US3165804A

US3165804A - Separable fastener

Info

Publication number: US3165804A
Application number: US235159A
Authority: US
Inventors: Marosy Andre
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-11-02
Filing date: 1962-11-02
Publication date: 1965-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 1982-01-19

Description

Jan. 19, 1965 A. MARosY 3,165,804

SEPARABLE FASTENER Filed NOV. 2, 1962 FIG. 3 /10 xbcixgxmg;

"xncmcmim,

INVENTOR ANDRE MAROSY maa AGENTZZ United States Patent O 3,165,864 t SEPARABLE FASTENER Andre Marosy, 24731 Kipling St., Uak Park, Mich.

Filed Nov. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 235,159

4 Claims. (Cl. 24-230) This invention relates generally to snaps and more particularly to a novel jewelry snap having a positive safety lock. A

Jewelry snaps play an important role in the jewelry industry, since many varieties of jewelry require some type of fastener. Necklaces, bracelets, wrist watches, etc. which cannot be slipped on must, of necessity, have some type of fastening means for joining two ends there.-

. of around the part of the body on which they are worn.

The importance ofl the snap, however, is of primary interest to the purchaser or wearer of the jewelry. There are two important factors which the consumer may consider when purchasing jewelry: First, the ease of operation of the snap and second, the security it can offer in its ability to hold together and not come unfastened while the jewelry is being worn.

The diiculty of putting on or taking off a wristwatch or necklace which requires the operation of prior known jewelry snaps is well known. Fumbling to find the proper notch or to operate a particular spring loaded element has become a familiar sight in the home. Oftentimes, the operation of putting on jewelry must be performed by a second person, thus becoming a troublesome job.

Of utmost importance, however, is the safety and security provided by the jewelry snap. In this respect, the value of the piece of jewelry depends largely upon the safety provided yand upon the amount f positive action offered thereby. Many times the operation of such devices is loose to the extent that the jewelry is easily unfastened and thereby is often lost or broken. Thus it is evident that the selection of jewelry may oftentimes be dependent upon the particular snap which is employed.

Positive action and ease of operation, however, is not always suliicient for the needs of the jewelry wearer. A fastening lock is necessary to guarantee the complete safety of the jewelry from being lost or dropped and broken. Such safety locks on jewelry clasps have, heretofore, been inadequate in many respects. For instance, the addition of some type of lock means to an ordinary jewelry snap would result in a large and bulky fastener. Of course, the size of the snap should be held to an absolute minimum so that it will not distract from the appearance of the jewelry. In addition, prior safety locks which provided complete locking action were difficult to operate.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a jewelry snap which will be easy to operate and handle.

It is another object of this invention to provide a jewelry snap which will have positive locking means.

Another object of this invention is to provide a jewelry snap which will be inexpensive to construct and manufacture.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a jewelry snap of rugged construction which will not be easily bent or broken.

And another object of this invention is to provide a jewelry snap which may be compact and relatively small in size in comparison to the functions provided thereby.

These and other objects of the present invention will be more fully realized and understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view of the invention showing its lines. jewelry by

rings

12 and 14 located at each end of the 3,165,804 l Y Patented Jan. 19, 1965 ice relationship to a piece of jewelry and the manner in which it fastens the two ends thereof together;

FIGURE 2 is a side View of the invention showing it in a fastened condition;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the invention as shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a side view and partial cross section of the invention showing it in an unfastened condition;

FIGURE 5 is a detailed cross sectional side view of a portion of one end of the invention showing the operation of a safety lock and plunger mechanism in a locked condition; and

FIGURE 6 is a side view and partial cross vsection of one end of the invention showing the operation of the safety lock in an unlocked condition.

In reference to the drawings, like numerals throughout the various Views and figures will designate similar parts and elements.

Referring to FIGURE l, there is shown therein the invention as it is utilized with a necklace shown in dotted The jewelry snap 10 is connected to the piece of snap. It is to be understood that the novel device of this invention can be used with any similar type of ar ticle and is not limited to use with jewelry specifically. As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 the snap is madein two

engaging bodies

16 and 18 to which

rings

12 and 14 are connected respectively in any suitable manner of construction. A plunger 20 extends from the top of body 16 and is operated to release the engaging action between the two bodies.

The disengaged snap is shown in FIGURE 4 wherein body 18 is shown in partial cross section. A U-shaped spring 22 is secured to the bottom part of body 16 at a point 24 thereon. The plunger 20 has a threaded shank screwed into the upper arm of spring 22 and extends through but is not in engagement with body 16. A tooth 26 is secured to the upper arm of spring 22 and is located thereon so as to engage with a hole 28 in body 18. Several holes may be provided in the several respective sides of body 18 so that no matter how the bodies are turned with respect to each other, the tooth will engage the hole in one of the sides. In operation, spring 22 is inserted into body 18 until tooth 26 engages one of the holes 28. Tooth 26 has a cam surface which tends to depress spring 22 as it passes from the edge of body 18 to the hole 28. When tooth 26 is in direct alignment with hole 28, spring 22 forces the tooth into the hole. Tooth 22 is provided with a fiat surface which is perpendicular to the surface of spring 22 which acts as a shoulder to engage the surface provided by hole 28. This structure holds bodies 16 and 1S in lateral engagement until plunger 20 is depressed. Spring 22 is in turn depressed by plunger 20 and tooth 26 disengages from hole 28.

