Improvements in Wire Fences.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 19th Feb., 1898
Improvements in Wire Fences.
I, CORY EDGAR ROBINSON, of 408 Richards Street, in the City of Joliet, in the
County of Wills, and State of Illinois, United States of America, Gentleman, 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:
My invention relates to improvements in woven or stay wire fences, and more
particularly to improvements in the particular kind of woven or stay wire fences
wherein the upright, crossing or stay wires are secured to the longitudinal or
stringer wires by short metal clips.
The utility and efficiency of such fences depends, in a very large degree, upon
the firmness and rigidity with which the longitudinal and stay wires are secured
or clamped together at their crossings; because if firmly and rigidly clamped
together, all the wires, upright and longitudinal, will mutually cooperate and support,
strengthen and stiffen each other, and thus produce a structure as a whole of great
strength and rigidity. While on the other hand, if the wires are not firmly and
rigidly clamped together at their crossings, the fence or structure as a whole will
be loose and shackly and easily distorted out of shape and its utility and efficiency
as a fence greatly impaired.
The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient construction of stay
wire fence, capable of being rapidly and cheaply manufactured by automatic
machinery, wherein the stay and longitudinal wires are secured together at their
crossings, by metal clips, and in which the stay and longitudinal wires will each
and both be firmly locked in every direction from moving, slipping or turning in
respect to the other, and in which the metal clips will embrace and clamp together
with great firmness, strength and rigidity the stay and longitudinal wires, so that
the fence or structure as a whole will possess great strength and effectiveness, and
not be liable to be injured or distorted out of shape to whatever force or violent
action it may be subjected in use. With the metal clip stay wire fences heretofore
known, if for example a person should attempt to climb up or over it by stepping
up on the successive longitudinal wires, as one climbs up or over an ordinary board
fence, the result would be to distort the wires out of shape, owing to the looseness
of the joints or crossings of the wires. But in my improved fence the construction
of the metal clips and of the wires and their crossings is such as to clamp and bind
the wires together with great firmness and rigidity so that each and every wire
supplements the others and no injury or distortion of the fence or fabric as a whole
can take place under any ordinary usage to which it may be subjected. To secure
these important results, and at the same time enable the fence to be capable of being
rapidly and cheaply manufactured by automatic machinery, I construct it as
follows and herein my invention consists: The metal clip is provided at its
middle portion with a U-shaped bend partially encircling and embracing the fence
wire and a longitudinal slot at right angles to the U-shaped bend through which
a kink or bend in the stay wire projects. The fence wire is provided with angular
bends at each edge of the metal clip, and the clip is provided with a reverse

page_text: curve at each side of the U-shaped bend therein to shorten the length of the clip
and cause the ends of the slot to firmly, shortly and closely embrace the bend or
kink in the stay wire, the parts being all firmly stamped or pressed together. By
this means the central slot in the metal clip may be made long enough to allow
sufficient play or margin to readily admit of the stay wire being fed through it by
automatic machinery, so that the fence may be rapidly and cheaply manufactured;
while at the same time the clip is locked from moving in either direction on the
longitudinal wire and from turning at an angle in respect thereto, and the clip is
locked from sliding or moving in either direction in respect to the stay wire or
from turning at an angle in respect thereto, and the fence wires are locked from
moving or turning in any direction in respect to each other, and all the parts are
firmly and rigidly clamped and secured together; so that there is no looseness of
any sort at the joint either in respect to a slipping or to a turning or angular move-
ment of the several parts in respect to each other. All the parts of the fence-all
the longitudinal wires, all the stay wires and all the metal clips at all the crossings
being thus firmly and rigidly united together, each and every wire or part of the
fence re-inforces, strengthens and stiffens every other wire or part by the mutual
co operation of the parts together, thus producing a fence or structure as a whole
of great strength, rigidity and effectiveness.
In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, I have shown
at Fig. 1 in side elevation a short section of a woven or stay wire fence embodying
my invention; Fig. 1 is a detail plan view of the sheet metal clip in the flat;
Fig. 2 is a detail edge view showing its form at the time it is placed astride of the
fence or longitudinal wires and the stay or upright wires threaded through its
longitudinal slot. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the form of the parts just after
the stay wire is threaded through the sheet metal clip; Fig. 4 is a view similar
to Fig. 3, showing the parts after the clip is partially bent or spread out and the
kink or bend partially formed in the stay wire; Fig. 5 is a detail view of the com-
pleted joint, the fence or longitudinal wire being shown in cross section; Fig. 6 is
a view of the completed joint, the stay wire being shown in cross section and the
fence wire in elevation; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the completed joint; Fig. 8
is a detail view similar to Fig. 5, showing the finish or joint at the top of the fence,
the free upper end of the stay wire being bent over the upper edge of the clip, and
Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating by the dotted lines the shortening of the
clip by the operation of producing the reverse curves therein.
-
In said drawing A A represent the longitudinal or fence wires, B B the upright
or stay wires, and D D the sheet metal clips by which the stay wires are secured
together. The fence wires A are provided with an easy bend at each stay wire
crossing comprising a straight portion equal in length to the width of the clip D,
and two angular or curved portions a¹ a¹ at each side thereof extending from the
edge of the sheet metal clip. The stay wire B, as will be readily seen from Fig. 5,
is provided at each crossing with the fence wire with a sharp bend or kink 6 fitting
and embracing the fence or longitudinal wire and corresponding in curvature to
the diameter or curvature of the fence wire itself in cross section,
as will be readily understood from Figures 5 and 6. The metal
clip D is provided with a central longitudinal slot d, with a U-shaped transverse
bend dat its middle fitting and embracing the fence or longitudinal wire A, and
corresponding in curvature to the size of the fence wire. The sheet metal clip D
is further provided with two opposite or reverse curves dd on its opposite face, one
at each side of the middle curve d. The fence wire A as will be seen by
reference to Figs. 5 and 8, is thus completely encircled or embraced by the
U bend d¹ in connection with the reverse curve in the metal clip and by
the bend or kink b in the stay wire. The fence wire is thus snugly and firmly
hugged or clamped on one side by the sheet metal clip D and on the opposite side
by the stay wire. While at the same time the shortening of the clip, by the pro-
duction of the reverse curves d d therein, firmly draws the ends or shoulders d³ ³
of the slot & rigidly and firmly against the outer face or shoulders b₁₁ of the kink

