IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUCKLES, HOOKS. CLASPS, OR BIMILAR INSTRUMENTS FOR CONNECTING AND SECURING PARTS OF DRESS OR OTHER ARTICLES TOGETHER
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT, Richard Couchman, of Noble Street, Saint Martin's-
le-Grand, in the City of London, Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUCKLES, HOOKS. CLASPS, OR
BIMILAR INSTRUMENTS FOR CONNECTING AND SECURING PARTS OF DRESS OR
OTHER ARTICLES TOGETHER"
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUCKLES, HOOKS. CLASPS, OR
BIMILAR INSTRUMENTS FOR CONNECTING AND SECURING PARTS OF DRESS OR
OTHER ARTICLES TOGETHER"
Sealed the 24th January 1865, and dated the 27th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Couchman, at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th July 1864.
I, RICHARD COUCHMAN, of Noble Street, Saint Martin's-le-Grand, in the
City of London, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUCKLES, HOOKS, CLASPS OR
SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS FOR CONNECTING AND SECURING PARTS OF DRESS OR OTHER
ARTICLES TOGETHER," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the formation of buckles, hooks,
clasps or instruments of similar character suitable for being employed in place
of ordinary buckles or clasps for connecting and securing various parts of dress
such as braces, bands, cravats, or other articles or parts together.
A simple form of buckle, hook, or instrument made according to my Inven-
tion consists in bending or shaping a piece of wire so as to form a loop, having
by preference an opening between the two pointed ends of the piece of wire
employed for forming an instrument of this character. The pointed ends of
the wire are bent inwards towards the loop, but project slightly at an angle
[Price 8d.]

page_text: thereto, and these pointed ends serve as substitutes for the hinged or jointed
prongs, "chapes," or teeth of ordinary buckles. On the opposite side of the loop
to the prongs or teeth a hook eye or loop is formed or attached, suitable for
connecting that part of the buckle hook or instrument to one of the parts of
the dress or article to be connected or secured together.
This improved form of buckle or instrument is employed in the following
manner: One end of the brace strap or band to be connected is passed through
the open loop of the buckle hook or instrument previously described and when
drawn back in the opposite direction the prongs or teeth are caused to enter
the fabric or material of the strap or band and thus securely hold and retain
the band from slipping through the loop, the other side of the buckle, hook or
instrument may then be connected by means of the hook eye or loop in the
opposite direction to a button, strap, or other part of the dress or article. The
parts thus connected may be readily adjusted to any degree of tightness by
withdrawing the prongs or teeth from the fabric and sliding the same through
the open part of the loop into the position required in a similar manner to
that of adjusting an ordinary buckle.
In place of forming buckles or instruments of this character from bent
wire as previously described they may be stamped or formed out of sheet
metal or otherwise and have one or more teeth or prongs formed thercon in
which case the opening in the loop may be dispensed with, the prongs,
chapes," or teeth being formed so as to project at an angle inwards from
one side of a rectangular frame.
Two of the above described buckles or instruments may be combined and
employed in a similar manner to an ordinary clasp if desired
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Couchman, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
COUCHMAN, of Noble Street, Saint Martin's-le-Grand, in the City of London,
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Richard Couchman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard

page_text: Couchman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Richard Couchman, my executors, administrators, and 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 Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUCKLES, HOOKS. CLASPS, OR SIMILAR INSTRU-
MENTS POR CONNECTING AND SECURING PARTS OF DRESS OR OTHER ARTICLES
TOGETHER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard
Couchman, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
Sam 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 Richard Couchman, 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 fol-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the formation of buckles, hooks,
clasps, or instruments of similar character suitable for being employed in place
of ordinary buckles or clasps for connecting and securing various parts of
dress such as braces, bands, cravats, or other articles or parts together.
A simple form of buckle, hook, or instrument made according to my Inven-
tion, consists, in bending or shaping a piece of wire so as to form a loop
having by preference an opening between the two pointed ends of the piece of
wire employed for forming an instrument of this character. The pointed ends
of the wire are bent inwards towards the loop but projecting slightly at an
angle thereto, and these pointed ends serve as substitutes for the hinged or
jointed prongs, "chapes," or teeth of ordinary buckles. On the opposite side
of the loop to the prongs or teeth a hook eye or loop is formed or attached
suitable for connecting that part of the buckle, hook, or instrument to one of
the parts of the dress or article to be connected or secured together.
This improved form of buckle or instrument is employed in the following
manner-One end of the brace strap or band to be connected is passed through
the open loop of the buckle, hook, or instrument previously described, and
when drawn back in the opposite direction the prongs or teeth are caused to
enter the fabric or material of the strap or band and thus securely hold and
retain the band from slipping through the loop. The other side of the buckle,

page_text: hook, or instrument may then be connected by means of the hook eye or loop
in the opposite direction to a button, strap, or other part of the dress or article.
The parts thus connected may be readily adjusted to any degree of tightness
by withdrawing the prongs or teeth from the fabric and sliding the same
through the open part of the loop into the position required in a similar man-
ner to that of adjusting an ordinary buckle.
In place of forming buckles or instruments of this character from bent
wire as previously described they may be stamped or formed out of sheet metal
or otherwise, and have one or more teeth or prongs formed thereon, in which
case the opening in the loop may be dispensed with; the prongs, chapes, or
teeth being formed so as to project at an angle inwards from one side of a
rectangular frame.
Two of the above described buckles or instruments may be combined and
employed in a similar manner to an ordinary clasp if desired.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood, and readily
carried into practice, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto an-
nexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a front view of a buckle hook or instrument, formed or
constructed of wire according to my Invention and suitable for being used as
a "brace buckle."
Figure 2 is an edge view showing the brace strap b passed through the open
loop a, a, of the buckle, so that when the loop a' is drawn or pulled downwards
by the connecting strap a², the "chapes," prongs, or teeth a³, a³, will be forced
into the fabric of the strap or band b, and thus firmly secure the buckle there-
to, the position of the buckle upon the strap or band b being readily adjusted
when required.
Figure 3 shows a front and edge view of a similar buckle hook or instru-
ment, the wire being twisted or formed into a hook at a¹, this form of instru-
ment being suitable for being employed as a curtain hook or for suspending
articles thereon by inserting the teeth a', a³, into fabric or soft material so as
to attach the instrument thereto.
Figures 4 and 5 show other forms of instruments of this character, the
teeth as being caused to meet in the centre of the loop as shown.
Figure 6 shows a hook or instrument a of this character attached by sewing
or otherwise to the end of a piece of elastic material b and by fixing or sewing
the other end to an umbrella the instrument a will serve to secure the elastic
band around the same, when required, the points a³, a³, being inserted into
the band b when drawn tightly round the umbrella.

page_text: Figure 7 shows a similar band (elastic or otherwise) having a hook or in-
strument a attached at each end, so that one end may be attached by its
hook a to a fabric or other soft material or surface, the other hook a serving to
suspend a hat or other article upon.
Figure 8 shows my improved buckle, hook, or instrument a applied to the
back of a plate or ornament c for the purpose of connecting together the two
ends of the belt b (made of elastic fabric or other material) around the waist
or otherwise; b¹, b', are a series of strips or bands of elastic fabric attached to
the belt b and having hooks or instruments a attached thereto to serve the
purpose of ordinary dress suspenders by suspending parts of the dress thereon.
Figure 9 shows a front view and section of a buckle, hook, or instrument
constructed according to my Invention, stamped or formed out of sheet metal,
the nature of which will be readily understood on examining the Drawings.
Figure 10, shows two of the hooks or instruments a combined for the pur-
pose of connecting parts of a strap or band or other articles together.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Couchman have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
RICH. COUCHMAN. (L.S.)