US1053978A - Stretching apparatus for leather or the like. - Google Patents

Description

I. H. ELLSWORTH. STRETUHING APPARATUS FOR LEATHER OR THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1911.

1,053,978, Patented Feb.25,1913.

WZTNEESEE' COLUMBIA PIANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. n4 :4

UNITED STATES PATENT @EFTQE.

IRVING H. ELLSWOBTH, OF OAK HARBOR, OHIO.

STRETCHING APPARATUS FOR LEATHER OR THE LIKE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IRVING H. ELLswoRTH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oak Harbor, in the county of Ottawa and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Stretching Apparatus for Leather or the Like; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to stretching apparatus for leather or the like, and while it has particular reference to the needs of the harness trade for stretching trace leather, so that all plies of a trace will have equal elasticity, it is not restricted to such use as it may be used for any purpose for which it may be adapted or appropriate.

The object of my invention is the provision of an improved and highly efficient apparatus of this character, which is simple and inexpensive of manufacture, strong and durable in its construction and capable of being easily and quickly operated to firmly clamp a strip of leather or other material to be stretched.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure l is a top plan view of an apparatus comprising my invention with a part broken away and a strip of leather engaged thereby. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section 011 the linear: :0 in Fig. 2, and Figs. & and 5 are sections respectively on the lines 10 w and y 3 in Fig. 3, with the clamp of the latter open.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a bench or table upon which the article clamping devices comprising the main features of the invention are mounted. These devices, in the present instance, comprise the fixed clamp A, which is bolted or otherwise securely anchored to one end of the table 1, with its clamping surface or bottom preferably disposed at substantially a forty-five degree angle, and the movable clamp B,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 24, 1911.

Patented Feb. 25,1913.

Serial No. 616,997.

which is mounted for sliding movements longitudinally of the table.

The clamps A and B which are substantially the same in construction, each comprises a base member 2, which forms the lower clamping member or jaw of the device and has bearing lugs or standards 3, 3 rising from the ends thereof vadjacent to its inner or front edge, as shown. A shaft 3 parallels the clamping surface of the base member 2 and has its ends mounted in the standards 3, and this shaft carries the movable clamping member or jaw 4. The jaw has a preferably serrated or toothed edge 4 for coacting with the member 2, which edge is disposed to coact with said member at a point to the rear of a plane which cuts the axis of the shaft 4 at right angles to the top surface of the member 2, or substantially so, as indicated, whereby a pulling strain upon an engaged article will tend to tighten the gripping action thereon of the clamp members.

An arm 5 rises from one end of the jaw 4: and preferably extends rearwardly there from when the jaw is in clamped position, as shown in Fig. 2, and has a clamping lever 6 fulcrumed to its free end portion. This lever has a long arm forming the handle portion thereof and, a short arm, the free end of which latter is attached to a coiled expansion spring '7, which is anchored at its other end to a lug or standard 8 rising from the rear portion of the associated end of the base' member 2.

\Vhen the handle of the lever 6 is thrown forwardly as shown in Fig. 5, the spring 7, when it is contracted to its normal state, serves as a fulcrum for the inner end of the lever and cooperates with the lever to swing the clamping jaw 4 on its axis to unclamped position whereby to release an engaged article. Upon a clamping movement of the lever 6 the inner end thereof swings down wardly and moves the jaw l to clamping position before the pivot 6 begins to act as the lever fulcrum after which, upon a continued clamping movement of the lever, the spring is expanded so as to effect a yielding clamping action of the two clamped members, the expansion of the spring depending upon the thickness of the article clamped. The lever 6 has its short arm preferably slightly angled relative to the long arm thereof so that when parts are in clamped position the spring will act on the lever in a manner to tend to hold the parts in such position as is apparent by reference to Fig. 2.