page_text: or bend 6 in the stay' wire, so that the longitudinal or tensile strength of the clip
serves to reinforce and firmly clamp the opposite limbs or wings of the bend or
kinks b about the fence wire. The clamping force of the bend 6 in the stay wire B
about the fence wire A is thus not dependent upon the flexure strength of the stay
wire, but upon the tensile strength of the clip D. And, as will be readily under-
stood from Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the act of forcing, stamping or pressing the parts from
the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 into that shown in Fig. 5, produces a wedging,
crowding or drawing action of all the parts firmly together, so that a very great and
rigid clamping or binding effect is produced as the parts are forced into their
final form, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 8. It will also be understood by those
skilled in the art that the bends a a¹ a¹ in the fence wire locks the clip from
slipping or moving in the direction of the fence wire; and that the bend d'in the
clip locks the clip from moving on the fence wire in the opposite direction; that
the longitudinal slot d, which in width is only about the diameter of the stay wire,
locks the clip from moving laterally in respect to the stay wire, or the stay wire
laterally in respect to the clip; that the kink or bend b in the stay wire, in connec-
tion with the reverse bends in the clip, and the shoulders or ends d³ d³ of the
longitudinal slot d locks the clip from any movement in the direction of the length
of the stay wire; and that these several parts all combined securely locks all the
parts, clips, stay wire and fence wire, from any turning or angular movement in
respect to each other. The parts are, therefore, all clamped and secured together
with great strength, firmness and rigidity.
As illustrated in Fig. 8 the upper free end 63 of the stay wire B is folded or bent
over the upper end of the clip D. This produces an additional lock between the
stay wire and the clip, and also makes a neat finish for the top of the fence.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1st. A stay wire comprising in combination a series of longitudinal or fence
wires, a series of upright or stay wires and a series of sheet metal clips uniting
the fence and stay wires at their crossings; the fence wires having at each
crossing a gradual bend comprising a straight portion a and angular or curved
portions a¹a; the stay wires having at each crossing a short or sharp bend or
kink fitting and embracing the circumference of the fence wire on one side; and
the clips D having each a central longitudinal slot d corresponding substantially
in width to the diameter of the stay wire, a U-shaped bend at its middle fitting
and embracing the circumference of the fence wire and two reverse curves de d
one on each side of said U bend d¹ to cause the shoulders or ends d³ ³ of the
longitudinal slots d to hug and embrace the outer faces or shoulders of the bend b
in the stay wire; whereby the fence wires, stay wires and clips are all firmly and
rigidly clamped together and locked one by another from any slipping or turning
in any direction, substantially as specified.
2nd. A stay wire fence comprising in combination a series of longitudinal or
fence wires, a series of upright or stay wires and a series of sheet metal clips
uniting the fence and stay wires at their crossings, the fence wires having at each
crossing a gradual bend comprising a straight portion a and angular or curved
portions a a¹, the stay wires having at each crossing a short or sharp bend or
kink fitting and embracing the circumference of the fence wire on one side
and the clips D having each a central longitudinal slot d corresponding substan-
tially in width to the diameter of the stay wire, a U-shaped bend d' at its middle
fitting and embracing the circumference of the fence wire and two reverse
curves done on each side of said U bend to cause the shoulders or ends d³ d³
of the longitudinal slots d to hug and embrace the outer faces or shoulders of the
bend in the stay wire; whereby the fence. wires, stay wires and clips are all firmly
and rigidly clamped together and locked one by another from any slipping or

page_text: turning in any direction, the upper end 63 of the stay wire being bent or folded
over the upper edge of the upper clip, substantially as specified.
3rd. In a stay wire fence the combination with a series of longitudinal or fence
wires having each a series of easy or gradual bends therein, with a series of upright
or stay wires, having each a series of sharp bends or kinks therein, and a series
of metal clips D, having each a central longitudinal slot d, a transverse U-shaped
bend d¹, and two reverse curves d² d therein to cause the shoulders or ends d³ d³ of
the slots d to hug or embrace the kink or bend in the stay wire and thereby
firmly and rigidly clamp and unite together and lock against movement in all
directions said clips and fence and stay wires, substantially as specified.
4th. In a stay fence wire the combination with a series of longitudinal or fence
wires having each a series of easy or gradual bends therein, with a series of upright or
stay wires, having each a series of sharp bends or kinks b therein, and a series of
metal clips D, having each a central longitudinal slot d, a transverse U-shaped
bend d', and two reverse curves therein to cause the shoulders or ends d³ ³
of the slots d to hug or embrace the kink or bend b in the stay wire and thereby
firmly and rigidly clamp and unite together and lock against movement in all
directions said clips and fence and stay wires, said fence wires at the bends
therein being surrounded and embraced on the one side by the bends in the clip D
and on the opposite side by the bend in the stay wire B, and the upper end of the
stay wire being bent or folded over the upper clip, substantially as specified.
December 13th A.D. 1897.
Witnesses:
EDMUND ADCOCK.
H. M. MUNDAY,
CORY EDGAR ROBINSON.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.