IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURE OF ENDLESS LEATHER BANDS, STRAPS, OR BELTS, FOR DRIVING MACHINERY, AND IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George White, of 34, Dowgate Hill, Cannon Street,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MANUFACTURE OF ENDLESS LEATHER BANDS, STRAPS, OR BELTS, FOR DRIVING
MACHINERY, AND IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME."-A communica-
tion from abroad by Mr. Eugène Scellos, of Rue Popincourt, Paris.
Sealed the 4th May 1860, and dated the 9th November 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George White at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th November 1859.
I, GEORGE WHITE, of 34, Dowgate Hill, Cannon Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ENDLESS LEATHER BANDS, STRAPS, OR BELTS, FOR DRIVING
MACHINERY AND IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME," that it has been com-
municated to me from abroad by Mr. Eugène Scellos, of Rue Popincourt,
Paris, to be as follows:-
These improvements consist in uniting the ends of the bands or straps by
means of suitable metal screws, which are driven into each of two overlapping
ends to be connected by means of a machine consisting of a hollow vertical
arbor, turning by means of any suitable prime mover in proper stays, in the

page_text: lower end of which arbor is formed a pair of pincers or nippers, acted on by a
vertical rod gliding in the hollow arbor, which rod may be pushed down by
means of a lever arm, connected in such manner to another lever arm, by
which the arbor may be pushed down that the pincers may either hold
firmly or leave free a screw introduced by the workman between them, and so
as to allow of inserting this screw in the leather situated underneath the lower
end of the harbor on a table, a knife working horizontally serving to cut off
the end of the screw.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George White in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WHITE, of 34, Dowgate Hill, Cannon Street, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George White, Her special licence that I, the said George
White, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said George White, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ENDLESS LEATHER BANDS, STRAPS, OR
BELTS FOR DRIVING MACHINERY AND IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME,"
a communication from abroad by Mr. Eugene Scellos, of Rue Popincourt,
Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George White, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George White, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The mode hitherto in use of connecting by means of strips or thongs of
leather the ends or parts of leather bands, straps, or belts, for driving
machinery, gives rise to frequent ruptures at these parts, and to various other
inconveniences, in consequence of which several other methods of connecting
have been tried, such, for instance, as gluing the said ends or parts together,
or uniting them by hooks or clasps, but till now none of these modes answered
well in practice. The present Invention consists in connecting the ends or
other parts of leather mill bands, straps, or belts, by means of screws of iron,
brass, or any other suitable metal, passing through and through the over-
lapping ends or parts of the said bands, belts, or straps, and by this method
two or more leather belts or straps may be connected together either in their
full length and breadth or in parts thereof, and thus double, triple, or other
belts, formed either in their entire length and breadth or in part only thereof.
This method of connecting the ends or parts of mill banding affords great
strength and solidity, and the same is applicable to straps or belts of any
length, breadth, or thickness, and may be performed by hand, or by means of
any suitable machinery, for which I prefer, however, employing the apparatus
represented in front and in side elevation views respectively in the Figs. 1
and 2 of the annexed Drawings, the Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 showing separate
parts thereof on a larger scale than that of the Figs. 1 and 2, while the
Figs. 8, 9, and 10 show various views of two ends or parts of a leather strap
or mill band to be connected together, Fig. 11 showing a guide or pattern
plate to be made use of for this purpose. In these Figures various parts are
shown partly cut off, others partly in elevation and partly in sectional view, in
order to make the apparatus more easely to be understood, and in all the
Figures corresponding parts are indicated by the same letters of reference.
The apparatus consists of a strong frame formed by four or more standards A
connected by cross bars A¹, and solidly fixed to the floor. At the top of the
frame are situated two inclined planes A and A³, connected by a straight or
level part or table A', two rollers As, turning in bearings A, fixed to the frame
towards the lower end of each of the inclines. A2, A3, serve for the straps or
bands to glide over, the ends B and B' of which latter are to be connected,
and which parts are made to overlap each other for the required length, and
are laid in that position on a small block C of iron, steel, or other suitable.

