IMPROVEMENTS IN BUCKLES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lanc,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BUCKLES."-A communication from abroad by
Warren T. Reaser, of Centralia, in the County of Wood, and State
of Wisconsin, United States of America.
Sealed the 17th March 1875, and dated the 16th October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 16th October 1875.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUCKLES," to be as follows:-
These improvements in buckles relate to the buckle for ordinary rein
and other like small and medium straps of harness for horses, also tug
buckles, and also a rump buckle for branching straps.
The first improvement consists of a buckle so contrived that it fastens
itself on the strap and makes the loop of the strap without any sewing,

page_text: and can be taken off readily. It is also so arranged that the strain
comes on the buckle tongue close to its bearing on the bar, where it has
the greatest strength, and so that the strap can be taken up merely by
taking hold of the loose end and pulling it forward through the buckle;
when used for a loop the buckle will be single, but for connecting two
straps by the ends it will be double.
The second improvement consists in a contrivance to couple three or
four strap ends together, as at the rump connections of a harness. It
consists of a round or polygonal contrivance of a couple of plates, or a
ring and a plate, and a clamp screw, one of said plates or the ring being
provided with buckle tongues to engage the straps, and the clamp screw
being to hold the ends of the straps, so as not to escape from the
buckle tongues.
The third improvement consists of a kind of clamp buckle for splicing
two straps together in a right line; and it also has a contrivance for
connecting a transverse strap. It is designed mainly for tugs and other
heavy straps.
The essential feature of the buckle forming the first part of the
Invention is a kind of secondary frame in addition to the ordinary
frame, between which and the ordinary frame the strap or straps pass,
while the tongue projects towards and bears against a bar or plate on
said secondary frame, or against one of the straps, instead of bearing
on the bar of its own frame. When two tongues are used the frame of
cach tongue becomes the secondary frame to the other tongue.
In the single buckle the tongue is made in the form of a stud, which
renders the buckle useful for a loop as well as a buckle.
For coupling strap ends together according to the second part of this
Invention two plates are employed, one of which has buckled tongues
or studs attached to its upper side. The two plates are fastened on the
straps by a clamp screw, the bucklo tongues passing through the strips,
and thus fastening them securely together. A ring sometimes takes
the place of the upper one of the plates and has the buckle tongues
attached to it, said tongues being in this case pivoted. The clamp acts
directly on the ends of the straps in this case instead of the upper plate,
as in the other case, but as a whole the two forms are substantially the
same.

page_text: According to the third part of this Invention the two straps of a tug
are spliced or buckled together by a clamp buckle formed in two parts,
a bolt and nut being used for clamping the buckle and the strap
together, the bolt forming the tongue of the buckle and being fastened
to one of the parts. The clamps are simply thin plates of metal with
each edge flanged, so as to make a groove about as deep as the thickness
of the strap for which it is intended; and the two parts have inter-
locking notches and projections or overlapping flanges of any suitable
kind to prevent longitudinal and lateral motion of one relatively to the
other. When a cross strap is to be attached I prefer to curve these
clamping plates outward at the sides to make a wide base for the
transverse strap, and I make a transverse depression in one of the plates
for the transverse strap.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special
license that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Melville
Clark, 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 BUCKLES," a communication to me from abroad by Warren,
T. Reaser, of Centralia, in the County of Wood, and State of Wisconsin,
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I

page_text: the said Alexander Melville Clark, 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
The third improvement consists of a kind of clamp buckle for splicing
two straps together in a right line; and it also has a contrivance for
connecting a transverse strap. It is designed mainly for tugs and other
heavy straps.

page_text: DESCRIPTION
OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan view of a strap, showing the improved buckle in
its double form, and in a single form modified for use as a loop as well
as a buckle; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of Figures 1; Figures 3
and 4 are cross sections of Figure 1.
Figures 5 and 7 are plans; and Figures 6 and 8 are sections of the
same buckle in different forms.
Figures 9 and 11 are plans; and Figures 10 and 12 are sections of
the improved rump buckle.
Figures 13, 14, 15, and 16 are plan, side elevation, and sections, of
the tug buckle without the contrivance for attaching the transverse
strap.
Figures 17, 18, and 19, are plan and sections of the buckle with the
attachment for connecting the transverse strap.
The essential feature of the buckle forming the first part of the
Invention is a kind of secondary frame A in addition to the ordinary
frame B, between which and the ordinary frame the strap or straps
C, D, pass, while the tongue E projects towards and bears against a
bar or plate on said secondary frame, or against one of the straps instead
of bearing on the bar of its own frame, as clearly shown in the single
buckle of Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8. When two tongues are used the frame
of each tongue becomes the secondary frame to the other tongue, as
shown in the double buckle of Figures 1, 2, 5, and 6.
In the single buckle of Figures 1, 2, and 3, the tongue is made in the
form of a stud, which renders the buckle useful for a loop as well as
a buckle.
In Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12, A and B represent two plates, one of
which has buckle tongues or studs C attached to its upper side, and
D, E, represent the clamp screw by which they are fastened on the
straps F², through which the buckle tongues pass, thus fastening them
securely together. In Figure 11 G is a ring, which sometimes takes
the place of plate B², and has the buckle tongues attached to it, said
tongues being in this case pivoted. The clamp D acts directly on the
ends of the straps in this case instead of the plate B³, as in the other
case, but as a whole the two forms are substantially the same.

page_text: In Figures 13 to 16 A¹ and B¹ are the two straps of a tug to be
spliced or buckled together; C₁ and D¹, are two parts forming the
clamp buckle; and E and F¹ are a bolt and nut for clamping the
buckle and the strap together, the bolt forming the tongue of the buckle
and being fastened to one of the parts. The parts C', D₁, are simply
thin plates of metal with each edge flanged, so as to make a groove
about as deep as the thickness of the strap for which it is intended; and
the two parts have interlocking notches and projections or overlapping
flanges of any suitable kind to prevent longitudinal and lateral motion
of one relatively to the other. When a cross strap is to be attached, as
in Figure 17, I prefer to curve these clamping plates outward at the
sides, as shown at G' to make a wide base for the transverse strap H';
and I make a transverse depression in one of the plates for the transverse
strap, as shown in Figures 18 and 19.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent,-
1st. A buckle having an extra or additional frame A contrived for
the strap or straps to pass between it and the main frame and be secured
by the tongue bearing against said extra frame or one of the straps, 2
substantially as specified.
2nd. The combination of two plates A2, B2, or one plate A² and a
ring G, buckle tongues C, and a clamp screw D³, E², substantially as
specified.
3rd. The combination of the flanged plates C, D, and clamping bolt 2
and nut E, F, whether having the attachment for the transverse strap
or not, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.