Improvements in Devices for Facilitating the Production of Patterns for Garments.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1891
[Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM GEORGE VENNER, of Hamburgh,
New York, United States of America.]
Improvements in Devices for Facilitating the Production of Patterns
for Garments.
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 this invention is to construct a simple and efficient device for
facilitating the production of patterns for garments as hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a rear elevation, showing the shape of the device when put upon a
person and secured in front showing also the seams between the pattern sections
opened out or the sections separated so that a pointed cutting wheel may be run
between them for cutting the patterns for a gentleman's coat or jacket.
Figure 2 is a side elevation, showing its form when in position and adapted for
making or cutting the patterns for a ladies jacket or dress.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of Figure 1, and
Figure 4 is an inside view of a portion of the sections, showing a suitable inside
fastening device for securing the blanks thereto.
In carrying out my invention I take a conformator consisting of a number of
sections which are cut of a size to approximately fit the object for which the pattern
is to be made and secure upon each of the sections a blank or piece of paper or
other suitable material of which the pattern is to be made.
Each of the blanks is larger than the section to which it is secured so that the
edges of the adjoining blanks will overlap each other and make a double thickness
wherever the outline of the pattern is to be made so that the edges or outlines of
the two adjacent blanks will be marked or indicated at the same time, and thus
ensure a perfect fit. The sections are united together by elastic strips or springs
so as to form a jacket that will be drawn together by the springs and thereby
adapt itself to the form of any person upon which it may be placed by allowing the
pattern sections to separate or open or close the seams, more or less, according to the
size or form of the wearer, the springs keeping everything taut so that the blanks
placed within the jacket before being put on and made easily removable therefrom
when required, may be marked through the centre of each seam and cut according
to said marks when said jacket is removed and the pattern taken from it.
In said drawings the numerals 1 designate the two back pattern sections made in
the usual form, 2 the shoulder pattern sections and 3 and 4, the side pattern
sections.
As this invention is adapted for any object for which a pattern section jacket or
covering may be required, whether it be a person or any thing, the number and
shape of these sections must be varied to suit the use for which it is designed, for
instance a female pattern form would be different, substantially as shown in
Figure 2. The conformator may consist of any suitable retaining device or
mechanism, each section of which is adapted to have the pattern blank temporarily
secured to it.
These pattern sections are held together by a series of elastic bands or strips 5,
which may be made of common rubber elastic covered with woven material, or
what is preferable and more lasting, a series of elastic metal spiral springs covered
with fibrous material, substantially as shown at 6 and 7, in Figure 1.

page_text: Instead of the series of springs 5, a single rubber spring may be used the whole
length of the seam but I do not think it would answer as well.
At the front of the jacket is a series of the ordinary clasp fastenings 8, which
may be made in any well known way adapted for the purpose of drawing the jacket
closely together on the wearer and securing it.
In operating with this device, a series of pattern blanks corresponding with
the pattern sections but made a little larger all around substantially as shown by
the dotted lines a in Figure 1, so that the edges of each pattern piece or blank
will extend far enough to lap over the edges of its adjacent pattern blank or piece,
are secured to the inside of each pattern section by means of the hooks 9, or any
well known convenient means for fastening them.
When the measuring jacket is on and all secured by the usual fastening devices 8,
the seams 10, will be drawn more or less apart according to the form of the wearer.
A sharp toothed cutting wheel is now passed along the centre of the seams
thereby cutting through and making the required pattern, the jacket is now taken
off, the patterns (which are preferably made of paper) are removed and cut to the
marks made by the toothed cutting wheel.
By separating the edges of the sections and marking the pattern blanks between
them, the edges of the pattern sections can be made to come at an equal distance
from both of them and thus secure a neater fit of the garment made from the pattern
than if the seam, or edge of the pattern were made to pass down along the edge of
either of the sections of the conformator, as a greater distension or separation of
the sections takes place at some points than at others, and a line following either
edge of the sections must necessarily show such variation. But by passing the line
down midway between the two sections the distance between them is equ.ly
divided and the seam will be so located that the relative position upon the larger
portions of the object will be the same as on the smaller or less distended portions.
Or if it be desired to throw the seam to one side or the other to make a neater
appearance or better fit, the tracing wheel can be changed from the centre to either
side along which it is desired that the line or seam shall be.
In this way a perfectly true fitting garment may be obtained, without calculation
or without resorting to a rule of any kind, all that is required to be done to obtain
an exact pattern of the object to be measured being to put the jacket on, secure the
other edges together and mark the inclosed patterns as above mentioned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, 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 :-
First. A device or conformator for retaining blanks for marking patterns
consisting of a series of sections the edges of which sections are separable and
having elastic connections are movable toward and from each other, and springs for
automatically adjusting the edges of the sections in relation to each other upon
the object, and means for securing the blanks to the sections, substantially as
described.
Second. A conformator and a series of pattern blanks temporarily secured to
the interior thereof, the edges of which are separable and movable toward and from
each other, and said blanks being larger than their respective sections of the
conformator and having their adjacent edges overlapping between the adjacent
edges of said sections of the conformator, and means for marking the outlines of
two adjacent pattern sections at one and the same time, as for instance, a marking
wheel, substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.