Improvements in and connected with Trunks, Boxes, Chests, and other Containers for Dresses, Suits, and other Wearing- apparel.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 5th June, 1897
CUMIDELE STEVITICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Trunks, Boxes, Chests,
and other Containers for Dresses, Suits, and other Wearing-
apparel.
I, ELIZABETH MARGUERITE MENSENDIECK of Moltke Strasse 5, Hambourg,
in the German Empire 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 refers to trunks, boxes, chests and other containers for dresses,
suits, garments, cloths and other pieces of wearing-apparel, and the object of my
invention is to prevent the pieces of wearing-apparel from becoming crumpled, or
from getting wrinkles or folds respectively, on the respective container being
brought during transport in positions other than the normal one.
In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying drawing,
in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the several views, and in
which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trunk constructed according to my invention,
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a separate frame forming a part of the
trunk,
Figure 3 shows a female coat held between fastening-devices of the kind
preferred by me and intended to be used in connection with the frame afore
mentioned.
Figure 4 is a top view of a slightly modified construction of trunk, the lid of the
latter being removed,
Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line 7-8 of Figure 4, and
Figure 6 is a plan and a side-view of clamps of the kind shown in Figure 3.
In the form of construction shown in Figures 1 & 2 the trunk a contains a
frame e, the size of which is such as just to fill out the trunk. The two smaller
side-walls of said frame are formed by wire-nettings i which serve for holding the
respective pieces of wearing-apparel by the aid of fastening-devices or tensioning-
devices of any suitable construction.
I preferably make use of the construction shown in Figures 3 & 6 in which o is
a clamp the padded ends of which may be pressed one against the other by means
of a ring o' that can be displaced along the legs of the clamp. A strap o 2 fixed
to the clamp connects the latter with a buckle o 3 that is provided with a kind
of hook o 4, such, for instance, as used with watches for connecting the same with
the chain.
The clamps o are secured to the ends of the respective piece of wearing-apparel,
and the hooks 04 are secured to the wire-nettings i, when the straps 2 are
adjusted in length as made requisite by the length of the respective piece of
wearing-apparel, and said straps are then fixed in position in known manner by
means of the buckles o 3.
The pieces of wearing-apparel are thus freely suspended between the wire-
nettings (see Figure 2) and it is obvious that they are fully prevented from
losing their proper relative arrangement and from getting wrinkles or folds in
case the respective container should happen to receive positions other than the
normal ones.

page_text: Although I prefer to provide a special frame, such as e, for the reception of
the pieces of wearing-apparel I wish it to be understood that I reserve to myself
the right of constructing the trunk proper in a corresponding manner.
And I
wish it further to be understood that instead of the wire-nettings i rigid bars may
be secured to the frame e or, if desired, directly to the walls of the trunk or other
container.
In the form of construction shown in Figures 4 & 5 the trunk a is provided with
parallel rods or bars 2. The bars are secured to the side-walls of the trunk,
whereas the bars 2 are secured to the front-wall and to the rear-wall of the same.
The bars and 2 are not arranged in planes of equal height but the planes of the
bars 2 lay between those of the bars as is distinctly to be seen from Figure 5.
The bars 2 are intended to receive bands u which also serve for supporting the
pieces of wearing-apparel suspended by the clamping-devices afore described.
Connecting the pieces of wearing-apparel to said bands u is recommendable
because of the former then still better keeping their proper position and preserving
their proper shape which is of special advantage in the case of waists and the like
(see Figure 4).
Employing a special frame, for instance such as e, Figure 2, for the reception of
the pieces of wearing apparel to be packed affords the advantage that all said
pieces may be removed from the trunk at a time and may thus be made accessible
from all sides. Emptying a trunk that stands on the ground is, as is known,
inconvenient as well as injurious to health (especially what concerns ladies) by
reason of the necessity of bending the body oftentimes. Placing, however, the
whole trunk upon chairs or the like is also inconvenient and may also be injurious
to health in consequence of the heavy weight of the packed trunk; moreover, the
chairs get easily damaged thereby. All these drawbacks are overcome by making
use of a special frame of the kind described.
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 :-
1. In a trunk, box, chest, or other container for dresses, suits, garments, cloths,
and other pieces of wearing-apparel, the combination with the respective container,
of a frame adapted to be inserted into the latter, and of fastening-means adapted
to connect the ends of the respective pieces of wearing-apparel to the neigh-
bouring or opposite sides of said frame, substantially and for the purpose as
described.
2. In a trunk, box, chest, or other container for dresses, suits, garments, cloths
and other pieces of wearing-apparel, the combination with the respective container,
of a frame adapted to be inserted into the latter, and having its end-sides formed
of wire-nettings; fastening-means adapted to connect the ends of the respective
pieces of wearing-apparel to said wire-nettings, substantially and for the purpose
as described.
3. In a trunk, box, chest, or other container for dresses, suits, garments, cloths,
and other pieces of wearing-apparel, the combination with the respective container,
of clamps adapted to connect the ends of the respective pieces of wearing-apparel
to the neighbouring or opposite sides of said container; said clamps being
adjustable to the distance between said ends and said sides, for the purpose as
described.
4. In a trunk, box, chest, or other container for dresses, suits, garments, cloths,
and other pieces of wearing-apparel, the combination with the respective container,
of clamps adapted to be fixed to the ends of the respective pieces of wearing-
apparel, straps secured to said clamps, buckles attached to said straps, and means
for connecting said buckles to the neighbouring or opposite sides of said container,
for the purpose as described.
5. In a trunk, box, chest, or other container for dresses, suits, garments, cloths,
and other pieces of wearing-apparel, the combination with the respective container,

page_text: of rods secured to the walls of the same, adjustable clamps adapted to be attached
to, and displaced along upon, said rods, and to be fixed to the neighbouring or
opposite ends of the respective pieces of wearing-apparel; bands adapted to support
the latter in a direction rectangularly to the direction of action of said clamps,
and means for securing said bands to the respective rods, for the purpose as
described.