U.S. patent number 3,848,299 [Application Number 05/425,213] was granted by the patent office on 1974-11-19 for jewelry clasp.
Invention is credited to Ernest F. Gray.
United States Patent |
3,848,299 |
Gray |
November 19, 1974 |
JEWELRY CLASP
Abstract
A clasp for jewelry or the like comprising a receptor and a
spring clip. The spring clip has at least one integral spring finer
which is directly angularly upward and is adapted to form a locking
engagement with an integral vertically downwardly directed stop
member on the receptor. A release member extends transversely
across the receptor and is mounted for sliding longitudinal
movement within a pair of aligned horizontal slots formed in
opposite sides of the receptor. The release member is movable to
depress the spring finger and release it from its locking
engagement with the stop member of the receptor.
Inventors: |
Gray; Ernest F. (Laguna Hills,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
26969467 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/425,213 |
Filed: |
December 17, 1973 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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296069 |
Oct 10, 1972 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
24/606; 24/616;
24/618 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44C
5/2047 (20130101); Y10T 24/45482 (20150115); Y10T
24/45534 (20150115); Y10T 24/45545 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A44C
5/20 (20060101); A44C 5/18 (20060101); A44b
017/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;24/23SL,23SC,23F,23B,23CF |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gelak; Bernard A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Comstock; Robert C.
Parent Case Text
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part of my application Ser. No. 296,069
filed Oct. 10, 1972, now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. A clasp comprising a receptor adapted to be connected to one end
of an article to be fastened, said receptor having a base a pair of
substantially vertical side walls, a pair of aligned elongated
horizontally directed slots formed in said side walls substantially
parallel throughout to said base, said receptor having a downwardly
directed stop member adjacent to its free end, a spring clip
adapted to be connected to the other end of said article, said
spring clip having a free end longitudinally insertable into the
free end of said receptor, said spring clip having at least one
integral spring finger extending angularly upwardly therefrom, said
spring finger having one end thereof adapted to be depressed by and
pass beneath said stop member upon the insertion of said spring
clip into said receptor, said end adapted thereafter to be
automatically moved upwardly by the resilience of said spring
finger into locking engagement behind said stop member, and a
release member extending transversely across said receptor and
having its opposite ends slidably extending through said horizontal
slots, each end of said release member having a protuberance
thereon disposed on the outside of said receptor to facilitate
manual engagement and simultaneous sliding movement of both ends of
said release member with respect to said receptor, said release
member being adapted upon movement thereof toward said stop member
to engage and move said end of said spring finger downwardly
beneath said stop member to permit the withdrawal of said spring
clip from said receptor.
2. The structure described in claim 1, said receptor being formed
from a single piece of material bent to form said side walls.
3. The structure described in claim 2, said spring finger being
struck upwardly from the midportion of the base of said spring
clip, said receptor having an integral top wall, said stop member
comprising an integral portion bent downwardly from the midportion
of said top wall.
4. The structure described in claim 1, said spring clip having a
pair of spaced spring fingers comprising the upwardly struck
opposite side edges of the base of said spring clip.
5. The structure described in claim 4, said receptor being formed
from a single piece of material bent upwardly to form said side
walls and bent inwardly to form a pair of top walls extending
inwardly from the upper edges of said side walls to form a pair of
channels overlying said spring fingers, and a pair of stop members
bent downwardly from the ends of said top walls.
6. The structure described in claim 5, said release member having
an upwardly directed hump adjacent the midportion thereof to
prevent said spring clip from passing above instead of beneath said
release member.
7. The structure described in claim 4, said release member having
an upwardly directed hump adjacent the midportion thereof to
prevent said spring clip from passing above instead of beneath said
release member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a clasp which is particularly adapted for
use with articles of jewelry such as bracelets, necklaces, watch
bands and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous jewelry clasps of various types are now in use, but almost
all of them have the common fault that they will accidentally
become open or released. This occurs particularly when pressure is
inadvertently exerted upon the clasp through accidental engagement
with a portion of the body, an article of clothing or a foreign
object of any kind. If the clasp is inadvertently released, a
valuable article of jewelry may become lost or damaged.
