outer, planar surface of the female component.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an external, front elevational view of a suspender fastener according to the invention as it appears in use as a stocking supporter;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 with the suspender straps partially broken away;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the components of a suspender fastener according to the invention depicted in laterally offset relationship, with straps secured to each of the components;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the male component of the suspender fastener; and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the female component taken on line 55 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As illustrated in the drawing, a suspender fastener according to the invention includes male and female snap fastener components which are injection molded from a synthetic resinous material, for example, nylon or the acetal resin marketed by Du Pont under the trade mark .Delrin. The male component 1 of the combination includes a base 2 having substantially flat, planar. surfaces 3 and 4, and a hollow post 5 formed integral with the base and projecting generally perpendicularly from the surface 4.

The post 5 has a generally cylindrical body portion 6, the opposite sides of which are flattened at 7. A pair of lips 8 and 9 project laterally outwardly from adjacent the free end or top 10 of the post and overhang the flat sides 7 of the body portion. The lip 8 is somewhat wider and longer than the lip 9 and provides a greater overhang adjacent one side 7 of the post.

Parallel slots 11 and 12 are formed in the base 2 adjacent the flattened sides 7. These slots provide a means forremoval of the mold pins utilized to form the flat sides 7 and overhanging lips 8 and 9 during injection molding of the part, and the longer slot 11 provides a means for attaching the base 2 to a suspender strap 13 which is threaded through the slot and stitched in a looped fold.

The female component 14 includes a base 15 having at least one flat, planar surface 16, a slot 17 for threadedly receiving a looped suspender strap 18 and a thickened post receiving portion 19 having an aperture 20 formed therethrough. The through aperture 20 is partially defined by a pair of opposed ledges 21, 22 which are disposed within the thickened post receiving portion 19 and which present inclined facing surfaces 21A, 22A which slope away from the planar surface 16 of the base toward the free edges of the ledges. The ledge 21 is somewhat wider and longer than the ledge 22 as is best depicted in the right hand portion of FIG. 3.

According to the typical in use arrangement depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the suspender straps 13 and 18 carrying the fastener components are secured to the leg of a supporting garment 23 with a flat surface 3 of the male component lying adjacent the leg 24 of the wearer. The top of the mesh stocking 25 is then drawn upwardly between the strap so as to overlie the post on the male component 1. The aperture 20 in the female component 14 is brought into registration with the post 5 with the forward or lower end of the female component canted downwardly toward the base of the male component so that a slight upwardly pull on the female component will draw a tuck in the stocking beneath the lip 8 and will seat the ledge 21 beneath the same lip. The sloping face 21A of the ledge 21 provides a ramplike lead-in for easy seating of the ledge beneath the lip. Thereafter, the components are finger pressed together to cause the ledge 22 to snap over and seat beneath the lip 9 whereby the components are securely fastened together and another tuck formed in the stocking material is securely gripped therebetween. As the components are pressed together the interference between the ledge 22 and the lip 9 is relieved by a slight flexing of the lip toward the base 2 of the male component and a simultaneous slight flexing of the ledge toward the outer planar surface 16 of the female component. Thus as the lip and ledge clear each other at final seating, a distinct audible click is heard to notify the wearer that the components are completely snap fastened to one another.

From a further consideration of FIG. 2, the reader will observe that the post 5 has a height approximately equal to the thickness of the post receiving portion 19 of the female component so that in the fastener combination the top 10 of the post lies substantially flush with the surface 16 of the female component. Thus the fastener combination presents a flat planar surface adjacent the leg of the wearer and a flat planar external surface and low over-all profile which substantially eliminates the bulging of outer clothing which is characteristic of many prior art fasteners.

The reader will further observe that the free edges of the interlocking lips and ledges of the components are rounded to reduce the probability of cutting or tearing the mesh fabric of the stocking. Also, the flattened sides 7 of the post 5 provide an increased contact area as compared with a completely cylindrical post, to enhance the gripping of the stocking material by the engaged components and inhibit accidental slippage. Resistance to slippage is further enhanced by reason of the fact that tension in the stretched stocking tends to pull the male component downwardly, as viewed in FIG. 1, whereby the adjacent flat side 7 on the post is forced tightly against the confronting edge of the ledge 21 which in effect acts as a snub on the stocking.

Due to the greater width of the ledge 21 and the increased overhang of the lip 8 on the post, the interference between these elements of the components in the coupled state precludes release of the fastener byother than a deliberate pull on either the straps or the components whereby the ends of the bases 2 and 15 adjacentthe slots 11 and 17 are drawn laterally away from each other to precipitate an initial release by snapping the ledge 22 out over the lip 9, after which the ledge 21 may be withdrawn from its seat beneath the lip 8.

As a general proposition, the interposition of the stocking material between the snap fastener components along with the tension in the stocking jams the components to enhance the interlock therebetween.

What is claimed is:

1. A suspender fastener for supporting a garment, comprising mating male and female snap fastener components adapted to be secured to suspender straps and to grip the material of the garment therebetween when engaged, said components being formed from a resilient, synthetic resinous material, said male component including a base having substantially flat, planar surfaces and an integral post projecting generally perpendicularly from one of said surfaces, said post including a main body portion and overhanging lips projecting laterally outwardly from said body portion adjacent the end of said post remote from said one surface of said base, one of said lips being larger than the other of said lips, said female component including a base having at least one substantially fiat surface and a post receiving portion having an aperture formed therethrough, said aperture being at least partially defined by opposed ledges lying within said post receiving portion, one of said ledges having a fla surface extending at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the post receiving portion, the other of said ledges presenting a countersunk portion for receiving the larger of said overhanging lips, said ledges extending trans versely across the post receiving portion, whereby said components may be snap fastened to a garment by pressing the material thereof over said post of said male component, passing said post and the overlying material into said aperture in the female component and simultaneously seating the said other of said ledges between said larger lip, and therafter finger pressing the components together whereby the said one of said ledges is snapped over said other lip and the material is securely gripped between the components.

2. A suspender fastener according to claim 1 wherein the length of said post on the male component is approximately equal to the thickness of said post receiving portion of said female component whereby said post lies substantially within the confines of said post receiving portion when said components are engaged.

3. A suspender fastener according to claim 1 wherein said post on said male component is hollow.

4. A suspender fastener according to claim 1 wherein said post on said male component is substantially cylindrical with the external wall thereof adjacent said lips being flattened.

5. A suspender fastener according to claim 1 wherein one of said ledges on said female component is of greater width than the other of said ledges.

(References 011 following page) 6 References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 58,646 4/1913 Austria 24208.3 1,891,065 12/1932 Sitton z4 z13x 9321484 10/1955 Gummy 24-245 2,258,605 10/1941 Garth 24-245 2 300 342 10/1942 Cheney 24 24 5 DONALD GRIFFIN, Prlmary Exammer

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