A clasp

Abstract

A clasp comprising a bar (6, figure 1b) and a bar receiver (4, figure 1a); the bar receiver comprises a body 8 which defines an aperture (10, figure 1a) therethrough; the body includes a pair of oppos

Description

The present invention relates to clasps and, in particular to a “lariat and bar” style of jewellery clasp. Lariat-type jewellery clasps are well known. Such clasps comprise a lariat or ring through which a bar passes. The bar has a length that is greater than the diameter of the lariat which reduces the risk of the bar accidentally passing through the lariat to release the bar from the lariat. However, it is possible for the clasp to become unintentionally undone. It is therefore desired to provide a “lariat-type” clasp with improved security. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a clasp comprising a bar and a bar receiver; the bar receiver comprises a body which defines an aperture therethrough; the body includes a pair of opposed spaced apart dividing elements which project into the aperture, wherein the aperture defines a first portion having a first shape or size, a second portion having a second shape or size, and a channel defined between the opposed dividing elements which connects the first portion to the second portion; the bar has a first end part, a second opposed end part and a middle part that connects the first and second end parts, the first end part has a shape or size that permits it to pass through the first aperture portion but not the second aperture portion, the second end part has a shape or size that permits it to pass through the second aperture portion but not the first aperture portion, and the middle part includes a waist that is smaller than a gap defined between the opposed dividing elements. In order to secure the bar to the bar receiver (e.g., lariat), the first end part of the bar is passed through the first portion of the aperture. The waist of the middle part of the bar is then passed through the channel defined between the opposed dividing elements until the second end part of the bar is aligned with the second portion of the aperture. Finally, the second end part of the bar is passed through the second portion of the aperture. The bar is then captured by the bar receiver or lariat. The skilled person will appreciate that the reverse process may be used to secure the bar to the bar receiver, namely: (1) align the second end part of the bar with the second portion of the aperture; (2) pass the second end part of the bar through the second portion of the aperture; (3) pass the waist of the middle part of the bar through the channel defined between the opposed dividing elements; (4) align the first end part of the bar with the first portion of the aperture; and (5) pass the first end part of the bar through the first portion of the aperture. A corresponding procedure in reverse is required to release the bar from the receiver, namely, the first or second end part of the bar must be passed through the corresponding portion of the aperture. The waist of the middle part of the bar is then passed through the channel defined between the opposed dividing elements until the opposite end part of the bar is aligned with the corresponding portion of the aperture. Finally, the opposite end part of the bar is passed through the corresponding portion of the aperture. The bar is then released from the bar receiver or lariat. It will be appreciated that the multiple step process to capture the bar by the bar receiverand the corresponding multiple step process to release the bar from the receiver results in a significantly more secure coupling between the bar and the bar receiver. In an embodiment of the invention, the clasp is a jewellery clasp. In a further embodiment of the invention, the bar receiver body defines a substantially circular aperture. Such circular apertures or lariats are well known in the jewellery field and have been found to be aesthetically acceptable to wearers of the jewellery. The bar may include a connector which connects a separate element to the bar. As it is common for the bar to be carried by an item of jewellery, such as a charm, one end of a chain or a mounted jewel, the connector may connect an item of jewellery to the bar. For example, the connector may be carried by the middle part of the bar. Optionally, the bar receiver includes one or more connectors which connect one or more separate elements to the bar receiver. As it is also common for the bar receiver or lariat to be carried byan item of jewellery, the bar receiver connector(s) may connect one or more items of jewellery to the bar receiver. For example, the bar receiver may be connected to two end portions of a chain (or parts of a chain). In such embodiments, the bar receiver may include a pair of opposed connectors carried by the receiver body. In a further embodiment of the invention, each of the opposed dividing elements may have first side portion and a second side portion, wherein the shape of the first and second side portions are different. Thus, the opposed dividing elements may be asymmetric. This has the effect of rendering the shape of the first aperture portion different to the shape of the second aperture portion. Thus, the first aperture portion may have a first shape; and the second aperture portion may have a second shape, wherein the first and second shapes are different. In such embodiments, the first end part of the bar may have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the first aperture portion; and the second end of the bar may have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the second aperture portion. Suitably, the shapes are such that the first end part of the bar only fits through the first aperture portion of the bar receiver (and does not fit through the second aperture portion), and the second end part of the bar only fits through the second aperture portion of the bar receiver (and does not fit through the first aperture portion). In order to provide an additional level of security, the bar may be rotated about its longitudinal axis in order to move it from the first aperture portion to the second aperture portion. Thus, the first end part may have a first orientation relative to the bar receiver in which it passes through the first aperture portion (i.e., a first orientation in which the shape of the first end part of the bar aligns with shape defined by the first portion of the aperture); the waist of the middle part of the bar has a second orientation relative to the bar receiver in which it passes through the gap defined between the opposed dividing elements; and the second orientation is different to the first orientation. Correspondingly, the second end part may have a third orientation in which the shape of the second end part of the bar is aligned with the shape defined by the second portion of the aperture, wherein the third orientation is different to the second orientation of the bar relative to the bar receiver. In such an embodiment, the bar must be rotated about its longitudinal axis at least twice to engage the bar with the bar receiver or to release the bar from the bar receiver. In a further embodiment of the invention, the bar receiver body includes a recessed portion which receives therein a respective end part of the bar. Suitably, the bar receiver body defines a pair of opposed recessed portions, wherein each of the opposed recessed portions receive therein a respective part of the bar. The recessed portion(s) may be concave. Such recessed portion(s) resist free rotation of the bar relative to the bar receiver. