CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BALE TIES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Charles Stiff, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Merchant, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN BALE TIES." -A communication from abroad by
John Scott Leng, residing at New York, in the United States of
America.
Sealed the 25th July 1871, and dated the 28th January 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Charles Stiff
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th January 1871.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES STIFF, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BALE TIES," a communication to me from
abroad by John Scott Leng, residing at New York, in the United States
of America, to be as follows (that is to say) :-
This Invention is entirely restricted to the construction of the buckle
for adjusting and holding thin strip iron of which it forms the tie or
fastening, and which ties are extensively used in baling up raw cotton,
manufactured fabrics, or other like purposes, and which Invention
consists in forming by preference a slightly rectangular plate of iron.

page_text: of suitable strength, through which a slot is formed for receiving the
fixed end of the iron strip, which is simply effected by passing the iron
through and bending it back, the short end lying on the under side to
receive further security from the expansive pressure of the goods to
which it is applied, and in a rectangular opening in the said plate a
transverse bar is formed, which is divided near one end and bent slightly
outwards, permitting sufficient space in the opening to allow the other
end of the strip to be bent over it, and passed in over the bar, on which
bar a curved incline is formed, so that when the pressure is brought on
the tie the said curved incline places the strip in its proper position and
bearing on the transverse divided bar. Thus great simplicity of con-
struction and application is obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Charles Stiff in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th July 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CHARLES STIFF, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one,
in the thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Charles
Stiff, Her special license that I, the said William Charles Stiff,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Charles Stiff, my executors, administrators, or 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BALE TIES," a com-
munication to me from abroad by John Scott Leng, residing at New
York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Charles Stiff, by an instrument in writing.
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Charles Stiff, 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 (that is to say) :-
This Invention is entirely restricted to the construction of the buckle
for adjusting and holding thin strip iron which forms the tie when
connected with and to the improved fastening, and which ties are
extensively used in baling up raw cotton, manufactured fabrics, or
other like purposes, and which Invention consists in forming by pre-
ference a slightly rectangular plate of iron of suitable strength, through
which a slot is formed for receiving the fixed end of the iron strip or
bale tie, which is simply effected by passing the strip iron through a
slot and bending it back, the short end lying on the under side to receive
further security from the expansive pressure of the goods to which it
is applied, and in a rectangular opening in the said plate a transverse
bar is formed, which is divided near one end and bent slightly outwards
permitting sufficient space in the opening to allow the other end of the
strip or bale tie to be bent and passed in over the bar, on the end of
which bar a curved incline is formed, so that when the pressure is
brought on the tie the said curved incline places the strip in its proper
position and bearing in the transverse divided bar. Thus great simplicity
of construction and application is obtained.
But by way of further illustration I will describe the Invention by
aid of the Drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: necting them with the tie or buckle before the strain is put on them is
a process or requirement well understood by the users of such appliances
in the baling of cotton or other merchandize, the strap c simply passes
through the slot e and is bent back as seen at Figure 2, the strap d
is bent in the form shown also in Figure 2, which permits the loop f
to be passed over and around the bar g, which is divided and slightly
bent outwards for that purpose, but when strained to its work the
said strap and loop will ride down the incline h. until the sharp curve
of the loop f takes a bearing principally on the edge of the bar g, but
partly on the edge of the projection k, the distance from the base of
the inclinch to the right angle k and being equivalent to the width
of the strap d, which ensures the joint bearing on the bar g bringing the
straps c and d in parallel tension, but for the purpose of facilitating the
attachment of the strap d with the bar g the bar of the tie or buckle
marked m, m, is bent down that the loop and strap d may bear on it
in use, as seen at Figure 2, and it also presents facilities for opening or
loosening a bale when desired by simply slipping the loop through the
opening of the bar g, thus freeing the strap without injury to either part,
which may be used again and again as often as required.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner in which the same may be carried into effect I wish it understood
that what I claim and wish protected by these my in part recited Letters
Patent is, the general construction of bale tie or buckle as herein
described and exhibited.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Charles Stiff, have herc-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
WILLIAM CHARLES, STIFF. (L.S.)
Witness,
WILLIAM LOACH,
Clerk to James S. Cockings,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.