Improvements in Fasteners or Couplings applicable for Corsets, Gloves, Satchels, Railroad Cars, and other purposes where Fasteners can be applied.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fasteners or Couplings applicable for Corsets,
Gloves, Satchels, Railroad Cars, and other purposes where
Fasteners can be applied.
I, JACOB STERNS of 1833 Lessington Avenue, New York City in the County
and State of New York, United States of America Artist, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a new fastener for joining two parts of mechanism, and
is applicable to all purposes where fasteners can be applied, amongst which I will
mention, for example, corsets, gloves, satchels and railroad cars; but many other
purposes may be named to which the invention is applicable.
The invention mainly consists in the employment of a swivelled arrowhead-like
coupling-bar having beveled or sloping edges in combination with a perforated
keeper through which this arrowhead can be passed in a vertical direction, against
which it will hold in a horizontal direction after having passed through it, all as
hereinafter more fully described.
In the accompanying drawing :-
Figure represents a longitudinal vertical central section of my improved
fastener or coupler, the section being taken on the line 1-1, Figure 2;
Figure 2 is an end view of the same, showing the arrowhead in the act of
entering the keeper;
Figure 3 is a fongitudinal section of the fastener or coupler after it has passed
through the keeper;
Figure 4 is a side view, partly in section, of the fastener or coupler, showing it
in a vertical position ;
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of a modification of the fastener or coupler; and
Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 are face views of various forms of the keeper.
A represents my improved coupling-bar. The same is swivelled as shown at a
to a supporting-bar or rod B, so as to have but one point of support thereon, and
carries a weight C, which weight has the tendency of holding the head of the
bar A in what I term the normal position. The inner end of bar B is preferably
formed with a tapering point B' in a corresponding socket to give a central turning
point and reduce friction. The head of the coupler-bar A is by preference made
in form of an arrowhead, as is indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 and by
full lines in Figure 5, and the converging edges of this arrowhead are beveled
or sloped, as shown at d in the drawing, the two bevels or slopes being in about the
same direction, so that the front edge view of the arrowhead will appear as in
Figure 2 of the drawing, resembling a screw thread. For the purpose of entering
a vertical slot in the keeper, the normal position of the arrowhead 6 is horizontal,
and in this position it is kept by the weight C; but where the keeper has, say, a
horizontal slot instead of a vertical slot, the normal position of the arrowhead
would be vertical, being kept there by the weight; or, instead of by the weight, a
spring C, as in Figure 5, said spring being for the purposes of this Specification
an equivalent of the weight C. The keeper D is a plate having a slot through it,
with beveled or rounded edges e along the circumference of the slot, the said slot
being narrower than the arrowhead is wide and of a length sufficient to allow the
arrowhead to pass through it in one particular position. The vertical sides of the
slot in the keeper D are straight and rounding while the ends of the slot are
semi-circular and rounding. Thus in Figures 1, 2 and 6 I have indicated a
substantially vertical slot in the keeper D with rounded edges.

page_text: This being the main construction of my invention, its operation is as follows:
Supposing the keeper D to have a vertical slot with rounded edges and the arrow-
head of the coupler to be in the normal horizontal position, then as the coupler-bar
is moved lengthwise towards the keeper, or the keeper towards the coupler, the
point of the arrowhead will first enter the slot of the keeper and at the same time
the beveled or screw-like edges of the arrowhead will come in contact with the
rounded edges of the slot, and as the parts are continued to be pushed towards one
another the head b will be turned by virtue of this contact until it reaches a position
which will enable it to pass through the slot of the keeper. This position is
indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 and by full lines in Figure 2 and also by full
lines in Figure 5. After having passed through the slot of the keeper the head b
is no longer under restraint by the narrow walls of the slot, and the weight C, or
its equivalent spring C₁, thereupon turns the coupler-bar A back into its normal
position, in which position the head stands at right angles, substantially, to the
length of the slot of the keeper, as in Figure 3, and can no longer be withdrawn.
Thus the parts are properly coupled together, and can only be uncoupled when it is
desired to have them separated by turning the head back into alignment with the
length of the slot in the keeper D.
It is quite evident from the foregoing Specification that, instead of making the
edges of the head & beveled or screw-thread-like, the edges of the slot in the
keeper may be analogously beveled, those of the head 6 being merely rounded or
reduced, to enable the automatic rotation which is necessary to bring the head
through the slot, and that in many cases, especially where the parts are not very
thick, a mere rounding of the edges will be analogous to the oblique or screw-thread-
like form.
