US3647250A

US3647250A - Pivotal locking clasp

Info

Publication number: US3647250A
Authority: US
Inventors: William M Brown
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-04-30
Filing date: 1970-04-30
Publication date: 1972-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 1989-03-07

Abstract

This invention is directed to pivotal locking clasps which may be employed to secure braces to posts as in scaffolds or to latch gates in closed position. The clasp consists of a baseplate having an aperture from which extends a slot. A hasp in the form of a loop is secured in a pivotal manner to the baseplate by a key located inside the aperture and secured internally to the legs of the hasp. When the hasp is pivoted to register the key with the slot and lodge it therein, the clasp is in locking position and removal of the key from the slot permits the hasp to be pivoted to unlocked position.

Description

United States Patent Brown 1 Mar. 7, 1 972 [54] PIVOTAL LOCKING CLASP 2,920,914 1/1960 Jenkins ..292/67 [72] inventor: William M. Brown, 5175 NOl'lh 105th St, FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Milwaukee, Wis. 53225 26,635 12 1908 G tB 't ..292 210 221 Filed: Apr. 30, 1970 l m n am I [21] Appl. No.: 33,356 Primary Examiner-Richard E. Moore v AttorneyAndrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall [52] US. Cl ..292/67, 292/238, 292/246,

287/535 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. ..E05c 19/08, E05c 5/00 This invention is directed to pivotal locking clasps which may Field of Search be employed to secure braces to posts as in scaffolds or to 292/238; latch gates in closed position. The clasp consists of a baseplate having an aperture from which extends a slot. A hasp in the [56] References form of a loop is secured in a pivotal manner to the baseplate by a key located inside the aperture and secured internally to UNITED STATES PATENTS the legs of the hasp. When the hasp is pivoted to register the 2,708,606 5/1955 Schumacher ..287/S3.5 key with the lot and lodge it therein, the clasp is in locking 3,497,251 2/1970 Bosland 8L position and removal of the key from the slot permits the hasp 735,857 8/1903 C3116! i "292/236 to be pivgted [o unlocked position, 2,674,476 4/1954 Del Grosso ..287/53.5 X 2,891,820 6/ 1959 Schoeneberg ..287/53.5 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEUHAR T [972 FIG l FIGA INVENTOR. WILLIAM M. BROWN PIVOTAL LOCKING CLASP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Representative of the prior art is US. Pat. to G. Del Grosso, No. 2,674,476, where an arm is pivotally secured to a plate bracket which is connected edgewise to a post. The arm is pivoted to overlie a pin and secure a brace on the pin to the post. An additional latch member is required to be pivoted around the arm to accomplish the locking of the pivoted arm SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the pivotal locking clasp of the invention consists of two parts, namely, a base plate having a generally central opening of a size to freely receive the other part of the clasp consisting of a closed looped hasp with the ends of the hasp being joined by a rectangular shaped, internal key which is located in the opening of the base plate and freely pivotal therein.

A slot extends from the opening in the baseplate and to lock the clasp, the hasp is pivoted so that the key slides into the slot to prevent any further pivotal movement of the hasp.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.

The drawing furnished herewith illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention and discloses the above advantages and features as well as others which will be readily understood from the following description of the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. I is a perspective view of the clasp of the invention illustrating the securing of a brace to a post as in a scaffold unit with the clasp shown in unlocked position in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1 with parts broken away and sectioned;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the clasp of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the invention illustrating the locking clasp in locked position in connection with a gate and the unlocked position being shown in dotted lines.

Referring to the drawings, the pivotal locking clasp of the invention is shown in connection with a scaffold post 1 to secure a brace 2 to post 1 over the pin 3 which is welded to post 1.

The clasp is of two parts. The first part consists of a base plate 4 which is ordinarily edge welded to post 1 at a position adjacent to pin 3 and baseplate 4 projects laterally from post 1 in a plane generally parallel to that of pin 3.

Baseplate 4 has a relatively large aperture or hole 5 extending through the plate at right angles to the edges of plate 4. A slot 6 extends downwardly from the aperture 5 for a slight distance. The slot 6 may extend from the aperture 5 with the sides of the slot parallel to each other and in a plane parallel to the welded edge of the baseplate 4, but it is preferred, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, that the sides of slot 6 gradually curve toward the welded side of the baseplate 4. The plate 4 is encircled by a hasp 7 which is formed in the shape of a loop with the ends or legs 8 extending generally parallel to each other and registering with aperture 5 in baseplate 4 so that legs 8 extend on opposite sides of the wall of the baseplate. The legs 8 are secured together by a key 9 of a generally rectangular shape which is located within aperture 5. The key is preferably welded to the inside surfaces of the legs 8 and the rectangular shape of key 9 conforms it to the shape of slot 6.

