US3149453A - Chain link - Google Patents

Description

Sep. 22, 1%4

R. E, GEREN CHAIN LINK Filed Nov. 238, 1962 United States Patent O 3,149,453 CHAIN LINK Robert E. OBrien, 24 Hoffman Court, Wallingford, Conn. Filed Nov. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 240,502 1 Claim. (Cl. 59-91) This invention relates to a chain link that has a new and novel feature which makes it possible to quickly and easily create a chain of any desired length.

Notwithstanding the ease with which my link may be assembled into a chain, it Will not come apart acciden'tally by reason of shaking or vibration of any sort.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the novel chain link.

FIGURE 2 is an edge elevation of the link taken from the right side of FIGURE 1.

The link is made of fiat material and comprises a pair of elongated, generally parallel side portions 1 and 2 joined at opposed ends by U-shaped return bend portons 3 and 4. As will be seen in the drawing, FIG. 1 has a notch on its exterior edge or perimeter designated as A. The line B represents a thru slot, effective to divide the side portion 2 into two segments 5 and 6 which abut or nearly abut each other as is apparent in PIG. 1.

For the purpose of illustration, I have shown the notch A on the curved portion of the perimeter as rectangular in shape, but it may be curved, semi-circular or V-shaped.

This notch will be of suflicient width to accept freely the edge of the link With which it is to be assembled. To assemble it is only necessary to place a link With the notch A to its full depth on the edge of the link it is to be assembled with at the point of that link,s abutting segments, designated as B, and turn a quarter of a turn in either direction, that is, clockwise or counter-clockwise, in relation to each other. This will cause the segments 5 6 to spread apart laterally and thus permit the entrance of one link within the other.

3,l49,453 Patented Sept. 22, 1964 Once this has been achieved, those segments of the side thus operated on Will, because of the temper or resilience of the material of which it is made, spring back into their original position in respect to each other, thus closing the opening and providing a linking of the links which Will not permit shaking apart or unintentional separation.

I claim:

A pair of cooperating flat links each fabricated from a single layer of sheet material and each manually operable to engage With respect to one another, each link comprising a pair of elongated generally parallel, side portions joined at opposite ends by U shaped return bend portions extending in the plane of said sheet material, a first side portion of each link being formed with a centrally disposed through slot of smaller width than the thickness of the sheet material and effective to divide said first side portion into two generally equal coplanar segments, said slot being generally disposed perpendicularly to the elongated side portions, said segments being substantially in abutment with one another at their end faces to form a substantially complete loop, with a notch 'through the plane of the link on its exterior edge, located on the curved portion of its perimeter, with a depth of dimension about equal to the thickness of the material, and a mouth of dimension slightly greater than thickness of material of which the link is made so that When engaged to its full depth with the edge of the link with which it is to be assembled at the point of the abutment of the end faces of tha't link, it is, upon rotation of the first link relative to the second link, operative to spread the segments laterally a distance suflicient to permit the first link to pass Within and join the second link.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 680,005 Southworth Aug. 6, 1901 l,412,919 Campbell Apr. 18, 1922 3,06l,999 OBrien Nov. 6, 1962

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