Improvements in Front Retaining Devices for Shirts.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1899- Accepted. 24th June 1000
LITON.
[Communicated from abroad by ROBERT CLUETT, of Troy, Rensselaer County,
New York, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Front Retaining Devices for Shirts.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
The object of the invention is to provide means for retaining the bosom or
front of a dress-shirt in place on the wearer, and preventing one or both edges
from being projected outside the vest.
When provided with this improved retainer by which the edges of the bosom
are connected with the trousers-supporting straps or suspenders, the bosom is
held in place without imposing any uncomfortable strain upon the bosom.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 of the drawings is a view in front elevation showing portions of a
shirt, trousers, and trousers-supporting straps in position assumed in use upon
the wearer, and provided with the improved bosom- or front-retainer.
Figure 2 is a cross-section of a part of the same taken on the broken line 2-2
in Figure 1, on an exaggerated scale.
Figure 3 is a plan view of a retaining tab, detached.
Figures 4 and 5 are respectively plan views of fragmentary parts showing
modifications.
The shirt 1, is shown with a bosom, 2, having on each side edge a tab, 3,
adapted to be connected with a strap, 4, one on each of the opposite sides of the
bosom, extending over the shoulder-portions, 5, of the shirt, and connected at
their lower ends with the trousers, 6, in the usual manner of connecting trousers-
suspenders.
The straps, 4, may be the ordinary suspenders, or any form of strap con-
nected with the trousers by which the straps will be held comparatively taut.
The tabs shown in Figure 1, are duplex or double, comprising a front section, a,
and a rear section, b, of approximately the same form.
Each section is provided with one or more button-holes, 7, adapted to receive
detachable button or stud, 8.
it
The operation of connecting the tabs with the straps is a very simple one,
nly being necessary to insert the straps respectively between the sections of
he duplex tabs and then insert a button-stud in the buttonholes to connect the
ections together outside the strap.
A slideway for the strap is thus formed on each side of the bosom between
he stud and bosom-edge.
It is thus possible to provide an easily operated and convenient means for
taining a bosom in place, which will permit a natural and limited outward
ovement of the bosom by the ordinary movements of the body of the wearer.
The suspenders, being nearer the sides of the body of the wearer than the
som, would not be so much affected by a stooping movement of the body as
ould the bosom, and would to that extent limit the outward swell of the bosom
d prevent its displacement.

page_text: An important feature of the device consists in the natural comfortable relation
of the parts in use, due to the fact that there is little or no tension between
the bosom and suspenders, except what momentarily occurs in restraining the
movements of the bosom in exceptional instances of rare occurrence.
The slight weight of the trousers serves to retain the straps in position and
put a restraint upon excessive movements of the bosom, and by forming a slide-
way in the side-connection between the trousers-supporting straps and the
respective side edges of the bosom adapted to receive the straps and permit a
free relative movement of the straps and connections, variations in strain upon
or movement of the straps vertically do not communicate a vertical strain to
the bosom.
In Figure 4 the side-connections comprise two pieces of tape, 13, and 14,
each secured at its ends to the side edge of the bosom, forming a closed slide-
way, 15, through which the lower end of the corresponding trousers-supporting
strap is inserted before it is connected with the trousers.
In Figure 5 the tab-connection, 16, and strap, 17, are each provided with
buttonholes adapted to receive buttons or studs 18.
For the purpose of adjustment, the tab is provided with a second set of button-
holes, 19, farther removed from the bosom-edge, 20, than those containing the
studs.
It is obvious that either the tab-connection or the strap may be provided with
a button permanently fastened thereon and adapted to fit a corresponding hole
in the co-operating tab or strap.
The tabs being connected at one edge, only, along the edge of the bosom can
be folded over onto the bosom and starched without starching the shirt-body.
When the tabs are so starched and ironed, they form a smooth slideway for
the suspenders, supporting the trousers, which facilitates the relative vertical
movements of suspenders and tabs, since the slideways are wholly contained
within the loose tab which can be given a smooth, polished surface like the bosom
when laundered.
When the slideways are formed wholly within the tabs, connections between
the tabs and shirt-body, which might chafe the person of the wearer, are avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The herein described improvement in shirt-bosom-retaining devices com-
prising a pair of tabs respectively connected with the opposite side edges of
the bosom, and each tab containing wholly within itself a slide way for one of
the trousers-supporting straps, substantially as described.
2. A shirt-bosom-retaining device comprising a pair of duplex tabs, each
secured at one end along one of the side edges of the bosom, the loose ends of
the sections of each tab having registering openings therethrough, substantially
as described.
3. A shirt-bosom-retaining device, comprising a pair of tabs, respectively con-
nected with the opposite edges of the bosom and provided with a plurality of
attaching buttonholes located at differing distances from the bosom-edges, for
detachably securing the tabs to trousers-supporting straps of differing widths,
substantially as described.
1
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.