IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR CIGAR CASES, PORTEMONNAIES, BAGS, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Sutton, of Palace Road, Well Street, South
Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, Silversmith, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR CIGAR CASES, PORTEMONNAIES, BAGS, AND
OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Sutton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
August 1863.
I, EDMUND SUTTON, of Palace Road, Well Street, South Hackney, in the
County of Middlesex, Silversmith, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR CIGAR CASES, PORTEMONNAIES,
BAGS, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to clasp or catch fastenings for portemonnaies, purses,
bags, and other articles which have a frame or other equivalent at the opening.
On the one part of the frame is fixed the catch piece or pieces into which the
bolt shoots; I say catch pieces, as I prefer to use two for each fastening;
these are set at a width apart to receive between them the sheath containing
the bolts fixed on the opposite part of the frame; in this sheath I place two
bolts, one at either end, which are inclined at their ends, and recede on coming
in contact with the catches in the manner of the bolt of a catch lock within
the sheath, and between these bolts I place one or more helical or other

page_text: springs, which have a constant tendency to thrust the bolts outwards, and
which cause them to catch and fasten the opening of the cigar case or other
article on the sheath containing the bolts and springs; I apply a piece fitting
somewhat closely to the side of the sheath, and it may be nearly of the same
length in cross section as it embraces three sides of a rectangle. In this cover
piece are fixed two pins which pass through the sheath piece, in which there
are slots, allowing the cover piece to rise or fall bodily but in a limited degree
on the sheath. These pins traverse the bolts, in which there are angular or
inclined notches cut for their reception. The pressure of the springs on the
bolts causes the cross pins and with them the cover piece to rise up at same
time as the bolts are shot out to effect the catching. When it is desired to
open the article to which this fastening is applied, it is simply necessary to
press on the cover piece, which takes effect on the bolts by reason of the pins
pressing on the inclined surfaces and causing the bolts to be withdrawn from
the catches or parts in which they hold. The cross pins also limit the motion
of the bolts. Instead of two bolts, one at either end, only one may be
used at one end of such fastening, but I prefer two, as it forms a firmer
fastening. These fastenings may be placed altogether in the middle of the
length of the frame, or may extend nearly from end to end thereof.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edmund Sutton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMUND
SUTTON, of Palace Road, Well Street, South Hackney, in the County of
Middlesex, Silversmith, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edmund Sutton, Her special licence that I, the said Edmund Sutton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edmund
Sutton, my 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, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN

page_text: FASTENINGS FOR CIGAR CASES, PORTEMONNAIES, BAGS, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edmund Sutton, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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.
2
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edmund Sutton, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to clasp or catch fastenings for portemonnaies, purses,
bags, and other articles which have a frame or other equivalent at the opening.
On the one part of the frame is fixed the catch piece or pieces into which the
bolt shoots; I say catch pieces, as I prefer to use two for each fastening;
these are set at a width apart to receive between them the sheath. containing
the bolts fixed on the opposite part of the frame; in this sheath I fix two
bolts, on at either end, which are inclined at their ends, and recede on coming
in contact with the catches, in the manner of the bolt of a catch lock.
Within the sheath and between these bolts I place one or more helical or
other springs, which have a constant tendency to thrust the bolts outwards,
and which cause, them to catch and fasten the opening of the cigar case or
other. article. On the sheath containing the bolts and springs I apply a piece
fitting somewhat closely to the sides. of the sheath, and it may be nearly of the
same length in cross section; it embraces three sides of a rectangle. In this
cover piece are fixed two pins which pass through the sheath piece, in which
there are slots, allowing the cover piece to rise or fall bodily but in a limited
degree on, the sheath. These pins traverse the bolts, in which there are
angular or inclined notches cut for their reception. The pressure of the
springs on the bolts causes the cross pins and with them the cover piece to rise
up at same time, as the bolts are shot out to effect the catching. When it is
desired to open the article to which this fastening is applied, it is simply
necessary to press on the cover piece, which takes effect on the bolts by reason
of the pins pressing on the inclined surfaces, causing the bolts to be withdrawn.
from the catches or parts in which they hold; the cross pins also limit the
motion of the bolts.. Instead of two bolts, one at either. end, one bolt only may
be used at one end of such fastening, but I prefer two, as it forms a firmer

page_text: fastening.
These fastenings may be placed altogether in the middle of the
length of the frame, or may extend nearly from end to end thereof.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
This Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 of which
represents a side view of the clasp or fastening applied to the frame of a porte-
monnaie; Fig. 2, a plan; and Figs. 3 and 4 showing respectively vertical and
horizontal sections of same separate.
a is the sheath or case mounted on the one side of the purse frame enclosing
the bolts b, one at either end of said case, which shoot into the hollow sockets c,
fixed to the other part of the frame; these bolts 6 have a constant tendency
to shoot outwards from case a, and so secure the purse or other article in the
closed position, being acted on by a spiral spring or springs d applied between
them, and occupying the central portion of said sheath. Above this sheath,
and embracing its two sides, is mounted a finger piece c, serving to act on the
bolts, in order to open and close the purse or other article; for this purpose I
make two vertical slots f on each side of the sheath a above mentioned, and
then secure the piece e thereto by passing pins through the slots; these pins
traverse inclined notches made in the tail ends of bolts 6, which by reason of
the springs d are forced outwards, and so keep the pins raised in the slots f,
and with them the piece e. On pressure being exerted to press down the
finger piece e, as seen dotted in Fig. 1, the pins in descending in the slots bear
against the inclined surfaces of the bolts b, and so cause them to recede from
the sockets c, thus unlocking or unfastening the purse or other article. The
ends of the bolts 6 are inclined, and on coming in contact with the socket c,
when closing the purse, they recede, and are, on being freed again, forced out-
wards by the spring to effect the locking.
Instead of two bolts, one at either end of the fastening, one only may be
employed, as shown in Fig. 5. In this case, at the end opposite to the socket c
on the one part of the purse frame, I simply apply an abutment 9, serving to
impart greater solidity to the fastening.
Fig. 6 represents a side view partly in section of my Invention as applied
to a bag, the parts being all arranged in a similar manner as above, with the
exception that the size of the fastening is increased and the bolts lengthened
in order to render it of sufficient strength for the purpose.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the general arrangement of
parts herein-before described and represented in the accompanying Drawings,

page_text: applied as a catch or fastening to portemonnaies, cigar cases, bags, and other
articles.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Sutton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
EDMUND SUTTON. (L.s.)