Improvements in Spring Clasps.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application. 7th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 12th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spring Clasps.
I, JOHN NASE, of the City of Syracuse, in the County of Onondaga, and State of
New York, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING CLASPS," and in what manner the
saine is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to the class of spring-clasps which are usually applied to
shoes, specially over shoes and also to rubber over-coats, and in which a spring-
actuated tongue interlocks with a slotted catch-plate.
And the invention consists in the improved construction and combination of the
components of the clasp as hereinafter fully described and set forth in the claims.
In the annexed Drawing, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a spring clasp embodying my
improvements, Figs. 2 and 3 are side views of same showing the clasp respectively in
its closed and open positions, Figs. 4 and 5 are detached plan views of the two plates
of which the tongue supporting frame is formed, Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view
of the tongue, Fig. 7 is an edge view of a modification of my invention, and Fig. 8 is
a plan view of the same.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
a and b designate two plates stamped out of sheet steel and lying flatwise one upon
the other and firmly secured to each other at what I term the rear ends by a rivet »
passing through them, or by other suitable and well known means.
The top-plate a which I designate the body-plate is formed with forward exten-
sions at a at opposite sides of the central portion of its front, and said extensions are
each provided with a lateral slot c in its inner edge, and with a slot c¹ intersecting the
said lateral slot at right angles.
The underlying plate is formed with forwardly extending arms which are
each formed with a right angled recess e in the side adjacent to the body-plate a which
recess terminates with an upward projecting lip of sufficient length to project through
the lateral slot c.
t represents the locking tongue of the clasp. Said tongue has integral with it or
rigidly secured to it the flattened pintle p which lies normally flatwise in the
recesses ee of the plate band is of the same or nearly. the same depth so that the
pressure of the two plates upon the flat sides of the pintle holds the tongue in its
closed position. The two plates lie normally contiguous with each other and possess
sufficient elasticity to allow them to be sprung apart by the turning of the pintle in
raising the tongue from its closed position toward an open position as illustrated in
Fig. of the Drawing, and thus the tongue receives a spring action which automatically
throws the same either forward or rearward after it has passed a vertical position. To
guard more effectually against the accidental slipping of the pintle out of the recesses e e,
I form the pintle p with lugs p'p' which project upward at right angles therefrom and
enter the longitudinal slots c c as shown in Fig. 1 of the Drawing.
In some cases however, the lugs p' pl may be dispensed with and therefore the
longitudinal slots c¹ c' are also unnecessary in such cases. Furthermore the
plates a and b may be formed with solid central portions and rivetted to each
other thereat and the underlying plate formed with a perforated extension as
shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the Drawing for attaching the clasp by a rivet or
eyelet.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a clasp, the tongue- supporting frame composed of two plates of sheet metal

page_text: lying one upon the other and rigidly united at their rear ends, one of said plates
being formed with forwardly extending arms and with an opening between
said arms and extending to the free ends thereof, and having aportures vertically
through said arms, and the other plate formed with a similar central opening
and forwardly extending arms terminating with vertically projecting lips passing
through the apertures in the arms of the first plate, in combination with
the tongue having on its side edges flat lateral projections extending between the
arms of the two plates immediately back of the aforesaid lips, substantially as described
and shown.
2. In a spring-clasp, the combination of a body-plate provided with right angled
slots, the tongue having its pintle rigid thereon and formed with lugs projecting at
right angles from the pintle and entering the aforesaid slots, and a plate secured to
the body plate and holding between then the aforesaid pintle as set forth.
3. In a spring-clasp, the combination of a body plate formed with forward ex-
tensions at opposite sides of the contral portion of its front and provided with right
angled slots in said extensions, the tongue having its hinged end between the
extensions of the body-plate and formed with a flattened pintle lying under the
aforesaid plate extensions and formed with lugs projecting at right angles froin
the pintle and entering the aforesaid slots, and a plate secured to the body-plate and
pressing the pintle against the latter plate, substantially as set forth.
4. In a spring-clasp, the combination of the tongue having integral with it a pintle
formed with lugs projecting at right angles therefrom, a plate formed at one end with
right angled recesses for the reception of the pintle, and a superimposed plate secured
to the aforesaid plate and provided with longitudinal slots for the reception of the
aforesaid lugs as set forth and shown.
5. In a spring-clasp, the combination of the plate a provided at its front end with
the lateral slots cc and longitudinal slots cl c', the plate secured to the rear end of
the plate a and formed at its front end with the lips l'entering the slots cc and the
tongue.t having the pintle-p-lying between the aforesaid plates and formed-with-the
lugs pp entering the slots cc, substantially as described and shown.
6. In a spring-clasp the combination of the plate a formed with the extensions a¹ a¹
and provided with the lateral slots cc in said extensions and with longitudinal
slots c¹¹ intersecting the slots c.c, the plate-6-secured to the rear end of the plate a
and formed with the arms and with the recess ee in said arms and terminating
with the lips entering the slots c c, and the tongue t having the pintle p in said
recesses and formed with lugs p' p¹ entering the slots c¹ c', substantially as described
and shown.
Dated this 10th day of February 1890