Bodies

16 and 18 are then free to move in a lateral direction .away from each other thus breaking the fastening action between the two ends of jewelry or similar article attached at

respective rings

12 and 14. The action of plunger 20 is better shown in FIGURES 5 .and 6 wherein a cross section of body 16 and a broken cross section of spring 22 are shown. Plunger 2t) has a head 30, threaded shank 32, and stop 34. Shank 32 extends through a hole or slot 36 in body 16 and is threadably engaged with spring 22. As shown in FIG- URE 6, plunger 20 and spring 22 are depressed and if released will spring back to the top of body 16. In FIGURE 5, however, the plunger 20 has been turned until stop 34 approaches the bottom of body 16. At that point, plunger 20 cannot be depressed and a locking action results. The operation, therefore, is as follows: Plunger 20 is retracted until there is suiiicient space between stop 34 and the side of body 16 to enable spring f, B 22 to be depressed a substantial distance; Spring 22 Vand tooth 26 are then free to slide into body 18 to engage with hole 23. After engagement is effected between tooth 26 and hole 28, plunger 26 can be screwed down until stop 34 comes in contact with the inside bottom of body 16. In this position of the respective parts plunger 2@ cannot be depressed to disengage tooth 26 from hole 28 and bodies T6 and 18 are locked together. To separate the bodies, plunger 20 is retracted until it has suiicient space to depress spring 22 and disengage tooth 26.

Therefore, locking action is provided by simply twisting or rolling between the thumb and forenger head 30 until stop 34 engages body 16. Positive lockingl action is thus provided with a minimum of eiort and discom-k fort on the part of the operator.

As shown in the accompanying drawings,'

bodies

16 and 18 have a rectangular cross section, however, the bodies may be constructed in any shape including square.

The jewelry snap Aof the present invention may be manufactured from any of the alloys or metals employed for such articles and may be constructed or assembled in any suitable fashion. Other variations and modifications can be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims and the particular embodiment shown and described herein is for purposes of exemplification and is not to be construed as limiting to the scope i of the claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A jewelry snap comprising a pair of hollow bodies each having one open end; a U-shaped resilient member having respective arms and connecting curved section, one arm thereof secured to one side of one of said bodies at the open end; the other of said bodies being disposed for receiving said resilient member; tooth means and tooth engaging means, one of which is on the other arm and the other being on said other body and coacting to engage with one another; said one body including a vertical hole ladjacent the open end thereof, said arrn having a terminal end extending into the open end of said one body adjacent said vertical hole, a plunger threadably secured to said terminal end and extending from one side thereof through said vertical hole and from the other side thereof into said one body and having a length substantially equal to the vertical dimension of the open end, whereby said vertical hole limits movement of said plunger along a vertical line and whereby said plunger performs when screwed in one direction with respect to the one arm to hold said one arm in tight relationship to said other body land to eiect engagement of said tooth means with said tooth engaging means.

2. A jewelry snap as in claim 1 wherein said tooth means includes a shoulder and said tooth engaging means includes a surface dened by a hole for engaging the shoulder.

3. A jewelry snap as in claim 1 wherein said tooth engaging means includes a plurality of holes each being in a respective side of said other body whereby engagement with said tooth means can be effected at a plu- -rality of positions of said one body with respect to said other body.

4. A rjewelry snap as in claim 3 wherein said tooth means includes a shoulder disposed for engagement with a surfacedefined by a respective one of the holes in said other body.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 27,264 Bissinger Feb. 28, 1860 247,709 Lowe Sept. 27, 1881 589,921 Ashworth Sept. 14, 1897 1,393,222 Jaroll Oct. 11, 1921 1,497,032 Siefken June l0, 1924 1,563,270 Fife Nov. 24, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS 472,684 France Dec. l5, 1914 1,639 Great Britain June 26, 1861

Claims

1. A JEWELRY SNAP COMPRISING A PAIR OF HOLLOW BODIES EACH HAVING ONE OPEN END; A U-SHAPED RESILIENT MEMBER HAVING RESPECTIVE ARMS AND CONNECTING CURVED SECTION, ONE ARM THEREOF SECURED TO ONE SIDE OF ONE OF SAID BODIES AT THE OPEN END; THE OTHER OF SAID BODIES BEING DISPOSED FOR RECEIVING SAID RESILIENT MEMBER; TOOTH MEANS AND TOOTH ENGAGING MEANS, ONE OF WHICH IS ON THE OTHER ARM AND THE OTHER BEING ON SAID OTHER BODY AND COACTING TO ENGAGE WITH ONE ANOTHER; SAID ONE BODY INCLUDING A VERTICAL HOLE ADJACENT THE OPEN END THEREOF, SAID ARM HAVING A TERMINAL END EXTENDING INTO THE OPEN END OF SAID ONE BODY ADJACENT SAID VERTICAL HOLE, A PLUNGER THREADEDLY SECURED TO SAID TERMINAL END AND EXTENDING FROM ONE SIDE THEREOF THROUGH SAID VERTICAL HOLE AND FROM THE OTHER SIDE THEREOF INTO SAID ONE BODY AND HAVING A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE VERTICAL DIMENSION OF THE OPEN END, WHEREBY SAID VERTICAL HOLE LIMITS MOVEMENT OF SAID PLUNGER ALONG A VERTICAL LINE AND WHEREBY SAID PLUNGER PERFORMS WHEN SCREWED IN ONE DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO THE ONE ARM TO HOLD SAID ONE ARM IN TIGHT RELATIONSHIP TO SAID OTHER BODY AND TO EFFECT ENGAGEMENT OF SAID TOOTH MEANS WITH SAID TOOTH ENGAGING MEANS.