Year: 1899

page_text: I, PATRICK MILLAR MATTHEW, Managing Director of The Victoria Rubber
Company Limited, Victoria India Rubber Mills, Edinburgh, in the County of
Midlothian, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
My invention as hereinafter described, relates to the production of the flexible
stay-pieces or supports (commonly known as corset shields) which are applied to
the inner surface of corsets, at each side of these points where, curving to fit
the waist of the wearer, the steels or bones of the corsets are liable to fracture
from the movements of the body.
The object of my invention is to provide shields which shall be so flexible
and elastic as to adapt themselves to the curves of the body with perfect ease and
comfort to the wearer, and which shall, at the same time, be sufficiently rigid to
afford the support necessary to prevent the fracture of the steels or bones of the
corset by the movements of the body. These shields may also be applied to corsets
in which the steels or bones have already become fractured at the points above in-
dicated, and when so applied, they will effectually prevent injury to the the person
or clothing of the wearer from the broken ends of the steels or bones.
The shields, which are the subject of this invention, consist primarily of thin
sheets of india rubber, compounded and vulcanized in such a manner as to com-
bine the necessary rigidity, flexibility, and elasticity above referred to. The
form and size of the shields may be varied according to the size of the corsets to
which they are to be applied or other circumstances. For general purposes, I have
found an oval form most suitable.
In carrying out my invention, I first prepare the rubber by adding thereto a
proportion of fibrous material, such as cotton or jute, which I reduce to a fine
state of division, and closely incorporate with the rubber by means of such
grinding and mixing machinery, as is commonly employed in rubber factor-
ies, for analogous purposes. To this fibrous rubber compound, I then add the
necessary vulcanizing ingredients preferably litharge and sulphur--in such pro-
portions as will render the rubber sufficiently rigid and flexible after having been
subsequently submitted to the process of vulcanization.
The rubber compound thus prepared, is then formed into sheets of the re-
quired thickness, by means of the ordinary process of calendering rubber sheets.
The thickness of the sheets may be varied according to the particular amount of
rigidity which is desired, but for general purposes, I find that about one sixteenth
of an inch is ample. The sheets are then vulcanized by any suitable method,
but I prefer to employ the ordinary hot press, in which the rubber is vulcanized
under pressure betwixt two metal plates heated by steam to the required tem-
perature.
The shields may either be cut from the sheet after vulcanization, or prior to it.
In the latter case they must be vulcanized after being cut, and preferably so by
the hot press as above described.
The fibrous rubber sheet prepared by the method above described, is capable of

page_text: being stretched in one direction only, that is to say, on its width, or at right
angles to the direction in which it leaves the calender, and in cutting the shields
from the sheet, it is absolutely necessary that their horizontal axis should be in
the direction in which the rubber can be stretched. This permits the shields
when being drawn into contact with the body of the wearer, to expand along the
upper and lower portions of their periphery, and thus to adapt themselves with
absolute nicety to the double curvature of the body at the waist of the wearer.
I then
For the sake of appearance, as well as for the purpose of giving additional
strength to the shields, I prefer to have them covered on both sides by a cotton or
other fabric of suitable texture. This fabric I prepare by coating it on one side
with an adhesive solution of india rubber capable of being vulcanized.
attach the fabric by means of pressure to both sides of the rubber sheet prior to
the vulcanization of the latter, or having cut it into portions of the necessary
size and shape, I attach it by similar means to the shields which have been cut
from the unvulcanized rubber sheet, as above stated. In the latter case, the
portions of fabric may be cut somewhat larger than the rubber shield, so that
they will overlap the edge of the latter, and their two adhesive surfaces coming
in contact, will form a flange round the shield. In either case, the material is
then vulcanized as before described.
In order that the expansion of the shields at the proper parts may not be inter-
fered with by the overlying fabric, it is necessary that the latter should be made
or cut in such a manner, that it will possess the necessary amount of elasticity
in the required direction.
For the purpose of enabling the shields to be attached to the corset, small
holes may be punched through the rubber at suitable intervals, and additional
holes may be formed, if desired for purposes of ventilation.
Dated this 29th day of May 1899.
PAT. MILLAR MATTHEW.
I, PATRICK MILLAR MATTHEW, Managing Director of The Victoria Rubber
Company, Limited, Victoria India Rubber Mills, Edinburgh, in the County of
Midlothian, 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:
My invention as hereinafter described, relates to the production of the flexible
stay-pieces or supports (commonly known as corset shields) which are applied to
the inner surface of corsets, at each side, at the points where, curving to fit
the waist of the wearer, the steels or bones of the corsets are liable to fracture
from the movements of the body.
The object of my invention is to provide shields, which shall be so flexible
and elastic as to adapt themselves to the curves of the body with perfect case and
comfort to the wearer, and which shall at the same time be sufficiently rigid to
afford the support necessary to prevent the fracture of the steels or bones of the
corset by the movements of the body. They may either be fitted to corsets in
the course of manufacture of the latter, or they may afterwards be attached in a
suitable manner to the finished corsets. They may also be applied to corsets,
in which the steels or bones have already become fractured at the points above
indicated, and when so applied, they will effectually prevent injury to the person
or clothing of the wearer from the broken ends of the steels or bones.

