Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1886.
Complete Left, 23rd May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 21st June, 1887.
I, WILLIAM HENRY MUNNS of 54 Fleet Street, London, E.C. in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Three levers or arms are connected together by joints or hinges, and united to the
two extremities of any object of which the edges or ends are intended to be kept close
together. The three levers may be of various forms and made of any material that
is sufficiently rigid and elastic. The middle lever is to act as a spring, in consequence
of which the combination when fastened cannot be displaced without first moving this
middle lever.

page_text: Similar Articles.
I, WILLIAM HENRY MUNNS, of 54 Fleet Street, London, E.C., Patent Agent
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The clasp consists of two links which are binged or secured by a flexble joint to the
two meeting ends of the article to be fastened. The two links are connected together
by a spring arm secured to the puter ends of the links, the spring arm being equal in
length to the two links combined.
To fasten the article the links are pressed under the spring arm, and the latter is
pressed against the article to be fastened until the parts of the clasp are approximately
in the same line.
When the clasp is flat or nearly so the spring arm may be made in the form of a
rectangular frame; the links then are conveniently made of wire bent into a shape
approximately rectangular with slight bulges at the ends where they are attached to
the article to be fastened.
If the clasp is applied to an article worn on a curved surface, the links and spring
arm are correspondingly curved. When closed the clasp cannot be loosened without
applying force to flatten out the spring arm. The spring arm in this case may be
simply a strip of spring metal.
When fully opened the ends of the article to be fastened may be separated by a
distance equal to the combined lengths of the links and spring arm.
To show more clearly how my invention is carried into effect I furnish drawings in
which similar letters represent corresponding parts throughout.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through a clasp open.
Fig. 2 is longitudinal section through a clasp closed.
Fig. 3 is a top view of a clasp open.
Fig. 4 is a top view of a clasp closed.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a curved clasp closed.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of a curved clasp partly open.
Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of a curved clasp entirely open.
A is the spring arm.
B, B the links.
C the article to be fastened.
m, m the joints connecting links B, B and spring arm A.
n, n flexible joints connecting links B, B and article C.
o the bulge on link B.
S the body enfolded by the article (and curved clasp.

page_text: The hinges m, m connecting the spring arm A with the links B, B allow these links
to be brought under the spring arm till they are all in approximately the same line,
straight as in Fig. 2, and curved as in Fig. 5. In that position the two ends of the
article C connected by the joints n, n to the links B, B cannot be separated without
acting on the spring arm A.
When the arrangement is curved, and when the article C presses against a round
body S, then the curvature of the spring arm A is sufficient to keep together the two
ends of the article C, for the links B, B cannot be removed unless the curved spring
arm A is sufficiently straightened to permit them to be raised.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of: my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
1st. A clasp comprising in combination links adapted to be fastened to the edges of
a shoe or other article, and the spring arm jointed at its ends to the outer ends of the
said links, substantially as described.
2nd. A clasp comprising in combination two links and an arm or frame of spring
metal connecting the outer ends of the said links, the latter being at their ends a
little wider than the opening in the said frame, substantially as, and for the purpose
set forth.
3rd. The combination of the two curved links and the spring arm connecting their
outer ends, and having approximately the same curvature, substantially as described.