It is also evident from the foregoing description that the weight C will be
raised, as in Figure 2, while the head passes through the slot, and that therefore
after the head has passed through the slot it will be restored to its "norinal
position by the descending weight.
"
Sundry additions for locking the parts together after they have passed the one
through the other may be made without materially modifying the main principle of
my invention. Thus, for example, the head may be perforated, as indicated by
dotted lines in Figure 1, and a pin f passed through the perforation after the head
has passed through the keeper, which contrivance will serve as an additional means
of security; or, instead of the pin being passed through the head, a padlock may
be passed through it with like, or substantially like effect. The head 6 may have
little pins g extending from its base, as indicated in Figure 5 and also in Figure 3,
these pins entering into alignment with notches h in the outer face of the keeper (as
indicated in Figure 2) after the parts have been properly coupled, so as to lock
them in the connected position; and for many cases the head may be pointed in
opposite directions, so that a motion in one direction may couple and a longitudinal
motion in the opposite direction may uncouple the parts. The slot in the keeper
may be oblique, as in Figure 7, or may be horizontal, or in any other direction, and
the parts may be arranged to connect by a vertical longitudinal motion, as in
Figure 4, instead of being made to connect by a horizontal longitudinal motion, as
in Figure 1. In Fig. 8, I have shown a device for automatically locking the
arrowhead in position after it has passed through the keeper into locking position
and also preventing the weight C from jumping when the support is shaken.
consists of a V-shaped spring F, formed with the rigid arm F secured at one end to
a pin beneath the slot of the keeper on its outer face and an elastic or spring
arm extending across the slot of the keeper ou its outer face and adjacent
to its lower end. The V-shaped volute end of the spring F is mounted on a
pin fat one side of the slot of the keeper.
This
The operation of the device is as follows: As the arrowhead 6 passes through
the slot of the keeper its lower edge will ride over and pass down the spring arm F1
until it has passed through the slot when it will turn to its horizontal position as
shown in Fig. 3, when the arm F' will bear against the under broad face of

page_text: the arrowhead and hold it in position. When the arrowhead is turned back by
hand into a vertical position to release it from the keeper, the spring arm F¹ will
yield and allow the arrowhead to pass backwardly over it.
In Fig. 9, I have shown a modified form of locking device G, in lieu of slots h
consisting of a U-shaped projection with hooked shaped ends which is mounted
on the outer face of the keeper or is formed integrally therewith. The pins g will
engage with the hooks in the same manner as with the curved slots h.
All these
and other self-evident modifications may be contrived without departing from the
spirit of my invention.
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 combination of the swiveler coupler-bar A and its weight C, and pointed
head b, with the keeper having slot e, the vertical sides of which are straight and
rounding and the ends curved and rounding, said slot e being adapted to rotate and
deflect the head b to enable said head to pass through said keeper at a predetermined
height, substantially as and for the purposes shown.
2. The combination of the bar B with the bar A swivelled directly to the end of
the bar B, so as to have but one point of support and with the arrow-head at the
free end of the bar A and slotted keeper D, substantially as and for the purpose
shown.
3. The combination of the swivelled coupler-rod A having head b and pins g on
said head, with the slotted keeper D having recesses for the reception of
the pins g on its outer face, substantially as and for the purposes herein shown and
described.
4. The combination of the bar B, having the tapering point B₁ at one end with
the bar A swivelled directly to the end of the bar B so as to have one point
of support, and having the arrowhead b and a slotted keeper D substantially as
shown and described.
5. A keeper for automatic fastenings formed with a slot having rounded edges
on its sides and curved ends with rounded edges substantially as shown and
described.
6. A keeper for automatic fastenings, formed with a diagonal slot having rounded
edges on its sides and curved ends with rounded edges substantially as shown and
described.
7. A keeper for automatic fastenings formed with a slot having rounded edges
on its sides and curved ends with rounded edges and an automatically closing and
opening spring lock located across the slot of the keeper on its outer face
substantially as shown and described.
8. The keeper D with a slot having rounded side edges and curved ends with
rounded edges and the spring lock or keeper F with the spring arm F¹ extending
across the slot of keeper D on its outer face substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 7th day of April 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.