A NEW OR IMPROVED FASTENING FOR FASTENING TRUNKS, BOXES, AND ARTICLES OF DRESS, AND FOR SUCH OTHER PURPOSES AS THE SAME IS OR MAY BE APPLICABLE TO
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Barrow, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Saddler, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED FASTENING
FOR FASTENING TRUNKS, BOXES, AND ARTICLES OF DRESS, AND FOR SUCH
OTHER PURPOSES AS THE SAME IS OR MAY BE APPLICABLE TO."
Sealed the 7th October 1859, and dated the 16th April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Barrow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
April 1859.
I, HENRY BARROW, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Saddler,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED
FASTENING FOR FASTENING TRUNKS, BOXES, AND ARTICLES OF DRESS, AND FOR SUCH
OTHER PURPOSES AS THE SAME IS OR MAY BE APPLICABLE TO," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of a fastening constructed in the manner herein-
after explained, which said fastening may be employed as a substitute for a
buckle as well as a dress fastening, and also for a variety of other purposes
where a fastening is required.
My said Invention consists of two parts, one of the said parts being
attached to one of the articles, and the other part being attached to the other
of the articles to be fastened together. One part of the said fastening
consists of a button or knob fixed on a stem, the said button or knob being
so attached to the article that the stem is perpendicular to the surface it is

page_text: attached to; the other part of the fastening consists of a hole somewhat
larger than the before-mentioned knob. Upon the strap or article in which
the said hole is made, a piece of vulcanised india-rubber or other elastic
material is attached, the said india-rubber having a hole in it less than the
before-mentioned knob. The said india-rubber is fixed upon the strap or
article in such a position that the hole in the india-rubber is concentric with
that in the strap. In using my fastening the knob is inserted in the hole in
the strap or other article, and forced through the hole in the india-rubber.
The hole in the india-rubber expands as the knob passes through, and after
the passage of the said knob the said india-rubber contracts upon the neck,
and prevents the withdrawal of the knob excepting by the application of
considerable force in a direction perpendicular to the surfaces joined together.
By making the upper side of the knob of a slightly conical figure, it may
be inserted in the india-rubber with much less force than that required to
withdraw it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Barrow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
BARROW, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Saddler, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Barrow, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Barrow, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Barrow, 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED FASTENING
FOR FASTENING TRUNKS, BOXES, AND ARTICLES OF DRESS, AND FOR SUCH OTHER
PURPOSES AS THE SAME IS OR MAY BE APPLICABLE TO," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Barrow, 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,

page_text: 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 Henry Barrow, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of a fastening constructed in the manner herein-
after explained, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing. Fastenings
made according to my Invention may be employed as substitutes for the
ordinary buckle, as dress fastenings, as fastenings for boxes, trunks, and also
for a variety of other purposes where a fastening is required.
Figure 1 of the Drawing represents, in vertical section, a fastening con-
structed according to my Invention, fixed to the two ends of a strap or band
to be fastened together, the two parts of the fastening being separated from
one another, and Figure 2 represents the said two parts of the fastening
joined together; Figure 3 represents a front elevation of one part of the
fastening, and Figure 4 represents a front elevation of the other part of the
fastening. a, b, are the two ends of the strap or band to be fastened together.
To the end 6 of the strap I attach one part of the fastening, consisting of a
button or knob c fixed to the stem d, the said button or knob being so
attached to the strap or other article that its stem is perpendicular to the
surface of the said strap or other article to which it is attached. The said
button or knob may be attached to the article by rivetting, sewing, or in any
other convenient manner. To the end a of the strap or band I fix the other
part of the fastening, consisting of a hollow metal shell or eyelet e, having at
its front a hole f somewhat larger than the knob or button c. Across the
back of the hole f of the eyelet e I stretch and fix, in the manner herein-after
explained, a piece of vulcanized india-rubber or other elastic material g, the
said india-rubber having a hole h in it of about the size of the neck i of the
button or knob c. The said india-rubber g is so placed in the eyelet e that
the hole h therein shall be concentric with that in front of the eyelet e, as
represented in the sections, Figures 1 and 2. In connecting the two parts of
the fastening together, the knob or button c is inserted in the hole f in front
of the eyelet e, and forced through the hole h in the india-rubber g. The hole
in the india-rubber g expands as the knob or button c passes through, and
after the passage of the said knob or button the said india-rubber contracts
upon the neck i thereof, as represented in Figure 3, and prevents the with-
drawal of the knob or button c, excepting by the application of considerable

page_text: force in a direction perpendicular to the surfaces of the ends a, b, of the strap
or band joined together. By making the face of the knob or button c of a
slightly conical figure it may be inserted in the hole in the india-rubber g
with much less force than that required to withdraw it.
Figure 5 represents a side elevation of the eyelet or shell e detached from
the strap or band a, and Figure 6 represents a side elevation of the knob or
button c detached from the strap or band b.
The way in which I fix the piece of india-rubber g in the eyelet e will be
understood by an examination of Figures 7, 8, and 9 of the Drawing. The
said eyelet e consists of a perforated disc k, represented in front elevation and
section in Figure 7, and a shell 1, represented in elevation and section in
Figure 8. The piece of india-rubber being placed in front of the shell 1,
the hole in the said india-rubber being so situated that it is concentric with
the centre of the said shell, the disc k is placed upon the india-rubber, and
the edges both of the said india-rubber and disc are turned over upon the
back of the shell 7, and the said india-rubber thus held firmly between the
disck and back of the shell 7, as represented in Figure 9.
When I apply my Invention as a dress fastening, as in fastening ladies'
dresses, in place of the ordinary hook and eye I fix on one edge of the dress
to be fastened a series of the eyelets e, and on the opposite edge of the said
dress I attach, by sewing or otherwise, a series of the studs or buttons c. By
inserting the studs or buttons into the eyelets the two edges of the dress may
be fastened together.
In applying my Invention to portmanteaus, trunks, and such like articles,
I attach the knob or button by preference to the portmanteau or other article,
and the eyelet to the strap or band.
Instead of employing an eyelet or metal shell of the form before described
and represented, in which eyelet or shell the perforated disc of india-rubber is
fixed, I sometimes make in the strap or article with which the knob or button
engages, a hole sufficiently large for the said button or knob to pass through.
I place and fix, by sewing or otherwise, against the back of the hole in the
strap or article, a piece of perforated india-rubber, similar to the perforated
india-rubber g, Figures 1 and 2. The knob or button is introduced and
fixed in the hole in the india-rubber in a manner similar to that described.
with respect to the fastening represented in Figures 1 and 2. The knob or
button may be made of a metallic or non-metallic material, and may be
ornamented to suit the article to which it is applied.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not

page_text: limit myself to the precise details herein described, as the same may be
varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as
my Invention, the new or improved fastening for fastening trunks, boxes, and
articles of dress, and for such other purposes as the same is or may be
applicable to, herein-before described, and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, a fastening consisting of two parts, one of the said
parts being a knob, stud, or button, and the other part consisting of an
elastic disc or diaphragm, having a hole in its middle smaller than the said
knob, stud, or button, and in which said hole the knob, stud, or button is
made to engage.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Barrow, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
5 Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
HENRY BARROW. (L.S.)