Lingerie abstract
A lingerie clasp has a male clasp member with a central projection
and a pair of pins lodged in a female clasp member having projections
straddling the projection of the male member and formed with channels
receiving the pins thereof. The pins are narrower than the mouth
slots of the channel to allow them to be inserted and withdrawn.
On the face side of the clasp, spherical bulges are provided to
ensure an aesthetic appearance of the closed clasp, e.g. in the
form of pearls.
Lingerie claims
I claim:
1. A lingerie clasp comprising:
a female clasp member comprising:
a body formed with an elongated loop adapted to receive a first
strap, said loop having an inner and an outer bar,
a pair of spaced-apart projections extending laterally from said
inner bar and provided with generally spheroidal formations on a
face side and with aligned channels on a reverse side, said channels
each having an open end turned toward the other channel, said channels
each opening at a slot narrower than a width of the respective channel
over an entire length thereof, and
means bridging across ends of said channels opposite said open
ends for increasing a tensile strength of the clasp; and
a male clasp member comprising:
a body formed with an elongated loop adapted to receive a second
strap, said loop of said male clasp member having an inner and an
outer bar,
a projection extending laterally from said inner bar of said male
clasp member centrally thereof and provided with a spheroidal formation
on a face side,
a pair of pins extending in opposite directions from said projections
parallel to said inner bar of said male clasp member and receivable
in said channels, said pins having widths accommodatable in said
channels and greater than widths of said slots in a plane of said
pins and the loop of said male clasp member, said pins having widths
in a direction perpendicular to said plane less than the widths
of said slots,
whereby said pins of said male clasp member are insertable through
said slots from the reverse side of said female clasp member with
said clasp member being located at a right angle to one another
and said clasp members are locked together upon relative rotation
of said clasp members into coplanarity with said spheroidal formations
being aligned on the face sides along an axis of said pins.
2. The clasp defined in claim 1 wherein said spherical formations
are all approximately of the same diameter.
3. The clasp defined in claim 1 wherein said spherical formations
of said female clasp member are spaced apart by slightly less than
a diameter of the spherical formation of said male clasp member.
4. The clasp defined in claim 1 wherein the inner and outer bars
of said loops are mutually parallel.
5. The clasp defined in claim 1 wherein each of said projections
is joined to the respective inner bar by at least one fillet.
6. The clasp defined in claim 1 wherein said male member is provided
with a pair of bumps to opposite sides of said projection from the
inner bar of said loop of said male clasp member, said projections
of said female clasp member having shoulders engaging said bumps
to limit rotation of said clasp members about said axis.
7. The clasp defined in claim 1 wherein said means bridging across
said ends includes a web of material closing one of said ends of
one of said channels and a bridgepiece across a hole at the end
of the other of said channels.
8. The clasp defined in claim 1 wherein said face and reverse sides
of said loops lie in mutually parallel planes.
9. The clasp defined in claim 1 wherein said face and reverse sides
of said loops lie in planes converging outwardly.
10. The clasp defined in claim 1 wherein said members are each
molded in one piece from a synthetic resin material.
11. The clasp defined in claim 10 wherein said spherical formations
are all approximately of the same diameter.
12. The clasp defined in claim 11 wherein said spherical formations
of said female clasp member are spaced apart by slightly less that
a diameter of the spherical formation of said male clasp member.
13. The clasp defined in claim 12 wherein the inner and outer bars
of said loops are mutually parallel.
14. The clasp defined in claim 13 wherein each of said projections
is joined to the respective inner bar by at least one fillet.
15. The clasp defined in claim 14 wherein said male member is provided
with a pair of bumps to opposite sides of said projection from the
inner bar of said loop of said male clasp member, said projections
of said female clasp member having shoulders engaging said bumps
to limit rotation of said clasp members about said axis.
16. The clasp defined in claim 15 wherein said means bridging across
said ends includes a web of material closing one of said ends of
one of said channels and a bridgepiece across a hole at the end
of the other of said channels.
17. The clasp defined in claim 16 wherein said face and reverse
sides of said loops lie in mutually parallel planes.
18. The clasp defined in claim 16 wherein said face and reverse
sides of said loops lie in planes converging outwardly.
Lingerie description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lingerie clasp and, more particularly,
to a clasp for connecting two strap members of, for example, a brassiere,
to enable the separation of the strap members.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In U.S. Pat. 4000544 I have described a clasp assembly for brassieres
or other items of lingerie in which two clasp members, generally
describable as a male member and a female member, can be interconnected
by rotation of the two members so that they are generally perpendicular
to one another on insertion of the male member into the female member.
