Improvements in or Appertaining to Confining Clasps for File Bands.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th. Nov., 1889-Accepted, 14th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Appertaining to Confining Clasps for
File Bands.
A communication from abroad by EDWARD JOHN HALL and HARRISON ISAIAH
NORTON, of Bennington, County of Bennington, State of Vermont, U.S.A.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.L.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in confining clasps for file-bands, the object
thereof being to render the clasp most easy and quick of operation, and the invention
consists in the construction and combination of parts all substantially as will
hereinafter more fully appear and be set forth in the claims.
Reference is to be. had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all
the views.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a file-band embracing a bundle of papers and
showing the clasp of this invention as in a confining engagement thereon.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the clasp as detache:t from the band, and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a clasp of modified construction.
The clasp device of this invention consists in part of two rectangular frames a, a',
one above the other, to the one end of each thereof, one end of the file band, d, is
connected, and said band thence, from such portion in attachment with the ends b of
said frames, passes around the bundles of papers under the front bare of the lower-
most frame a, and under, and around, and over the front bar e' of the upper frame,
and then under said front bar e of the lower frame a, but resting on and above the
portion of the band first mentioned as passed under said front bar.
By drawing on the free end of the band d to shorten the loop surrounding the
bundle of papers, the forward bar e¹ of the upper frame a is drawn against the
adjacent bar of the lower frame a, pressing upon and binding that portion f of
the file band which is between them and confining it against endwise movement,
and the closer the band is drawn about the bundle the firmer the said portion of
the band will be confined.
The device further consists in a handle or lifter g applied on or with relation to
the upper frame of said clasp, whereby the said frame may be easily raised to
separate its forward bar e¹ from the adjacent bar on the lower frame a, to loosen the
file band.
In Figures 1 and 2, the said handle or lifter g consists of a short tape or band
passed around the side bars of the upper frame and having its terminal portions /
projected at right angles to the plane of the said frame, so as to be readily grasped by
the fingers and held together by a metal clip i.
In Figure 3, the lifter g is shown as formed integrally with the clasp and all from
a single piece of wire. The wire beginning at one end is thence continued in two
coils, preferably square, to form the lower and upper frames a a', the terminal
portion of the upper frame coil thence being passed under a shallow loop inter-
mediate of one side bar of said frame coil, and thence by a portion m, crosses to the
other side of said upper frame coil engaging a shallow loop thereof, thence con-
tinuing, preferably rearwardly, beyond the rear bars of the frame coils, and returning
to an engagement by an eye n thereof with said cross portion, forming a handle
bar p. Said handle bar p when projected rearwardly beyond the rear cross bars of
the frames and substantially level with the top of the upper one thereof, may act as a

page_text: lever to raise the upper wire forined frame a', the upper and rear cross bar of the
described coils acting as a fulerum therefor; or, if desired, the said wire formed
handle may be perpendicularly projected from the upper frame, and employed as a
lifter by a direct draught thereon as in the device shown in Figures 1 and 2.
In operation the lifter-handle, in addition to being of great utility in separating
the frames, for a freedom of passage between them of the file-band, also serves a
useful purpose, in that, after the adjacent front frame bars have been separated to
loosen the band for its free movement, the loop of said band may be enlarged by
grasping said handle-lifter, and moving the clasp thereby in a direction relatively
away from the hight of said band in engagement with the bars e e¹ thereof.
Dated this 15th day of March 1880
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co..
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Appertaining to Confining Clasps for
File Bands.
A communication from abroad by EDWARD JOHN HALL and HARRISON ISAIAH
NORTON, of Bennington, County of Bennington, State of Vermont, U.S.A.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer 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 confining clasps for file-bands, the object
thereof being to render the clasp most easy and quick of operation, and the invention
consists in the construction and combination of parts all substantially as will herein-
after more fully appear and be set forth in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the drawings accompanying the provisional specification,
in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a file-band embracing a bundle of papers and
showing the clasp of this invention as in a confining engagement thereon.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the clasp as detached from the band, and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a clasp of modified construction.
The clasp device of this invention consists in part of two rectangular frames a a¹,
one above the other, to the one end of each thereof one end of the file-band d is
connected, and said band thence, from such portion in attachment with the ends b of
said frames, passes around the bundle of papers under the front bar e' of the lower-
most frame a, and under, and around, and over the front bar e¹ of the upper frame
and then under said front bar e of the lower frame a but resting on and above the
portion of the band first mentioned as passed under said front bar.
By drawing on the free end of the band d, to shorten the loop surrounding the
bundle of papers, the forward bar el of the upper frame a' is drawn against the adjacent
bar of the lower frame a pressing upon and binding that portion of the file-band
which is between them and confining it against end wise movement, and the closer the
hand is drawn about the bundle the firmer the said portion of the band will be
confined.
The device further consists in a handle or lifter 9, applied on or with relation
to the upper frame of said clasp whereby the said frame may be easily raised
to separate its forward bar e', from the adjacent bar on the lower frame a to loosen
the file-band.
In Figures 1 and 2, the said handle or lifter, g, consists of a short tape or band
passed around the side bars of the upper frame and having its terminal portions h
projected at right angles to the plane of the said frame so as to be readily grasped by
the fingers, and held together by a metal-clip i.

page_text: In Figure 3 the lifter y is shown as formed integrally with the clasp and all from a
single piece of wire. The wire beginning at one end jis thence continued in two coils,
preferably square, to form the lower and upper frames a a', the terminal portion k of
the upper frame coil thence being passed under a shallow loop intermediate of one
side bar of said frame coil, and thence by a portion m crosses to the other side of said
upper frame coil engaging a shallow loop thereof, thence continuing, preferably
rearwardly, beyond the rear bars of the frame coils, and returning to an engagement
by an eye n thereof with said cross portion, forming a handle bar, p. Said handle
bar Pi when projected rearwardly beyond the rear cross bars of the frames and
substantially level with the top of the upper one thereof, may act as a lever to raise
the upper wire formed frame al, the upper and rear cross bar of the described coils
acting as a fulcrum therefor; or, if desired, the said wire formed handle may be
perpendicularly projected from the upper frame, and employed as a lifter by a direct
draught thereon as in the device shown in Figures 1 and 2.
In operation, the lifter handle, in addition to being of great utility in separating
the frames, for a freedom of passage between them, of the file-band, also serves a
useful purpose in that after the adjacent front frame bars have been separated to
loosen the band for its free movement, the loop of said band may be enlarged by
grasping said handle lifter, and moving the clasp thereby in a direction relatively
away from the bight of said band in engagement with the bars e e¹ thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A file-band clasp comprising upper and lower frames, a a³, adapted by their rear
portions to be secured to one end of a file-band.
2. The combination with a file-band clasp comprising upper and lower frames a a!,
adapted by their rear portions to be secured to one end of a file-band, of a lifter or
handle attached to said upper frame, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 12th day of November 1889.
WM. F. THOMPSON & CO.,
Agents for the Applicant.