US1196010A

US1196010A - Joseph merritt

Info

Publication number: US1196010A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1916-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 1933-08-29

Description

J. MERRITT.

CONNECTING LINK AND PROCESS OF MAKING'SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY28, 190a. RENEWED FEB. 3.191s.

1,1 96,010, Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrcas JOSEPH MERRITT, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE HARTFORD LOCK RING COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

CONNECTING-LINK AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 191%.

Application filed July 28, 1908, Serial No. 445,756. Renewed February 3, 1916. Serial No. 76,070.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr MERRITT, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Connecting-Links and Processes of Making the Same, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to an improved connecting link for chains, pendants, and various other attachments, and to an improved process of making the same.

It may be employed for a great variety of purposes in different trades, for joining and articulating various forms of chains, lockets, pendants, snap hooks, swivels, pulls, handles, etc., in the jewelry, plumbing, hardware and other trades. One of its important advantages is that it may be sold inopen or separable form and be permanently secured.

or fixed without being soldered, after being articulated with or between the .parts which are to be joined by it.

Figure l of the drawings is a side view, and Fig. 2 is a sectional edge view of one form of link made in accordance with this invention, showing it in its partly assembled open form. Fig. 3 is a sectional edge view showing the parts of Figs. 1 and 2 completed by closing the open side. Fig. 4: is a sectional edge view of the sheath member of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a sectional edge view of the core or inner ring member of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 6 is a plan View, and Fig. 7 an edge view of a core and sheath assembled, and open for the insertion of the objects to be joined. Fig. Sis a plan view and Fig.9-a sectional edge view of a modified construction of the link. Fig. 10 is anedge View showing the link of Fig. 9 after the sheath has been closed down. Figs. 11 and 12 aresectional edge views of the sheath and core respectively of Figs. 8, 9 and 10. Figs. 13 to 16 inclusive show an adaptation of the link of Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive by which its parts may be secured together in manufacture while leaving it in open position for receiving the rings or other parts to beconnected by it; after which the closing may .be completed.

The link shown in Figs. l to 5 inclusive consists of an outer envelop or-sheath 1,and

an inner core or ring member 2. These :parts are orshould :be made of the metals and in the proportions best suited for their respecor rodcoiled into ring form, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5; or in spiral form, shown in Figs. Gand 7 and 16. The sheath may be made of sheet metal and be punched and struck up by dies in various ways well known to sheetdie makers and sheet metal workers. Or .they may be made from sheet metal disposed in ribbon form now very common in the manufacture of articles made from sheet metal, the edges of the metal bemg turned over by means of rolls or dies, as it is drawn from the spool or coil of metal ribbon. In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, the sheath metal is formed so as to bring the longitudinal joint at the line 3 on the inner surface of the ring, while in the forms shown in the remaining figures the metal is left open toward one of the lateral or outer sides of the ring, so as to close together along the line19. These links may be initially made in flat or plane form, and opened for the insertion of the objects to be joined by springing the ends apart sidewise to the position-of Fig. 7, or they may be initially made in the open form shown in that figure.

In the form of link shown in Fig. 7, and Figs. 13 to 16 inclusive, both the sheath and the core may be initially made of a spiral contour. A convenient way of making them in this form is to wind the sheath and the core either together or separately on suitable mandrels in a continuous spiral, which may then'be cut off at each convolution, thus producing spiral rings. 1 If wound separately the spiral core 7 may be wormed or screwed into the spiral sheath 6, either before or after the cutting-off operation. In any case .the individual cores and sheaths when made form shown in Fig. 7 to the plane or fiat form shown in Fig. 2. The core 7 is then pushed around in its sheath, so as to bring the joint or opening between the ends of the core out of coincidence with the joint or opening between the ends of the sheath, these joints being preferably placed diametrically opposite to each other as shown in Fig. 1, although any non-coincident position will suffice. The link is then completed by closing the edges of the sheath around the interior side of the ring from the posi tion shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3, which may be done by spinning, or by means of dies, or in any convenient way, according to the facilities at hand, which may extend from a simple hand fixture to a more complex and elaborate apparatus, according to the size of the work and the amount to be done.

In the form of link shown in Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive, the core 10 is or may be similar to the cores shown in the previous figures. The sheath or envelop member 11 is made open at the lateral side of the ring so that the core may be dropped into place from the side instead of being twisted or screwed in from either end. This sheath, like those shown in the previous figures, may be punched out of sheet metal, or rolled from a metallic ribbon.

The sheath is first made in the form shown in Fig. 11, after which the wire core 10 is dropped in place as shown in Fig. 9, and the open side is closed to the position shown in Fig. 10, by spinning or pressing its open edges together around the wire. In this case also the joint 12 is placed out of coincidence with, and preferably opposite to the joint 13 of the sheath, .as shown in Fig. 8.

