Improvements in Bicycle Skirts.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 7th Dec., 1895
Improvements in Bicycle Skirts.
1, BENJAMIN ALTMAN, of 25, Madison Avenue, New York City, United States
of America, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to provide a bicycle skirt which will be com-
pletely divided and which being so divided will be conveniently adapted for riding
and also to make the skirt in such a way that it can be worn as an ordinary or
whole skirt without its divided character being readily apparent.
To this end the invention consists in certain peculiar features of construction,
whereby the above and other objects are attained, as will be fully described
hereinafter and finally embodied in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure represents a front view of a skirt constructed according to my
invention, parts being shown in dotted lines;
Figure 2 is a rear view thereof;
Figure 3 is an isometric view of the skirt partly in section, showing the folds
of the skirt extended and parts thrown open to illustrate the construction ;
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the skirt; ..
Figure 5 is a section through the skirt showing one member thereof in side
elevation:
Figure 6 is a plan view of the blank or pattern from which both halves or
sections of the skirt are cut.
The skirt is formed of two cuts, sheets or blanks, the same being of cloth, one
of which is a duplicate of the other. Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of one of
these parts as cut from the pattern. There it will be seen that this comprises a
sheet having an arc-shaped outer edge a and an are-shaped and eccentric inner
edge which is broken by a gore or incision c, the edges a and b being joined by
radial sides e and f
Reference to Figures 3 and 6 will show the manner of assembling the sections
of the skirt. This is accomplished by closing the gores c of each section, forming
the plaite k of Figure 3, while the adjacent portions of the sides are respectively
provided with buttons and button-holes to form the fly 9. is a strap which
serves to draw the folds of the skirt together at the front and make the same bang
gracefully.
Directly below the fly the sides of each cut or sheet are joined to each other
for a short distance, after which each of the sides is folded towards the sides e
of their respective cuts or sheets and sewed to the outer portions of these sides,
forming a seam which will be located at the points 1 in Figure 3.
The remainder of the sides e are now joined to each other, forming a seam
beginning at the point 2 in Figure 3 and extending rearwardly and upwardly and
terminating at the point 3, while the eccentric and arc-shaped edges of each
cut or sheet form the waist of the skirt and are held by the band i.
Each division of the skirt is provided at its inner rear side with buttons of
which there are three for each section and which have a strap m operating there-
with, the said strap being of a length equal to the distance between two

page_text: huttons, so that when the strap is connected, with one of its button-holes receiving
cach button, the skirt will be formed with fulds which decrease the size of the
skirt and serve to hold the same in a more compact condition which is highly
desirable when the skirt is being used on the bicycle. When, however, the person
using the skirt dimounts, the straps m may be disconnected from the three buttons
and connected to only two, which will permit the skirt to assume its normal
position and allow it to hang more gracefully and exactly like an ordinary skirt,
From the foregoing description and from the drawings it will be seen that a skirt
constructed according to my invention has all of the advantages of a completely
divided skirt or bloomer, and yet is in appearance an ordinary or whole skirt and
so complete is this deception that it will be quite difficult to detect the character
of the skirt.
Figure 1 shows how the construction of the skirt completely conceals the fly y
and also the plaits, while Figure 2 shows the graceful folds at the rear, and
Figure 4 illustrates the side view of the skirt and shows the above explained similarity
to an ordinary skirt.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A skirt composed of two cuts or sheets of cloth, each comprising an arc-
shaped outer edge, and an arc-shaped inner edge having a gore therein,
the said edges being joined by radial sides e and, substantially as described.
2. A skirt composed of two cuts or sheets of cloth, each comprising on arc-
shaped outer edge contiguous to radial sides and opposite an arc-shaped edge, the
said edge having a gore therein, substantially as described.
3. A skirt, the same being formed of two separate cuts or sheets, each having
substantially are-shaped edges contiguous to radial sides, and each cut or sheet
having the radial sides partially joined to each other so as to form a completely
divided skirt, the unjoined sides forming a fly, substantially as described.
4. A skirt, having two sections, the division extending between the sections from
front to rear thereof, each section tapering from the waist portion down and falling
in folds or plaits.
5. A skirt having three fastening devices spaced along its edge, and a strap of a
length equal to the distance between two of said fastening devices and having
three fastening devices thereon equidistant throughout its length, substantially as
described.
6. As a new article of manufacture, a skirt formed of two duplicate patterns or
cuts, ench comprising two curved edges of different lengths connected by radial
sides, said radial sides being respectively joined to each other and the patterns or
cuts being joined so that the shorter curved sides will form the waist of the skirt,
substantially as described.
7. As a new article of manufacture, a skirt formed of two duplicate patterns or
cuts, each comprising a lower curved edge a and radial sides and e, each pattern
further having an inner edge formed with a gore e and curved portion b, the aides
nude being joined to each other in each pattern and the patterns being joined so
that their inner edges will form the waist of the skirt, substantially as described.
8. A skirt characterized by two separate tapering sections falling in plaits and
secured together by their upper edges to form a divided garment.
9. A skirt section blank or pattern, substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 14th day of October 1895.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agente.