US530750A

US530750A - Snap-hook

Info

Publication number: US530750A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1894-12-11
Anticipated expiration: 1911-12-11

Description

(No Model.)

J. G. COVERT.

SNAP HOOK.

Patented Dec. 11, 1894.

m: mums mins 00,. Pno'muma, wasnmmon n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES ofoovEE'r, or WEST TROY, NEW YORK.

SNAP-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 530,750, dated December 11, 1 894. Application filed July'2'7, 1894. Serial No. 518,693. (NomodeL) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMEs'O. COVERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Troy, county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Similar letters refer to similar parts in theseveral figures therein.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view in perspective of my improved snap-hook. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the broken line 33, in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the blank casting. Fig. 5 is a cross-section taken on the broken line 55,

in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of the bolt. Fig. 7 is an end view of the same.

My invention relates to that class of snaphooks in which a hook and loop are connected by and integral with atubular body, in which a spring-actuated bolt is placed and moved to and from the hook. In all such construetions heretoforethe body part of the opened casting or blank from which the barrel is formed, is U-shape in cross section, so that when the sides are bent toward each other or closed in, to form the barrel or slide-way the said slide-way for the bolt was approximately circular in cross section and engaged the bolt on all sides. The bolt employed was also made approximately cylindrical throughout its length, except that it had a slightly tapered head. In such forms of construction, a slight variation due to wrapping the patterns, slight imperfections due to various causes Well known to foundryinen, and irregularities in bending the sides of the casting to form the barrel, will each prevent the bolt from moving freelyin the barrel so formed and cause a sufiicient variation in the axial line of an inserted bolt to render the completed article unsalable;

downward toward the bottom of the barrel whereby the bolt engages when operated the inclined sides only of the barrel or slide-way and is itself engaged on its opposite sides only. Any imperfections on the bottom of the barrel or on the lower side of the bolt, in my construction of device, will not engage each other or interfere with the successful operation and easy movement of the bolt. Furthermore, in all similar constructions the bolts are made of cast metal, and in molds which are necessarily parted on a plane biseeting the thu1nb-piece, aswell as the bolt, thereby occasionally forming a fin or ridge on the lower side of the bolt which must ongage the bottom of the barrel or slide-way unless the tin is removed which involves considerable'labor and expense.

In myimproved construction of snap hook all irregularities on the bottom of the bolt and irregularities in the bottom of the barrel do not require removal, as the bolt is never formed to engage the bottom or sides of the groove in the barrel, but engages with the sides of the barrel above the groove. The usual the mb-piece on the belt which works in the usual guide slot in the upper side of the barrel, serves to prevent the bolt from rotating and keeps the irregularities on the other side of the bolt within the groove out of contact with the walls of the barrel. The groove being in the same vertical plane with the thumb-piece and the bolt being pressed down thereby when operated, it will be seen that such downward pressure will not force the irregularities on the base of the bolt into contact with the base of the barrel or any irregularities thereon.

Anotherimportant advantage in the formation of the groove in the bottom of the barrel which groove is preferably V-shape in cross section, is in preventing the unequal shrinkage of the casting or metal at the junction of the hook and barrel.

In the usual form of snap-hooks of this class a considerable amount of metal is found at the junction of the hook and body part and a blank at or near such junction is often rendered defective by the unequal shrinkage of the metal at that point. I have discovered that a V-shape groove extending at an incline from the base of the barrel into this mass of metal materially decreases the imperfections due to shrinkage, and by deepening the groove slightly at the place of junction of the body and hook as shown in Fig. 2, the mass is effectually divided and gradually reduced permitting thereby an equal cooling of the entire mass and resultingin the production of a perfect casting.

Referring to the drawings A is the hook and A the loop, connected by a body part B which is integral with both hook and loop. The blank is cast with a central longitudinal groove 13' in the body part and usually with the hook inclined to one side. After the casting has been annealed or rendered malleable in the usual manner the sides of the body portion are bent toward each other to form the barrel or slide-way. A coil spring S is inserted in the tubular portion with one end bearing on the seat A and the bolt 0 is then inserted and rests against the other end of the spring, whereupon the hook is bent in line with the outer end of the bolt in the usual and well known manner. Anydesired space may be left between the introverted sides 13 except that a suitable space is left on the hook end of the body to form the guide slot 13 adapted to receive the shank O which conmeets the thumb-piece proper C with the body of the bolt. The corners of the side at theloop end are beveled or contracted so as to form an opening B when the sides are introverted. The V-shaped groove is deepened or tapered at the hook end of the barrel as shown so as to extend down into the base of the shank of the hook itself, as seen in Fig.

2, whereby the heaviest part of the device is gradually reduced to substantially correspond in thickness with the thickness of other parts for the reasons heretofore stated. The

bolt is contracted in size at C confining the bearing points thereof to the inner end 0 and the section 0 extending from the contracted portion to the beveled head C. The general form of the body part of the bolt is made approximately cylindrical and thereby adapted to be inclosed wholly by the tubular barrel. The upper surface of the bolt is left longitudinally straight with the upper surfaces of the part 0 and C for the purpose of closing the slot B when the bolt is forced out by the spring.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a bolt formed with an irregularity or fin which is occasionally formed during casting.

By contracting the body part of the bolt intermediate its ends it is better adapted for use in connection with the tubular barrel because it is, sure of end bearings and all rocking movement thereof is prevented which would cause the bolt to bind and render its operation difiicult.

l/Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. In a bolt snap hook, a hook blank comprising an integral barrel in which the bolt works, having a longitudinal groove in its base extending from a point at or near the rear of the barrel to the hooked end thereof, and an elongated guide slot in the upper end of the barrel, substantially as described.

2. In a bolt snap hook, a hook blank comprising an integral barrel in which the bolt works, having a longitudinal groove in its base extending to the hooked end thereof, increasing in depth toward the hooked end, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of July, 1894..

JAMES C. COVERT.

Witnesses:

Gno. A. Mosnnn, FRANK O. CURTIS.