Im- PROVEMENTS IN BUCKLES OR FASTENINGS FOR BRACES, BELTS, BANDS, AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Lawley Parker, Trading under the Style
or Firm of Bent and Parker, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Lawley Parker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th April 1870.
I, EDWARD LAWLEY PARKER, Trading under the Style or Firm of
Bent and Parker, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN BUCKLES OR FASTENINGS FOR BRACES, BELTS, BANDS, AND OTHER
ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the construction and arrangement herein-
after described of the parts of buckles or fastenings. for braces, belts,
bands, and other articles.
:

page_text: For convenience of description I will describe my Invention as applied
to a brace buckle or fastening.
In the frame or plate of the buckle I make two curved slots, a short
distance apart and thereby divide the said frame or plate into three
curved bars, namely, a top bar between the upper slot and the top of the
frame, a middle bar between the upper and lower slots, and a bottom bar
between the lower slot and the bottom of the frame. The convex sides
of the two slots are turned towards each other so that the distance
between the two slots is least in the middle of the frame and greatest
at the ends of the frame, the middle bar having a corresponding figure.
The thickness of the metal of the middle bar is reduced, and upon the
said middle bar a moveable bar or slide works, the said moveable bar
or slide being guided in its motion into or out of the frame of the
buckle. The sides of the slide or moveable bar are parallel, excepting
at the inner end of the slide, where they are inclined and form a taper
end to the slide. When the slide is pushed into the frame its parallel
sides nearly cover the middle parts of the curved slots and thereby
virtually diminish the width of the said slots at the middle, and when
the slide is withdrawn to its full extent from the frame its taper end lies
on the middle bar and the curved slots in the frame are wholly
uncovered. The brace to be fastened is passed through the upper slot
of the frame over the middle bar and through the lower slot. On
pushing the slide into the frame the brace is gripped or wedged very
firmly between the parallel edges of the slide, and the middle of the
curved inner edges of the top and bottom bars of the buckle. On
withdrawing the slide the brace is released and may be moved in one
or other direction over the middle bar to adjust its length as may be
required.
In order to increase the holding or gripping power of the buckle or
fastening, a rib may be made at the middle of the inner edge of the top
bar of the buckle frame, between which rib and the top edge of the slide
the brace is gripped or wedged.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters: Patent,
filed by the said Edward Lawley Parker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th October 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
LAWLEY PARKER, Trading under the Style or Firm of Bent and
Parker, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Edward Lawley Parker, Her special licence
that I, the said Edward Lawley Parker, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Lawley Parker, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
terí therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BUCKLES OR FASTENINGS FOR BRACES, BELTS, BANDS, AND OTHER ARTICLES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Lawley
Parker, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Lawley Parker, do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of the construction and arrangement herein-
after described of the parts of buckles or fastenings for braces, belts,
bands, and other articles.
For convenience of description I will describe my Invention as applied
to a brace buckle or fastening. In the frame or plate of the buckle I

page_text: make two curved slots a short distance apart, and thereby divide the
said frame or plate into three curved bars, namely, a top bar between
the upper slot and the top of the frame, a middle bar between the upper
and lower slots, and a bottom bar between the lower slot and the bottom
of the frame. The convex sides of the two slots are turned towards each
other so that the distance between the two slots is least in the middle
of the frame and greatest at the ends of the frame, the middle bar having
a corresponding figure. Upon the middle bar of the frame a movcable
bar or slide works, the said moveable bar or slide being guided in its
motion into or out of the frame of the buckle. The sides of the slide.or
moveable bar are parallel excepting at the inner end of the slide where
they are inclined and form a taper end to the slide. When the slide is
pushed into the frame its parallel sides nearly cover the middle parts
of the curved slots and thereby virtually diminish the width of the said
slots at the middle, and when the slide is withdrawn to its full extent
from the frame its taper end lies on the middle bar and the curved slots
in the frame are wholly uncovered. The brace to be fastened is passed
through the upper slot of the frame over the middle bar and through
the lower slot. On pushing the slide into the frame the brace is
gripped or wedged very firmly between the parallel edges of the slide
and the middle of the curved inner edges of the top and bottom bars of
the buckle. On withdrawing the slide the brace is released and may
be moved in one or other direction over the middle bar to adjust its
length as may be required. In order to increase the holding or
gripping power of the buckle or fastening a rib may be made at the
middle of the inner edge of the top bar of the buckle frame, between
which rib and the top edge of the slide the brace is gripped or wedged.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, and Figure 2 in side elevation
a brace buckle or fastening constructed according to my Invention, the
moveable bar or slide of the buckle being represented withdrawn from
the frame for the purpose of releasing the brace or web; Figure 3
represents in front elevation, and Figure 4 in cross section on the line a,
the said buckle or fastening with the moveable bar or slide pushed into
the frame for the purpose of fastening the brace or web; Figure 5
represents the moveable bar or slide detached; Figure 6 represents in

