IMPROVEMENTS IN JOINING BANDS, IN CONNECTING FASTENINGS TO BANDS, AND IN ATTACHING BANDS TO ARTICLES REQUIRING THE SAME
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mill, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN JOINING
BANDS, IN CONNECTING FASTENINGS TO BANDS, AND IN ATTACHING BANDS TO
ARTICLES REQUIRING THE SAME,"
Scaled the 20th February 1857, and dated the 22nd December 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mill at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd December 1856.
I, WILLIAM MILL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN JOINING BANDS, IN CONNECTING FASTENINGS TO BANDS, AND IN ATTACHING BANDS
TO ARTICLES REQUIRING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
In joining bands according to my Invention, I place the two ends of the
band upon a sheet or plate of metal, and fold one edge of the said plate of
metal over the said ends of the band, so as to grasp the same; I then roll
or fold up the sheet of metal a second or third time, if necessary, to make
the joining secure; I then apply pressure to the coil so as to flatten it,
and cause it to grasp the end of the band firmly.
In connecting fastenings to bands, such as clasp or other fastenings, I
effect the said connection by coiling or folding the end of the band with a
portion of the metallic part of the fastening, and compress the same, as
herein-before described.

page_text: In attaching bands to articles requiring the same, such as purses, pocket
books, leather files, and the like, I take a cruciform sheet of metal, aud
first fasten the ends of the band by folding the same, as described, with two
opposite arms of the sheet of metal; the two opposed unfolded arms are
bent into planes, perpendicular to the plane of the sheet and parallel to one
another. The same bent ends are passed through slits in the purse or other
article, and turned down or clenched in the inside thereof. When the
band is worn it can readily be separated from the purse by raising the
clenched ends of the fastening.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Mill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MILL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Mill, Her special licence that I, the said William Mill, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Mill, 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 night make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain aud Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
JOINING BANDS, IN CONNECTING FASTENINGS TO BANDS, AND IN ATTACHING BANDS
TO ARTICLES REQUIRING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Mill, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and iu
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 Mill, do hereby declare
the nature of the said. Invention, and in what manner the same-is to bo

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists, firstly, of the method of joining bands, herein-after
particularly described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
One method of joining bands according to my Invention is illustrated in
Figure 1. The ends of the band a are placed upon a plate of metal », and
the plate 6 with the ends of the band are folded or coiled up, as represented
the ends of the band become thereby firmly secured together.
at c;
In joining the ends of bands by another method according to my Invention,
I take a sheet or plate of metal of the form represented in Figure 1 A, and I
place the ends of the band thereon, in the manner represented in Figure 2,
that is to say, the ends a¹, b', of the band whose ends are to be joined are laid
upou the parts marked d, e, respectively of the plate or sheet c; the parts of
the plate on which the ends of the band are laid are marked respectively d, e,
in Figures 1A, 2, 3, and 4. The parts or arms d, e, are then folded, first as
represented in the edge view, Figure 3, and afterwards as represented in edgo
view, Figure 4, and in plan in Figure 5. The ends of the band are thus'
coiled or folded up with the arms d, e, and are secured by the said coiling to
the metal plate. Although I have represented only two foldings or coilings
of the metal arms d, e, upon the ends of the band, which said two foldings or
coilings I have found to be sufficient in practice, yet the said arms d, e, may
be folded or coiled more than twice upon the ends a, b, of the band for
greater security.
In order to add to the permanence of the fastening, or to make one folding
of the metal sufficient, I sometimes give the ends of the arms a serrated
form, as represented in Figure 6, which said Figure represents a blank, similar
to that represented in Figure 1 A, excepting the serration on the ends of the
arms f, g. The blank, Figure 6, is folded or coiled upon the ends of the
band which it is employed to join, in the manner described with reference to
Figures 1A, 2, 3, 4, and 5, or one folding only of the metal may be effected,
which in this case will be found sufficient. I sometimes secure the ends of
the band to the blank in the manner illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, that is
to say, I form slots or openings in the arms h, i, through which the ends k, l,
of the band are passed, and the ends of the band are thereby held in proper
adjusted position during the folding or coiling of the arms, herein-before
described, and the permanent fastening made more secure. 1 sometimes also
attach the ends of the band to the blank by making one or two slots in each
arm and serrating, one or both edges of the said slots, the ends of the band
being passed through the said slots, as represented in Figures 9 and 10. The

