Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 24th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Nov., 1888
I, JOHN BOULTBEE BROOKS of Great Charles Street, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention, which relates to improvements in buckles, has for its object, to so
construct such buckles, or the tongues thereof, that a fastening is effected, without
the leather or other material constituting a strap or suspender, being pierced, or
provided with holes.
The said invention, consists essentially of an ordinary buckle frame, with a
serrated or pronged tongue plate, jointed upon a middle bar, or upon a lower bar of
the frame, and with the opposite sides of the said tongue plate, provided with stops or
extending ears, which prevent the said prong plate from being drawn through the
opening or middle of the frame.
I will first describe my invention, in connection with a strap buckle.
I take a rectangular shaped framing, consisting of top, bottom, and end bars, with a
horizontal middle bar between them; and upon this said middle bar, the lower
edge of the tonguo plate, is jointed.
The upper edge of this tongue plate, is serrated or pronged, while the two
opposite sides near the top, are provided with ears or stops, which overhang the side
bars of the frame, and prevent the said tongue from being drawn through the middle
of the frame, on pressure being put upon a strap, with which the said buckle is used.
The side stops, besides preventing the tongue plate from going too far, they also
keep the gripping part of the tongue in the most favourable position for holding the
strap.
The stops, instead of being upon the side, may be upon the lower edge, and made to
bear upon like stops, or a stop, made from an extending part of the metal of the
middle bar, or the lower bar. In this form, I prefer only to employ one stop; so

page_text: that when in use, it extends from the middle of the lower edge of the tongue plate,
and with its end resting upon an extended bearing, directed upwardly, from the
middle cross bar, upon which, the said tongue plate bears.
In applying my invention to brace buckles, I make the tongue plate in the form of
a frame, serrated at its upper edge, and with limiting stops on its two opposite
sides, while its middle is made tubular, which takes upon, and is closed around the
lower bar of a rectangular frame. The connected end of the strap or webbing, is
attached to the lower part of the said tongue plate.
In brace and other buckles, in which the prong bar is rotated, and the prongs
directed downwardly, I joint the said bar upon the tops of the sides of a frame, and
with the ends of the bar, made into limiting stops, which overhang the sides as afore-
said so that on the buckle's position being moved, the tongue bar, and stops are
turned upwardly, and on fastening, the said bar is rerotated, so as to bring the
prong presented to the material to be gripped.
The prong bar may be retained in its fastened, and unfastened positions, by a
spring or other yielding connection.
.
Although I have spoken of the tongue plate being jointed upon the middle bar, yet
in strap buckles, I preferably joint them on the lower bar; and further, instead of the
stops being carried by the tongue plates, or the tongue bars, they may be carried on
the inside opposite edges of the end bars. Or the middle bars themselves, may be
made to form the said limiting stop or stops.
Dated this Twenty-first day of December 1887.

page_text: Improvements in Buckles for Straps, Braces, and other like
Articles.
I, JOHN BOULTBEE BROOKS of Great Charles Street, Birmingham in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates principally to buckles, wherewith plain straps, bands or
webbing are used.
The said invention consists essentially of an ordinary buckle frame, with a serrated
or pronged tongue plate, jointed upon a middle bar, or upon a lower bar of the
frame, and with the opposite sides of the said tongue plate provided with stops or
extending ears, which prevent the said prong plate from being drawn through the
opening or middle of the frame.
I will first describe my invention in connection with a strap buckle.
I take a rectangular shaped framing, consisting of top, bottom and end bars, with
a horizontal middle bar between them; and upon this said middle bar, the lower edge
of the tongue plate is jointed.
The upper edge of this tongue plate is serrated or pronged, while the two opposite
sides near the top are provided with ears or stops, which overhang the side bars of
the frame, and prevent the said tongue from being drawn through the middle of the
frame, on pressure being put upon a strap with which the said buckle is used.
The side stops besides preventing the tongue plate from going too far, they also
keep the gripping part of the tongue in the most favorable position for holding the
strap.
The stops instead of being upon the side, may be upon the lower edge, and made to
bear upon like stops, or a stop, made from an extending part of the metal of the
middle bar, or the lower bar. In this form, I prefer only to employ one stop; so that
when in use, it extends from the middle of the lower edge of the tongue plate, and
with its end resting upon an extended bearing directed upwardly from the middle
cross bar, upon which the said tongue plate bears.
In applying my invention to brace buckles, I make the tongue plate, in the form of
a frame, serrated at its upper edge, and with limiting stops on its two opposite sides.
while its middle is made tubular, which takes upon, and is closed around the lower
bar of a rectangular frame. The connected end of the strap or webbing is attached
to the lower part of the said tongue plate.
In brace and other buckles, in which the prong bar is rotated, and the prongs
directed downwardly, I joint the said bar upon the tops of the sides of a frame, and
with the ends of the bar made into limiting stops, which overhang the sides as afore-
said; so that on the buckle's position being moved, the tongue bar and stops are

