Improvements in Fastenings or Locking Devices for the Clasps of Suspenders, also applicable to Glove Fasteners and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1893-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fastenings or Locking Devices for the Clasps of
Suspenders, also applicable to Glove Fasteners and the like.
I, WILLIAM BURGESS DRAPER, Merchant, of 279 Washington Street, Boston,
Massachusetts, United States of America, 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 is an improvement in a fastening or locking device designed
particularly for use in connection with the clasps or cast offs of suspenders, but
adapted for use in certain forms, in other situations such as glove fasteners and
the like.
The invention consists of a two part clasp, the parts being adapted to overlap
and having means to lock the parts together, the locking means being positively
operated to unlock or separate the parts.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention,
Figs. 1, 1A and 1B, represent one form of my invention adapted for use as a
suspender clasp ;
Fig. 2 is a modification of the same as a glove fastener;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a modification, and Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the
parts detached.
Fig. 5 shows the form of Fig. 1, with prongs for use as a suspender clasp.
Fig. 6 is a view of the device also adapted for use as a suspender clasp.
Fig. 7 is a further modification of Figs. 3 and 4.
In Fig. 1, the plate a is connected to the end of the suspender or carried in the
loop thereof and to it 18 removably secured the cast off or lower part of the
suspender as shown at b. The plate a is provided with a depending part having a
recess centrally thereof in its under face, forming a projecting boss a' on its front
face. A locking bar c extends across from side to side of this recess, and forming
a part of this bar is a loop or bail,d which passes through openings in the plate a,
and over the top of the boss. The bail and bar are readily inserted in position by
cutting one side of the convex part of the plate to the pivotal openings and through
this slit or cut the bar is inserted after which the opening is closed up and soldered.
The bar and bail however may be placed in position in other ways. The locking
bar c is made of flat metal and is of greater width than its thickness. The other
plate 5 to which the tab end of the suspender is connected is provided with a
convex projection or boss fadapted to fit within the recess of the plate a, and it is
locked therein by the locking bar entering a slit or opening made across the centre
of the boss f of a sufficient width to receive the thin edge of the locking bar, but
not the wide part thereof. Thus to engage the parts the bail must be brought to a
position directly in front of the boss or raised part of the plate a which brings the
thin edge into line with the slit in the boss and after the bar has passed through,
a quarter turn of the bail brings the flat or wide part of the bar in line with the
slit and as it is wider than the slit it is obvious that the parts remain locked while
in this position. The slit across the boss has enlargements at the end to permit
the tuning of the locking bar.
When used as a suspender clasp I may as shown in Fig. 5 provide the plate b
with a series of prongs i adapted to engage the end of the suspender, and protect
these prongs or hooks by a sheath k as in Fig. 6, and as shown in this figure the
disc carrying the prongs may be removably connected to the plate b. The bail is
kept in locked position by a spring clip 9 engaging a shoulder on the lower face of
the boss, Fig. 1B.
When used as a glove fastener I substitute for the lower boss shown in Fig. 1 a

page_text: post projecting from a flange or eyelet secured to the glove, and as shown in Fig. 2,
this post has a slit across its end enlarged at its bottom as is the case with the
boss, of Fig. 1, and the bar c of the boss a¹ registers therewith in precisely the
same manner as before described.
In Figs. 3 and 4 I show a modification in which the plates a and b have bosses
pressed out of the same, leaving corresponding recesses behind, the boss of the
lower plate entering the recess of the upper, but the locking device in these figures
differs from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In Figs. 3 and 4, the locking device is
carried by the plate a and is located in the recess thereof at the rear. It consists
of a piece of wire having its ends passing through perforations in the side walls
of the boss, the metal of the wire being bent a short distance from the ends within
the recess and these bent portions bear against the slightly inclined walls. The
central loop of the wire serves as a handle which when pressed outwardly draws in
the points which are long enough to engage slots in the walls of the boss of the
plate b. When in normal position the ends of the wire lock the bosses together
by passing through the slots and can be withdrawn to disengage the parts by
pressing the loop of the wire outwardly. In this form the lock is entirely
concealed.
In the modified form of Fig. 7, the boss k of the plate a has an open centre while
the locking device is in the form of a U shaped wire m having laterally extending
ends passing through openings or slots in the wall of the boss or flanges. In this
form the bail of the locking wire is upon the face of the plate instead of in rear, as
in Figs. 3 and 4, this position being permitted by slots extending through from the
open centre to the base of the boss as at 2. These slots are curved as shown and
serve as guiding surfaces to draw in the projecting ends of the wire to unlock the
parts. The plate 6 has its boss fitting over the boss k; but is likewise provided
with curved slots to permit the movement of the locking wire m to lock or unlock
the parts. To hold the wire ends drawn in, the slots terminate in lateral recesses n
which receive the limbs of the wire m and by the spring action of the wire hold the
bail in its raised position until released.
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 locking clasp consisting of a slotted projection, a boss fitting over the same
and a lock for securing the parts together, substantially as described.
2. A locking clasp consisting of bosses fitting one within the other, a locking
device carried by one and engaging the other and means for positively operating
said locking device, substantially as described.
3. In combination with the bosses removably connected to each other by locking
means, a series of prongs supported from the plate b, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of June 1893.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.