US487463A - Trace-lock - Google Patents

Description

.(No Model.)

G. T. ALPRESS.

TRACE LOCK.

No. 487,463. Patented Dec. 6, 1892.

NITED STATES GEORGE T. ALPRESS, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT.

TRACE- LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,463, dated December 6, 1892.

Application filed April 11, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE T. ALPRESS, of Bristol, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Hitch-Locks; andIdo hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and theletters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a broken perspective view showing the application of my invention as a trace hitch-lock; Fig. 2, a detached sectional view of the device shown in the preceding figure; Fig. 3, a detached sectional view showing the use of a threaded bushing in the construction shown by Fig. 2.

My invention relates to an improvementin hitch-locks, and is particularly designed for use on harnesses, but may be employed in various other situations, the object being to produce a simple, cheap, convenient, efiective, and durable device of ornamental appearance.

With these ends in View my invention consists in the combination, with a hitch member, such as a trace, of a hitch-lock composed of two perforated friction-plates and a couplingscrew passingt-hrough the perforations of said plates and through the eye of the trace and screwed into one of the plates for coupling them under friction upon the opposite face of the trace, whereby the said lock is adj ustable on the trace within the limits of the eye thereof.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the device consists of two corresponding centrallyperforated disks A A, made of sole-leather and having roughened beveled edges anda coupling-screw B, which is passed first through the outer disk A and then into the inner disk A, the perforation of which is threaded to receive it, the said screw being what is known as a machine-screw. These disks are respectively applied to the opposite faces of the trace 0, which is constructed with the ordinary eye O', through which the couplingvice.

.tween them.

Serial No. 428.599. (N0 model.)

screw B aforesaid passes. Under this construction the device is movable back and forth in the eye C of the trace, the screw beingadjusted so that the friction developed between the inner faces of the disk and the opposite faces of the trace will hold the device in place, except as it may be manually pushed back and forth.

In using the device the trace is hooked over the button D of the whiftletree E in the usual manner, after which the device is pushed rearwardly up against the inner edge of the button. No .matter now how much the trace maybe slacked the device will prevent it from accidental disengagement from the button. I have spoken of the disks as being formed of heavy sole-leather; but metal or any other suitable material may be employed in place of it if desired. Instead of employing a simple machine-screw having a slotted head, as herein shown, I may employ a thumb-screw; but I prefer such a screw as shown. By prefer-. ence, also, I employ leather disks on account of their correspondence with leather traces and because they are well adapted to take hold of the same in the production of the friction required for the operation of the de- I have found that by roughening the beveled edges of the outer-disk the same may be turned by the fingers for adjusting the device, as the screw will turn with the disk in either direction on accountof the friction be- If preferred, I may employ an internally-threaded bushing F in the inner disk or plate in place of threading the same to receive the inner end of the adjustingscrew, such a bushing being shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

A bushing as employed not only increases the durability of the device when the disks or plates are made of rubber, leather, or other soft material, but also affords an economical construction where a long engagement is Wanted for the screw, for the reason that a long bushing-such as shown in the said figures of the drawingsaffords the same hearing for the screw that a thick disk or plate would.

The foregoing description, together with the accompanying drawings, will enable any one skilled in the artto make other applications of my invention, whether to harnesses or elsewhere, and I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the specific use nor to the exact construction herein shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations therein as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

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

1. The combination, with a hitch member, such as a trace, of a hitch-lock composed of two perforated friction-plates and a couplingscrew passing through the perforations of said plates and through the eye of the trace and screwed into one of the plates for clamping them under friction upon the opposite faces of the trace, substantially as set forth, and whereby the said lock is adjustable on the trace within the limits of its eye.

2. The combination, with a hitch member, such as a trace, of a hitch-lock composed of two perforated friction-plates, an internallythreaded bushing inserted into the perforation of one of them, and acoupling-screw en- GEORGE '1. ALPRESS.

Witnesses:

EDWARD W .IDIERRIMAN, SAMUEL J. COAD.

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