For this reason auxiliary fastening devices are often employed such
as safety chains and the like. This is inconvenient to the wearer,
since it means that two separate fastening devices must be operated
each time the article is worn or removed. The auxiliary devices
themselves are also likely to become entagled with articles of
clothing and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a jewelry
clasp which is safe and sure in use and which will not become
inadvertently opened or released, regardless of any accidental
engagement which may occur between the clasp and the body of the
wearer, an article of clothing or any other object whatsoever.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a clasp which is
extremely simple in its structure, so that it can be manufactured
and sold at a reasonable price for widespread use.
If formed of precious metal, the clasp is economical because it
requires only a minimum amount of material.
A further object is to provide a clasp of the type described which
is simple, sure and foolproof to lock and to release, so that it
can be operated easily and without mistakes by the wearer.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a clasp which is
universal in the sense that it is adapted to be used with almost
any article of jewelry which is worn on the body. It can also be
used with any other article which can utilize or benefit from such
a releasable fastening device.
The invention also comprises such other objects, advantages and
capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are
inherently possessed by the invention.
While there is shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred
embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that the same
is susceptible of modification and change without departing from
the spirit of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a first preferred embodiment of a
jewelry clasp constructed in accordance with the invention, with
the clasp in fully closed position;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same;
FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the same;
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on line
4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, with the release member and
spring fingers in released position;
FIG. 6 is an exploded longitudinal sectional view showing the parts
of the clasp separated from each other;
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a second preferred embodiment, with
the clasp in fully closed position;
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the same;
FIG. 9 is an end elevational view of the same;
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on line
10--10 of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10, with the release member and
spring finger in released position;
FIG. 12 is an exploded longitudinal sectional view showing the
parts of the clip separated from each other.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings, a first preferred
embodiment which has been selected to illustrate the invention
comprises a receptor 10, which is adapted to be attached to the end
of a bracelet, necklace or other member which is to be removably
fastened together. A spring clip 11 is adapted to be attached to
the other end. The spring clip 11 is adapted to be removably
inserted into and removed from the receptor 10 as hereinafter
described.
The receptor 10 is provided with a flat base 12, along the sides of
which are a pair of integral vertically directed side walls 13, the
upper ends of which are bent inwardly at a right angle to form a
pair of top walls 14. The top walls 14 preferably extend only
partially across the top of the receptor 10, as shown in the
drawings. The entire receptor 10, including the base 12, and side
walls 13 and top walls 14 may conveniently be formed from a single
piece of material.
The top walls 14, side walls 13 and the outer side portions of the
base 12 cooperate to define a pair of elongated channels 15 which
extend along the opposite sides of the receptor 10.
Each of the side walls 13 is provided with an elongated slot 16,
the lower edge of which is disposed substantially along the
midportion of each side wall 13. The slots 16 are preferably of
equal dimensions and in alignment with each other.
An elongated flat release member 17 having a central hump 17a is
mounted for sliding longitudinal movement along the slots 16. The
release member 17 extends transversely completely across the
receptor 10, with its opposite ends extending through the slots 16.
Each end of the release member 17 is provided with a small knob 18
or other suitable protuberance or enlargement which acts to prevent
the release member 17 from slipping through the slots 16. The knobs
18 also provide finger engaging means for manual sliding movement
of the release member 17 longitudinally with respect to the
receptor 10.
The spring clip 11 has a flat base 21, at one end of which is an
integral vertically upwardly directed wall 21a. The side edges of
the base 21 are struck or deflected upwardly from the base 21 to
form a pair of spring fingers 22. The spring fingers 22 normally
extend upwardly at an acute angle with respect to the base 21. The
spring clip 11 is preferably formed of somewhat resilient material
and may be conveniently formed by bending a single piece of metal.
