Improvements in Suspensory Belts.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 28th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 9th Mar., 1895
Instruments and Sanitary Appliances.]
Improvements in Suspensory Belts.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool and 6 Bank Street Manchester
both in the County of Lancaster and 31 High Holborn in the County of
Middlesex Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Despite the various advantages obtained by the wearing of a suspensory belt
by healthy persons as well as those suffering from various complaints especially
when riding cycling, exercising, climbing, or during similar corporal exertion of any
kind, the same has not hitherto received the attention which it deserves. This
would appear mainly attributable to the fact that suspensory belts were formerly
only worn by persons suffering from certain diseases and no healthy person would
wish to appear to require such an article. Many persons also who recognise the
advantages of these belts object to send them to be washed for the same reason.
Now the object of my invention is to provide a suspensory belt with detachable
bag whereby the washing of the detachable bag is obviated because the cost of a
new bag is not more than the cost of washing the old one and the belt is not in
any way impaired in its efficiency by this arrangement.
The suspensory belt consists of a body belt or girdle to which the suspensory
bag is attached by means of buttons, hooks and eyes, or other convenient method
so as to be detachable. The bag is made as simply as possible and so that its
edge bands are looped at the upper corners in one or more places for the purpose
of attaching the bag to the belt or for surrounding the button holes.
If desired the edge band can also be prolonged below to serve as leg straps.
As for cheapness sake I prefer not to make these straps of elastic material and
they are therefore not elastic it is requisite to provide a certain amount of elasticity
in the construction and there are attached to the front of the belt where the bag is
fastened on, one or more elastic straps, by means of which the bag is elastically
supported, for the same purpose, fixed or movable elastic bands are attached to the
sides of the body-belt to which the leg straps can be buttoned.
In the accompanying drawings, the elastic strips attached to the front side are
marked B. and B' respectively. The bag C. is bordered by the band D which in
front is buttoned by means of two bands d, and d to the buttons b, b', sewn on the
elastic bands B. B and forms behind the leg straps F which latter are buttoned
by means of button e sewn on to the e'astic straps E. attached to the side of
the belt A.
The belt . with the leg straps F and end loops d d is capable of being made
very cheaply so much so that the washing of it would cost as much as the price of
a new one.
Fig. 3 shows a seamless bag also secured by means of the band D. and its
loops d. d and leg straps F to the elastic strips B B and E. This bag having no
seam, the band C is not required being made in one piece from any suitable soft

page_text: material in such a manner that it can be brought into. the required hollow shape
without a seam.
Otherwise this seamless bag is made like the seamed one previously described
and its construction will not be more costly in any case. After use the bag may
be simply thrown, away, whilst the belt which can be made of all qualities from
the cheapest to the finest, will serve for a number of times consequently the first
cost of the belt according to its more or less elegant construction is the only item
which comes into consideration, and hereby everyone is enabled to use a suspensory
belt privately.
Dated this 28th day of November 1894.
°
W. P. THOMPSON. & Co.,
Of 31, High Holborn, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S. M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 31 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, 6, Lord Street
Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster,
and Lower Temple Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Civil
Engineer, 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 :-
Despite the various advantages obtained by our wearing of a suspensory belt by
healthy persons as well as by those suffering from various complaints especially
when riding, cycling, exercising climbing, or during similar corporal exertion of
any kind, the same has not hitherto received the attention which it deserves.
This would appear mainly attributable to the fact that suspensory belts were
formerly only worn by persons suffering from certain diseases and no healthy person
would wish to appear to require such an article.
Many persons also who recognize the advantages of these belts, object to sen
them to be washed for the same reason, now the object of my invention is to
provide a suspensory belt with detachable bag, whereby the washing of the
detachable bag is obviated because the cost of a new bag is not more than the cost
of washing the old one and the belt is not in any way impaired in its efficiency by
this arrangement.
The suspensory belts consists of a body belt or girdle to which the suspensory
bag is attached by means of buttons, hooks & eyes or other convenient method so
as to be detachable. The bag is made as simply as possible and preferably as
hereinafter described. Its edge bands are looped at the upper corners in one or
more places for the purpose of attaching the bag to the belt or for surrounding the
button holes.
If desired the edge band can also be prolonged below to serve as leg straps, as
for cheapness sake I prefer not to make these straps of elastic material and they
are therefore not elastic, it is requisite to provide a certain amount of elasticity in
'the construction and there are attached to the front of the belts where the bag i
fastened on one or more elastic straps by means of which the bag is elastically
supported. For the same purpose fixed or moveable elastic bands are attached
to the sides of the body belt to which the leg straps can be buttoned.
The form of suspensorium which I have found the most advantageous is that
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is distinguished from the shape
hitherto in use by its being almost or entirely flat, composed of a single piece of
woven stuff of approximately three cornered shape with an opening for the penis.
The yielding nature of this woven material or other suitable soft fabric adapts

page_text: itself in use to the shape of the scrotum and supports the same in such a manner
that it is held in an upward direction from behind forwards and can comfortably
adapt itself to the body without rubbing against the clothes.
If the leg straps of the suspensory belt are in elastic they act very unsatis-
factorily, if however, they are made of elastic material in the usual way they are
much more costly and are rapidly spoiled by washing. I prefer therefore to make
use of removeable leg straps formed of a thin piece of india-rubber tubing with a
suitable attachment at each end for securing them to the belt or bag of the
suspensorium. These elastic leg straps can be easily attached & suitable openings
being made in the edges of the bag to pass them through, and can be detached and
cleansed by the wearer without difficulty.
In the accompanying drawings the form of suspensory bag shewn is that of the
above described flat pattern but other shapes might obviously be adapted to the
other details of my invention.
Fig. 1. shews a pattern of suspensory apparatus in which the flat bag or
support B is firmly attached to the belt A and is secured below by means of the
in-elastic leg strap- C and buttons d to the belt. The belt itself has an elastic
inset a in the middle.
Fig. 2 shews two elastic insets a¹ in the band, and the piece B is attached by two
loops of its border to an elastic band E and in such a manner to the belt A as to
leave room between them for the penis.
Fig. 3. shews a bag of the same pattern with in-elastic leg straps.
Fig. 4. shews a suspensory apparatus similar to that displayed at Fig. 1. but with
the modification that the inelastic leg straps C are buttoned to the braces E¹
adjustable elastically on the belt A.
Fig. 5 shews a suspensory belt formed of two pieces A and A' and the shallow
bag B' forms the front middle piece of the belt which has elastic ends a² a³ at the
points connecting with B'.
Fig. 6 shews a removeable elastic leg strap C¹ in one piece having at each end
flat pieces c with button holes by means of which it is secured to the belt. The
bag of this modification is preferably detachable as in Figs. 2. 3 and 5.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare what I
claim is :-
1. In suspensory belts the use of a shallow bag consisting essentially of a more
or less three cornered flat piece of knitted or woven or other suitable material
provided with a band and opening for the penis.
2. The use of elastic bands, springs, or the like at the front or sides of the belt
by which the various parts of the apparatus are held together.
3. In shallow bags for suspensory belts of the above described pattern, the
method of forming the edge band of the same with one or more loops at its upper
end for the purpose of attaching it to the belt and the prolongation of the said band
behind into two leg straps.
4. The adaptation of the above described shallow bag as the front piece of a
belt composed of two pieces, to the ends of which the loops of the bag are suitably
attached by buttons or the like or even firmly secured.
5. The application in place of two fixed leg straps of an elastic removable india-
rubber band or tube in one piece secured to the lower end of the bag and fastened
at its ends to the belt.
Dand his oth. J... f Lana 100%
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
31, High Holborn, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.