U.S. patent number 3,836,049 [Application Number 05/378,653] was granted by the patent office on 1974-09-17 for clasp.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Gulf & Western Manufacturing Company (Eastern Group). Invention is credited to Lynwood Vincent Smith.
United States Patent |
3,836,049 |
Smith |
September 17, 1974 |
CLASP
Abstract
A two-piece clasp for securing a belt or half-belt in which each
piece is substantially identical in structure and when two pieces
are combined to form a clasp one piece is in reverse mirror image
position with respect to the other. A dual latch, dual catch
arrangement maintains the clasp in desired orientation when
engaged.
Inventors: |
Smith; Lynwood Vincent
(Farmington, CT) |
Assignee: |
Gulf & Western Manufacturing
Company (Eastern Group) (New York, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
23493995 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/378,653 |
Filed: |
July 12, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/587.12;
24/DIG.38 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44B
11/2588 (20130101); Y10S 24/38 (20130101); Y10T
24/45194 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A44B
11/25 (20060101); A44b 017/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;24/75,21HH,21BN,21CF |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,943 |
|
Jul 1870 |
|
GB |
|
759,167 |
|
Jan 1934 |
|
FR |
|
1,082,106 |
|
Dec 1954 |
|
FR |
|
17,584 |
|
Oct 1891 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Gelak; Bernard A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Merklen; Kenneth E. Harrison, Jr.;
Thomas E. Sherman; Charles I.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A two-piece clasp having substantially identical components
capable of entering into engaged relationship with each other, each
component including:
a retainer portion having a loop opening, for retaining a
strap,
a plate portion lying in a plane parallel to said retainer portion
and offset therefrom, having an inner edge adjacent said retainer
portion, whereby the inner edge of one plate portion abuts the
inner edge of the other plate portion for preventing separation of
the two components,
an enclosure formed on three sides by said retainer portion and on
the fourth side by said inner edge of said plate portion, said
enclosure for receiving a tongue and restricting lateral movement
of said tongue on both sides thereof,
a tongue coupled to said plate portion and lying in the same plane
as said retainer portion for recessing into said enclosure and for
securing said inner edge of one said plate portion against the said
inner edge of the other said plate portion and
a laterally extending slot formed on two sides by said retainer
portion and on the third side by said inner edge, said tongue
extending into said laterally extending slot from said plate
portion.
Description
The present invention relates to clasps used to secure the ends of
a belt or belting. Although the present embodiment is presented and
described as including an ornamental plate suitable for personal
use, the clasp may be used for securing belts or belting used for
non-personal purposes.
Belts and semi-belts are in substantial use in personal attire on
outer wear such as coats, jackets, slacks, etc. as well as
indoor-wear for both women and men. The use of buckles and/or
clasps on belts and semi-belts or half-belts is old, however, the
present clasp which may be used to hold a belt or half-belt
together, such as the function performed by a buckle, has several
novel features, some of which are advantageous to the manufacture,
others of which are advantageous to the wearer.
In particular, the present invention is a two-piece clasp in which
each piece or component of the two-piece clasp is identical. The
fact that each component is identical permits manufacturing
techniques in which the components of the two-piece clasp may be
cast or stamped in identical molds or dies, according to the
manufacturing process used to produce the components. Regardless of
the manufacturing process used to make the components, any
finishing work to be performed on the individual component would be
repetitive among components. Thus, this novel two-piece clasp may
be manufactured using the most straightforward production-line type
operation. Any two identical components, as shown herein, may be
used to form the two-piece clasp by merely rotating one of the
components 180.degree. with respect to the other component, making
the rotated component appear as a reverse mirror image of the
non-rotated component. The components may then be coupled together
as shown and described herein, forming a secured clasp.
The structure of the two-piece clasp is such that although the
clasp is easily manually opened and separated, the structure is
such that self-separation of the components is made difficult. The
double latch or tongue and double catch arrangement not only holds
the two-piece clasp together and avoids easy self-separation but
holds the individual components properly oriented with respect to
each other thereby maintaining an attractive appearance. The clasp
is easily secured and easily opened by manual manipulation.
Since the components of the two-piece clasp are identical, to
describe one is to describe the other. When in actual use, one of
the two identical components is used as the right side component
and the other identical component is used as the left side
component. When in use, both components are oriented in the same
plane and one of these components, while in the same plane is
essentially rotated 180.degree. with respect to the other component
so that the rotated component appears in reverse mirror image of
the other component.
Each component is shown as including an ornamental plate which may
be of any design and/or color. The ornamental plate of the
disclosed two-piece clasp has the appearance of a hinge and is used
for illustrative purposes only. The appearance of the ornamental
plate is not limited to any particular design and could be any
color, configuration, design and/or combination thereof which, when
one of the ornamental plates is in reverse mirror image is
compatible with the other ornamental plate.
