Year: 1889

page_text: I, MAX WOOLF HENIUS of the City of Bridgeport, State of Connecticut, United
States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
.
My invention has for its object to provide a corset clasp, the parts of which
may be engaged and disengaged in the usual manner or all of the studs of which
may be disengaged by a single slight movement without moving the busks toward
each other.
With this end in view I have devised the simple and novel construction, of which
the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a
specification, numbers being used to denote the several parts.
Fig. 1, is a front elevation of my novel corset clasp, the parts being in the
engaged position ;
Fig. 2, a rear elevation thereof;
Fig. 3, a front elevation showing the parts in the disengaged position; and
Fig. 4, is an elevation of a portion of a pair of busks illustrating a modification
in the construction and operation of the pivoted portion of one of the eyes.
1, denotes a corset busk having the usual clasping studs 2, and 3, a similar busk
carrying the eyes. These eyes are made in two parts, denoted rospectively by 4,
and 5. The upper part which I have denoted by 4, is rigidly secured to the busk
by rivets 6, or in any suitable manner. The lower portion of the eye which I
have denoted by 5, is pivoted to the busk directly under part 4, as at 7. The
openings in the eyes to receive the studs may be made in any preferred form, the
usual form being a central opening amply large to receive the head of the stud and a
slot lying longitudinally to the eye to receive the shank of the stud after the head has
been passed through the central opening. Just below pivot 7, in parts 5, are angle
slots 8, the lower portions of which are longitudinal to the busk, the upper portions
lying at an oblique angle thereto. 9, denotes slots in busk 3, which register with

page_text: the lower portion of slots 8, when the two parts of the eye are at the closed position
as in Figs. 1, and 2. At the back of busk 3, is a slide 10, having studs 11, which
pass through slots 8, and 9. and are headed at their outer ends to prevent the parts
from becoming detached, but at the same time permitting the studs to slide freely
in the slots. At the lower end of the slide is a spring 12, one end of which is
connected to the slide, and the other end to the lower end of the busk, the action
being to draw the slide downward which throws parts 5, of the eyes to the closed
position as shown. It will be noticed in Fig. 1. that the longitudinal portion of
slots 8, is shorter than slots 9, so that when studs 11, are moved upward, before
being stopped by the limit of slots 9, said studs will have passed into the oblique
portion of slots 8. This will throw parts 5, of the eyes, to the position shown in
Fig. 3, which permits the studs 2, to drop away from the eyes. It is an important
feature of my invention that the movable parts of the eyes are normally held at
the closed position, and furthermore that they can only be thrown to the open
position by actual movement of the slide against the power of spring 12. The
latter feature is owing to the special construction of slots 8. It will be seen that
when downward pressure is applied on either of the parts 5, to throw it to its
open position, the parts are in fact locked and immovable, the pressure being
transmitted by the straight side of the longitudinal portion of slot 8, directly
against the stud, there being no cam action whatever, so that even wore sufficient
pressure brought to bear to bend the metal of one of the parts 5, there would still
be no effect upon the slide, and the other parts 5, could not be moved without
moving the slide. I thus insure that in use it shall be impossiblo to unlock the
clasp except by moving the slide. As both parts of the eyes are secured to the
busk, it is apparent that in bending the busk inward and outward to fit the curves of
the figure, the parts of the eyes will not be displaced in the horizontal plane. It
will of course be apparent that any suitable means may be adopted to move the
slide and unlock the clasp. I preferably provide a slot 18, at the upper end of
busk 3, and a stud 14, secured to the slide which extends upward through this
slot. I also attach a loop of cord 15, to this stud for convenience in operation.
This construction has an additional advantage in that when a pull is given to the
cord to unlock the clasp in use, the pull will act to draw busk 3, upward slightly,
thereby detaching the parts of the eyes from the studs of busk 1.
It will be noticed in Fig. 3, that the outer ends of parts 4, of the eyes, are
curved inward, forming hook shaped projections 16, against which the studs on
busk 1, rest in use. The ends of parts 5, are made shorter than the ends of parts 4,
aud overlap them in the closed position as indicated in Fig. 1. This gives all the
strength to the eyes that can possibly be required and at the same time allows the
studs to drop out readily wlien the parts 5, of the eyes, are thrown to the open
position and busk 3, drawn upward in the act of unclasping, as already described.
It will thus be seen that the strain of a tightly laced corset is entirely taken by the
rigid and strong eye-portions 4, instead of by the relatively weaker and movable eye-
portions 5. Moreover, the absence of strain upon said movable portions enables them
to be readily operated by the slide without encountering resisting friction from the
studs.
In the modified form illustrated in Fig. 4, slot 9, in busk 3, is dispensed with, and
slot 8, is made in the busk instead of in part 5, of the eye, stud 11, passing through
said slot, and being made rigid to part 5, as well as to the slide. In this form the
slide swings outward slightly when it is drawn up, stud 11, following the slot, and
throwing part 5, to the open position as in the other form.
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 :
1. A corset clasp comprising a busk having studs a second busk having fixed eye
portions 4 curved to form hooks 16 pointing slightly inwards towards said busk and

page_text: thereby adapted to hold the studs and take all of the strain when the corset is tightly
laced, inovable eye portions also carried by said second busk and adapted to prevent
the escape of the studs when the corset is loosely laced, and a slide connecting and
adapted to operate said movable eye portions, substantially as set forth.
2. A corset clasp comprising a busk having studs a second busk having fixed eye
portions 4, pivoted movable eye-portions 5 having vertical slots and also carried by
said second busk, and a slide 10 carrying studs engaging said vertical slots of eye
portions 5, substantially as set forth.
Did this 26th day of December 1888
HERBERT J. ALLISON,
Agent for the Applicant.