page_text: turned upwardly, and on fastening, the said bar is rerotated, so as to bring the prongs
presented to the material to be gripped.
The prong bar may be retained in its fastened and unfastened positions by a spring
or other yielding connection.
Although I have spoken of the tongue plate being jointed upon the middle bar, yet
in strap buckles, I preferably joint them on the lower bar; and further, instead of
the stops being carried by the tongue plates, or the tongue bars, they may be carried
on the inside opposite edges of the end bars. Or the middle bars themselves, may bo
made to form the said limiting stop or stops.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents a top side plan of a strap
buckle, constructed according to one form of my invention. Figure 2 is a transverse
vertical section of the same, upon the dotted lines A B figure I, and figure 3 shows
the buckle in use with a strap. Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of figure 3, upon
the dotted lines CD.
Thus, the buckle consists essentially of an ordinary buckle frame, with a serrated
and jointedly connected tongue plate, which is prevented from being withdrawn
through the opening in the frame by stops.
a is a rectangular shaped buckle frame, consisting of end and side bars a², a³, a¹, to
the latter of which, the tongue plate's inner end of a serrated tongue plate b is
jointedly connected.
The outer front edge of the said tongue plate b, has serrations 3, which are presented
to the inside of the material of the band c; so that on the said band being drawn in
the direction as indicated in figure 3, the strap is wedged and held between the teeth
of the tongue plate, and the inside edge of the bar a³, and which said tongue plate is
prevented from being drawn too far through the middle or opening in the frame, by
limiting stops d, disposed on the inner edges of the bars a², as best seen in the
sections figures 2 and 4.
Figures 5 and 6 represent in plan and section, another form of my invention, or a
buckle with the tongue plate stop made from an inward extension of a middle bar, to
and around which, the tongue plate's inner end is jointedly connected.
a is a buckle frame, a an inside bar, with a tongue plate stop d formed with it, and
around which said bar, the inner end of the said serrated tongue plate 6,3 is jointedly
connected.
Figure 7 is a front elevation, and figure 8 a transverse section on the dotted
lines E F figure 7 of another form of strap buckle, consiructed according to this
invention.
a is a rectangular buckle frame, with opposite inside rabated stops d, upon which
the opposite sides 6, of the serrated edge tongue plate b rest, and prevent the said
tongue plate from being withdrawn through the middle or opening within the buckle
frame, on a strap or band being secured by the said buckle.
Figure 9 represents in front elevation, and figure 10 in vertical section, a brace
buckle constructed according to another form of my invention.
a is the framing, is an outwardly turning prong bar, with its ends & formed into
stops, which come upon the tops of the two opposite sides of the buckle frame near
the bearings of the joint of the said bar, whose inner edge has prongs b³, which
pierce or embed themselves in the material e of the brace to be held.
Thus, to adjust the position of the buckle, raise the prong bar b, by pressing or
pulling up the extension 6, so as to take the prongs &³ from out of the brace material;
and when in this position, slide the brace into its desired position, and then force
inwardly the prong bar, when the buckle will be firmly secured.
Figure 11 represents a belt buckle frame, of the same construction as that of
figure 9.
a is the buckle frame, with middle end bars a², a³ is the prong bar, jointedly
connected at 6, to the frame, whilst the ends thereof, are formed into ears or stops,
which extend beyond and come upon the sides of the frame, and serve both as
limiting stops, and as means for taking the prongs 3 into and out of position.
Figure 12 represents a like buckle frame as figure 11, fitted with a belt or band.

page_text: Figure 13 represents another form of buckle, constructed essentially in manner as
in figures 1 to 8, other than that the tongue plate's lower edge is made into a loop, to
which the webbing or other connection is made.
a is a buckle frame, to the lower bar a of which, the serrated edged tongue plate b
is jointedly connected. d are two opposite rabated stops on the opposite inner edges
of the frame, and upon which the two opposite sides of the tongue plate rest, when
the buckle is gripping the material of a brace between its serrated edge, and top bar.
The lower part of the tongue plate is made into a loop be, to which the webbing or
other attachment is connected.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
First. Providing buckles, or the inner presented sides of the frames of buckles,
with tongue, or tongue plate stop or stops d, as set forth in figures 1 to 8 both inclusive.
Secondly. A buckle, consisting of a frame a, with one, two or more bars, a
serrated edged tongue plate b, 62, 63, and a stop or stops d, as set forth in figures 1
to 8 both inclusive of the accompanying drawing.
Thirdly. A buckle, consisting of a frame a, with or without inside bars, and a
serrated edged tongue plate b, whose opposite sides rest within a rabated stop, or its
equivalent d, substantially as set forth in figures 7, 8 and 13.
Lastly. A brace, belt or other buckle, consisting of a frame a, and prong bar and
stop 6, 63, 6; and which parts are constructed, arranged and work substantially as
and for the purpose as set forth in figures 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Dated this Twentieth day of September 1888.