IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR BRACELETS AND NECKLETS:
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elijah Atkins, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR
BRACELETS AND NECKLETS:"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elijah Atkins at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th January 1881.
ELIJAH ATKINS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR BRACELETS AND NECKLETS."
My Invention consists of the combination or arrangement hereinafter described
of the parts or fastenings for bracelets and necklets.
I will describe my Invention as applied to the fastening of a bracelet.
I make on the meeting face of one half of the bracelet and near each end a hook
like projection, the hooks being made on the inner edges of the projections, so that
they are turned towards each other. These hook like projections constitute one
part of the fastening, and when the halves of the bracelet are closed the said hook
like projections pass through oblong holes in the meeting face of the other half
bracelet. The last named half bracelet contains the other part of the fastening.
This part of the fastening consists of two plates or sliding flat bolts which are
pressed outwards or from one another by a coiled spring situated between them.
At the middle of the outer end of each plate or sliding bolt is a pin or stud which
projects from the edge of the bracelet and constitutes a pusher for releasing the
bolt. Those parts of the sliding bolts situated opposite the oblong holes in the
meeting face of the half bracelet are furnished with rounded or inclined noses of a
size and shape proper to engage with the hooked sides of the projections on the
other half of the bracelet. The engaging parts of the bolts are made by forming
notches or recesses in the ends of the bolts, so as to leave the said engaging parts.
The sliding bolts are secured in their places and their rectilinear motion preserved
by a trough shaped covering plates, openings in the said plate being made for the
passage of the hooked projections of one part of the fastening.

page_text: When the halves of the bracelet are closed upon one another, the hooked pro-
jections on one half of the bracelet.pass through the oblong holes in the other half
bracelet, and the said hooked projections bear against the rounded noses of the
bolts and press the said bolts inwards or towards one another and compress the
coiled spring between them.
On the complete closing of the bracelet the noses of the two bolts of one part of
the fastening snap behind or engage with the hooked projections of the other part
of the fastening, and thus secure the two parts of the bracelet together.
By pressing the two pushers inwards between the thumb and finger the bolts are
pressed inwards and these noses withdrawn from the hooked projections, the
bracelet is thereby unfastened and may be opened.
In making a fastening for necklets I combine or arrange the parts substantially
in the manner described with respect to a bracelet fastening.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Elijah Atkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
July 1881.
"
ELIJAH ATKINS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer.
IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR BRACELETS AND NECKLETS."
My Invention consists of the combination or arrangement herein after described
of the parts of fastenings for bracelets and necklets.
I will describe my Invention as applied to the fastening of a bracelet.
I make on the meeting face of one half of the bracelet and near each end a hook
like projection, the hooks being made on the inner edges of the projections, so that
they are turned towards each other. These hook like projections constitute one
part of the fastening, and when the halves of the bracelet are closed the said hook
like projections pass through oblong holes in the meeting face of the other half
bracelet. The last named half bracelet contains the other part of the fastening.
This part of the fastening consists of two plates or sliding flat bolts, which are
pressed outwards or from one another by a coiled spring situated between them.
At the middle of the outer end of each plate or sliding bolt is a pin or stud which
projects from the edge of the bracelet and constitutes a pusher for releasing the bolt.
Those parts of the sliding bolts situated opposite the oblong holes in the meeting
face of the half bracelet are furnished with rounded or inclined noses of a size and
shape proper to engage with the hooked sides of the projections on the other half
of the bracelet. The engaging parts of the bolts are made by forming notches or
recesses in the ends of the bolts so as to leave the said engaging parts.
When the halves of the bracelet are closed upon one another the hooked pro-
jections on one half of the bracelet pass through the oblong holes in the other half
bracelet, and the said hooked projections bear against the rounded noses of the bolts
and press the said bolts inwards or towards one another and compress the coiled
spring between them.
