Improvements in Buckles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in Buckles.
I, JOHN THOMAS of Ladbroke Grove, London, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved buckles serviceable for securing harness and
straps or the like generally, the improvements being designed to lessen the cost of
manufacture and to produce a buckle having an automatically locking strap
retainer, which, when so required, as, for instance, when a connected draught
animal has fallen, can be instantly released and so thrown aside as to free the
harness and allow of the same being lifted clear of the tongue or equivalent part
of the buckle and unencumbered by the retainer.
According to one modification of carrying out the Invention, the buckle is made
of steel with two side parts, two cross connections rigidly connecting the side parts,
and said retainer, such parts being, as far as practicable, stamped or stamped' and
drawn to their respective shapes.
The sides, at one end, are connected by a cross tube rivetted into their ends,
and, at the other end, are formed with opposite raised parts, open at the top, and
one of which is formed with hinge joints running in the direction of the length
of the buckle, and the other of which is undercut and adapted to serve as a catch,
and they are also connected by a cross piece the ends of which are rivetted into
the ends of the sides, and the midlength of which is formed with a tubular pillar
or tongue which is drawn from the substance of the cross piece and rises to about
the height of the .upraised ends of the sides.
The retainer, at one end, is hinged to the one side, and, at its midlength, is made
with a hole adapted to engage with the top of the pillar or tongue rising from
the under cross piece, (so that the pillar is supported at both top and bottom when
any haulage strain is thereon), and from such hole its free end is slit to its
extremity, at which it is lowered and so shaped, at its upper part, as to be adapted
to readily engage with the entering end of the catch-opening in the side with
which it is adapted to engage, and, at its top part, as to be adapted, when pressed
into the catch-opening, to spring into engagement with the catch holding parts,
so as to be required to be compressed laterally when desired to disengage the
retainer in order to release the harness.
According to another modification, the sides and their cross connections are
stamped or drop-forged integral or entire, with the tongue or pillar solid; and the
retainer is made in adjacent parts, both of which, at the one end, are hinged to
the same side of the buckle, and, at the other end, are adapted to enter the catch-
opening of the other side of the buckle, in such manner that the one part (in
which the hole with which the top of the pillor engages is made) is adapted to fall
into said catch-opening without engaging with the catch holding part thereof,
and that the other part, when pressed into said opening, is adapted to spring into
engagement wth the catch holding part thereof, and, then,, to hold down the part
firstly referred to, the meeting edges of the two parts of the retainer being inclined
relatively to the top and bottom faces thereof or being otherwise equivalently
formed to attain said result.

page_text: In either of said modifications, when the catch-held end of the retainer is com-
pressed laterally, as wlien desired to release the harness or other strap
fastenings, the retainer is instantly freed in such manner that it can be thrown
aside, over its hinged connection to the buckle side, quite clear of the harness, so
as to permit of access to the latter, entirely unimpeded by the retainer, and of the
harness being lifted clear of the tongue or pillar out of the buckle and instantly
freed..
1
1900
I, JOHN THOMAS, of. Ladbroke Grove, London, Engineer, 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:--
This Invention relates to improved buckles serviceable for securing harness and
straps or the like generally, the improvements being designed to lessen the cost of
manufacture and to produce a buckle having an automatically locking strap
retainer, which, when so required, as for instance, when a connected draught
animal has fallen, can be instantly released and so thrown aside as to free the
harness and allow of the same being lifted clear of the tongue or equivalent part
of the buckle and unencumbered by the retainer, as distinguished from other
buckles which, wlien unfastened, require the strap to be drawn through the buckle
to be released.
The Invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawings in two modifica-
tions of its construction, the one being represented in Figs. 1, to 5, and the other
in Figs. 6, and 7.
Figs. 1, to 3, respectively represent a plan, a front elevation and a side elevation
of the buckle, closed; Fig. 4, represents a section through A-B, Fig. 1; Fig. 5,
represents a front elevation of the buckle, opened; Fig. 6, represents a plan of the
buckle, opened; and Fig. 7, represents a front view thereof, opened.