page_text: The
The shields, which are the subject of this invention, consist primarily of thin
sheets of india rubber, compounded and vulcanized in such a manner as to com-
bine the necessary rigidity, flexibility, and elasticity above referred to.
form and size of the shields may be varied according to the size of the corsets
to which they are to be applied or other circumstances. For general purposes,
I have found an oval form most suitable.
In carrying out my invention, I first prepare the rubber by adding thereto a
proportion of fibrous material, such as cotton or jute, which I reduce to a fine
state of division, and closely incorporate with the rubber by means of such grind-
ing and mixing machinery as is commonly employed in rubber factories for
analogous purposes. I have found that twenty-four parts by weight of rubber
to twelve parts by weight of fibre are suitable proportions, but I do not bind
myself to employ these exact proportions, since they may be slightly varied
according as more or less rigidity is desired. To this fibrous rubber compound,
I then add the necessary vulcanizing ingredients--preferably litharge and sul-
phur in such proportions as will render the rubber sufficiently rigid and flexible
after having been subsequently submitted to the process of vulcanization.
I have found that eight parts by weight of litharge, and one part by weight of
sulphur to twenty four parts by weight of rubber are suitable proportions for
producing the required result, but these may be slightly varied if it is considered
necessary for any particular purpose to increase or diminish the rigidity of the
rubber.
The rubber compound thus prepared is then formed into sheets of the required
thickness by means of the ordinary process of calendering rubber sheets. The
thickness of the sheets may be varied according to the particular amount of
rigidity which is desired, but for general purposes, I find that about one six-
teenth of an inch is ample. The sheets are then vulcanized by any suitable
method, but I prefer to employ the ordinary hot press, in which the rubber is
vulcanized under pressure betwixt two metal plates heated by steam to the
required temperature.
The shields may either be cut from the sheet after vulcanization, or prior to
it. In the latter case, they must be vulcanized after being cut, and preferably so
by the hot press as above described.
"The fibrous rubber sheet prepared by the method above described, is capable
of being stretched in one direction only, that is to say on its width, or at right
angles to the direction in which it leaves the calender, and in cutting the shields
from the sheet, it is absolutely necessary that their horizontal axis should lie
in the direction in which the rubber can be stretched. This permits the shields,
when being drawn into contact with the body of the wearer, to expand along
the upper and lower portions of their periphery, and thus to adapt themselves
with absolute accuracy to the double curvature of the body at the waist of the
wearer.
For the sake of appearance, as well as for the purpose of giving additional
strength to the shields, I prefer to cover them on both sides by a cotton or other
fabric of suitable texture. This fabric I prepare by coating it on one side with
an adhesive solution of india rubber capable of being vulcanized. I then attach
the fabric by means of pressure to both sides of the rubber sheet prior to the
vulcanization of the latter, or having cut the prepared fabric into proportions
of the necessary size and shape, I attach them by similar means to the shields
which have been cut from the unvulcanized rubber sheet, as above stated.
the latter case, the portions of the fabric may be cut somewhat larger than the
rubber shield, so that they will overlap the edge of the latter, and their two adhe-
sive surfaces coming in contact will form a flange round the shield. In either
case, the material is then vulcanized, as before described.
In
In order that the expansion of the shields at the proper parts may not be inter-
fered with by the overlying fabric, it is necessary that the latter should be made
or cut in such a manner that it will possess the necessary amount of elasticity

page_text: in the required direction. A fabric which is not elastic in make should be cut on
the bias.
For the purpose of enabling the shields to be stitched to the corset, small holes
may be punched through the rubber at suitable intervals, and additional holes
may be similarly formed, if desired, for purposes of ventilation.
I am aware that corset shields have been produced in a similar form, and from
materials of a more or less flexible nature, such as thin metal sheet, horn, wire
gauze, &c., and I lay no claim to the particular shape of the shields hereinbefore
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
---
The production of a corset shield, composed of a sheet of india rubber pre-
pared as hereinbefore described, combining at one and the same time the amount
of rigidity required to resist the inward pressure of the corset steels or bones,
and the amount of flexibility and elasticity necessary to enable the shield to adapt
itself with perfect case and accuracy to the double curvature of the body of the
wearer.
1000