They Invented What? (No. 196)

U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,188:  Dance belts with detachable elastic joining members.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a pair of dance belts, each belt comprising an elongated rectangular shaped fabric body looped at one end and tapered at its other end, a rectangular buckle hingedly mounted on the looped end of the body, the tapered end having spaced aligned holes therein for selectively receiving a hook carried by the buckle, and a device on the body adjacent each end thereof for removably attaching an elongated elastic member; and a pair of elongated elastic members, each round in cross-section, and each detachably attached at one end to one of said devices on one belt and detachably attached at the other end to one of said devices on the other belt.

2. In the combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the device for removably attaching an elongated elastic member includes an elongated rectangular shaped metal plate extending across the outside of the body of the belt and slidable therealong and a hook protruding from said plate to connect detachably the end of the elastic belt member.

3. In the combination as defined in claim 2, wherein the metal plate is provided with a pair of wire loops for encircling the body of the belt and sliding along the body for adjusting the position of the plate on the body of the belt.

4. In the combination as defined in claim 2, wherein each elongated elastic member has a bearing member mounted at each end thereof, an elongated hook having one end connected pivotally to each bearing member, and a ring swivelly mounted on the other end of the elongated hook for detachable connection to the hook on the rectangular shaped metal plate.

5. In the combination as defined in claim 2, wherein an additional elongated rectangular shaped metal plate is slidably mounted on the body of each belt adjacent the looped end thereof for selectively attaching the elongated elastic member to the body of the belt.

6. In the combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the hinge mounting of the buckle includes a wire loop secured to the inner surface of the body of the buckle adjacent one long edge thereof and extending through the looped end of the body of the belt.

7. In the combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the body and the outer surface of the buckle are decorated with ornaments.

8. In the combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the device for removably attaching an elongated elastic belt member includes a hollow casing with a series of colored windows, lamp bulbs behind the windows and a source of electric motive force operatively connected to the lampbulbs, a spring pressed metal block slidably mounted inside the casing and adapted to be interposed selectively between the source of electric motive force and each lamp for closing the circuit to the lamp, and means for sliding said block.

9. In the combination as defined in claim 8 wherein the casing has a front wall with an elongated slot therein and wherein the block is slidably mounted on an elongated rod, an eyelet having a shank portion extending through the slot in the front wall and secured to the block, wherein the elongated elastic belt member is adapted to engage the eyelet and pull the same in one direction when the belt is worn in a dance, the spring adapted to pull the eyelet in the opposite direction when pressure is released.

10. In the combination as defined in claim 8, wherein the source of electric motive force is constituted by a pair of electric batteries operatively connected to each other, a metal contact connected to the central terminal of the batteries, a conductor interposed between the metal contact and one terminal of the lamp bulbs, said lamp bulbs having wiping contacts connected to the other terminal of the bulb, said wiping contacts being disposed in the path of sliding movement of the block, said block connected to the other terminal of the batteries, whereby upon engagement of the block with the wiping contacts the respective lamp bulbs become illuminated.