page_text: hard material. The principal working parts for inserting the connecting screws
in the leather, and for cutting off their protruding ends, are situated above
the table A, and on this latter is fixed a strong cast-iron frame F, with three
projecting arms or brackets F1, F2, F3; in the ends of those F2 and F3 glides a
vertical tube D, while in the end of F¹ revolves a vertical shaft F, the lower
end of which turns in a step in one of the cross bars A¹; the shaft F is pro-
vided with a pulley F5 receiving motion from any suitable prime mover, and
transmitting the same by means of the pulley Fe and strap F7, to a pulley F
fixed to the tube D, for imparting a rapid revolving motion thereto. This
tube D is shown partly in elevation view in Figo 3, and in section in Figo 4,
the lower end thereof has a tapered or conical shape, in which tapered end is
formed a slot for two levers a to work in, each lever turning on a pin b
inserted in the sides of the said slot of the tube D, the upper ends a¹ of these
levers a are pressed towards each other by the effect of two springs a³ inserted
with one end in a small block a³, while the other end enters into a slit a in
the curved upper part a', and thus keep the levers in the position shown in
Fig 4, so as to allow of introducing the end of a screw a³ (Fig. 3), between
the lower ends as of these levers a, where the said screw comes to lay in a
small longitudinal depression in the inner surface of these ends aº. A rod D¹,
the upper end of which is rounded off, while the lower end D³ has a conical
shape, may glide up and down in the tube D, so as either to cause this part D
to enter between the upper arms a¹ of the levers a as shown in Fig. 3, or to
be withdrawn from between them as shown in Fig. 4. In the first case, the
upper arms a¹ being separated from each other, and the lower arms aº on the
contrary drawn towards each other so as firmly to take hold of the end
of the screw a introduced between these arms a%; when the rod D' is
lifted up sufficiently for withdrawing the conical end D2 from between the
arms a¹, these latter are again driven towards each other by the action of the
springs a², while the opposite arms a are caused to recede, and no further
keep hold of the screw a³. The rod D¹ is provided with a shoulder D* gliding
smoothly in the tube D³, which latter forms an enlarged continuation of the
tube D, and a spiral spring De encircling the rod D¹, after having been
compressed as shown in Fig. 3, will, on being liberated from this pressure,
assume the position shown in Fig. 4, and thereby lift the rod D¹. A rapid
rotary motion is transmitted to the tube D, Do, by means of its pulley F", while
by means of a spiral spring Ds wound round the part D of this tube D, D³,
between a shoulder D' and the pulley F", this tube D, D³, will be lifted up
again after the same, and the spring D' would have been pressed down, in-

page_text: stead of by the spiral spring D³, the same result might be obtained by the action
of an ordinary spring, a counterweight, or other suitable means. The lower
or tapering end of the tube D, D³ may enter partly into a hole g in the pro-
jecting head G, which latter forms the end of a forked lever G¹, G, represented
separately and in part in Fig. 7, the two legs G and G of which are con-
nected together at one end by the solid bead piece G, while the opposite ends
turn round a bolt g¹ in a rest g³ fixed to the frame A. A rod G* connects
the lever G', G³, to a treadle G³, by turning with the arms 93 of its forked
upper end round two pivots g³ fixed in the arms G¹ and G3, the lower end of
this rod G* jointed to the treadle Go, by turning round a pin g' in a bracket g
fixed to this treadle, which latter is constantly lifted by the effect of a counter-
weight Go and string G7, passing over a pulley Gs, or by any other suitable
means while the lever G¹, G³, is obliged to follow the up and down motion
of the treadle. The leg G¹ is provided with a small bracket H, in which the
end Hof a lever H1, H2, turns round a bolt h, and the same is kept in
close contact with the lower surface of the legs G¹, G³, by means of suitable
guide pieces fixed thereto; the lever H', H2, is provided with a handle H',
and serves for carrying forward and backward a bevil edged knife 1, which is
allowed to glide in the open space o left between three other similar knives
I, I, I³, screwed to the under side of the head-piece G, the size of the
opening o being calculated for allowing sufficient space for a screw a³ to enter
therein; the knife I forms part of a slide, the binder end I of which is turned
up, and in which works the tapped head I' of a rod I, passing through a
socket I screwed to the lever H1, H2; the further end of this rod Iº passes
through a boss 18 screwed between the two legs of the lever G', G³, while the
contracting of a spiral spring 1° aids in carrying the rod I backwards after
the same has been pushed forward by the lever H¹, H. The two feathered
sides i of the knife I glide in two corresponding rebates in the lower surface of
the head-piece G, thus ensuring the proper working of this knife I, and guide
the same into the opening o left between the knives I, I, 18, and so as to
allow of carrying the cutting or bevilled edge of this knife I nearly in close
contact with the cutting edge of the opposite knife I³, but without actually
touching this latter, by means of which the part of the screw a projecting
above a guide plate R laid on the leather will be severed from the part.
inserted in the leather, and in this plate R.; other forms and arrangements
of knives might lead to the same result, but the arrangement described answers
well; the stroke of the knife I is regulated by means of the tapped rod 1°.
It may be observed from the above described arrangement, that in order to

