Safety-stirrup.

Application filed December 22, 1910. Serial No. 598,797.

To dll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Alfred M. Sipes, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mobeetie, in the county of Wheeler and State ₅ of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Stirrups; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to ₁₀ which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a safety stirrup.

The object is to provide a simply constructed and efficient stirrup of this char₁₅ acter which will be quickly and reliably opened by pressure exerted against one of the side members.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features 20 of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 25 is a front elevation of a stirrup constructed in accordance with this invention with one side member open and the other closed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is an end view thereof. Fig. 30 4 is a perspective view of the strap-engaging member detached. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 5—5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the connecting member for the two piv35 oted sides of the stirrup. Fig. 7 is a detail longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 7—7 of Fig. 3.

In the embodiment illustrated, a safety stirrup is shown comprising a strap-engag40 ing member 1, having the ordinary loop 2 at its upper portion and notched at its opposite ends to receive the T-shaped heads 5 of the foot-receiving member hereinafter to be described.

A housing 3 is secured to the front face of the member 1 and is designed to protect the safety catches against accidental disengagement such as might be caused from coming into contact with brush or any other 50 obstacle. One wall of this housing, is provided at its opposite ends with shoulders, as 4, for engagement with the catches to be described, whereby said catches are locked in operative position.

The stirrup proper comprises two side members 6 and 7 hingedly connected at their lower ends and provided at their free upper ends with T-shaped heads 5 above described. A substantially T-shaped foot-plate 8 is pivotally mounted on the pintle which connects ₆₀the lower ends of the side members. This plate is preferably provided with right-angularly extending apertured lugs 9 and 10 formed on its head and stem respectively, and through which the connecting pintle ₆₅passes. The head of this plate 8 is curved longitudinally to correspond with the curvature of the inner faces of the side members 6 and 7, and when engaged by the foot of the rider serves to hold said side members ₇₀in closed position.

One edge of each of the side members 6 and 7 is recessed as shown at 7' to receive catch plates 11 and 12 which are pivotally mounted therein and provided at their up- ₇₅per ends with longitudinally extending tongues as 13 adapted to engage the shoulders 4 on the member 1 for locking said side members 6 and 7 in operative engagement with said member 1. ₈₀

Bell crank catch levers 14 and 15 are pivotally mounted in the lower walls of the recesses 7' and are adapted to engage the lower ends of the catch plates 11 and 12 for holding them securely against accidental ₈5 actuation. Curved plates 16 and 17 are pivotally connected at one end with the inner arms of said bell crank levers 14 and 15 and closely engage the inner faces of the members 6 and 7. These plates 16 and 17 ₉₀are provided on their lower faces, near their free ends, with arms 18 and 19 which extend through guide slots as 20 formed in said side members, and by means of which said plates are held against lateral displace- 95 ment while permitted to move longitudinally to provide for the pivotal movement of the bell-crank catch levers to permit the engagement of the free arms thereof with the catch plates when desired. When the rider’s 100 foot is in the stirrup, pressure is exerted on these plates 16 and 17, which reliably holds the free ends of the bell-crank levers in engagement with the plates 11 and 12 and prevents all possibility of said plates being 105 opened until said pressure is removed. These stirrups may be made in any desired size, but should only be large enough to permit the insertion of the toe of the rider to prevent the slipping of his foot there- no through, which would cause the release of the side members and detach the stirrup.

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In the operation of this improved stirrup, the T-shaped heads 5 are engaged with the notches in the opposite ends of the member 1, and are locked therein by means of the 5 tongues 13 xvhich engage the shoulders 4, said tongues being held in locked engagement with said shoulders by means of the free ends of the bell-crank levers 14 and 15 xvhich engage the loxver ends of the plates 10 11 and 12, and are held in this position, as above described, by the pressure of the foot of the rider on the plates 16 and 17. Should the rider fall from his horse, and his foot come in contact xvith one or both of the 15 catch plates 11 or 12, they would be forced outwardly and disengaged from the shoulders 4 and the loxver ends of said plates on opening would bear against the free ends of the bell .crank levers 14 and 15, xvhere20 upon the side members would be immediately separated from the strap - engagingmember 1 and the rider’s foot released.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection xvith the accompanying draw25 ings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may 30 be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, as defined in the appended claims.