US640926A - Horse-collar. - Google Patents

Description

(12.. A. MILLER.

HORSE COLLAR,

(Application filed June 14, 1898.)

Patented .ian. 9, I900.

(m Model.)

THE cams PEIERS co, Pnoro-uwa. WASHINGTON. o. c.

ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. MILLER, OF BURKET, INDIANA.

HORSE-COLLAR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 640,926, dated January 9, 1900. Application filed June 14, 1898. Serial No. 683,428. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burket, in the county of Kosciusko and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Horse-Collar, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to harness, and particularly to horse-collars, and has for one object to provide a device of the class named which is adapted to snugly fit the shoulders of the animal upon which it is arranged and to accommodate itself to the movements of the shoulders, so as to avoid chafing and other inconvenience arising in the ordinary practice from an ill-fitting collar.

It is a further object of my invention to provide for compactness and neatness of construction by dispensing with the ordinary hames and substituting therefor certain reinforcing or hame plates adapted to perform the functions of hames, and in addition thereto serving to preserve the shape of the hearing or inner surface of the collar.

A further object of the reinforcing or hame plates is to distribute the pressure of the collar.

Furthermore, my invention has for its object to provide an improved connection between the members of the collar whereby an efficient bearing thereof is attained and displacement or disarrangement is prevented.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following descrip tion, andthe novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a collar constructed in accordance with my invention, the same being shown applied. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the collar, showing in elevation the inner surface of one of the members with a portion of the pad omitted and in dicating in dotted lines the contour of the reinforcing or stiffening plate. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the upper portions of the collar members. Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective of the upper end of one of the collar members detached from the connectingsleeve. r

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlngs.

The collar embodying my invention comprises separable members 1, of which the body portions consist of leather plates 2and approximately coextensive reinforcing or stifiening plates 3,said reinforcing-plates corresponding' in contour with the leather or body plates 2, but being of sufilciently smaller area to dispose the edges of said reinforcing-plates parallel with, but spaced inwardly from, corresponding edges of the body-plates 2. The reinforcing-plates are secured to the inner surfaces of the body-plates by means of rivets 4; or the equivalents thereof, and at their lower ends the body-plates 2' are extended forwardly to form breast strap tongues 5, adapted to be suitably connected by an ordinary fastening device ofthe buckle or other type. The reinforcing-plates are also extended forwardly at their lower ends for a short distance to stiffen the body-plates 2 at the bases of the breast-strap tongues. Also, the body-plates 2 are extended rearwardly and are provided with attached trace-tongues 6,

such tongues being located above the horizontal planes of the breast-strap tongues or at intermediate points of the lengths of the collar members. I

Between the breaststrap and trace-tongues the collar, including the body-plates 2, of leather, and the reinforcing-plates 3, of metal, or the equivalent thereof, is extended downwardly and forwardly to form a broad base or bearing-surface, and the reinforcing-plates are preferably curved inward slightly toward the extremities of the forward extensions 3 to fit snugly around the shoulders of the horse, and from this broad base or bearingsurface the collar members, inclusive of the body and reinforcing plates, are reduced upwardly, as clearly shown in Fig. 2', the rear edges of the members being concavely and the front edges thereof convexly curved.

At their upper ends the collar members are extended to form tongues of less width than the contiguous portion of the body-plates, but preferably equal in width with the contiguous portions of the reinforcing-plates, and such extensions thus preferably consist of'ooextensive portions 7 and 8 of the body-plates 2 and reinforcing-plates 3. I These collar-tongues, consisting of the extensions 7 and 8, arefitted in the extremities of a tubular shield or sleeve 9, which forms the connection between the upper ends of the collar members, wherebya sliding connection is provided between each collar member and the contiguous end of the shield to provide for adjustment of the shield and collar members to suit animals requiring different lengths of collars, such adjustment being accomplished without disengagement of the extremities of the shield from the collar tongues or extensions. The part-s are secured at the desired adjustment by means of fastening devices, preferably consisting of buckles 10 and engaging strap-tongues. In practice, however, I prefer to provide a single continuous strap 11, extending longitudinally and exteriorly of the shield, with its extemities projecting. beyond the ends of the shield to form said strap-tongues, and hence in the drawings I have illustrated this construction and relative arrangement of parts.

As above indicated, the stiffening or reinforcing plates,which are cross-sectionally fiat, are secured to the inner surfaces of the body or facing plates 2, consisting of leather or other flexible material; but at their inner sides these reinforcing-plates are concealed by pads 12, coextensive with said body portions 2, and hence slightly overlapping the edges of the reinforcing-plates, whereby lines of stitching 13 may be employed to connect the pads with the body of facing-plates 2 beyond the edges of the reinforcing-plates. These pads may be extended to the desired points at their lower ends, parallel with the breast-strap and trace-tongues, and at their upper ends they are extended to form cushioning-tongues 14, springing from the bases or lower portions of the tongues 7 8 of the collar members and terminating contiguous to the center of the shield, to prevent contact between the latter and the neck of the horse. Obviously the collar may be provided with the usual rein-rings 15 and other appurtenances and trimmings common in this art.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that l have provided a collar of which the separate members are cross-sectionally fiat, each consisting of an outer body portion or facing-plate, an innerlining or pad of soft material, such as felt, and an interposed flat reinforcing-plate, approximately coextensive with the outer and inner elements, with its edges parallel with those of said outer and inner elements, but spaced inwardly therefrom a sufficient distance to allow the connection of the outer and inner elements by means of lines of stitching located outside of the edges of the reinforcing-plate. The reinforcingplates are sufficiently stiff to hold their shape in opposition to strains applied to the collar through the trace-tongues, but are adapted in manufacture to be bent to conform to the general contour of the shoulders of a horse,

whereby the pressure of the collar is applied to the shoulders throughout a surface approximately coextensive with the collar, thusdistributing the bearin g and avoiding that chafing which is common to collars where the bearing is confined to a small area. Furthermore, itwill be seen that the connection which I have provided between the upper ends of the collar members adapts the device for adjustment without in any way exposing the neck of the horse to a chafing contactwith any of the members of the collar. The pad-tongues, which extend upwardly from the bases of the collar-tongues 7 8, overthe width of the connection being approxi= mately equal with the adjacent portions of the facing-plates, means for secu ring said collar members and connections at the desired relative adjustment, and lining-pads carried by the collar members and having loose upper ends underlapping the adjacent portions of said connection, substantially as specified.

2. A horse-collar having separate collar members provided at their upper ends with reduced stifiened tongues, and having liningpads which are extended at their upper ends to form pad-tongues, projecting beyond the side edges and upper ends of the collartongues, a connection between the collar members, consisting of a tubular shield in the extremities of which said collar-tongues are fitted for adjustment, and means for securing the collar members and connection at the desired relative adjustment, substantially as specified.

3. A horse-collar having separate collar members provided at their upper extremities with stiffened tongues, a connection between the collar members consisting of a tubular shield into the extremities of which are fitted said tongues, lining-pads secured to the inner surfaces of the collar members and having their upper ends separate from the said tongues,- to lie in contact with the inner sides of those portions of the connection which are occupied by the tongues, and means for securing the collar members at the desired adjustment with relation to the said connection, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEOR. A. MILLER.

WVitnesses:

H. B. ROBINSON, JAMES CORRELL.

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