Elastic and other Straps and Bands.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 8th July, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 9th Sept., 1887.
Elastic and other Straps and Bands.
We, CALVIN VOORHIS and ABRAHAM SHENFIELD both of the city, county and state
of New York United States of America Gentlemen do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our Invention relates to an Improvement in Clasps for Elastic Straps, Suspender-
Ends, &c., of which the following is a specification.
Elastic bands made use of in suspender-ends, &c., are usually secured at the ends
by stiching, that passes through the woven elastic; but in práctise it is found that the
needle penetrating the Elactic cord often separates the sanie, or weakens it so that it
separates when tension is applied to the same.
The object of my present improvement is to secure the ends of straps in such a
manner as to dispense with sewing, and at the same time prevents the injury that
arises from the stitches.
I make use of a split tube that is rigid and is firmly pressed upon the strap that is
inserted into the split thereof, so that the strap is rigidly grasped between the tips of
the sheet metal and inseparably held thereby, and this split tube becomes the con-
necting device between such strap and the suspender-buckle or other things to which
the strap is united.
This clasp is to be distinguished from split spring-tubes and similar devices into
which garments or fabrics are sometimes drawn endwise to form a tempory attachment,
because these spring-tubes are not adapted to hold rigidly the elastic-cords in webbing,
because the pressure has to be sufficient to embed the threads of the webbing into the
rubber and compress such rubber until the end of each thread becomes a head or
enlargement that will not pull through between the edges of the sheet metal as
compressed into the fabric.
In the drawings, Figure 1. is a cross section, in larger size, of the clasp as applied
upon a fabric; and Fig. 2 is an elevation of the device in connection with a suspender-
buckle.
The strap of fabric a is of any desired width, thickness, or material.

page_text: The end to he secured is cut off straight and inserted in between the edges of the
split tube b, and this tube is of sheet metal that is sufficiently thick to be rigid, and
the diameter of the tube is as small as consistant with the proper reception of the end
of the strap.
The tubular clasp is then to be pressed by suitable mechanism until the rigid clasp
is closed tightly and immobably upon the end of the strap, the edges of the sheet
metal embedding themselves into the fabric, and where there are elastic cords in such
fabric they are to be compressed sufficiently to nip and hold them, so that they
cannot pull out by the strain to which they are subjected while in use. The edges of
the sheet metal that come into contact with the fabric are sufficiently rounded or
smoothed to prevent the threads or fabric being cut, and such edges may he either
straight serrated, or corrugated.
The connection between the clasp and a buckle or other suspending device is made
at the ends of the clasp.
In Fig. 2. I have shown the wire bow c. as entering the ends of the clasp band
received in a fold of the metal of the buckle. If desired, the wire e may pass through
the tubular clasp.
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 combination, with the connecting-bowe, of a tubular split clasp, b, into the
ends of which the bow c passes, and a strap or hand, a, the end of which is received
into the split of the tubular clasp, and rigidly secured by bending the tubular clasp to
a smaller diameter and gripping the material of the band immovably between the
edges of the sheet metal, substantialy as set forth.
Dated this 8th day of July 1887.
HORN & SON,
Agents for Applicants.