US 4,566,159 AGranted

Safety clasp for a necklace or bracelet chain

OwnerJacques Lerouxinventor

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Abstract

A safety clasp which may be used in particular for a necklace or bracelet chain, comprises two pieces sliding one in the other, namely an outer sleeve and a slide element housed inside the sleeve. The sleeve has hooked thereto, at one end, the first end link of a chain. The sleeve also has a slot which defines a transverse arm opening and a connected longitudinal arm opening which extends in the direction of the end of the sleeve opposite to where the first end link is hooked. The sleeve is adapted to move longitudinally with respect to the sleeve and presenting, in its rear part, a notch for receiving the second end link of the chain. The inner slide element presents, in its front part opposite that part where a notch is provided, an elastically deformable arm terminating in a tooth engaging in a hole for locking provided in the wall of the sleeve. Consequently, in position of closure, in which the tooth of the arm is engaged in the hole for locking, the second end link is retained by the rear edge of the notch in the sliding element, being maintained spaced apart from the end of the longitudinal arm of the slot in the sleeve.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A safety clasp for a necklace or bracelet chain, said clasp comprising two pieces sliding one in the other, one of said pieces comprising an outer sleeve to which a first end link of the chain is hooked, in its front part, and which is provided in its rear part with a slot for the introduction of a second end link of the chain, said slot being L-shaped with a transverse slot arm opening in the wall of the sleeve and a longitudinal arm extending in the direction of the rear part of the sleeve opposite to that where the first end link is hooked, the longitudinal arm portion of said slot terminating spaced apart from the rear end of said sleeve, said sleeve having a hole in its outer surface located between its front part and said slot, the other one of said pieces comprising a slide element housed inside said sleeve and adapted to move longitudinally with respect thereto, said slide element, in its rear part, having a notch for receiving the second end link of the chain, said notch opening laterally in the slide element and adapted to be brought opposite the transverse arm opening of the slot in the sleeve and in alignment therewith upon longitudinal movement of said slide element to allow the introduction of the second end link, said inner slide element presenting, in its front part opposite to that part where the notch is provided, an elastically deformable arm terminating in a tooth adapted to engage the hole in said sleeve for locking said pieces together, whereby when said slide element is moved longitudinally to a position of closure, said tooth is engaged in said hole for locking and said notch is positioned out of alignment with the transverse arm of the slot and in registry with the longitudinal arm of the slot in said sleeve, the second end link being retained by the rear edge of the notch in said sliding element within the longitudinal arm of the slot in said sleeve, and maintained spaced apart from the end of said longitudinal arm when said sliding element is in its position of closure.

A safety clasp for a necklace or bracelet chain comprising:

an outer sleeve and an inner slide element, said slide disposed for longitudinal movement in said sleeve between a latched position and an unlatched position,
said sleeve having a front part to which a first end link of the chain is connected and a rear part formed with a slot adapted to receive a second end link of the chain, said slot being L-shaped and defining an opening having a first portion extending transversely to the axis of said sleeve and a second portion extending longitudinally in the direction of the rear end of said sleeve and terminating spaced apart from said rear end, said sleeve further having a hole located between its front part and said slot,
said slide element having a front part comprising a resiliently displaceable arm terminating in a tooth adapted to engage the hole in said sleeve when said slide is moved to its latched position for locking said slide within said sleeve,
said slide element further having a rear part formed with a notch extending laterally thereof and defining an opening extending transversely to the axis of said sleeve when said slide is positioned therein, said notch being disposed to be brought opposite to and in alignment with the transversely extending portion of the slot in said sleeve when said slide is moved to its unlatched position to receive the second end link of the chain and out of such alignment and in registry with the longitudinally extending portion of said slot to capture the second end link therein when said slide is moved to its latched position in the direction of the rear end of said sleeve,
the second end link being retained by the notch in said slide and maintained spaced apart from the end of the longitudinally extending portion of the slot in said sleeve when said slide is in its latched position to prevent deformation of the rear end of the clasp when the chain is under tension.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.