IMPROVEMENTS IN LINKS FOR FASTENING SHIRT CUFFS AND OTHER' ARTICLES OF DRESS to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM WEST of N° 42 Caroline Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Manufacturing Jeweller do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LINKS FOR FASTENING SHIRT CUFFS AND OTHER'
ARTICLES OF DRESS to be as follows:-
"
Links for fastening shirt cuffs and other articles of dress as usually made consist
of two button like studs the shanks of which are connected by a link.
In attaching the fastening say to a shirt cuff the studs are inserted in the holes
in the cuff from the under or innerside of the cuff the said studs in their fastening
position lying on the front or outer side of the cuff the shanks of the studs passing
through the holes in the cuff being connected by a link at the back or on the inner
side of the cuff. The fastening and unfastening of links of the ordinary kind is
troublesome and the necessity for passing the studs of the links through the holes
in the cuff from the back or underside frequently results in creasing the cuff as
well as injuring the holes in the cuff.
In making links for fastening shirt cuffs and other articles of dress according to
my invention I form on the end of the shank a cross bar or small stud preferably.
eccentric and I connect the studs by means of a link or bar engaged with an eye
on the underside of each stud or with the shanks of the studs. In fastening the
shirt cuff or other article of dress the cross bars or small studs are passed through
the holes in the cuff or article from the front the connecting link or bar lying on
the front or outerside of the cuff or article instead of being inside the cuff or
article as in the ordinary link. The strain on the two parts of the cuff or article
tends to preserve the cross bar or small stud in such a position as to prevent the
accidental unfastening of the link.
In order still further to prevent the accidental unfastening of the link the shanks'
of the stud may be made capable of turning in the ends of the bar through which
they pass so that after the link has been put in its place the studs may be turned
so as to bring the parts which have been passed through the holes in the cuff into
the position in which they cannot pass through the said holes. The studs may be
secured in this safe position by light springs or the shank which passes from the
front of the cuff through the hole in the cuff may have a spring joint so that after
the shank has been passed through the cuff the jointed part may be turned down
upon the inside of the cuff. The accidental unfastening of the cuff is thereby
effectually prevented.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM WEST of No 42 Caroline Street; Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturing Jeweller do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LINKS FOR FASTENING SHIRT CUFFS AND OTHER ARTICLES
OF DRESS" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Links for fastening shirt. cuffs and other articles of dress as usually made consist
of two button like studs the shanks of which are connected by a link.
In attaching the fastening, say to a shirt cuff, the studs are inserted in the holes
in the cuff from the under or inner side of the cuff the said studs in their fastening
position lying on the front or outer side of the cuff, the shanks of the studs passing
through the holes in the cuff being connected by a link at the back or on the inner
side of the cuff. The fastening and unfastening of links of the ordinary kind is
troublesome and the necessity for passing the studs of the links through the holes
in the cuff from the back or underside frequently results in creasing the cuff as
well as injuring the holes in the cuff.
In making links for fastening shirt cuffs and other articles of dress according to
my invention I form on the end of the shank a cross bar. or small stud preferably
eccentric and I connect the studs by means of a link or bar engaged with an eye
on the underside of each stud or with the shanks of the studs. In fastening the
shirt cuff or other article of dress the cross bars or small studs are passed through
the holes in the cuff or article from the front the connecting link or bar lying on
the front or outside of the cuff or article instead of being inside the cuff or article
as in the ordinary link. The strain on the two parts of the cuff or article tends to
preserve the cross bar or small stud in such a position as to prevent the accidental
unfastening of the link.
In order still further to prevent the accidental unfastening of the link the shanks
of the studs may be made capable of turning in the ends of the bar through which
they pass so that after the link has been put in its place the studs may be turned
so as to bring the parts which have been passed through the holes in the cuff into
the position in which they cannot pass through the said holes. The studs may be
secured in this safe position by light springs.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in elevation a shirt cuff to
which a link constructed according to my invention is applied; Figure 2 represents
in back elevation, Figure 3 in side elevation and Figure 4 ip front elevation the
said link detached from the cuff drawn to a larger scale, Figure 5 represents a side
elevation of one of the studs of the link; a, a are the studs of the link, on the end
of each stem 6 of which studs a cross bar c is formed, the said bars c, c crossing.
the elliptical studs a, a in their shorter direction as seen in Figure 2. The two
studs a, a are connected together by means of a link or har d the ends of which
engage with eyes e, e on the underside and. edges of the studs a, a. Or the
connecting link d between the two studs may be connected with the shanks b, b of
the studs.