page_text: cause a screw a³ to be inserted into two or more overlapping thicknesses of
leather laid on the block C underneath the end of the tube D the workman
after having introduced a screw a between the lower ends a of the levers a
(as shown in Fig. 3), must be provided with a ready means for inserting the
conical end D2, of the rod D₁ between the upper ends a² of the levers a, in
order to cause the opposite ends a firmly to hold the screw a' till the end D
of the rod D¹ is again withdrawn from between the ends a¹ of the levers a, and
at the same time there must be a means for, while the screw a is thus firmly
held between the said ends a, lowering the revolving tube D, D³ and the
rod D¹ so as to cause the screw a to pass through the opening o, and be
screwed into the leather underneath by the revolving motion of the tube D, D,
after which the projecting end of the screw a³ must be cut off by the knives
I, 1, 1, 1. In order to allow the workman of performing these operations
at the required moments, the machine is provided with an arrangement shown
in top view in Fig. 5, while Fig. 6 is a similar view of a separate part thereof.
The same consists of a lever L, turning at one of its ends L³ round a bolt
fixed in a standard M, the lower end of which latter turns round a bolt m in
a projecting part M' fixed to the bracket F; towards the end L³, this lever
L forms a ring L', while in the forked end of L, a lever N provided with a
handle N turns round a bolt n, the other end Na of which lever N, turns
round a bolt n¹ in the forked end of a coupling rod N³, connecting the lever N
with the projecting arm q' of a slide Q, gliding by means of its feathered sides
into a corresponding notch or furrow in a circular plate P; the slide Qis
provided with a hole or depression q, for the rounded top of the rod D' to
enter into when the slide is brought in the position shown in Fig. 5, while
in the position shown in Fig. 6, the surface of the slide Q presses against
the said end, and a rocking motion may be given to the plate P, the same
being suspended and turning between two set screws p in in the ring L', and
thus allow this plate to assume a more or less inclined position by the action of
the lever N, the shoulder or flanch D° at the top of the tube D, D, enters.into
a corresponding mortice or depression in the lower surface of the plate P; it
will be evident from this arrangement, that by lifting the lever N, the ring L';
and with it the plate P, may either be lifted up from the flanch D°, or press
on this flanch, and thus carry the tube D, D³, downward, while at the same
time, by carrying the lever N in the direction shown in Fig. 1. by the arrow,
and the line X, the slide Q will be moved forward, so as to assume the
position shown in Fig. 6, while, when this lever N is carried back to the
position of Fig. 1, the said slide Q will be in the position shown in Fig. 5,

