US3197836A

US3197836A - Garment fastener

Info

Publication number: US3197836A
Application number: US265145A
Authority: US
Inventors: Elton W Burch
Original assignee: Thin Flex Inc
Current assignee: Thin Flex Inc
Priority date: 1963-03-14
Filing date: 1963-03-14
Publication date: 1965-08-03
Anticipated expiration: 1982-08-03

Description

Aug- 3, 1965 E. w. BURCH 3,197,836

GARMENT FASTENER Filed March 14, 1963 -A, du... .r6/5.,

United States Patent O 3,197,836 GARMENT FASTENER Elton W. Burch, Savage, Minn., assignor to Thin-Flex, Inc., Savage, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Mar. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 265,145 9 Claims. (Cl. 24-263) This invention relates generally to garment fasteners and is more particularly related to garment fasteners for supporting stockings and the like.

In prior art devices of the class with which my invention is concerned, the use of certain materials and `designs has created a desire, on the part of the user, for a garment fastener which will easily and reliably engage and hold a garment, such as a stocking, and will notbe irritating to the user because of allergic reaction or physical discomfort due to4 pinching, or the like. Further, as is always the case with devices in widespread use and application, there is the desire on the part of manufacturers to provide improved devices Whichjmay be easily and inexpensively manufactured.

It is therefore a general object of my invention to provide an improved garment fastener.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved garment fastener which may be easily and economically manufactured.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved garment fastener which may be easily operated by a user.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved garment fastener which will releasably engage a garment without damage to the garment and will reliably retain engagement with such garment.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved garment fastener which may be easily attached to a support therefor.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved garment fastener which may be worn lby all classes of users.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved garment fastener which is substantially thinner than those in present use.

With these and other objects in mind, my invention comprises a two-piece garment fastener which maybe fashioned of suitable plastic material by suitable methods.

The two members of which my garment fastener is com-v prised include a body member, which is adapted to be attached to -a support therefor such as is commonly worn on the body of a user and which contains a garment engaging portion adapted to receive a portion of a garment, and a sliding member, adapted to be slidably contained on the body member and having an end portion adapted to engage the garment in the garment engaging portion of the body member.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Y A FIG. 1 is a top View of a garment fastener embodying the principles of my invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the drawing of FIG. l taken along section lines 2-2.

FIG. 3 is a drawing of a human leg showing the garment fastener of FIGS. 1 and 2 in use.

FIG. 4 is a front View of a modification of the device shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of FIG. 4 taken along section lines 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a sketch showing the modification of FIGS. 4 and 5 in a support engaging relationship as it might appear under actual use.

ICC

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along section lines 2 2 in FIG. 1 showing the device of FIG. 1 in garment receiving position. Y

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 7 of the drawings in which like elements have been identified with like reference characters, there is shown generally a body mernfor slidably receiving a garment engaging slide as will be described below. The lower portion 12 is dimensioned so as to slidably receive the garment engaging member and to receive a portion of the garment as indicated in FIG. 3. A pair of ramp-like portions 40 and V41 extend upwardly of body member 10 on either side of upwardly extending portion 11 and extend axially of body member 10 for a portion of the distance between upwardly extending portions 11 and 12. A further upwardly extending portion 13 is provided in axially displaced relationship with upwardly extending portion 11 on body member Garment engaging slide member 16 is suitably dimensioned to slide longitudinally of body member 10 and includes an upwardly extending stop member 19, an upwardly extending locking member 18, an upwardly extending stop member 17 and a plurality of transversely and upwardly extending ridges 21 for engagement by, for example, the linger of a user. It will be noted that slidable Agarment engaging member 16 is constructed of material having suitable'resiliency characteristics whereby a tendency for the lower end of member 16 to extend upwardly from body member 10 is present. This is indicated by the line 20 extending transversely across slide member 16 and is also indicated by the angular relationship between the top two-thirds and lower one-third of slide 16`in FIG. 2.

Body member 10 and slide 16 may be manufactured by, for example, an injection molding process through the use of suitable molds and may be comprised of any suittable material such as the plastic known commercially as Delrin.

