AN IMPROVED BELT CLASP OR COUPLING, AND APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING THE SAME
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED
BELT CLASP OR COUPLING, AND APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING THE SAME."
A communication from abroad by William Mason Whiting, of Elizabeth, in
11
Qiaio of No To United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th June 1881.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"AN IMPROVED BELT CLASP OR COUPLING, AND APPARATUS FOR
AFFIXING THE SAME." [A communication from abroad by William Mason
Whiting, of Elizabeth, in the County of Union and State of New Jersey, United
States of America.]
This Invention relates to a belt clasp especially adapted to the round leather
belts used for driving machinery. The clasp holds the belt by means of inward
circumferential ribs that confine the leather near the ends, the clasp itself being a
short tube of sheet metal, preferably with flaring or bell mouthed ends for easily
receiving the ends of the belt. The improvement relates to uniting the belt by
compressing into the sheet metal clasp the circumferential ribs to confine the belt,
after the ends thereof have been inserted into the tubular clasp.
It is generally preferable to form by pressure circumferential creases or grooves in
the material of the belt before the tubular clasp is applied, so that the ribs of the
clasp may be pressed into such grooves.
The Invention also relates to pincers for compressing the ends of the belt and
forming the circumferential grooves, and for applying the clasp, said pincers
being made with semi-elliptical and rounded or dish shaped recesses or chambers,
which recess or chambers do not extend entirely across the faces of the jaws, and
with larger semi-elliptical recesses which do extend entirely across the faces of the
jaws, and which recesses are formed with inwardly projecting semi-elliptical ribs
at or near their ends, so that the ends of the belt may be compressed and the edges

page_text: rounded, and also the crease or circumferential groove formed in them by the short
recesses or chambers, into which groove the clasp is embedded by means of the
larger and longer recesses of the pincers after the ends of the belt have been
inserted into the tubular clasp.
The ends of the belt are to be cut off square and each end is introduced into tho
short recesses or chambers of the pincers, which recesses are made in semi-elliptical
form with the corners rounded, so that when the belt is compressed by bringing
the jaws forcibly together, the material of the belt will not be cut or otherwise
injured. These recesses are of a length equal to about one half the length of the
clasp intended to be used, and are rounded or disc shaped at their inner ends, and
they have inwardly projecting ribs at or near their outer ends, so that when the
end of the belt is inserted into the recesses and squeezed and partially rotated
between each compression, the material of the belt will be compressed and the edge
rounded, and a circumferential groove formed around it the proper distance from
the end, and when both ends of the belt have been compressed in this manner they
will be ready to be inserted into the clasp. The other recesses which extend
entirely across the faces of the jaws of the pincers are also seini-elliptical, and are
each formed at or near each end with inwardly projecting ribs for compressing the
nnnular ribs in the clasp after the ends of the belt have been inserted into the clasp,
which ribs press the metal of the clasp into the grooves formed in the ends of the
belt, as before described, and thus firmly secure the ends of the belt together
within the clasp.
It is preferred to form the clasp with its ends flaring or bell mouthed, as when
thus constructed the insertion of the compressed and grooved ends of the belt is
nuch facilitated, and when the clasp is compressed between the jaws of the pincers
there will be no sharp edges or angles formed to cut into the material of the belt,
which would weaken and injuro it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th December 1881.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "AN IMPROVED BELT CLASP OR COUPLING, AND APPARATUS FOR
AFFIXING THE SAME." A communication from abroad by William Mason
Whiting, of Elizabeth, in the County of Union and State of New Jersey, United
States of America.
This Invention relates to an improved belt clasp especially adapted to the round
leather belts used for driving machinery. The clasp holds the belt by means of
inward annular ribs that confine the leather near the ends, the clasp itself being a
short tube of sheet metal.
The improvement consists in uniting the belt by compressing into the sheet metal
clasp, the annular ribs to confine tho belt after the ends thereof have been inserted
into the tubular clasp. It is generally preferable to compress into the material of
the belt annular grooves before the tubular clasp is applied, so that the inward
annular ribs of the clasp may be pressed into such grooves.
