US1064453A - Construction of horse-blankets. - Google Patents

Description

L. H. DI ETZ.

CONSTRUCTION OF HORSE BLANKETS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1912.

1,064,453. Patented June 10,1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 70.. WASHINGTON, D. c

more

FFIC.

LOUIS H. DIETZ, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONSTRUCTION OF HORSEIBLANKET$.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 11, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

Serial No. 730,585.

To all whom 2'15 may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS H. DIETZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in the Construction of Horse-Blankets, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved construction of horse blanket having reinforcing bands or girths secured to and extending around it, so disposed'that the strain placed upon them by the movements of the horse upon which the blanket is secured is not communicated to the blanket, but on the other hand is taken entirely by the reinforcing strips or girths, and further that these strips or girths are so disposed that the strain upon them tends to hold the blanket in proper position upon the horse at both ends of the blanket as well as at its lower edges when the blanket is in use.

The several drawings illustrating my invention are as follows:

Figure 1 shows my improved horse blanket in place upon a horse. Fig. 2 is a developed or flat view of the blanket opened out to show the manner in which the reinforcing strips or girths are secured to the blanket.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown in the drawings, theblanket 1, which is of any desired construction and texture which will adapt itself to the body of a horse, is provided with a first girth or reinforcing strip 2, sewed to the blanket near the front end of the blanket and extending nearly down to the lower edges thereof. A second reinforcing strip or girth 3 is secured to the blanket in a similar way but slightly to the rear of the middle of the blanket, the principal difference between the disposition of this strip and the strip 2 being that the strip 2 is placed in nearly a straight line at substantially right angles to the lower edges of the blanket, while the strip 3 is given a slight curvature toward the rear end of the blanket at its upper portion, the ends of the strip extending slightly forward toward the lower edges of the blanket. Neither the strip 2 nor the strip 3 extends to the lower edges of the blanket. From the ends of the strip 3 two straight reinforcing strips 4 and 5 extend upwardly and rearwardly, meeting at the top or upper portion of the blanket at the angle 6, said angle being near the rear end of the upper portion of the blanket. From the ends of the strip 2, slightly curved reinforcing strips 7 and 8 extend forwardly and nearly or quite to the front end of the blanket and somewhat farther from its lower edges than the ends of the strip 2. The forward ends of the strips 7 and 8 have secured to them the strap 9 and the buckle 10, used to hold the front portion of the blanket together around the sl1oulders of the horse. All of the strips thus far described are securely held to the blanket preferably by means of stitching so as to reinforce the blanket and to take all of the strains exerted by holding the blanket in place upon the horse.

At the connection between the ends of the strips 3 and 4 a fastener 11 is secured, and at the connection between the ends of the strips 2 and 7 a similar fastener 12 is secured. At the connection between the ends of the strips 3 and 5 a band 13, having a fastening device 14, is secured. The band 13 isprovided with a sliding adjustable device 15 for increasing or decreasing the effective length of the band 13. At the connection between the strips 2 and 8 one end of a band 16 is secured, the other end of which passes through a fastening device 17 and is secured to a sliding device 18 for increasing or decreasing the effective length of the band 16. The fastening devices 11, 12, 14 and 17 are preferably made of metal and in any well known form so that they may cooperate, the fastening devices 12 and 14 being brought together when the blanket isin place upon the horse, as are the fastening devices 11 and 17 An essential feature of my present invention is that when the blanket is in place upon'the horse the bands 13 and 16 and the is taken by the strips 4, 5, 7 and 8 and the bands 13 and 16. This result is only secured by carefully avoiding abrupt changes in direction of the various strips of reinforcing material, for if there were sharp angles or changes of direction at any point in the path of the resulting girth described it would result in placing a considerable strain on the blanket at the point in the change in direction. Although it would ap pear at first that there is such an abrupt change between the ends of the strips t and 5, this in reality is not so, since these strips meeton top of the horses back and, in fact, the portion of the blanket between the strips at and 5 and the strip 3 constitute a pocket for receiving the upper portion of the hip bones of the horse, as a result of which the strips 4 and 5 are back of these bones and thus serve to hold the rear portion of the blanket down against the body of the horse and prevent it from working forward on the horses back. The strips 2 and 3, although they appear to be in position to take a considerable part of the strain exerted upon the crossed girth above described, in reality have very little strain exerted upon them, their principal function being to keep the body portion of the blanket in shape and also to reinforce the end connections to the blanket of the strips 4, 5, 7 and 8. A further advantage secured by the girth construction above described is that as a result of the crossing of the girth under the body of the horse when the horse is working, the forward movement of one shoulder compensates for the forward movement of the opposite hip, and thus no undue strain is brought upon the girth and the blanket is held securely in place, although there is considerable motion of the horse. This would not be the case if the blanket were not provided with a single crossed girth extending longitudinally of the horse, as shown and described above, with no substantial change in direction as it encircles the shoulders and hips of the horse.

