US718649A - Staple. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JAN. '20; A1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT l OFFICE.

TILLIAM H. MOREHOUSE, OF vVASCO, OREGON.

STAPLE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent 1\T o. '71 8,649, dated January 20, 1903.

Application filed January 8,1902. Serial No. 88,919. (No model.)

[o all wiz/0m, it' may con/cern:

Be it known that l, WILLIAM H. MORE- HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wasco, in the county of Sherman and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Staple, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to improvements in staples, and particularly to that class of which my former patented structure forms a part, said patent having` been granted April 30, 1901, and numbered 673,216.

The ordinary two-prong staple now in general use enters the post with two prongs parallel with the grain of the timber, often causing a crack or check at their points of entrance. As the timber is exposed to the elements, these cracks will often receive water, which rots the wood, and in time the adjacent portions will shrink away from the prongs, so that the staple becomes loose and will readily pullout.

The present staple is adapted especially for securing fence-wires to wooden posts and for fastening wooden slats or stays to wires between the posts. As shown, it has three prongs that take entirely dierent directions when driven into the timber, thereby preventing their coming loose. Further than this, the two outer prongs spread outwardly and force the wood between them against the central prong, preventing undue checking by the same, this central prong in like manner crowding the material against the outer prongs, thereby preventing the wood being split bythem. For the above reason, therefore, it is especially adapted for securing small slats or stays to line-wires.

In the former patented structure a pair of holding-prongs are p-rovided which spread away from each other when driven into a post or other support, and the material between these holding-prongs is forced against them by means of a pair of outwardly-spreading wedging-prongs that are spaced from the same. This structure is very tenacious in its engagement, but is rather expensive to manufacture because of the comparatively great waste of metal from which the blanks are cut. This invention, therefore, is designed as an improvement on said structure in that it is much cheaper to make and at the same time has'all the advantages thereof.

The invention will be readily understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, taken in connection with the following specification. The construction as set forth may, however, be slightly changed, provided such changes are within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved staple. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a post, illustrating the condition of the staple when driven into the same. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional View of the staple. Fig. 5 is a plan View of a blank strip, showing the method of cutting the same.

Similar characters of reference designate4 corresponding drawings.

The staple, as shown, comprises a curved base v10, which thereby forms in its inner face a wire-receiving seat 1l. From one edge of this base projects a pair of spaced, preferably parallel, holding-prongs 12, the free ends of which are tapered on their inner or adjacent faces to form the points V13.` From the opposite edgeY of the base 10 projects a wedging-prong 14, said prong being located in a plane intermediate the holding-prongs and being spaced from and preferably parallel to the same. This wedging-prong 14 is preferably of substantially the same width as the distance between the two holding-prongs, the purpose of which will hereinafter more fully appear, and its free end is beveled, as shown at 15, on'opposite sides to form a cenparts in all the ligures of the Vtral point or cutting edge 16.

By referring to Fig. 3 the operation of the staple will be apparent. When it is driven into the wood, the two holding-prongs will spread outwardly from each other because of the inner beveled faces 13, while the wedging-prong 16 will maintain its central relation. At the same time this wedgingprong is close enough to the holding-prong so that the wood displaced by it will be forced outwardly on opposite sides and against the inner faces of the holding-prongs, thus clamping said holding-prongsA securely in place and holding the material snugly against the same.

IOO

These staples will be cut from strips or sheets of metal of the desired thickness, so that the blanks will be perfectly fiat, being afterward bent to the Iinished form, as above described. The manner of cutting these blanks will be evident by reference to Fig. 5, wherein a strip A is illustrated, each blank being designated as a whole by B. It will be observed that substantially parallel longitudinal cuts C are made, said cuts being joined together at one end, as D, while their opposite ends E extend to the side edges of the strip. The reason for having the width of the wedging-prong 14 substantially equal to the distance between the holding-prongs 12 will now be seen. In cutting the blanks the material that is cut from between said holding-prongs of one blank will constitute the wedging prong of the succeeding blank. Therefore no metal is lost in manufacturing the articles, and as the cuts are very simple said blanks may be made rapidly and afterward can be easily bent to proper form.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

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

l. Astaple comprising abase, spaced holding-prongs projecting from the base and having the inner faces of their free ends beveled, and a wedging-prong also projecting from the base and disposed in a plane intermediate the holding-prongs, said wedging-prong being spaced from the holding-prong to form therebetween a wire-receiving seat and having the opposite side faces of its free end beveled.

2. A staple comprising a curved base forming a wire-receiving seat, spaced holdingprongs projecting from one edge of the base and having l[he inner faces of their free ends beveled, and the wedging-prong projecting from the opposite edge of the base and disposed in a plane intermediate the holdingprongs, said wedging -prong being spaced from the holding-prongs and having the opposite side faces of its free end beveled.

3. A staple compris'inga base having a wirereceiving seat, spaced holding-prongs projecting from the base on one side of the seat, and a wedging-prong also projecting from the base on the side of the wire-receiving seat opposite the holding-prongs and disposed in a plane intermediate the holding-prongs, the width of said wedging-prong being substantially equal to the distance between the holding-prongs.

4. A staple made up of a base and three prongs all extending in the same general direction, two of the prongs being arranged at one side of the base and spaced from each other, and the third prong being located at the opposite side of the base and arranged on aline between the said spaced prongs, the shape and dimensions of the third or intermediate prong being equal to the interval between the two spaced prongs, for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. MORE HOUSE.

itnessesz H. TAYLOR, W. M. BARNETT.

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