U.S. patent application number 10/790568 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-02 for slant-faced suspender clip.
Invention is credited to Herman, Sal.
Application Number | 20040168286 10/790568 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32912400 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040168286 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Herman, Sal |
September 2, 2004 |
Slant-faced suspender clip
Abstract
A suspender clip having a downwardly extending slant-faced face
plate in order to exert a greater pressure onto the cloth of the
pants to which the suspender is attached. The slant of the face
plate is at a downwardly extending angle with relation to the back
plate of the suspender clip, and this angle is created by a raised
face plate hip which stands taller than a normal hip and thereby
applies a greater pressure to the top of the suspender clip.
Suspender clip preferably includes a cloth piercing needle and has
a needle receiving orifice on the back plate for receiving and
securing cloth therein.
Inventors: |
Herman, Sal; (West
Bloomfield, MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Lynn E. Cargill
Cargill & Associates, P.L.L.C.
56 Macomb Place
Mt. Clements
MI
48043-5636
US
|
Family ID: |
32912400 |
Appl. No.: |
10/790568 |
Filed: |
March 1, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60451142 |
Feb 28, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
24/513 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 24/44496 20150115;
A41F 3/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
024/513 |
International
Class: |
A44B 021/00; A41F
019/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus for fastening suspenders to a garment, comprising:
a fastener including a downwardly slanting substantially planar
face plate with an actuating cam face plate member having a raised
hip depending cam member portion for urging downwardly onto at
least one first clamping member, such that the first clamping
member is clamped into place against at least one second back plate
member, said first clamping member having a needle-like post
attached thereto extending towards said second back plate member in
a complementary relation; said second back plate member being
pivotally attached to the first clamping member by means of opposed
side projections which are confined within openings in flanges
extending upwardly from the second back plate member, said second
member having an opening therein for receiving the needle-like post
attached to the first member and said second back plate member
being planar and having a plane; an actuating cam member including
a downwardly slanting face plate and an integral raised hip
depending cam section adjacent to the first member, and said cam
member being pivotally attached to the second member by means of
opposed side projections which are confined within the openings of
the flanges of the second member, said slanting actuating cam
member exerting a sufficient force to maintain the suspender
fastener in a closed position in operation; said first and second
members having securement fixtures attached thereto on the surfaces
facing one another, and said securement fixtures having
complementary male and female portions which come together and
cooperate when in a closed position; and said needle-like post
being attached to the first member in a complementary relation to
the opening in the second member, said opening extending through
the securement fixture attached to the second member, such that
when the suspender fastener is in a closed position the post
remains attached to the first member, extends through both the
complementary plates, and further extends through the garment being
supported, is received by the opening in the second member, whereby
the fabric of the garment being supported is substantially held
fixed.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second back plate member
is pivotally connected to the first member by an actuating cam
member pivotally attached to said first member over said second
member as movable between a closed position in which both members
contact and urge the second member against the first member to
close the suspender fastener, and an open position in which the
suspender fastener is released to permit removal of the suspender
fastener from the garment being supported.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least two posts
and at least two reinforcements spaced apart in order to provide
more support over a broader area of the fabric of the garment being
supported.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the downwardly slanting face
plate is slanting at an angle of from about 1.degree. to about
40.degree. with respect to the plane of the second back plate
member.
Description
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/451,142 filed on Feb. 28, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to suspender clips, and more
particularly, the invention relates to a slant-faced suspender
clip.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] In recent years, suspenders and braces have become very
popular for men's business and casual apparel. In addition,
suspenders and braces are used by sportsmen and for gentlemen that
need additional help holding up their pants.
[0006] In the past, conventional suspender clips easily came undone
off the pants of active men. I invented a new type of clip under
U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,408 that utilized a pin existing and projecting
through the suspender clip in order to secure the cloth. However,
my concept of using a pin or needle through the suspender clip in
order to pierce the fabric of the pants so that the suspender can
easily hold up the pants, would open up when entering a pick-up
truck or SUV, even without exertion by the wearer. Even though the
pin adds additional holding power to the suspender clip, customers
that used pick-up trucks complained that their clips would open up
when entering or exiting their trucks.