In order to facilitate a gripping of an article, the inner or front edge of the base member 2 is provided with a ridge or shoulder 9 in advance of the point of grip of the two clamped members as best indicated in Fig. at, so that the article is elevated above the line where the article is clamped. The same action is accomplished in the fixed clamp A by reason of the inclination of the base member thereof which disposes the upper edge of such member above the point of bight of the clamp. The base member 2 of the movable clamp A is provided at its ends with depending flanges 10, which coact with the sides of the table to guide the movements of the clamp thereon.

lVhen a strip of leather or other material C has been engaged by the respective clamps, a stretching of the same is accomplished by a turning of the hand wheel 11, which is threaded onto the screw 12, which latter is connected by a chain 13 or other suitable means to the outer side of the base member 2 of the clamp B. The screw 12 passes out-- wardly through an apertured plate or standard 14E, rising from the adjacent end of the table 1, and such plate serves to receive the inner thrust of the hub of the wheel 11.

In practice my improved stretching device has prdven very satisfactory and the construction of the clamping members of the salne are such as to render them easily and quickly operable to clamp or release an article and when clamped to the same to firmly grip it to prevent a disengagement thereof.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction or arrangement of the parts except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a clamp comprising a base member, a jaw carried by said member and movable to cooperate with said member to grip an interposed article, a control lever fulcrumed to said jaw with its axis substantially parallel to the jaw axis, and yielding means fixedly anchored at one end relative to the base member and attached to and cooperating with said lever to yieldingly hold the jaw in clamped position or to move it to unclamped position.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a clamp having a base member, a movable clamping member pivotally attached to said base member and having a laterally projecting arm, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends to said arm with the axis of the lever pivoted in substantial parallelism with the pivot of said members, and yielding means anchored to said base-member and cooperating with said movable member to yieldingly hold it in clamping position relative to the base member and adapted to cooperate with the lever to relatively move the clamping members to released position.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a clamp comprising a base clamping member and a clamping aw oscillatingly carried by said base member and having a laterally projecting arm, a lever fulcrumed to said arm, and a coiled expansion spring anchored at one end to said base member and having its other end attached to a part of said lever, said lever and spring being adapted to cooperate to yieldingly hold the jaw in clamped position relative to the base member and to move the jaw to released position, the spring serving as a fulcrum for the lever during portions of the jaw clamping and releasing movements.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a clamp comprising a base member having upstanding lugs, a jaw pivotally carried by said lugs and movable to cooperate with the base member to grip an article, said jaw having a laterally projecting arm, a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends to said arm, a coiled expansion spring anchored at one end. to said base member and having its other end attached to an end of said lever and adapted to cooperate with the lever to yieldingly hold the jaw in clamped position or to move the jaw to released position.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a clamp comprising a pair of jaws, one being movable relative to the other. a lever pivotally attached to the movable jaw with the axis of its pivot in substantial parallelism with the axis of the jaw pivot, a contractile spring attached at one end to the lever and having its other end anchored relative to the fixed jaw, said lever and spring being capable of coiiperating to yieldingly move the movable jaw to clamping position and yieldingly retain it in such position or to move it to open position.

6. In combination, a pair of clamping jaws mounted for relative pivotal movements, a control lever pivoted to one jaw in spaced relation to the pivot of the jaws, said lever and jaw being capable of angular movements in parallel planes, and a member attached to one end of the lever and yieldingly connecting it to a part which is fixed relative to the other jaw of the pair and capable of cooperating with the lever to im; part relative clamping and releasing move ments to the jaws.

7. In combination, a pair of clamping jaws mounted for relative pivotal movements, one jaw having a laterally projecting arm, a control lever pivoted between its ends to said arm for parallel angular movements relative thereto, and a contractile spring attached at one end to one end oi said lever and having its other end fixed relative to one of said clamping jaws and operable through the lever upon the lever carrying jaw to yieldingly retain it in various positions relative to the other jaw, the arm of the lever opposed to that to which the spring is attached serving as an operating member.

8.111 combination, a pair of clamping jaws mounted for relative pivotal move ments, a contractile spring fixed at one end relative to one of said jaws, and means connectlng the other end of said spring to the other of sald aws and movable in parallel relation to the pivotal movements of the jaws to cooperate with the spring to retain the jaws in yielding clamping engagement In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

IRVING H. ELLSVVORTH. Witnesses GEORGE F. HUNTRESS, GEO. C. RosENsTRnTER.

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