US1468169A - Bead chain and splicer for the same - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 18 1923.

- 7 R. R. RUNDELL BEAD CHAIN AND SPLICER FOR THE SAME Filed Au 2. 1922 further modifications Patented Sept. 18, 1923.

uUNlTED STATES 1,468,169 PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND a. BUNDELL, or ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

' f rm CHAIN Ann SPLICER roa THE SAME.

Application med August 2, 1922. Serial at. 579,224.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND R. RUN- DELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bead Chains and Splicers for the Same, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to bead chainsand splicers and is more particularly adapted to connect together the beads of such'chains, change the length of, or repair bead chains or flexible pull chains which are used in operating electric lamp switches and are formed of a series of perforated hollow metal balls loosely or flexibly connected by short bars having heads lying within th balls.

The objects of the invention are:

First, to devise a splicer of the charactor above indicated which issimple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and can be quickly applied to the elements in the manufacture of, separation, or extending or shortenin the length of the present forms of bee on" pull chains.

Second, to devise a splicer which can be emplo ed to insert an insulating section in an s .the present forms of pull chains.

'lhird, ot er objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the detailed description of the construction and relation of its parts and manner of applying the same.

The invention consists of structural charelements which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out-in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in whichsimilar reference characters indicate the same parts in the several figures:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of the invention.

Figures 2, 3,4 and 5am side elevations of modifications of the same general form as shown in Figure 1.

Figures 6, 7 and, 8 are. sectional views of side eleva- ,Figures 9 10, 11 and 13 are tions of ad F1gures12 and 14' are illustrations of .modifications which are made of wire. 1

Figure 15 is a fragmentary and "side, eleferent sized balls are utilized in the itional modifications in which I the shank or middle portion is varied ularly adapted to apply the splicer in the manufacture of bead chains or repairing broken sections thereof.

Figure 16 is a side elevation partly in sec- U051 of the plier jaws shown in Figure 15, an

Figure 17 is a side elevation partly in section of a bead chain made or spliced with the use of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, 20 is the neck or shank portion ofthe splicer which isofa double conical form and at each of its ends is provided with apointed barb 21 adapted to be easily and readily insertedthrougli the split or perforated sections of hollow .metal sphere or globules 22 (see Figure 17),

used in the manufacture of metal beads or pull chains, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

Figure 2 shows a similar splicer as indicated in Figure 1, except that the central or neck portion 23 is spherical, having attached thereto the barbs 24 at the ends of the short pins or studs 25, 25, as illustrated. i

Figure 3 shows a form similar to Figure 2, except that the barbs 26 and 27 are provided respectively with right hand and left hand threaded sections, and can be applied by holding the ball ends'of the beads to be spliced stationary and turning the threaded ends of the splicer into the perforated balls. 2

In Figure 4 is illustrated a form similar to that shown in Figure 2, exceptthat the barbs with their connecting short pins are .made with a slot 28, thereby providing a variable or yielding barb 29 capable of adjusting itself to different sizes of openings,

perforations or slits in the hollow beads or .balls."

In F igure5 is shown a form having two sizes and which particularly adapts this arrangement, ofsplicer for use when difmanufacture'of a chain.

Figure 6 shows a splicer similar in exterior; appearance and construction as shown lIl Figure 2, except the short section is made of some insulating material 32, engaged by threadedportions 33, 33 at the inner ends of the barbed rods orstuds and particularly adapts this form for use when into an insulating chain.

Referring to Figure 7, 38 is a hollow sphere to which is flexibly and shdably secured barbed studs or rods 39 having at their ends within said sphere 38 enlargements "1'0 to prevent said barbs being detached or withdrawn from said sphere section and is constructed for purposes w a more flexible connection or sphere is desired than the one-piece type hereinbetore disclosed.

Figure 8 shows a hollow ball all of conventional or stock form having double barbed stud connection with a shoulder i3 to limit its entrance into said hollow ball.

Figure 9 shows a simple form oisplicer made of wire 35 having pointed barbed ends while Figure 10 is a type made'o'l similar material and construction with barbs 44, 4st, but provided'with a-shoulder 45, which adapts the same to be automatically fed from a hopper or in a strip when used in connection with magazine pliers or-automatic machinery.

Figure 11 is of the same general construction as that shown in Figure 9, except thatdificrent sized barbs lti'are superimposed and multiplied and is an adaption of modification of Figure 5 when wire'is only involved in the construction.