page_text: front elevation, and Figure 7 in section a brace or web combined with
the buckle, the said brace being represented fastened.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each of the
Figures of the Drawing. bis the frame or plate of the buckle having in
it two curved slots c, d, the said curved slots dividing the said frame
into three curved bars e, f, g. The convex sides of the two slots c, d,
are turned towards each other so that the distance between them is
least in the middle of the frame and greatest at the ends of the frame as
represented in the Drawing. The sides of the middle bar fhave the same
curvature respectively as the inner edges of the top and bottom bars e, g.
The thickness of the metal of the middle barf is less than that of the
bars e, g, or the said barf is situated in a lower plane than the bars e, g,
as best seen in the section Figure 4. Upon the middle bar fa moveable
bar or slide works freely, the said slide h being secured to the bar f
and guided in its motion in to or out of the frame by the lips i, i. The
strip of metal from which these lips are made is passed from the back
of the frame through slots in the bar f, and the ends of the said strip
are passed through the slot 2 of the slide hand bent down upon the
said slide, as seen in Figure 4. The said lips i, i, also act as stops to
limit the outward motion of the slide h. The sides of the slide hare
parallel excepting at the end where they are inclined to one another
so as to form a taper end. The outer end of the slide h is provided
with a thumb plate ³ by which the said slide may be pushed into or
withdrawn from the frame. At the middle of the inner edge of the top
bare of the buckle frame is a rib or projecting piece k for increasing
the holding power of the buckle. When the slide h is pushed into the
frame its parallel sides nearly cover the middle parts of the curved slots
c, d, and thus diminish the width of the said slots at those parts, as seen
in Figure 3, and when the said slide h is withdrawn to its full extent,
as seen in Figure 1, its taper end lies on the middle bar fand the curved
slots c, d, are wholly uncovered.
The manner in which the brace or web is applied to the buckle is
represented in Figures 6 and 7. The end of the brace or web / to
be fastened is placed at the back of the buckle and passed through the
upper slot c, then over the middle bar f, and next through the lower
slot d (see Figure 7). By pushing the slide into the frame the brace
is gripped or wedged firmly between the parallel edges of the slide
and the middle of the curved inner edges of the top and bottom bars

page_text: c, g, and thereby fastened to the frame, additional holding or gripping
power being obtained by means of the rib & projecting partly across the
top slot c. By withdrawing the slide the brace is released, and
may be moved over the middle bar f to adjust the length of the brace
as may be required.
In applying my Invention to the fastening of belts, bands, and other
articles, I provide the frame of the buckle or fastening with a loop to
which the fixed end of the band or article is secured, and pass the
moveable or adjustable end of the band through the frame of the buckle
and adjust and fasten the said end in the manner herein-before described
and represented with respect to the end of the brace or web.
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 do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and
illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of my Invention. But I claim as my Invention the improvements
in buckles or fastenings for braces, belts, bands, and other articles
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,
that is to say, making in the frame or plate of the buckle or fastening
two curved slots arranged as described and illustrated, the said slots
dividing the said frame into three curved bars and combining with the
said frame or plate a moveable bar or slide having parallel sides working
upon the middle bar of the frame or plate, the pushing inwards the
moveable bar or slide causing the brace or band to be gripped or wedged
between the parallel edges of the slide and the middle of the curved
inner edges of the top and bottom bars, and the withdrawing of the said
moveable bar or slide releasing the said brace or band substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Lawley Parker, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
EDWARD LAWLEY PARKER. (L.S.)