Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by ADOLPH LIEBENROTH, of College Point, Queen's
County, in the State of New York, United States of America, Merchant.]
I, PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON of the Office for Patents 6 Bream's Buildings, Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, 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 improvements in clasps for pocket memorandum books and
other similar books or portfolios, being the object of the invention to provide a
simple and effective clasp which can be applied to such books or similar articles during
the process of manufacture, or to books or similar articles already made.
As a full understanding of the invention can be best given by an illustration and a
detailed description of the clasp and the manner of applying the same, such description
will be given, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pocket memorandum book provided with a clasp
constructed and applied according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the book opened.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the book partly opened.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the clasp detached from the book, the clasp being of
a slightly modified form, however, and
Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.
Referring to said Figures, it is to be understood that the book therein shown is of
an ordinary form and construction. One of the covers A of the book is provided, at
its edge, with a pocket a, preferably formed between the body b and the outer covering c
of the cover, which is adapted to receive the longer arm d of a hook shaped clasp D,
the shorter arm of which fits over the opposite cover A, so as to hold the book closed
and the leaves B clasped between the covers, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

page_text: The longer arm of the clasp fits loosely in the pocket a but is connected to the cover
at the bottom of the pocket by means of a flexible connecting piece g, which limits the
movement of the clasp so as to prevent it from being withdrawn from the pocket a,'but is
of sufficient length to permit the clasp to be withdrawn far enough to allow the book
to be opened, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, while the pocket a is of sufficient depth to
allow the clasp to be moved inward to fasten the book, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. When
the clasp is thus moved inward, the slack of the piece 9 will be accumulated in the
bottom of the pocket, as shown in Fig. 3.
g
The clasp D may be made of any suitable rigid material, but it will preferably be
made of a piece h of sheet metal bent to the proper form, and covered with leather or
other material to correspond with the covers of the book.
.
When the clasp is applied to books or similar articles in the process of manufacture,
the connecting piece g may, and preferably will be attached directly to the cover, as
shown in Fig. 4. It will sometimes, however, be desirable to apply the clasps to books
and similar articles already in existence. This can readily be done by providing the
longer arm d of the clasp with a tubular sheath k, which will form the pocket a, and to
which the connecting piece 9 will be attached, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The sheath k
will be made of any suitable stiff, or comparatively stiff material.
To apply the clasp thus constructed to a book already made, it is only necessary to
make an incision at the edge of one of the covers A, and insert the sheath k and the
longer arm of the clasp between the two parts bc of the cover.-Before the sheath is
thus inserted, it will be provided upon its outside with a suitable glue or cement, so
that it will be retained in its position between the two parts of the cover.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me from abroad,
I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination with the hooked clasp D and the pocket a to receive its longer
arm, of the flexible connecting piece 9 attached to the longer arm of the clasp and to
the pocket, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a book or similar article of the hooked clasp D having its
longer arm arranged in a pocket in one of the covers, and its shorter arm arranged
to fit over the other cover, and the flexible connecting piece 9 connected to the longer
arni of the clasp and to the cover, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of November 1887.