When the two members are rotated into coplanarity, they lock together
to secure the clasp. Each of these members can have a loop or eye
receiving a respective strap and the clasp can be used wherever
a portion of a garment must be released from another portion, e.g.
for securing the two straps of a brassiere together, for securing
a strap to a brassiere cup which is intended to be released for
nursing purposes, or for securing two cups of a brassiere together
in the case of a front closure.
In my U.S. Pat. No. Des. 337745 I have shown a slide-type lingerie
buckle to which parts of a strap can be connected and serves as
a link. This decorative link, which can be referred to as a three-pearl
link because of the nature of the design, is not separable.
In the parent application, Ser. No. 29/004039 filed Jan. 26 1993
I have illustrated a clasp which is capable of separation and use
in the manner of the clasp of U.S. Pat. No. 4000544.
In these earlier systems, while the link and/or clasp was capable
of providing aesthetic and effective connection of straps, there
has been a need for an improvement with respect to the tensile strength
to which the article can be subject.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention
to provide an improved clasp for an item of lingerie and especially
a brassiere, which has the improved aesthetic effects of the design
application and patent set forth above but which has improved tensile
strength over clasps hitherto used for similar purposes.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved
clasp for the straps of a lingerie garment which is devoid of drawbacks
of prior art clasps and is simple to open and close, but capable
of affording high tensile strength.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter
are attained, in accordance with the invention in a lingerie clasp
which comprises:
a female clasp member comprising:
a body formed with an elongated loop adapted to receive a first
strap, the loop having an inner and an outer bar,
a pair of spaced-apart projections extending laterally from the
inner bar and provided with generally spheroidal formations on a
face side and with aligned channels on a reverse side, the channels
each having an open end turned toward the other channel, the channels
each opening at a slot narrower than a width of the respective channel
over an entire length thereof, and
means bridging across ends of the channels opposite the open ends
for increasing a tensile strength of the clasp; and
a male clasp member comprising:
a body formed with an elongated loop adapted to receive a second
strap, the loop of the male clasp member having an inner and an
outer bar,
a projection extending laterally from the inner bar of the male
clasp member centrally thereof and provided with a spheroidal formation
on a face side,
a pair of pins extending in opposite directions from the projections
parallel to the inner bar of the male clasp member and receivable
in the channels, the pins having widths accommodatable in the channels
and greater than widths of the slots in a plane of the pins and
the loop of the male clasp member, the pins having widths in a direction
perpendicular to the plane less than the widths of the slots,
whereby the pins of the male clasp member are insertable through
the slots from the reverse side of the female clasp member with
the clasp member being located at a right angle to one another and
the clasp members are locked together upon relative rotation of
the clasp members into coplanarity with the spheroidal formations
being aligned on the face sides along the axis of the pins.
According to a feature of the invention the spherical formations
are all of approximately the same diameter and the spherical formations
of the female clasp member are spaced apart by slightly less than
a diameter of the spherical formation of the male clasp member.
The inner and outer bars of the loops can be mutually parallel
according to a feature of the invention and each of the projections
can be joined to the respective inner bar by at least one fillet.
The male clasp member can be provided with a pair of bumps spaced
apart on opposite sides of the projection of the male clasp member
and engageable with shoulders of the projections of the female clasp
member when the latter is swung into substantial coplanarity with
the male clasp member to limit rotation of the clasp members about
the axis of the pins.
While the face and reverse sides of the loops can lie in mutually
parallel planes, for increased tensile strength it is advantageous
to make the inner bar of each loop thicker than the outer bar so
that the face and reverse sides lie in planes which converge outwardly.
The clasp members are molded from a synthetic resin material, preferably
by injection molding.
The fact that both ends of the channels in which the pins of the
male member are received, are bridged, either to completely close
the distal ends or simply to bridge over holes communicating the
channels, has been found to be of major importance in improving
the tensile strength which the fastener can withstand, even by comparison
with the fastener of my U.S. Pat. No. 4000544.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention
will become more readily apparent from the following description,
reference being made to the accompanying highly diagrammatic drawing
in which:
FIG. 1 is an elevational view from the face side of the clasp of
the invention with the two clasp members engaged with one another;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the two clasp members separated
from one another;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of the clasp from the reverse
side;
FIG. 4 is an end view of the clasp showing the hole and the bridge
piece and illustrating the action in releasing the clasp;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the clasp in which the male clasp
member has been rotated to lie at a right angle to the female clasp
member (behind the latter perpendicular to the plane of the paper
in FIG. 5), preparatory to a separation of the clasp member;
FIG. 6 is a view of the opposite end of the clasp from that shown
in FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the male clasp member
swung through 90.degree. to the female clasp member;
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional female clasp member generally as taken
along the line VIII--VIII of FIG. 3 with, of course, the male clasp
member removed; and
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 8 with a slightly
different construction to provide still further increased tensile
strength for the clasp.
SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION
As can be seen from FIG. 1 a lingerie clasp 10 according to the
invention can comprise a male member 11 and a female member 12 which
can be interfitted as will be described in greater detail below.
The male member 11 comprises a molded body formed with a loop 13
which is elongated and has a window 14 through which one strap 15
of the garment can pass. The window 14 is defined between an inner
bar 16 and an outer bar 17 the bars being parallel to one another.
The strap 15 can be bent around the outer bar 17 and stitched to
itself or provided with a buckle as is well known in the lingerie
and, especially, in the brassiere arts.
Laterally projecting from the inner bar 16 is a projection 18 connected
by fillets 19 and 20 with the inner bar 16 and located substantially
midway along the length of the inner bar 16. The spherical formation
21 is formed on the projection 18 on the face side of the clasp
turned toward the viewer.
The female clasp member 12 similarly, is provided with a loop
22 having a window 23 through which the other strap 24 can pass
and defined by an inner bar 25 and an outer bar 26 the strap 24
being looped around the outer bar. Unitarily with the synthetic
resin molded body forming the female member are a pair of projections
27 and 28 with spheroidal formations 29 and 30 all of the same diameter
as the spheroidal portion 21 but with a spacing less than this
diameter so that, when the clasp members are interengaged and locked
together, the spheroidal portions 21 29 and 30 are in a single
line and have the appearance of three pearls. The formations are
closely juxtaposed with a minimum of clearance between the two formations
of the female member and the formation of the male member disposed
between them.
The formations 27 and 28 are connected by fillets 31 and 32 to
the inner bar 25.
The male clasp member is provided in addition with a pair of pins
33 and 34 extending from the portion 21 parallel to the inner bar
16 and defining an axis A along which the spheroidal portions 21
29 30 are aligned.
As will be apparent from FIG. 2 in which the clasp members 11
and 12 are shown in their separated condition, the pins 29 and 30
have widths W in the plane of the pins and the respective loop 13.
However, in the plane perpendicular to the plane of the paper in
FIG. 2 (see FIG. 4 for example), the width w of the pin is substantially
less.
As will be apparent from FIGS. 2 as well, the sides of the projections
of the female clasp member facing one another are flattened or truncated
at 40 and 41 while at the opposite sides the projection of the male
clasp member, from which the pins project, are truncated by the
flat surfaces 42 and 43. In addition, the inner bar 16 of the male
closure member has a pair of pumps 44 and 45 which engage ledges
46 and 47 of the projections of the female closure member.
Turning to FIG. 3 it will be apparent that the reverse side of
the male member 11 is practically flat while the reverse sides of
the projections 27 and 28 of the female member 12 has a pair of
channels 50 and 51 adapted to accommodate the pins and opening at
the reverse side at slots of a width s which is just slightly greater
than w but less than W. Furthermore, the channels open unitarily
toward the central formation of the male member in an axial direction.
The undersides of the ledges 46 and 47 are visible in FIG. 3.
The male member 11 can be rotated (see FIG. 4) clockwise about
the axis in the end view of this Figure so that the narrow cross
section of the pins 29 and 30 can pass through the slot mouth to
allow separation of the clasp members. In FIGS. 5 and 7 the clasp
member 11 is shown at a right angle to the clasp member 12 enabling
such separation.
In FIG. 6 the clasp members are shown after the male member has
been inserted into the female member and rotated to substantial
coplanarity, the ledges 46 for example, engaging a pump 44 to prevent
rotation of the clasp members relative to one another.
It is important to the present invention that the distal ends of
the channels are bridged to increase the tensile strength of the
clasp. Thus in FIG. 5 material of the molded female part can completely
close the end of one channel at 52 while the other end of the opposite
channel can be formed with a hole 53 bridged by a bridge piece 54.
This bridge piece is shown in greater detail in the cross sectional
view of FIG. 8 from which it will be apparent that the opposite
sides of the loop 22 lie in planes P.sub.1 and P.sub.2 which are
parallel to one another. By contrast, for greater tensile strength
of the unit, the corresponding planes P.sub.3 and P.sub.4 of the
loop 30 can converge outwardly, i.e. to the right. As a result,
the inner bar 31 can be substantially thicker than the outer bar
32 and more material can connect it to the projection 33 having
the spherical portion 34 the hole 35 and the bridge piece 36. The
device of FIG. 9 therefore, is better able to resist tensile forces.
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