IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO POLE HEADS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Bray, of Deptford, in the County of
Kent, Cart and Van Builder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO POLE HEADS
Sealed the 10th September 1869, and dated the 12th March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Bray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th March 1869.
I, GEORGE BRAY, of Deptford, in the County of Kent, Cart and Van
Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO POLE HEADS
POR CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES, AND TO OTHER USES," to be as follows:-
Instead of the ordinary shackles for the hooks of the pole chains to be
connected to I provide the pole head with divided eyes or rings which do
not require any shackle connection, as they can be made to form parts

page_text: of the pole head itself. These eyes or hooks are so made that one part
moves upon a pin or joint, against one end of which a spring catch is
fixed, by operating on which the ring or cyc is opened, so that a link of
the chain or other connector can be passed on to the ring or eye, and and
by again pressing the spring catch will be closed and the connection
rendered complete. Instead of using a spring catch the moveable part
of the ring or eye may have a swing or too-and-fro action with a fastener
end, which fastener end may be a spring catch similar to that described,
or it may be a swinging one, or other suitable arrangements for fastening
may be adopted. The same connecting and disconnecting arrangements
are obviously applicable to other uses than pole heads.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Bray in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
BRAY, of Deptford, in the County of Kent, Cart and Van Builder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Bray, Her special licence
that I, the said George Bray, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Bray, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO POLE HEADS
POR CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES, AND TO OTHER USES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Bray, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, 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 George Bray, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
· Instead of the ordinary shackles for the hooks of the pole chains to be
connected to I provide the pole head with divided eyes or rings which
do not require any shackle connection, as they can be made to form parts
of the pole head itself. These eyes or hooks are so made that one part
moves upon a pin or joint against one end of which a spring catch is
fixed, by operating on which the ring or eye is opened, so that a link of
a chain or other connector can be passed on to the ring or eye, and by
again pressing the spring catch it will be closed and the connection
rendered complete. Instead of using a spring catch the moveab part
of the ring or eye may have a swing or to-and-fro action with stener
end, which fastener end may be a spring catch similar to that scribed,
or it may be a swinging one, or other suitable arrangements for fastening
may be adopted. The same connecting and disconnecting arrangements
are obviously applicable to other uses than pole heads.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I now in
further compliance with the condition in the said Letters Patent
contained, proceed to particularly describe and ascertain in detail in
what manner the same is to be performed or carried out in practice,
for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying Drawings, as
Callawa

page_text: In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the same letters of reference are used to denote
like parts when the parts referred to are shown in either of the said
Figs. 1, 2, and 3. ", portion of pole; b, b, pole head; c, moveable
portion of ring or eye moving on pivot d; e, spring catch pivoted on f;
9, spring acting on catch e. When closed the upper or moveable
portion (c) of the ring is prevented from being thrown back by the
catch (e), but on pressing down the projecting portion of the catch (e)
the moveable portion of the ring is free to be thrown back and then to
be closed, when the action of the spring (g) on the catch (e) causes it (c)
to prevent the opening of the portion (c) of the ring.
Instead of the arrangements shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the divided part
of the ring may have a swinging action, like that shown at Figs. 4, 5, 6,
and 7, and hereafter particularly described.
In said Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 the following letters of reference are used
to denote like parts when the parts referred to are shown in such Figs. 4,
5, 6, and 7. a, moveable portion of hook hinging on pivot or pin 6;
c, boss on hook provided with an opening for the reception of a hinged
projecting piece d which when the piece (a) is closed hangs down, as
shown in Figs. 4 and 6, and prevents the opening of the hook until it is
brought parallel with the opening in boss (c), and to further secure the
piece (a) I provide it with a spring (e), on one end of which I fix a
pin () which when the piece (a) is closed is pressed by the spring (c)
into a recess in the boss (c), the spring (e) being provided with a
button (g) for the thumb or finger in pressing the spring in order to
release the pin (f). In practice it will seldom be necessary to adopt
both the hinged projecting piece (d) and the spring catch arrangement e
and c, as shown by the Drawings, either one of these, namely, the
projecting picce arrangement or the spring catch arrangement alone
being sufficient for practical purposes. It is obvious that the hook
arrangements, may if desired be applied to pole heads in substitution for
the arrangements first described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I
hereby declare that I claim the connecting and disconnecting apparatus,
the nature whereof is herein-before described, it being understood that
I do not claim the mere details of construction except as constituent
parts of the said apparatus, nor do I limit myself to the use of such

page_text: details as I can vary the same without departing from the general
principles of my said Invention as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Bray, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
GEORGE BRAY. (L.s.)
Witness,
ALEX. P. WRIGHT.
Secretary to the
Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street,
Charing Cross,
London, S,W.
Patentees' Agents.