IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEVE LINKS AND OTHER DRESS FASTENERS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLI- CABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph George Rollason, of the Firm of Rollason, Wood,
& Co., Stampers, Piercers, and Fancy Chain Manufacturers, of Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEVE
LINKS AND OTHER DRESS FASTENERS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLI-
CABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 20th October 1877, and dated the 26th April 1877.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph George Rollason at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th April 1877.
JOSEPH GEORGE ROLLASON, of the Firm of Rollason, Wood, & Co., Stampers,
Piercers, and Fancy Chain Manufacturers, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick.
IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEVE LINKS AND OTHER DRESS FASTENERS, WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
In applying my improved link to gloves I make them smaller and of suitable
design, with any of the before-described arrangements for expanding and contracting;
the glove merely requires two button holes to allow the shanks of the links to pass
through, one of which may be secured to the glove by sewing or otherwise.
In applying my link to shoes, I (by preference) dispence with the shanks, and
make the mechanical arrangement for contraction and expansion stronger, or place
two spiral springs instead of one in each of the links, and I form projecting tongues
on the outside of the links, which go through piercings in the front of the shoe, and
are then turned down, thereby securing them, or they may be secured by shanks
and button holes in the shoes, as with the gloves.
The arrangement for shoes can be applied as a fastening for purses and satchels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joseph George Rollason in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th October 1877.
JOSEPH GEORGE ROLLASON, of the Firm of Rollason, Wood, & Co., Stampers,
Piercers, and Fancy Chain Manufacturers, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick.

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEVE LINKS AND OTHER DRESS FASTENERS, WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
My improvements in sleeve links and such like dress fasteners consist in making
them, by a suitable mechanical arrangement, expanding and self-contracting, thereby
dispencing with the objectionable necessity and very often troublesome process of
securing the cuff by the ordinary sleeve links, viz., having to put one of the orna-
mental or button parts through one of the button holes of the cuff, which has then
to be placed on the wrist, and the corresponding link passed through the second
button hole before it is secured, often a very difficult operation, especially when the
cuff is too small for the wrist or the front ornament or button of the link too large
for the button hole, all of which is entirely dispenced with by my improved
arrangement, as the links, being provided with ordinary shanks and the common
circular or crescent back, have only to be put through the two button holes of the
cuff, which, by my expanding arrangement, can be easily drawn over the hand on
to the wrist, when the links will contract and hold the cuff securely in position,
which can be removed with equal facility, but in carrying my improvements into
effect I proceed as follows:-
First. I take two ordinary discs or shells or ornamental front parts, to the backs
of which I place V or other shaped springs of suitable material, and keep the same
in position by corresponding shaped boxes; I then connect the two links together
by a ring or other suitable means, passing through the two springs, looped ends of
which project through two small slots near the narrow ends of the boxes, thereby
making them as flexable as links of ordinary construction; I then secure the shanks
thereto, on which I place suitable backs, crescent or otherwise, which complete this
arrangement. When in use the slightest strain will cause the springs to collapse,
thereby allowing them to be withdrawn from the boxes (more or less, according to
the strain) until the cuff is in position on the wrist, when the elasticity of the
springs will cause the links to contract to their normal position, making a secure,
expanding, and self-contracting dress connector.
Second. Instead of the V shaped box and spring I secure a rectangular box or
barrel to each link, inside of which I place a spiral spring; I next take a piece of
wire of suitable length, and so bend it as to form a loop at one end, and pass the
two ends through the said spring, and turn them outwards, the loop I then connect
to a ring, and when the other part of the link is treated in like manner the connec-
tion is complete. The ends of the box or barrel containing the spring are turned
over so as to form bearing for the said spring to abutt against. The shanks are
secured to the backs of the ornaments or buttons in the ordinary manner, but, if
required, instead of the shank being fixed to the back of the link, I make a slot in
the box or barrel and pass the end of the shank through, securing it by the loose
end of the wire passing through the spring, which allows the shank to slide
backwards and forwards as the links are expanded and contracted.
Third. Instead of the connecting bar going through the spring, I take a piece of
wire and form it into a rectangular link, within which I place a spiral spring, and
hollow out the back of the disc or shell for the spring to lie in, and abutt against
and secure it by a corresponding box, connecting the link by a jumpt ring, as
herein-before described.
Last. I take the rectangular strips of metal and connect the two ends together
by the jumpt ring, and then open them in the form of a V; I then place a spiral
spring between them, keeping it in position by a pin passed through and rivetted
on the outside of the two springs.
In applying my improved link to gloves I make them smaller and of suitable
design, with any of the before-described arrangements for expanding and contracting;
the glove merely requires two button holes to allow the shanks of the links to pass
through, one of which may be secured to the glove by sewing or otherwise.
In applying my links to shoes I dispence with the shanks, and make the
mechanical arrangement for contraction and expansion stronger by placing two
spiral or other springs instead of one in each of the links, and I form projecting

