A New or Improved Clasp for Braces, Belts, Traces, and other Articles of a like nature.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Oct., 1893-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Clasp for Braces, Belts, Traces, and other
Articles of a like nature.
| William HeNRY DALLIMORE of 64 Lynette Avenue, Clapham Common,
South Side, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of a mechanical contrivance made of brass or other
suitable metal for fastening and unfastening braces belts traces and other like
articles without unbuttoning or unhooking the same.
This contrivance may be constructed in two ways.
follows:-
One construction is as
Affixed to but at the lower part of the ordinary three barred clasp now in
common use for lengthening and shortening the brace I affix a plate about 14 inches
long turned outwards at right angles at the bottom a distance of about an inch
from the top and turned upwards again parallel with the other or back part of the
plate and giving a space between of about of an inch, less or more.
In the lower side of this parallelogram which I call the holder two slots are cut
to receive the points hereinafter mentioned.
Below the lower side of the holder is placed a bar on each end of which is
pivotted an oscillating bar the upper end of which is curved from the fulcrum
outwards and upwards and the lower arm curved from the fulcrum outwards a il
downwards.
The upper arm of each bar is turned down at the top inwards toward each other
and the two ends pointed or bent downward to form points or pins to fit into the
slots before mentioned.
The two oscillating bars are kept in position by a spring or springs.
For the purpose of lifting the two points out of the slots and thus unfastening the
brace the two lower arms of the oscillating bars are pressed toward each other.
This movement of the lower arms withdraws the points from the slots.
For the purpose of fastening the brace the same pressure is applied and the
parallel plates are brought down into position and the pressure taken off on which
the points then drop into the slots: or, instead of doing this, the operator may lift
the oscillating bars (without pressure on the lower arms) and carry them over the
top of the outer or front plate of the holder and allow the points to slide into the
slots automatically.
Between the inner faces of the back and front sides of the holder a small thin
plate of elastic steel is fixed on the back plate and bent forward to touch the inside
of the front plate and thus acts as a cover to the oscillating bars when in position
and so prevents them from rising or jumping and unfastening the brace.
The other construction of my invention is as follows
The holder is furnished with a third slot and the oscillating bars may have their
upper parts turned outwards instead of inwards so that when pressed together they
come back to back and when so pressed together are run through the third slot.
On the pressure being removed they separate and the points drop into the slots
cut for their reception; or these two slots may be dispensed with and the points
made to slip over the sides of the holder.
The cord carrying the eyes or loops to go over the buttons may be suspended
from the before mentioned contrivance by a loop or small pulley or in any other

page_text: This invention can be applied to belts, traces, straps, and other like articles by
making the clasps of stronger and thicker material.
Dated this 30th day of December 1892.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Clasp for Braces, Belts, Traces, and other
Articles of a like nature.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DALLIMORE, of 64 Lynette Avenue, Clapham Common
South Side, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
-described-and-ascertained-in-and-by-the-following-statement:=
The object of my invention is to provide improved clasps for facilitating the
attachment and detachment of braces, belts, traces, and other. like articles, to and
from brace ends and the like, without unbuttoning or removing such brace ends, or
analogous appliances, from the articles to which they may be temporarily or
otherwise secured.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascer-
tained, reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar
figures of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate two forms of buckle adapted to be used with my improved
detachable clasp.
Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, of my improved clasp, adapted for use
with brace ends.
Fig. 5 illustrates the methods of attaching and detaching the clasp to and from
the buckle.
To the lower bar of the ordinary three barred buckle, I provide an extension 6,
consisting of a curved plate, having slots or openings 7, 7, formed therein, as shown
in Fig. 1; or instead of the plate 6, two plates 8, 8, may be used, as shown in
Fig. 2ometimes add to the inner sides of the plates 6 and 8, small springs or other
projections, such as that shown at 9 in Fig. 3, for the purpose of preventing
accidental detachment; or the plates 6 and 8 may be made with sufficient spring
power for the same purpose.
The spring clasp shown in Figs. 4 and 5, consists of two plates, held together by
rivets, screws, or other means, or the front and back plates may be formed in oue
piece and bent over each other, leaving sufficient space between the plates for the
hooks, spring, and pulley sheave, next herein after mentioned; or for analogous
appliances, according to the use for which the invention is intended. 10 is the
front plate and 11 the back plate. 12, 12, are two hooks, pivoted at 13, and held
between the plates 10 and 11 so as to work freely. The plates 10 and 11 are
bulged or curved, as shown, to afford room for the spring 14, which draws the
upper parts of the hooks towards each other, until the projections 15 butt against
each other. The hooks are provided with levers 16 for separating the hooks with
the finger and thumb, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5. 17 is a pulley sheave or
roller, turning on a rivet 18, for receiving the cord 19 attached to or forming part
of the brace ends.
The method of using my invention, as applied to braces, will be readily under-
stood from Fig. 5. The buckle is attached to the webbing 20 in the usual manner.
The spring clasp together with the brace ends is then attached to the buckle

page_text: plates 8, 8, by first opening the hooks outwards, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5;
and then allowing the hooks to engage in the plates 8, 8; as shown by solid lines
in Fig. 5.
The attachment may be effected without opening the hooks outwards, by merely
placing the hooks 12 above the plates 8, and springing the hooks into position.
Disengagement is effected by a reverse operation to the foregoing.
In some cases I reverse the form of the hooks by turning them outwards instead
of inwards, so that, when pressed together, they come back to back, and, on the
pressure being removed, they again expand; and I attach them to the buckle by
passing them between the plates 8, or through a long slot in the plate 6 (Fig. 1),
the spring and pivots being modified accordingly, as will be readily understood.
The combination of the spring hooks with the specified form of buckles, or their
mechanical equivalents, together constitute my invention, which may be manu-
factured of iron, brass, steel, or any other suitable materials, or combination of
materials.
Although the foregoing description shows the application of my invention to
braces, it is obvious that, with suitable modifications, it may be applied to belts,
traces, and other articles of a like nature, especially where celerity of manipulation
is desirable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The improved clasp consisting of a buckle provided with one curved plate 6,
with one two or more slot or slots 7 therein, or with two or more plates 8, in com-
bination with spring hooks, severally operating substantially as herein before
described and illustrated by the drawings.
2. In a clasp of the description aforesaid, the combination of a buckle as
aforesaid, with spring hooks consisting of plates 10, 11, hooks 12, 12, pivoted to
the plates, a spring 14, levers 16, 16; the position of the hooks being sometimes
reversed, severally operating substantially as herein before described and illustrated
by the drawings.
3. The general construction, arrangement, and combination of the several and
respective parts, together forming my invention of a new or improved clasp for
braces, belts, traces, and other articles of a like nature, substantially as herein
before described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated 30th September 1893.
GEO.
DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent.