US2940149A - Fastening devices for suspenders, belts and the like - Google Patents

Description

D. OCONNOR June 14, 1960 FASTENING DEVICES FOR SUSPENDERS, BELTS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 31, 1954 FASTENING DEVICES FOR SUSPENDERS, BELTS AND THE LIKE Dagmar OConnor, 19 Queens Gate Ten-ace, London, England Filed Aug. 31, 1954, Ser. No. 453,190

Claims priority, application Great Britain, Sept. 2, 1953 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-206) This invention relates to fastening devices where it is required to connect together readily overlapping parts for varying the efiective length of an article, e.g. a suspender or belt, or for fastening together overlapping ends of belts and suspenders, the edges of infants napkins, containers and various other like articles. The invention is therefore applicable to a large number of articles and is particularly suitable as an efiicient substitute for buckles, buttons and similar existing fasteners many of which either do not afiord much useful adjustment of the eflective length of a belt or the like, or are awkward and uncomfortable in use. Thus, for example with suspenders for stockings, it is customary to employ a metal loop which engages over a stud on a tongue and to vary the effective length of the suspender by means of a buckle or similar form of fastener which has the disadvantage of being the cause of discomfort and protruding somewhat. Also with belt fasteners the customary form of buckles or buttons are liable to yield unduly or injure the fabric under tension, and ready interengcgement of overlapping ends is not usually possible. The object of the present invention is to provide a form of fastener which can substitute the existing buckles, buttons, press studs, hooks and eyes, laces and safety pins and the like, and which will enable a flat and inconspicuous fastening to be effected without the aforesaid disadvantages.

According to the present invention a fastening device for adjusting the effective length of suspenders, securing together overlapping ends of belts, napkins, containers and for like purposes comprises with the opposed overlapping parts interengaging ribs and interstices or slots disposed transversely relatively to the direction of tension to which the fastening is subjected in the closed position, the said ribs having alternating channels and being moulded integral with a continuous base part from a plastic material which is deformable under hand or finger pressure and which reasserts itself on releasing such pressure. The ribs and channels can be shaped complementarily, the thickness across each rib being reduced from its free end towards its inner end and the ribs being composed of a material which will yield slightly to compression, e.g. a plastic material, vulcanised rubber, a neoprene product, or the like. Alternatively the ribs of one of the overlapping parts can be the transverse bars of a grid-like member the ribs of the other part being shaped as previously described to press into the gaps between the said bars.

In carrying one form of the invention into practice the means for connecting together overlapping parts comprises with each part a length of moulded or extruded plastic material having a characteristic such that it only yields slightly to compression and after slight compression reasserts itself, e.g. polythene vulcanised rubber or synthetic rubber. Each moulded or extruded element is formed with a plurality of parallel or transverse ribs, alternating with the transverse channels of complementary nitecl States Patent shape, each rib having a cross section which is substanice tially that of the Greek symbol capital omega or mu e.g. semi-circular at the outer end merged curvilinearly into a slightly narrower neck portion which in turn merges into the adjacent channels.

In practice the number of transverse ribs should preferably be a minimum of five, although of course this number can be modified according to the purpose to which the fastening is to be applied, and where a fair amount of adjustment is required, as for example with suspenders, the number of transverse ribs on each of the transverse parts can be in the neighbourhood of ten or even more. The moulded or extruded strips therefore take a somewhat corrugated form, and each of them is sewn or otherwise secured to the appropriate part of the garment, and with a suspender would be secured to opposite ends of a length of elastic which would be passed between its ends through'the customary loop carrying the attachment for the stocking, and one corrugated element would be secured along the free end of the length of elastic and the other along the opposite end, so that in effecting a fastening operation these two ends are overlapped and pinched together to press the ribs of one into the interstices of the other whilst the elastic is under the required tension. The interengaging parts can be detached readily by providing on the front or outer face of the free end of the elastic a tab for pulling the interengaging parts apart.