Referring to the modification represented in Figs. 1, to 5, the buckle is made of
steel or other suitable metal, with two side parts a, al two cross connections b, c,
rigidly connecting the side parts, and said automatically locking strap retainer d,
such parts being, as far as practicable, stamped or stamped and drawn to their
respective shapes.
The side parts a, a', at one end; are connected by the cross tube b, rivetted into
their ends, and, at the other end, are respectively formed with opposite raised
parts a,, open at the top, and the one (2) of which is formed with hinge
joints a, running in the direction of the length of the buckle,and the other (³)
of which is undercut at a, and adapted to serve as a catch. The side parts a, a¹,
are also connected by the cross piece c, the ends e, of which are rivetted, brazed
or soldered into the ends of the sides, and the midlength of which is formed with
a tubular pillar or tongue, which is drawn from the substance of the cross piece
and rises to about the height of the upraised ends of the sides.
The retainer d, at one end, is hinged at d', to the hinged joints a', and at its
midlength, is made with a hole, adapted to engage with the top of the pillar
or tongue ca, rising from the under cross piece, (so that the pillar is supported at
both top and bottom when any haulage strain is thereon;) and from such hole or
adjacent thereto, the free end of the retainer is slit to its extremity, as at d³,

page_text: forming a spring part, the end of which is lowered and so shaped at its end,
(vide Figs. 2, 3, and 5), as to be adapted to readily engage with the entering end
of the catch opening a, in the side part a', with which it is adapted to engage,
and, at its top part, as to be adapted, when pressed into such catch opening, to spring
into engagement with the catch holding part as, thercof, so as to be required to
be compressed laterally, when it is desired to disengage the retainer (vide Fig. 5,)
in order to release the harness.
Referring to the modification represented in Figs. 6, and 7, the side parts a, a', and
their cross connections c, b, are stamped or drop forged or may be otherwise formed
integral or entire with the tongue or pillar, solid; and the strap retainer is
made in separate adjacent parts d, d, both of which, at the one end, are hinged to
the hinge parts a', of the buckle, and at the other end, are adapted to enter the
catch opening a, at the other side of the buckle, in such manner that the one
part d, (in which the hole with which the top of the pillar engages is made) is
adapted to fall into said catch opening without engaging with the catch holding
part thereof, and that the other part , when pressed into said opening, is adapted
to spring into engagement with the catch holding part, thereof, and, then, to
hold down the part firstly referred to, the meeting edges, of the two parts d, d
of the retainer (as also those of the retainer represented in Figs. 1, to 5,) being
inclined relatively to the top and bottom faces thereof or being otherwise
equivalently formed to attain said result.
In each of said modifications, when the spring catch part d, of the retainer
is compressed laterally, as when desired to release the harness or other strap
fastenings, the retainer is instantly freed in such manner that it can be thrown
over its hinged connection to the buckle side part a, (vide Figs. 5, to 7,) quite clear
of the harness so as to permit of access to the latter being obtained entirely
unimpeded by the retainer, and of the harness being lifted clear of the tongue or
pillar out of the buckle, and instantly freed.
The retainers respectively represented in Figs. 1, to 5, and Figs. 6, and 7, may
he interchan eably used with the buckles represented in such figs.
The retainers may be made or provided with a spring part d', at each side, (in
lieu of at one side only as aforesaid) in which event, the buckle part a³, would bo
made with opposite undercut parts a³.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I.
claim is:-
1. An improved buckle for harness and the like, having two side parts a, a',
two cross connections b, c, and an automatically-locking strap-retainer d, respec-
tively formed, adapted and combined as hereinbefore described with reference to
Figs. 1, to 5, of the accompanying drawings, the strap retainer being so con-
nected to the buckle, by being hinged to the one side and secured by a co-acting
spring to the other side thereof, as, when released, to permit of its being so thrown
aside as to free the harness and allow of its being lifted clear of the tongue or
equivalent part of the buckle and unencumbered by the retainer or by any cross
part of the buckle, as set forth.
2. The modified formation of buckle having strap-retainer operating as
referred to in Claim 1, hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 6, and 7, of
the drawings.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents, 321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.