IMPROVEMENTS IN PICTURE ROD HOOKS AND OTHER SIMILAR HOOKS
Year: 1884

page_text: I EDMUND TONKS of the firm of William Tonks and Sons of Moseley Street
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturers do hereby declaro the
nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PICTURE ROD HOOKS AND
OTHER SIMILAR HOOKS" to be as follows:-
My invention consists of the improvements herein after described in picture rod
hooks and other similar hooks such for example as hooks for suspending articles
from rods in shops and shop windows and other places.
I will describe my invention in connection with a picture rod hook.
The object of my invention is to prevent the picture rod hook in hanging a
picture from being accidentally lifted from off or detached from the picture rod.
A picture rod hook is a double hook the upper part which is hooked upon the
picture rod being larger than the lower part to which the picture is hung. The
opening in the large upper hook which I will call the rod hook has a diameter a
little greater than that of the picture rod so that the rod hook can readily pass
onto the rod. In order to prevent the accidental unhooking of the large or rod
hook from the rod should the hook on hanging the picture be lifted or turned into
a horizontal position I place at the extreme end of the said large or rod hook a
sliding pin having a head at each end the said pin working in a hole in a lip or
projecting part at the extreme end of the rod hook. The said sliding pin is
inclined to the body of the hook and is weighted so that when at liberty to move
it falls towards the said body thereby diminishing the size of the opening in the
large or rod hook. The sliding pin may be aided in taking the last described
position by a coiled or other spring. The sliding pin may be situated nearly
horizontally. In this case a spring is necessary to force it into the projecting
position to diminish the size of the opening in the rod hook. Or the sliding pin
may be arranged to work through the middle of the body of the hook with the
same result.
In hooking the book onto the picture rod the weighted or spring sliding pin is
pressed upwards or backwards by contact with the rod and the opening in the rod

page_text: hook has its full size. As soon as the rod hook has seated itself on the rod the
sliding pin takes its projecting or normal position thereby diminishing the size of
the opening in the rod hook and preventing the hook from being accidentally
withdrawn from the rod in hanging the picture as before explained.
In place of the inclined pin or spring pin described a spring without a pin may
be employed. In this case the spring is of a bow form and is flattened by
the rod as the hook is hooked upon the rod the flattening of the spring increasing
the size of the opening in the hook as described with respect to the sliding or
spring pin.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I EDMUND TONKS, of the firm of William Tonks and Sons, of Moseley Street,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick Manufacturers do hereby declare the
nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PICTURE ROD HOOKS AND OTHER
SIMILAR HOOKS" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention consists of the improvements herein after described in picture rod
hooks and other similar hooks such for example as hooks for suspending articles
from rods in shops and shop windows and other places.
I will describe my invention in connection with a picture rod hook.
The object of my invention is to prevent the picture rod hook in hanging a
picture from being accidentally lifted from off or detached from the picture rod.
A picture rod hook is a double hook, the upper part which is hooked upon the
picture rod being larger than the lower part to which the picture is hung. The
opening in the large upper hook which I will call the rod hook has a diameter a
little greater than that of the picture rod so that the rod hook can readily pass
onto the rod. In order to prevent the accidental unhooking of the large or rod
hook from the rod should the hook on hanging the picture be lifted or turned into
a horizontal position, I place at the extreme end of the said large or rod hook a
sliding pin having a head at each end the said pin working in a hole in a lip or
projecting part at the extreme end of the rod hook. The said sliding pin is
inclined to the body of the hook and is weighted so that when at liberty to move
it falls towards the said body thereby diminishing the size of the opening in the
large or rod hook. The sliding pin may be aided in taking the last described
position by a coiled or other spring. The sliding pin may be situated nearly
horizontally. In this case a spring is necessary to force it into the projecting
position to diminish the size of the opening in the rod hook. Or the sliding pin
inay be arranged to work through the middle of the body of the hook with the
same result.
.
In hooking the hook onto the picture rod the weighted or spring sliding pin is
pressed upwards or backwards by contact with the rod and the opening in the rod
hook has its full size. As soon as the rod hook has seated itself on the rod the
sliding pin takes its projecting or normal position thereby diminishing the size
of the opening in the rod hook and preventing the hook from being accidentally
withdrawn from the rod in hanging the picture as before explained.
In place of the inclined pin or spring pin described a spring without a pin may
be employed. In this case the spring is of a bow form and is flattened by the
rod as the hook is hooked upon the rod, the flattening of the spring increasing
the size of the opening in the hook as described with respect to the sliding or
spring pin.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in side elevation and
Figure 2 in front elevation, picture rod hooks constructed according to my
invention, the hook in Figure 1 being represented in the act of being hooked to
the rod; Figure 3 represents a side elevation and back elevation of the hook after
it has been hooked to the rod,

page_text: a, bis the picture rod or double hook, a being the larger hook which is hooked
upon the rod c and b being the smaller hook to which the picture is hung; d is the
sliding pin headed at both ends the bottom end being heavier than the upper end.
The said sliding pin d works through a hole in the lip e at the end of the rod
hook a the said pin d having the inclination to the body of the hook represented
in the drawing so that when at liberty to move it falls towards the body of the
hook, thereby diminishing the size of the opening in the rod hook a as seen in
Figure 3. A coiled spring may be used to assist the weighted sliding pin d in
taking the position Figure 3.
In hooking the hook a onto the picture rod c the weighted sliding pin d is
pressed upwards or backwards by the large bottom head coming into contact with
the picture rod c as seen in Figure 1 and the opening in the rod hook a has its full
size. As soon as the rod hook a has taken its position on the rod, the sliding pin d
'falls into the position represented in Figure 3 thereby diminishing the size of the
opening in the hook a and preventing the said hook from accidentally passing off
the rod should the hook on hanging the picture be lifted or turned into a horizontal
or nearly horizontal position.
Figure 4 represents the arrangement of my invention in which the sliding pin d
is situated horizontally and is forced outwards by a coiled spring f as soon as the
rod hook a has passed onto the rod c.
Figures 5 and 6 represent the arrangement in which the weighted sliding
pin is made to work through the middle of the body of the hook instead of
at the extreme end of the rod hook a, Figure 5 representing the sliding pin in its
acting position and Figure 6 the same forced outwards by contact with the
picture rod c as the hook a is passed onto the rod. A spring may be used
to assist the pin & Figures 5 and 6 in taking the acting position represented in
Figure 5.
Figure 7 represents the arrangement of my invention in which a bow spring is
employed in place of an inclined or spring pin. The bow spring g is situated on
the inner side of the body of the hook and is flattened by the picture rod as the
hook a is hooked upon the rod the flattening of the spring g diminishing the size
of the opening in the rod hook a and permitting the hook a to pass onto the rod.
After the hook has passed onto the rod the spring g resumes its normal figure and
prevents the accidental detachment of the hook from the rod.
I apply my improvements to hooks for suspending articles from rods in shops
and shop windows and other places substantially as herein before described and
illustrated with respect to picture rod hooks.
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
The addition to or combination with picture rod hooks and other similar hooks
of a weighted inclined pin or a spring pin or a bow like spring for diminishing the
size of the opening in the rod hook of the picture rod hook or other like hook
and thereby preventing the accidental detachment of the hook from the rod
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.