[0007] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to
provide yet an even more secure suspender clip in addition to the
piercing needle concept. It would be of a great advantage to have a
new suspender clip design that will apply even more pressure onto
the needle so that when a man is doing certain activities,
including getting in and out of a vehicle, especially a pick-up
truck, his suspender clips do not come open.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In accordance with the above-noted advantages and desires of
the industry, the present invention provides a slant-faced
suspender clip which overcomes many of the aforementioned problems
with the prior art because it takes additional force to open the
suspender clip, which is especially useful when entering or exiting
a vehicle. Furthermore, this specific embodiment has a downwardly
angled slant-faced suspender clip which will not as easily get
caught on the fabric of the seat of the vehicle, and alleviates the
problem of opening the suspender clip.
[0009] One specific preferred embodiment has certain features,
including a slant-faced actuating cam face plate with a raised face
plate hip portion for raising a distal portion of the face plate,
such that there is an angle "A" between the face plate and a
phantom plane which is created by a plane parallel to that of a
back plate of the suspender clip. The face plate extends downwardly
at an angle "A" with relation to the back plate, and this angle is
created by the raised face plate hip.
[0010] The invention is particularly useful for applications of
suspender clips which are utilized by our suspender clip customers
that enter and exit pick-up trucks, and other tall vehicles such as
SUV's, work trucks, vans, and the like. The downwardly facing
slant-faced suspender clip is much less likely to open up than
prior art devices.
[0011] Although the invention will be described by way of examples
hereinbelow for specific embodiments having certain features, it
must also be realized that minor modifications that do not require
undo experimentation on the part of the practitioner are covered
within the scope and breadth of this invention. Additional
advantages and other novel features of the present invention will
be set forth in the description that follows and in particular will
be apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination or may be
learned within the practice of the invention. Therefore, the
invention is capable of many other different embodiments and its
details are capable of modifications of various aspects which will
be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art all without
departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly,
the rest of the description will be regarded as illustrative rather
than restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] For a further understanding of the nature and advantages of
the expected scope and various embodiments of the present
invention, reference shall be made to the following detailed
description, and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which like parts are given the same reference
numerals, and wherein;
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of slant-faced
suspender clips on a brace, made in accordance with the present
invention in both open and closed configurations;
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the prior art; and
[0015] FIG. 3. illustrates the prior art device of FIG. 2 in the
open position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The present invention provides a slant-faced suspender clip
that provides a downwardly sloping angled slanted face plate to
prevent unwanted opening of the clip. This is an improvement over
my earlier invention embodied in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,408, which is
incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. The downwardly
sloping angle of the present suspender clip discourages the present
suspender clip from opening as readily as the old clip. This is
especially useful when entering a vehicle, especially tall vehicles
such as pick-up trucks. When a typical suspender clip wearer enters
his truck, the new angled face plate is much less likely to be
caught on the seat back or seat button. This angled face plate also
provides greater pressure and more exertion against the pants of
the wearer, thereby reducing the incidence of the suspender clip
coming undone. It has been discovered that the traditional
configuration of a suspender clip would allow for easy opening with
a slight upward pressure on the face plate.
[0017] However, with the present invention, the force needed to
open the clip must be greater as the angled face plate must be
raised up past the angle of the face plate, while working against
the cam action of the present clip. Not only does the angle of the
face plate need to be overcome, but this force is in addition to
the same amount of force that opens the conventional clip.
Therefore, the present clip requires more force to open than
conventional devices. Combining that feature with the fact that the
clip is naturally inclined away from the direction of force when a
wearer enters a pick up truck, it makes the present invention much
less inclined to come apart than the conventional clip.
[0018] Looking first to FIG. 1 with relation to the present
invention, there is shown a slant-faced suspender clip in
accordance with the present invention wherein the suspender clip is
generally denoted by the numeral 10. Clip 10 includes the novel
feature of an actuating cam member face plate 14 including a raised
face plate hip 12 which raises the distal portion of face plate 14
so that there is an angle "A" of from about 1.degree. to about
40.degree. created between the plane of the substantially planar
face plate 14 and the plane defined by the plane parallel to that
of the back plate 28. In order to compare and contrast the present
invention, we look at FIGS. 2 and 3, which is my own patented prior
art device, in which the plane of the face plate on top is
essentially parallel with the back plate on the bottom. Note that
in the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the actuating cam member
face plate 14 is at a downwardly extending angle "A" with relation
to the back plate 28, and this angle is created by the raised face
plate hip 12 as can be seen in FIG. 1. Face plate hip 12 stands
taller than the hip in the prior art, and thereby applies a greater
pressure to the top of the suspender clip 13 when it is in the
closed position. Suspender clip plate 13 preferably has a hole
therein and receives and secures therein a cloth piercing needle 18
having a needle tip 20 which is received below in a needle tip
receptor 22 centrally located amongst the cloth securement prongs
24 which raise up from the suspender securement base 26. Suspender
clip 10 is secured by a bale 32 to a pair of braces 34 which
attaches to suspenders 36 worn by the wearer of the pants.
