Improvements in the Construction of Driving Belts, applicable to other purposes, and having special reference to Joining the Lengths Together.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 3rd June, 1892-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Driving Belts, applicable to
other purposes, and having special reference to Joining the
Lengths Together.
I ALFRED JOHN GASKING of Beech Lodge, The Ridgeway Enfield in the
County of Middlesex England, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object improvements in driving belts applicable to other
purposes and is remarkable for its simplicity and cheapness. Hitherto the various
lengths of leather constituting a belt have been joined together by a long splice
either sewn or rivetted or partly one and the other or even cemented. In any
case however the long splice and the mode of securing the two faces together has
produced such a different substance at the junctions as compared with the body
that bending at this part has been more difficult or different to the solid parts and
breakage frequently occurs at the junctions besides they are very expensive and
require double lengths of leather. My invention is intended to avoid the difficulties
by affording disc flexibility with scarcely any more leather than would be required
for but joints and the joint is made in a fraction of the time.
I take the two ends of one or two pieces of leather to be joined together and
cut in one end say an odd number of slits which leaves an even number of tongues
the tongues being arranged in widths according to the thickness of the hide of
leather being worked at the same process. I pierce a hole or slot through the end
of each tongue I then take the other end and cut an even number of slits
therein being either one more or less than the other end and I likewise punch holes
or cut slits in the ends of these tongues. I next twist each tongue out of its flat
or horizontal position until it stands at right angles to the face and this I do to
both ends. By turning half the number of tongues contrary ways I obtain a
hollow face to the belt suitable for round faced pullies or by turning each alternate
tongue in the contrary direction to its fellow the belt is on either face. I next
bring them together so as to embrace each other alternately until the wholes or
slits are opposite each other when I pass a rivet through the whole & rivet the
ends over a washer when the joint is made. It will be obvious that I may put
more than one rivet through if I desire by making more than one hole and I may
use an oval or oblong rivet if 1 choose but in any case the effect is similar and the
band is able to bend at the junction without any stiffness.
afterwards press
the junction so as to somewhat flatten it if necessary. In making the junctions I
may use more than one rivet in joining all the tongues together that is to produce
one pivot. This mode of joining leather bands is also applicable for joining up
leather generally such for instance as lengths of harness and other purposes where
junctions are required. The slits and holes may be made at separate times & in
separate machines or in one process. The heads of the rivets & the washers may
be countersunk or let into the leather. There may be inserted between the tongues
leather or other washers to broaden the junction part when desired. It is also
obvious that the equivalent of my rivet or rivets might be a leather tongue or
wood or any other suitable material. I may also use instead of the rivet a split
cotter pin. Wire may be used in the form of a U piece one or more and the ends
turned over at the other side.
Dated this 10th de A
10 mm
I
may
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent,

page_text: COMPLETE. SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Driving Belts, applicable to
other purposes, and having special reference to Joining the
Lengths Together.
I, ALFRED JOHN GASKING of Beech Lodge The Ridgeway, Enfield, in the
County of Middlesex, Driving Belt Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of
my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention has for its object improvements in driving belts applicable to other
purposes and is remarkable for its simplicity and cheapness. Hitherto the various
lengths of leather or other material constituting a belt or other article have been
joined together by a long splice either sewn or riveted or partly one or partly the
other or even cemented. In any case however the long splice and the mode of
securing the two faces together has produced such a different substance at the
junctions as compared with the body that bending at this part has been more more
difficult or different to the solid parts and breakage frequently occurs at the
junctions besides the joints are very expensive and requires double lengths of
leather. My invention is intended to avoid these difficulties and expenses by
affording due flexibility with scarcely any more leather or other material than
would be required for butt joints and a joint is made in a fraction of the time.
