Laundering Clasp

Abstract

A clasping device for preventing a pair of clothing articles such as stockings, socks, mittens and the like from becoming separated during laundering. A flat strip of flexible and resilient material having a head portion, a narrower neck portion, a body portion connected to the head portion by the neck portion and having an opening sufficiently large to admit the head portion, and an end portion having a slot extending from the body opening large enough to receive the neck portion but small enough to prevent passage therethrough of the head portion.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to devices for securing together articles of clothing. More particularly, it relates to a clasping device for securing together a pair of stockings, socks, mittens and the like during laundering operations.

2. Description of the Prior Art

When clothing is machine washed and dried the garments are tossed, turned and tumbled together. As a result the various articles of clothing must be separated and sorted after each such washing and drying. This is an especially laborious chore for the housewife when the laundry contains many pairs of stockings or socks. It is, moreover, a frustrating experience for her to attempt to match such stockings when one stocking of a pair becomes lost leaving an odd stocking.

A novel way to facilitate this sorting operation and thereby ease the housewife's burden is for the wearer to clasp each pair of soiled stockings or socks together when he removes them. Thus, when these stockings are subsequently placed in the washing machine along with the rest of the laundry they will remain matched throughout the laundering process. No further sorting will be necessary and the risk of losing a single stocking is eliminated.

There are many devices known in the prior art for securing one article of clothing to another. U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,279 discloses a stocking gripper for fastening stockings or garters to an undergarment such as a girdle. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,119,163 and 3,462,809 each disclose a garment clip of generally U-shaped configuration with the legs of the clip joined in a spring loop. U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,213 discloses a clasping device for securing the ends of a baby diaper. None of the aforementioned art discloses a device for adequately securing together a pair of stockings or the like during laundering.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

My clasping device is made from a flat sheet of flexible and resilient material and has a head portion, a neck portion, a body portion and an end portion. A pair of stockings or socks is laid across the body portion and the clasping device is folded around the stockings or socks. The head portion passes through an opening in the body portion and the neck portion is inserted within a slot in the end portion. The end portion engages the head portion and prevents the clasping device from returning to its flat position.

The clasping device will withstand repeated and prolonged contact with water and detergents without deterioration. It will also withstand the high temperatures used in modern driers without shriveling or catching fire. As a practical matter the clasping device is inexpensive to manufacture so that a sufficient number of them can be purchased by a family or a single person to cover their entire needs at a nominal cost. Also the clasping device is convenient to use as it not only reduces the physical burden of sorting the stockings but it saves time as well.

Further objects, features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention for exemplification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a clasping device in its closed position exemplifying the principles of my invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the clasping device of FIG. 1 in its flat open position.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the clasping view of FIG. 1 in its closed position .

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, my clasping device is shown generally at 10 in FIGS. 1-3.

As seen best in FIG. 2, the clasping device 10 comprises a flat strip of flexible and resilient plastic material such as polyethylene having an enlarged head portion 11, a neck portion 12, a body portion 13, and a U-shaped end portion 14.

The enlarged head portion 11 is substantially wider than the neck portion 12, which connects the head portion 11 to the body portion 13. The body portion 13 has an opening 16 of sufficient width to permit the head portion 11 to be inserted therethrough. The U-shaped end portion 14 has a reduced slot 15 extending from the body opening 16 which is sufficiently wide to receive the neck portion 12 and sufficiently narrow to prevent the head portion 11 from passing transversely therethrough.

In use, a pair of socks is laid across the body portion 13, the clasping device 10 is folded around the pair of socks, the head portion 11 is inserted through the body opening 16, the neck portion 12 is inserted within the slot 15, and the end portion 14 engages the head portion 11 to maintain the clasping device 10 in the closed position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

As seen best in FIG. 1 the clasping device 10 in its closed position forms two loops 17 circumscribed by the sidewalls of the body portion 13. The width of the loops 17 will therefore depend on the size of the opening 16 in the body portion 13. It is preferred that the opening 16 be made large so that the sidewalls forming the loops 17 will consist of narrow strips of material substantially set apart from each other. The pair of socks will tend to bulge between the loops 17 thereby preventing the socks from wriggling out of the clasping device 10.

Bending the clasping device 10 to its closed position creates a spring-like force due to the resiliency of the material. This force tends to return the clasping device 10 to its flat open position. However, when the head portion 11 is secured by the end portion 14 in the closed position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the force provides a spring action which keeps the head portion 11 firmly engaged behind the end portion 14 throughout the laundering operation. After the pair of socks has been washed, dried and separated from the remainder of the laundry they are easily released from the clasping device 10 by applying pressure on the head portion 11 to disengage the neck portion 12 from the slot 15 and by pushing the head portion 11 back through the body opening 16. The socks can then be removed and the clasping device 10 can be flattened to its original open position ready for reuse.

It is understood that my invention is not confined to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described, but embraces all such modified forms thereof as may come within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A clasping device for securing together a pair of clothing articles to prevent separation thereof during laundering operations comprising:

a. a flat strip of flexible and resilient material having an enlarged head portion, a neck portion, a body portion and a U-shaped end portion,

b. said head portion being substantially wider than said neck portion,

c. said neck portion connecting said head portion and said body portion,

d. said body portion having a pair of narrow strip sidewalls substantially set apart from each other to define an opening of substantially greater width than said sidewalls and of greater width than said enlarged head portion to permit said head portion to be inserted therethrough,

e. said U-shaped end portion defining a reduced slot extending from said body opening which is sufficiently wide to receive said neck portion and sufficiently narrow so that said U-shaped end portion engages said enlarged head portion and prevents said head portion from passing transversely through said reduced slot in said end portion.