AN IMPROVED CLASP OR FASTENER FOR NECKLACES AND OTHER PERSONAL
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bidder, of Islington, Alfred Claud Lor-
raine Lamb, of Twickenham, and William Camden Scrivener, of
Westminster, all in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED CLASP OR FASTENER FOR NECKLACES AND OTHER PERSONAL
Sealed the 12th November 1872, and dated the 17th July 1872.
'
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Bidder, Alfred
Claud Lorraine Lamb, and William Camden Scrivener at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the
17th July 1872.
We, JOHN BIDDER, of Islington, ALFRED CLAUD LORRAINE LAMB,
of Twickenham, and WILLIAM CAMDEN SCRIVENER, of Westminster, all
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED CLASP OR FASTENER FOR NECKLACES AND OTHER
PERSONAL ORNAMENTS AND WEARING APPAREL," to be as follows:-
The clasp or fastener of our Invention is designed to replace the
ordinary snap fastening used for necklaces and bracelets, which is liable

page_text: to become insecure after but short use. For the ordinary spring snap or
pin we substitute a pointed pin or stem, provided with a lug or catch
resembling the bit of a key. This pin or key is received in a hollow
case or socket, provided with a keyhole opening in one end for the
insertion of the pin or key, which is held securely by being turned partly
round and received in one of a series of notches formed inside the key-
hole end of the socket, into which the key is pressed by a spring within
said case or socket, the keyhole being closed by a collar on the key stem.
When the key is inserted in the socket, its point is steadied by a sliding
disc, which also serves to compress the spring used to hold the key in
the locked position.
The stem or key is attached to one end or part of the necklace or other
article, and the socket (which is furnished with a swivel eye for the
purpose) to the other end or part of the necklace or article.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Bidder, Alfred Claud Lorraine Lamb, and
William Camden Scrivener in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
BIDDER, of Islington, ALFRED CLAUDE LORRAINE LAMB, of Twickenham,
and WILLIAM CAMDEN SCRIVENER, of Westminster, all in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
1
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said John Bidder, Alfred Claud Lorraine Lamb, and
William Camden Scrivener, Her special licence that we, the said John
Bidder, Alfred Claud Lorraine Lamb, and William Camden Scrivener,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said John Bidder, Alfred Claud Lorraine Lamb, and William Camden
Scrivener, 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,

page_text: 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 CLASP OR FASTENER FOR NECKLACES AND OTHER PERSONAL OR- -
NAMENTS AND WEARING APPAREL," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said John Bidder, Alfred Claud Lorraine Lamb, and William
Camden Scrivener, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, 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 we, the said John Bidder, Alfred Claud
Lorraine Lamb, and William Camden Scrivener, do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):-
The clasp or fastener of our Invention is designed to replace the
ordinary snap fastening used for necklaces and bracelets, which is liable
to become insecure after but short use. For the ordinary spring snap
or pin we substitute a pointed pin or stem, provided with a lug or catch
resembling the bit of a key. This pin or key is received in a hollow
case or socket, provided with a keyhole opening in one end for the
insertion of the pin or key, which is held securely by being turned partly
round and received in one of a series of notches formed inside the key-
hole end of the socket, into which the key is pressed by a spiral or other
spring within said case or socket, the keyhole being closed or covered
by a collar on the key stem. When the key is inserted in the socket,
its point is steadied by a sliding disc, which also serves to compress the
spring used to hold the key in the locked position.

page_text: drawn to a larger scale than when used as a fastener for necklaces and
other personal ornaments, but the fastener may be made of any size and
used for fastening articles of various descriptions.
a is the socket or hollow case containing a spiral or other spring b;
placed behind a sliding disc c. The socket a is closed at one end, and !
at the other is a disc d fixed therein, and having a keyhole opening d³.
Around this opening on the inner side of the disc d are a series of pro-
jections and notches h, h¹, h¹, which may be of various forms. To the
closed end at which the spring b is located, a swivel eye is connected by
rivet, screw, or otherwise, for attachment to one end of the necklace or
other article.
The other part of the fastener is shown separately in Figure 4. It is
attached to the end of the chain, necklace, or other article to be con-
nected by an eye, with which it is provided. It consists of a taper pin f,
provided with a lug or "bit" g, as shown, and a flange or disc k to fit
in the end of the socket a, which extends slightly beyond the disc d to
close the end of the socket and keep out dust. This flange is not,
however, absolutely necessary, but it forms a better finish to the article.
To connect the ends of the necklace or other article to be fastened,
the pin is inserted in the socket a through the opening d¹, and its
point fits into a corresponding opening at the centre of the disc c, which
is pushed back by the pin, thereby compressing the spring 6 behind it
until the lug or bit g is passed through the opening. The socket a is
then turned round to bring the notch h opposite the lug g, which by the
pressure of spring 6 falls into the notch and is there retained.
In order to prevent the pin becoming detached from the barrel should
the lug be by any chance accidentally disengaged from notch h, or
should the barrel be insufficiently turned when the pin is inserted, the
additional notches h¹, Figure 2, are provided, which also serve to retain
the pin, as shown in dotted lines. To undo the fastener the pin or key
is pushed in to compress the spring slightly and release the bit from the
notch, and allow the socket to be turned to bring the opening into
position to admit of the pin being withdrawn.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim as our
Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters

page_text: Patent is, a fastener for necklaces, and other ornaments and wearing
apparel, consisting of a case or socket containing a spring 6, and having
notches h, h¹, around the opening d in the end in combination with a
pin f, provided with a lug g, all combined, arranged, and operating
substantially as herein-before shown and described. ..
In witness whereof, we, the said John Bidder and William Camden
Scrivener, for ourselves, and on behalf of the said Alfred Claud
Lorraine Lamb, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.