Year: 1887

page_text: I, RODNEY SIMON WILLARD, residing at St. Albans in the County of Franklin and
State of Vermont, one of the United States of America, manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described in and by the following statement:
My invention relates to an article made of spring steel wire provided at one end
with a loop for the attachment of a strap, and at the end opposite said loop, with an
eye or smaller loop with intermediate parallel spring holding wires or jaws.
The object of my invention is to provide means for supporting a garment, such as a
stocking, by parallel spring clasping or pinching wires that will not too readily
release the garment or fold thereof when the tension of the supporting strap is
relaxed; for preventing the garment from being drawn down into the eye; for
securing together the ends of the wire which are bent to form the upper loop; and it
further embraces improvements adapted to increase the general usefulness of the
article.
In the drawing:
Figures, 1, and, 2, represent the article in side elevation.
Figure, 3, represents a band which is also shown in figure 2, on a smaller scale and
as applied to the device in use.
Figure, 4, represents a cross section on line, æ, æ, of fig. 2, showing a modification
of the parallel holding wires.
Figure, 5, represents a piece of sheet metal of a form adapted to be made into a
ferule and fitted on the free ends of the wire, as indicated in the upper part of
figure, 2.
Figures, 6, to, 15, inclusive, represent the lower part of the parallel holding wires
and different modifications of the lower loop or eye, shown in fig. 9, of which said
forms are an improvement, the form shown in fig. 9, being well known & not of my
invention.
Figure, 16, represents the lower loop or eye filled with a solid piece of metal or
other material expanded laterally to partially embrace the wire.
Figure, 17, represents a piece of metal in the eye soldered to the wire.
Figures, 18, &, 19, represent respectively a solid piece & an eyelet such as used in
the eye.
Figure. 20. represents an evelet inserted in the eve, and

page_text: Figures, 21, &, 22, represent respectively side and edge views of a modified form
of the holding wires.
The upper loop is indicated by, 1, the parallel holding wires by, 2, 2, the eye, by, 3,
a flanged filling therefor by, 5, and a fastening of solder, by, 6.
As will be understood, a strap or band is usually secured in the upper loop, 1, and 5
fastened above to a garment on the person of the wearer. A piece or fold of the
garment to be supported is drawn into this loop and pressed down between the parallel
spring wires, 2, 2, and is there held. These wires are spread apart slightly but
through their whole extent by the insertion of the fold. An eye loop or bend, 3, is
provided which obviates the sharp angle that would be formed were the wire simply
bent upon itself without such eye or equivalent.
It is essential to the best effect of the holder; that the holding wires.be normally
contiguous or nearly so that it be made of highly tempered spring or "needle" steel
and have the eye below and the loop above. The eye tends to increase the elasticity
of the lower part of the supporter and allows a slight expansion of the holding wires.
It also overcomes the difficulty experienced in hending wire back upon itself, and at
the same time making the two members (or holding wires) parallel. The loop is
formed, as represented, by rigidly securing together the three upper ends of the wire
either by solder or in any convenient manner. A very convenient and economical
device for this purpose is indicated in figure, 2.
As there shown, the wire ends after having been bent to form the loop are bent near
the extreme ends, in such manner as to enter an opening in a ferrule of metal or other
material which embraces the wires as indicated and prevents their independent move-
ment or any lateral expansion of the supporter other than that due to the elasticity of
the wires. The opening in the ferrule or tube for the entrance of the wire ends inay
be formed either in the body or edge of the plate of which the tube is composed.
Such tube can be made and applied by hand, and is preferably to be used without
solder. The ferrule or tube may be made and applied by machinery. The rigid
fastening of the wires forming the upper loop is important, for if the parts of the loop
are allowed to move laterally, the jaws of the holding wires are spread apart at their
upper ends in such manner as to allow the holder and the garment to easily separate,
and the frequent insertion of a garment or fold thereof between the holding wires
tends to permanently spread them, unless they are made of highly elastic material and
unless the wire ends are so connected as to be incapable of lateral motion.
It is practically important that the holding wires clasp the stocking with an inherent
force sufficient to hold the same against a pull or blow in either direction, and whether
the strap is taut or not. Ordinary wire has not sufficient elastic force to hold the fold
of a stocking under all the conditions of use to which it is exposed, and especially is
this true if the holding wires are not made parallel through a considerable part of
their extent, or if the wire ends at the loop are not immovably joined together.
In the present invention, the holding jaws are normally contiguous and so made and
connected that they are always substantially parallel. The insertion of a fold of a
garment does not spread them apart at one end merely, as in other devices, but opens
them through their whole extent in a substantially equal degree, and they continue
parallel and hold throughout their whole extent with equal force and independently of
the pull of the strap. Their grasp is therefore not much more easily relaxed in one
direction than in the other.
This function and operation is also secured by the highly elastic character of the
tempered steel wire, of which the supporter is made. The supporters are first made
of either annealed or ordinary wire and are then converted into spring or "needle"
steel in any well known manner, and are preferably nickel plated.
If the eye above described is not guarded in some manner the garment supported is
liable to be drawn down into it by exceptionally violent pulls, and then if it the fabric
is light and thin, to be drawn entirely out, or if it be coarse, it may become packed in
the eye in such manner as to be removed only with difficulty. To obviate this evil
without impairing the elasticity of the eye or obstructing the movement of the parallel
holding wires, I insert in the eye a piece of metal or other suitable material shaped to
1

