AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR BAGS AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Maurice Vogl, of Sambrook Court, Basinghall
Street, in the City of London, Merchant, for the Invention of "AN
Ten B.----
Sealed the 30th June 1868, and dated the 10th January 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Maurice Vogl at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
January 1863.
I, MAURICE VOGL, of Sambrook Court, Basinghall Street, in the City of
London, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR BAGS AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as
follows:-
One of the engaging members or portions of the fastening consists of a catch,
hook, pin, notched arm, or piece herein-after called "catch," and fixed or formed
on an arched, bent, or bridge piece, or two-armed piece, herein-after called
"bridge piece," the two arms of which work in or through a box, case; or frame
in which are a spring or springs. The catch engages and disengages a staple,
recess, piece, or part, hereinafter called "staple," forming the other engaging
member or portion of the fastening. When the catch and staple are engaged
the fastening is closed... The springs, when allowed to act, press the arms of
the bridge piece upward or forward, or so as to keep the catch and staple
engaged. To unfasten the fastening, pressure is exerted on the catch, whereby
the bridge piece is pressed downward, or in a direction contrary to that of the

page_text: pressure of the springs, whereby the pressure of the springs is overcome and
the catch and staple are disengaged. To fasten the article the bridge piece
(having first been pressed against or down upon the springs to permit the catch
and staple to engage) is released to the pressure of the springs, which, being
restored to action, retain catch and staple firmly engaged. In applying the
fastening to the mouth of bags (and like articles) I prefer to arrange it so
that the engaging parts may be on the outside of the bag or upper side of the
frame, instead of on the inside of the bag or under side of the frame, and to
place the catch, bridge piece, and springs on one jaw of the frame, and the
staple on the other jaw. I prefer to shape the case holding the bridge piece
springs like the box or case of a padlock.
I sometimes combine a lock with the fastening before described to prevent
the latter from being opened without a key. For this purpose in one arrangement
I fit a bolt or tumbler in the case that encloses the bridge piece springs, which
bolt, when propelled in one direction by the key, engages one of the arms of the
bridge piece, and prevents it from being moved by pressure on the catch which
cannot be worked till the key shifts the bolt and releases the bridge piece.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the .conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Maurice Vogl in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th July 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MAURICE
VOGL, of Sambrook Court, Basinghall Street, in the City of London, Merchant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Maurice Vogl, Her special licence, that I, the said Maurice
Vogl, my executors, administrators, and assigus, or such others as I, the
said Maurice Vogl, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
FASTENING FOR BAGS AND OTHER ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Maurice Vogl, my executors or administrators, by an instrument

page_text: in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Maurice Vogl, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in constructing a fastening in the following manner :—
One of the engaging members or portions of my fastening consists of a catch,
hook, pin, notched arm or piece fixed or formed on an arched, bent, or two-
limbed piece, or, as I call it, a bridge piece, the two limbs of which work in or
through a box, case, or frame, in which is a spring or springs. The catch
engages and disengages a recess, staple, socket piece, or part forming the other
engaging member or portion of the fastening. These two members or portions
of the fastening when engaged effect the fastening action, and they are kept
engaged by the pressure of the springs on the limbs of the bridge piece, and
they are disengaged by pressing the bridge piece downward or against the
spring or springs. In applying the fastening to bags and like articles, I
preferably arrange the engaging parts on the outside or upper side of the bag
frame, and not on the inside or under side thereof, and I place the catch, bridge
piece, and springs on one jaw of the frame and the other engaging member on
the other jaw. I prefer to shape the case which holds the springs like the box
or case of a padlock.
I sometimes combine a lock with my above-described fastening to prevent
it from being opened without a key. For this purpose a bolt or tumbler may
be fitted in the case which encloses the springs, which bolt or tumbler, when
worked in one direction, engages one of the limbs of the bridge piece and
prevents it from being moved by pressure until the key shifts the bolt and so
releases the bridge piece.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood, I proceed to describe
with reference to the Drawings a fastening constructed according to my
improvements.

page_text: The fastening is shewn open in Figure 2 and closed in Figure 3. Figure 5
is a side elevation shewing by way of example the fastening applied to a
bag A.
.
a is a box or case fixed on the outer side of one jaw or side of the bag
frame and shaped externally like the box of a padlock; b is a bent piece which
I call a bridge piece having two limbs which enter the case a and move up
and down, as afterwards described, through orifices on the top edge of such
case, the curved part or arch of the bridge piece is always outside the case a;
c is a spring fitted in the case a and bearing against the ends 6¹ of the limbs
of the bridge piece b. These ends 6' are formed with feet or projections, as
shewn in Figure 6 (edge view of bridge piece detached), which abut against
fixed stops d to limit the upward travel of the bridge piece b, To retain the
spring in proper working position it abuts against a stop c¹ and its extremities
enter grooves in the under side of the ends 6'; is a catch or notched arm
fixed on the bridge piece b, and f is a recess fixed on the other jaw or side of
the bag frame opposite the catch e; the spring c forces the bridge piece b
upward and so retains it, thereby causing the parts e and f to engage, and when
these are engaged the fastening is effected. When the bridge piece is de-
pressed it disengages or separates the parts e and fand so effects the unfastening,
To fasten the bag the jaws of the frame are brought together, and the bridge
piece b, having first been temporarily depressed, is released to the action of the
spring c which presses it upward and retains the parts e and f firmly engaged.
To unfasten the bag, pressure is exerted on the catch e so as to press the bridge
piece downward or in a direction contrary to the pressure of the springs,
whereby the parts e and fare disengaged,
I sometimes combine a lock with my fastening, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3 ;
g is a lock, bolt, or tumbler, worked to and fro in the case a on the inner side
of the limbs of the bridge piece b, parts are cut away on the inner side of
these limbs, as shewn at 6, 63, in the detached view of the bridge piece
Figure 7. One such notch 63 is longer than the other notch 63. When the bolt g
is propelled by the key in the direction of the arrow 1, it comes close under
the upper edge of the notch 63, and in that position prevents the bridge piece b
from being forced down by pressure on the catch e When the key propels
the bolt g in the direction of the arrow 2, the bolt clears the nick 6s (and as
it always clears the upper edge of the nick b) it so releases the bridge piece
and allows it to be depressed by pressure on the catch e; h is the lock
spring.
Although I have by way of example shewn the fastening in Figure 5
applied to a bag, it may be applied in like manner to other articles, the part f

page_text: being always placed in a convenient position for engaging the part e. And of
course if the fastening were applied horizontally instead of vertically, that is
to say, if the bridge piece were horizontal instead of vertical, it would work
forward and backward instead of upward and downward.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim as my Invention, a
fastening having its parts arranged and combined as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Maurice Vogl, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
S. E. A. NEWSOME,
Patent Office,
84, Fleet Street,
London.
MAURICE VOGL. (L.B.)