The form of link-shown in Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive may be made at once into the flat annulus form shown in those figures, or the parts may be made in spiral form as shown in Fig. 16, the sheath and the core being wound in long spirals on suitable mandrels after the manner of a spiral spring, and then cut at each convolution to form the rings. The form of link opening at its lateral side, as in Fig. 11, may be manufactured and sold in its partly completed form shown in Figs. 13 to 16 inclusive; and be completed after being threaded into the links or other objects which are to be joined together. In such a case the core 15 and the shell 16 may advantageously be made and assembled in spiral form, as shown in Fig. 16, with the joint 17' of the core out of coincidence with the joint 18 of the shell and the open side closed partway around as shown in Figs. 13, 1 1 and 15, forming the longitudinal or annular seam 19. Left in this condition the link may be threaded into the rings, handles, or other objects 20 to be articulated together, after which the link is closed by pressing the free end of the core into its seat in the adjacent end of the sheath 16 from the position shown in Fig. 16 to that shown in Figs. 14 and 15, after which the open edges of the sheath may be closed in any convenient way, extending the closed seam 19 entirely around the link.

As an additional means of securing the two parts of the link together, the core of any of the forms shown in the drawings may be provided with a spur or spurs 22, which, when the links are closed, cut corresponding depressions in the inner wall of the sheath, as shown in Fig. 13. This arrangement still further secures the two parts of the link together, and particularly protects them from being separated by pulling action upon the link. This improved link, and the process of making it, may be further modified in various ways within the expected skill of the die maker and sheetmetal workers to suit them for different purposes.

Although it will generally be found desirable to make the core and sheath members in open ring form, that is to say, having two ends brought approximately together, as at 12 and 13 in Fig. 8-, yet it may obviously be desirable, and quite feasible, to make either the core, or sheath, or both, without any such open ends, either by casting them, or punching them from a sheet in the way washers are ordinarily made, or by making them first in open form and afterward soldering or otherwise uniting the ends before closing the core and the sheath together. Also the sheath and its core may be soldered or sweated together, which still further increases their security and solidity. In such cases the parts may be tinned or flowed with a thin film of solder by the manufacturer, and put upon the market in that condition, so that it is only necessary to heat the parts after putting them together, to a sufficient degree to melt the solder, and thereby firmly solder as well as interlock them. In such cases the dies or other closing instrumentalities may be maintained at a degree of heat sufiicient to melt the solder, so that the closing and soldering operations may be simultaneous, or nearly so.

This improved link is herein shown as being in annulus form. Obviously, however, it may be made of various other looped or irregular forms, for purposes of design, or for utility, or for conformity to the parts to be joined, as the case may be. The longitudinal seams of the sheaths may be upon the inner side, like the seam 3 of Fig. 3, or upon one of the lateral sides, like the seam 19 of Fig. 13, or upon the outer peripheral surface of the sheath, or at any other intermediate portion, according to the various requirements. Although it is an important advantage of this ring that it may be permanently secured together without being soldered, yet it may be soldered where the conditions call for or permit of soldering.

I claim as my invention 1. The process of making an endless hnk, which consists in placing a two-ended looped core within a two-ended looped open-sided sheath, and closing the open side of the sheath around and substantially inclosing the core member, with the end joints of the respective members out of coincidence.

2. The process of forming a link, which consists in placing an open-ended ring within an open-sided enveloping sheath, and closing the open side of the enveloping sheath with substantial completeness around the ring.

3. The process of forming an endless link, which consists in placing an open-ended ring within an open-ended and open-sided enveloping sheath, with their respective ends out of coincidence, and closing the open sides of the sheath closely and with substantial completeness around the ring.

4. The process of manufacturing endless links, which consists in forming a looped core member and a looped sheath in spiral contour, with the core member partly within the sheath, and with their respectivejoints out of coincidence, then deforming the spiral to a plane condition, and closing the open edges of the sheath closely and entirely around the core member.

5. The process of making endless links, which consists in forming an inner ring member and outer sheath member in spiral contour, placing the ring within the sheath with their respective joints out of coincidence, deforming the spiral into plane form, and closing the open side of the sheath with substantial completeness around the inner member.

6. The process of forming a blank suitable for closing into an endless link, which consists in placing an open-ended ring within a sheath having open ends and an open side, and closing a portion of the open side of the sheath closely around the ring, leaving one end of the sheath and one end of the ring overlapping but free from each other.

7. An endless link consisting of a looped core having approximately joined ends, and

a looped sheath having approximately joined ends and joined longitudinal edges.

8. An endless link consisting of a core having approximately joined ends, a sheath having approximately joined ends and joined longitudinal edges, the joints of the core being out of coincidence with the joined ends of the sheath.

9. An endless link consisting of a looped core, and a sheath inclosing the core and having approximately joined longitudinal edges.

10. An endless link consisting of a ringshaped core and a ring-shaped sheath closely enveloping the core, the edges of the sheath being joined in a longitudinal seam extending around the link.

11. An endless link comprising a core having open ends approximately joined, and a sheath made of sheet metal and wrapped around the core with its edges joined to form a longitudinal seam extending lengthwise along the core.

12. An open-ended blank for forming an endless link, consisting of an open-ended looped core and an open-ended sheath, both disposed in spiral form and secured together with their respective open ends out of coincidence.

13. An open-ended blank for making endless links, consisting of a looped core, and a sheath enveloping the core, disposed in spiral form with their ends separated.

14. An open-ended blank for making an endless link, consisting of a looped core, and an open-sided sheath disposed in spiral form with open ends overlapping and out of coincidence.

15. An open-sided blank for making an endless link, consisting of a looped core, and an open-sided sheath, each having open ends and disposed in spiral form with their ends out of coincidence, a portion of the sheath being closed around the core to hold them together.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH MERRITT.

Witnesses:

D. B. WESTIN, FRANK M. MATHER.

Copies oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.