Jewelry clasp

A clasp comprising a male unit having a longitudinal body, a female unit having a longitudinal body, the bodies being adapted to be disposed end-to-end, a tongue secured to and projecting from the inner end of the male body, the female body including an inner end wall having a slot configured and adapted for the projection therethrough, in close-fitting but slidable relation, of the tongue when the latter is inserted into the female body upon relative longitudinal movement of the bodies into substantially end abutment, the inner-end portion of the tongue being formed on opposite sides with laterally opening notches, the notches alining with the inner end wall of the female body when the tongue is inserted thereinto, and mechanism in the female body operative, in response to said insertion of the tongue, to impart limited rotation to the tongue in a direction to seat the adjacent portions of the said inner end wall in the notches whereby to latch the clasp, said mechanism including a helical spring which functions by torque to urge the tongue toward and yieldably maintain the tongue in said limited rotative position with the clasp engaged, there being a rotative member in the female body adapted to receive the tongue when so inserted, the spring being associated with the member in a manner to function by torque to rotate said member in a direction to impart said limited rotation of the tongue, an initially engaged clutch arranged with said member operative to prevent said rotation thereof by the spring, and means associated with the member operative to disengage the clutch in response to said insertion of the tongue;

• the clasp being disengageable upon counter-rotation of the tongue against said torque by corresponding relative rotation of the male body whereupon said portions of said inner end wall escape the notches to permit withdrawal of the tongue from the female body.

A clasp comprising a male unit having a longitudinal body, a female unit having a longitudinal body, the bodies being adapted to be disposed end-to-end, a tongue secured to and projecting from the inner end of the male body, the female body including an inner end wall having a slot configured and adapted for the projection therethrough, in close-fitting but slidable relation, of the tongue when the latter is inserted into the female body upon relative longitudinal movement of the bodies into substantially end abutment, the inner-end portion of the tongue being formed on opposite sides with laterally opening notches, the notches alining with the inner end wall of the female body when the tongue is inserted thereinto, and mechanism in the female body operative, in response to said insertion of the tongue, to impart limited rotation to the tongue in a direction to seat the adjacent portions of the said inner end wall in the notches whereby to latch the clasp;

• said mechanism including a longitudinal, rotatable sleeve in the female body, a longitudinal passageway formed in the sleeve and at one end initially in register with the slot in said inner end wall, the tongue when so inserted being received in said passageway for rotation with the sleeve, a helical spring disposed in the female body between its outer end and the sleeve, a rotary disc in the sleeve between the inner end of the spring and the sleeve, the spring being attached at its respective ends to the outer end of the female body and said disc, connection means between the disc and the sleeve, the spring being under torque and tending to rotate the disc and sleeve in a direction to impart said limited rotation to the inserted tongue, and an engaged clutch associated with the connection means operative to initially prevent such rotation of the disc, and said connection means being arranged so that the clutch is disengaged upon and in response to said insertion of the tongue.