US 6,163,938 A · Garment fastener

Abstract

A garment fastener includes two constituent fastener components (1, 2) each of which is provided with a front disc and a back disc (3, 5; 4, 6) and a fabric section (8, 10) is sandwiched between these discs. In order to permit, to the greatest extent possible, one-handed manipulation and to cause the fastener components to center themselves automatically when in the closed state, one of the fastener components (1) is provided at its perimeter with a hooked, U-shaped projection (13) and the other, complementary fastener component (2) is provided within its perimeter with a counterhooked projection (15). In the closed state, the hook and counterhook are partly engaged. Each fastener component (1, 2) contains a magnet (11, 12) which allows the fastener components to attract each other and to mutually center themselves. A strong pull in the closing direction causes a further, more positive engagement between the hook and counterhook. When there is little pull or the straps are fully relaxed, the fastener components (1, 2) will resume their centered position.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A garment fastener, comprising two fastener components each of which is attached to a fabric section, each fastener component comprising:

a front disc and a back disc sandwiching the fabric section therebetween, the front disc and back disc of the respective fastener component being connected with each other through a hole in the respective fabric section, with at least one fastener component comprising a permanent magnet and the other component comprising a magnetically attractable element,
wherein the front disc of one of the fastener components has a perimeter with a hook-shaped projection thereon and the front disc of the other, complementary fastener component has a perimeter with a counterhook-shaped projection thereon configured such that, in a closed state, the counterhook engages only a portion of the hook-shaped projection,
and, in an off-center state, the counterhook fully engages the hook-shaped projection and the permanent magnet and magnetically attractable element, when displaced to the off-center state, urge the fastener components toward the closed state such that the front discs of the two fastener components are held resiliently in essentially flush, parallel, coaxially aligned contact with each other.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Garment fastener

Life of this patent

Garment fastener

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19