AN IMPROVEMENT IN UNITING OR COUPLING HOOKS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frank Kortick, of the City and County of San Francisco,
State of California, United States of America, Blacksmith, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN UNITING OR COUPLING HOOKS."
Sealed the 17th October 1879 and dated the 13th August 1879
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Frank Kortick at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th August 1879.
FRANK KORTICK, of the City and County of San Francisco, State of California,
United States of America, Blacksmith. "AN IMPROVEMENT IN UNITING OR
COUPLING Hooks."
My Invention relates to a novel uniting or coupling hook which may be employed
in the union of bridles, check reins, and different portions of harness, or as a
connection between the same and a vehicle; or the hook may be employed as a
safety hook for connecting with mining cages and for other purposes; and it
consists in the employment of a disk or an equivalent lug or projection having one
side notched, recessed, or cut away, so as to admit the introduction of a coupling
link.
A hook has its shank provided with an eye, or is otherwise fitted to turn upon a
pin which passes through the center of the disk; or is placed with such relation
to its periphery or to the project or lug that the hook must swing in close proximity
to it, so that after the link is introduced it cannot be again withdrawn until the
hook has been swung backwards past the notch or recess.
Referring to the accompanying Drawings for a more complete explanation of my
Invention,―
Fig. 1 is a view of one form of my Invention.
Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are modifications in which the same
principle is essentially involved.
A is a slotted loop which is fitted to receive the end of a strap, portion of a
harness, cord, rope, or other connecting device. A head, lug, or disk B projects
from this loop, and it may be made in various ways, some of the principal of which
are represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The head may be made single or
double, but in the present case I have shown it double, so as to admit the shank of
the hook C between its sides, where it is secured by a stout pin, so that it may
turn about this pin, swinging close to the edge of the head or disc, as shown. The
ID 437

page_text: head B is either made irregular in form or it may be notched or cut away as at D,
so that the connecting link E can be inserted to the notch or depression, and the
hook made to swing until it stands over the depression. This ensures a perfectly
safe connexion between the parts to be united, as the link cannot be removed until
the hook has been turned to a point which will allow the ring to fall into the notch
or depression, so that the hook may be turned back without the link.
When employed to connect traces of harness to the vehicle the part A may be
made in the form of a sleeve which will be secured to the whiffle-tree, the head
or disc B forming an enlargement at one end of the sleeve, as shown in Figs.
8, 9, 10.
In this case the shank of the hook may also be in the form of a sleeve
surrounding and turning upon a pin or spindle at the end of the whiffle-tree.
The hook is turned so as to project over the head which is slotted or cut away
as before described, and operates to receive and retain a connecting link, as before
described.
It will be seen that various modifications of my device may be made without
essentially altering its character.
Having thus described my Invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure
by Letters Patent is,―
The improvement in coupling or uniting hooks or links consisting of the head B
notched or cut away, as shown, in combination with the hook C, moving loosely
about a pin or sleeve, so as to pass the notch and allow the link E to be introduced
or removed, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frank Kortick, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witnesses,
FRANK A. BROOKS.
E. F. WOOD.
FRANK KORTICK. (L.S.)