I take the two ends of one or two pieces of leather to be joined together
and cut in one end, say an odd number of slits which leaves an even number of
tongues the tongues being arranged in width according to the thickness of the hide
of leather being worked. At the same process I pierce one or more holes or slits
through the end of each tongue I then take the other end and cut an even number
of slits therein being either one more or less than the other end. I likewise pierce
holes or slits in the ends of these tongues. I next twist each tongue out of its
flat or horizontal position until it stands at right angles to the face and this I do
to both ends. By turning half the number of tongues contrary ways I obtain a
hollow face to the belt suitable for round faced pullies or by turning each alternate
tongue in the contrary direction to its fellow the belt is kept flat and may be used
on either face. I next bring them together so as to embrace each other alternately
until the holes or slits are opposite each other when I pass a rivet or rivets through
the whole and rivet the ends over a washer, when the joint is made. It will be
obvious that I may use an oval square oblong or any other shape rivet if I choose
but in any case the effect is similar and the band is able to bend at the junctions
without any stiffness. I may afterwards press or hammer or plane down the
junction so as to somewhat flatten it if necessary or reduce it to the same thickness
as the belt. In making the junction I may use more than one rivet joining all the
tongues together that is to produce one pirot. This mode of joining leather, or
other bands. is applicable for joining up leather or other material generally
such for instance as lengths. of harness and other purposes where junctions are
required.
The slits and holes may be made at separate times-and in separate machines.or
as one process. The heads of the rivets and the washers may be counter-sunk.or
let into the leather there may be inserted between the tongues leather or other
washers to broaden the junction part when desired. It is also obvious that the
equivalent of my rivet or rivets might be a leather tongue or lace cord or wire or
any other suitable material. I may also use instead of the rivet a split cotter pin.
Wire may be used in the form of a U picce one or more and the ends turned over
at the other side.
In order.that.my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practise I have appended hereunto 2 sheets of drawings upon which I have
illustrated several samples of my invention which will enable practical men to
apply the same to the various conditions met with in practise.

page_text: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the junctions of the two ends A. and B of a
band or of two lengths of leather forming a band such as I prefer for running upon
flat faced pullies as will be hereafter more fully explained.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the junctions of similar lengths A B to Figure 1
but so arranged as to be suitable to run upon curved or round faced pullies for
reasons to be hereafter explained.
Figure 3 is a section through the joint showing how the joint is made with one
pin E but of course more than one pin may be used.
Figure 4 is a similar section to Figure 3 but shewing the pin E in more than one
length viz. e¹ and e³.
Figure 5 is another similar section shewing the joint made from a number of
hollow eyelets k k¹ k² and k³.
Figure 6 is an elevation of the edge of Figure 2 looking at the right edge
thereof and shewing the rivet end of pin E and its washer e¹.
Figure 7 is an elevation of the edge of Figure 1 looking at the left edge thereof
and shewing the head of the pin E.
Figures 8 show two alternative modes of making the joint other than with the
single pin E.
Figure 9 shows another mode of making the joint with an oblong pin W but it
may be square or other shape though the oval or oblong are best calculated to stand
the pulling strain but round is most convenient and affords most flexibility.
Figure 10 shows a joint in section put together with one of the pins S and
Figure 11 shows a similar joint made with two of the said pins S with turned in
ends s¹ and s³.
Figure 12 shows the edge of a band when the joint is composed of more than
one pin E.
Figure 13 is the end of a piece A as slit and punched ready for the tongues to
be twisted.
•
Referring to the band illustrated by Figures 1 and 7 which is specially suitable
to run on flat pullies it will be noticed that the end of the leather A has five slits e
cut therein as seen at Figure 13 which leaves six tongues a¹ a² a³ a¹ a³ and a cn the
slits may be double or shaped as seen at Figure 14 which has the effect of
reducing the thickness of the joint and the ends of the tongue may be either
square or round or oval or merely with the corners taken off of which Figure 14
shows two examples. These tongues are then pierced with the holes d and they
are then twisted until the ends of each tongue stands at right angles with the face
of the leather as seen at Figure 1. It will, however, be noticed that each alter-
native tongue is turned in different directions though all stand at right angles.
