IMPROVEMENTS IN BELT FASTENINGS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO. MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE UNITING OF PARTS OF HARNESS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clissold, of Dudbridge Works, near
Stroud, in the County of Gloucester, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BELT FASTENINGS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clissold at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st April 1868.
I, WILLIAM CLISSOLD, of Dudbridge Works, near Stroud, in the
County of Gloucester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BELT FASTENINGS, WHICH IMPROVE.
MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE UNITING OF PARTS OF HARNESS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel construction of fastening for
connecting by means of clamping pressure the ends of driving belts
or bands, and applicable also to the uniting of parts of harness.

page_text: The fastening under its various modifications may be described as
consisting of clamping plates, which when applied to the ends of a
band, will grip the ends firmly without possessing a tendency to cut
through the fabric.
The Invention admits of application in various forins.
For coupling the ends of a narrow belt or band I use a pair of
disc clamping plates having different diameters, and both furnished
with a raised annular rib on their inner face formed by recessing the
plates. One of these disc plates has a boss projecting from its inner
face, which boss is tapped to receive the thread of a coupling screw.
The ends of the strap to be joined are brought together to form a butt
joint, and a hole is formed in the line of the joint to allow the boss
to project through. The disc plates being applied to the strap, and the
screw inserted and tightened up, the strap will be firmly gripped, the
rib of the smaller plate pressing the leather with which it comes in
contact into the recess of the larger plate, and the rib of the larger plate
straining the leather over and holding it firmly against the rib of the
smaller plate. No force therefore put on the strap short of a tearing
strain will disengage the strap from the grip of the fastening.
For wider bands I use oblong ribbed clamping plates, the ribs of
one plate coinciding with grooves or recesses formed in the inner face of
the other, and by means of two or more screws I cause these plates to
grip the belt ends firmly between them. Tapped holes are made
through a broad shoulder or rib formed in the middle of the inner face
of the inner clamping plate; the belt ends do not therefore in this case
butt against each other,, but are brought up to the opposite sides of this
shoulder to be clamped. Tapped bosses may however be substituted for
this shoulder if thought desirable.
For still wider driving belts I may use two or more pairs of these
clamping plates to form one coupling. Also the upper plate instead of
having ribs at the edge only may have inner ribs likewise to ensure
a better bite of the leather.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Clissold in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLISSOLD, of Dudbridge Works, near Stroud, in the County of Gloucester,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Clissold, Her special licence that I,
the said William Clissold, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Clissold, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN BELT FASTENINGS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clissold,
my executors 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 performed, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clissold, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is,
to say)
This Invention relates to a novel construction of fastening for
connecting by means of clamping pressure the ends of driving belts
or bands, and applicable also to the uniting of parts of harness.
The fastening under its various modifications may be described as
consisting of clamping plates, which when applied to the ends of a

page_text: band, will grip the ends firmly without possessing a tendency to cut
through the fabric.
The Invention admits of application in various forms, as will be seen
by reference to the accompanying Drawing, where Fig. 1 shews in plan
view, and Fig. 2 in section a fastening suitable for coupling the ends
of a narrow belt or band or one that is not required to resist great
strain. The fastening, it will be seen, consists of a pair of disc
clamping plates A, B, formed of malleable cast iron, brass, or other
suitable metal. These disc plates have different diameters, and are
both furnished with a raised annular rib a, b, on their inner faces
formed by recessing the plates. The lower disc plate B has a boss b¹
projecting from its inner face, which boss is tapped to receive the
thread of a coupling screw C. The ends D, D, of the strap to be
joined are brought together to form a butt joint, and a hole is formed
in the line of the joint to allow the boss to project through. The disc
plates being applied to the strap and the screw inserted and tightened
up, the strap will be firmly gripped, the rib of the smaller plate
pressing the leather with which it comes in contact into the recess of
the larger plate, and the rib of the larger plate straining the leather over
and holding it firmly against the rib of the smaller plate. No force
therefore put on the strap short of a tearing strain will disengage the
strap from the grip of the fastening.
For wider bands I use oblong ribbed clamping plates, shown in
plan and cross section at Figures 3 and 4. In this fastening it will be
seen that the ribs b, b, of the plate B coincide with the grooves or
recesses formed in the inner face of the plate A, and by means of
two or it may be more screws C I cause these plates to grip the belt
ends firmly between them. Tapped holes are made through a broad
shoulder or rib formed in the middle of the inner face of the clamping
plate B; the belt ends do not therefore in this case butt against each
other, but they are brought up to the opposite sides of this shoulder to
be clamped. Tapped bosses may however be substituted for this shoulder
if thought desirable.
For still wider driving belts I may use two or more pairs of these
clamping plates to form one coupling.
The overlapping plate instead of having ribs at the edges only may
have inner ribs likewise to ensure a better bite of the leather: This
arrangement is shewn in plan and cross section at Figures 5 and 6,

page_text: where a, a, are the ribs of the overlapping plate A, and 6 the ribs
of the underlying plate B. In this example the plates are curved at
their edges, and the ribs having a corresponding form will take a
somewhat better grip upon, or offer a greater resistance to, the strain
of the belt or strap than the straight ribs. The smaller plate B is cast
with bosses 61, which are tapped to receive the clamping screws C, C,
of which there may be two or more, according to the width of the
belt or strap.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in Belt Fastenings," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim, the use of clamping plates having ribbed
or interlocking surfaces, as above described in the manufacture of belt
fastenings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clissold, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
above-named William Clissold,
in the presence of
W. CAREY PITT,
Stroud,
Glos.
WILLIAM CLISSOLD. (L.S.)