Each component includes a belt loop retainer through which one end
of a belt is passed and then secured on itself, for example.
Between the belt loop retainer and the ornamental plate is an
engaging channel which extends halfway along the ornamental plate.
Within the engaging channel is locking tongue. The other half of
the connection between the belt loop retainer and the ornamental
plate is a catch, into which the locking tongue of the opposite
component fits. Each ornamental plate is made in raised-step
configuration so that when the two pieces of the clasp are engaged
the locking tongue of each piece engages the back of the ornamental
of the opposite piece and the ornamental plates abut each other
aiding in securing the two-piece clasp from separation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a
two-piece clasp of identical components.
Another object is to provide a two-piece clasp easily manipulated
into engagement and easily manipulated out of engagement but which
will not easily self-disengage.
These and other objects will become apparent from reading the
following description of the invention with reference to the
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present
novel two-piece clasp with a belt attached thereto;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the two components of the two-piece
clasp fitted together;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the two components of the two-piece clasp
separated and
FIG. 4 is a view of the back side of the components of the
two-piece clasp.
Referring to the drawings, the illustrations of the novel two-piece
clasp shown in the various FIGS. are substantially in actual size,
although no limitation as to the size of the pieces of the
two-piece clasp is intended by such presentation. FIG. 1 shows the
two-piece clasp in coupled configuration with a belt. The belt 10
is shown in FIG. 1 and part of the belt 10 is shown in FIG. 3 in
which the two components or pieces of the clasp are shown
separated. FIG. 2 in perspective view shows the two pieces of the
clasp coupled, but not locked together. FIG. 4 clearly shows the
locking latch or tongue, as does FIG. 3, and from FIGS. 2, 3 and 4
it can be seen how the latch of one piece fits into the catch of
the opposite piece, the latch extending into the catch and under
the base of the ornamental plate of the opposite piece.
Each component, although identical to each other, is, when used as
a part of the clasp, a reverse mirror image of the other
component.
The clasp is composed of two pieces, and since they are identical
corresponding parts will be labeled with corresponding call-out
numbers but identified by L and R for left and right
respectively.
Each component has a belt loop retainer or belt ring 11L and 11R
into which the end of the belt 10 is passed. This is illustrated in
FIG. 1. The ends of the belt are each passed through one of the
loops and folded back on itself and held in some manner, such as by
stitching, the belt end on itslef, for example. FIG. 1 shows the
belt ends 12 and 13 folded back on the body of the belt 10. FIG. 1
shows how the ornamental plates 15L and 15R appear when the two
pieces of the two piece clasp are fitted together. FIG. 1 and FIG.
2 also clearly show that the base or ornamental plate 15 is stepped
up so that when the two components are fitted together the face of
each ornamental plate is in the same plane.
Each clasp piece or component includes an engaging channel 16 (16L
and 16R) and a locking tongue or latch 17 (17L and 17R) and a catch
18 (18L and 18R). When the two pieces of the clasp are fitted
together via their respective engaging channels, such as seen in
FIG. 2 the locking tongue or latch 17R of the right hand piece fits
into catch 18L of the left hand piece and the locking tongue or
latch 17L of the left hand piece fits into catch 18R of the right
hand piece. The latch 17R fits under the base or ornamental plate
15L and the latch 17L fits under the base of ornamental plate 15R.
The ornamental plates 15R and 15L, in juxtaposition, lie over the
engaging channel and catch 16L/17L and 16R/17R respectively. With
the locking tongue 17 fitted into the catch 18 of the opposite
piece, the clasp is locked together and movement of the two
components with respect to each other is prevented.
As seen clearly in FIG. 2 the base or ornamental plate 15 of each
piece of the two piece clasp is stepped above the plate in which
the tongue 17, catch 18 and belt loop retainer or belt ring 11 are
in. The raised-step configuration of the base plate 15 permits the
tongue 17 of one piece to become engaged in the catch 18 of the
other piece and extend under base plate 15 of the other piece,
locking the base plates in juxtaposition with the abutting edges of
the ornamental or base plates held against each other, holding the
two pieces or components of the clasp in engagement.
Having thus described my novel two-piece clasp, one can see that
while the double latch and double catch arrangement serves to hold
the two pieces of the clasp in secured engagement and alignment,
the raised-step ornamental or base plates, in juxtaposition, also
serves to keep the clasp from separating.
The structure of one embodiment having been shown and described it
will be apparent to one skilled in the art that changes and
alterations in the appearance, structure and design may be made
without departing from the spirit of the invention.
* * * * *