CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CRINOLINE FASTENERS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Luke Kinnings and George Gibbs, trading under
the Style or Firm of Kinnings and Gibbs, Stay and Crinoline Skirt
Manufacturers, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, and William
Thomas Edwards, Engraver, also of Birmingham aforesaid, for the
Invention of " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CRINOLINE FASTENERS."
Sealed the 29th November 1864, and dated the 1st June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Luke Kinnings, George
Gibbs, and William Thomas Edwards at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 1st June 1864.
We, LUKE KINNINGS and GEORGE GIBBS, trading under the Style or Firm
of Kinnings and Gibbs, Stay and Crinoline Skirt Manufacturers, of Bir-
mingham, in the County of Warwick, and WILLIAM THOMAS EDWARDS,
Engraver, also of Birmingham aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of our
said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CRINOLINE FASTENERS," to be as
follows (that is to say) :-
Our improvements in crinoline fasteners consist in taking a piece of
rectangular metal, of the proper thickness, and cutting out the corners from
the same at right angles, so that the two ends may be readily lapped down,
and the two sides bent over in like manner, and in this condition will be of a
rectangular form, varying according to the width of the crinoline; these
fasteners may be required to unite, and about an inch and a half in length,,
more or less, as may be found most convenient. At right angles with the.
lengthway or middle plain part of this connecter or clip we form a slot for the
purpose herein-after named.
In the forming of these clips we purpose, by suitable tools, indenting or

page_text: creasing the plates in the proper place for bending over, applying them to the
uniting of the ends of crinoline, which may be of steel, cane, or other suitable
material, in the following way:-We lay the end of the crinoline on the plate
of metal, and push the end through the slot before referred to, until it is in
position to be clipped by the opposite end of the metal of the clip being bent
over on it; we next take the other end of the crinoline and lay that in the
reverse direction on the end, partially confined, and secure the same by
bending down on it the other end of the clip, then over the whole we bend
down the parts for clipping the edges, and the whole being compressed or
squeezed together, leaves the fastening perfectly secure, and possessing the
great and desirable quality that under no circumstances can the ends of the
crinoline pass through or beyond the clip, a defect common to ordinary
crinoline fasteners, and attended with great danger and inconvenience.
As a modification of our improvements we purpose in some instances to
indent, serrate, or corrugate the surfaces of the clip that are brought in
contact with the crinoline, and to perforate the fastening across or through
the creases or laps, or otherwise, as preferred.
The mode of producing our improved clips or fasteners is simply by cutting
them out from sheet metal by suitable tools with an ordinary fly press, a
process well understood by workers in metal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Luke Kinnings, George Gibbs, and William Thomas
Edwards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st December
1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, LUKE
KINNINGS and GEORGE GIBBS, trading under the Style or Firm of Kinnings
and Gibbs, Stay and Crinoline Skirt Manufacturers, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, and WILLIAM THOMAS EDWARDS, Engraver, also of
Birmingham aforesaid, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the First day of June, in the year of our Lord One.
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Luke Kinnings; George Gibbs, and William Thomas Edwards, Her
special license that we, the said Luke Kinnings, George Gibbs, and William
Thomas Edwards, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others

page_text: as we, the said Luke Kinnings, George Gibbs, and William Thomas Edwards;
our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use; exercise, and vend;
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
CRINOLINE FASTENERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Luke Kinnings, George Gibbs, and William Thomas Edwards, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of them; should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after..
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Gibbs and William Thomas
Edwards, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in-what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our improvements in crinoline fasteners consist in taking a rectangular
piece of metal, of the proper thickness, and cutting out the corners from the
same at right angles, so that the two ends may be readily lapped down, and
the two sides bent over in like manner, and in this condition will be of a
rectangular form, varying according to the width of the crinoline; these
fasteners may be required to unite, and about an inch and a half in length,
more or less, as may be found most convenient. At right angles with the
lengthway or middle plain part of this connector or clip we form a slot for the-
purpose herein-after named.
In the forming of these clips we purpose, by suitable tools, indenting or
creasing the plates in the proper place for bending over, applying them to the
uniting of the ends of crinoline, which may be of steel, cane, or other suitable
material, in the following way :-We lay the end of the crinoline on the plate
of metal; and push the end through the slot before referred to until it is in-
position to be clipped by the opposite end of the metal of the elip being bent
over it. We next take the other end of the crinoline and lay that in the reverse
direction on the end partially confined, and secure the same by bending down-
on it the other end of the clip, then over the whole we bend down the parts:
for clipping the edges, and the whole being compressed or squeezed together
leaves the fastening perfectly secure, and possessing the great and desirable
quality. that under no circumstances can the ends of the crinolino pass-through