The ribs may be straight or of chevron or arcuate form and it is found that by adopting chevron or arcuate shapes and by arranging them in the appropriate direction relatively to the line of tension extra security is obtained when the fastening is subjected to tensioning only in one direction. To enhance the gripping action one of the lengths of moulded or extruded rib material can be provided along both sides with a marginal ridge extending along and closing the ends of the grooves, the other strip being left open at the ends of the grooves.

It will be apparent that the fastening device may be employed for readily securing together the overlapping ends of infants napkins, bandages, for fastening flaps of brief cases and handbags, adjusting the eifective length of braces and for many other purposes.

As an alternative form of the present invention one of the said overlapping parts can be constructed in the manner already described but theother can comprise a thin bar of metal or stiff plastic material provided with a line of holes each shaped to receive as a push fit an opposed rib on the other part, the material between the holes forming a succession of grid-like members which press into the channels alternating with the ribs. This slotted member may be suificiently pliable to bend slightly to facilitate its attachment to the ribbed member and to enable it to adopt its contour to deformation applied to the ribbed member. One end of the slotted member is formed with a D or as a loop slightly bent away from the plane of the slotted member to afford an anchorage for one end of the suspender or belt, the free end of the slotted member having a tab preferably projecting from an angularly bent end part of the slotted member,'the angularly bent ends of the slotted member bent away from the face of the member which is pressed against the ribbed member so that the tab and the belt or the like attached to the other end of the slotted member can lie close to the free ends of the adjacent ribs.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure l is a perspective view showing two mutually interengaging strip elements exaggerated in thickness for clearness of illustration, partly disengaged, these elements being suitable as attachments to the ends of a belt, tabs for an expansible suitcase, briefcase or the like for the Figure is a detail perspective View of another em hoditi eu n h h n f t ement is a l t ed tifi adaptedto engage under pressure over the ribs ofothe nan? Referring to Figure, l of the drawings the adjustable fastening device comprises two strips 1 and 2 or poly-. or other suitable similar mouldable flexible plastic material which is deformable slightly under finger pressure and which will reassert itselfwhen the. pressure is 7 released. a

i The strip 1. is slightly narrower than the. strip 2 but both are formed withidentically shaped. transverse ribs 14;; and 24 each of which has a substantially capital omega shaped cross section the interstices between the successive ribs being of identical cross section so that, it

. he r ps a composed fi m yet me a v b Plast c m teria uch a Po y h ne if t e bb d ces o th tw Pa t arer ed fi mly one 1 9 e o h r the h ads or tre end p rts o the bs w l nter he: s me sne din y sh ped nne parts at the in er ic s a d. be same a ked th i rt us requir g a stro n ll to sen rat hem- Th sn ll an e ppli d by neansota ab 3 on a backing strip 4 of one of the strips; or formed integral with the strip 1'- or, 2. The backingetrips can comprise the end parts of a belt, or can be straps or. tabs f. va briefcase or suitcase or the like, to which the strips 1. and 2 are firmly secured by a suitable cement and/or stitching.

The thickness of the thinnest part'of'the' ribbed strips need only be about .025 and; the thickness, of the ribs about the, same, the intention being to keepJthe thickness ofthe material as low as possible provided it will withstand the tension to which it is .to. be subjected lengthwise of the strips for'the purpose of securing two members together.

The reason for making the strip 1 slightly narrower than the strip 2 is to provide with the strip 2 positive ahutments for the ends of the ribs 1a when the two strips are interengaged, this being obtained by moulding the strip lwith Webs or ridges 5' across the ends of the interstices to act as abutments for the ends of the rib 1a thus preventing sliding of the two interengaged strips laterally he. in. a direction parallel with the axes of the ribs.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 2, '3' and 4 the ribbed strip 2 is permanently afiixed to a back strip 6 of the same plastic material which is shaped to produce the equivalent of the aforesaid abutment webs or ridges 5 of Figure 1, thus enabling the strips 1 and 2 to be cut from a standardised length of moulded plastic material. For this purpose the back strip 6 is moulded with a shallow channel 60 to accommodate the strip 2 thus leaving two longitudinal marginal ribs 6b to act as abutments for the ends of the ribs 1a of the strip 1. The strip 1 v 7 need only have a length suflicient for about ribs in as thisxis carried by the free end part of the strap 1 ;1- over the ribbed strip 2 and fastening effected by pressing the ribs of one into the interstices of; the other.

