AN IMPROVED CLAMP FOR JOINING AND SECURING ROPES, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CLAMP FOR JOINING AND SECURING ROPES,
AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES."-A communication from abroad by
Thomson Hankey Alexander, of Washington, District of Columbia,
United States of America.
Sealed the 1st November 1872, and dated the 10th May 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th May 1872.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CLAMP FOR JOINING AND
SECURING ROPES, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," a communication, to be as
follows:-
--The-nature-of-my-Invention-consists in the construction and arrange-
ment of a clamp to be placed around a rope for connecting the said rope

page_text: to the place to which the clamp is united, or for connecting with the said
rope a second rope or chain, or for other like purposes.
The said clamp is made in two parts which are riveted together at the
extremity, where the end of the rope is introduced in such a way as not
to interfere with the opening therein, and are provided at the other end
with an irregularly formed elliptic ring; the latter passing through slots
embraces within it the ends of the said two parts that are farthest from
the rope, and acts when tension is applied to the rope to compress or
force the said parts toward each other and clamp securely the end of the
rope between them.
The two parts are somewhat in the form of longitudinal half sections
of a tube. They are made of any suitable metal, and are cut away to
provide a transverse opening of taper form at the ring end of the device.
The ring may be made continuous, or may be divided and have the
ends at the point of division bent into hooks. Or it may be of any other 1
suitable form which will present converging sides for a part of its length
to act upon the two parts of the clamp and force them toward each other.
when the same is subjected to tension.
To apply this clamp the ring is turned from its normal position to
allow the two parts to separate, the rope is then readily inserted between
them at the opposite end. Now upon the application of force or tension
the converging sides of the ring will act on the said two parts in such
a manner as to bring them toward each other with a power precisely
proportionate to the tension or strain to which they are subjected, and
the greater the tension applied the more tenacious and secure will the
gripe or hold be of the device on the rope.
In some cases suitable projections may be thrown out on the inner
surfaces of the two parts of the clamp to serve as teeth to take into the
rope and thus render the slipping of the rope impossible.
In another form of my clamp the two parts are not pivoted together
as above described, but one part is provided with projecting eyes and the
other part with projecting horns. When the horns are passed through
the eyes the parts will be connected around the rope, and to firmly
compress the rope the opposite ends of the clamp are brought together
with the force due to the leverage. At these ends are links extending to
the ring. These links allow the clamp to be opened, and when strain is

page_text: applied to the ring the clamp is made to gripe the rope with increased
force as the power is increased. Within the two parts I form ribs and
penetrating points to prevent the slipping of the rope in the clamp.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent;
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th November 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert 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 Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
CLAMP FOR JOINING AND SECURING ROPES, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES,” a com-
munication to me from abroad by Thomson Hankey Alexander, of
Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said, William Robert Lake, 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

page_text: by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :—
The nature of my Invention consists in the construction and arrange-
ment of a clamp to be placed around a rope for connecting the said rope
to the part to which the clamp is united, or for connecting with the said i
rope a second rope or chain, or for other like purposes.

page_text: the greater the tension the more tenacious and secure will be the gripe
or hold of the clamp on the rope.
In some cases suitable projections may be formed on the inner surfaces
of the two parts A, B, to serve as teeth to take into the rope and thus
render the slipping of the rope impossible.
In the form of clamp shewn in Figures 2 and 3 the parts A and B
are not pivoted together, as above described, but the part A is provided
with projecting eyes d, and the other part B with projecting horns e.
When the horns e are passed through the eyes & the two parts will be
connected around the rope, and to firmly compress the rope the opposite
ends of the clamp are brought together with the force due to the leverage.
At these ends are links G extending to the ring E. These links allow
the clamp to be opened, and when strain is applied to the ring E the
clamp is made to gripe the rope with a force which increases as the
strain is increased. Within the parts A and B, in Figures 2 and 3, I
form ribs h, and penetrating points i, to prevent the slipping of the
rope in the clamp.
This clamp may be used for attaching a rope trace in harness, either
to the whiffle tree or to the collar, so that in case of the breaking of
such rope another piece can be substituted at once without having to
remove the harness; or the trace may be lengthened or shortened as
required by moving the rope through the clamp. The said clamp is also
useful for connecting a rope to a chain in the rigging of vessels or in
hoisting apparatus, or for connecting a branch rope or chain to a main
rope, or for holding the ropes of standing rigging so as to permit the
same to be drawn through the clamp in tightening up such rigging.
for
The said clamp may also be used for round leather traces as well as
ropes, and it can very readily be modified to adapt it for fastening
flat leather traces. And it may be used for fastening or connecting any
flexible ropes, straps, traces, and the like.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing tho
same, I wish it understood that I claim,
-
First. The taper concave pieces A and B connected by rivets a, and
used in combination with the ring C, as herein set forth and for the

page_text: Second. The pieces A and B locked together by means of eyes d and
horns e, as herein set forth and for the purpose specified.
Third. The projections and i formed upon the interior surface of the
pieces A, B, as herein set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. In combination with the pieces A, B, united by means of the 5
eyes d'and horns e, the links O connecting the same to the ring E, as
herein set forth and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy- 1
two.
Witness,
W. J. LowE.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)