PROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR TRUNKS, BOXES, BAGS, VALISES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
nty
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of
PROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR TRUNKS, BOXES, BAGS, VALISES, AND OTHER
LIKE ARTICLES."-A communication from abroad by William Shankland
Paddock, of Albany, in the State of New York, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th April
1866.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,.
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR TRUNKS, BOXES, BAGS, VALISES, AND
OTHER LIKE' ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the arrangement of a slide made of metal or
other suitable material and provided with two or more pear-shaped slots, said
slide being fitted into a suitable guide attached to one of the parts forming
the mouth or opening part of a trunk, box, bag, valise, or other similar article
in combination with a series of button-headed studs, which are secured to the
opposite part of the mouth of said trunk, bag, or other article, in such a
manner that by closing the mouth of the trunk or other article the heads of
the studs are made to pass through the large parts of the pear-headed slots,

page_text: and by moving the slide said mouth or opening is fastened throughout its
entire length by reason of the necks of the button heads sliding into the small
parts of the pear-shaped slots. If desired, the slide with the pear-shaped slots
may be connected to the mechanism of a lock, so that said slide takes the
place of the ordinary bolt, and by turning the key the slide is opened and
closed; or it may be operated by a spring catch or otherwise. This slide
and counterpart should extend throughout the length of the trunk, valise,
or other article, and may even with advantage extend around the entire mouth
or closing part of the article.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th
October 1866..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send' greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR TRUNKS, BOXES, BAGS, VALISES, AND OTHER LIKE
ARTICLES," a communication to me from abroad by William Shankland
Paddock, of, Albany, in the State of New York, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my exe-.
cutors 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 per-
formed, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said William Clark, 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 Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention consists in the arrangement of a slide made of metal or
other suitable material, and provided with two or more pear-shaped slots; the
said slide being fitted into a suitable guide attached to one of the parts
forming the mouth of a trunk, box, bag, valise, or other similar article in
combination with a series of button-headed studs, which are secured to the
opposite part of the mouth of the said trunk, bag, or other article, in such a
manner that by closing the mouth of the trunk or other article the heads of
the studs are made to pass through the large parts of the pear-headed slots,
and by moving the slide the said mouth is fastened throughout its entire
length. If desired the slide with the pear-shaped slots may be connected. to
the mechanism of a lock, so that the said slide takes the place of the ordinary
bolt, and by turning the key the slide is opened and closed.
This Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the same when applied to a bag,
the mouth of which is composed of four parts united by suitable hinges;
Figure 2 is a similar view of a travelling bag, provided with the improved
fastening; Figure 3 is a similar view of a trunk; Figure 4 is a similar view
of a valise. The remaining views are details, which will be referred to as the
description progresses. Similar letters of reference in all the Figures indicate
corresponding parts.
:
A represents a slide made of sheet brass or other suitable material of
sufficient strength and durability. The form of the slide varies according to
the article for which it is to be used. In Figures 7 and 8 a slide is shown of
that form used for bags; the slide shown in Figure 19 is of the form used for
valises; and the slide shown in Figure 22 is of the form used for trunks. The
said slide is provided with pear-shaped slots a, and it moves in a case or under
a frame B made of metal, or any other suitable material. The form or shape
of this frame varies according to the article to which it is to be attached, and
it may be provided with a recess b to receive the lock, as shown in Figures 9
to 16 inclusive; or in some cases the frame may be detached from the lock, as
shown in Figure 21, and the slide made to move in the frame by the action
of the key or by hand. The frame B is provided with round holes c large
enough to admit the heads of the studs d, and it is secured to one part of the
mouth of the bag, valise, box, or trunk which is to be fastened by the slide.

page_text: To the other part of the said mouth a metal plate C is firmly secured, and in
this plate the studs d are fastened in such a position that when the mouth is
closed the heads of the said studs will pass through the holes c in the frame B
and through the large parts of the pear-shaped slots a in the slide A. By
moving the slide in the proper direction the small parts of the pear-shaped
slots a catch under the heads of the studs d, and the mouth is closed through-
out its whole length. In applying this fastening to a bag, such as shown in
Figure 1 of the Drawing, the mouth of which is composed of four parts which
are connected by suitable hinges, the slide A, and also the frame B and
plate C, have to be made each in two parts, which are also united by hinges,
so that the same will fold and unfold with the bag.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the slide A with pear-
shaped slots a in combination with a suitable guide frame B, plate C, with
studs d, and with or without a lock constructed and operating substantially
as and for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
58, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)