The Invention also relates to pincers for compressing the ends of the belt and
forming the annular grooves, and for applying the clasp, said pincers being made
with semi-elliptical and rounded or dish shaped recesses or chambers, which
recesses or chambers do not extend entirely across the faces of the jaws, and with
larger semi-elliptical recesses which do extend entirely across the faces of the jaws,
and which recesses are formed with inwardly projecting semi-elliptical ribs at or
near their ends, so that the ends of the belt may be compressed and the edges
rounded, and also the crease or annular groove formed in them by the short
recesses or chambers, into which groove the clasp is embedded by means of the
larger and longer recesses of the pincers after the ends of the belt have been
inserted into the tubular clasp.
The Invention also relates to forming the metal clasp for the belts with enlarged
flaring or bell-mouthed ends for easily receiving the grooved and compressed ends
of the belt.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the pincers formed
as I prefer to form them with the semi-elliptical ribbed recesses; Figure 2 is a
section on line x, x, of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view of the belt showing the pincers
upon the compressed clasp, and one of the flaring clasps applied previous to
compression; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the jaws of the pincers; Figure 5
is a cross section of the jaws of the pincers through the recesses thereof; Figure G
shows the leather belt compressed ready to receive the clasp; Figure 7 is a
perspective view of the tubular bell-mouthed clasp. Similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts.
The ends i, i, of the belt are to be cut off square, and each end is introduced
into the short recesses or chambers b, b, of the pincers D, which recesses are made
in semi-elliptical form with the corners rounded, so that when the belt is com-
pressed by bringing the jaws forcibly together, the material of the belt will not
be cut or otherwise injured by the corners of the recesses. These recesses b, b,
are of a length equal to about one half the length of the clasp intended to be
used, and are rounded or dish shaped at their inner ends, and they have inwardly
projecting ribs b¹ at or near their outer ends, so that when the end of the belt
is inserted into the recesses and squeezed and partially rotated between each
compression, the material of the belt will be compressed and the edge rounded,
and an annular groove formed around it, as shown at c, the proper distance

page_text: from the end, and when both ends of the belt have been compressed in this
manner they will be in the form indicated at i, i, in Figures 3 and 6, and will
then be ready to be inserted into the clasp E. Recesses d, d, extend entirely
across the faces of the jaws of the pincers which are also semi-elliptical, and
are each formed at or near each end with inwardly projecting ribs e, e, as shown
in Figures 2 and 3, for compressing the annular ribs in the clasp E after the ends
of the belt have been inserted into the clasp, which ribs e, e, press the metal of the
clasp into the grooves formed in the ends of the belt by the recesses b, b, as before
described, and thus firmly secure the ends of the belt together within the clasp E.
I prefer to form the clasp E, as shown in Figures 3 and 7, with its ends h, h,
flaring or bell-mouthed, as when thus constructed the insertion of the compressed
and grooved ends of the belt is much facilitated, and when the clasp is compressed
between the jaws of the pincers to form the inwardly projecting ribs (which ribs
are a short distance from the ends of the clasp), thero will be no sharp edges or
angles formed to cut into the material of the belt which would weaken and
injure it.
In shortening old belts or in uniting the ends of new belts, the ends of the bolts
are to be made square, and after boing reduced, rounded, and grooved in the manner
above described, they are to be inserted into the ends of the clasp to the full
length of the reduced portion, or until the ends of the belt meet in the centre of
the clasp, so that when the clasp is compressed, the inward ribs formed by the
compression will enter the grooves in the ends of the belt, and thus form a strong
and perfect joint.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. A clasp for connecting the ends of belts formed of a tube with flaring or
bell-mouthed ends, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2nd. The belt clasp having bell-mouthed ends and inwardly projecting ribs that
grasp the material of the belt near the ends, substantially as set forth.
3rd. The pincers for applying the clasp herein shown and described formed with
semi-elliptical recesses and semi-elliptical ribs, substantially as described for the
purpose of first compressing the ends of the belt, and then effecting the junction of
the belt ends and clasp.
4th. The pincers for applying the clasp hercin shown and described formed with
the semi-elliptical recesses d, d, having the semi-elliptical ribs or projections c, c,
substantially as specified.
5th. The pincers for reducing, rounding, and grooving the ends of the bolt
formed with the semi-elliptical short recesses or chambers b, b, having the
semi-elliptical ribs or projections b', b', substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of December, A.D. 1881.