•

page_text: In fastening the edges of the shirt cuff the cross bars c, c of the studs a, a are
passed through the holes in the cuff from the front and the studs are turned
through a quadrant so as to cause the said bars c, c to cross the holes in the cuff
as illustrated in Figure 1 and thereby fasten the two edges of the cuff together.
When the cuff is thus fastened the connecting link or bar d lies on the front or
outside of the cuff and the strain on the two parts of the cuff tends to preserve the
two cross bars c, c parallel to one another or in such a position as to prevent the
accidental unfastening of the cuff as will be understood by an examination of
Figure 1. Instead of connecting the studs together by the link & Figures 1, 2, 3
and 4, an elastic bar or link made in two pieces as represented in Figures 6, 7, 8
and 9 may be used; Figure 6 is a section of this modification; Figure 7 a front
elevation; Figure 8 a back elevation with the connecting link. expanded and
Figure 9 a side elevation of one of the studs.
In this arrangement, the ends of the connecting link d work in cases f, f on the⚫
front of the metal studs a, a the said cases being concealed by stones or front
mounts. The studs a, a are drawn together into the normal position représented
in Figures 6 and 7 by the coiled springs h, h the said springs bearing at one end.
against the closed ends of the cases f, and at the other end against the heads or
expanded parts of the link d as seen in the section Figure 6. When the two
studs a, a are separated as illustrated in Figure 8, the springs h, h are compressed
and their elasticity tends to press the two studs together so as to prevent the
accidental unfastening of the link. The cross bars c; c on the underside of the
studs a, a are different in shape from those first described.
°
Instead of cross bars on the underside of the studs, small studs preferably
excentric may be used in combination with the connecting link or bar between the
two principal studs.
This arrangement of my invention is illustrated in front elevation in Figure 10;
side elevation in Figure 11 and back elevation, in Figure 12 in which Figures
a, a are the principal or front studs & the connecting link or bar and a³, a the
small eccentric studs at the bottoms of the steins b, b, the said small studs being
passed through the button holes in the cuff from the front thereof as described
with respect to the cross bars c, c.
The small studs a², a² may be concentric with the principal studs a a instead of
eccentric thereto as represented in the Drawing.
Figure 13. represents in back elevation and Figure 14 in side elevation a cuff
link constructed according to my invention provided with means for preventing
the accidental unfastening of the cuff; Figure 15 represents the back part of the
link in position before fastening; Figure 16 represents the principal part of the
stud; Figure 17 represents the back part and Figure 18 the two parts together;
is the front disc or principal part of the stud (shown separately in Figure 16)
to which the stone is affixed, the said disc i carrying the stem and cross bar i³,
and k is the back portion of the disc capable of turning upon the front portion i
the two discs being pressed together by the coiled spring . To the edges of the
back discs k; k the link or bar p is connected. The under face of the back disc k
carries a divided bar q. The cross bar is on the front disc can be placed at right
angles to the bar q as represented in Figure 13 or made to coincide with or
brought parallel to the said bar q as represented in Figure 15. When in the
position Figure 13 the under disc is fastened to the front disc i by studs r, r on
the latter snapping by the action of the spring into holes 8, 8 in the back disc.
The principal cross bar and the under cross bar q being in the coincident position
Figure 15 the combined cross bar i³, q is passed through the hole in the cuff and
the front disc i is then turned and locked in the position represented in Figure 13.
The principal cross bar 3³ is thus made to cross the hole in the cuff and the
accidental unfastening of the cuff thus prevented.
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

page_text: I claim is of "Improvements in links for fastening shirt cuffs and other articles
of dress
First The combination with each of the studs of the link of a cross bar or
small stud, which is passed through the hole in the shirt cuff or article of dress
from the front and connecting together the two studs of the combined studs and
cross bar, or the principal studs of the combined upper and lower studs, by a link
or bar, the said link or bar lying on the front or outer side of the fastened cuff or
article for the purpose and substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in Figures 1 to 12 both inclusive of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly Preventing the accidental unfastening of the link by making the
cross bars, each in two parts, which are capable of being placed at right angles to
or parallel with. one another substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in Figures 13 to 18 both inclusive of the accompanying Drawings.
Dated this Twenty seventh day of June 1885