Improvements relating to Buckles for Braces and other Articles.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 4th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 6th Dec., 1887
Improvements relating to Buckles for Braces and other Articles.
I, CHARLES FREDERIC GARDNER, of 1 Worship Street, Finsbury in the County
of Middlesex, Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to buckles which are chiefly designed for connecting. the
main straps of braces to the short straps or braco-ends. The improved buckles are,
however, applicable for other purposes.
The main object of the present invention is to provide for very firmly securing the
buckle to the strap, whilst permitting its ready adjustment thereon to lengthen or
shorten the brace or other article.
The improved buckle is made with a frame having a cross-bar' which is preferably
U-shaped in transverse section and which is provided with one or more rows of teeth
to engage with the fabric of which the strap is composed. A hook or other suitable
device is formed on or secured to one end of this frame for connection with a loop or
eye on the short straps or brace-end. To the other end of the said frame is hinged
or pivotted a bar provided with a loop or eye and with a cross-piece which, when the
said bar is folded over and pressed against the face of the said frame, presses the
fabric of the strap upon the aforesaid teeth. The said looped bar is so made that,
when thus folded over and pressed against the frame, its loop will spring over the
aforesaid hook, and, when the loop attached to the brace-end is engaged with the said
hook, the said bar is held in place and cannot be released until the brace-end is
detached from the buckle. The said bar can then be turned back and the buckle very
readily adjusted and secured in any desired position on the main strap.
It is obvious that the details of construction of the buckle will vary more or less.
according to the purpose for which it is required.
Dated this Oth dow of Bahr 1887
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, CHARLES FREDERIC GARDNER, of 1, Worship Street, Finsbury, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to buckles which are chiefly designed for connecting the
main straps of braces to the short straps or brace-ends. The improved buckles are,
however, applicable for other purposes.
The main object of the present invention is to provide for very firmly securing the
buckle to the strap whilst enabling it to be easily adjusted thereon to lengthen or
shorten the brace or other article.
EL
The improved buckle consists essentially of two parts or pieces, one of which is
frame provided with a cross-bar, preferably U-shaped in transverse section, and
having one or more rows of teeth to engage with the fabric of which the strap is
composed. This frame has a hook or other suitable device formed thereon or firmly
attached thereto for connection with a loop or eye on the brace-end. The other part
or piece of the buckle is hinged or pivotted to the said frame so that it can be folded
over against the said frame; it is provided with a loop or eye at its free end and with
a cross-piece, so that, when it is thus folded over, the cross-piece will press the fabric
of the strap upon the aforesaid teeth and the loop or eye may be caused to spring over
the aforesaid hook and thus hold or lock together the two parts of the buckle at their
free ends. The loop or eye attached to the brace-end is then to be placed upon the
said hook and will hold the two parts of the buckle in engagement with each other so
that they cannot be released or disengaged until the brace-end is detached from the
buckle.
:--
In the accompanying drawing:-
Figure 1 is a front view, and
Figure 2 an edge view of one of my improved buckles applied to one end of a pair
of braces.
and
Figure 3 is a front view of the said buckle showing the same opened or extended,
Figure 4 is an edge view, thereof partly in section on the line x, x, Figure 3.
a is the frame which is made of wire bent to the required shape, and has a hook a¹
formed on the lower part thereof. b is the cross-bar which is firmly attached to the
sides of the said frame. This cross-bar is U-shaped in transverse section and its
edges are formed with teeth 6'. The piece c which is pivotted at c' to the frame a is
made with a loop or eye c' adapted to pass over the hook a' as shown in Figures 1
and 2. This piece is also made of wire, bent to the required shape; it has a cross-
piece c which, when the said looped piece c is folded over upon the said frame, enters
the groove or recess in the cross-bar b. The frame a and picce c are pivotally con-
nected by means of a metal plate d cut to the required shape. This plate is bent so

page_text: that it encircles or clips the parts c¹ of the piece c as at d'; it is also bent around the
parts a and c so that, while it securely connects the same, it is free to turn upon the
parts a².
To apply the buckle to the braces, the two main parts of the buckle are opened out
or extended as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the brace-strap e is then passed through the
frame a from the back to the front thereof then over the cross-bar band again through
the frame from the front to the back thereof. The piece c is then folded over upon the
frame a until its loop or eye e² engages with the hook a¹ as shown in Figures 1 and 2;
the loop or eye on the brace-end is then placed upon the said hook, as shown.
It will be seen that the loop or eye c² is made with projections or shoulders c³, which
serve in conjunction with the extremity of the hook a¹ to prevent accidental disengage-
ment of the loop or eye from the said hook.
When it is desired to lengthen or shorten the braces, the loop fis disengaged
from the hook a¹ and the piece c is turned back; the buckle can then be very easily
adjusted upon the strap e to the desired position. By again folding the piece cover
upon the frame a and causing its loop or eye c² to engage with the hook a', the
said buckle can be firmly secured upon the strap e in the position to which it has
been adjusted. The loop or eye is then to be replaced upon the hook a¹.
It is obvious that the details of construction of the buckle will vary more or less
according to the purpose for which it is required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. A buckle consisting essentially of two parts connected by a hinge-joint
and so constructed that a strap may be tightly gripped between them and the parts
locked together in such a manner that the unlocking thereof will be prevented whilst
the buckle is connected with the loop or eye on an adjacent strap, as above specified.
Second. The improved buckle constructed substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawing for the purposes specified.
Jater this or day af
| Jata This ori dow at November (27
J
C. F. GARDNER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.