The key 9 is of a size so that it fits loosely inside aperture 5 and hasp 7 is thus easily pivoted within the relatively large size.

aperture 5 in baseplate 4. When the key 9 registers with slot 6,

it readily slides into the slot to hold the clasp in locking position. As may be observed in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hasp 7 has been pivoted to locked position over the pin 3, wherein the key 9 has engaged slot 6 to thereby securely connect brace 2 to post 1 to brace the scaffold of which the post and brace are a part.

Due to the curvature of slot 6 away from the outer vertical edge of base plate 4 over which hasp 7 is pivoted as the hasp 7 moves further into slot 6, the tighter the hasp 7 holds brace 2 to post 1.

The hasp 7 is constructed as may be observed in FIGS. 1-3 so that the loop of the hasp extends beyond the pin 3 a slight distance. With this construction key 9 can quickly be forced from slot 6 and the hasp 7 readily clears pin 3 when pivoted to the position shown in phantom in FIG. I, to quickly release brace 2 when it is desired to disassemble the scaffold.

Although FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings illustrate the hasp 7 as pivoted to a downward gravity position to lock a brace to a post, the hasp 7 may be rotated as shown in phantom in FIG. 3 to lodge key 9 in slot 6 and thereby secure a brace 2 on pin 3 which is located above baseplate 4. The employment of the aperture 5 provides this versatility to the locking clasp as the key 9 is readily rotated in the aperture.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 4, wherein the pivotal locking clasp is employed to latch a gate to a gate post. Construction of the clasp is the same as shown in FIG. 1, consisting of the baseplate 4 and the hasp 7 with the hasp 7 looped, as previously described, and pivoted in the aperture 5 in the baseplate 4. The ends of the looped hasp are joined as in FIG. 2 by the internal key 9, which is located inside the aperture and freely pivoted therein to ride into the slot 6 to latch the hasp 7in plate 10.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the baseplate 4 is welded edgewise to a generally large plate 10 which is bolted or otherwise secured to gate post 11.

The gate 12 has a bar 13 secured thereto which, when the gate is closed, projects across the gate post 11 below baseplate 4. When pivoted to locked position, as shown in FIG. 4, the hasp 7 overlies the bar 13 to latch the gate in closed position. The open position of the gate 12 is obtained by pivoting hasp 7 within aperture 5, as best seen in FIG. I, to the phantom position shown in FIG. 4, wherein the key 9 drops into slot 6 and the hasp is thereby held in an upward position.

The invention provides a simple two-piece locking clasp which can be pivoted quickly to a latched and unlatched position.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.

I claim:

I. A pivotal gravity-type locking clasp, comprising a baseplate having an aperture extending through the body of the plate, a slot extending downwardly from the aperture in the base plate, a hasp formed of legs disposed in a looped shape providing an uninterrupted opening through the hasp with the legs of the hasp extending generally parallel to each other and disposed on opposite sides of the body of the baseplate, and a rectangular shaped key disposed in said aperture and securing the legs of the hasp together, the loop formed of the legs of the hasp being of a size to readily clear the upper end of the baseplate when in unlatched position, and said key being of a size to freely pivot within the aperture but preventing pivoting of the hasp when registering with the slot to hold the key against pivoting when the hasp drops by gravity into a latched or unlatched position.

2. The pivotal locking clasp of claim I, in which the slot extends in the baseplate in a gradual curvature away from the edge of the baseplate around which the hasp is pivoted to thereby firmly hold the key in the slot as the key moves further into the slot.

3. The pivotal locking clasp of claim 1, in which the loop of the hasp is of such length so as to be adapted to extend beyond a member to which it is to be latched when the key is lodged in the slot and so that it is readily accessible to be unlatched.

Claims

1. A pivotal gravity-tyPe locking clasp, comprising a baseplate having an aperture extending through the body of the plate, a slot extending downwardly from the aperture in the base plate, a hasp formed of legs disposed in a looped shape providing an uninterrupted opening through the hasp with the legs of the hasp extending generally parallel to each other and disposed on opposite sides of the body of the baseplate, and a rectangular shaped key disposed in said aperture and securing the legs of the hasp together, the loop formed of the legs of the hasp being of a size to readily clear the upper end of the baseplate when in unlatched position, and said key being of a size to freely pivot within the aperture but preventing pivoting of the hasp when registering with the slot to hold the key against pivoting when the hasp drops by gravity into a latched or unlatched position.

2. The pivotal locking clasp of claim 1, in which the slot extends in the baseplate in a gradual curvature away from the edge of the baseplate around which the hasp is pivoted to thereby firmly hold the key in the slot as the key moves further into the slot.