I am aware it has been proposed heretofore to reinforce horse blankets with strips of fabric or leather, and I do not, therefore, claim broadly such a construction as my invention, but what I do claim as new is the particular arrangement of girth and reinforcing strips that is described above, by which the blanket is securely held in place without undue strain upon the blanket. The reinforcing strips referred to and the fastening devices may be made in any manner desired, as long as the strips are secured to the blanket in substantially the manner indicated.

What I claim is:

1. A horse blanket having two straight strips of reinforcing material secured thereto and extending from a point near the rear end of the middle of the blanket diagonally forward to points near the edges of the blanket slightly to the rear of the middle of said edges, a reinforcing strip secured to the blanket between the ends of the first named strips and being slightly curved toward the rear end of the blanket, a straight reinforcing strip of material secured transversely to the blanket forward of its middle portion and extending nearly to the edges of the blanket, reinforcing strips of material extending from the ends of the last named strip toward the front end of the blanket and being curved slightly away from the edges of the blanket, fastening devices secured to the forward ends of the last named strips for securing the blanket in place around the shoulders of the horse, and con necting strips and fastening devices secured to the connections of the other strips mentioned near the edges of the blanket for securing the edges of the blanket in'place around the body of the horse, said connecting strips being crossed when in place upon the horse.

2. A horse blanket having two straight strips of reinforcing material secured thereto and extending from a point near the rear end of the middle of the blanket diagonally forward to points near the edges of the blanket slightly to the rear of the middle of said edges, a reinforcing strip secured to the blanket between the ends of the first named strips and being slightly curved toward the rear end of the blanket, a straight reinforcing strip of material secured transversely to the blanket forward of its middle portion and extending nearly to the edges of the blanket, reinforcing strips of material extending from the ends of the last named strip toward the front end of the blanket and being curved slightly away from the edges of the blanket, fastening devices secured to the forward ends of the last named strips for securing the blanket in place k around the shoulders of the horse, and connecting strips and fastening devices secured to the connections of the other strips mentioned near the edges of the blanket for securing the edges of the blanket in place around the body of the horse, said connecting strips being crossed when in place upon the horse, the first three named strips being life rear end of the blanket, a straight reinforcing strip of material secured transversely to the blanket forward of its middle portion and extending nearly to the edges of the blanket, reinforcing strips of material extending from the ends of the last named strip toward the front end of the blanket and being curved slightly away from the edges of the blanket, fastening devices secured to the forward ends of the last named strips for securing the blanket in place around the shoulders of the horse, and connecting strips and fastening devices secured to the connections of the other strips mentioned near the edges of the blanket for securing the edges of the blanket in place around the body of the horse, said connecting strips being crossed when in place upon the horse, the first two named strips and the last two named strips constituting, together with the connecting strips, when in place upon the horse, a single, continuous girth crossing under the body of the horse and having no abrupt change in direction throughout.

4. A horse blanket having two straight strips of reinforcing material secured thereto and extending from a point near the rear end of the middle of the blanket diagonally forward to points near the edges of the blanket slightly to the rear of the middle of said edges, reinforcing strips of material extending obliquely from the front end of the blanket toward its side edges and being curved slightly away from the edges of the blanket, fastening devices secured to the forward ends of the last named strips for securing the blanket in place around the shoulders of the horse, and connecting strips and fastening devices secured to the said reinforcing strips near the side edges of the blanket for securing the edges of the blanket in place around the body of the horse, said connecting strips being crossed when in place upon the horse, the said reinforcing strips constituting, together with the connecting strips, when in place upon the horse, a single, continuous girth crossing under the body of the horse and having no abrupt change in direction throughout.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 7th day of November, A. D. 1912.

LOUIS H. DIETZ.

Witnesses:

ALBERT C. BELL, LESLIE W. FRIOKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

Images