Improvements in or connected with Buckles for Wearing Apparel.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Oct., 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Buckles for Wearing Apparel.
I THOMAS BARKER of 6 Patmos Todmorden in the County of York Sewing Machine
Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
My invention relates to buckles for waistcoat straps, hraces, garters and similar
straps or bands for wearing apparel and consists in the arrangement or application of
springs to said buckles by means of which the pull on said straps or bands is rendered
elastic and the buckle can yield when the pull on the straps or bands becomes increased,
thereby preventing the tearing of the cloth and adding to the comfort of the
wearer.
In carrying my invention into effect I arrange in the buckle a sliding crossbar or its
equivalent suitably guided on the buckle and insert between said cross bar and the
bar at the end of the buckle frame springs of suitable form and attach the buckle to
the band or strap by passing the latter round the sliding cross bar and springs and
sewing or fastening the end of the band or strap to the body of the same, in a similar
manner as buckles are usually attached to bands or straps. The special arrange-
ment of cross bar and springs may he modified in various ways to suit different kinds
or styles of buckles.
In the cases of buckles with square frames and a swivelling cross bar with prongs I
arrange behind this bar the sliding cross bar and make it by preference tubular. To
the end bar of the buckle I fix a wire bent at each corner of the buckle by preference
with one or two convolutions and so that each end passes diagonally across the
rectangle formed by the buckle and sliding bar and then bend the wire again at each
end so that it enters into the tubular sliding bar. The sides of the buckle are slit for
the wire to pass through before entering the tubular cross bar and the wires and cross
bar are guided in this way.
In some cases I form the sliding cross bar so that it embraces the sides of the buckle
and place between it and the end bar of the buckle circular elliptical or flatted coiled
springs fastened to the two bars.
In some cases I form the crossbar solid as part of the spring by making the part
of the spring fixed to the buckle of coiled wire and carrying the end of the wire round
the sides of the buckle and joining it to the coil. In some cases where the cross bar
embraces the sides of the buckle I form the springs by coiling wires round the sides
of the buckle itself.
In the case of buckles without swivelling pronged bar where the prongs are
arranged on the end bar of the buckle I arrange a cross bar sliding on the prongs and
insert springs between said cross bar and the buckle bar to which the prongs are.
attached. These springs are conveniently made of wire coiled round the prong or
prongs, and the cross bar may be formed by extending the wire to the width of the
buckle at the end. With these buckles the ends of the prongs are passed through
holes in the strap or band and the band is doubled back over the springs and cross
bar and sewn or fastened to the body of the strap as usual.
When the other loose end of the strap or band is drawn through a buckle made as
hereinbefore described and fastened by the prongs as usual, and the pull on the band or
strap increases the cross bar recedes and compresses the spring or springs, and returns:
again when the pull is removed or decreased, thereby rendering the strap or band.
elastic with the advantages herein before set forth.
Dated this 10th day of January 1890.
EMMOTI & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Buckles for Wearing Apparel.
I, THOMAS BARKER, of 6, Patmos, Todmorden, in the County of York, Sewing
Machine Agent, 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 :-
My invention relates to buckles and equivalent attachments for waistcoat straps,
braces, belts, garters and similar straps or bands for wearing apparel and consists in
improved arrangements of said buckles and springs applied to the same by means of
which the pull on said straps or bands is rendered elastic, so that the buckle can yield
when the pull on the strap or bands becomes increased, preventing the tearing of the
cloth and adding to the comfort of the wearer.
In carrying my invention into effect, I arrange in the buckle a sliding cross-bar or
its equivalent suitably guided in the buckle and insert betwen the said cross-bar and
the end-bar of the buckle frame a spring of suitable form and attach the buckle to
the band or strap by passing the latter round the sliding cross-bar and spring and
sewing or fastening the end of the band or strap to the body of the same, similarly
as buckles are usually attached to bands or straps. The special arrangement of cross-
bar and spring may be modified to suit different styles or kinds of buckles.
On the sheet of drawings appended hereunto
Fig. 1 shows front view and cross section of an improved buckle for the front part
of braces, with the spring removed.
Fig. 2 the spring of the same.
Fig. 3 the complete buckle fixed in the brace with leather or cloth tongue and spring
in section.
