IM- PROVEMENTS. IN THE CLASPS OR FASTENINGS OF PURSES, BAGS, PORTFOLIOS, TOBACCO POUCHES, & OTHER LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer & Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS. IN THE CLASPS OR FASTENINGS OF PURSES, BAGS, PORTFOLIOS,
TOBACCO POUCHES, & OTHER LIKE ARTICLES." A communication from
abroad by Mr. Joseph Schoenfeld, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris;
in the Empire of France, Leather Case Manufacturer.
-
Sealed the 2nd May 1862, and dated the 27th November 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
November 1861.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer & Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CLASPS OR FASTENINGS OF PURSES, BAGS, PORTFOLIOS,
TOBACCO POUCHES, & OTHER LIKE ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved fastenings for portemonnaies, portfolios,
tobacco pouches, reticules, travelling bags, & such like articles.
It consists of a frame of two parts hinged together, having catches and
corresponding stop pieces disposed, one set on each side of the frame near the
hinges. The catch of one part is placed in such relation to the stop or' catch'
piece of the other part that a double fastening is effected, the one being con-
trolled by the other. The two catches must be acted on simultaneously in

page_text: order to open the bag or other article. They are released by the action of an
ordinary thumb knob, outside the stem of which is received in a socket forming
the axis of the hinge. A spring or springs are fitted & concealed under the
hinges in order to effect the self-closing of the two parts of the frame.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
May 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Clark, my Her special licence, that I, the said William Clark,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire-
land, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CLASPS OR FASTENINGS OF PURSES, BAGS, PORTFOLIOS, TOBACCO
POUCHES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES," a communication from Mr. Joseph
Shoenfeld, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, in the Empire of France,
Leather Case Manufacturer, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Clark, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should .par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being bad to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is, to say) :-

page_text: This invention relates to a new system of fastenings for portemonnaies,
tobacco pouches, reticules, portfolios, travelling bags, and such like articles.
Portemonnaies of the ordinary kind, when closed, are secured by means of
a catch variously disposed placed at the upper part of the frame, and when
unlocked the two parts of the frame of the portmonnaie or other article remain
closed so that one is obliged to separate them to obtain access to the
interior.
Portemonnaies manufactured according to this Invention can be of any form
and the same number of parts as others, but with two catches instead of
one for fastening it, and instead of being placed at the upper part of the frame
of the bag, are placed one at each side of the said mouth, giving greater
facility for opening the same and preventing its self-fastening again after
unlocking.
Again to effect the opening of these fastenings when closed, I place a spring
round the axis of rotation of the two closing frames which tends constantly to
open it in such way that when once unlocked or unfastened the springs act so
as to open it automatically.
I have represented in the annexed Drawing this improved fastening
as applied to a portemonnaie.
Fig. 1 shows a portemonnaie open, furnished with the new fastening; Fig. 2
shows the same in elevation, closed; Figs. 3 and 4 show details to be herein-
after described. In the different Figures the same letters represent the same
parts seen in different views.
a, purse or portmonnaie; b, gusset placed in the interior of the portemonnaie ;
c, c, frame of the fastening. These frames are similar to those of portemonnaies
at present in use. d, d, springs fixed to each frame. These springs carry a
small inclined tumbler or catch f; g, g, small bolt placed on each frame
opposite the tumblers f, the one entering and holding to the other when closing
the purse; h, h, buttons or knobs for acting on springs d, d, by means of small
rods i, i, traversing the axes of rotation of frames c, c; j, spring represented in
red placed round the axis of rotation of frames c, c, the two ends of which
lodge in the interior of said frames, & act so as to separate the one from the
other when unlocked or unfastened; k, k, sheath or socket serving as axis
of rotation to the two frames c, c, and allowing the rods i, i, to pass through
their centre. Thus it will be understood that if, when the portemonnaie is
closed, the two buttons h, h, are pressed, the bolts g, g, disengage from the
catches f, f, and the spring j, which tends to separate the frames, opens the
portemonnaie automatically.
Having described the nature of this Invention and the manner of performing

page_text: the same, I declare that what I-claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the arrangement and con-
struction of fastenings for the frames of portemonnaies and other like articles
as aboved described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
W. G. SWINNOCK,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L:S.)