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an item of jewellery that includes a clasp according to the first aspect of the invention. The optional features discussed herein in relation to the first aspect of the invention apply equally to the second aspect of the invention. Thus, the bar may include a connector which connects an item of jewellery to the bar. Additionally or alternatively, the bar receiver may include one or more connectors which connect one or more items of jewellery to the bar receiver. The skilled person will appreciate that the features described and defined in connection with the aspects of the invention and the embodiments thereof may be combined in any combination, regardless of whether the specific combination is expressly mentioned herein. Thus, all such combinations are considered to be made available to the skilled person. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1a and 1 b show a plan view from above of the bar and lariat components of a jewellery clasp according to the second aspect of the invention; Figures 2a and 2b show a perspective view of the bar and lariat components shown in Figure 1; Figures 3a and 3b show views of the first end of the bar aligned with the first aperture portion of the lariat; Figures 4a and 4b show views of the bar passing through the channel defined between the opposed dividing elements; Figures 5a and 5b show views of the second end of the bar aligned with the second aperture portion of the lariat; Figure 6 shows a side elevational view of the arrangement shown in Figures 3a and 3b; and Figure 7 shows the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6 with the bar resting on the lariat. For the avoidance of doubt, the skilled person will appreciate that in this specification, the terms “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “upper”, “lower”, “width”, etc. refer to the orientation of the components as found in the example when installed for normal use as shown in the Figures. Figures 1 a, 1 b, 2a and 2b show a combination 2 of a bar receiver (lariat) 4 and a T-bar 6. The bar receiver 4 includes a body 8 that defines therein a substantially circular aperture 10. The body8 carries a pairof opposed dividing elements 12a, 12b which are mirrorversions of each other, but which are not symmetrical-each of the opposed dividing elements 12a, 12b include a first side portion 14 and a second side portion 16, wherein the first and second side portions 14,16 are different. The opposed dividing elements 12a, 12b divide the circular aperture 10 into three regions: a first region which is to the left of the dividing elements 12a, 12b in the figures; a second region which is to the right of the dividing elements 12a, 12b in the figures; and a third region in the form of a channel between the opposed dividing elements. The body 8 further carries a pair of outwardly projecting connectors 18 to which end portions of a chain or two separate chains (not shown) may be connected. The T-bar 6 includes a body 20 which has a first end part 22, an opposed second end part 24, a central part 26 and a pair of waisted parts 28, 30 wherein waisted part 28 is disposed between the first end part 22 and the central part 26, and waisted part 30 is disposed between the second end part 24 and the central part 26. The body 20 of the T-bar 6 further includes a “shaft” of the “T” in the form of a substantially circular connector body 32 which defines therein a circular aperture. The connector body 32 projects from the central part 26 of the T-bar body 20. As shown in Figure 2a, the body 8 of the bar receiver 4 defines a pair of opposed concave recessed portions 34, 36. Figures 3a and 3b show the first end 22 of the T-bar 6 disposed within the first region of the aperture 10. The first end 22 of the T-bar 6 is sized to fit snugly within the first region of the aperture 10. It will be appreciated that the first end part 22 of the T-bar 6 will not fit in the second region of the aperture 10. Figures 4a and 4b show the T-bar 6 rotated about its longitudinal axis through 90°. In this orientation, and with the waisted part 28 aligned with the dividing elements 12a, 12b, the waisted part 28 is able to pass through the channel defined between the opposed dividing elements 12a, 12b (i.e., the third region of the aperture 10). In this orientation, the T-bar 6 is able to pass from the first region of the aperture 10 to the second region of the aperture 10. As noted above, the first end part 22 of the T-bar 6 is not able to pass through second region of the aperture 10. However, as shown in Figures 5a and 5b, the second end part 24 of the T-bar 6 has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the second region of the aperture 10. Accordingly, the second end part 24 is able to pass through the second region of the aperture 10 when the body 20 has been rotated again through 90° about its longitudinal axis. Once the second end part 24 has passed through the second region of the aperture 10, the T-bar 6 may be rotated such that the first end part 22 contacts the concave recessed portion 34 of the body 8 and the second end part 24 contacts the concave recessed portion 36 of the body 8, or vice versa. In such an arrangement, the connector body 32 depends downwards and is disposed within the aperture 10. Figure 6 shows a side elevational view of the arrangement of T-bar 6 disposed within the first region of the aperture 10. Figure 7 shows the T-bar 6 resting on the lariat 4. In this arrangement, the clasp is in a closed configuration and the T-bar 6 is trapped by the lariat 4. The circular connector 32 of the “T” depends downwards in this arrangement and an item of jewellery connected to the circular connector 32 passes through the aperture 10 defined by the lariat 4. In this arrangement, the waisted part 28 rests on the concave recess portion 34 and the waisted part 30 rests on the concave recess portion 36. It will be appreciated that the following sequence of steps needs to be followed to pass the T-bar 6 through the bar receiver 4: 1. Align the first end part 22 with the first region of the aperture 10 2. Pass the first end part 22 through the first region of the aperture 10 3. Rotate the body 20 of the T-bar 6 about its longitudinal axis through 90° 4. Align one of the waisted parts 28, 30 with the dividing elements 12a, 12b 5. Transition the body 20 from the first region to the second region of the aperture 10 6. Rotate the body 20 again about its longitudinal axis through 90° 7. Pass the second end part 24 through the second region of the aperture 10 It will also be appreciated that the second end part 24 may first be passed through the second region of the aperture 10, the body may then be transitioned from the second region to the first region as described above, and then the first end part 22 may be passed through the first region of the aperture 10. To release the T-bar 6 from the bar receiver, steps 1 to 7 above are reversed.