page_text: nearly or quite fill the opening in the same and extended laterally and circumferentially,
as shown at, 5, on the drawing, to partly embrace the wire of which the eye is
composed and in such manner that it will be retained securely in position in said eye.
For this purpose, an eyelet of usual form is suitable, or a solid piece of metal or other
substance provided with a circumferential groove or its equivalent, may be used.
According to one method which I have devised for carrying my invention into
effect, I place in the eye a piece of soft metal which is smaller circumferentially than
the eye, and thicker than the wire. This piece of metal is then flattened and spread
superficially at its ends in any known way. Or a simple ring of sheet metal of the
proper dimensions may be inserted and then expanded at the ends, as customary in
securing eyelets in position. Other ways of carrying out my invention will be obvious
to skilled mechanics.
Solder may in some cases be used at one point to secure said piece in place, as
illustrated in figure, 17. Preferably the eyelet or other piece should not quite fill the
eye, though it may do so and not defeat the operation of the device, as the movement
of the wire when the holding jaws are spread by the insertion of a fold of cloth, or
other object is outward and the slight motion of the wire of the eye would not be
checked though it were normally filled by an eyelet or other piece. Another means of
preventing the fabric from being pulled into the eye is illustrated in figures, 6, to 15.
One part of the eye or lower bend is made to lie transversely and at or above the
lower end of the holding wires.
The transverse wire is so placed as to close the bottom of the space between the
wires. In the forms represented in figures, 6, and, 7, it passes between them, though
this is not a preferred device. The wire should be bent in such manner that the
holding wires are left in the same plane. The holding surface of the wire may be
increased by flattening the wire, as indicated in fig. 4, or by bending them in a plane
parallel with the fold of fabric to be supported as illustrated in figures, 21, and, 22.
By either of these means, which are substantially equivalents, the wires are made to
embrace more threads of the fabric laterally, and their holding force is more widely
distributed, so that there is less liability of injury to delicate fabrics.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
1. As a new article of manufacture the improved stocking supporter made of elastic
tempered steel wire, having the eye, the contiguous parallel holding jaws and the loop
formed by rigidly securing the wire ends together, substantially as set forth.
2. A garment supporter made of elastic wire & provided with holding jaws or wires
terminating in an eye having secured therein, a piece or eyelet, substantially as
described whereby a garment is prevented from being drawn into said eye.
3. A garment supporter provided with holding wires terminating in a loop or loops,
one part of which extends transversely across said wires at or a little above their lower
end, whereby the foll of the garment held is prevented from descending below said
wires, substantially as set forth.
4. A garment supporter in which wire ends of the upper loop are bent and secured
in an aperture in a tube or ferrule as set forth, whereby the arms are rigidly held.
5. A wire garment supporter having holding wires flattened or bent as set forth,
whereby the holding surface is increased and the holding force distributed.