Improvements in Fastenings for Harness.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fastenings for Harness.
I, SAMUEL HENRY HAAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Logan
Station, in the County of Montgomery, and State of Pennsylvania, Mechanic,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS
FOR HARNESS, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—-
The principal objects of my invention are first, to provide a strong, durable,
efficient and comparatively inexpensive harness-fastening which shall in use present
a neat, attractive and finished appearance; and second, to provide simple, compact
and reliable interlocking devices for connecting the respective members of the
device in such manner as to be firmly held to place against accidental displacement
without the employment of screws, rivets, leather loops and the like, and in such
manner as to be susceptible of ready and convenient manual detachment and
attachment to facilitate the operations of cleaning and repairing.
My invention consists of a harness-fastening, comprising two members adapted
for attachment to parts of harness and one of said members provided with a claw
and the other with a transverse bar adapted to be connected with and disconnected
from said claw by turning one of the members into inoperative or abnormal position.
My invention further consists of a harness-fastening, comprising two members
adapted for attachment to parts of harness and one of said members provided with a
claw having a contracted opening and the other provided with a transverse bar of
oblong cross-section adapted to be inserted into and withdrawn through said
contracted opening by turning the shorter axis of the bar opposite the contracted
opening.
My invention further consists of a harness-fastening, comprising two members,.
whereof one is provided with a recess and with a bar having an oblong cross-section
and whereof the other comprises a frame with a transversely ranging slotted-claw
having a contracted opening or terminal and a tongue having one extremity thereof
pivotally connected with the bar and working in the slotted-claw and having the
other extremity thereof engaging the frame; and
My invention further consists of the improvements in fastening devices for harness
hereinafter fully described and claimed.
The nature, scope and general characteristic features of my invention will
be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with
the accompanying drawings forming part hereof; and in which
Figure 1, is a view partly in front elevation and partly in section of a harness-
fastening embodying features of my invention, in application to a shaft-supporter or
pocket and a saddle-strap.
Fig. 2, is an elevational view of a portion of the device to the left, as shown
in Fig. 1.
and
Fig. 3, is an elevational view of the device to the right as illustrated in Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 4, is a detail view illustrating the position of the parts where the respective
members of the fastening are in position for connection and disconnection.
In the drawings a, is one member of the fastening device with a transverse bar a¹,
of oblong cross-section as illustrated in Fig. 1, and cast or otherwise formed integral
with upwardly projecting lugs a², so that a recess or opening a', is formed in the
member a.
b, is the other member of the fastening-device, comprising a rectangular
frame, with a transversely ranging claw 6, having a contracted entrance or
terminal as at 6, and slotted as at 6, for purposes to be presently explained. c; is a
tongue having one extremity thereof encircling the bar a', and working in the
[Price 8d 1

page_text: slotted portion 6, of the claw 3, and having the other extremity thereof disposed in
such manner that it co-operates with one of the end-pieces 6, of the frame b¹, and
constitutes a buckle and the other end-piece b', constitutes a retaining-loop. When
the longer transverse axis of the bar a¹, coincides with the direction of the
contracted entrance or terminal 6, of the claw 6, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the
members a and b, may be readily connected and disconnected. However, when
the bar a', occupies any other position with respect to the entrance or terminal b³,
for example, that illustrated in Fig. 1, the respective members cannot be accidentally
or otherwise disconnected, because the bar a', will not pass through the opening or
terminal of the claw . It may be remarked in this connection that the position of
the respective members a and b, as illustrated in Fig. 4, is an abnormal or
inoperative one and that their position as illustrated in Fig. 1, is an operative or
normal position, so that the members a and b, may be disconnected when in
inoperative position and are firmly held or locked against accidental disconnection
When the bar a', is being inserted into the claw ', in the manner
above described the tongue c, extends through the frame b, as illustrated in Fig. 4.
However, in some instances the tongue c, may be attached to the bar by bending
one of its extremities around the same after it has been inserted into the claw 63, or
the tongue c, may be connected with the buckle-frame .
when in use.
In the present instance the member a, is a shaft pocket or support having a
recess d and a cross-bar d', cast or otherwise formed therewith, in order to permit
one extremity of the girth e, to be looped around the said cross-bar d', and then
secured by sewing or in any other preferred manner. The transverse-bar a', and
lugs a², are also cast integral with the shaft-pocket or support, so that the latter and
its accessories are cast in one piece. Consequently the shaft-pocket or support is
light, cheap and presents a neat and attractive appearance. Moreover, the frame b',
is secured to the saddle-strap f, by means of the tongue c, and the extremity of the
strap, is tucked under the end-piece 6, of the frame. Of course the described
harness-fastening, comprising the transverse-bar a', frame b', and other accessories
may be employed for connecting a buckle to any part of harness other than a
shaft-pocket or support, for example, the transverse-bar a', may be attached to one
of the hames and the trace buckled into the frame b', by means of the tongue c. In
any case the frame ', may be detached from the part to which the bar a', is secured,
by the simple operation of turning the frame into inoperative or abnormal position
and then sliding the bar out of the claw 62, in the manner hereinbefore explained.
