US1212988A - Wire-gate fastener. - Google Patents

Description

A. J. MURRAY.

`WIRE GATE FASTENER. APPLlcATxoN HLED MN. 10, 191s.

Patented Jim. 16, 19W.

ARCHIBALD J'.-MURRAY, 0F UNITY, OREGON.

WIRE-GATE FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented dan. 16, 191%,

Application filed January 10, 1916. Serial No. 71,256.

To all w/tom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD J. MUR- RAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Unity, in the county of Baker, State of 5 Oregon, have invented a new and useful VVire-Gate Fastener; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full7 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.

The present invention relates to a wire gate fastening device, and has for its object to provide a locking lever which embodies novel features of construction whereby a barbed wire or wire net gate may be drawn tant and securely fastened.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can be used in connection with the conventional forms of wire gates such as must be drawn taut in order toD be closed, which can be very easily manipulated, and which admits of the gate being quickly released or locker.

lllith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description procceds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which f Figure 1 is a front elevation of a wire gate provided with a locking lever constructed in accordance with the invention, the said locking lever being shown by full lines in operative position and by dotted lines in the position assumed when being placed in engagement with the gate preparatory to stretching and locking the same. 2 is a similar view on a larger scale, the locking lever being shown by full lines in 'operative position, and by dotted lines in the position assumed when not in use. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the locking device, showing the same in operative position. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a slight modification.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a Wire fence of the conven tional construction, 2 a gate post and 3 a latch post, the said posts being arranged on opposite sides of the gate opening. The

gate includes the two upright end bars 4 and 5 which are connected by the longitudinally extending wires 6, the end bar 4 being loosely engaged by loops 7 which project from the top and bottom of the gate post lever being curved or deflected downwardly so as to be disposed at an angle to the body portion of the lever, and terminating in a laterally projecting arm 12. The opposite end of the locking lever terminates in a handle 10b which is oifset laterally so that it will clear the latch post 3 and can be easily grasped by the hands at any position of the lever. A locking hook 13 extends beyond the lever 10 and has the shank thereof pivotally connected at 14 to the said locking lever. This pivot point 14 is on the opposite side of the pivot bolt 11 from the arm 12, both the arm 12 and pivot point 14 being spaced substantially equal distances from the pivot bolt 11. rlhe shank of the locking hook 13 may be offset laterally a slight amount to clear the headof the main pivot bolt 11 as the locking lever is swung about its pivot, although in side elevation the shank of the hook is substantially straight, so that when the end of the hook rests upon the lateral arm 12 the shank thereof is on one side of the pivot bolt 11.

The locking hook 13 is designed to engage the locking loop 9 of the wire gate, and when the locking lever 10 is swung upwardly and forwardly, the hook 13 is moved toward the gate so that it can be readily placed in engagement with the loop 9 while the wires of the gate are loose. rllhe locking lever is then swung rearwardly and downwardly into the position indicated by full lines on Figs. 1 and 2, thereby drawing the locking hook 13 rearwardly so as to stretch the wires of the gate and draw the gate taut. Just before the lever 10 reaches a locking position the shank of the hook 13 will be brought into alinement with the body of the lever 10, thereby producing a dead center between the pivotal mounting of the locking lever and the pivotal connection of the hook 13 thereof. A continued movement of the lockinglever swings the hook 13 beyond the dead center and the hook then engages and seats upon the laterally projecting arm 12. The gate is thus locked in a taut condition, and the greater the pull of the gate, the more secure is the locking. The extremity of the laterallyY projecting arm 12 Vis provided withv an upwardlyprojecting guard finger 12"L which serves to engage the hook when in a locking position so that it will be impossible for pressure of stock against the gate to move the hook laterally beyond the end of the arm 12 and thereby release the latch. It will be understood that when closing the gateV the lower end of the upright bar 5 will be inserted in the loop 8 before the locking hook 13 is caused to engage the loop 9. vWire gates of this character are eX- tensively used on ranches and large estates, and ordinarily the upper' end of the upright gate bar is secured to the post by a rope, although when a rope is used it is almost impossible to fasten the gate sufficiently tight toprevent stock from getting through the same, and much time is lost in fastening and unfastening the ropes. Vitli the present'ldevice the gate is easily and quickly drawn perfectly taut' and securely locked so as to preventl any possibility of stock gettingthrough or unfastening the same. In order to release the fastener, the locking ,lever may either be forcibly swung downwardly so as to swing the hook member upwardly out'of engagement with the loop 9 of theV gate, or it may be swung upwardly so as to release the tension in the gate before Y disengaging. the hook member from the loop. n Y

A slight modification is shown by Fig. 4, in which the laterally projecting arm 12 of the locking lever is provided with a notched seat 12bfor" engagement with the hook 13 when thelatter is inY locking position.V VThe hook is thus locked against lateral play upon the arm, thereby relieving the pivot member 14 at the end of the hook of a considerable amount of strain. The hook will aiutomatically become seated in the notch 12b as it is swung beyond the dead center position by the usual manipulations of the locking lever 10.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The herein described wire gate fastener, including a looped keeper adapted to be applied to the end bar of a flexible wire gate, a headed pivot bolt adapted to be applied to the latch post, a locking lever pivotally mounted upon the said pivot bolt and provided at the pivot end thereof with an extension which is arranged at an angle to the body portion of the locking lever, said extension terminating in a laterally projecting arm which is provided at the end thereof with an upwardly extending guard linger, and a hooked member pivotally eonneetedto the locking lever at a point spaced from the pivot bolt and on the opposite side from the extension, said hook member being adapted to engage the looped keeper to draw the gate taut, and the body portion of the hook member being offset outwardly to clear the head of the pivot bolt, the swinging movement of the locking lever incident to tightening the gate bringing the hook member slightly beyond a dead center position and into engagement with the laterally projecting arm, the pull of the gate then holding the hook member in operative position and the upwardly projecting guard finger preventing the hook member from becoming laterally disengaged from the arm.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARCHIE J. MURRAY.

Witnesses:

E. A. LANDIS, A. A. SMITH.

/ opesjof'this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

' g Y Washington, D. C.

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