My invention may be placed in use, as illustrated in FIG. 3, by passing a garment fastener support 37 through slots 14 and 15 in the manner commonly employed to attach garment fasteners generally to a supporting article of clothing. Slide member 16 is engaged by the finger of the wearer and raised to its disengaged position as `shown in FIG. 7. In this position, the lower end of slide member 16 raises above the top end of upwardly extending portion 12 of body member 10 and because of the inherent resiliency in the material utilized, the end `extends sufficiently toallow a garment to be positioned under slide 16. The device is now ready for the positioning of, for example, a stocking, underneath the lower end of slide member 16. Engagement of the linger engaging portion21 on slide member 16 by the user and movement of slide 16 downwardly into portion 12 on body member 10 engages the article of clothing and locking member 18 engages the lower end of upwardly extending portion 11 on body member 10 to lock the garment engaging slide 16 in place and thereby securely hold any garment attached thereto in the position indicated in FIG. 3. Upwardly extending portion 13 on body member 10 provides a bias to tend to maintain locking member 18 in engagement with portion 11 and portions E Ydi) and 41 tend to prevent inadvertent or accidental disengagement of locking member 1S.

In order to release the garment, the operator again engages garment slide 16 near its upper end to slightly depress stop member 18 and disengage it from upwardly extending portion 11 on body member 10 and the slide mayrthen be moved to its raised, disengaged position from the garment and the garment removed from the f garment fastener.

In FIG. 3 the illustrated embodiment shows a garment A 33, in the form of a stocking, and a supporting garment 35, which may be for example a girdle which is provided with a suitable garment fastener supporting member 37 that is fastened thereto. Y

` In FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 there is shown an improved means for detachably engaging a supporting member 37, of the type which is provided with a loop of material at its lower end. While the remainder of the garment fastener may be as indicatedV in FIGS. l, 2 and 3, an improved design is indicated as having a body member 30 which has a transversely extending slot at the enlarged end thereof which extends through one edge and substantially across the member. An upwardly extending portion 33, having an enlarged end, is provided as an integral part of body member 3i) and a downwardly depending offset portion on body member 30 has an opening 31, suitably positioned for registration and engagement with member 33. As indicated in FIG. 6, a loop of a supporting member 34 may be positionedin slot 32 and opening 31 is pressed into locking engagement with member 33. Body member 30 may be fashioned of suitable material having sutcient resiliency for providing releasable engagement between spring 31 and upwardly extending member 33. It has been determined that the plastic material noted above, Delrin, is an example of a material which will provide satisfactory mechanical and structural characteristics for use in this embodiment of my invention.

ItV is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A garment fastener comprising in combination; an elongated body member having a longitudinal axis, top and bottom ends and front and rear major surfaces, said body member being comprised of deformable material exhibiting substantial resilience characteristics, having support engaging means at the top end thereof, and a pair of journal portions extending forwardly of the front major surface thereof, one of said journals being positioned at the bottom end and the other of said journals being positioned intermediate said top and bottom ends; and a slide member comprised of like material, slidably journaled on the Vbody member, and having a garment engaging end adapted to engage and hold a garment in the journal on the bottom end of the body anda further end slidablyjournaled in the other journal on said body member.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 in which the support engaging means at the top end of the body includes a slot extending to one side of the body member, a downwardly depending offset portion having an` opening extending betweenv the major surfaces thereof positioned above'and near the open end' of said slot, and an upwardly extending portion positioned below and near the open end of said slot whereby'a loop on a supporting member may be Aengaged in said slot and said opening and said upwardly extending portion engaged to lock said loop in said slot. n

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the slide member is provided with a shallow V-shaped longitudinal cross section. j

4.v A garment fastener comprising in combination; an elongated body member having a thin cresssection, a sup- Y il port engaging means at the top and a pair of upwardly extending journals adapted to slidably receive a slide member, one of said journals being positioned at the lower end of said body member; and an elongated slide member, slidably journaled in the journals on said body member, said slide member including a pair of axially dispaced, upwardly extendingfportions positioned to coact with the other of said journals to retain said slide member on the body member and said slide member further including an integrally formed upwardly extending portion, positioned intermediate said pair of axially displaced upwardly extending portions for coaction with said other of said journals to releasably lock the slide member in garment engaging positions, whereby a garment, engaged between said slidabie member and the journal at the lower end of said body member, is releasably held therein. v

