IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR CONNECTING PICTURES TO PICTURE LINES OR CORDS, AND NECTING OTHER ARTICLES TO LINES, CORDS, OR WIRES, AND FOR JOINING LINES. CORDS, AND WIRES FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Hookham, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS
FOR CONNECTING PICTURES TO PICTURE LINES OR CORDS, AND
NECTING OTHER ARTICLES TO LINES, CORDS, OR WIRES, AND FOR JOINING
LINES. CORDS, AND WIRES FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES."
FOR CON-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hookham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd November 1878.
:
GEORGE HOOKHAM, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR CONNECTING PICTURES TO PICTURE LINES
OR CORDS, AND FOR CONNECTING OTHER ARTICLES TO LINES, CORDS, OR WIRES,
AND FOR JOINING LINES, CORDS, AND WIRES FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES."
My Invention consists of the improvements in fastenings herein-after described,
which improvements are especially adapted to be used in conjunction with the
picture and other line or cord for which Letters Patent were granted to ine, bearing
date the 24th day of March 1876, No. 1271. My improvements are, however,
applicable to the connecting of articles to other lines and cords and wires, and for
joining lines, cords, and wires for various purposes.
I will describe my improvements in connection with the hanging of a picture by
my patented picture line or cord herein-before referred to.
In making a fastening according to my Invention I take a strip of copper or
other strong sheet metal or alloy, and bend or double it upon itself at its middle,
the bending being effected around a cylindrical rod or otherwise, so as to leave the
bend of a tubular figure. The arms or parts doubled on one another are in contact.
Two holes at a short distance apart are made through the doubled arms.
In using the fastening the arms are sufficiently separated to permit the ring of
the picture frame to be introduced into the tubular end of the fastening. The arms
are then closed upon one another, and the end of the cord is passed a short distance

page_text: first through the hole in the arms most distant from the bend. The end of the cord
is then bent or turned and passed through the other hole in the arms of the fasten-
ing, a length of about an inch of the cord protruding through the last-named hole.
The connection of the cord to the fastening is now complete, no amount of strain-
which the cord and fastening will bear sufficing to draw the cord from the holes in
the fastening. Both rings of the picture frame are or may be connected to the
_suspending.cord by a fastening of the kind described.
Where a very light fastening is required, one of the arms described may be
-dispensed-with, the fastening in that case consisting of a strip of metal with a
tubular termination or hook at one end and two holes in the unbent part of the
strip. This modification of my Invention may be made capable of carrying a great
weight when it is made of strong sheet metal.
Where a very strong fastening is required I make it in two parts in the following
manner: One of the parts consists of the folded strip of metal herein-before
described, in which a slot or elongated opening is made instead of two holes. The
other point, which I will call the angular part, consists of a plate having two holes
in it, one sufficiently large for the cord or line to pass through, and the other hole
large enough for the arm of the first-named piece to pass through. The part of the
plate containing one of the holes is bent at right angles to the part containing the
other hole.
In using this fastening the arm of the folded strip, to the tube of which the ring
of the picture frame has been connected, is passed through the large hole in the
angular part. The cord or line is passed first through the small hole in the angular
part, and then through the slot in the other part. When tension is applied to the
cord or line the folded part is drawn into a position approaching parallelism to the
cord or line, in which position the cord or line is gripped tightly between the
angular part and the end of the slot of the folded part.
Either of the modifications described may be employed for joining lines, cords,
and wires, but the fastening may for these purposes be simplified by making it of a
strip of sheet metal having a slot near each end.
One of the angular pieces described is passed by its larger hole on to the end of
the strip, and the end of the line, cord, or wire is passed first through the small
hole in the angular piece, and then through the slot in the end of the strip. The
line, cord, or wire is attached in a similar way to the other end of the strip.
By relaxing the tension on the line, cord, or wire the unfastening or the adjust-
ment of the length of the cord, line, or wire can be readily effected in any of the
modifications of my Invention.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Hookham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th April
1879.
GEORGE HOOKHAM, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR CONNECTING PICTURES TO PICTURE LINES
OR CORDS, AND FOR CONNECTING OTHER ARTICLES TO LINES, CORDS, OR WIRES,
AND FOR JOINING LINES, CORDS, AND WIRES FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES."