page_text: or beyond the clip, a defect common to ordinary crinoline fasteners and;
attended with great danger and inconvenience.
As a modification of our improvements we purpose, in some instances, to
indent, serrate, or corrugate the edges and surfaces of the clip that are brought
in contact with the crinoline, and to perforate the fastening across the creases
or laps, or otherwise, as preferred.
The mode of producing our improved clips or fasteners is simply by cutting,
them out from sheet metal by suitable tools with an ordinary fly press, a
process well understood by workers in metal.
But in order that we may be fully understood as to the nature and object
of our Invention, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed,
reference being had to the various figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 represents our improved crinoline fastener or connector in the flat;
the side A is represented scolloped and perforated, for the purpose of lightness
or appearance, if so preferred. The rectangular form within the dotted
lines b, c, d, e, indicates angles or creases, that is to say, the sides A, F, and
G, H, are bent up at right angles with the part within the dotted lines, and.
which condition reversed is represented at Fig. 2, and the manner of uniting.
crinoline by this improved fastener is illustrated at Fig. 3 in a flat and
sectional edge view; in the former the crinoline I is represented through the
slot of Figure 1 and 2, marked J, and is held at the end by the part H turned.
over it, as exhibited in the section; and we will suppose the crinoline long.
enough to form a hoop of the desired size, so that the other end would come.
into the angle, and be secured by the end G being lapped over on it in the
way as exhibited in a flat and sectional edge view at Fig. 4, the ends of the
crinoline being thus secured by the folding over of the metal G and H; we'
next lap over the sides A and F, as exhibited in the back flat view at Fig. 5,
and sectional edge view at Fig. 6. The advantage to be derived from this
mode of connecting crinoline is the impartant one of securing the ends of the
crinoline so that they shall not overlap each other or glide through or out of
the fastening, to which they have a great tendency when united by the means
ordinarily applied. But to effect this important desideratum we are not.
compelled to use the slot J, before described, as the same result will be.
obtained by bending the ends G and H in contrary directions, and dividing
the side flaps A and F in order that they may encompass the crinoline on each
side, leaving the portion within the rectangular dotted lines of the same
Figure to lie between the two ends of the crinoline, and this modification we
have exhibited at Fig. 7. in the flat, the corresponding rectangular part.
exhibited at Figure 1 represented within the dotted lines m, n, o; p, and.
>

page_text: partially put in use at Fig. 8 by one end of the crinoline being laid on the
rectangular part, and the end K laid over on it, as also the alternate teeth of
the flaps marked.2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12, which thoroughly secure it, the
remaining teeth being reserved for securing the other end of the crinoline, as
exhibited at Fig. 9, where the end L of the fastening is lapped over the other
end of the crinoline in position for the corresponding teeth 1, 3, 5, 7, 9,
and 11, to be turned over in like manner for securing it; thus we have the
same important result for binding the ends of the crinoline as in the former
Figures. At r and s, Figures 1 and 7, we have exhibited in dotted lines
small circular holes pierced out of the before-mentioned rectangular part, for
the purpose of affording lightness, but the holes may be of any shape preferred,
or omitted altogether, and are merely introduced to show that we are not
confined to the form or construction as here given.
Having now given a general description of our improvements in crinoline
fasteners, and the manner in which the same may be carried into effect, we
wish it understood that we do not purpose confining ourselves to the exact
shape and size here shown, as the same may be considerably varied without
departing from the spirit of our Invention, nor do we purpose confining
ourselves to any particular metal, as ordinary scrap tin may be advantageously
used in their production; but what we claim as our Invention, and wish to
protect by these our in part recited Letters Patent is, the mode of securing or
uniting the ends of crinoline without reference to the material of which the
said crinoline may be composed, in the manner or after the fashion herein
described and exhibited, or its equivalent.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Gibbs and William Thomas
Edwards, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirtieth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-four
WILLIAM THOMAS EDWARDS. (LS.)
Witness,
WILLIAM LOACH,
Clerk to James S. Cockings,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.