Cufflink
OwnerHideo Kurashimainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The cufflink has two units which are disassemblably assembled to one another through a pair of shirt cuff button holes. For assembly, the outer end of the shank is inserted through an opening in the back of the decorative head element, pushed in further to deflect two springs inside the decorative head element and then the decorative head element is let go of, to lock the cufflink in an assembled condition. The shank is unitary with a keeper which has a recess in its inner face, for accepting and hiding from view the shirt button found beside one of the cuff button holes on so-called `convertible cuff` shirts. For removal, the head and keeper are compressed and then relatively turned 90 degrees angularly of the shank.
Claims12
A cufflink, comprising:
- two enlarged elements, the first being free and the second having an attached shank;
- the shank having an enlarged free end portion and an axially adjacent portion of non-circular transverse cross-sectional figure;
- the shank further having laterally outwardly opening notch means associated with said non-circular portion;
- said first enlarged element being hollow and having a back through which an opening communicates with the interior thereof;
- said opening having a portion of non-circular transverse cross-sectional figure sized to permit receipt of said non-circular portion of said shank therethrough in each of two different angular orientations;
- said first enlarged element housing a first spring and a second spring;
- the first spring being adapted, positioned and mounted to be intercepted by and resiliently loaded by engagement with said enlarged free end portion of said shank is inserted through said opening with said shank non-circular portion being in a first said angular orientation relative to said opening non-circular portion and said shank free end pushed further into the interior of said first enlarged element;
- the second spring being adapted, positioned, and mounted to snap into said notch means and to remain therein as further pushing is relaxed, whereupon said first spring, recovering slightly causes said shank non-circular portion to become closely surrounded for at least part of the axial extent thereof by said opening non-circular portion, so that engagement of the second spring in the notch prevents withdrawal of the shank from the opening and close surrounding of the shank non-circular portion by the opening non-circular portion prevents substantial angular rotation of said first enlarged element relative to said second enlarged element, but so that upon further pushing of said shank into said opening, said shank non-circular portion fully axially passes said opening non-circular portion, whereupon said first enlarged element may be angularly rotated relative to said second enlarged element to sequentially cam said second spring out of said notch and bring said shank non-circular portion into said second angular orientation relative to said opening non-circular portion so that said first spring, upon relaxation of said further pushing, may substantially eject said shank from said opening permitting separation of said first enlarged element from said second enlarged element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.