My Invention consists of the improvements in fastenings herein-after described,
which improvements are specially adapted to be used in conjunction with the
picture and other line or cord for which Letters Patent were granted to me, bearing
date the 24th day of March 1876, No. 1271. My improvements are, however,
applicable to the connecting of articles to other. lines and cords and wires, and for
joining lines, cords, and wires for various purposes.
I will describe my improvements in connection with the hanging of a picture by
my patented picture line or cord herein-before referred to.
In making a fastening according to my Invention I take a strip of copper or
other strong steel metal or alloy, and bend or double it upon itself at its middle, the
bending being effected around a cylindrical rod, or otherwise, so as to leave the bend
of a tubular figure. The arms or parts doubled on one another are in contact. Two
holes at a short distance apart are made through the doubled arms.
In using the fastening the arms are sufficiently separated to permit the ring of
the picture frame to be introduced into the tubular end of the fastening. The arms
are then closed one upon another and the end of the cord is passed a short distance
first through the holes in the arms most distant from the bend. The end of the
cord is then bent or turned and passed through the other hole in the arms of the
fastening, a length of about an inch of the cord protruding through the last-named
hole.
The connection of the cord to the fastening is now complete, no amount of strain
which the cord and fastening will bear sufficing to draw the cord from the holes in
the fastening. Both rings of the picture frame are or may be connected to the
suspending cord by a fastening of the kind described.
Where a very light fastening is required one of the arms described may be dis-
pensed with, the fastening in that case consisting of a strip of metal with a tubular
termination or hook at one end and two holes in the unbent part of the strip. This
modification of my Invention may be made capable of carrying a great weight when
it is made of strong sheet metal.
Where a very strong fastening is required, I make it in two parts in the following
manner: One of the parts consists of the folded strip of metal herein-before
described, in which a slot or elongated opening is made instead of two holes. The
other part, which I will call the angular part, consists of a plate having two holes.
in it, one sufficiently large for the cord or line to pass through, and the other hole
large enough for the arms of the first-named piece to pass through. The part of
the plate containing one of the holes is bent at right angles to the part containing
the other hole.
In using this fastening, the arms of the folded strip to the tube of which the ring
of the picture frame has been connected, are passed through the large hole in the
angular part. The cord or line is passed through the large hole in the angular
part. The cord or line is passed through the small hole in the angular part,
and then through the slot in the other part. When tension is applied to the
cord or line the folded part is drawn into a position approaching parallelism to the
cord or line, in which position the cord or line is gripped tightly between the
angular part and the end of the slot of the folded part.
Either of the modifications described may be employed for joining lines, cords,
and wires, but the fastening may for these purposes be simplified by making it of
a strip of sheet metal having a slot near each end. One of the angular pieces

page_text: described is passed by its larger hole on to the end of the strip, and the end of the
line, cord, or wire is passed first through the small hole in the angular piece and
then through the slot in the end of the strip. The line, cord, or wire is attached
in a similar way to the other end of the strip.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the
manner in which my-Invention-is-to-be performed.
In making a fastening of the kind herein first described I cut out by means of a
press and press tools a strip or blank of copper or other strong metal or alloy
having the shape represented in Figure 1. I take the said blank, Figure 1, and
bend or double it upon itself at its middle, the bend being effected around a
cylindrical rod or otherwise, so as to leave the bend of a tubular figure. The
arms or parts doubled on one another are in contact. Two holes at a short distance
apart are afterwards made through the doubled arms.
Figure 2 represents. elevations, taken at right angles to one another, of the
fastening made by bending or doubling the strip or blank, Figure 1, as described:
a, a, are the arms or doubled parts of the fastening, and b the tubular end; c, d, are
the holes in the arms a, a, for the metallic line or cord to pass through, the said
The arms a, a, of the
holes being by preference punched in the doubled arms.
fastening when in use are closed upon one another, as illustrated in Figure 3, and
in the perspective view, Figure 4.
In using the fastening, Figures 3 and 4, the arms a, a, are sufficiently separated,
as seen in Figure 2, to permit the ring e of the picture frame to be suspended, being
introduced into the tubular end b of the fastening. The said arms a, a, are then
closed upon one another, as seen in Figures 3 and 4, and the end of the metallic
line or cord is passed a short distance through the hole d in the closed arms most
distant from the bend b. The end of the line or cord f is then bent or turned back
and passed through the other hole c in the arms of the fastening, as represented in
Figure 4, a length of about an inch of the cord protruding through the last-named
hole. The connection of the picture line or cord f to the fastening is now complete,
no amount of strain which the line or cord and fastening will bear sufficing to draw
the line or cord from the holes c, d, in the fastening. Both rings of the picture
frame are or may be connected to the suspending line or cord f by a fastening of
the kind described and represented.
