US1414838A - Snap catch - Google Patents

Description

F. STREET.

SNAP CATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1920.

1 $14,838. Patented May 2, 1922.

l U 22a 12 SNAP CATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented May 2,1222.

Application filed January 7, 1920. Serial No. 349,918.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRED S'rRnnr, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Snap Catches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to snap catches of the type employed to fasten the ends of jewelry chains and the like, and the object of my invention is to provide an improved snap catch which, though easily released, is still absolutely secure when fastened.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1, is a vertical section of one form of my snap catch;

Fig. 2, is a detached perspective illustrating the details of the catch illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, is a vertical section of a modified form of my snap catch;

Fig. 4:, is a detached perspective illustrating details of the modified snap catch shown in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5, is a detached perspective showing a further modification of the snap catch.

With reference to the drawings, 1 is a casing, rectangular in the present instance, and

open-ended; said casing having portions of its upper and lower sides cut awayat 1 and 1 as most clearly shown in Fig. 2. 2 is an anchor member which is carried upon one end of a chain or the like, and which is adapted to enter the casing 1 through one of the end openings thereof, as shown in Fig. 1, andindicatedin Fig. 2. The member 2 has, in the present instance, a base or body' portion 2*, from which extends two sub stantially parallel spring members or arms, 3 and 4:;said spring members having at their outer extremities shoulders 5, which are adapted to engage the sides of the apertures 1 and 1 in the casing, as illustrated in Fig.- 1, and thereby retain the member 2 within the said casing. 7

Established in the end of the casing opposite to that in which the member 2 is adapted to enter, is a forked releasing member 6; said member 6 having shoulders 6 upon the upper and lower faces which are adapted. to engage the sides of the apertures 1 and 1 in the casing 1, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and thereby retain the member within the casing. The member 6 has two forks? and 8, and is adapted to be attached to the end of the chain opposite to that carrying the instance, introduced into the casing through one of the apertures 1 and 1 and is left 7 free for longitudinal movement in the casing,

In Fig. 1, I have shown the casing 1 surrounded by a sleeve 9 which covers the sides of the casing and the apertures l and 1", thereby eliminating any tendency of the member 6 from falling through one of the apertures 1 or 1 i Considering now Fig. 1, it will be apparent that any pressure'exerted upon the outer! end ofthe member 6, will force the said member into the casing 1, and will press together the spring arms 3 and a of the member 2, the outer ends ofwhich arms lie between the forks 7 and 8, of the member 6. When the arms 3 and 4 have been sufiicient-ly pressed together, the shoulders 5 will clear the edges of the apertures 1 and 1 and the member 2 may be easily withdrawn from the casing, thereby separating the ends of the chain. To again secure 7 the ends of the chain together, it is merely necessary to slide the member 2 into the casing 1 untilthe shoulders 5 again catch onthe edges of the apertures 1 and 1".

A catch of this type is capable ofstanding great strain, and there is no tendency forthe member 2 to become loose until the member 6 is forced into the casing, and since normally thestrainswhich are placed upon the catches of necklaces and like articles are tensile in nature, it'is apparent that a catch of this type will notbecome looseunless the member 6 is deliberately pressed into the casing with the purpose of releasing the member 2. I

In Fig. 3, I have illustrated a modified form of catch which while built and operating upon the same principle. as that illustrated in Fig. 1, is circular in form. In this case, the casing 9, which corresponds to the casing 1, may be composed of two separate parts, 9 and 9*; said parts being held in proper relation to each other by an outer surrounding casing lO, which is headed over at the ends in order to retain the said sleeves 9 and 9 therein.- In this case, the member 11, which corresponds to the member 6, may be retained within the casing by means of shoulders 11' which engage the ends of the casing 10, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The member 12 corresponding to the member 2 is, in the present instance, circular in form, is also the mem 3131 11; the construction of these two members 11 and 12 being most clearly illustrated in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 5, I have shown an anchor member 13 and a releasing member 14, which are modified forms of the members 2 and 6, respectively. In this instance, the member 13 is substantially square and pyramidal at the ends, and the member 14 is so formed that theextremities of the member 13 fit into the interior thereof, and regardless of the relative positions in which the two members may lie, there is always, when the me1n ber l i is pressed against the eirtremities of the member 13, a compressing action exer ed upon the two spring arms of the latter memher.

It will be apparent that the invention is capable of numerous modifications and changes of detail with no departure from the essential features.

I claim:

1. A snap catch comprising a casing, an anchor member adapted to be inserted in the casing and having a shoulder extending laterally from the side thereof, means in the casing adapted to be engaged by the shoulder to retain the member in the casing, resilient means associated with the anchor member for maintaining engagement between the shoulder and said retaining means, and means carried by the casing for disengaging the shoulder to permit withdrawal of the anchor member from the casing.

2. A snap catch comprising a casing, an anchor member adapted to be inserted in the casing and comprising a resilient arm having a shoulder extending laterally from the side for retaining the member in the casing, and means carried 'by the casing for flexing the arm to permit withdrawal of the member from the casing. v

3. A snap catch comprising a casing, an anchor member adapted to be inserted in said casing and comprising a resilient arm having a lateral shoulder at the inner end thereof for retaining the said member in the casing, and means carried by the casing for flexing said arm to permit withdrawalof the anchor member from the casing.

at. A snap catch comprising a casing, an anchor member adapted to be inserted in said casing and comprising a plurality of independent resilient arms each having a shoulder extending laterally from the outer side thereof for retaining the member in the casing, and means carried by the casing for flexing the arms to permit withdrawal of the anchor member from the casing. V

5. A snap catch comprising a casing, an anchor member adapted to be inserted in said casing and comprising a plurality of independent resilient arms normally separated at their inner ends, a shoulder extending laterally from the outer side of each of said arms and at thesaid inner ends thereof, said casing having reverse shoulders in the interior adapted to be engaged by the shoulders of the anchor member whereby the latter is retained in the casing, and a release member movable in the casing and adapted to compress the outer shoulder ends of the arms to permit withdrawal of the anchor memb r from the casing.

6. A snap catch comprising an inner casing having an aperture in the side thereof, an anchor member having a resilient element adapted to be inserted in said casing, a shoulder upon said resilient element adapted to engage the side of said aperture to retain the anchor member in the casing, and a release member movably mounted in the casing and adapted to flex the resilient element to permit withdrawal of the anchor member from the casing.

77. A snap catch comprising an inner casing having an aperture in the side thereof, an anchor member adapted to be inserted in said casing and having a member adapted to engage the side of said aperture to prevent withdrawal of the said anchor memher from the casing, and a member movable in the casing and adapted to engage the said anchor member to release the same from the casing.

8. A snap catch comprising an inner casing having an aperture in the side thereof, an anchor member having a resilient element adapted to be inserted in said casing, a shoulder upon the resilient element adapted to engage the side of said aperture to prevent withdrawal of the anchor'memloer from the casing, a release member adapted to flex the resilient element to release the anchor member from the casing, and an outer casing surrounding said inner casing and covering said aperture.

9. A snap catch comprising a casing having apertures therein, an anchor member adapted to be inserted in said casing, said anchor member having resilient elements having shoulders adapted to engage the edges of the said apertures to retain the anchor member in the casing, a release memher having shoulders adapted to engage the edges of said apertures to retain the said release member in the casing, said release member being adapted to flex the resilient elements of said anchor member to permit withdrawal of the latter from the casing,

and an outer casing surrounding said inner casing and covering said. apertures.

FRED STREET.

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