Fig. 4 a similar view of buckle or attachment for the back part of braces.
Fig. 5 a buckle for garters and similar narrow bands with the band in section.
Fig. 6 another kind of buckle for similar purposes.
In buckles having a separate cross-bar a with prongs, like the buckle shown by
Figs. 1 and 3, or a swivelling pronged cross-bar, or a fixed cross-har with prongs
hinged on the same, I make the frame of the buckle behind such pronged bar
longer than in ordinary buckles and arrange a sliding cross-bar b bent at the ends
round the side bars cc of the frame and thus guided on the bars c c. Between
the sliding-bar b and the end-bar d of the buckle-frame I place one or more coiled
springs. By preference I use one flat coiled spring e as shewn on the drawings
and bend the sliding-bar b and the end-bar d towards each other at their middle
parts as shewn on Figs. 1 and 3, the bends reaching inside the spring and holding
the same in its position after it has been placed between the bars band d. By
preference I make the back part of the buckle frame narrower than the part in
which the cross-bar 6 moves, as shewn, so as to form shoulders c¹ c¹ against which
the cross-bar is stopped when the spring e is compressed in order to prevent said
spring being overstrained. When attaching the buckle thus arranged to the tabs
of the brace, I pass a leather piece or clip f over the sliding bar and connect
its ends outside the buckle by a rivet g or double eyelet, or by sewing, and attach
to it a ring with tabs ii or otherwise connect these to the clip f in any suitable
ordinarily used manner. The clip covers the spring on both sides and thereby
protects the wearer's garments against being chafed and worn through by the
spring. The other part of the brace is fixed by the prongs on bar a in the usual way,
and when the strain on the same increases, the spring e is compressed and expands
again after the strain has decreased.
Instead of one flat spring two or more circular helical springs may be inserted
between the cross-bar b and the end d of the buckle, held in position by prongs formed
on the bars or by equivalent means.
Fig. 4 shows a buckle or attachment for the back part of a brace with the sliding

page_text: cross-bar, buckle frame and spring arranged in the same way as hereinbefore described
with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
Fig. 5 shows a buckle with a fixed cross-bar s on which the prong p is hinged.
Behind the cross-bar s a sliding cross-bar b and spring e are arranged in the same way
as hereinbefore described, the band n being passed over the bar b and the end of the
band attached to the body of the same as usual.
Fig. 6 shows a buckle in which the prong is hinged on the end-bar of the buckle.
In such buckles I place a coiled spring / round the prong p, extending the upper end
of the spring to nearly the sides m m of the buckle frame so as to form a cross-bar 1,
over which the end of the strap n is drawn and sewn to the body of the strap at the
back of the buckle.
By preference I make the buckle in this case also with a narrowed part at the back,
so as to form shoulders o o against which the cross-bar is stopped when the spring
is compressed. In buckles of this kind having more than one prong I use an oblong
coiled spring similar to that shewn by Fig. 2 with extensions at the top to the sides
of the buckle frame.
Some other arrangements of springs described in my Provisional Specification have
been omitted from this Complete Specification in consequence of said arrangements
having proved less effective and satisfactory than those hereinbefore described.
Obviously the arrangements of springs hereinbefore described with reference to
Figs. 1 to 5 are equally applicable to buckles without prongs having other clipping
or locking arrangements for adjusting the straps or bands.
I am aware that arrangements of springs for the purpose of making buckles elastic
have been used before and I do not claim the use of springs in connection with buckles
generally, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is:
Firstly. In buckles and equivalent attachments for wearing apparel the arrangement
of a cross-bar sliding on the side-bars of the buckle frame and a helical spring or
springs placed between said cross-bar and the end-bar of the buckle frame, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated by Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings.
Secondly. The arrangement for holding a spring placed between the sliding cross-bar
and the end-bar of a buckle frame in position by opposite bends in said bars, substan-
tially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
Thirdly. The arrangement of a helical spring surrounding the prong or prongs
hinged upon the end-bar of a buckle, said spring being extended at the top to form a
cross-bar for the strap, substantially as herein before described with reference to
Figure 6 of the drawings.
Dated this 1st day of October 1890.
EMMOTT & CO.,
Agents for the Applicant.