IMPROVEMENTS IN BRACELETS AND IN FASTENINGS FOR BRACELETS
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Martin Löwenstein at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th March
1866.
I, MARTIN LÖWENSTEIN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BRACELETS AND IN FASTENINGS FOR BRACELETS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
bracelets and fastenings for bracelets, by means of which improvements a lady
may readily place a bracelet upon the arm or remove it therefrom without
assistance.
I make the bracelet, by preference, in three parts, one part constituting one
half the bracelet, and the other two parts or quarters the other half. The
last-described two parts or quarters are hinged or jointed to the other half
part. I will call the quarter parts the moveable parts. By opening the two
moveable parts on their joints the bracelet may be placed upon the arm, and
by closing the said moveable parts and connecting their ends by a spring-catch
fastening the bracelet is secured to the arm. The three parts of the bracelet
are hollow, and two thin flat springs are inserted in the interior of the bracelet
for the purpose of throwing open the two moveable parts when they are not
held together by the spring-catch fastening. One of the springs has also the
use herein-after described. Each of the said springs lies partly in the half
part of the bracelet and partly in a moveable part passing through the hinge

page_text: or joint. When the moveable parts are closed the springs are curved, and
when the said moveable parts are at liberty to move the springs in unbending
themselves throw open the said parts. The fastening of the bracelet is con-
structed as follows:-One of the moveable parts carries a fixed hook-like
catch, which when introduced and pressed into the end of the other moveable
part engages therein and fastens the bracelet. The engagement is effected in
the following manner:-Inside the part into which the fixed catch is intro-
duced is a nearly similar hook-like catch, this latter catch turning upon a
joint. The two catches present to each other the sides carrying the hook-like
projections. The moveable catch is pressed underneath by a small spring, so
that when the end of the fixed catch is passed over the end of the moveable
catch so far that its hook-liko end has just passed the hook-like end of the
moveable catch the latter is pressed up by the spring, and the two hooks aro
engaged together and the bracelet fastened. The unfastening of the bracelet
is effected by a slide near the central ornament of the bracelet. This slide com-
municates with one end of the thin flat spring in that side of the bracelet
carrying the moveable catch, and the other end of the said spring is connected
to the under side of the moveable catch. By pressing the slide towards tho
central ornament of the bracelet the flat spring is moved in the same
direction and the moveable catch thereby pulled downwards. This action
liberates the fixed catch and the bracelet flies open by the action of the
springs.
Although I prefer to divide the bracelet into three parts, yet it may be
divided into a different number of parts with the same effect. The unfast-
ening may be effected by pressure upon a stud instead of upon a slide, or by
a rotary or other motion.