CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN JOINING OB CONNECTING LEATHER OR OTHER STRAPS OR BANDS, WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE FOR CONNECTING THE ENDS OF MILL BANDS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lake, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
JOINING OB CONNECTING LEATHER OR OTHER STRAPS OR BANDS, WHICH SAID
IMPROVEMENTS ARE MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE FOR CONNECTING THE
ENDS OF MILL BANDS."
Scaled the 22nd June 1875, and dated the 24th December 1874.
PROVISIONÁL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th December 1874.
I, JOHN LAKE, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN IM-
PROVEMENTS IN JOINING OR CONNECTING LEATHER OR OTHER STRAPS OR BANDS,
WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE FOR CONNECTING
THE ENDS OF MILL BANDS," to be as follows (that is to say) :—
I purpose forming flat or suitable shaped bars with rectangular arms
or studs terminating with perforations of a suitable size for receiving a
locking pin or cotter hereafter to be refered to.

page_text: The combined bar and arms may be cast in brass or other suitable
compound metal, or of malleable iron. For uniting a band, say of 4
inches wide, I take a bar with three or more arms cast with or united
together with the same, and pass the arms through short slots made
near the end of the band in the direction of its length, and into theso
slots I pass the arms, alowing the bar to cross the band close to its outer
surface and as near the end as convenient for strength; and this samo
treatment I apply to the other end of the band I desire to unite, which
I effect by bringing the protruding ends of the arms together and passing
through the holes formed near their ends a pin or split cotter, by which
means the two ends of the band will be securely united, the uniting
cotter or pin laying in the hollow of the inside junction of the banding.
This mode offers facilities for uniting and disconnecting mill banding
that never before has been effected.
As an equivalent I sometimes form what I have technically called the
arms or studs into small loops made (by preference) from half round
wire, the ends being soldered. These wire loops may be passed through
the banding in a transverse row of sufficient number, and united together
on the outside by a thong, metal bar, or other suitable material to form
an outside stay. This being repeated with the other end of the band
desired to be united, the inner eyes of the loops have only to be brought
together and held by a pin or split cotter, as before described, to effect a
perfect union, or the arms or studs may be made with a suitable head
or T shaped terminus on the outside, and the cyc on the inside for
receiving the connecting cotter or pin, as hercin-before described, the
application to or removal of which connects or disconnects the band.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd June 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN 30
LAKE, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, sond
greeting.

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Lake, Her special
licenso that I, the said John Lake, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Lake, 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 term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ircland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN JOINING OR CONNECTING LEATHER OR OTHER STRAPS OR BANDS,
WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE FOR CONNECTING
THE ENDS OF MILL BANDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Lake, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
3 seal, 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 Scal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Lake, 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 (that is to say):-
I purpose forming flat or suitable shaped bars with rectangular arms
or studs terminating with perforations of a suitable size for receiving a
locking pin or cotter hereafter to be referred to.
The combined bar and arms may be cast in brass or other suitable
compound metal, or of mallcable iron. For uniting a band, say of four
inches wide, I take a bar with three or more arms cast with or united
together with the same, and pass the arms through short slots made near
the end of the band in the direction of its length, and into these slots I
pass the arms, allowing the bar to cross the band close to its outer
surface and as near the end as convenient for strength; and this same
treatment I apply to the other end of the band I desire to unite, which I
› effect by bringing the protruding ends of the arms together, and passing
through the holes formed near their ends a pin or split cotter, by which
means the two ends of the band will be securely united, the uniting