The spring fingers 22 are preferably substantially equal in width
and length to the channels 15 of the receptor 10.
The receptor 10 and spring clip 11 are adapted to be attached by
any suitable means known to those skilled in the art to the
opposite ends of an article for which they are to provide
detachable fastening means.
The spring clip 11 is detachably connected to the receptor 10 by
inserting the end 20 remote from the wall 21a into the free end of
the receptor 10. The outer ends of the top walls 14 of the receptor
10 are bent downwardly at substantially a right angle to provide a
pair of integral stop members 19. As the spring clip 11 is inserted
into the receptor 10, the lower edges of the stop members 19 engage
the upper surfaces of the spring fingers 22 and cause them to be
progressively depressed.
As the spring clip 11 is inserted into the receptor 10, the outer
end 20 of the spring clip 11 extends beneath the release member 17
and frictionally engages it to move the release member 17 toward
the rear or inner ends of the slots 16. The release member 17
accordingly does not prevent or interfere with the movement of the
spring clip 11 into the receptor 10.
When the spring clip 11 has been moved into the receptor 10 to the
point where the free ends of the spring fingers 22 are moved
inwardly beyond the stop members 19, the spring fingers 22 are no
longer engaged by the lower edges of the stop members 19 and they
are accordingly free to move upwardly by their own resilience until
they engage the lower surfaces of the top walls 14.
The device is then in locked position and the spring clip 11 cannot
be removed from the receptor 10 because the ends of the spring
fingers 22 are disposed directly behind and abut against the inner
surfaces of the stop members 19 to prevent such removal or
withdrawal of the spring clip 11.
In order to separate the spring clip 11 from the receptor 10, it is
necessary first for the wearer or user to grasp the knobs 18 of the
release member 17 with the fingers and move both ends of the
release member 17 forwardly or outwardly simultaneously. As the
release member 17 is moved, its lower surface slidably engages the
upper surface of the spring fingers 22 and progressively depresses
the free ends of the spring fingers 22. By the time the release
member 17 reaches the forward or outer ends of the slots 16, it has
depressed the free ends of the spring fingers 22 a sufficient
distance so that the spring fingers 22 can be moved beneath the
lower edges of the stop members 19. The spring clip 11 may then be
slidably removed from the receptor 10 by moving those members or
the parts to which they are attached away from each other.
It should particularly be noted that accidental opening of the
device is prevented by the fact that movement of only one of the
knobs 18 will not effect release of the spring clip 11 from the
receptor 10. Thus, even if either knob 18 is caught on an article
of clothing or moved forward by contact with another object, the
spring clip 11 will still not be released from the receptor 10.
Release can be achieved only by the simultaneous movement of both
knobs 18 followed by a separating pressure exerted against the
spring clip 11 and/or receptor 10.
FIGS. 7 - 12 of the drawings show a second preferred embodiment of
the invention in which the receptor 50 has a base 52, side walls 53
and a top wall 54 which extends completely across the top of the
receptor 50. The side walls 53 have slots 56 across which extends a
release member 57 with knobs 58 similar to the release member
described above, except that it has no central hump.
The spring clip 51 has a flat base 61, at one end of which is a
vertical wall 61a. The midportion of the flat base 61 is struck
upwardly to form a single central spring finger 62.
The outer end of the top wall 54 of the receptor 50 is bent
downwardly at a right angle to form an integral stop member 69. The
stop member 69 may extend across the entire edge of the top wall 54
or only across a portion thereof.
This embodiment operates in substantially the same manner as the
first embodiment described above, the only difference being that it
has a single central spring finger instead of a pair of spaced
spring fingers.
The purpose of the hump 17a in the center of the release member 17
of the first embodiment of the invention is to prevent the inner
end of the spring clip 11 from accidentally passing above the
release member 17 instead of beneath it. Such a hump is not
required in the second embodiment because the closed top wall 54 of
the receptor 50 serves the same purpose.
* * * * *