An Improved Garment Supporter.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Jan., 1894-Accepted, 21st Apr., 1894
PROVIDIONAL DEUTICATION.
An Improved Garment Supporter.
I, FLORENCE ELLA HOLT, of Stoneham, in the County of Middlesex, and
State of Massachusetts, U.S.A., Gentlewoman, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to a new garment supporter; the object of the
invention being to provide means whereby the skirt and stockings may be
simultaneously supported.
My improved supporter consists of two straps which passes over the shoulders and
are connected at the back by three or more transverse straps. The ends of the
shoulder straps have suitable clips at their ends to hold the skirt band. Straps or
bands extend downwardly from the shoulder straps and have clips at their ends to
hold up the stockings. The shoulder straps may be connected from front to back
by straps which extend under the arms.
Dated this 21st dor of April 1892
W. H. MUNNS,
Applicant's Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Garment Supporter.
I, FLORENCE ELLA HOLT of Stoneham, Mass. U.S.A. Gentlewoman 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 provide a garment-supporter adapted
particularly to serve as a shoulder brace, and as a means for supporting the skirt
and stockings in such manner as to prevent any sense of fatigue or discomfort to
the wearer caused by the weight of the garments supported, or any uncomfortable
pressure upon any portion of the body.
The invention consists in a garment-supporter, comprising two main straps,
formed to rest upon the shoulders and to depend therefrom, each strap being
formed as an adjustable loop surrounding the shoulder from which it depends, and
having a free end extending downwardly below the loop and forming a continuation
of the portion of the loop which rests on the back of the wearer.
The lower portions of the loop are provided with short pendent straps, having at
their lower ends clasps or devices for engaging a skirt or other garment, while the
free lower ends of the straps are provided with means for engaging the stockings.
The portions of the loops that rest upon the back of the wearer are connected by
transverse straps, said transverse straps and the loops constituting shoulder-braces
or supports.
All of this I will now proceed to describe.
Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this Specification :
Fig. 1 represents a side view, showing my improved garment supporter in
place.
Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of the supporter removed from the person.
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page_text: In carrying out my invention I provide a garment-supporter composed of
straps a a, formed to pass over and rest upon the shoulders of the wearer, said
straps having at the lower ends of their rear portions the extensions a¹ a', which
extend diagonally downward from the lower ends of the straps, so that, when the
supporter is in use, the lower ends of the extensions a¹ are in position to hold the
stocking-supporters a' a', with which their lower ends are provided, in position to
engage the stockings of the wearer. The forward ends of the straps a are
connected with the rear ends of said straps by the diagonally-arranged straps a³,
which, when the supporter is in use, pass under the arms of the wearer, as shown
in Fig. 1, each strap a and the end connecting strap a³ constituting a loop
surrounding the shoulder from which the strap depends, the arrangement being
such that no part of the garment supporter bears on the front of the wearer's
person as indicated in Fig. 1.
bb represent short straps, which are hung from the end portions of the straps a,
and are provided at their lower ends with clasps or other suitable devices for
engagement with a skirt or other garment there being two of the straps b at each
side of the wearer's body, said straps being located nearly under the arms and
entirely at the sides of the body, so that they exert no pressure on the front portion
of the body. The portions of the straps a that rest upon the back are connected
by transverse straps c c c; which enable the device to act as a shoulder-brace and
supporter.
I prefer to make each strap a adjustable in length and to this end I provide the
front portion of each strap with a sliding device or buckle d, adapted to hold a
portion of the strap in the form of a bight or loop d', which can be taken up or
elongated to lengthen or shorten the strap.
It will be seen that the garment-supporter above described has its chief bearing
upon the shoulders and back of the wearer, and has no bearing upon the front of
the person; hence, the device is entirely free from liability to give discomfort to
the wearer, and is so disposed that it is entirely covered by the outer garments
of the wearer. The short straps 6 b, hanging directly from the shoulders, enable
the weight of the skirt to be carried by the shoulders without discomfort. The
extensions a¹ a¹ and the stocking-supporter thereon are arranged to hang or fall in
such manner that their pressure is not unpleasantly felt and perfect freedom of
movement is permitted.
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 :
The improved garment-supporter hereinbefore described comprising in its
construction the straps a a formed to bear on the shoulders and back and connected
by the transverse back straps c, the extensions a' a¹ extending diagonally down-
ward from the rear ends of the straps a a and provided with stocking supporters at
their lower ends, the under-arm straps a³ a³ extending diagonally backward and
downward from the forward ends of the straps a and attached to the extensions a¹,
and the skirt-supporting straps b b b b depending from the front and rear portions
of the straps a a and provided at their lower ends with garment-engaging devices,
as set forth.
Dated this 21st day of January 1894