IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR BRACELETS AND NECKLETS."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Millward Banks, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturing Jeweller, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FASTENINGS FOR BRACELETS AND NECKLETS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Millward Banks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th March 1881.
JOHN MILLWARD BANKS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturing Jeweller. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR BRACELETS AND
NECKLETS."
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of fastenings for
bracelets, and necklets in the manner hereinafter described.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a bracelet consisting of two
nearly semi-elliptical parts hinged together.
In the face of one of the free ends of the bracelet I make a slot, and on the face
of the other end I fix a flat tongue of a size and shape suitable to enter the said
slot, and to work in the said slot as a guide in the closing of the bracelet. The
said flat tongue is hollow and open at its sides or longer edges. In the said hollow
flat tongue is a steel or other spring, having nearly the shape of the letter U. The
top of each arm of this spring inclines slightly outwards, and on the outer side of
each of the said arms and near its top is a tooth or projection, the upper side of
each tooth being at right angles to the arm and the under side inclined. When
the spring is in its normal or uncompressed state these teeth project from the sides
of the hollow tongue.
Pushers working in the end of the bracelet having the hollow tongue project
from each side of the bracelet. The inner ends of these pushers bear respectively
against the tops of the arms of the U shaped spring.
The action of the parts is as follows:-When the bracelet is closed the hollow
tongue on one end enters the slot in the other. When the two ends have nearly
come into contact the inclined sides of the teeth are brought against the ends of the
slots, and the said teeth are pressed into the hollow tongue.

page_text: immediately before the closing is completed the said teeth have passed the ends
of the slots and the said teeth by the action of the spring snap behind the ends of
the slot, and prevent the withdrawal of the tongue from the slot.
The bracelet is thereby fastened. In order to unfasten the bracelet it is only
necessary to press upon the pushers with the thumb and finger, when the teeth are
forced inwards and no longer oppose the withdrawal of the hollow tongue from
the slot.
The U shaped spring carrying the teeth may have a smaller U shaped spring
within it to give greater elasticity; or a coiled spring may be placed between the
arms of the Ū shaped spring for the same purpose; or the U shaped piece carrying
the teeth may be made in two inelastic symmetrical parts jointed together at
bottom, and having at top branches at right angles to the arms, the said branches
constituting the pushers. The required elasticity is obtained by means of a coiled
or other spring between the branches.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Millward Banks in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th August 1881.
JOHN MILLWARD BANKS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturing Jeweller. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR BRACELETS AND
NECKLETS."
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of fastenings for
bracelets and necklets in the manner herein after described.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a bracket consisting of two
nearly semi-elliptical parts hinged together.
In the face of one of the free ends of the bracelet I make a slot, and on the face
of the other end I fix a flat tongue of a size and shape suitable to enter the said
slot, and to work in the said slot as a gnide on the closing of the said bracelet.
The said flat tongue is hollow and open at its sides or longer edges. In the said
hollow flat tongue is a steel or other spring, having nearly the shape of the letter U.
The top of each arm of this spring inclines slightly outwards, and on the outer side
of each of the said arms and near its top is a tooth or projection, the upper side of
each tooth being at right angles to the arm, and the under side inclined. When
the spring is in its normal or uncompressed state these teeth project from the sides
of the hollow tongue.
Pushers working in the end of the bracelet having the hollow tongue project
from each side of the bracelet. The inner ends of these pushers bear respectively
against the tops of the arms of the U shaped spring.
The action of the parts is as follows:-When the bracelet is closed the hollow
tongue on one end enters the slot in the other. When the two ends have nearly