For instance a¹ is twisted to the left a³ to the right a to the left and a* to the
right a to the left and a to the right. By this mode of treatment there is no
natural tendency for the band to become hollow on one side and round on the other
as one twist counteracts the other. The other end B has only four cuts Cand
therefore only five tongues 6¹³ ³ and . These likewise are bent to right
angles alternately only that two are bent to the left and three to the right. The
ends are now brought together as shewn in the illustration 1 and the rivet. E
passed through the holes d when a washer e' is placed over the rivet and the
end rivetted over when the joint is complete. The joint so made is improved
by being subjected to a pressure under a press or a little hammering or by being
planed.
The joints shewn by Figures 2 and 6 only differ from the one shown by Figures 1
and 7 in that the tongues are not bent alternately right and left but in such a
manner that the flesh portion of the belt has a natural tendency to become hollow.
Figure 2 shews the skin or curved side of the belt and it will be noticed that the B end
has the three right tongues twisted to the right viz. b and 6 and the three left
tongues bb and are twisted to the left and this has a natural tendency to make
the under or flesh side hollow. The A. end of the belt has three tongues a¹ a² & a³
bent to the left and two tongues a' a bent to the right as will be readily seen from

page_text: the illustration Figure 2. It will thus be seen that belts made as thus shewn
are specially applicable for round faced pullies while the ones shown by Figure 1
are more suitable for flat faced pullies and they can be run on either <r
both faces.
It will thus be seen that by my new mode of dealing with the ends of leather
and other materials whether for joining up the ends of harness or pieces of leather
and other materials for other purposes my new mode of twisting the tongues out
of their plane so that a rivet rivets or stitches hollow tubes or eyelets leather laces
tongues or cords may be passed through I obtain the great advantage of having a
substantial substance of leather around the holes d so as to withstand any tensile
pull upon the band which has a tendency to break the leather across some part of
the substance around the pin or rivet.
I do not confine myself to a solid pin or to a round pin or to one pin as I may
make the joint as seen at Figure 4 with the pin in two lengths e¹ and e² the pin or
rivet heads abutting against each other and the washers and rivet heads being at
the outer edges. These rivets may be in any number of lengths according to the
widths of the band even to the extent of one rivet only embracing two tongues
i.. one tongue on the A side and one tongue on the B side. In other cases I may
use eyelets as shewn by Figure 5 where there are four viz. :-k k³ ³ and k³ or one
hollow tube may be put through and opened out at each end. Indeed the solid
rivets may in any case be substituted by tubes.
Figure 8 shows a U pin which would be placed through the tongues in the two
holes d' and done for each leg-as shewn by Figure 10 or four holes d' d² d³
and as seen at Figure 11 for two U pins of which I may use any desired number.
The pin may be oblong and either solid or hollow as seen at W Figure 9 or there
may be more than one pin as scen at Figure 12 where two are shown the left hand
pin having its head shewn and the right its washer e' shown. In all the examples
shown it will be seen that the same principle exists of cutting the tongues and
twisting them out of their plane to form a suitable substance in which a hole may
be made. I do not however confine myself to any particular shape of hole or to
any number. The holes may be pear shaped or oblong or oval or only slits.
may make these belts so as to be hollow back and front by cutting the tongues
as seen at Figure 15 that is to say the tongues near the edges wider than at the
centre so that when such joints are put together the cross sectional shape will be
as seen at Figure 16. It will be understood that the number of tongues are deter-
mined by the thickness of the leather and the width of the band and also that the
number of tongues may be increased and the width of the joint decreased by
reducing the thickness of the leather--at its underside-at the joint before bringing
the ends together.
In the case of bands of more than one thickness of leather or other material the
mode of joining the end would not materially differ from that described.
This mode of making the junctions may be applied to almost any flexible
material but it is specially applicable to leather on account of its stiffness. Belts
so made have the advantage of being naturally ventilated by the slits. The slits
and holes may be made at other angles than right angles to the face with similar
effect.
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 :-
The improvements in driving belts applicable to other purposes in which tongues
are formed which are afterwards twisted out of their plane and joined together
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.