.
One of the arms a of the fastening may be dispensed with where a very light
fastening is required. In this case the fastening consists of a single strip of metal
with a tubular termination or hook of the kind marked b at one end, and two holes
c, d, in the unbent part of the strip. This modification of my Invention may be
made capable of carrying a great weight, when it is made of strong sheet metal.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 represent a fastening constructed according to my Invention,
composed of two parts; this modification being useful where a strong fastening is
required. The two parts of the fastening are represented detached in Figures 6
and 7, and connected together for use in conjunction with a metallic line or cord in
Figure 5. The part of the fastening represented in Figure 6 is constructed as
_herein-before described, and represented in Figures 3 and 4, excepting that its arms
a, a, are provided with a single slot or elongated opening h, and the other part of
the fastening represented in Figure 7, and marked k, l, consists of a strip bent into
an angular figure, the bent parts being situated at right angles to one another.
the said angular part of the fastening two holes 2, 12, are made, the small hole k
being sufficiently large for the cord or line f to pass through, and the other hole [2
being large enough for the closed arms a, a, of the part, Figure 6, of the fastening
to pass through,
In
In using this fastening the closed arms a, a, of the part, Figure 6, to the tube or
eye b, of which the ring e of the picture frame has been connected, are passed
through the large hole in the angular part, Figure 7, as illustrated in Figure 5.
The line or cord f is now passed first through the small hole in the angular part,
and then through the slot h in the other part a of the fastening. When tension is
applied to the line or cord f the folded part a is drawn into a position approaching

page_text: parallelism to the line or cord, as illustrated in Figure 5, in which position the line
or cord is gripped tightly between the angular part k, l, and the end of the slot h
of the folded part a.
By relaxing the tension on the line or cord the unfastening or the adjustment of
the length of the line or cord can be readily effected in either of the arrangements
described.
Figure 8 represents the arrangement of parts which I prefer to use for joining
lines, cords, or wires, but either of the fastenings already described may be used for
joining lines, cords, or wires. Figure 9 represents a part of Figure 8. In the said
Figure 8, n, p, represent the ends of the two pieces of line, cord, or wire to be
joined together by the fastening; 7 represents the strip of metal (shown separately
in Figure 9) which I use in conjunction with two of the angular parts k, l, of the
fastening last described, the said strip q having slots at its ends marked respectively
1*, 8. After the two angular parts k, l, k, l, have been passed on to the ends of the
strip q by their larger holes 1, 2, the ends of the lines n, p, to be joined are passed
through the small holes k, l, in the said angular parts, and also through the slotted
ends r, s, of the strip q, as represented in Figure 8. When tension is put on the
lines or cords n, p, their ends are gripped between the angular parts k, l, k, l, and
the slots r, s, of the strip q, in the manner herein-before described with respect to
the fastening, Figure 5, the said tension bringing the strip q into a position more
nearly parallel to the ends of the cords n, p, the end portions of the cords approach-
ing each other.
Although I have only described my improved fastenings as applied to the
suspending of a picture and the joining of two lengths of cord or linc, yet the said
fastenings may be applied to the connecting of various articles to lines, cords, or
wires, and to the joining of lines, cords, and wires for various purposes.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention,
The improvements in fastenings for connecting pictures to picture lines or cords,
and for connecting other articles to lines, cords, or wires, and for joining lines, cords,
and wires for various purposes herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, that is to say, fastenings for the purposes described, consisting of a
doubled and perforated strip of metal having a tubular figure at the doubled part,
and the modification of the same, herein-before described, and illustrated in Figures
1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawing; or fastenings for the purposes described, consisting
of the doubled strip described and illustrated, having an elongated slot or opening
in it, and a pierced angular part, as herein-before described, and illustrated in Figures
5, 6, and 7 of the Drawing; also the modification represented in Figures 8 and 9,
for joining the ends of lines, cords, or wires.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hookham, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.