page_text: colter or pin laying in the hollow of the inside junction of the banding.
This mode offers facilitics for uniting and disconnecting mill banding
that never before has been effected.
As an equivalent I sometimes form what I have technically called the
arms or studs into small loops made (by preference) from half round
wire, the ends being soldered. These wire loops may be passed through
the banding in a transverse row of sufficient number and united together
on the outside by a metal bar or other suitable equivalent to form an
outside stay. This being repeated with the other end of the band
desired to be united the inner eyes of the loops have only to be brought
together and held by a pin or split cotter, as before described, to effect a
perfect union, or the arms or studs may be made with a suitable head
or T shaped terminus on the outside, and the eye on the inside for
receiving the connecting cotter or pin, as herein-before described, the
application to or removal of which connects or disconnects the band, as
will be better understood by following the description of my Invention
aided by the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1 represents two bars marked A and B with their rectangular
shanks perforated through the middle for receiving the cotter marked C 2
here represented as made of half round wire.
Fig. 2 is an end view of Figure 1; the rectangular shanks a, a, are
cast and formed with the bars A and B which may be of brass, or what
I have found to answer well of malleable cast iron.
In applying these connectors to mill bands I perforate the ends of the 2
said mill bands, as represented at Fig. 3, and the same being repeated in
the other end of the band the connectors may be applied by passing the
rectangular shanks through the perforations, and after placing them in
position they may be united by the split cotter, shown separate at Fig. 4,
being passed through holes formed in the said shanks, which being a
complete the united band will assume the form, as shown in a flat or
front view at E and F, Fig. 5, of which Fig. 6 represents an edge view.
Fig. 7 simply shows the reverse or back view of the parts forming
Figure 1, in which case I have exhibited the shanks a, a, disconnected
and not in the same plane to show their distinctive character, the dotted

page_text: lines in each case defining the position of the Holes through which tho
cotter C passes; and Fig. 8 shows a distinct end view of the part B;
the circular hole in the rectangular shank is for receiving the con-.
necting pin or cotter, as before referred to.
The size and strength of the several parts exhibited at Figuros 1 and 7
may be increased or decreased as also the number of rectangular shanks,
according to the width or strength of banding required to be connected, .
and I do not bind myself to connect the rectangular shanks with tho
metal bars A and B, as shanks with separate heads or bearing plates
may be used in pairs, as exhibited in a front view at Fig. 9, in which
Figure the connecting cotter or pin is shown in dotted lines; and so
also the form of the shanks may be varied, as separate connectors may
be used in pairs, as exhibited in side and edge views at Fig. 10, in which
case the perforations in the ends of the band will necessarily be made so
as to come side by side rather than opposite each other, which said
-perforations can easily be made by the use of a perforated metal scribe.
The connecting shanks may if so preferred be made of half round
wire and soldered at the joint or meeting so as to assume the form shown
in the edge and flat view at Fig. 11, in which case I prefer also placing
a wire of suitable shape, say by preference oval or half round, through
the outer opening of the loop or shank, taking care that the wire bar is
sufficiently long to thread through the desired number or series of loops
or shanks so used, but I recommend it to be equivalent to the width of
the band so united.
Instead of making these shanks, as last described, of half round wire
they may be cut out of sheet metal, as shown in a flat and edge view at
Fig. 12. Stout bands so united will be found to have a pliant and less
rigid action in passing around the pulleys, more particularly when such
pulleys are of small diameter, as the centre cotter forms an axis for the
rigid parts to work on in their passage round the pulley.
In my Provisional Specification I have mentioned the use of thongs
for passing through the outer holes of the shanks when the shanks arc
used without connecting bars, but such material would not be preferablo
when wire pins can be obtained, as there certainly would be a cutting
strain on such soft yielding material.
Having now given a general description of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same may be carried into effect, I wish it under-

page_text: stood that I do not limit myself to any particular shape, or size, or
mode of producing the metal shanks, whether the same be connected to
outer face plates, bars, or wire substitutes for such bars, provided the
said shanks or their equivalents bo united by means of a centre axis,
whether of split wire, as shown separate at Figure 4, or solid wire, thus t
producing a connection, as herein described and exhibited at Figures 1, 5,
and G, or its equivalent, which I claim as my Invention and desiro to
protect by these my in part recited Letters Patent.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lake, havo hereunto set
my hand and scal this Fourteenth day of June, in the year of 1
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
WILLIAM H. TAYLOR,
Clerk to J. S. Cookings,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
JOHN LAKE. (L.S.)