Improvements in Neck-ties or Scarfs.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Neck-ties or Scarfs.
I, THOMAS CROCKER ROBINSOx, of Revere, in the County of Suffolk, and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Machinist, 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 that class of scarfs for men's neck-wear, which consists
of a made-up portion including an imitation knot, a strap permanently attached at
one end to said knot and adapted to extend around the neck, the knot being
provided with an opening to receive the free end of the strap, and with an
attaching or securing device in its interior to engage the strap and hold it so as to
confine the scarf upon the wearer's neck.
The invention relates particularly to scarfs of this class which are provided with
a spring-clamp having two separate jaws adapted to grasp the free end of the
strap, said jaws being closed by spring pressure and adapted to be opened by a
pressure of the operator's fingers.
The invention has for its object to provide a scarf of the kind last mentioned,
having a spring-clamp or strap-grasping device, arranged to support the front
surface of the puff or imitation knot and to hold the same in a plump or distended
condition, the arrangement being also such that the operator, by compressing the
lower portion of the knot between his thumb and finger, can separate the jaws so as
to release the strap. To this end the invention consists in the improvements which
I will now proceed to describe.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification:
Figure 1 represents a front view of a scarf embodying my invention.
Figures 2 and 3 represent edge views of the clamp shown in Figure 1.
Figure 4 represents a side view of the said clamp.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 represent a modification.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings:
a* represents the puff or imitation knot of a necktie of the class described;
and 6 represents the neck-strap, which is permanently attached at one end to the
knot, and proceeds from one corner of the knot, the strap being of sufficient length
to encircle the neck and be inserted in an opening in the opposite corner of the
knot, as usual in scarfs of this class.
In carrying out my invention, I provide the knot with a spring-clamp, which
serves both to distend the puff and to grasp the strap and securely hold the same
within the puff. The said clamp, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, is composed of
a base-plate a, having ears a', and a jaw pivoted at b¹ to said ears and having an
arm with a hooked end 63; and a spring e, rigidly affixed to one end of the
plate a,
and composed of two side arms c' extending from opposite sides of the base-
plate, coils at the ends of said arms, arms e³ extending back from said coils to a
point over the base-plate, and a bar e connecting said arins e³ and engaged with
the hook 3 of the jaw. This spring e is formed of a single piece of resilient wire;
and its outer portion, comprising the arms c³ and connecting-bar_c, normally
projects outwardly from the plate a at its free end, as shown in Figure 2, the
arrangement being such that the engagement of the bar c¹ of the spring with the
arm holds the jaw pressed closely against the plate a or against a strap
interposed between said plate and jaw when the spring c is in its normal position.
When the spring e is pushed inwardly, as indicated in Figure 3, it causes the jaw b
to swing away from the plate a, and thus release the strap. The clamp is placed
within the puff a, and secured therein by any suitable means, with the free end of
the spring c and the jaw bat the lower portion of the puff, the plate a and jaw b
r,

page_text: being in such position that the strap 66, in being passed through the knot, will pass
between said plate and jaw. The tension of the spring c holds the jaw firmly
against the strap after the latter has passed between it and the plate, so that the
strap is firmly secured within the puff. When the operator desires to release the
strap, he presses the spring c inwardly, by grasping the puff between his thumb
and finger and slightly compressing it, in a manner which will be readily
understood.
It will be seen that the spring c, having a tendency to spring outward or away
from the plate a, distends the puff when it assumes its normal position, thus giving
the puff the desired fullness.
I believe it is new with me to provide a scarf of this character with a strap-
clamping device secured in the puff and having a strap-passage, and which is
adapted also to distend the puff and maintain the desired fullness in the puff. I do
not, therefore, limit myself to the described construction of the spring-clamp, and
may variously modify the same without departing from the spirit of my invention.
In Figures 5, and 7, I show a modification, in which the spring-clamp is
composed of two jaws or side-pieces 2 2, which are pivotally connected at 3 by
means of ears, bent inwardly from said jaws, and connected by rivets or otherwise.
The side-pieces 22 are provided at their upper ends with inwardly-bent ears 44,
which constitute jaws adapted to grasp the strap 6, said jaws being closed upon the
strap by means of a spring 5, which, as here shown, is composed of a piece of wire
bent into the form of a substantially rectangular frame, which is engaged with the
lower portion of one of the side-pieces 2, by means of ears 6 6 6, formed on said
side-piece and bent over one end and two of the sides of said spring, as shown in
Figure 6. The opposite end of the spring bears on the outer side of the other
side-piece, the spring extending diagonally, as shown in Figure 5. It will be seen
that the spring, thus arranged, closes the jaws 4 4 without obstructing the space
between the side-pieces 2 2, so that, when the jaws 4 4 are separated by inward
pressure on the lower ends of the side-pieces, the operator can readily insert the
strap between the jaws and pass it through the clamping-device. The side-
pieces of the clamp are normally separated and forced outwardly by the spring 5,
so that the lower end of the clamp acts to support the central portion of the knot
and gives the same a plump and full appearance. The jaws may be opened by
pressure of the operator's thumb and finger upon the lower portion of the knot.
When the pressure is removed, the jaws close automatically upon the strap.
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. A puff scarf provided with a clasp secured inside the puff, the said clasp
having an aperture therethrough for the passage of the scarf strap, and a spring for
pressing one member of the clasp against the puff portion of the scarf to distend it,
substantially as described.
2. A puff scarf having secured inside its puff a strap-grasping clamp or jaw,
comprising a flat plate and a spring-controlled member or jaw pivoted on the first
mentioned member and arranged to press outward against the front portion of the
puff of the scarf, as set forth.
3. The improved strap-grasping device or jaw, comprising a plate, a jaw
pivotally connected to said plate and provided with an arm, and a spring secured
to one end of the plate and having its free end engaged with the said arm of
the jaw.
AD 1002
THOMAS CROCKER ROBINSON.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.