Toggle.

Application filed July 22, 1909. Serial No. 509,069.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Max Ti-ieimer, a naturalized citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toggles, of xvhich the folloxving is a specification.

My invention relates to devices commonly known as “toggles,” ancl designed to be fastened to sheets of a flexible nature such as leather, hides, and cloths, and particularly for the purpose of stretching the same.

It has for its object a device which xvill insure a firm hold upon the material xvith a minimum and fixed waste of same, and in xvhich the holding mechanism shall be independent of the holding cord.

It has for its further object a substantially flat toggle over xvhich the varnish or enamel readily flows, the protruding parts being either on a level or beneath the surface of the skin or other materials, and the arrangements such that the varnish or enamel is not likely to clog the various parts of the device.

The nature of my invention will be best understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in xvhich—

Figure 1 is a plan viexv of one form of the toggle. Fig. 2 is a plan viexv of the toggle, somexvhat modified to allow for lacing of the holding cord. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail viexv of the underside of the toggle shown in Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are end views on an enlarged scale of the toggle shown in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several viexvs.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 designates a plate provided at one end xvith a hole 11 to receive a cord 12 by means of which the toggle is to be secured to a frame 13. At its other end, the plate is bent as shown, providing a vertical gage groove 14 and a horizontal locking groove 15. To the upper surface of this plate 10 is pivotally attached, a cam plate 16, whose edge 17 may be roughened if desired, cooperating with the groove 15 to hold the material 18. In the form of toggle illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 5 the hole 11 is flattened at the outer end to accommodate the two branches of the cord 12 which in this form is adapted for lacing. To prevent the cord 12 from slip ping, the cord end of said plate 10 is provided at each side with an extension 19 turned back upon itself below the said plate and xvith a projecting finger 20 bent slightly 60 downwardly. The end of the said plate is preferably also given a slight doxvnxvard bend.

In inserting the material to be held, the same is placed at the bottom of the gage 65 groove 14 and the cam plate 16 pressed inwardly in any suitable manner against the said material forcing the same into the holding groove 15. The material is then brought over the upper xvall of the groove 15 70 whereby a double bend is made in same providing a secure hold; and, as the amount of the portion held is fixed by the depth of the gage 14, the degree of waste is positively determined. To unfasten the toggle from 75 the material it is necessarj⁷ only to grasp same and to draw.it in the direction to oppose the locking action of the cam.

Varnish or enamel can be readily applied to the leather almost up to its fastened edge 80 as there are no protruding parts above the level of same. The toggle itself is protected against clogging by the varnish or enamel due to the cam plate 16. The entire stress of holding, also, is horizontal and 85 is directed against a rivet 10' or other suitable means for pivotally securing the said cam plate 16 to the plate 10. The holding action is thus entirely independent of the cord 12 by means of which the toggle is 90 secured to the frame 13.

Where it is not desired to lace the cord 12 the same is simply knotted to the toggle, passing through the hole 11 of the plate 10. If it be desired to lace the cord 12, however, ⁹⁵a looped portion of the same is brought through the hole 11 from the underside of plate 10, passed ox^rer the end of same and over the two extensions 19. The two outgoing portions of the cord 12 then bear ¹⁰⁰against the finger 20 and press upon a portion 21 of the cord held between them and the said finger. The cord 12 is by this means securely held and the breakage of one of the branches even close to the toggle itself ¹⁰⁵will not cause the other to loosen, whereby the material does not drop as is often the case with lacing when one portion of the string fails. The pull on the string in the arrangement just described may be diverted HO in any convenient direction to obtain the desired stress on the material. To take up the

998,431 cord or to draw it through the hole 11 it is necessary only to slightly raise the cord end of the toggle, when the two outgoing parts no longer bear against the portion 21 (as 5 shown in dotted lines, Fig. 5) and the cord may be freely drawn through.