A NOVEL METHOD OF FASTENING BELTS OR BANDS BY MEANS OF BUCKLES WITH SHIFTING WEDGES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John
Gedge and Son, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "A NOVEL
METHOD OF FASTENING BELTS OR BANDS BY MEANS OF BUCKLES WITH SHIFTING
WEDGES." A communication from abroad by Jean Chrysostome
Desumeur, Celestin and Edouard Dudin, Brothers, and Louis Dela-
-ד
Sealed the 25th September 1869, and dated the 31st March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 31st March 1869.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son,
of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"A NOVEL METHOD OF FASTENING BELTS OR BANDS BY MEANS OF BUCKLES WITH
SHIFTING WEDGES," a communication to me from abroad by Jean
Chrysostome Desumeur, Celestin and Edouard Dudin, Brothers, and
Louis Delacourt, Merchants, of Guise, France, to be as follows:-
The various methods of fastening endless straps or belts hitherto

page_text: employed are all more or less faulty and in case of rupture or stretching
generally necessitate the removal of the belt for the execution of the
requisite repair. To the loss consequent upon the compulsory interruption
of the work during this removal and the resetting up must be added the
labour, and this interruption becomes still more onerous when dealing
with a stretching of the belt as the original fastening must be undone
before making a new one at the desired point.
The object of this Invention is to do away if not entirely at all events
in a great measure with these very costly interruptions by adopting a
kind of fixed and instantaneous stop moveable inasmuch that it may in
a few minutes be fitted or removed at will, nevertheless unremoveable of
itself inasmuch that it cannot be displaced but by the hand of the
workman.
This Invention consists of a very simple buckle, the strength of which
is equal to any proof, and which permits the instantaneous lengthening
or shortening of a belt. In no case does it rub upon the pulleys, it
cannot possibly hurt the belt or ever catch, and further affords the great
advantage of a very rapid throwing out of gear. This fastening is made
of tinned iron or other suitable material. It is formed of a plane part
riveted at each angle to one of the ends of the belt. On this part and
of one piece with it rises a box or mould with open ends and sloping top;
this piece constitutes the buckle properly so called and having to receive
the wedge which is to fix the free end of the belt is so made that the
three faces of its upper part present a developement insensibly diminish-
ing down to its base, thus its top as well as the sides each present a
greater breadth than the corresponding part of its base. To form an
endless belt introduce the free end by the base of the buckle up to the
point where it is to be held, and on the contrary insert by the upper part
between the buckle and the strap which has just been brought there a
plate or wedge of iron or other material, drive it tightly up in this
position, and the fastening is made. This plate or wedge is less thick
and less wide at its base than at its lower part, and further it is rounded,
whereas the buckle is cut at right angle. This piece acts as a wedge,
and in proportion to the tension given to the belt it penetrates more and
more between the belt and the buckle and thereby tightens the end of
the first. This fastening is often so tightly secured that to effect its
separation it is requisite that various holes be made in the wedge to
receive the end of a piece of iron or of steel which, worked as a lever,

page_text: drives out the wedge in several successive efforts. In addition to the
unquestionable usefulness of these holes for the purpose cited they also
serve to lighten the weight of the plates, and by increasing their number
wedges of great size may be obtained of a relatively light weight, although
the piece will offer the same resistance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No. 11,
Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Gedge, Her
special licence that I, the said William Edward Gedge, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Edward Gedge, 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 "A NOVEL METHOD OF FASTENING BELTS OR BANDS BY MEANS OF BUCKLES
WITH SHIFTING WEDGES," a communication to me from abroad by Jean
Chrysostome Desumeur, Celestin and Edouard Dudin, Brothers, and
Louis Delacourt, Merchants, of Guise, France, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Gedge, 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 immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Gedge, 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, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked
thereon.
The various methods of fastening endless straps or belts hitherto
employed are all more or less faulty, and in case of rupture or stretching
generally necessitate the removal of the belt in order that the requisite
repair may be executed. To the loss consequent upon the compulsory
interruption of the work during this removal and resetting up of the said
piece must be added the labor of the operation. This onerous interruption
is still more marked when dealing with a stretching of the belt as it is
then necessary, firstly, to undo the original fastening and then make
a new one at the desired point. In order to do away if not entirely at
all events in a great measure with these very costly interruptions, I adopt
a kind of fixed and instantaneous stop moveable inasmuch that it may
in a few minutes be fitted or removed at will, and nevertheless
unremoveable of itself inasmuch that it cannot be displaced but by the
hand of the workman, and a somewhat powerfull pull. This fastening
which we term a bolt buckle with shifting wedges is very simple, of a
strength equal to any proof, and permits the instantaneous lengthening
or shortening of a belt. In no case does it rub upon the pulleys, it
cannot possibly hurt the belt, or ever catch. Further, it permits a very
rapid throwing out of gear, an inappreciable advantage, upon which too
much stress cannot be laid. This fastening is made of tinned iron or
other suitable material; it is formed of a plane part E (Figs. 1 and 5),
riveted at each angle at the points e (Fig. 1) to one of the ends C of the
belt. On this part and of one piece with it rises the buckle properly so
called D having a sloping shape as shown Fig. 3 of the Drawing. I
would here observe that this piece having to receive the wedge which is
to fix the free end of the belt is so made that the three faces of its upper
part present a developement insensibly diminishing down to its base,
thus its top as well as the sides a, b, Fig. 3, each presents a greater
breadth than the corresponding part of its base. To make a fastening
pass the free end of the belt into the buckle through the end c, d,
Fig. 3, up to the point where it is to be held and insert through a, b,
between the buckle D and the strap which has just been brought there

page_text: a plate or wedge of iron or other material, drive it tight in this position,
and the fastening is made. This plate or wedge the shape of which is
calculated to give in solid the proportions presented by the hollow of the
buckle is less thick and less wide at its base than at its upper part.
Further, the one is rounded whereas the other is cut at right angle.
This piece acts as a wedge, and in proportion to the tension given to the
belt it penetrates more and more between the belt and the buckle and
thereby tightens the end of the first. Such is this system of fastening
which is composed (see Fig. 5) simply of a novel buckle or box and its
wedge. This fastening is often so tightly secured that to effect its
separation it is requisite that various holes f be made in the wedge to
receive the end of a piece of iron or of steel which, inserted into one of
these holes and worked as a lever, effects the driving out of the wedge in
several successive efforts; besides the unquestionable usefulness of these
holes for the purpose cited, by increasing their number they may serve
to lighten the weight of the plates, so that wedges of great size may be
obtained of a relatively light weight, although the piece will offer the
same resistance.

page_text: belts, or bands, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
on the accompanying Sheet of Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.