A tab 9 is provided for pulling the strip 1 away from the head 2a and the associated neck part 2b a step 20', this ensuring a still more positive anchorage of the strips 1 and 2 to each other provided the bulbous heads of each strip incline in the direction of tension applied to the member carrying them. That is to say, to some extent the ribs of one strip hook. the ribs of the opposed stri v I is a further embodiment of thepresent invention only one of the strips may be ribbed as elg. shown in Figure 5, in which the. bulhnus'sec ionribs la o a str p t ch to one end of a belt or the; lilge are forced through transverse slots 13 in. a rigid plate '14 attached to. the other end of the belt or the like, theslots being narrower than the headsor-the ribs 2a; :1 H

When using a slotted plateld the ribs 2a will be thicker than is required in the"devices previously described to afiord ample material and a rigidity for the plate 14.

It will be apparent that in-some cases the width of: the ribbed stripsfcan be widerthan shown in the erarnples already given, particularly when the strips 1 and 2 are applied'toa napkin-or the like. or, the. overlapping" mouth parts of a bag... Iusuchp case. the longer dimension of the strips Willi be parallel with the ribs 141- and 2 a fo e ch a a o r wresi-eb ut{fi e s; eed. b Pmr d In some s s he bbe ma e ia can. be P dated by ansxtr sinnnr sess wh eh' sc -is conte plated uneart s rm aw rdin a Icla mfi .4 "Astq susn der dev e medic-b Pla ed under tension for support ng :a steamermprisin a b i trip at one end.v ad pt d o be adxedtc th arment o which the stocking is suspended and free at its; other end, which ends aread pted to b secured t getber' c npqr iibi by interengagingz fastening means to-rformpa suspension loop so that the; fastening; means when interengaged receives the, tension; due to theseeuring or; supporting or the stocking, said. fastening means comprising at one end of the backing; strip a first set of parallelidentically shaped equiclist-a'ntly spaced ribs or plastic material er tending transuersely across. the? backing strip, a second set of like ribs at the other'end of the backing strip, a tab. extending beyondone end of the'baclcingistrip, a loop-like garment-engaging member" through which the backing strip passes between its endsgeach rib being of bulbous cross-section :so. that. each has a relatively thin neck between its free end'and saidi strip, and. the inter-. stices: alternating with the ribs beirrgsubstantially correspondingly shaped in the reverse direction so. that said interstices of one set will accommodate the free end parts of the ribs of the other set and vice versawhen one. set is pressed against the other to cause: the freeends of the ribs to snap into theoppo'sed interstices, abutments on posed to. the ends of the interstices of one set of ribs which is carried through the usual loop 8 of a snspender strip 2. r The strap 7 is shown or otherwise secured to the garment 10.

'Iheribbed strips 1 and 2 can be moulded so that in cross esction the bulbous free ends of the ribs incline uniformly towards one end of the strip as shown in Figure 4 so that the successive ribs and interstices form in v effect a succession of substantially mu shaped parts each having on one face at the junction of the bulbous References Citedin'the fileof' this patent 622,220; 1899 $1,538,846! 4925 12,035,674" i f 1935 2,061,680 5 I 1936 2,466,741 1949 2,499,898 195 0 2,558,367 1951 2,772,469 7 Y 1956 9, .9 1 194 I f.- 3 1;041 Germany Jan, 7, 1954 952,885 lviay 9, 1949 1,037,455 France .."Apr. 29,1953

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