Improvements in Devices or Arrangements for Securing the Mouths of Sacks or Bags.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 18th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices or Arrangements for Securing the Mouths
of Sacks or Bags.
I, JOHANNES FRYDENDAHL HOFFGAARD, of 64 Lancaster Avenue, Fennel
Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, and Vice-Consul for
Denmark, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention, a communication to
me from abroad by Frederik Oscar Constantin Jensen, of Odense, Denmark,
Mechanic, to be as follows :-
:-
The mouths of sacks or bags, when the material or articles are placed therein,
are gathered together, and are generally secured by being tied by string.
It takes time to tie the string, and untie it when required, and if not untied, but
cut instead, the string is wasted.
The invention communicated to me relates to a simple device or arrangement
formed of metal, which if desired may be permanently attached to the sack or bag
near its mouth, and can be quickly secured when the mouth of the sack or bag is
gathered together and will hold the mouth firmly secured, and is as readily
released, and when desired the device may be readily sealed with a short length
of tape or string and sealing wax, or a lead or other suitable soft metal seal, so
that the contents of the sack or bag cannot be tampered with.
The locking device will last as long as the sack or bag and longer, and may
be removed from an old and worn out sack, and applied to a new sack or bag
if desired.
The device or arrangement communicated to me is or may be made of three
pieces of wire, namely, a ring of wire, to which two lengths of wire (forming
levers) are linked, the free ends of which are bent and twisted to link and hook
upon each other.
The ring is secured by wire or staples of wire, eyelets, or a rivet, or rivets,
or other suitable means to the sack or bag near its mouth, and when the mouth
of the sack is to be closed it is gathered together, the free ends of the two
lengths of wire forming the two levers, are twisted upon each other, and in doing
this they compress the material of the sack or bag so that the elasticity of the
wire levers and that of the material of the sack or bag causes the ends of the
two arms or levers to be held firmly together, but they are readily released when
required, by an untwisting movement given to the two ends of the levers.
I have spoken of a ring of wire, but a plate of metal may be used instead, and
of the arms or levers being of wire, but they may be formed of malleable cast
metal or other suitable metal and jointed to the ring or plate.
The plate used in place of a ring, may be made of thin metal with spikes to
pass through and be secured in the material of the sack if desired.
In some cases small pointed projections are or may be formed upon the sides
of the arms or levers where they will come against the sack to enter into the
material of the sack or bag when the arms are brought together and twisted
upon each other, and these spiked or pointed arrangements may be used more
especially when the locking device is to be secured at varying distances from the
month of the sack or bag.
Dated this Eighteenth day of March 1891.
t
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices or Arrangements for Securing the Mouths
of Sacks or Bags.
1, JOHANNES FRYDENDAHL HOFFGAARD, of 64 Lancaster Avenue, Fennel
Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant and Vice-Consul for
Denmark, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication to
me from abroad by Frederik Oscar Constantin Jensen, of Odense, Denmark,
Mechanic, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The mouths of sacks or bags, when the material or articles are placed therein,
are gathered together, and are generally secured by being tied by string.
It takes time to tie the string, and untie it when required, and if not untied, but
cut instead, the string is wasted.
The invention communicated to me relates to a simple device or arrangement
formed of metal, which if desired may be permanently attached to the sack or bag
near its mouth, and can be quickly secured when the mouth of the sack or bag is
gathered together and will hold the mouth firmly secured, and is as readily
released, and when desired, the device may be readily sealed with a short length
of tape or string and sealing wax, or a lead or other suitable soft metal seal, so that
the contents of the sack or bag cannot be tampered with.
The locking device will last as long as the sack or bag and longer, and may
be removed from an old and worn out sack, and applied to a new sack or bag
if desired.
The device or arrangement communicated to me is or may be made of three
pieces of wire, namely, a ring of wire, to which two lengths of wire (forming
levers) are linked, the free ends of which are bent and twisted to link and hook
upon each other.
The ring is secured by wire or staples of wire, eyelets, or a rivet or rivets, or
other suitable means to the sack or bag near its mouth, and when the mouth of the
sack is to be closed it is gathered together, the free ends of the two lengths of wire
forming the two levers, are twisted upon each other, and in doing this they
compress the material of the sack or bag so that the elasticity of the wire levers
and that of the material of the sack or bag causes the ends of the two arms or
levers to be held firmly together, but they are readily released when required, by
an untwisting movement given to the two ends of the levers.
I have spoken of a ring of wire, but a plate of metal may be used instead, and of
the arms or levers being of wire, but they may be formed of malleable cast metal
or other suitable metal and jointed to the ring or plate.
The plate used in place of a ring, may be made of thin metal with spikes to pass
through and be secured in the material of the sack if desired.
In some cases small pointed projections are or may be formed upon the sides of
the arms or levers where they will come against the sack to enter into the material
of the sack or bag when the arms are brought together and twisted upon each
other and these spiked or pointed arrangements may be used more especially
when the locking device is to be secured at varying distances from the mouth of
the sack or bag.
Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the two wire levers connected to the ring and
twisted one upon the other, detached from the sack or bag.
Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same parts at a right angle to the plane at which
they are shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows the application of the device to the mouth of a sack the latter and
the device being in the position when the mouth of the sack or bag is gathered
together and locked or held closed by the device, and
Fig. 4 is a view of a part of the sack at a right angle to the plane in which it is

page_text: shown in Fig. 3 looking towards the ring to which the two wire levers are
connected.
The two wire levers a, and a¹, are alike except that one is right, and the other
left-handed. Each wire lever a, and a¹, has a curl or bend at one end by which it
is connected with the ring b. The other ends a³, and a², of the wire levers are bent
or twisted into the form shown so that one will engage with and hold against the
other when in the position in which they are shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
The ring b, is or may be attached to the material of the sack or bag upon one
side of it, near where the mouth of the sack or bag is to be closed, by stitching or
by wire staples 61, twisted together inside the sack or bag or by metal staples
somewhat similar to those used for fastening papers together, the ends of the staple
when passed through the texture of the bag or sack being then bent and flattened
against it, or the ring b, may be secured to the sack or bag by any other means.
When the wire levers a, and a', are of the proper size and suited to the size of the
mouth of the bag or sack to be secured, they never become unfastened by ordinary
usage to which sacks or bags of materials are subjected, and they are readily
fastened or unfastened by twisting the ends of the levers, the curls a³, and a³,
giving sufficient hold for this purpose.
But if desired a short staple of soft wire may be made to pass through the
curl a', and a', of each lever the two ends of the staple being then twisted together,
and this will prevent the wire levers from separating by accident, even if they are
badly fitted to the sack or bag, and when desired to prevent the contents of the
bag or sack being tampered with, the wire, cord or other material for holding the
wire levers from moving from their locked position may be sealed with wax or soft
metal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, communicated to me, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
I declare that what I claim is-
The use and application of two metal levers combined with each other or with
a ring or plate for securing the mouths of sacks or bags by twisting or uniting
one lever with the other, substantially as herein before described and illustrated
by the drawings.
Dated this Sixteenth day of January 1892.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.