page_text: arms m, n, may then be folded down upon the ends of the band o, p, and in
this case one fold of the metal will be sufficient. When the band has to be
attached to a flat surface, as to a pocket-book, or purse, or other like article,
the folding of the arms m, n, Figures 9 and 10, may be dispensed with, as the
band will be sufficiently fastened by the body of the metal plate being secured
to the pocket-book or purse; the ends of the band will in that case be held
between the said metal plate and surface of the pocket-book or purse, and
this position of the ends, together with the bending of the band through
the slots, and the action of the teeth or serrated edge, effects the secure
joining of the ends of the band; I prefer, however, to effect the further
security of the ends of the band by folding, as already described.
Although I prefer the methods of carrying this part of my Invention
into effect I have described, yet the details may be varied.
In Figures 11 and 12 I have represented, in plan and section, another modi-
fication of my Invention. In this modification, I cut two arms q,, out of the
middle of the blank and fold them over the ends of the band, as represented,
the folding being effected from the middle towards the ends of the blank. I
sometimes cut out the blank in the manner illustrated in Figure 13, the
serration on the ends of both arms being cut by the zig-zag line s¹. The
arms ',, are coiled with the ends of the band, in the manuer represented
in Figure 14. Owing to the serration on the ends of the arms q', ', one fold
of each arm upon the end of the band will suffice to hold it.
My Invention consists, secondly, in connecting fastenings to bands. This
part of my Invention is illustrated in Figures 15 and 16 of the accompanying
Drawing, which Figures represent, the former in plan and the latter in
section, a garter or clasp fastening connected to a garter or band, by coiling or
folding up the end of the band with a metal arm or arms ou that part of the
fastening to which the garter or band is to be attached. The coiling or folding
may be effected according to any of the methods herein-before described. This
part of my Invention so far resembles the method of connecting the ends of bands
herein-before described that I do not think a further description necessary.
This last-described part of my Invention is applicable to the attaching of
garter fastenings to garters, glove fastenings to gloves, and various dress
fastenings to articles of dress, and also to the attaching of fastenings in
general used to bands of any kind.
The third part of my Invention consists in the method or methods
hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, of
attaching bands to articles requiring the same, such as purses, pocket-books,
letter files, and the like.

page_text: In carrying this part of my Invention into effect, I take a cruciform
plate of metal, Figure 17, and I attach the ends of the band by folding or
coiling the same, as herein-before described, with two opposite arms q¹¹,
11; the plate and band will then have the appearance represented in plan
in Figure 18. The other two arms s, t, are then bent, as represented in
Figures 19 and 20, the said arms s, t, being parallel to one another, and
perpendicular to the plane in which the folded arms 211, 11, are situated, as
shown in perspective in Figure 21. The arms s, t, are then passed through
slits in the purse, or other article to which the band is to be fastened, as
shown in Figure 22. The said arms s, t, are then bent down or clenched as
shown in Figure 23, when the fastening of the band to the pocket-book or
article u is completed. I prefer to place a washer inside or on the under
side of the article u, and pass the bent ends of the metal plate or clasp through
the washer, and clench the said ends thereon. When the band w, Figures 22,
and 23, is worn, it can readily be removed and replaced by another. Although
I have only described the joining of the ends of the band in Figures 22 and
23, as effected by the methods illustrated in Figures 1 A, 2, 3, 4 and 5, yet the
ends of the band in Figures 22 and 23 may be joined by either of the methods
represented in Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, or by any other convenient
method, and the attaching of the joined band to the article, effected by the
method represented in the said Figures 22 and 25. The methods of joining
bands, herein described, and represented in the accompanying Drawing, may
either be employed for joining the two ends of the same band together, or
for joining the ends of different bands together. Either of the herein de-
scribed bands may be attached to a pocket-book, purse, portemonnaie, or
other article, by placing the clasp thereof in the inside of the said article,
and passing the band to the outside through a slot or opening. When the
band, joined by the cruciform clasp, Figures 19 and 20, is not required to be
attached to the article or articles with which it is used, as when the said
band is employed for holding letters or papers, the parts s, t, inay be bent
down upon the folded parts of the clasp and the whole pressed closely to-
gether. The parts s, t, thereby afford support to the folded parts..
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manuer
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but I claim,―
Firstly, the methods of joining bands, herein described, and illustrated in
Figures 1, 1 A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the accompany-

page_text: ing Drawing, that is to say, joining bands by grasping the ends thereof by
the means herein described.
Secondly, the application of the methods of joining bands, herein
described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, to the connecting
of fastenings to bands, as illustrated in Figures 15 and 16.
Thirdly, attaching bands to purses and other articles requiring the
same, by passing portions of the metallic joining of the band through the
side of the purse or article and clenching the same, as herein-before de-
scribed, and illustrated in Figures 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 of the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mill, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WILLIAM MILL. (L.S.)