US406106A - Belt-fastener - Google Patents

Description

.(No Model.)

B. LYON; BELT FASTENER.

No. 406,106. 'Patented July 2, 1889 M VETERS mwuumn m. Wnhingwh. D.C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

BENJAMIN LYON, OF BRIDGEPORT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO GEORGE S. SMITH, OF NORlVICI-I, CONNECTICUT.

' BELT-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,106, dated July 2, 1889.

Application filed December 19, 1888. Serial No. 294,055. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN LYON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt-Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction of machinery-belting with a view to facilitating the joining of the meeting edges ofsuch belting, so as to afford an endless circuit, and also with the end to provide an absolutely secure joint between said edges without the aid of any metallic or separate fastening devices what-ever.

Prior to my invention button-holes have been formed within the meeting edges of the belt, the inner ends of said button-holes terminating in enlarged eyelets, while the slits constituting thebutton-holes extend through the end edges of the belt, said button-holes being so cut that T'-headed flaps were formed along the meeting edges of the belt, the flaps of one edge being opposite to the buttonholes in the other edge.

My invention consists in forming closed button-holes at the sides of one of the ends of the be1t,whose meeting edges are provided with flaps and open button-holes, as above set forth, said closed button-holes being opposite to the lateral flaps of the other end of said belt.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view showing my improvement, the ends of the belt being detached; Fig. 2, a similar View showing the edges of the belt united in accordance with my improvement; Fig. 3, a bottom view of the united belt-see tions; Fig. 4, a View similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating the meeting edges of a belt provided with open button-holes and flaps, but without my special end-locking construction; and Fig. 5, a detail broken plan of the belt edges in detached position, showing a slightlymodified construction of the end-locking button-hole.

Similar letters denote like parts in the several figures.

Heretofore it has been essayed to unite the the meeting edges of belts by a series of dovetail portions cut in said edges and interlocked 5 5 and then secured by a binding wire or cord surrounding the interlocked portions above and below; but in regard to this'eonstruction the fact remains that without this wire the edges would pull apart very easily, and that the wire or cord offers a most serious objecti0n,in that it forms and presents a protuberance on the under side of the belt. I would state in this immediate connection that the securing of the meeting edges of machinery- 6 5 belts by lacing or by metal fasteners carries with it an objection which is obvious to and fully appreciated by every mechanic, and the feature which gives rise to this objection is the protuberance formed by the lacing or metal fastener 0n the inner face of the belt. The reason of this obj ection is that every time such protuberance passes over the machinepulley a shock occurs, which, however slight it may be, causes what are called chatters in the work. Again, the use of metal as an element in securing the meeting edges of belts is of itself objectionable, since the belt is thereby stiffened at the :joint, the result being that the metal will either break or cut through the belt. Therefore it is desirable to provide a means for securing the meeting edges of machinery-belts without the use of any metal or other foreign substance whatever as auxiliary to such means, and the ac complishment of this desideratum by my invention will be best understood by the following description.

A B represent short sections of machinery belting. 9o

1 are slits, which extend through the edges of said sections and terminate at the rear in enlarged eyelets 2. These slits are so located that when the edges of the sections A B are evenlybutted together the slits of one section will alternate with those of the other, thus forming T-headed flaps 3 in each section, which are opposite to the slits. The belt-seetions thus fashioned are interlocked by simply buttoning the said flaps alternately within their opposing slits, each flap being forced within its opposite slit until the neck of said flap enters the eyelet atthe inner end of said slit. \Vhen the sections are interlocked, as above set forth, it will be evident that any lengthwise strain 011 the belt will cause the stock at the outer sides of the two lateral button-holes to yield,thereby spreading saidbutton-holes and disengaging the end joints. It will be obvious that when said end joints have been thus disengaged the disjointing of the remaining T-headed flaps and button holes will follow in rapid succession. If the end joints are secured by any fastening device, the belt-sections cannot become separated, since there can be no spreading of the open button-holes.

In connection with the construction shown at Fig. i, there have been used variousdevices for securing the end joints-sueh as tacks, staples, eyelets, &c.-but, as hereinbefore stated, the use of any metal or separate fastenin g devices is highly objectionable, and my invention contemplates the securing of these end joints without the use of any separate fastening device. I have made provision against any such disadvantage resulting from the use of such devices by making a closed buttonhole at the sides of one of the belt-sections and opposite to the flaps at the sides of the other belt-section. This button'hole may be made in a variety of ways. In fact, there are so many different styles and shapes of slots that would answer this purpose that it would seem useless and superfluous to illustrate or de scribe them, since they are all colorable varia-' tions one of the other, the gist of my invention in this instance resting in the broad idea of closed button holes or slots at the sides ofthe belt-section. I therefore have shown at Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the kind of button hole or slot which I prefer to use in this connection, and which is so located in the belt as to impair the strength of the latter in the least degree and to facilitate the interlocking of the opposite T-headed flaps. These closed button-holes are formed by slots 4, which terminate at their forward ends in enlarged eyelets 5, which latter are in alignment with the eyelets 2 in that section of the belt within which said button-holes are cut. It will be observed that the slots 4 extend in a direction opposite to that of the slits 1, and that there are no T-headed iiaps at the ends of the belt-section within which the closed but ton'holes are cut. I cut the slots 4 a little wider than the slits 1, in order to facilitate the introduction of the opposite flaps. It will thus be seen that the use of the closed button-holes enables me to securely lock a belt jointed after the manner shown at Fig. 4, so that no end-thrust or rough usage of the belt will cause the jointed sections thereof to separate.

Of course it is not necessary to out these closed button-holes both at the sides of the same belt-section, since one may be cut at the side of one section and the other at the opposite side of the other section, this being a matter dependent entirely upon the width of the belt.

At Fig. 5 I have shown my closed buttonhole provided with a lateral extension (5 at the base of the slot to afford a sort of gate, through which the opposite T-headed flap may be readily introduced; but this illustrates one of the many phases of my invention and merely enables the flap to be inserted without twisting. I have shown my improvement in connection with a belt jointed by in terlocking flaps and open button-holes; but I do not wish to be circumscribed in the use of my invention, since the same may be utilized as a lateral end joint in connection with various devices and means for joining the meeting edges of belts.

I prefer to use my improvement as shown, since a very superior means for joining the meeting edges of belts is thereby afforded without the use of any metal or other foreign material whatever; also, I am enabled to dis joint a belt without injuring it, and this cannot be done in the ease of metal tack or staple fasteners, since the latter will tear the belt and thereby render it necessary to make a new joint farther back from the edges of the belt. m

I claim- A machinery-belt having its meeting edges united by a series of interlocked T-headed flaps and open button-holes and secured by end joints, which consist of T-headed flaps interlocked with opposite closed bu tton-hol es, as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

l-lENJAlilIN LYON. Witnesses:

S. S. \VILLIAMSON, F. \V. SMITH, Jr.

Images