IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING CLASPS
Year: 1885

page_text: We, JUDSON LEVATOR THOMSON, Manufacturer, and JACOB JOHN UNBEHEND,
Mechanic, both of the City of Syracuse, County of Onondaga, and State of New
York, one of the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING CLASPS, 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 clasps designed for fastenings of rubber or leather shoes
and gloves, and for other analogous purposes.
The invention consists essentially of a clasp composed of a metal plate formed at
one end into the shape of a spring, and a tongue hinged on said end of the plate
and having its hinged end shaped to receive the pressure of the aforesaid spring,
thereby holding the tongue in two of its operative positions as hereinafter described.
The said invention may be embodied in various forms as will be observed in the
annexed drawing wherein Fig 1 is a plan view of one form showing the tongue of
the clasp interlocked with the slotted plate which is to be attached to the opposite
quarter of the shoe, Fig 2 is a longitudinal section of the same with the slotted
plate shown in dotted lines, Fig 3 is a longitudinal section of the clasp with the
tongue raised from its supporting plate or base plate, Fig 4 is a plan view of the
tongue and its base plate showing the tongue in an open position, and Fig 5 is a
detached plan view of said base plate. Figs 6 and 7 are respectively plan and end
views of another form of clasp embodying our invention, and Fig 8 is a detached
plan view of the base plate to which the tongue is hinged, the latter in this view
being omitted, Fig 9 is an edge view of another form of clasp illustrating modifi-
cations of our invention, and Fig 10 is an end view of that plate thereof which
contains the spring for actuating the tongue of the clasp. Fig 11 is a plan view of
a clasp illustrating still further modifications of our invention and Fige 12 and 13
are side views of the same showing the tongue in different positions and the resultant
action of the spring.
To enable others to avail themselves of our invention we will first describe the
construction and combination of the component parts of the clasp illustrated in
Figa 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the drawing and as applied to a rubber over-shoe having
flaps to be fastened together after the shoe is on the foot. .

page_text: A represents a metal plate provided with a series of transverse slots 8, 8, 8, 81, and
to be attached to one of the flaps of the shoe, which is generally accomplished by
passing a strap through the slot s¹, and folding it back upon itself and then sewing
it to the flap of the shoe. The series of slots 8, 8, 8, allowing the said plate to be
adjustably connected with the tongue T as hereinafter described.
In order to stiffen said slotted plate we provide it with longitudinal ribs ??
which we strike up from the marginal portion of the plate by means of suitable
dies, said ribs extending across the ends of the slots 8, 8, 8, serve to compensate in a
great measure for the weakening of the plate by the slots.
T is the tongue which interlocks with the slotted plate A by passing through
one of the slots s, s, thereof as shown in Fig 1 of the drawing.
By providing the plate A with a series of such slots its aforesaid connection with
the tongue can he made at different points in the length of the plate so as to
conform to the size of the foot to which the shoe is applied. Said tongue is hinged
on a base plate B which is provided with a transverse slot by which to attach it to
the other flap of the shee in the manner herein before described.
The base plate B is provided with a pintle a and upon said plate lies a spring
plate C which is either integral with or firmly attached to the base plate B at the
rear end thereof, and is provided at the opposite end with a supplemental pintle a',
which is held over the pintle a, and normally apart from the same by the deflection
of the free end of the spring plate from the base plate as shown in Fig 2 of the
drawing. The tongue T, is provided with a sleeve or eye e, which embraces the
two pintles a, a, and is either of angular or elongated form in cross section and
has its greatest diameter at such an angle to the plane of the tongue that when the
tongue lies upon the base plate B, a line drawn across the greatest diameter of the
eye e passes vertically through the two pintles a, a, which are thus allowed to
spring apart from each other as shown in Fig 2 of the drawing, hence the spring is
under the least strain when the tongue is closed or swung down upon the base
plate, and inasmuch as this is the condition of the tongue when the clasp is in use
it is obvious that both the spring and the pintles are greatly relieved of wear and
abrasion. Furthermore by the employment of two pintles in lieu of a single
pintle as in other clasps greater strength and durability are imparted to the clasp.
We do not limit our invention to the specific arrangement of one pintle above
the other inasmuch as the disposition of said pintles is susceptible of various
modifications, as for instance by an upward deflection of the two plates B, and C,
the two pintles become arranged one back of the other, in which case the elongation
of the eye e, of the tongue would have to be in a direction at right angles to that
of the elongation of said eye shown in the annexed drawing.
It will be observed that in the herein before described clasp the spring and pintles
are subjected to the maximum strain only when the tongue is raised and swung
half way into its distended position as shown in Fig 3 of the drawing, and since
the tongue is held in said position only momentarily it is obvious that but little
strain is exerted on the spring and pintle.
In the clasp illustrated in Figs 6, 7, and 8 of the drawing the spring which
actuates the tongue is obtained by cutting in two the hinge pin or pintle a, formed
on the base plate B.. The severing of said pintle renders the end portion of the
base plate B flexible edgewise so as to allow it to spread apart. The tongue T, is
formed with a sleeve e, which embraces the pintle a, of the base plate B, and is
thus hinged on said plate. In front of the pintle the tongue is formed with a
forwardly and upwardly curved portion b, and with lateral projections c, c, on the
edges of said portion b.
in swinging the tongue back and forth on its hinge the portion b of the tongue
moves up and down between extensions d, d, of the plate B, and in said movement
the projections c, c, impinge the inner edges of the extensions d, d, and crowd said
extensions apart, thereby producing a limited locking action which tends to retain
the tongue in its closed position and also in its extreme open position.

page_text: In the clasp shown in Figs 9 and 10 of the drawing the aforesaid spring action
is obtained by a deflection of the pintle a, on which is hinged the tongue T, having
a sleeve e, of angular or clongated form in cross section embracing the said pintles.
The deflection of the pintle causes it to press against opposite sides of the interior
of the sleeve e, in a inanner similar to the two pintles shown in Fig 2 of the
drawing. In swinging the tongue back and forth on its hinge the peculiarly shaped
sleeve e, presses the pintle a, toward a rectilineal position and inasmuch as the
plate B, with its pintle a, is composed of spring metal, the said pintle resumes its
deflected position after the tongue has been swung into its extreme backward and
forward positions and resists in a degree the movement of the tongue from said
positions. In the clasp illustrated in Figs 11, 12 and 13 of the drawing the
hereinbefore described spring action is produced by simply reversing the order of
the component parts of the clasp shown in Figs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawing.
Instead of deflecting the spring plate C, from the base plate B, said two plates are
held normally in a compressed condition, and the pintle a, is rigidly attached to or
integral with the tongue T, and of a flattened or angular form and extended
between the free ends of the aforesaid plates. The plane of said pintle stands at
such an angle in relation to the planes of the tongue T, and plates B, C, that when
the tongue is in its closed position as shown in Fig 12 of the drawing the plane of
the pintle is parallel with the planes of the plates B and C.. The consequence is
that in raising the tongue from its closed position the pintle a is compelled to pry
the free ends of the plates B and C apart as shown in Fig 13 of the drawing, the
resistance of said plates thus serving to retain the tongue in its aforesaid closed
position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1. A clasp composed of a plate formed at one end in the shape of a spring, and
a tongue hinged on said end of the plate and adapted to receive the pressure of the
aforesaid spring as described and shown.
2. The tongue formed with a sleeve of angular or elongated form in cross section
in combination with the base plate having a spring pintle or pintles extended
through the sleeve of the tongue and deflected to press against opposite sides of the
interior of said sleeve as shown and set forth.