page_text: tongues on the outside of the links, which go through piercings in the front of the
shoe, and are then turned down, thereby securing them, or they may be secured by
shanks and button holes in the shoe as with the gloves.
The arrangement for shoes can be applied as a fastening for purses, satchels, and
other like articles.
But as my Invention will be better understood by referring to the Drawings
hereunto annexed I will proceed to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a front view of the link connected together, marked A and A',
and Figure 2 is a back view of the same, showing the box on the one side, inarked
B, in section with the V shaped spring C, lying in the position it would assume
when on the article of dress. This spring is shown separate at Figure 3, the part
of the link A¹ in Figure 2 is exhibited with the shank D or back part and box B
in full; and Figure 4 is an edge view of Figure 2. The connection of the two
parts is effected by the ring E being passed through the looped ends, the springs C
projecting from the boxes B and B¹.
Assuming that the article of dress to be connected is the cuff of a shirt, the two
shanks or back parts D and D¹ have only to be passed through the button holes of
the cuff, when the hands can be passed through the same, which causes the links to
be expanded more or less, as shown at Figure 5, the boxes B and B' being represented
in section with the springs C and C¹ contracted, but as soon as the hand has passed
through the cuff so as to bring it in position on the wrist, the elastic force of the
V shaped springs C and C¹ will cause the link to close together or return to their
normal position, as at Figures 1, 2, and 4. From this it will be seen that the cuffs,
whether loose or on the shirt, can be readily drawn on and off the hands without
removing or unfastening one or both sides of the links, as in links of ordinary
construction. In cases where extra strength of spring is required or desirable, I
construct the boxes and springs as at Figures 6 and 7. The boxes F, F', are made
square to allow the spiral springs G and G¹, with the pins a, a, to move backwards
and forwards in the boxes as the links are expanded in drawing the cuffs on and off
the hands. In the view of separate link B' I have shown the position of the parts
as they would appear when the links are expanded and, in the part B, in their
normal position.
As a modification of the arrangements herein-before described, I secure to the
back of the links rectangular boxes, as shown in section at H, Figure 8, and in these
boxes I place helical springs, in which I insert looped bars, made out of wire, in the
form shown separate at Figure 9, the ends b being first passed through the springs,
and then turned up, as shown, for the coiled spring to abut against, so that when
the links are being expanded the ends b, b, of the looped bars in the boxes on each
link will bear against the ends of the coiled springs, causing them to collapse more
or less, as seen at Figure 10, and when the cuff or other part of dress is in position
the expanding force of the coiled springs will draw the links together, and they
will then assume the position as at Figure 8, of which Figure 11 represents an
edge view.
In the previous cases the backs and shanks of the links are fixed to the fronts in
the ordinary manner, but, if required, the backs with the shanks may be made
separate from the front parts, and to slide in a slot formed in the box containing
the spring, and this arrangement I have exhibited at Figures 12 and 13, from which
it will be seen that when the parts of the cuff are expanded the shanks move
backwards and forwards in the slots C, C, operating on the springs, while the front
parts remain in the position shown. As a modification, instead of forming the
looped bar, Figure 9, of wire, I cut out from sheet metal a bar for this purpose, as
shewn detached at Figure 14, having two projecting parts, as at d, d, for the coiled
spring to ride on, as shown, with the spring and box applied in top and side view at
Figure 15, and with the spring contracted at Figure 16.
In adapting my Invention to gloves I can use any degree of ornamentation with

page_text: the mechanical arrangements before described. And at Figure 17 I have shown a
fastening suitable for this purpose, the spring e, as seen in the section of the link J,
being modified accordingly. Figure 18 represents a view of part of a glove with
the links attached to the side; when the glove is on the hand the shank f of the
disconnected link has only to be passed through the button hole g on the other part
of the glove, when the glove will be connected together, as shown at Figure 19.
In applying my improved link connection to shoes I dispense with the back and
shank, and secure the box with the springs and bar to the shoe by tongues left on the
box, as h, h, Figure 20, partly in section; and at Figure 21 I have shown part of a
shoe connected together in this manner. When it is desirable or required one part
of the link may be secured firmly to one side of the shoe by the tongues, as shown
at Figure 22, and the other corresponding part of the link marked K may be
detachable from the other side of the shoe, so that when the shoe is on the foot the
slot L in the part K has only to be passed over the button M attached to the shoe,
when the force of the helical springs N, N, will cause the links to assume the position
here shewn, and connect the shoe together. This same modification is also applicable
to purses, pocket books, satchels, bags, and such articles, when an expanding and
contracting connection is desirable, and at Figure 22 I have shown in side and flat
sectional views a fastener of this description, and at Figure 23 part of a pocket
book, for example, in side and front view with such a fastening applied.
Having now described my Invention and the manner in which the same may be
carried into effect, it will be obvious that considerable modifications can be adopted
beyond what I have here shown without departing from the spirit and object of my
Invention, but what I claim and wish to protect by these my in part recited Letters
Patent is, the spring connection or its equivalents applicable for sleeve links and
other like purposes, as herein substantially described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph George Rollason, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
WILLIAM H. TAYLOR,
Patent Agent,
11, Cannon Street,
Birmingham.
JOSEPH GEORGE ROLLASON. (L.S.)