page_text: come in contact the inclined sides of the teeth are brought against the ends of the
slot, and the said teeth are pressed into the hollow tongue. Immediately before."
the closing is completed the said teeth have passed the ends of the slot, and the said
teeth by the action of the spring snap behind the ends of the slot and prevent the
withdrawal of the tongue from the slot. The bracelet is thereby fastened. In order
to unfasten the bracelet it is only necessary to press upon the pushers with the
thumb and finger, when the teeth are forced inwards and no longer oppose the
withdrawal of the hollow tongue from the slot.
The Ushaped spring carrying the teeth may have a smaller U shaped spring
within it to give greater elasticity; or a coiled spring may be placed between the
arms of the U shaped spring for the same purpose; or the U shaped piece carrying
the teeth may be made in two inelastic symmetrical parts, having at top branches
at right angle to the arms, the said branches constituting the pushers. The
required elasticity is obtained by means of a coiled or other spring between the
branches.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation closed and Figure 2 in side elevation open
a bracelet provided with a fastening constructed according to my Invention ;
Figure 3 represents the same view as Figure 1, with a portion in section, drawn to
a larger scale, and Figure 4 represents the same view as Figure 2, with a portion in
section, drawn to a larger scale; Figures 5, 6, and 7 represent parts of the bracelet
and fastening drawn to the same scale as Figures 3 and 4.
The same letters indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a, b, are the two halves of the bracelet, jointed together as usual. On the
meeting face e of the half bracelet a a flat tongue c is fixed, and in the meeting face
of the other half b is a slot d of a size and shape suitable for the said flat tongue c
to enter, the said flat tongue acting as a guide on the closing of a bracelet. The
flat tongue c, in conjunction with the angular plate e, which constitutes the meeting
face of the half bracelet a, is shown separately in front elevation, side elevation,
and edge view in Figure 5. The said flat guide or tongue c is hollow and open at
its sides, the said flat tongue being made by folding or doubling a strip of metal,
one end of the doubled strip being connected to the angular plate e, as best seen in
the edge view of Figure 5.
Situated in the hollow flat tongue c are two teeth f, f, the outer side of each
tooth being inclined. Made in one piece with each of the inclined teeth ƒ is a
pusher g. The inclined teeth and their pushers are represented detached from the
bracelet in Figure 7. The said teeth and pushers are arranged in the meeting end
of the part a of the bracelet, in the manner best seen in Figure 4. Between the
two teeth f, f, is a coiled spring h, by which they are pushed outwards or asunder,
so that in their normal positions their inclined edges slightly project from the open
edges or sides of the projecting flat tongue c. The outward motion of the said
teeth is limited by the recesses at i in them bearing against the edges of the slot in
the angular plate e, through which the tongue c is passed, and to which it is con-
nected. The pushers g, g, project from the edges of the part a of the bracelet, and
work between the angular plate e and the closed back c³ of the tongue c, the said
closed back acting as a stop to limit the inward motion of the pushers. The
back c² is a separate piece inserted and fixed between the open end of the tongue c
in the making up of the bracelet. An edge view of the pushers carried by the
angular plate e is represented in Figure 6.
When the bracelet is closed the hollow tongue c on the part a enters the slot d
in the other part b. As the bracelet is being closed the inclined sides of the
teeth ff, are brought against the ends of the slot d, and the said teeth are pressed
into the hollow tongue c and the spring / between them compressed. Immediately
before the closing of the bracelet is completed the teeth f, f, have passed the ends
of the slot d, and by the action of the spring / the shoulders of the said teeth snap

page_text: behind the ends of the slot d, as illustrated in Figure 3, and the two parts of the
bracelet are fastened together. To unfasten the bracelet the pushers g, g, are
pressed inwards by the thumb and finger. The teeth f, f, are thereby forced
inwards, and their shoulders withdrawn from the edges of the slot d. The bracelet
is thus unfastened and the two parts may be opened.
Instead of using two separate inelastic inclined teeth f, f, carrying pushers, as
described and illustrated, the teeth which engage with the slot d may be carried by
or made in one piece with the arms of a U shaped spring arranged in the hollow
tongue c, separate pushers being employed to release the said elastic teeth for
unfastening the bracelet. The action of this arrangement is in all essential respect
the same as that described and represented.
The parts of a fastening for a necklet are constructed and arranged substantially
in the manner herein described and illustrated with respect to a bracelet
fastening.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which it is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention, the improvements in fastenings for bracelets and necklets, herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, the com-
bination with the flat hollow tongue or guide c projecting from the meeting face of
one part of the bracelet or one end of the necklet of inclined teeth f, f, having
pushers g, g, and having a spring / between them, the fastening of the two parts or
ends of the article being effected by the engaging of the said teeth with the ends of
a slot in the other part of the article, the several parts of the fastening being con-
structed and arranged substantially as described and illustrated; also the arrange-
ment described, in which the inclined teeth are made from or are carried by the
arms of a shaped spring.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Millward Banks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty-one.