Improvements in Hooks and Eyes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1894-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1894
COMPLETE PECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hooks and Eyes.
I HENRY STIRRUP WEDMORE of Guilford in the County of New Haven and
State of Connecticut, United States of America, Merchant, 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 improvements in hooks and eyes, with the object in view
of rendering thein proof against accidental or unintentional unhooking, without
increasing, to any considerable degrec, the material employed in manufacturing
them, or their cost.
A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying
drawings, in which—
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the hook and eye, as they appear when engaged;
Fig. 2 is a transverse longitudinal section through the saine;
Fig. 3 is a view in edge elevation, showing the position which the eye
assumes relatively to the hook during the operation of either hooking or
unhooking; and
Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a hook and eye, showing a modified form of eye.
The hook is formed by a single piece of wire or other suitable material, either
circular, oval, or polygonal in cross section, as may be desired. The ends of the
wire of which the hook is formed, are turned to form loops a a', for purposes of
attaching the hook to the garment, and from said loops the two opposite parts A. A¹
of the shank separate from each other, and extend for a distance somewhat greater
than the length which the bill of the hook is intended to have, at such distance
from one another as to permit the bill of the book to be placed between them, and
still leave a sufficient space between the bill and said parts, for the passage of the
eye, during the operation of hooking and unhooking. The parts A A' then converge
toward each other, preferably until they rest in close proximity to each other, and
then are bent downwardly, below the plane of the shank portions A A'; thence
upward, over, and downwardly into or below the plane of the portions A A' and
between them; forming a bight a² which, as it is observed from the side or edge,
forms a complete enclosure, and from this point the bill a³ of the hook, formed by
the tight fold of the wire at its middle portion, extends along, in or below the plane
of the parts A A', toward the fastening loops a a'.
The eye, denoted by B, may be of the ordinary form, as represented in
Figs. 1, 2, and 3, or it may be provided with shoulders b, b', as represented in
Fig. 4, where the eye, as a whole, is denoted by B'. The shoulders are
formed by turning the wire outwardly at a short distance from the centre of the
bight of the eye on each of its two opposite sides, and serve as an additional
protection against the unhooking of the eye, in case the bight of the eye should,
under any undue strain on the book, or a failure to carry its bill sufficiently low,
be permitted to enter the space between the bill and the opposite parts A, A' of
the shank.
It will be observed that the bight of the hook in which the bight of the eye
rests, when the parts are engaged, is so closed with respect to the movement of the
bight of the eye toward the bill of the hook, that no matter how loose the parts
booked may become, and no matter how much the two parts be shaken or twisted
to make the eye assume different positions with respect to the hook, there is no
tendency whatever for the bight of the eye to travel toward the free end of
the bill of the hook, as there is but one position in which it can so travel, and
TD 0.7

page_text: that is when it is made to assume a position substantially at right angles to the
shank of the hook, as shown in Fig. 3, and this is a position which it will
never in use assume, unless intentionally so placed.
On the other hand, the hook and eye may be engaged and disengaged with the
greatest ease, as there is no tendency for them to bind when placed in the position
shown in Fig. 3, and when assembled-as represented in Fig. 2-in the position
which they assume when the greatest strain is exerted upon them, the strain will be
distributed along the plane of the shank of the hook, and, in its tendency to
elongate the bight of the hook, will tend-at the same time-to depress the bill of
the book between the parts A A' of the shank. In fact, the strain may be ever so
great, without elevating the bill of the hook above the plane of the shank sufficiently
to afford the bight of the eye any opportunity to work toward the end of the bill of
the hook, when in any of the positions which it assumes in use.
The hook and eye, formed as hereinabove described, is eminently well adapted
for use in connection with the fastening of horse blankets or other heavy work
where a secure fastening is required, and where the parts are liable to be shaken
into abnormal relations with each other; as well as in connection with the
numerous articles of clothing to which the book and eye is ordinarily applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
-
1. A hook and eye in which the bill of the hook is extended down into the plane
of the shank of the hook and between two opposite parts of the shank, leaving a
sufficient space between the bill of the hook and the opposite parts of the shank
for the passage of the sides of the eye, the bight of the hook forming an enclosure
around the eye when the latter is engaged therein, against the removal of the
eye from the hook, while the hook and eye occupy the same plane, substantially
as set forth.
2. The combination with a hook having the shank formed in two separated parts,
and the bill of the hook extended down into or below the plane of the shank and
extended within said plane, of an eye having outwardly projected shoulders upon
opposite sides of its bight, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with an eye, of a hook having its shank formed in two
separated parts, the bight of the book extending from the shank below the plane
of the shank, thence up, over, and down into or below the plane of the shank, and
the bill of the hook extending from the bight between the parts of the shank and in
the plane of the shank, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 31st day of July 1894.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.