US430078A - Buckle - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

B. LATHAM.

BUCKLE.

'No. 430,078. Patented June 10,- 1890.

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NITED STATES ATE FICE EPHRAIM LATHAM, OF IVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR,

BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE UNITED STATES HAR- NESS AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF VIRGINIA.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.-430,078, dated June 10, 1890.

Application filed June 6, 1889. Serial No. 313,309. (No model.)

To on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EPHRAIM LATHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at ashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, 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.

This invention relates to that class of harness-buckles in which a fixed stud serves as the tongue; and its object is to provide means whereby such a buckle is adapted to I 5 serve both as a fastener for permanently securing portions of harness together instead of sewing them, either in the original manufacture or in repairing breaks, and to serve instead of the loose-tongued buckle where fastening and unfastening of straps is frequently required, and, further, to adapt the same to be castwithout a core. 7

To this end my invention consists in a buckle of peculiar shape and arrangement of parts in one piece of metal, as hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I is a perspective view of my buckle. Fig. II shows a longitudinal vertical section thereof, and Fig. III is a plan view of the same. Fig. IV showsa side view of the same buckle and a strap in the act of being unbuckled.

6 represents the side bars; 7, the forward under cross-bar; 8, the forward upper crossbar; 9, the rear upper cross-bar; 10, the under rear cross-bar, and stud-supporter, and 11 the stud which serves as a tongue. The cross-bar 10 extends part way straight across 4 at 12 from each side, enough to serve the usual purpose of anend cross-bar in confining the strap to its proper line of service. Thence its midway portion curves forward to the middle of the buckle to serve as a base for the stud 11. Thus the curved bar 10 serves the double purpose of an end crossbar and a midway support for the stud, and it has functions not met by a broad bottom serving as a base for the stud, to wit: It is light, cheap, graceful, and unique in form,

and it permits the under strap to be approached at the back near the stud to be pushed therefrom. The upper cross-bar 9 is the mate to the cross-bar 10 in forming the rear loop of the buckle, and it is located a little more than its own width to the rear of its mate for two purposes, to wit: First, to enable the strap to be bent downward to the rear of the buckle in order that its middle portion may be pushed up off from the stud in unbuckling the strap, as shown in Fig. IV; second, it is so located in order that it may be cast without a core, it being a fact known to themolders art that when one portion of a casting is located below another portion the two cannot be separated without a core, and that cores requiring to be separately molded in boxes, then baked, and finally laid into prints formed therefor in the main mold very materially increase the cost of making such articles. The cross-bars 7 and 8 are mates in forming the forward loop, and the bar 7 is located forward of its mate .in order that it may restrain the strap at the loop end 13 from being bent downward. Thus restrained it cannot be accidentally pushed up off from the stud 11. Otherwise the buckle might in service be set free to slide back on the strap and the strap fall loose; and by this location the bar 7 is out from under its mate, and there are no two parts of the buckle located one above the other. Thus the whole may be cast in one piece without a core. One end is adapted to permit the strap to be bent to unbuckle it intentionally, and the other end is adapted to prevent its being unbuckled accidentally.

I am aware that Patent N 0. 364,633 shows a buckle similar to mine excepting the stud, which in that is designed to pass through only one thickness of strap, While mine holds and must hold two thicknesses, and, furthermore, that has no portion of a cross-bar corresponding to my cross portions 12 at a distance behind the stud to prevent the under strap being accidentally unbuckled. I do not claim a buckle which has not the stud l1 and cross portions 12 in the relation to each TO way portion of the same bar curved toward the middle of the buckle, and a stud thereon,

standing vertically through the horizontal plane of the longitudinal opening in the buckle, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in 1 5 presence of two witnesses.

EPHRAIM LATHAM.

Witnesses:

E. DE L. BRADIN, S. PERIT RAWLE.

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