Improvements in and relating to Hooks and Eyes for Wearing Apparel and so forth.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1894-Arcepted, 19th Jan., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Hooks and Eyes for Wearing
Apparel and so forth.
I, JOHN HENRY DOYLE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing
at 301 Thirty-first Street, in the City of Chicago, County of Cook, and State
of Illinois, one of the United States of America, Mechanic, 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:—
My invention relates to improvements in hooks and eyes for wearing apparel,
and so forth.
The primary object of my invention is to construct a simple, economical and
durable hook and eye, which reduces the ordinary overdraw or overlapping of the
hook and eye to a minimum, and the members are preferably made from a
continuous single strand of suitable wire, and said members are so constructed and
arranged as to render them secure and safe from accidental detachment when
fastened, aud, also, to permit the said members to be readily disengaged from each
other by simply exerting an outward or direct pull; further, to disengage the
entire series of books and eyes by a single continuous stripping motion, which may
be readily applied.
The above-mentioned objects and also such others as may appear from the
ensuing description are attained by virtue of the construction shown in the
accompanying drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved hook and eye secured to the edges
of the material and ready for engagement. Figure 2 represents a similar view
illustrating a series of my hooks and eyes, part in engagement and part detached.
Figure 3 indicates a central longitudinal section of my hook and eye in
engagement, and Figure 4 a perspective view of the same, illustrating the operation
of the shoulders to prevent accidental detachment.
Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.
In practice, the hooks ordinarily face inward, but for clearness the parts are
shown reversed in the drawing.
Referring to the drawings-
A indicates the base of the hook, comprising the sides t and securing loops s.
Extending forward from one of the securing loops is the tongue B, which consists
of one of the terminal portions of the wire deflected upward for a portion of its
length, as shown at r, the free end of said tongue being of universal elasticity.
From the securing loops s the sidest of the base diverge, and are then bent inward,
forming the securing-shoulders 9 at the forward end of the base. Midway of
these shoulders the wire is doubled upon itself and turned upward to form the
bill C, which extends slightly above. the end of the tongue, as clearly shown in
Figure 3.
It is essential that the free end of the tongue shall be in close proximity to the
bill, so that the eye cannot be passed into or out of engagement without displacing
the tongue, and, also, that the bill shall not overhang the tongue to such a
degree that its plane will be intersected by the are described by the free end
of the tongue.
The hook herein before described may be used with any desired form of eye, but
it is preferable that the eye be formed with securing loops s', closely approximating
side portions 1, shoulders p, and semi-circular eye-portion o. The shoulders p are

page_text: intended to operate in conjunction with the shoulders g on the hook for preventing
accidental disengagement of the members.
The manner in which this result is obtained is clearly shown in Figure 4, where
it will be seen that any movement resulting in a direct upward pressure of the cye
will cause the shoulders p of the eye to abut against the base of the bill C of the
heok; the distance from the shoulders of the eye to the end portion of the same
being less than the length of the bill, it is impossible for the eye to clear the end
of the tongue of the hook and accidentally detach the members.
The shoulders q and p also permit the hook and eye to be fastened securely in
.place at the edge of any material, in addition to the other fastening points. Thus
secured, the members are readily engaged and disengaged; the meeting edges of
the material are caused to be smooth and even, thus avoiding the common defect
of "gapping."
I prefer to construct the eye of a single length of suitable wire.
It will be readily understood that my improved hook is constructed so as to
permit the same to be used with any suitable eye, and that owing to its con-
struction, an entire series may be disengaged by a movement of the hand in either
direction. This is effected by holding stationary one end of any material E
carrying the eyes and exerting a pull on the material E¹ carrying the hooks.
It will also be readily seen that owing to the construction as shown and
described, the ordinary overdraw or overlapping of the members is reduced to
a minimum.
Owing to the fact that a portion of the tongue B lies in the plane of the base,
the hook may be partly covered without interfering with the tongue. The main
reason, however, for inclining the tongue for only a portion of its length is that the
action is materially improved thereby.
1.desire it to be understood that other forms of bending may be resorted to while
still maintaining the same relation of the operative parts, without departing from
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. A hook for wearing apparel, or the like, comprising a base, a bill projecting
upward from the base-portion, said bill being slightly inclined, and a spring tongue
of universal elasticity integral with said base-portion; its free end terminating
substantially on a line with the inner uppermost face of the bill, substantially as
shown and described.
2. A hook for wearing apparel and the like, comprising a base having shouldered
portions, a bill projecting upward from the base, the uppermost portion of the bill
being substantially in a transverse plane with the said shouldered portion, and
a spring tongue of universal elasticity integral with the base; a portion of said
tongue being inclined upward and terminating with its free end at a point in the
rear of the inner face of said bill, substantially as shown and described.
3. A hook for wearing apparel or the like, comprising a base, a bill projecting
upwards from the base, said bill being slightly inclined, and a spring tongue of
universal elasticity integral with said base; its free end terminating below the
extreme upper end of the bill yet at a point in the rear of the inner face of the
bill, substantially as described.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.,