Snap fastener

Abstract

A substantially rigid shaft is obtusely angled adjacent to an enlargement at its distal end. The proximal end of the shaft and a receptacle, forming and defining an aperture slightly smaller than the enlargement, are flexibly affixed to differing portions of an encircling article that become releasably joined when the enlargement is forcibly passed through the aperture, Highly resistive to accidental opening, purposeful pressure applied to the enlargement by a single finger or thumb creates a leveraged force that assists the pressure in accomplishing intentional disengagement. Optional attributes include a magnetic pre-positioning for engagement and disengagement and use of gemstones as distal enlargements.

1 . A releasable fastener, adapted to be flexibly affixed to an article encircling a body, in order to join and release portions of said article, said fastener having a receptacle part, and a substantially rigid shaft part having an enlargement at its distal end that must be forcibly inserted into, and forcibly removed from, a temporarily deformable aperture in said receptacle part in order to lockingly engage and disengage said fastener and to thereby respectively join and release said portions of said article to which they are flexibly affixed;
 the improvement comprising:   said enlargement being exposed on the side nearest the body, after passing through said aperture, to the application of a pressure, apart from said receptacle, as from a single finger and in a direction away from said body, in a direction that will force the enlargement back through the aperture to disengage said fastener;   said shaft being obtusely angled, adjacent to said enlargement, said obtusely angled shaft and said receptacle having an angle of mutual contact during the application of such pressure that creates a leveraged force of disengagement that assists said pressure applied in a direction that will disengage, and immediately release said lockingly engaged fastener when said pressure is applied to said fastener in a direction away from said body and said fastener is restrained by being flexibly affixed to said article;   said angle of mutual contact between said obtusely angled shaft and said receptacle preventing the creation of any effective leveraged force of disengagement when pulling force is applied to said fastener only from said article to which said fastener is flexibly affixed.   
   
   
       2 . The fastener as defined in  claim 1 , in which said fastener has an unusually high resistance to release that is overcome by said leveraged force. 
   
   
       3 . (canceled) 
   
   
       4 . The fastener as defined in  claim 1 , in which said enlargement has properties of a permanent magnet. 
   
   
       5 . The fastener as defined in  claim 4 , in which said receptacle has ferro-magnetic properties. 
   
   
       6 . (canceled) 
   
   
       7 . (canceled) 
   
   
       8 . (canceled) 
   
   
       9 . (canceled) 
   
   
       10 . (canceled) 
   
   
       11 . The fastener as defined in  claim 1 , in which said aperture of said receptacle is slightly smaller in size than said enlargement, as measured across at least one pair of opposing sides that define said aperture and one pair of sides of said enlargement that make contact with said opposing sides during insertion. 
   
   
       12 . The fastener as defined in  claim 1 , in which said aperture provides a resistance to said passage of said enlargement through said aperture as determined by at least two points of contact between said enlargement and said receptacle. 
   
   
       13 . The fastener as defined in  claim 1  in which said receptacle is of flattened shape with inwardly directed projections, the ends of which determine aperture size, and which are inclined away from one side of said flattened shape so that the ends separate further under pressure to enlarge said aperture and provide a directional bias that provides less resistance to passage of said enlargement in an engagement direction and so that the ends become closer under pressure to reduce said aperture and provide a greater resistance to said passage in a disengagement direction. 
   
   
       14 . The fastener as defined in  claim 1  in which said receptacle is of a form that makes a substantial portion of a plane of said aperture assume an obtuse angle relative to said shaft when a pulling force, applied to said receptacle by said shaft, is supplied to said fastener, in opposing directions, by said article to which said fastener is flexibly affixed. 
   
   
       15 . A releasable fastener comprising:
 a narrow substantially rigid shaft having an enlargement at its distal end;   said shaft being angled obtusely adjacent to said distal enlargement and having a proximal end of said shaft adapted to be flexibly affixed to one part of an article to encircle at least a portion of a body; and   a receptacle being adapted to be flexibly affixed to another part of said article;   said receptacle having an aperture resistive to insertion of said enlargement, said enlargement being forced through said aperture to releasably lock said fastener;   said receptacle being resistive to passage of said enlargement through said aperture in a direction that would disengage said fastener;   said fastener being disengaged when pressure is applied to said fastener at said enlargement, as from a single finger, in a direction that urges the fastener away from a body, thereby causing said shaft and said receptacle to create an angularly leveraged force that forces said enlargement back through said aperture to immediately disengage and unlock said releaseable fastener.   
   
   
       16 . (canceled) 
   
   
       17 . (canceled) 
   
   
       18 . (canceled) 
   
   
       19 . The fastener as defined in  claim 14 , in which said enlargement has the properties of a permanent magnet. 
   
   
       20 . A releasable fastener having an element forcibly insertable into and forcibly removable from a receptacle to respectively engage and disengage said fastener;
 a narrow substantially rigid shaft having opposed proximal and distal ends;   said element being formed by an enlargement at said distal end of said narrow shaft that is inserted and passed through an expansion of said aperture of said receptacle to engage said fastener;   said shaft being obtusely angled adjacent to said enlargement to secure engagement with said aperture of said receptacle;   the respective proximal ends of said shaft and said receptacle being adapted to be flexibly attached to an article that encircles a body;   the improvement comprising;   said distal enlargement being accessible to pressure from the side nearest the body, said pressure, as from a single finger, acting to disengage an engaged fastener when the fastener receptacle is restrained by said flexible attachment, and so that pressure being applied to the fastener, in a direction away from said body, makes the angle between said shaft and the plane of said receptacle become more acute with a part of the receptacle serving as a fulcrum at the point of mutual contact between shaft and said receptacle and permitting the shaft to create a leveraged force that assists in immediate disengagement of said fastener.