AN IMPROVED CONNECTOR APPLICABLE TO BALES USED IN CAVALRY STABLES AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Peter Robertson, Companion of the Bath
and Colonel in Her Majesty's Army, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
CONNECTOR APPLICABLE TO BALES USED IN CAVALRY STABLES AND OTHER
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 19th June 1865, and dated the 24th December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Peter Robertson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th December 1864.
I, JAMES PETER ROBERTSON, Companion of the Bath and Colonel in Her
Majesty's Army, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED CONNECTOR APPLICABLE TO BALES USED IN CAVALRY STABLES AND
OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object the connection of the ends of the bales
ordinarily used in cavalry stables for separating horses with the ropes or chains
to which they are suspended, in such a manner as to admit of the connection
between the bale and the rope or other means of suspension being readily.broken
and re-formed as may be required. For this purpose the end of the bale, instead
of being directly fastened to the rope or other means of suspension in the
ordinary manner. is connected thereto by means of a connection consisting
of two separable links or pieces of metal of the respective forms herein-after
One
described, united by a ring which covers the junction of the same.
of the said links or pieces of metal has a portion cut out of it diagonally at one

page_text: end, and the other link or piece of metal has a correlative portion cut out of
it at the end which is intended to be fitted thereto. There is also a tooth or
projection formed on one link and a corresponding groove or cavity in the
other; and the two ends are so formed that when brought together they are
conical, in order to admit of the ring being raised or slidden along, above, or
off the junction thereof, and thereby allowing such two ends to be disengaged
in a lateral direction; the covering and uniting ring will remain in its position
by its own gravity, and keep the parts united until it is raised or moved along
the cone formed by the two ends of the links. Each link has an eye at the
opposite end to that at which the junction of the two links is formed, and the
rope or other means of. suspension of the bale is connected to the eye of
the upper link, while the bale is connected to the eye of the lower link by
a short length of rope or chain. In some cases when the connector is
applied to other purposes, as, for instance, to railway trains, the links may be
used horizontally, and a spring or bar inay, if necessary, be employed to keep
the uniting ring in its position in order to cover the junction of the two links,
and prevent their lateral displacement, as required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Peter Robertson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
PETER ROBERTSON, Companion of the Bath and Colonel in Her Majesty's
Army, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of December, 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 James Peter Robertson, Her special licence that I, the said James Peter
Robertson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Peter Robertson, 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 "AN IMPROVED
CONNECTOR APPLICABLE TO BALES USED IN CAVALRY STABLES AND OTHER PUR-
POSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Peter

page_text: Robertson, 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 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 James Peter Robertson, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "An Improved Connector applicable to Bales used in
Cavalry Stables and other Purposes," has for its object the connection of the
ends of the bales ordinarily used in cavalry stables for separating horses with
the ropes or chains to which they are suspended, in such a manner as to
admit of the connection between the bale and the rope or other means of
suspension being readily broken and re-formed as may be required. For this
purpose the end of the bale, instead of being directly fastened to the rope or
other means of suspension in the ordinary manner, is connected thereto by
means of a connector consisting of two separable links or pieces of metal of
the respective forms herein-after described, united by a ring or hollow ball
which covers the junction of the same. One of the said links or pieces of
metal has a portion cut out of it diagonally at one end, and the other link or
piece of metal has a correlative portion cut out of it at the end which is
intended to be fitted thereto. There is also a tooth or projection formed on
one link and a corresponding groove or cavity in the other; and the two
ends are so formed that when brought together they are conical, in order to
admit of the ring being raised or slidden along, above, or off the junction
thereof, and thereby allowing such two ends to be disengaged in a lateral
direction; the covering and uniting ring will remain in its position by its
own gravity, and keep the parts united until it is raised or moved along the
cone formed by the two ends of the links. Each link has an eye at the
opposite end to that at which the junction of the two links is formed, and
the rope or other means of suspension for the bale is connected to the eye of
the upper link, while the bale is connected to the end of the lower link by a
short length of rope or chain, and the said eyes of the links are respectively
connected to ropes, chains, or other means of suspension or connection when
applied to other purposes. In some cases when the connector is applied to
other purposes, as, for instance, to railway trains, the links may be used hori

page_text: zontally, and a spring or bar may, if necessary, be employed to keep the
uniting ring in its position in order to cover the junction of the two links
and prevent their lateral displacement, as required. Any convenient mecha:
nism may be employed for moving the ring or hollow ball, and thereby
breaking the connection between the two links.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed by
reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which are represented the parts
of the connector above referred to.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS..
Fig. 1 represents the two links separately; Fig. 2 shews them united
by the ring or hollow ball; Fig. 3 is a section of the same, and Fig. 4
represents the ring or hollow ball moved and the connection broken; . Fig. 5
is a horizontal section in the line x, y, of Fig. 3. In these several Figures
the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A is the upper link of a connector used vertically; B is the lower link of
the same; C is the ring or hollow ball. The link A has a portion cut off of
its lower end diagonally as shown, and a groove or cavity D for the purpose
of receiving the tooth or projection E formed on the link B. These two
links are respectively formed in such a manner that when they are brought
together, as shewn in Fig. 3, they form a cone, which is covered by the
ring or hollow ball C, in order to prevent the lateral displacement of the ends
of the links. The ring or hollow ball is made to fit, so as to have a bearing a
slight distance above and below the junction of the links at the bottom, but it
covers the remaining portion of the joint loosely, or so as to afford play, in
order to prevent the ring from having too much hold on the joint. F is the
eye at the upper end of the link A for attachment to a suspending or con-
necting rope or chain, and G is the eye at the lower end of the link B for a
similar purpose.
When the connector is applied to bales used in cavalry stables, the eye F is
'fastened to the ordinary suspending rope, and the eye G to the short length of
rope or chain to which the bale is connected, and the connection is main-
tained by the continuance of the ring or hollow ball C by its own gravity in
the position shewn in Figs. 2 and 3, when the connector is used vertically as
in this case. But when it is used horizontally a spring or other well-known
aneans may be employed to keep it in its required position, and a lever or
levers or other suitable mechanism may be employed to, move it as required.
-As, however, these particular adaptations of the connector form no part of my

page_text: Invention, it is not necessary to describe them. It is sufficient to observe
that the eye F is in all cases to be the part at which the required connection
is to be formed with the link A, and the eye G the part at which the same is
to be formed with the link B.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as of
my Invention is,―
First, the adaptation and application to bales used in cavalry stables of
connectors composed of two links, respectively formed as described at the
ends which are brought together, such ends being secured against lateral
displacement as required by a covering ring or hollow ball, as herein-before
described.
And, secondly, the use of such connectors either vertically or horizontally
for other purposes, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Peter Robertson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-second day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
0 Witness,
JOHN DE VINE,
Camp, Aldershot,
Adjutant,
Military Train.
J. P. ROBERTSON, (L.S.)
Col., M. T.