On the complete closing of the bracelet the noses of the two bolts of one part of
the fastening snap behind or engage with the hooked projections of the other part of
the fastening, and thus secure the two parts of the bracelet together.
By pressing the two pushers inwards between the thumb and finger the bolts are
pressed inwards and their noses withdrawn from the hooked projections, the bracelet
is thereby unfastened and may be opened.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, and Figure 2 in side elevation a bracelet
containing a fastening constructed according to my Invention. Figures 3, 4, and 5
represent in section a portion of the bracelet drawn to a larger scale exhibiting the
construction of the fastening, Figure 3 representing the two halves of the bracelet
fastened together, Figure 4 the same unfastened, and Figure 5 the same in the
act of being fastened or unfastened. Figure 6 represents the meeting faces of the
unjointed ends of the bracelet carrying the fastening and a separate view of
the spring bolts of the fastening drawn to the same scale as Figures 3, 4,
and 5.
The same letters indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a, b, are the two semi-elliptical halves or parts of the bracelet turning on the
joint at c. At the meeting face of the unjointed end of the half a of the bracelet
are hook like projections d, d, carried by the angular plate e. The said hooked
projections d, d, have bevilled heads, and are situated at opposite ends of the

page_text: "
meeting face of the half bracelet, the hooked sides of the said hooked projections
being turned towards each other, as represented in the Drawing. Near the meeting
face of the other half b of the bracelet two sliding plates or flat bolts f, f, are
arranged, the said bolts being pressed outwards by the coiled spring g between
them. The noses f2, 2, of the said bolts f, f, are rounded, and are of a size proper to
engage with the notches or shoulders d², d², in the hooked projections d, d, on the
half a of the bracelet. The said bolts f, f, are provided with pins or pushers h, h,
for releasing the fastening, the ends of the said pushers in their normal positions
projecting from the edges of the part b of the bracelet. The said sliding bolts f, f,
and their pushers h, h, and spring g are carried by the angular covering plate i, the
meeting face of the said plate being furnished with oblong holes k, l, which are
situated opposite the hooked projections d, d, on the meeting face of the other half a
of the bracelet. The bolts ff, are connected with the angular covering plate i, and
their motion limited and guided by the ears 1, l, on the said plate i, which ears 7, 1,
are bent against the face of the pushers h, h. When the bolts f, f, are in their
normal positions (see Figures 3 and 4) their outward motion is limited by shoulders
on the said bolts coming against the said ears 1, l, and when the bolts are pushed
inwards (see Figure 5) they are guided in their motion by the said ears.
When the meeting faces of the halves a, b, of the bracelet are brought together for
closing the bracelet the hooked projections d, d, on the half a pass through the
oblong holes k, l, in the meeting face of the half b, and the said projections bear
against the noses f², f, of the bolts f,f, and press the said bolts inwards or towards
one another, and compress the coiled spring g, as illustrated in Figure 5. On the
complete closing of the bracelet the noses f², f2, of the bolts f, f, snap behind or
engage with the hooked projections d, d, on the part a, and thereby secure the two
parts of the bracelet together, as illustrated in Figure 3.
In order to unfasten the bracelet the two pushers h, h, are pressed inwards
between the thumb and finger, as illustrated in Figure 5. The bolts f, f, on one
part of the bracelet are thereby withdrawn from the hooked projections d, d, on the
other part of the bracelet, and the bracelet is unfastened and may be opened as
illustrated in Figure 4.
In making a fastening for necklets I combine or arrange the parts substantially
in the manner herein before described and illustrated with respect to a bracelet
fastening.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention of
Improvements in Fastenings for Bracelets and Necklets,"-
The combination of the fixed hooked projections d, d, on one part or end of the
bracelet or necklet with the spring sliding bolts and pushers fƒ³, f, f², h, h, and g
on the other part or end of the bracelet or necklet, substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elijah Atkins, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
37, Temple Street,
Birmingham.
ELIJAH ATKINS. (L.S.)