1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mechanical fastening devices and, more particularly, to a clasp for holding fabric or other sheet-like material in a given position.
2. Description of Related Art
Existing clasps for holding fabric are limited in their utility. Clasps for holding clothing in a given position, for example, must either extend completely around the portion of clothing to be held, or must punch a hole in the clothing fabric. For example, if it is desired to hold the sleeve of a tee shirt in a raised position near the shoulder, an existing clasp would have to extend through the neck hole of the tee shirt and around the raised sleeve, or alternatively, a hole would have to be punched in the sleeve at the position where it is desired to hold the sleeve. In addition, some existing clasps must be attached to another object in order to secure the fabric in place. For example, suspenders are used to hold pants in a specific position. However, suspenders usually run across a person's shoulders and attached to the backside and front side of the pants. It would be desirable to have a simple device which holds fabric in place without having to secure the fabric to another object or creating a hole in the fabric.
Although there are no known prior art teachings of a solution to the aforementioned deficiency and shortcoming such as that disclosed herein, prior art references that discuss subject matter that bears some relation to matters discussed herein are U.S. Pat. No. 557,456 to Utter (Utter), U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,189 to Le Page (Le Page), U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,240 to Hutton et al. (Hutton), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,537 to Hunter et al. (Hunter).
Utter discloses a clamp for securely fastening bedclothes in place upon a bed. The clamp includes a plate having a projecting rim on one end and a slot on another end. The clamp also includes a loop wide enough to fit snugly around the body of a knob located beneath the projecting rim. The loop diverges enough to permit the loop to pass freely over the top of the knob with several thicknesses of bed clothing upon it. The plate is attached to a strap which is connected to the bed. Although Utter is utilized to hold a bed sheet in a specific position, Utter does not teach or suggest utilizing the clamp to retain the bed sheet in place without securing the clamp to another fixed object. Utter requires that the strap be attached to the bed to hold the bed sheet in place.
Le Page discloses a fastening device for use as a garment supporter. The fastening device includes two members, a male member and a female member. The male member has a long shank with an upper end attached to a supported strap. The male member also includes a head which passes through an interlocking opening in the female member. The opening is of such size to permit the head of the male member to pass through along with a portion of a fabric garment. Le Page, in a similar fashion to Utter, utilizes a device which retains the fabric in place by attaching the fabric to the strap attached to another object. Le Page does not teach or suggest utilizing a fastening device which is secured to another object.
Hutton discloses a bed sheet attachment device for use in combination with a waterbed having a fluid-filled mattress. The device includes a two-part fastener for gripping the sheets of a waterbed. The fastener is connected by an elastic strap to the interior of a bed frame surrounding the mattress. The fastener includes a plate defining a slot having a larger portion for receiving a stud having a neck on one end tapering to a narrow portion on the other end. The plate is placed beneath the sheet and the stud is pushed down through the enlarged portion of the slot from above the sheet, with the sheet being forced into the slot. The stud is then slid into the narrow portion of the slot to grip the sheet. However, Hutton does not teach or suggest an attachment device which secures the fabric in place without securing the attachment device to the bed.
Hunter discloses a clip device removably secured to a portion of a sheet of flexible material. The clip device includes a sheet-engaging portion having an integral tongue which projects forwardly from the device's rear portion and which can be deflected from the general plane of the device. The sheet-engaging portion also includes a peripheral frame member which extends forwardly from the rear portion of the device, and a front end with an inner edge that lies adjacent the front end of the undeflected tongue. The device has an open position in which the tongue is downwardly deflected away from a first side of the frame to provide a gap for insertion of the portion of the sheet of flexible material. The device also has a locked configuration in which the tongue is manipulated through the frame member to the other side of the frame member so that the front edge of the tongue lies in close proximate to the frame front end. The clip then frictionally secures the sheet material between the front edge of the tongue and the frame. Hunter does not teach or suggest a clip device which holds fabric in place without any attachment to another object. Hunter merely discloses utilizing a fastener as a device for securing fabric to another object.
Review of each of the foregoing references reveals no disclosure or suggestion of an apparatus as that described and claimed herein. Thus, it would be a distinct advantage to have an apparatus which holds fabric in a desired position without making a hole in the fabric and without the clasp having to extend around the entire piece of fabric. In addition, a clasp is needed which does not require attachment to another object to secure the fabric in place. It is an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus.