Improvements in Braces or Suspenders.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Braces or Suspenders.
I, EDWIN FLETCHER MERWIN, Men's Haberdasher, of No. 463 Canal Street,
in the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, aud in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to improvements in trouser braces or suspenders and it has
for its object to support the trousers by the side button by the application to the
brace ends of an arrangement of cord and pulleys on the principle of what is known
in mechanics as a tackle, whereby the resistance to muscular motion is reduced in
proportion to the number of pulleys employed. If the cord pass around one
movable and one fixed pulley the resistance is reduced by one half, while by
passing it around one movable and two fixed pulleys the resistance is reduced
approximately to one-third. The cords may be either of non-elastic or elastic
material, the highest degree of freedom of movement being attained in the latter
case. The same principle may be applied to a web end, a similar though modified
result being produced.
The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, as
hereinafter set forth and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein the brace ends are represented complete for attachment to
any ordinary type of brace, either elastic or non-elastic, with buckle or slide.
Figure 1 represents a double purchase brace end;
Figure 2 a treble purchase brace end; and
Figure 3 a double purchase brace end formed of webbing.
In Figure 1, 1 is a plate to be attached to the brace end upon which is mounted
a sheave 4. 3 is the fixed point of attachment of cord 6 to plate 1 and 5 is a
sheave mounted on a plate 2 which is provided with a loop or tab 7 for attachment
to the side button of the trousers. 8 is a loop or tab for attachment of the cord to
the front button of the trousers. It will be readily seen that of the cord 6 passing
around the sheaves 4 and 5 to the fixed point 3, two parts or members support
tab 7, the strain on which is therefore balanced by a strain of one half the amount
applied at tab 8. In Figure 3 the flat web passing over bars 4 and 5 to the
attachment bar 3 produce the same result.
In Figure 2 the strain on tab 8 is reduced to one third, as will be seen by
following cord 6 over sheaves 4, 5, and 4, to a fixed point at 3, hence it is manifest
that with three members supporting the running tab 7 a lifting power at 7 equal
to three times that applied at tab 8 is obtained.
It will also be apparent that when the cord 6 is made of elastic material that
part of the cord which is comprised between the points 4 and 8 offers but one
third of the material resistance which will greatly enhance the advantage gained
by the mechanical appliance.
The great advantages in supporting the trousers at point 7, are, first, that only
the weight of the trousers is supported by the shoulders and by a perpendicular
lift, the power at 8 never being sufficient to divert the lift from a direct
perpendicular line; second, it never pulls the two front buttons together, as is
the case in all ordinary brace ends, whether of the rolling or fixed type, as in them
the lift is applied about equally in the centre of the two lateral branches,

page_text: thereby drawing the two ends and buttons together, causing distress and uneasiness
to the wearer from resistance of the person added to the weight of the trousers;
third, the whole appliance is calculated to give ease and comfort to the wearer, to
reduce friction, as a considerable movement either forward or backward will cause
but a slight movement at point 7; and, lastly, it relieves the buttons from strain
and the shirt bosom from being crushed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
"
―
In a brace end attachment, a cord or web having a button hole upon its free end,
means to which its opposite end is attached adapted to be connected to the shoulder
strap, the said cord or web being looped or doubled upon itself intermediate of its
ends, suitable guiding devices over which the cord or web passes, and a button hole
loop device loosely carried by the looped portion of the cord or web, substantially
as described.
Dated this 5th day of November 1895
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.