Figure 12 shows a stud having barbed ends and is made of a short piece of spring brass wiredtl'having its ends turned o"'er or bent back toward the opposite sides to form barbed ends 48 having a slight yielding action towards the wire stud 47.

Figure 13' shows the splicer made of a round wire stud 49 having its ends flattened and pointed to form the barbs 50.

Figure let shows the splicer formed by two pieces of spring wire 51 and 52 twisted together and their ends turned back similar to that shown in Figure 12, to "form barbs 53 and 53.

The parts of the splicer being constructed as shown and described, the preferable manner of applying the same to construct a bead chainis to grip by hand or any suitable tool, two of the pert'oratedor split hollow spheres 22 as shown in Figure 17, so that the perforations-orslits in the shells of the separated and adjacent hollow spheres 22 are opposite to each other. e

The splicer, as shown for examplein Figure 2, is then supported or arranged so that the points on the outer ends of the barbs 2e are seated in the opposite perforations or slits of the adjacent and separated spheres. arranged as above indicated, said spheres are then forced by slight pressure towards each other until the barbs 24 pass through the perforations and shells into the interior of the hollow spheres and assume the position shown in Figure 17, when the two adjacent hollow spheres are flexibly linked or spliced together; The foregoing operations are continued until the proper or required length of head chain has been produced. In repairing an old bead chain not constructed with the present improved form of splicerall that is necessary 18 to remove the old link and substitute the present form of barbed splicer and repeat the steps of splicing previously explained, as will be readily understood and need no further d-iselosure.

The above described operations of splicing may be expedited and etiiciently carried out by placing one of the hollow spheres 22 in each of the semi-spherical seats 54, 54, in the pivoted jaws 55, 55 of a pair of pliers, as illustrated in Figures 16 and 17, so that theperforations or slits in said spheres 22, are opposite each other. The pivoted j aws 55, 55 are separated suiiic-iently to permit the pointed ends of the barbs of a sglicer interposed between the separated and perforated shells-0t the adjusted spheres to be inserted or seated in the oppositely arranged perforations or slits, when said spheres are forced towards each other by partial closing of the jaws 55, 55, such a distance as to force the barbson the end of the splicer through the perforations or slits of the shells into the interior of. the spheres and assume the proper flexibly linking position in the same manner as previously explained. If it is desired to restore the spherical shapes of the hollow spheres,

should they bedistorted or spread apart at their perforated sections during the above described splicing operations, said spheres can be adjusted in the seats 54, 54, one at a time at right angles to the position previously assumed when being spliced and the splicer stubs or sections adjacent to the barbs can be seated or adjusted in theoppo sitely disposed semi-circular openings 56, 56, in the jaws 55,55, and the jaws 55, 55, when closed in the position shown in Figures 15 and 16, will properly compress the inserted sphere and return the distorted sections of the shell to their normal or spherical position.

From the foregoing disclosure of the construction of the chain and splicer and manner of assembling and using the same, it will be seen that all the objects and advantages recited in the statement of invention have been fully and efiiciently carried out.

hat I claim is '1. A head chain comprising a-series of perforated hollow spheres-flexibly connected together by links. each of said links having a pointed barb at each of its ends so'constructed, arranged and adapted to be inserted through a perforation of a sphere and retained therein and against withdrawal after inserted in said sphere by engaging the inner wall of the hollow sphere.

A 2. A bead chaincomprisin a series of perforatedhollow spheres flexi ly connected together by links, each of said links having an enlarged and pointed terminal at each of its ends so constructed, arranged and adapted to be inserted through a perforation of a sphere and retained therein and against withdrawal after inserted in' said sphere by the enlarged section of the pointed terminal abutting against the inner wall of the sphere.

3. A splicer for flexiblyconnectingtos gether a" plurality of perforated hollo-w-- members consisting of a link having a cen- 4. A splicer for flexibly connecting together a plurality of erforated hollow members consisting of a ink having a slotted pointed barb at each of its ends so constructed, arranged and adapted to be inserted and forced through the perforated section of a member and retained therein and against withdrawal after inserted in said member.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a splicer for perforated hollow members consisting of a link havin a central spherical portion and a pointed slotted section formed with a shoulder at each of its ends so constructed, arranged andadapted to be insert- .ed throughv the perforated section of a member and retained therein and against withdrawal after inserted in said member by said shoulder. I In testimony whereof, I allix my signature.

RAYMOND R. RUNDELL.

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