IMPROVEMENTS IN WHAT ARE COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'STRAP OR BELT FASTENERS' AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Marsden of Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHAT ARE
COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'STRAP OR BELT FASTENERS' AND IN APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH A communication to him from abroad by Philippe
"
Koch of Noves on the Rhine in the Empire of Germany
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Marsden at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th May 1882.
BENJAMIN MARSDEN of Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WHAT ARE COMMONLY KNOWN AS STRAP OR BELT FASTENERS
AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH [A communication to him from
abroad by Philippe Koch of Neuss on the Rhine in the Empire of Germany]
32
This invention relates to what are commonly known as "strap or belt fasteners,"
and consists in the use of two plates capable of being drawn together by means of
a screw or screws. The ends of the strap or belt to be united are placed between
the aforesaid plates between which they are held by the screw or screws before
named and to assist the binding action of the plates aforesaid upon the belt or
strap projecting teeth or ribs are formed upon the said plates. The aforesaid
plates are also formed curved or arched in the direction of the length of the strap
or belt so that the plate which is upon that side of the belt or strap which is in
contact with the surface of the drums or pulleys around which the belt or strap
passes when in motion; shall not come in contact therewith. To facilitate the
screwing and unscrewing of the screw or screws by which the aforesaid plates are
secured upon the belt or strap aforesaid an apparatus may be employed furnished
with a handle at one end, and having at the opposite end a part formed at right
angles to the said handle, which part is capable of being placed in suitable nicks
formed in the heads of the screw or screws before referred to.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Benjamin Marsden in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th November 1882.
"
BENJAMIN MARSDEN of Manchester in the County of Lancaster Engineer
IMPROVEMENTS IN WHAT ARE COMMONLY KNOWN AS "STRAP OR BELT FASTENERS
AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH being a communication to me from
abroad by Philippe Koch of Neuss-on-the Rhine in the Empire of Germany
This Invention relates to what are commonly known as "strap or belt fasteners "
and consists in the use of two plates capable of being drawn together by means of
a screw or screws, The ends of the strap or belt to be united are placed between
the aforesaid plates between which they are held by the screw or screws before
named and to assist the binding action of the plates aforesaid upon the belt or
strap, projecting teeth or ribs are formed upon the said plates-The aforesaid
plates are also formed curved or arched in the direction of the length of the strap
or belt so that the plate which is upon that side of the belt or strap which is in
contact with the surface of the drums or pulleys around which the belt or strap
passes when in motion; shall not come in contact therewith. To facilitate the
screwing and unscrewing of the screw or screws by which the aforesaid plates are
secured upon the belt or strap aforesaid an apparatus may be employed furnished
with a handle at one end and having at the opposite end a part formed at right
angles to the said handle which part is capable of being placed in suitable nicks
formed in the heads of the screw or screws before referred to.
In order that this invention may be better understood and more readily carried
into effect the same will be hereinafter more fully described and set forth
One form of the strap or belt fastener is illustrated in Figs 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawing Fig 1 being an end view in section on the line A. B of
Fig 2 and Fig 2 a plan thereof
At a. b. are two plates capable of being drawn together by means of screws c d e
the screwed parts of such screws being capable of being passed freely through
openings formed through the upper plate a and passing into screw threads formed
in the lower plate In order that the heads c¹¹e of the screws c. d. e. may
project as little as possible above the surface of the plate a the undersides of the
heads c¹ de' of the screws c d e are made conical and conical recesses or counter-
sinks are formed in the plate a to receive the same. The head of each screw is
provided with an ordinary nick or slit to receive the end of an ordinary screw
driver or a special form of screw-driver to be hereinafter described, in order to
obtain a longer portion of screw thread in the lower plate b for the screws c. d. e.
to pass into the said lower plate b is formed with projecting bosses f. f. f. at the
places where the screws c d e are inserted such projecting bosses f. f. f². showing
more clearly in the detached views Figs 3 and 4 In order that the lower plate b
may not come into contact with the surface of the pullies or drums over which it
will be carried by the belt or strap when in use the plates a bare formed curved
or arched in the direction of the length of the belt or strap such curved form also
assisting to retain the plates a. b upon the strap or belt to which they may be
attached The smaller the diameter of the drums or pullies over which the above
plates will have to pass the greater must be their degree of curvature-the length.