In use the parts are firmly held against accidental detachment, not only by reason
of the fact that the longer transverse axis of the transverse-bar a', must be in
alignment with the entrance or terminal 3, before they can be disconnected, but
also by reason of the fact that the strap, in the present instance the saddle-strap f,
engages the member a, through the intervention of the tongue c, and also engages
the member, by contacting with the end-pieces 6 and 6, thereof.
It will be obvious that modifications of my invention may be made as to the
details, without departing from the spirit thereof, hence I do not limit myself to
the precise construction and arrangement of the parts of the same as hereinbefore
explained and illustrated.
Having thus particularly ascertained the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A harness fastening, comprising two members adapted for attachment to parts
of harness and one of said members provided with a claw and the other with a
transverse-bar adapted to be connected with and disconnected from said claw by
turning one or both of the members into inoperative or abnormal position, substan-
tially as and for the purposes described.
2. A harness-fastening, comprising two members adapted for attachment to parts
of harness and one of said members provided with a claw having a contracted
opening or terminal and the other with a transverse bar of oblong cross-section
lapted to be inserted into and withdrawn from said contracted opening or terminal

page_text: by turning the shorter axis of the bar opposite the contracted opening or terminal,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. A harness-fastening, comprising two members, whereof one is provided with a
recess and with a bar having an oblong cross-section and whereof the other
comprises a frame with a transversely ranging slotted-claw having a contracted
opening or terminal, and a tongue having one extremity thereof pivotally connected
with said bar and working in said slotted-claw and having the other extremity
thereof engaging said frame, substantially as and for the purposes described.
4. A harness fastening, comprising a bar secured to one part of the harness by
means of lugs and having one of its transverse axes longer than the other, a frame
provided with a claw adapted to be fitted over the shorter axis of the bar, and a
tongue pivotally attached to said bar, the construction and arrangement being such
that a strap may be connected to the part of said harness by means of the frame
and tongue, substantially as described."
5. A harness fastening, comprising two members adapted for attachment to parts
of harness and one of said members provided with a claw and the other with a bar
adapted to be connected with and disconnected from said claw by turning the
members into inoperative or abnormal position and a tongue connected with said
bar, substantially as and for the purposes described.
6. A harness fastening comprising a bar rigidly attached at its extremities to one
part of the harness by means of projecting lugs and having one of its transverse
axes longer than the other, a buckle-frame provided intermediate of its end pieces
with a claw adapted to be fitted over the shorter axis of the bar by turning the
buckle frame into inoperative position and to be interlocked with the bar by turning
the buckle frame into operative position with the longer axis of the bar opposite
the opening of the claw, and a tongue pivotally attached to said bar and working in
a slot ranging transversely of the claw, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
7. A fastener for parts of harness, comprising a frame having one of the
transverse parts thereof slotted to form a claw provided with a terminal, a tongue
and a thill-tug provided with a member detachably engaging with said claw through
the terminal thereof for holding the two parts together in operative position,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
8. A fastener for parts of harness, comprising a buckle having one of its cross-
bars bifurcated to form a claw with a flat terminal, a tongue and a thill-tug
provided with a flat cross-bar adapted to engage said claw and hold the two parts
together when the buckle is in normal position and detachable therefrom through
said terminal when in abnormal position, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
9. In combination, a shaft-pocket or supporter provided with a bar having one of
its axes longer than the other, a frame provided with a claw having an opening or
entrance and a tongue, the construction being such that the frame and tongue
constitute a buckle, whereby the shaft pocket or supporter may be attached to a
saddle-strap, substantially as and for the purposes described.
10. In combination, a shaft-pocket or supporter provided with a bar for engaging
the girth and with a pin having one of its transverse axes longer than the other, a
rectangular frame provided with a transversely ranging claw having a contracted
opening or entrance and a tongue, the construction being such that the frame and
tongue constitute a buckle, whereby the shaft-pocket or supporter may be attached
to a saddle-strap, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 30th day of March A.D. 1893.
SAMUEL HENRY HAAS.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.