5. A garment fastener comprising in combination; an elongated body member having a thin cross section, a support engaging means at the top and a pair of upwardly extending journals adapted to slidably receive a slide member, one of said journals being positioned at the lower end of said body member; and an elongated slide member, said slide member being comprised of material exhibiting substantial resilience characteristics and being formed in shallow V-shaped cross section, said slide member further including an integrally formed upwardly extending portion disposed in proximity to a iirst end thereof, and said slide member being slidably journaled with said upwardly extending portion in proximity to the other of said journals on said body member for longitudinal movement between positions of engagement and disengagement with a garment, the other end of said' slide member being upwardly andlongitudinally displaceable so that downward and longitudinal extension of said slide member from a first position of disengagement and longitudinal retraction toward the top of said body member to a second position of garment engagement and longitudinal extension into the journal at the lower end of said body provides an upwardly extending position of the lower end of said slide member with respect to said body whereby a portion of a garment may be inserted thereunder for engagement by the slide member and the inside of said journal on the lower end of said body.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in `which the body member includes an upwardly extending portion positioned in proximity and displaced axially downwardly from the other journal on the body member so as to tend to bias the upwardly extending portion of the slide member into locking engagement with said other of said journals.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the elongated body member includes a transversely extending opening at its top end, said opening extending through a iirst side thereof, an upwardly extending portion disposed in proximity to the open end of said opening; and there being an opening dimensioned to releasably engage said upwardly extending portion, said second mentioned opening being positioned in proximity to the open end of said iirst named opening and extending between the major surfaces of said body member.

8. A garment fastener comprising in combination; an elongated body member having a thin crosssection, a support engaging means at the top, a pair of upwardly extending journals adapted to slidably receive a slide member, one of said journals being positioned at the lower end ofthe said body member, and an integrally formed upwardly extending portion positioned in proximity to and displaced axially downwardly from the other journal member so as to tend to bias the upwardly extending portion of a slide member into locking engagement with the other of said journals; and an elongated slide member, said slide ymember including an integrally formed upwardly extending portion, positioned to coact with the other of said journals to tend to releasably lock said slide member in garment engaging position, slidably journaled in the journals on said body member whereby a garment, engaged between said slidable member and the journal at the lower end of said body member, is releasably held therein.

9. A garment fastener comprising in combination; an elongatedl body member having a thin cross section, a support engaging means at the top and a pair of upwardly extending journals adapted to slidably receive a slide member, one of said journals being positioned at the lower end of said body member; and an elongated slide member, said slide member being comprised of deformable material exhibiting substantial resilience characteristics, said slide member being formed to normally assume a shallow V-shaped attitude, said slide member being slidably journaled in the journals on said body member and being adapted to be deformed into engagement with 'the journal at the lower end of the body and when longitudinally displaced from a garment engaging position, the lower end of the slide member will tend to assume an upwardly displaced position with respect to the body member whereby a portion of a garment may be inserted thereunder for engagement with the slide member and the inside of the journal on the lower end of the body to be releasably held therein.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNTED STATES PATENTS 827,801 8/06 Heath 24-247 r1,551,368 8/25 Cloud. 2,132,073 lO/38 Ionsson 24-247 X 3,061,257 9/61 Girodet 24--247 3,034,190 5/62 Magnin et al. 24-247 FOREIGN PATENTS 148,529 1/37 Austria.

412,758 5/10 France.

966,658 3/50 France.

253,690 11/ 12 Germany.

20 DQNLEY I. STOCKNG, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A GARMENT FASTENER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION; AN ELONGATED BODY MEMBER HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS, TOP AND BOTTOM ENDS AND FRONT AND REAR MAJOR SURFACES, SAID BODY MEMBER BEING COMPRISED OF DEFORMABLE MATERIAL EXHIBITING SUBSTANTIAL RESILIENCE CHARACTERISTICS, HAVING SUPPORT ENGAGING MEANS AT THE TOP END THEREOF, AND A PAIR OF JOURNAL PORTIONS EXTENDING FORWARDLY OF THE FRONT MAJOR SURFACE THEROF, ONE OF SAID JOURNAL BEING POSITIONED AT THE BOTTOM END AND THE OTHER OF SAID JOURNALS BEING POSITIONED INTERMEDIATE SAID TOP AND BOTTOM ENDS; AND A SLIDE MEMBER COMPRISED OF LIKE MATERIAL, SLIDAGLY JOURNALED ON THE BODY MEMBER, AND HAVING A GARMENT ENGAGING END ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AND HOLD A GARMENT IN THE JOURNAL ON THE BOTTOM END OF THE BODY AND FURTHER END SLIDABLY JOURNALED IN THE OTHER JOURNAL ON SAID BODY MEMBER.