of each of the plates a b must be a little less than the width of the strap or belt
upon which they are affixed so that the said plates will not come into contact with
the flanges of the pulleys or with the strap or belt guides or forks against which
the edge of the strap upon which such plates may be applied may come in contact
when in motion. I have hitherto described the plates a. b. as being held together

page_text: by means of three screws but a greater or less number of screws may be employed
according to the width and strength of strap to which such plates are applied
The plates a. b. above described may be made of any suitable material either by
casting stamping or in any other convenient manner
The ends of the strap or belt to be united by the aboved described plates a. b.
are first bevelled so that they may be placed end to end at an angle as shewn in
the end view Fig. 5 notches g. h. i. j. k. l being also formed in the ends of the said
strap or belt as shown in Fig 6 which notches when placed in proximity to each
other form openings to receive the projecting bosses f.f'.f. formed upon the lower
plate b. When it is desired to unite the ends of the strap or belt such ends after
being bevelled and notched as above described are brought so that the said ends
abut against each other as shewn in Figs 5 and 6, the plate bis then placed below
the under surface of the ends of the strap and the upper plate a placed upon the
upper surface of the strap or belt the screws c d e are then passed through the
openings in the upper plate a and screwed into the screw threads formed in the
lower plate the plates are then drawn tightly upon the ends of the strap or belt
and to further assist the plates in retaining their hold upon the ends of the strap
or belt projections or teeth m n are formed upon the plates a. b. respectively such
teeth being formed upon the plates a. b. so as to project in directions parallel or
nearly so with those of the axes of the screws c d e by which the plates a bare
retained upon the belt or strap-The aforesaid teeth or spikes m n are also so
placed that the teeth or spikes m upon the upper plate a do not come opposite the
teeth or spikes n upon the lower plate 6 such relative position of the teeth or spikes
being shewn in the plan Fig 2 the small circles indicating the positions of the
teeth n upon the lower plate b and the crosses (X) the positions of the teeth m
upon the upper plate a. The teeth mn are made of such length that they shall
not pass completely through the thickness of the strap or belt but form indentations
only when pressed upon the strap or belt by the screws c. d. c.
In some cases instead of forming the plates ab with spikes or teeth it is proposed
to form them with projecting ribs, plates so formed being shown in Figs 7 and 8.
in which o is the upper plate and p the lower plate upon such plates o. p. are formed
projecting ribs qr respectively extending lengthwise of the plates o. p in a direction
at right angles to the direction of the length of the strap or belt upon which such
plates are affixed-The ribs qr are formed so as to project from the surfaces of the
plates op in a direction parallel or nearly so to the axes of the screws s t u by
which the plates o p are retained upon the strap or belt
In order to facilitate the screwing and unscrewing of the screws c. d. e. s t u the
following apparatus may be employed-In Fig 9 atv is shown a handle into which
is inserted a part w preferably formed of steel the end of which is flattened and
bent at right angles to the line of the handle v the edge of which part x is curved
(as shewn at y Fig 10 which is a view of the end of the apparatus shown in Fig 9)
so as to be capable of being passed into the nicks or grooves formed in the heads of
the screws previously described for securing the plates a, b, o, p, together the part
which passes into the nicks of such screws aforesaid being formed at right angles
to the line of the handle v makes such instrument better adapted for screwing or
unscrewing the screws of the strap or belt fasteners or plates above described than
an ordinary screw driver. The curved form of the end permits such part to pass
more readily into the nicks of the countersunk heads of the screws to which such
apparatus is applied
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of the said invention as
communicated to me from abroad and the manner in which the same is to be
performed I desire it to be understood that I claim
Firstly. When two plates secured together by means of screws are used for
connecting the ends of a strap or belt, forming such plates curved so that the plate
upon the inner surface of the said belt or strap will not come into contact with the
pullies around which such strap or belt passes when in motion substantially as
herein before described and shown

page_text: Secondly Forming the strap or belt fastener above described with projections
teeth or ribs, such projections, teeth or ribs being so disposed that the projections
teeth or ribs formed upon the plate placed upon the outer surface of the belt or
strap shall not be opposed to the projections teeth or ribs formed on the plate upon
the inner surface of the said strap or belt substantially in the manner hereinbefore
described and shown
Thirdly Forming bosses or enlarged parts upon the plate placed upon the inner
surface of the strap or belt for receiving the ends of the screws by which the plate
upon the outer surface of the said strap or belt is secured to the aforesaid inner
plate substantially as herein before described and shown
Fourthly The apparatus for screwing and unscrewing the screws of strap or belt
fasteners substantially as herein before described and shown in reference to
Figs 9. 10
In witness whereof I the said Benjamin Marsden have hereunto set my hand
and seal this seventeenth day of November in the year of Our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.