Improvements in Thill Couplings.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1895
Complete Sonnifination Loft 7th June 1895-Accepted. 13th July. 1895
Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Loft, 7th June, 1895-Accepted, 13th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Thill Couplings.
I, FRED EUGENE Boss, residing at No. 258 West 133rd Street, in the City of
New York, and State of New York, United States of America, Salesman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
In thill couplings, as ordinarily constructed, there occurs a looseness from wear
which cannot readily be taken up owing to the absence of devices capable of
tightening up the parts. Complicated spring and lever devices capable of taking
up this looseness have been employed, but these have departed from the well
known form. Screws have been used in connection with nuts and a plate to set up
the thill coupling, but in these cases the screw was capable of detachment from the
clip, and in the operation of said screw it was very liable to be set up until it became
detached and fell out.
In carrying out my invention, I employ, in connection with the well known form
of thill coupling, a screw stem rigidly connected at its back end to the clip and
projecting from the plate portion of the clip forward between the perforated lugs;
a rotatable nut upon the screw stem and a rubber block between the perforated lugs,
and which block is compressed by the nut against the edge of the thill iron to prevent
looseness in the connecting bolt and overcome unpleasant noise.
I find it advantageous to employ a presser plate between the rubber block and
the rotatable nut, and to form in the opposite faces of said parts coinciding projections
and recesses to produce a locking effect, and I prefer to make a hole in the rubber
block to set over the point of the screw stem.
I, FRED EUGENE Boss, residing at No. 258 West 133rd Street in the City of
New York and State of New York, United States of America, Salesman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:―
In thill couplings as ordinarily constructed there occurs a looseness from wear
which cannot readily be taken up owing to the absence of devices capable of
tightening up the parts. Complicated spring and lever devices capable of taking up
this looseness have been employed, but these have departed from the well known
form. Screws have been used in connection with nuts and a plate to set up the thill
coupling, but in these, cases the screw was capable of detachment from the clip, and

page_text: in the operation of said screw it was very liable to be set up until it became detached
and fell out.
In carrying out my invention I employ in connection with the well known form of
thill coupling a screw stem rigidly connected at its back end to the clip and projecting
from the plate portion of the clip forward between the perforated lugs; a rotatable
nut upon the screw stem and a rubber block between the perforated lugs, and which
block is compressed by the nut against the edge of the thill iron to prevent looseness
in the connecting bolt and overcome unpleasant noise.
I prefer to employ a presser plate between the rubber block and the rotatable
nut, and to form in the opposite faces of said parts coinciding projections and processes
to produce a locking effect, and. I, prefer to make a hole in the rubber block to set
over the point of the screw stem.
In the drawing,
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section at the line x, 2, of Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan at the line y, y, of Fig. 1, and
Figs. 3 and 4 represent the respective opposing faces of the rotatable disk and
presser plate.
The metal portion of the fore axle is shown at a and of the wooden surface
portion at a', and the clip is composed of the plate portion b, perforated lugs cc',
strap d, and the rubber block e fits between the lugs c c. A portion of the shaft or
pole is represented at f and the thill iron is connected thereto and has an eye ¹
through which and the perforated lugs cc the bolt i passes in securing the parts
together. As the parts heretofore enuinerated are of usual construction they do not
require further description.
C
The screw stem k is secured at its' back end to the plate portion and projects
therefrom between the lugs c c. I have shown and prefer to place the screw stem
centrally between the lugs. Upon the screw stem k is a rotatable nut 7 and
between the nut and the rubber block e is a presser platem. This presser plate m
has a central opening by which the said plate is passed over said stem, and I
prefer to make a recess or opening in the' rubber block to pass the same upon the
stem in connecting the parts together the rubber block being thus temporarily held
in place.
'The nut 1, I prefer to make with radial peripheral holes by which the disk is
turned by a rod, and I prefer, and have so shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, to make
projections 2 upon the face of the nut and recesses in the opposing face of the
plate m that coincide therewith.
The presser plate m fits in between the lugs ce and bears against the back face of
the rubber block e, and consequently cannot turn, and when the projections 2 of the
nut are in the recesses 3 of the plate m, the plate maintains the nut in position
and prevents it turning.
To insert the bolti in place and secure the shaft or pole to the clip, it is necessary
to screw the nut / back upon the stem k to the face of the plate portion 6 and push
back the plate m and rubber block e upon said stem, then after the shaft or pole is
connected to the clip the nut is rotated to press the plate m and rubber block e
forward and tighten the parts so that there is no slack that will allow movement
and noise.
The presser, plate. and nut may be without projections and recesses and the
presser plate might be dispensed with and the. nut with projections engage the
rubber block direct and still accomplish. the purpose intended but not perhaps so
effectively.
My improvements are adapted to be added to thill couplings already in use or
on sale.
Having now particularly described, and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and, in what manner. the same, is to be, performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
First. The combination with the clip in a thill coupling, of a screw rigidly

page_text: connected at its back end to the clip and projecting forward between the lugs, a nut
upon such screw, and a rubber block which is compressed by the nut against the
eye of the thill iron, substantially as specified.
Second. The combination with the clip in a thill coupling, of a screw rigidly
connected at its back end to the clip and projecting forward between the lugs, a
nut upon such screw, a rubber block which is compressed by the nut against the eye
of the thill iron and a plate between the rubber block and the nut, substantially as
specified.
Third. The combination with the clip in a thill coupling, of a screw rigidly
connected at its back end to the clip and projecting forward between the lugs, a
nut upon such screw, a rubber block having a hole to set over the point of the screw,.
a plate between the rubber block and the nut and filling the space between the lugs
of the clip, there being interlocking recesses and projections on the respective.
surfaces of the nut and plate, substantially as specified.
1002
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 5ª Market Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.