Improvements in Means or Apparatus employed in Supporting Stockings and other Garments.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1893-Accepted, 24th June, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus employed in Supporting
Stockings and other Garments.
A communication from abroad by LEONARD GUY ABBOTT, of No. 117, Shounard
Street, in the City, County, and State of New York, United States of
America.
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of 55 & 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object to improve and simplify that class of mechanism
or "catch" wherein a stud and loop grasp and hold between them firmly a portion
of a stocking or other garment or fabric to be supported or held in place.
My improved mechanism or catch is composed of two parts, one a metal plate-
preferably aluminum-having a stud, and provided at or near its upper end with a
suitable eye through which is passed the bight of a piece of woven web, said bight
of web acting to suspend loosely below the eye a metallic loop adapted to be pushed
down upon the stocking or fabric lying on the stud and to draw and hold a part of
the stocking or fabric between the small end of the loop and the said stud, the
fabric overlying the stud and underlying the loop.
One part of my invention, therefore comprehends a catch for stocking or garment
supporters and the like, it consisting of a metallic back plate having a stud, and a
web guiding eye thereon; and a loop adapted to cooperated with the said stud,
said loop being adapted to hang loosely on or in an expansible bight of web
extending below the said web-guiding eye, as will be described.
Also in a catch for supporting stockings or garments, a back plate having a stud,
and slotted near its upper end for the connection therewith of a woven web, said
web covering the rear side of the plate, combined with a longitudinally movable
loop flexibly connected with the said back plate by an adjacent portion of said
webbing, the loop and stud holding the fabric between them, to operate, substantially
as will be described.
Also in a catch for supporting stockings or garments two plates, one adapted to
slide on or with relation to the other, one of said plates having a stud and flanged
or enlarged side edges, the other plate being held in place and guided by said edges
and having a connected loop movable with relation thereto, whereby, by the relative
changes of position of the plates, the loop and stud may be made to firmly grasp
and hold between them the fabric, substantially as will be described.
Fig. 1, in perspective shews my invention applied to one form of stocking or
garment supporter.
Fig. 2 shews a catch embodying my invention, the loop being represented as
removed from the stud, or in its inoperative position.
Fig. 3 is a like view with the loop in its operative position, or supposed to be
under strain through the web.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section in the dotted line <, Fig. 2.
Fig. 5, is a longitudinal section in dotted line c', Fig. 3.
Figs. 6 and 7, represent respectively a face view and a longitudinal section of a
modified form of catch.
Fig. 8, a section in the line of Fig. 6; and
Fig. 9, shows one of the plates separated from the base plate.
The base of the catch consists of a metallic plate a, and preferably it will have
its longer edges a¹ overturned to not only finish the base, but also to stiffen the
some longitudinally.

page_text: The plate a has connected to it a stud a³, preferably headed, on or about which
will be laid the fabric which may be part of a stocking or other wearing apparel
which is to be caught and held firmly by the catch..
....
The plate a has also a suitable web-guide or eye a³for the web b, which latter
may be of any usual material i.e., of non-elastic material, or a web without rubber,
or an elastic cord, or one containing india-rubber warps, the non-elastic fabric
being in some instances preferable because of the liability of rubber to rot in wear.
The plate a, preferably of aluminum, and shewn in Figs. 4 and 5, is shewn as
slotted at or near that one of its ends provided with the stud, thus leaving a cross-
bar 2 about which may be bent a part of the web' b, near one end, the said web
being thereafter secured to the main body of the web, preferably by stitches,
as at 3.
The web is shewn as led along and so as to cover the back of the plate-a, as in
Fig. 3, and at the opposite end of the plate there is a slot through which is passed
a folded portion of the web, the fold being entered by a suitable pic, thus
confining the web to the upper end of the plate.
From the upper end of the plate a the web is led downward through the
guide-eye a³ and through a sort of eye made at the upper end of the loop e
which is to cooperate with the stud a, and thence the web is led back through the
guide-eye a, the portion of the web embraced by the loop and located between it
and the guide-eye constituting what I call a bight or loose loop upon which the
said loop hangs and rides the web after it is passed through the guide-eye going up
and being attached, it may be to straps pendent from a waist band or other usual
part common to stocking supporters.
It will be readily seen by inspection of the drawing Figs. 2 and 4; where the
loop e is shown as drawn down, that the bight of the web is at such time
lengthened.
To use the catch, the loop e will be drawn down substantially as in Figs. 2
and 4, and the fabric, stocking, or whatever it may be, having had a portion
thereof laid upon the stud a³, the user of the catch by, it may be, a thumb-piece or
projection f, will draw the loop from its position Figs. 2 and 4, into the position
Figs. 3 and 5, in which position it will be understood the garment or stocking will
be grasped between the loop and the stud the loop will be retained in its operative
position Figs. 3 and 5, by the strain put upon the web b at or from the usual belt
surrounding the waist, and in use the bight in the web will be drawn up short, as
best represented in Figs. 3 and 5 and it will be observed that the greater the strain
upon the web b, the more firmly and securely the loop will hold the fabric in contact
with the stud.
It will be supposed that the web b, shown in Figs. 1-to 5, is a non-elastic web,
but referring to Figs. 6, 7 and 8, I have shown my invention as applied to an
elastic web.
In said figs., a, represents the main plate, a² its attached stud, and 6' the web,
said web being represented as connected with the plate a as provided for in the
main figures.
In the modification, I have represented the guide-eye by 64, but instead of the
guide eye being attached directly to the main plate a, it is attached to a slide
plate, shewn separately in Fig. 9, and the elastic web 6, the bight of which as
best shewn in Fig. 3, is extended below the guide-eye 'b', receives and supports the
loop e.
e
In this way it will be obvious that when the user of the catch engages the loop
and pulls the same down' so that it may readily pass over and embrace the studia',
that the elastic web yields somewhat in the bight below the guide-eye b*, and also
yields between the upper side of the guide-eye and the upper end of the-main
plate and it will also be understood that the upward strain upon the elastic web,
as when the latter hangs from the person and is suitably supported, will draw
upwardly upon the loop to confine the stocking or other fabric, as before described,
between the loop and the stud.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A catch or mechanism employed for supporting stockings or garments, it
consisting of a metallic back plate having a stud, and a web guiding eye thereon ;
and a loop adapted to cooperate with the said stud, said loop being adapted to hang
loosely on or in an expansible bight of web extending below the said web-guiding
eye substantially as described.
2. In a catch or mechanism for supporting stockings or garments, a back plate
having a stud, and slotted near its upper end for the connection therewith of a
woven web, said web covering the rear side of the plate, combined with a
longitudinally movable loop flexibly connected with the said back plate by an
adjacent portion of said webbing, the loop and stud holding the fabric between
them, to operate, substantially as described.
3. In a catch or mechanism for supporting stockings or garments, two plates, one
adapted to slide on or with relation to the other, one of said plates having a stud
and flanged or enlarged side edges, the other plate being held in place and guided
by said edges and having a connected loop movable with relation thereto, whereby,
by the relative changes of position of the plates, the loop and stud may be made to
firmly grasp and hold between them the fabric, substantially as described.
4. The combination or arrangement and use of means or apparatus employed in
supporting stockings or other garments substantially as herein described and shewn.
Dated the 20th day of May 1893.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.