[0019] Still referring to FIG. 1, face plate hip 12 has
horizontally extending portions which are received through receptor
holes in the face plate hip support flanges 30. Support flanges 30
are integral with the back plate 28 and are pressed into an
upwardly extending position so as to receive the opposed face plate
hip side projections 12. Face plate hip 12 is an extension of face
plate 14, although it is bent from the face plate material.
[0020] On the bottom of FIG. 1, the suspender clip is shown in its
open configuration, while at the top of FIG. 1 the suspender clip
is shown in its closed configuration. As one can see, the cloth
securement fixture prongs 24 are angled with respect to one
another, although the needle 18 still extends into the needle tip
receptor 22. Compare and contrast that to the prior art shown on
FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 in which the cloth securement fixture prongs are
lined up in a perpendicular fashion to the suspender securement
base. As one can see from FIGS. 1-3, the amount of pressure upon
the cloth securement prongs 24 and the needle 18 is greater due to
the extended angle of the raised hip 12.
[0021] By way of complete description, the present invention
discloses an apparatus for fastening suspenders to a garment that
includes a fastener including a downwardly slanting substantially
planar face plate with an actuating cam face plate member having a
raised hip depending cam member portion for urging downwardly onto
at least one first clamping member. This creates a situation where
the first clamping member is clamped into place against at least
one second back plate member. The first clamping member preferably
includes a needle-like post attached thereto, but may include any
type of post or the like which extends towards the second back
plate member in a complementary relation. The second back plate is
pivotally attached to the first clamping member by means of opposed
side projections which are confined within openings in flanges
extending upwardly from the second back plate member. The second
member preferably includes an opening therein for receiving the
needle-like post attached to the first member. The back plate
member is generally planar and has a plane defined by the back
surface of the back plate.
[0022] Further in the invention is an actuating cam member
including a downwardly slanting face plate with an integral raised
hip depending cam section. The face plate is adjacent to the first
member, and the cam member is pivotally attached to the second
member by opposed side projections which are confined within the
openings of the flanges of the second member. The slanted actuating
cam member exerts a sufficient force to maintain the suspender
fastener in a closed position in operation.
[0023] The first and second members have securement fixtures
attached thereto on the surfaces facing one another, and these
securement fixtures have complementary male and female portions
which come together and cooperate when in a closed position. A
needle-like post is preferably attached to the first member in a
complementary relation to the opening in the second member,
although it may be attached to the second member. The needle-like
post extends through the securement fixture attached to the second
member, such that when the suspender fastener is in a closed
position the post remains attached to the first member, extends
through both the complementary plates, and further extends through
the garment being supported. The post is received by the opening in
the second member, whereby the fabric of the garment being
supported is substantially held fixed.
[0024] In another embodiment, the second back plate member is
pivotally connected to the first member by the downwardly slanting
actuating cam member. This actuating cam is pivotally attached to
the first member over said second member, and is movable between a
closed position in which both members contact and urge the second
member against the first member to close the suspender fastener,
and an open position in which the suspender fastener is released to
permit removal of the suspender fastener from the garment being
supported.
[0025] The inventor also envisions another embodiment which would
include at least two posts attached to either the first or the
second member, and it may also include at least two reinforcements
spaced apart in order to provide more support over a broader area
of the fabric of the garment being supported. The downwardly
slanting face plate is preferably slanting at an angle of from
about 1.degree. to about 40.degree. with respect to the plane of
the second back plate member, although it is most preferably
slanting at an angle from about 10.degree. to about 20.degree..
[0026] The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the
invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and
description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or
variations are possible in light of the above teachings with
regards to the specific embodiments. The embodiment was chosen and
described in order to best illustrate the principles of the
invention and its practical applications to thereby enable one of
ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various
embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the
particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the
invention be defined by the claims which are appended hereto.
* * * * *