Improvements in Capes and other Garments.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Sept., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 5th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
We, CHARLES PARKER of Cheapside Lancaster in the County of Lancaster,
India-rubber Merchant and JOSEPH MEADOWCROFT of Great John Street,
Lancaster aforesaid, Decorator, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention is designed primarily for waterproof capes for bicyclists such as
are known as bicycle capes but may be applied to other garments and adapted for
other purposes.
Our invention consists essentially in constructing the cape or other garment with
a small pneumatic tube or chamber around the lower edge or in any other suitable
position which when inflated will cause it to stand out from and will maintain it in
position away from the body of the wearer to allow rain or water to run off clear of
the lower portions of the body.
As applied to cycle or other capes we attach to the lower edge a tube of rubber
or other suitable material or we form a chamber around the edge by means of a
piece of rubber proofed material either solutioned stitched or otherwise affixed in
an air tight manner such as by applying two sticky surfaces together before
vulcanization. This chamber or tube is fitted with a suitable valve by which it can
be inflated and deflated at will.
For longer garments the pneumatic chamber may be placed some distance from
the edge if desired or two or more such tubes or chambers may be provided at
different places in the same garment.
Dated this 18th day of September 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Capes and other Garments.
We, CHARLES PARKER, of Cheapside, Lancaster, in the County of Lancaster,
India-rubber Merchant, and JOSEPH MEADOWCROFT, of Great John Street,
Lancaster, aforesaid, Decorator, 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 relates primarily to waterproof capes for the use of bicyclists
such as are known as bicycle capes though it may be applied to other garments for
other purposes.
It is designed to improve the construction of such capes as are distended or held
away from the body of the wearer by means of a pneumatic tube around the edge

page_text: for the purpose of allowing the rain or water to run off clear of the lower limbs or
portions of the body.
Hitherto such capes have been made by attaching to the front edge or other part
of the cape a piece of rubber tubing closed at one end and fitted with an inflating
valve at the other. We have found that by constructing the air chamber built up
of pieces or layers of the proofed material (or other material proofed for the
purpose) of which the garment is made a much better, neater and cheaper result is
obtained.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1. Front elevation of cape.
Fig. 6. Enlarged detail showing another modification.
Fig. 6. Section of same.
Fig. 7. Enlarged detail of another modification.
Fig. 7. Section of same.
Fig. 8. Elevation showing the invention applied to a larger garment.
The cape A. is made of any ordinary proofed material and the air or pneumatic
chamber B is constructed of the same or of material proofed for the purpose and
extends around the whole bottom edge of the garment.
Referring to Figs. 3 and 34 upon the layer a of proofed fabric which forms the
body of the cape A we place and cause to adhere by means of rubber solution,
stitching or other means a second layer of the same or similar material proofed
with sufficient thickness of rubber to render it air tight. Above this we apply a
third layer c of similar material which is secured in an air tight manner along the
edges by rubber, rubber solution or the like, in addition to which if found desired
it may be stitched. The material a is preferably turned over at the bottom.
In another form of construction shown in Fig. 4 a second layer b of proofed
material is placed around the bottom edge of the cape being caused to adhere by
rubber or rubber solution and the double ply thus formed along the edge is turned
up and cemented together to form the air chamber B with or without the addition
of stitching.
In Figs. 5 and 5* a further modification is shown in which a strip b of proofed
inaterial proofed to a sufficient thickness to be rendered air tight is secured to the
cape by cementing or stitching and is then turned over upon itself and the edges
caused to adhere by rubber or rubber cement, the bottom edge of the material a
being turned over upon it.
A modification of this form of construction is shown in Figs. 6 and 64 the second
layer or strip bis turned over upon itself to form the air chamber B the two edges
being cemented together at 6' and then secured to the material a of the cape A by
a row of stitching 6".
In another modification shown in Figs. 7 and 74 the material a of the cape or
garment may be proofed with such a thickness or quality of rubber proofing as will
render it air tight and a single strip b of similar material be cemented or otherwise
secured along the edge thereof by its edges to form the air chamber B.
For longer garments the pneumatic chamber B constructed in either of the ways
herein described may be placed some distance from the edge if desired (as shown
in Fig. 8) or two or more such chambers B and B' may be provided at different
places in the same garment.
The pneumatic chamber B so constructed is fitted with an inflation valve C of
any ordinary or suitable construction by which it can be inflated or deflated at will.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be clearly

page_text: understood that we do not claim per se the attachment of a pneumatic tube to a
cape or garment but we declare that what we claim is :-
1. A waterproof garment having a pneumatic chamber around the edge or other-
wise disposed constructed of one or more layers of proofed material the same as or
similar to that of which the cape or garment is made substantially as and for the
purpose described.
2. A waterproof cape or garment having a pneumatic chamber constructed and
arranged substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 1th dow of 1907
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool, and London, Patent Agents.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool, and London, Patent Agents.