IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR ROUnding Leather
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR ROUnding Leather."
-A communication from abroad by Henry Franklin Osborne, of
T
1
P
Sealed the 2nd March 1875, and dated the 4th September 1874..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th September 1874.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
5 Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR ROUNDING
LEATHER," a communication, to be as follows:-
. This Invention relates to certain improvements in machines for
rounding leatlier for reins, traces, and other like: articles; whereby the

page_text: apart, and the bars may be opened, closed, and adjusted with ease and
celerity.
The said Invention consist, firstly, in a lower bar provided with two
upper bars hinged at its ends and meeting at its centre, the bars having
their rounding holes formed in the usual manner.
The said Invention further consists in a clip sliding in a slot in the
lower bar.
The said Invention further consists in a cam for holding the upper
bars in contact with the lower one.
The said Invention further consists in a spring which is placed
between the cam and the upper surface of the upper bars. The object
of the said spring is to press upon the upper bars, holding them firmly
together and yielding slightly for any uneveness in the leather.
7
The spring may also be used with a thumbscrew instead of a cam.
The advantages of the spring may also be derived from the use of a
weight with a sliding arrangement, which would rise when the pressure
between the parts of the rounder forces them apart.
The aforesaid bars have the rounding holes formed in them in the
usual way, that is to say, one half of the hole is formed in the lower
bar and the other half in the upper bars. The aforesaid clip is composed
of one solid piece (or it may be made of two parts screwed or riveted
together at its lower end) with the upper end open. The flat lower end
of the said clip slides in a slot which is formed in the lower bar, by
which means the clip may be moved from one point to another. Between
the upper ends of the clip a cam is pivoted in such a manner that when
its handle is in an upright position the clip may be moved from one
point to another, and when the handle is pressed down the upper bar is
held closely and firmly in contact with the lower bar. At the centre of
the upper edge of the lower bar is formed a tongue or rib which projects
upwards and engages with grooves formed in the lower edges of the upper
bars near their inner ends.
By having the upper half composed of two hare binand at the

page_text: and meeting in the centre, they are opened and closed with more ease
and celerity and occupy less space when open than a single long bar.
The distance between their bearing points is not so great and hence
there is less tendency to spring apart and the tongue and grooves at the
centre prevent lateral displacement.
By having the clip arranged to slide in the slot it may be moved from
point to point with ease and rapidity, so that the pressure may be
brought to bear upon the upper bar at a point immediately or nearly
over the hole containing the work, thus relieving the hinge of all strain
upon it, and by having the pressure applied by means of a cam, the
upper bar is pressed down instantaneously instead of gradually, and the
close fitting of the parts is rendered certain, and they are securely and
firmly held in position.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters.
Patent, by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES FOR ROUNDING LEATHER," a communication to me from abroad

page_text: by Henry Franklin Osborne, of Newark, New Jersey, United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Robert Lake, 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 William Robert Lake, 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 following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification:- .
This Invention relates to certain improvements in machines for
rounding leather for reins, traces, and other like articles, whereby the 1
bars between which the leather passes are effectually kept from springing
apart, and the bars may be opened, closed, and adjusted with case and
celerity.
The said Invention consists, firstly, in a lower bar provided with two
upper bars hinged at its ends and meeting at its centre, the bars having 2
their rounding holes formed in the usual manner.
The said Invention further consists in a clip sliding in a slot in the
lower bar.
The said Invention further consists in a cam for holding the upper
bars in contact with the lower one.
The said Invention further consists in a spring which is placed
between the cam and the upper surface of the upper bars. The object
of the said spring is to press upon the upper bars, holding them firmly
together and yielding slightly for any uneveness in the leather.
2
The spring may also be used with a thumbscrew instead of a cam.
3
The advantages of the spring may also be derived from the use of a
weight with a sliding arrangement, which would rise when the pressure
between the parts of the rounder forces them apart.
" "

page_text: The accompanying Drawing represents a side elevation partly in
section of this Invention; also a transverse section and detached
portions and modifications of the same.
A represents the lower bar; B, the base to which it is attached; C¹, C³,
represent the uppers bars having their outer ends hinged to the ends of
the bar A by rule joints a, a, and their inner ends meeting at the centre
of the lower bar.
The aforesaid bars have the rounding holes formed in them in the
usual manner, that is to say, one half of the hole is formed in the lower
bar, and the other half in the upper bars; D is a clip composed of one
solid piece (or it may be made of two parts screwed or rivetted together
at its lower end) with the upper end open. The flat lower end of the
clip D slides in a slot F formed in the lower bar A, by which means the
clip may be moved from one point to another. Between the upper ends
of the clip a cam G is pivoted in such a manner that when its handle is
in an upright position the clip may be moved from one point to another,
and when the handle is pressed down the upper bar is held closely and
firmly in contact with the lower bar. At the centre of the upper edge
of the lower bar A is formed a tongue or rib K, which projects upward
and engages with grooves formed in the lower edges of the upper bars
near their inner ends.
By the use of a spring the machine will accomodate itself to any
uneveness in the surface of the leather, allowing it to pass through
without tearing or marring its surface.
In rounding machines as heretofore constructed the upper half
consists of a single bar equal in length to the lower bar hinged at one
end and fastened at the other.
In some cases the fastening consists simply of a heavy weight, which
must be lifted every time the machine is used; in other cases it consists
of a clip pivoted to the lower end of the lower bar, and having a thumb-
screw in its upper portion bearing upon the upper
bar;
and in other
cases the fastening consists of a pin or bolt passing through eyes formed
on the ends of the upper and lower bars.
In all these cases when the bars are fastened only at the ends, they
have a tendency to spring permanently apart when the holes near the

page_text: when the work is passing through the machine and yielding when there
is unevenness in the surface of the leather.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, in.
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five
Witness,
HY. JA. NOONE.
W. ROB. LAKE. (L.S.)