India Rubber Strapping and Self-adjusting Tongueless Buckle.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 4th Jan., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
India Rubber Strapping and Self-adjusting Tongueless Buckle.
We, ROBERT JOHN PEAT SPENCE, Balyairow House, Letham, Collessic,
Fife, Civil Engineer and ROBERT STORRAR, Letham, Collessie, Fife, Saddle do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the saine is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained m and by the following
statement:-
The introduction of india rubber strapping into harness and other uses where
buckles are employed has been presented principally because of the want of a
buckle to hold without holes in the strap. By means of the buckle specified below,
straps without holes can be used and so indiarubber may be employed in the
manufacture of strapping for harness and other purposes. The strapping may be
manufactured of web mixed with rubber as at piesent used in mill belting or web
coated with india rubber, or 1ope treated or covered with india rubber or simply
of prepared indiarubber.
A
The buckle instead of holding the stiap by a tongue passing through a hole as
in an ordinary buckle holds it by means of the following arrangement.
wedge w, with smooth surface above and roughened, toothed or congated
surface next the strap fits into a box b, open at the ends, through which the
strap is drawn. A small knob, k, (or knobs) on the outside of the box communicates
with the wedge by a pin p working in a slot, g, and serves as a means of pressing
home the wedge between the surface of the box and strap. The wedge may be
then kept tight in its place by a screw or screws (in the case shown in Figs. 1 & 2
the pin & this screw are the same,) or by a ratchet and spring or in any other
simple manner. Or the wedge may be simply left to hold by the natural tightness
of its friction, if no sufficient power is present to shake it loose.
To make the buckle adjust itself to the direction of the straps, the rod r to which
the one stiap is sewed hinges on pivots, mn, in or attached to the box, and so leaves
it free to lie in the direction naturally adapted to the forces pulling the straps.
O there may be flanges attached to the box, by which it can be iiveted with
rivets n, or otherwise affixed to ore of the straps, in which case the box forms the
entire buckle, the other strap being simply passed through it and wedged firm.
The box need not necessarily be closed all round, but may be partially or entnely
open on any side with grooves for the wedge to work in Or it may be made in a
skeleton form, or in any other manner most suitable for the size and use of the
buckle.
The wedge may be replaced by a screws, Fig 3, 01 screws acting through the box
either directly on the surface of the strap or on a plate, t, which rests on the strap.
Or a cam-shaped piece of metal or other material may be used instead of the
wedge, which would turn round and compress the strap more and more the harder
It is pulled. Or the wedge or wedges and screw or screws, or any combination of
wedge, screw and cam may be used in the same buckle.
A roller o 1ollers, e, for tightening up the strap before it is fastened, may be
either attached to the box or to the other portion of the buckle, or may be omitted
where unnecessary.
A keeper or keepers c may also be attached to the buckle
Two or more wedges may be used on different sides of the strap. This is specially
applicable if the strap be round like a 1ope, and in this case the box would be a
tube, the wedges acting round about, and the screw could be wrought on their
exterior surfaces or simply be made as in the case of the square strap.

page_text: Although the Duckle is specially designed to avoid the necessity of holes in
india rubber strapping, it is applicable to leather and all the other materials already
in which are usually held by buckles, and is intended to apply to such.
use,
CLAIM.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is .-
1. The introduction of india rubber, or web.treated or covered with indiarubber,
or rope treated or covered with indiarubber, for use in the manufacture of
strapping for harness and for all other purposes in which buckles are required as
connectious.
2 The substitution in buckles of wedge screw or cam action instead of tongues
for holding the strap in its place.
3. The free motion of one part of the buckle round the other by pivots so as to
let the straps find their natural line.
4. The attachment of the box, when it forms the whole buckle, to one of the
straps, so as to allow the same free adjustment as mentioned in 3rd part of claim.
Dated this 17th day of October 1895.
ROBT. J. P. SPENCE.
ROBERT STORRAR.