Claims

1. A clasp comprising a bar and a bar receiver; the bar receiver comprises a body which defines an aperture therethrough; the body includes a pair of opposed spaced apart dividing elements which project into the aperture, wherein the aperture defines a first portion having a first shape or size, a second portion having a second shape or size and a channel defined between the opposed dividing elements which connects the first portion to the second portion; the bar has a first end part, a second opposed end part and a middle part that connects the first and second end parts, the first end part has a shape or size that permits it to pass through the first aperture portion but not the second aperture portion, the second end part has a shape or size that permits it to pass through the second aperture portion but not the first aperture portion, and the middle part includes a waist that is smaller than a gap defined between the opposed dividing elements.

2. A clasp according to Claim 1, wherein the bar receiver body defines a substantially circular aperture.

3. A clasp according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the bar includes a connector which connects a separate element to the bar.

4. A clasp according to Claim 3, wherein the connector is carried by the middle part of the bar.

5. A clasp according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the bar receiver includes one or more connectors which connect one or more separate elements to the bar receiver.

6. A clasp according to Claim 5, wherein the bar receiver includes a pair of opposed connectors carried by the receiver body.

7. A clasp according to any of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the first aperture portion has a first shape; and the second aperture portion has a second shape, wherein the first and second shapes are different.

8. A clasp according to Claim 7, wherein the first end part of the bar has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the first aperture portion; and the second end of the bar has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the second aperture portion.

9. A clasp according to any of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the first end part of the bar has a first orientation relative to the bar receiver in which it passes through the first aperture portion; the waist of the middle part of the bar has a second orientation relative to the bar receiver in which it passes through the gap defined between the opposed dividing elements; and the second orientation is different to the first orientation.

10. An item of jewellery including a clasp according to any of Claims 1 to 9.

11. An item of jewellery according to Claim 10, wherein the bar includes a connector which connects an item of jewellery to the bar.

12. An item of jewellery according to Claim 10 or Claim 11, wherein the bar receiver includes one or more connectors which connect one or more items of jewellery to the bar receiver.

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