US984928A - Clasp. - Google Patents

Description

E. S. KELLEY.

CLASP.

APPLICATION FILE-D IEB.16, 1910.

984,928. Patented Feb. 2 1, 1911.

WITNESSES.

ATTORNEYS ru e mamas PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, n. z:v

EBEN S. KELLEY, OF KELLEYS COVE, NOVA SGOIIA,

non

CANADA.

CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Application filed February 16, 1910. Serial No. 544,229.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EBEN S. KELLEY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and

a resident of Kelleys Cove, in the Province of Nova Scotia and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Clasp, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention is an improvement in clasps suitable for clamping articles generally, but especially adaptable as a holder or clasp for a cows tail, the clasp embodying two approximately U-shaped clamping members of spring wire, with the arms of the members hinged together to permit of the members swinging to and from each other, one of the members being relatively wider than the other member to permit the arms of one member to pass between the arms of the other member, with the wider member having inwardly-extending catches or fingers, and the members having a slight relative lateral tilting movement at their hinged connection to permit of the arms of the narrower member being passed into engagement with the catches, the members having gripping jaws between the catches and hinged connection, with each set of jaws provided with intermeshing gripping helices, serving to effectively engage the article to which the clamp is applied without danger of cutting, these jaws being an important feature of the invention.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a face view of the clamp as applied to a cows tail; Fig. 2 is a section of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an edge view of the clasp, with the clamping members released and slightly swung apart.

In the construction of the clasp I employ two clamping members 5 and 6 respectively,

of approximately U-form, and constructed of spring wire, the clamping member 5 being made relatively wider than the clamping member 6 in order that the arms of the clamping member 6 can pass between the arms of the clamping member 5 when the clamping members are brought together. At the ends of the arms of the clamping members 5 and 6, eyes 7 and 8 are respectively formed, the eyes being engaged with each other, with the eyes 7 of the member 5 located in planes at approximately right-angles to the plane of the eyes S of the clamp ing member 6, this manner of connecting the clamping members affording not only a hinged connection between them, adapting the same to be swung to and from each other, but .also permitting the arms to be tilted slightly relatively to each other in a lateral direction. The end portions of the wire forming each of the clamps after being fashioned to produce the respective eyes at the ends of the arms are helically wrapped each about its respective arm a substantia distance, providing each set of clamping jaws'of the clamping members with intermeshing clamping helices, the winding of the wire on the arms of the clamping member 5 being extended slightlybeyond the windings on the arms of the clamping member 6, and turned inwardly at the extremities to provide catches or retaining fingers 9, the catch or retaining finger at one side or arm of the clamping member being arranged farther from the hinge of the clamp than the other. The arms of the narrow clamping member 0 each have a slight bend at the point engaged by the finger 9, causing the free end portion of this member to stand slightly outwardly from the other clamping member when the two members are engaged, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby this outstanding portion of the narrow clamping member can be easily grasped with the fingers and operated to release the clamping members so that they can be swung apart. The relative lateral tilting movement between the clamping members, afforded by their hinged connection, permits the arms on the clamping member 6 to be readily engaged in successive order with the catches, this engagement being facilitated by the arrangement of one of the catches in advance of the other, as described. Thus, in engaging the clamping members after the article is inserted between the aws, the clamping member 6, after the clamping members are swung together, is moved to one side, and slightly tilted so as to pass one of its arms under that catch or finger located nearest the hinge. After the engagement of this arm, the other arm is easily sprung under the opposite catch by reason of the resiliency of the wire of which the clamp is constructed. When the inner clamping member is passed under the fingers it is prevented from swinging to the opposite side of the outer clamping member and is firmly pressed to the fingers by the engagement of the hinged connections afforded by the eyes 7 and 8. To release the clamping members, that arm of the clamping member 6 en aged by the catch farthest from the hinge, is first disengaged, and the clamping member drawn to this side of the clamp to release the opposite arm from the other catch, when the two clamping members are readily swung apart. The wider clamping member 5 at its free end is bent to produce an eye 10, in which a cord or other flexible line can be attached for holding this end of the clamp, this eye also serving as a spring, adding to the resiliency of the arms.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a clasp, two U-shaped clamping members of spring wire, the ends of the arms of the members hinged together, adapting the members to swing to and from each other and have a slight relative tilting movement laterally, with one of the mem-' bers relatively wider than the other to permit of the arms of one member passing between the arms of the other member, and

the arms of the members having gripping jaws adjacent to their hinged ends, and the wider member having fingers extending inwardly from its arms, with which the other member is adapted to engage when the members are swung together by the relative lateral tilting movement between the members.

2. In a clasp, two approximately U- 3. In a clasp, two approximately U- shaped clamping members, the free ends of which are formed into engaging eyes with the eyes of the members arranged in planes at approximately right angles toeach other,

and catches formed by the continuation of".

one of said eye-forming members under which the arms of the other member are adapted to engage.

4:. A clasp comprising two approximately U-shaped wire clamping members, one of the members having inwardly-projecting retaining fingers, and the two mem bers having hinged connections adapting them to swing to and from each other and to have a slight relative lateral movement to permit of the engagementof the arms of the other of said clamping members with the retaining fingers, said hinged connections arranged to press the inner member against the fingers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' EBEN S. KELLEY.

lVitnesses ROBERT S. MoKAY, 'HUGH I-I. Mason.

Images