AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR PURSES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Hyam and John Hyam, both of Houndsditch,
in the City of London, Warehousemen, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED FASTENING FOR PURSES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."-A communi- .
cation from abroad by Carl Posen, Jacob Posen, and Ludwig Pohl,
trading under the Firm of Eduard Posen and Company of Offenbach, in
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Hyam and John
Hyam at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 13th September 1865.
We, DAVID HYAM and JOHN HYAM, both of Houndsditch, in the City of
London, Warehousemen, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR PURSES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES," commu-
nicated to us from abroad by Carl Posen, Jacob Posen, and Ludwig Pohl,
trading under the Firm of Eduard Posen and Company, all of Offenbach,
in Germany, to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of an improved fastening for a purse or other like
article, and has for its object to effect the opening of the purse or other article
by a single movement and more convenient action than heretofore. For this
purpose we fit a plate, slide, or bolt on the flap or other like opening portion

page_text: of the purse or other article. This plate, bolt, or slide, compresses spiral or
other springs and works on guides; and it is formed with a catch which
engages a pin on the opposite part of the purse or article, such pin being
formed with a niche or recess. The slide or bolt is attached to and moved by
a tab, loop, or piece of leather, or a ring, pin, or stud, preferring however a
moveable or flexible appliance. By actuating this the slide or bolt will
release and slide over the pin, and the flap will be raised and the purse or
other article opened. When the fastening is to be closed the pin is admitted
through an orifice, and is engaged by the catch on the slide which is pressed
over it, and the springs force it into a fastening position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Hyam and John Hyam in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
HYAM and JOHN HYAM, both of Houndsditch, in the City of London, Ware-
housemen, send greeting.
'
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and, successors, give and grant unto.
us, the said David Hyam and John Hyam, Her special licence that we,
the said David Hyam and John Hyam, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said David Hyam and John Hyam, our
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 Ireland, .the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED FASTENING POR.
PURSES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES," communicated to us from abroad by Carl:
Posen, Jacob Posen, and Ludwig Pohl, trading under the Firm of Eduard
Posen and Company, all of Offenbach, in Germany, upon, the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said David Hyam and John Hyam, our exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should
particularly 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

page_text: 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 we, the said David Hyam and John Hyam, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, .reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is, to say :-
This Invention consists of an improved fastening for a purse or other like
article, and has for its object to effect. the opening of the purse or other
article, by a single movement and more convenient action than heretofore..
For this purpose we fit a plate, slide, or, bolt on the flap or other like opening
portion of the purse or other article. This plate, bolt, or slide when pulled or
drawn back to open the purse or article compresses spiral or other springs; it
works on guides, and it is formed with a catch, which engages a pin on the
opposite part of, the purse or article, such pin being formed with a niche or
recess. The slide or bolt is attached to and moved by a tab, loop, or piece of
leather or similar flexible material, or by a ring, pin, or stud. By pulling or
drawing back this appliance the slide, catch, or bolt will be made to release
the pin, and the flap will be raised; and thus by a single pulling action the
purse or other article will be opened. When the fastening is to be closed the-
pin. is introduced through an orifice, in such position that the said pin may be:
attained by the catch, on. the slide which is pressed over it, and the springs.
force.the slide into a fastening position.
We now proceed to describe, more particularly with reference to the
Drawings, in what manner the Invention may be performed.
.0
Figure 1 is a plan. shewing our fastening applied to a purse; Figure 2, is a
longitudinal section, and Figure 4 a plan of the upper member of the fastening
without the under plate i; Figure 3 is a diagram shewing the members of
the fastening engaged; Figure 5 is a plan of the under side of the upper
member of the fastening. (The plate a is not shewn in Figure 2.) Figure 6
plan, and Figure 7. vertical, section of the pin or lower member of the
fastening.
A is the purse. Figures 2 to 7 inclusively are on a larger scale than
Figure 1. We first proceed to describe the upper member or portion of the
fastening.
a is a dished plate. fixed to a plate b, and also to the flap of the purse on
the upper or outer side thereof.. The plate a is cut away at its back edge to
afford passage for a sliding plate c,, which is capable of being slidden. to and
fro between the plates a, b. This plate c is recessed at its front end, and on

page_text: it near the back edge of such recess is a projection d, of a hooked, curved; or
reversed semi-dome or semi-arched shape in a piece with the plate c. This
projection d forms a catch. The front ends e, e, of the plate, which extend
beyond the catch and form the sides of the recess, are bent downward at their
extremities; ff, are wires or slender rods which pass through the ends e, e,
and are attached at their opposite ends to the plate b. These wires fact as
guides for the plate c in its travel; 9, 9, are spiral springs coiled around the
guides f, and abutting at their front ends against the ends e, e, while their
opposite ends abut against the plate b; h is a loop of leather or like flexible
material attached to the plate c at its back end; i is a plate fixed on the
inner or under side of the purse flap, in it is an orifice j. The flap is "cut
away between the plates b, i, to a sufficient extent to afford: space for the
parts c, d, g, k, to work. The other member or portion of the fastening
consists of a pin k, fixed on the body of the purse under and opposite the
orifice j. In this pin is a recess or niche whereof the upper side k* is
straight and the lower ³ oblique; m is the base or foot of the pin, by. which
it is attached to the purse. In order to close the purse the pin kis introduced
'through the orifice j, so as to be engaged with the catch d, as shewn in
Figure 3. The plate c will be held in its forward position, and the catch
consequently kept engaged with the pin by the springs g. In order to
unfasten the purse the loop h is pulled or drawn backward, that is to say, in a
direction away from the pin k, thereby drawing the plate c backward, or in a
direction away from the pin; the plate in its travel compresses the springs.g,
'and 'releases the pink from the catch d, and by continuing to pull or draw
the loop in the same direction the flap will be raised; so that in effect by
pulling or drawing the loop in the direction stated, the engaging members of
the fastening will be disengaged, and the flap raised so as to open or unclose
the purse by one pulling action or movement. Instead of using a loop, (a tab
or strip of leather or like flexible material, or a pin, stud, or ring may be
employed in the' same manner.
,
In reference to the Drawings, we have described the fastening as applied
to a purse, but it may be applied in the same manner to other similar articles,
having flaps or like opening parts.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and in what manner
the same may be performed, we declare that in reference to our fastening. we
'do not claim its mechanical parts considered separately and apart from their
arrangement and combination in manner set forth, and we declare that what
we claim is, a fastening having its parts constructed, arranged, and combined
substantially as described so that by a single pulling or drawing action the

page_text: fastening shall be opened, and the flap or opening part of the purse or other
article to which it is applied shall be raised as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said David Hyam and John Hyam, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
M. A. GREEN.
DAVID HYAM. (L.S.)
JOHN HYAM. (L.S.)