page_text: that is to say, in the first case the slide Q will press on the top of the rod D',
while in the second, the rounded top of this rod will have entered into the
hole of the slide Q, and consequently no further pressure exerted on this
rod D' by the slide Q.
9
Having thus described the general arrangement of the machine, I now will
give an account of its mode of working:-Rotary motion being transmitted
from any suitable prime mover by means of the pulleys F, F, F, to the tube
D, D³, the workman causes the parts of the leather bands or straps which are
to be connected together to overlap, as shown in Fig. 9; and in order to guide
him in inserting the connecting screws in the leather, a guide or pattern
plate R (Fig. 11) of iron or other suitable hard resisting metal, provided
with the required guide holes r, is laid over the overlapping parts of the leather
bands, the entire being held together provisionally by means of one or more
pincers S, in the manner as shown in the Figs. 8, 9, and 10, in which Figures are
respectively shown a top and side view, and a sectional view over the line y,<,
of Fig. 8, of two ends B and B', of a leather band or strap, to be connected
together according to this method, the guide plate R being placed on the top
of the two overlapping ends, so as to serve for indicating to the workman the
exact spots where the screws are to be inserted, the said screws being caused
to pass through the holes r of the guide plate R, which latter is to be removed
after all the screws, or a sufficient number of them, have been inserted in the
leather, after which, those small projecting ends of the screws as were hiden in
the holes of the plate R may be filed or ground off. The leather ends to be con-
nected together with the guide plate R are laid on the block C, and one of the
holes of the plate R is brought exactly underneath the opening o of the lever
head G of the lever G1, G2, after which, the workman with one of his feet lowers
the treadle G, by which the head G will be lowered on the leather ends B, B',
and the guide plate R, so as to keep these parts firmly pressed between the lever
head G and the block or anvil plate C; the workman now with his right hand,
and by means of the handle N, lifts the plate P, and places the slide Q in such
position that the top of the rod D₁ enters into the hole q; he then, with his
left hand, puts a screw a³ between the lower ends a of the levers a, after
which, pushing the slide Q forward by means of the lever N, he thereby
drives the top of the rod D¹ out of the hole g, and in in this position drawing
the lever N downward, he simultaneously presses with the slide Q on the top of
the rod D', and with the plate P on that of the tube D, D³, and thereby
pushing the lower end of D¹ between the upper ends a¹ of the levers a, forces
the lower ends aº of these levers firmly to hold the screw a³, while, by the

page_text: pressure of the plate P on the top of the tube D, D³, this tube, and with it
the levers a, and the screw a are lowered; the screw a passes through the
hole o and the hole r of the plate R situated underneath, and by the revolving
motion of the tube D, D³, and the continued pressure on this latter, the screw
a is driven in the leather, and caused to pass through and through, when
the workman feeling the same to abut against the block c, he instantly lifts
the plate P, and brings the hole q of the slide Q above the top of the rod D',
which end will be pushed into the hole q by the extending of the spring Do,
while, by means of the springs a², the lower ends a of the levers a are opened,
and thus become ready for receiving another screw a while the tube D, D³,
rises by the extending of the spring DB; the screw as having thus been inserted
in the leather, its upper end projecting above the surface of the plate R, and
through the opening o, the workman with his right hand seizes the handle H?
of the knife lever H1, H2, and drawing the knife I towards him till the cutting
edge of this knife nearly touches that of the opposite knife I2, he thereby severes
the projecting part of the screw from the part inserted in the leather and in
the guide plate R, after which, allowing the treadle G³ to rise by means of its
counterweight Go, the head G of the lever G1, G2, is lifted up, thus allowing
the workman to carry another hole r of the guide plate R underneath the
opening of the lever head G, and then begins again the same series of
operations.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to any particular form, shape, size, or arrangement of screws for con-
necting together the ends or parts of leather mill bands, straps, or belts, or for
superposing two or more of such bands, either in their entire lengths and
breadths, or in parts thereof, so as to form double, treble, or other straps;
neither to the metal of which the said connecting screws may be manufactured,
provided they have sufficient strength to hold the leather parts together, nor
to the quantity of the screws or the distance apart at which the same are to be
inserted in the leather; nor do I restrict myself to any particular mode or
manner of, or to any particular arrangement for inserting the said screws into
the said leather bands or straps; but what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is,--
1ly, connecting together the ends or other parts of leather straps, bands, or
belts for driving machinery, or fixing together two or more of such leather

page_text: bands, straps, or belts, either in their entire length or breadth, or in part
thereof, by means of screws made of any suitable metal, and of any suitable
size, form, or shape, the said screws being inserted in the leather either by
hand, or by any suitable machinery.
2ly, the general arrangement and combination of parts of the above
described machine for inserting the above-mentioned metal screws into the
parts to be connected together of leather bands, straps, or belts for driving
machinery.
In witness wherof, I, the said George White, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eight day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
W. SATCHELL.
GEO. WHITE. (L.S.)