An Improved Coupling or Attachment for Ropes and Cords.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Coupling or Attachment for Ropes and Cords.
I, HERBERT CHARLES NORFOLK of 66, Brockley Road, Brockley, Kent, Gentleman;
do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a coupling for permanently or disconnectably uniting
the ends of ropes or cords or for attaching the end of a rope or cord to any object
particularly for detachably connecting suspension cords to window sashes.
The improvement resides essentially in the mode of attachment of the coupling
to the end of the rope or cord and it consists in enclosing the end of the rope or
cord within a tubular ferrule or binder and providing the coupling device with a
pointed tapered screw stem like an ordinary wood screw which is screwed axially
into the enclosed end of the rope or cord as into a solid piece of wood the grip thus
obtained being sufficient to resist a strain equal to the breaking strain of the rope.
A coupling for uniting the two ends of a rope may be in one piece with right
and left screw threads at its opposite ends and with an eye or equivalent means
of turning it at the middle, or it may be in the form of two oppositely threaded eye
bolts with their eyes permanently interlocked or one of them may be an open hook
if a disconnectable coupling is required in which case the stems of the two parts
being separately screwed in need not be oppositely threaded. Similarly either of
these parts may be attached to one end of a rope or cord for connection with a
corresponding part fixed to any object.
Dated this 13th day of October 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Coupling or Attachment for Ropes and Cords.
I, HERBERT CHARLES NORFOLK of 66, Brockley Road, Brockley, Kent, Gentleman;
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:-
My invention relates to a coupling for either permanently or disconnectably
uniting the ends of cords or ropes or for attaching the end of a cord or rope to any

page_text: object particularly for rope traces and other parts of rope harness and for detachably
connecting suspension cords to window sashes.
The improvement resides essentially in the means of attachment of the coupling
to the end of the rope or cord and consists of a gimlet-pointed screw stem on the
coupling in combination with a tubular ferrule enclosing the end of the rope or
cord, the screw stem of the coupling being screwed axially into the end of the rope
or cord after the latter has been enclosed in the ferrule; the grip obtained by the
screw thread in the rigidly enclosed rope or cord being sufficient to resist a strain
equal to the breaking strain of the rope.
The coupling may consist of two screw eyes having their eyes permanently
interlocked in which case their stems would be oppositely threaded the one with
a right, and the other with a left, handed thread or one of them may be an open
hook if a disconnectable coupling is required in which case the stems need not be
oppositely threaded. Similarly a screw eye or hook may be attached to one end
of a rope or cord for connection with a corresponding part fixed to any object.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification Figure 1
represents, partly in section a coupling for detachably connecting two rope ends
and consisting of two screw eyes A A¹ (one being an open hook) each having its
stem a threaded with a gimlet-pointed screw resembling the thread of an ordinary
wood screw.
Each cord or rope end C is enclosed in a ferrule B preferably a short
length of solid-drawn brass tube of a diameter to just fit the cord or rope end
before the screw stem is driven in. The ferrule may have its internal surface
roughened or jagged to prevent it, in time, slipping off the cord and to prevent the
ferrule slipping round upon the cord when screwing the stem of the screw-eye into
the cord. The kind of cord used is preferably the plaited kind, such as is generally
used for window-sash lines, but ordinary twisted rope may be used for large sizes.
The bows or eyes of the screw-eyes or hooks should be as small as possible con-
sistently with the required section of the metal to afford the necessary strength
and when applied to harness traces or otherwise where it is necessary to guard
against accidental unhooking, any form of twisted or moused hook may be used.
Figures 2 and 3 shew a part sectional face and an edge view of a window-sash
illustrating the application of the Invention to this purpose. In this case the
stem of the screw-eye A is screwed into the ferruled end of the sash cord C and
the screw-hook A is screwed into the stile of the sash 1) in a groove or recess d in
which the sash cord and coupling is received, as shewn. By this means the cord
may be readily connected to, or disconnected from, the sash whenever it is
necessary to renew the cord or to remove the sash from the window-frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In a coupling or attachment for cords or ropes the combination of a ferrule
enclosing the end of the cord or rope and of a gimlet-pointed screw-threaded stem
screwed axially into the cord or rope, substantially as specified, and provided with
an eye, a hook, or other means of connection to a similar coupling or other
attachment.
2. A coupling for uniting cord or rope ends, consisting of permanently inter-
locked screw-eyes having oppositely handed gimlet-pointed screw stems in com-
bination with ferrules enclosing the rope ends to be united and into which the
screw stems of the eyes are screwed, substantially as specified.
3. A coupling for disconnectably uniting cord or rope ends, consisting in the
combination of a hook and eye each having a gimlet-pointed screw stem in com-
bination with ferrules enclosing the rope or cord ends to be united, into which the
screw stems of the hook and eye are screwed substantially as specified: .
4. A sash-line attachment for window-sashes, consisting of a screw eye or hook
having its screw stem screwed axially into the end of the sash line in combination

page_text: with a ferrule enclosing the line end and with a screw hook or eye or equivalent
means of attachment screwed into the sash stile as specified.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1897.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.