Year: 1886

page_text: '
I, WILLIAM WILLOTT POPPLEWELL, of the firm of Popplewell, Colton, & Co., of
17.and 18 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad
by Eugene Charles Smith, of the City, County, and State of New York, U.S.A.)
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to an improved belt fastener by which belts of all
kinds can be readily connected and disconnected, said fastener being made up in
strips so as to be adapted to be cut into suitable lengths according to the width of
the belts on which they are to be used.
The invention consists of a belt-fastener the body of which is provided at both
sides of its edges, and opposite to each other, with downwardly-bent 'tapering
prongs or teeth, which are bent to an angle of less than 45 degrees to the body of
the fastener.
The belt-fastener, the body of which is provided with downwardly-bent prongs
or teeth at opposite points of its edges, can have openings in the body located at
points intermediate to and in line with the spaces between said teeth.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents a top view of the improved
belt-fastener, shewn as applied to a belt.
Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same on line x-x, Fig. 1. .
Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the fastener, and
Fig. 4 is an end view of the same.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Referring to the drawings, A and A¹ represent the meeting ends of a belt, and
B the improved fastener, which is made of sheet metal, preferably of sheet steel,
malleable cast iron, or any other suitable material.
The body of the fastener B is made slightly convex and provided at opposite
points of its edges with downwardly-bent teeth or prongs a which are arranged at
an angle of less than 45 degrees to the body of the fastener. The teeth a are
made tapering and slightly curved, as shewn clearly in Fig. 2, and serve to enter
[Price 6d1

page_text: into the belt ends in inclined direction without being liable to pierce the belt ends
so as to appear at the under side of the same. Should they, however, pierce the
belt ends entirely, the angle at which they are bent to the body can be decreased
by beating down the points into the belt ends. The inclination of the tapering
teeth or prongs at an angle of less than 45 degrees to the body of the fastener has
a tendency to cause the teeth to embed themselves more and more into the belt
ends the greater the strain exerted thereon, and increase thereby their hold on the
belt ends.
The inclined teeth of the fastener have the further advantage that the fastener
can be readily removed from the belt by hand and without injuring it in the least,
as it is not applied by permanent fastening devices to the belt. They can be
readily detached from the belt by simply pushing the ends of the belt toward each
other, which permits the prongs to readily leave the holes.
In the body of the fastener B are arranged openings 6 which are cut out at
points of the body intermediately between and in line with the spaces between
the teeth or prongs a, whereby the weight of the fastener is diminished and the
cutting up of the same in sizes to suit the width of the belt facilitated.
In manufacturing the fasteners, they are made up in skeleton strips of suitable
length and cut up into smaller pieces or lengths according to the width of the belts
for which they are to be used. For this purpose the openings in the body of the
fastener are of special advantage, as the cut or break can be made through any one
of them, while the manufacture in a continuous strip forms a convenient method
of supplying them to users of belts, who can cut off any width at any time
according to requirements.
In applying my improved fastener to the belt ends, inclined holes are punched
into the ends at the proper distance from the edge of the same, for which purpose
a specially constructed tool is used by which the regular position and distance of
the punched holes from each other and to the edge of the belt ends is produced..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A belt fastener, consisting of a body having downwardly-bent tapering teeth
or prongs at opposite points along its edges, said prongs being bent at an angle of
less than 45 degrees to the body of the fastener, substantially as set forth.
2. A belt fastener, consisting of a body provided with downwardly-bent and
tapering teeth at opposite points along its edges and openings in the body of the
fastener, substantially as set forth.
3. A belt fastener, consisting of a body provided with downwardly-bent and
tapering teeth or prongs at opposite points along its edges, and having openings in
said body intermediately between and in line with the spaces between said teeth,
substantially as set forth.