IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEATS FOR HOLDING CORDS AND ROPES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Robert Wethered, of Woolwich, in the County of
Kent, Major, R.A, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEATS FOR
HOLDING CORDS AND ROPES."
ealed the 23rd August 1878, and dated the 11th March 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Robert Wethered at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th March 1878.
EDWIN ROBERT WETHERED, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, Major, R.A.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEATS FOR HOLDING CORDS AND ROPES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in cleats for holding cords and
ropes by which weights are suspended or which otherwise have a strain upon
them.
For this purpose I form a cleat of a strip of metal or other material with two
right-angled bends on it, so that one end may be secured by screws or otherwise
to the surface to which the cleat is to be secured, whilst the other end will be at a
distance from it.
At or near the angular bend, where this part of the strip bends outwards from
the surface to which the cleat is secured, a hole is formed. The cord is led past the
upper inside end of the cleat, which stands out as described, and its free end is
passed through the hole.
When it is desired to hold the cord, the part of the cord which has been drawn
down through the hole is turned once or twice around the inner part of the cleat so
as to bring it between the inner face of upper part of the cleat and the part of
the cord passing down to the hole, so that it gets nipped and held between them,
and there is a swell on this face of the cleat for the cord to be nipped against.
Two small arms or notches may be made in the plate above the hole to guide
the free end of the rope more regularly round the inner face of the cleat.
A slot may be formed in the cleat lending out from the hole, so that the cord may
be led into the hole without being threaded through it. The acting parts of cleats

page_text: formed in the above manner may be carried in other ways than that above described
from the surfaces to which the cleats are secured.
The lower part of the plate may be provided with a hook on which to suspend
pictures or other weights instead of being screwed to a surface.
Cleats formed in the manner above described differ from all existing side cleats
in that they have no central stem or shank, and the cord, instead of passing sideways
round the stem or shank, before it can be wound round the cleat, is brought centrally
through the plate by means of the hole or slot, and the pull is direct to the front,
the cord remaining always in a central position in the cleat, even when not in
action.
I also combine with a cleat of above, or any other form, one or more pulley
wheels, over which the rope is to be led to facilitate the hauling-in or easing-off of
the rope, and when the rope is to be nipped or secured it is turned up around the
pulley and passed between a swell or an extra arm and the portion of the rope
which has a strain upon it. This arrangement forms a combined pulley and
cleat.
When it is used as a suspended or hinged block, an arm may extend above the
block to guide the end of the rope which has a strain on it and keep the nipping
swell in position for nipping the free end of the rope.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edwin Robert Wethered in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
September 1878.
EDWIN ROBERT WETHERED, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, Major, R.A.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEATS FOR HOLDING CORDS AND ROPES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in cleats for holding cords and
ropes by which weights are suspended or which otherwise have a strain upon
them.
For this purpose I form a cleat of a strip of metal or other material with two
right-angled bends on it, so that one end may be secured by screws or otherwise to
the surface to which the cleat is to be secured, whilst the other end will be at a
distance from it.
At or near the angular bend, where this part of the strip bends outwards from
the surface to which the cleat is secured, a hole is formed. The cord is led past
the upper inside end of the cleat, which stands out as described, and its free end is
passed through the holo.
When it is desired to hold the cord, the part of the cord which has been drawn
down through the hole is turned once or twice around the inner part of the cleat
so as to bring it between the inner face of upper part of the cleat and the part of
the cord passing down to the hole, so that it gets nipped and held between them,
and there is a swell on this face of the cleat for the cord to be nipped against.
Two small arms or notches may be made in the plate above the hole to guide the
free end of rope more regularly round the inner face of the cleat.

page_text: A slot may be formed in the cleat leading out from the hole, so that the cord may
be led into the hole without being threaded through it. The acting parts of cleats
formed in the above manner may be carried in other ways than that above described
from the surfaces to which the cleats are secured.
The lower part of the plate may be provided with a hook on which to suspend
pictures or other weights instead of being secured to a surface.
Cleats formed in the manner above described differ from all existing side cleats
in that they have no central stem or shank, and the cord, instead of passing sideways
round the stem or shank, before it can be wound round the cleat, is brought centrally
through the plate by means of the hole or slot, and the pull is direct to the front,
the cord remaining always in a central position in the cleat, even when not in
action.
I also combine with a cleat of above or any other form, one or more pulley
wheels, over which the rope is to be led to facilitate the hauling-in or easing-off
of the rope, and when the rope is to be nipped or secured it is turned up around
the pulley and passed between a swell or an extra arm and the portion of the
rope which has a strain upon it. This arrangement forms a combined pulley and
cleat.
When it is used as a suspended or hinged block, an arm may extend above the
block to guide the end of the rope which has a strain on it and keep the nipping
swell in position for nipping the free end of the rope.
The Drawings hereunto annexed shew a variety of cleats formed as above
described.
The cleat shown at Figures 1 is formed with two right-angle bends or nearly so,
as herein first described, and has formed in it an eye a between the bends, down
through which the cord to be held is led, when the cord has been tightened up,
its lower free end is turned once or twice, as shewn by the Drawing, around the
upper part of the cleat so as to bring it between the inner face of this part of the
cleat and the stretched cord which passes down through the eye a, so that it gets
nipped and held; b, b, are holes in the cleat by which it can be secured by screws
wherever desired.
Figures 2 show a similar cleat in which there is a slot or opening c leading into
the eye a, so that it is unnecessary to thread the cord through the eye.
Figures 3 show another cleat similar to the one shown at Figure 1, but formed
with an eye c', through which the cord is first threaded before being led downwards
through the eye a. In this cleat a single hole b is provided for securing it by a
screw in the position required. It will be seen that in each of these cleats the
stretched cord passes down in the central line of the cleat, and the pull on the free
end is direct to the front, and also that the cord remains in a central position in
the cleat, even when not in action.
At Figures 4 is shown a cleat with a pulley & combined with it, over which the
cord is led to facilitate its being hauled in; when the rope has been hauled taut,
the free end can be hitched under the lower arm e and then between the taut rope
and the swell which is above the pulley, so that it gets nipped by the taut rope.
In the same way the cleats, Figured 1, 2, and 3, may have a pulley fitted where the
cord passes through the eye to facilitate the hawling-in of the cord.
Figures 5 show another cleat with a pulley combined with it. This cleat is held
by a ring passed through its eye g; its opposite extremity has a swell h formed on
it. The rope to be held is led past the swell and over the pulley. When the
rope has been hauled taut, its free end is passed once or twice between the taut
part of the rope and the swell, and is so nipped and held. With a cleat carried
free on a ring or pivot in the manner above described, the rope held by the
cleat can be instantly set free by striking the swell end of the cleat away from
the taut rope. The grip on the rope end is thus at once released and the rope
set free.
A similar cleat formed with two eyes for the cord to be led through, instead of

page_text: leading it over a pulley on the cleat, is shown at Figures 6. This cleat acts in the
same way as the one just described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The construction of cleats, substantially in the manner illustrated at
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 6.
Second. The combination of a pulley with cleats, substantially as herein-before
described, and illustrated at Figures 4 and 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Robert Wethered, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
E. R. WETHERED. (L.S.)