US973147A - Clasp. - Google Patents

Description

A. T. VAN ALSTYN.

' CLASP. AYPLIOATION 11.21) JULY a, 1908.

973, 1%?, Patented 0011. 18,1910.

rm; :vc/mls FEYERS ca, WASHINGTON, n, c.

ALBERT T. VAN ALSTYN, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

Application filed July 8, 1908. Serial No. 442,595.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT T. VAN ALs'rYN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stamford, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Clasp, (Case A,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a garment clasp ada ted for general use as upon stocking and rawers supporters, the special objects being to provide a clasp which shall have a large opening to receive a fold of garment, shall have an elongated holding block so as to retain a fine stocking or other garment firmly without danger of tearing it, shall be-easily assembled and which will lie flat in use and be without projections that can hurt or bruise the wearer.

lVith these and other objects in view I have devised the simple and novel clasp which I will now describe, referring to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and using reference char acters to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a plan View, illustrating my novel clasp with the parts in the holding position; Fig. 2 a longitudinal section on the line 22 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 a similar View, the lever being raised and partly swung forward and the members separated; Fig. 4 a section on the line 44 in Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; Figs. 5, 9 and 10 are perspectives illustrating variant forms of the lower member detached; Fig. 6 a detail perspective illustrating the connection of the members; Fig. 7 an elevation of the lever detached as seen from the left in Fig. 3; and Fig. 8 is a detail view partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating the connection of the lever to the slide.

14 denotes the body of the upper member which is blanked out and formed from sheet metal. The body comprises inwardly facing ways 15 formed by bending the edge of the plate downward and inward, a cross piece 16 at the front end and an integral spring 17 formed by slotting the plate in front of the ways as at 18. Between the forward end of the spring and the cross piece is an opening 19. The cross piece is shown as made double thickness by utilizing a portion of the metal from the opening.

21 denotes a housing formed by pressing out the metal of the spring and provided at its rear end with an opening 22 which is made less than the width of the housing.

23 denotes a slide which is adapted to reciprocate in the ways and is provided with a transverse socket 24 and at the mid-length of said socket with upwardly-curved lugs The forward end of the slide is shown as folded over making it double thickness, as at 20, to cooperate with the double thick end wall of the opening, 2'. 6. cross piece 16, in holding a garment, as will be more fully explained.

26 denotes a lever the lower end of which is shown as rolled over upon itself as at 27 to provide a cross bar of additional strength. The lower end of the lever, 11. c. the cross bar, engages the socket.

28 denotes an opening in the lever above the cross bar through which lugs 25 are passed, these lugs being closed down upon the cross bar to connect the lever to the slide. Upon the opposite sides of the lever and at the proper height are shoulders 29 which engage the under side of the housing. The free end of the lever is provided with a suitable finger piece 30 for convenience in manipulation.

1n assembling, the slide is placed in the ways, which are closed down upon it tightly enough to retain it in place but permitting it to slide freely. The free end of the lever is passed backward through the open ing in the housing, the shoulders engaging the underside of the housing, the end of the lever is placed in engagement with the socket in the slide and the lugs are closed down upon the cross bar at the lower end of. the lever to connect the latter to the slide. The parts are then self-retaining in place through the resiliency of the spring. The cost and disadvantages of riveting are thus avoided and the cost of assembling is reduced to the minimum.

The lower member comprises a strip 31 and an elongated holding block 32 carried thereby and preferably provided with grooves 33 on opposite sides thereof leaving a neck 34 between them. In Figs. 2 and 3 I have shown the strip and holding block as formed from rubber and molded in a single piece. In Fig. 5 the strip 31 and an engaging block 32 of rubber is riveted thereto, said block being provided with grooves 33 and neck 34. In Fig. 9 the strip 31 and engaging block 32 are both of metal, the block being provided with the groove 33 and neck 34. In Fig. 10 the strip 31 is of metal and the engaging block 32 is formed by bending the strip to form the grooves 33 and neck 34*, the ends of the block being open.

The upper and lower members may be secured together in any ordinary or preferred manner. In the present instance I have shown the rear end of member 12 as curved downward and over the rear end of member 13. here the strip of the lower member is formed from rubber, lugs 35 are struck out from the metal of the upper member and driven into the lower member to lock the members together. here the strip of the lower member is made from metal, lugs 35 are passed through slots 36 in the lower member and may either be clenched on the under side leaving the member to act as a spring member or a hinge connection may be formed by the lugs and the slots as preferred.

In use, swinging of the lever from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 over to the position shown in Fig. 3 reciprocates the slide through the engagement therewith of the cross bar. lVhen the parts are in the fully open position, as shown in Fig. 3, a fold of the stocking or other garment to be supported is placed over the holding block and then the block with the fold thereon is passed upward through opening 19 in the body of the upper member. The operator then swings the lever backward to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the effect of which is to grip the block with the fold of garment thereon between the cross bar at the forward end of the slide and the cross piece at the end of the body which forms the end wall of the opening. Both cross bar and cross piece may be made double thickness of metal, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The double thick portion 20 of the slide has two functions. In addition to providing a smooth rounded edge for con tact with garments, the rear end thereof serves as a stop for engagement by the forward end of the spring to prevent pressure of the garment, in use, from pushing the slide back and thus releasing the grip. The holding block is preferably so placed upon the strip that when the slide is moved to the holding position, the forward end of the slide will force the block forward and the neck of the block with the fold of gar.- ment thereon will be gripped between the end of the slide and the end wall of the opening in the body. As the elongated block gives a long hold upon the stocking or other garment, all danger of tearing even the finest stockings is avoided and the holding block may be made of metal or rubber, as preferred.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A clasp comprising a member provided with an opening, a second member having a block to enter said opening, a slide constructed to engage said block and provided with a socket, a spring plate normally locking said slide against movement, said plate being provided with a housing having an opening therein, and a lever passing through the last mentioned opening and engaging the socket in said slide, whereby said lever will operate said spring plate and said slide successively.

2. A clasp member comprising a body having ways, an opening and a spring, said spring having a housing provided with an opening, a slide moving in the ways and normally locked by said spring, and a lever passing through the opening in the housing and engaging bot-h the housing and the slide, whereby oscillation of the lever successively moves said spring and reciprocates said slide.

3. A clasp member comprising a body having ways, an opening and a spring, said spring having a housing provided with an opening, a slide moving in the ways and normally locked by said spring, said slide having a transverse socket and lugs, and a lever passing through the opening in the housing and having shoulders engaging the latter, the inner end of the lever having a cross bar engaging the socket in the slide and above the cross bar engaging an opening to receive the lugs which retain the lever in engagement with the slide, whereby said lever will successively move saic spring and operate said slide.

4. A clasp member comprising a body having ways, a double thick cross piece at the forward end, a spring formed integral with the body and an opening between the cross piece and the spring, a slide moving in the ways and made double thick at the forward end forming a stop engaged by the spring, and a lever engaging the spring and the slide, to operate them successively.

5. A clasp consisting of a member comprising a body having ways, an opening, and a spring, a slide moving in the ways, and normally locked by said spring, a lever engaging both the spring and the slide to operate them successively, and a member having a transverse holding block adapted to enter the opening.

In testimony whereof I dffiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses. ALBERT T. VAN ALSTYN. Vitnesses GEORGE B. Cross, \VM. F. TVATERBURY.

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