CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COLLARS FOR HORSES AND OTHER DRAFT ANIMALS
Year: 1841

page_text: DAY'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
Rock DAY, of Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Saddlers Ironmonger, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Sixth day of January, in the fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give. and grant unto me, the
said John Rock Day, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John Rock Day, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said John Rock Day, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COLLARS FOR HORSES AND OTHER DRAFT
ANIMALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me,
the said John Rock Day, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same
to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Rock Day, do hereby declare that the nature of my said. Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference

page_text: being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, that is to say :-
These improvements in the construction of collars for horses and other
draught animals consist,―
Firstly, in the adaptation of a peculiar apparatus for fastening the junctions
of expanding collars, that is, such collars as are made to open or expand for
the purpose of allowing the animal's head to pass through without obstruction.
And, secondly, in attaching two ribs of wood as a forewale to the metal
frame of the collar in place of the ordinary tube of leather stuffed with straw.
And, thirdly, in the peculiar construction of arms affixed to the framing of
the collar instead of the draft eye of the ordinary moveable frames, to which
the tugs of the traces are to be connected; by means of which improvements the
use of the ordinary moveable frames is superseded, and the collar allowed to be
made stronger and lighter; it may also be passed over the animal's head with-
out being inverted, and the traces attached and detached with perfect ease and
facility.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a front view of my im-
proved collar, suited for a gig horse, it being in this Figure closed as when
upon the neck of the animal ready for working. Fig. 2 represents the same
form of collar when open or expanded, as about to be passed over the animal's
head. For the better explanation of the peculiar construction of fastening, by
which the junctions of the collar are held together, Fig. 3 represents the
back part of the metal framing, shewing the box in section, in which the
sliding bolt and catch act which hold the sides of the collar together. Fig. 5
represents the same when the collar is opened or expanded. The metal frame
a, a, a, is made of two pieces of stout plate iron, or they may be forged to
about the eight of an inch thick, and three quarters of an inch broad, varying
according to the strength required; these two pieces are connected at top by
a joint pin b, on which they are allowed to open or expand; a segment formed
box c, c, is affixed to the back of one of the side frames at bottom, as shewn in
Figures 3, 4, and 5; to the other side frame at. bottom a curved bolt d is
attached by a joint pin e; this curved bolt d slides in the segment box c,
having an enlargement or tooth at the end, which, when the collar is closed
(as in Figures 3 and 4), drops into an opening or slot in the under part of the
box, and is there held fast and prevented from rising out of the slot by a spring
bolt f, thus the lower parts of the collar are firmly locked together upon the
horse's neck when in use. In order to remove the collar from the horse's
neck a stud g, extending from the spring bolt f, must be drawn back by
the thumb of the horse-keeper, which will release the end of the curved bolt

page_text: and allow its tooth to rise up out of the slot, and the bolt to be drawn back in
the box until the tooth comes against a stop h at the end of the box, as in
Fig. 5, and thereby prevents the collar being further expanded. The ribs of
wood to constitute the forewale i, i, i, of the collar are cut out to the proper
form and attached to the front part of the metal frame a, a, a, by screws, as
shewn in the Figures; they are then covered in front with japanned leather,,
like the face of the collar, or may be finished with any other suitable material:
that may be desired: The arms by which the traces are to be connected to.
the collar are shewn at k; k, and I, l; in Figures 3, 4, and 5. The pieces k, k,
form extensions from the metal frames a, à; they are slightly bent to the curve
of the collar, and, with the other parts of the metal frame, are enclosed by the.
padding within the collar. An eye near the end of each arm k, projects through
the sides of the padding of the collar for the purpose of receiving a screw pin m.
The bracket arms l, I, are firmly attached to the metal frames a, a, by pins passed:
through small holes in the frames, as seen at n, n, in Figures 3, 4, and 5, büt
extend outside of the collar, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The outer ends of
these bracket arms l, are formed with an eye also to receive the screw pin m;
a tug or eye piece p, attached to the end of each trace, being introduced
between these arms k and l, is to be made fast thereto, by the insertion of the
screw pin m through the three eyes or openings, by which means the horse
is enabled to draw from the collar. When the collar is to be constructed for
one of a pair of horses for a carriage, having a pole between them, it will then
be necessary to attach to the collar a contrivance shewn in Fig. 6. This
Figure represents the back part of the metal framing of the collar, with the:
wooden forewale, the box and sliding bolt, and bracket arms, as before described.
From the lower parts of the metal frames a, a, bent rods r, r, of an elliptical
form extend; to which rods a piece s, called the kidney link, is appended with
the ring t, for the pole chain. This piece s has elliptical eyes v, v, at its ends;
and when the collar is to be expanded in the way above described, the kidney
link is turned up, and the rods r, r, are thereby enabled to slide apart through
the eyes of the kidney link; but when the collar is closed, as in Fig. 6, the
kidney link hangs down and assists in keeping the junctions of the collar
together by the eyes v, v, bearing against shoulders on the rod r, r. .A variation
in the construction of the framing of the collar suited to cart horses is shewn
in Figures 7 and 8, the one representing the collar closed, the other expanded.
The metal framing a, a, a, is connected by a joint b at top, and is open at
bottom; the segment box is shewn at c, c, exhibiting the curved sliding bolt
d working within it. Instead of the spring bolt, which confined the sliding
bolt as before described, a leverf is in this instance employed, which turns

page_text: upon a pin e fixed in the frame. When the collar is closed, as shewn at Fig. 7;
the lever is to be raised and its tail end confined by a pendant link 9, the
nose i of the lever being by that means pressed down upon the bolt, so as to
confine it and lock the lower parts of the collar firmly together. But when
the collar is to be expanded, then the lever is released, as at Fig. 8, and the
curved sliding bolt allowed to slide along in the segment box until arrested by
a stop. Fig. 9 represents the lower part of the framing of the two last described
Figures as it would appear on the opposite side. In this instance there are
two segment boxes c, one fixed on each side of the frame; and there are also
two parallel curved sliding bolts, which are employed for the purpose of giving
additional strength. Sockets k, k, extend from the sides of the frames, to which
the tugs for draught are to be attached by pins.
.
:
Having now described my improved construction of collars for horses and
other draught animals, I desire it to be understood that the particular features
of novelty which I have invented and claim under the above in part recited
Letters Patent are,―
Firstly, the mode of attaching and holding the opening parts of an expanding
collar by means of a curved sliding bolt acting at the throat part of the collar
in a curved socket, the curved bolt, being confined when the collar is closed
by a spring bolt; wedge, catch, or lever made to act upon it at that time.
Secondly, attaching wooden ribs to the metal frames of the collar as
forewales.
And, thirdly, the novel construction of arms or brackets affixed to the metal
framing, to which the tugs or traces are to be attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Rock Day, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
JOHN ROCK (L.S.) DAY.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Sixth day of July, in
the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Rock Day came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Sixth day of July, in the year above written.