Improvements in Corset Stiffeners.
Year: 1893

page_text: vate claimed for Patent under sect. TUS OF ACL,
being date of first Foreign Application (in (24th Jan., 1893
United States of America),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 24th Aug.. 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd May, 1894-Accepted, 23rd June, 1894
United States of America),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 24th Aug.. 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd May, 1894-Accepted, 23rd June, 1894
Improvements in Corset Stiffeners.
I, DE VER HOWARD WARNER, of Bridgeport, State of Connecticut, United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object to prevent the stiffening strips or ribs of a corset
from being bent to abrupt angle and broken; and my invention consists in a
stiffener adapted for application within the corset at the side and consisting of a
series of parallel separated blades connected together at points about midway
between their ends as fully set forth hereinafter and as illustrated in the accom-
panying drawing, in which :-
'
Figure 1 is a view representing one side of a corset, showing my stiffener applied
thereto.
Figure 2 a view of the stiffener detached.
Figure 3 a section on the line 3-3, Figure 2.
Figure 4 a section showing a somewhat different construction of the casing.
It is well known that in wearing corsets of ordinary constructions certain
movements of the body tend to bring upon the opposite ends of the bones or ribs
of the corset at the side of the same such a pressure as deflects both ends outward
causing an abrupt bend near the waist with a tendency to break the said bones or
ribs. Efforts have been made to remedy this difficulty by applying stiffening
blades externally upon the corset which make it bulky and cause protuberances
which show through the dress and by the use of stiffening shields placed inside of
the corset, which only imperfectly effect the improvement, and which do not properly
yield to the movements of the wearer.
I have discovered that the abrupt bending and breaking of the bones or blades
of the corset may be prevented by arranging a series of supplemental blades
substantially vertical and parallel with each other and separated at any proper
interval at the inside of the corset and I therefore combine such a series of blades
in one structure constituting a corset stiffener adapted to be sold separately for
corsets already in use or to be connected to the corset before commencing to wear
and constituting a practical part thereof.
The series of blades may be assembled and connected together in any suitable
manner and may consist of a series of separate covered blades so connected or of a
series of blades all connected within a single pocketed casing.
As shown in the drawing there is a single casing consisting of two superposed
pieces A A' of fabric each cut to form a series of separate parallel strips a, inter-
mediate connections b, and two tongues cc, extending laterally beyond the terminal
lines x-x,
strips a a, and these two pieces A A' are stitched together along the
so as to form pockets in the strips a a, to receive the parallel bones e e, which are
The
then secured by closing the ends of the pockets by stitches, as usual.
stiffener thus produced may be sold as a separate article of the form illustrated in

page_text: Figure 2, to be afterwards applied to the inside of the corset, or it may be secured
to the corset, before the latter is sold, by stitches along the lines y-y, Figure 1,
passing through the ends of the tongue cc and through the corset.
The blades e, may be of bone, horn, or other material but are preferably of thin
steel and when applied so as to occupy a position at the side of the body and crossing
the waist inside of the corset, they serve to a certain extent to restrain the pressure
of the movements of the body upon the bones of the corset and prevent the latter
from being bent abruptly at the waist to such an extent as to be broken, and this
result is rendered more certain in consequence of the fact that the stiffener is so
applied that it can have a certain amount of free movement inside of the corset
without losing its proper relative position thereto while it does not bind upon the
body as in the stiffening pads.
Instead of making the casing of two pieces A A' of the same size, the casing
may consist of one strip A having the outline shown in Figure 2, and a series of
strips f sewn parallel to each other upon the strip A, to form pockets as shown in
Figure 4.
It will be seen that the blades of the stiffener above described while maintained
in their proper position in respect to the corset have a limited play at their ends in
consequence of the fact that the connection between the blades is only at one point
about midway between the ends of the blades.
The parts c may be prolonged sufficiently to form a belt around the waist.
Dated this 24th day of Avoust 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Corset Stiffeners.
I, DE VER HOWARD WARNER, of Bridgeport, State of Connecticut, United
States of America, 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:—
My invention has for its object to prevent the stiffening strips or ribs of a corset
from being bent to abrupt angle and broken; and my invention consists in a stiffener
adapted for application within the corset at the side and consisting of a series of
parallel separated blades connected together at points about midway between their
ends as fully set forth hereinafter and as illustrated in the drawing, left with the
Provisional Specification in which :-
Figure 1 is a view representing one side of a corset, showing my stiffener applied
hereto.
Figure 2 a view of the stiffener detached.
Figure 3 a section on the line 3-3, Figure 2.
Figure 4 a section showing a somewhat different construction of the casing.
It is well known that in wearing corsets of ordinary constructions certain
movements of the body tend to bring upon the opposite ends of the bones or ribs
of the corset at the side of the same such a pressure as deflects both ends outward
causing an abrupt bend near the waist with a tendency to break the said bones or
ribs. Efforts have been made to remedy this difficulty by applying stiffening blades
externally upon the corset which make it bulky and cause protuberances which show
through the dress and by the use of stiffening shields placed inside of the corset,
which only imperfectly effect the improvement, and which do not properly yield to
the movements of the wearer.
I have discovered that the abrupt bending and breaking of the bones or blades
of the corset may be prevented by arranging a series of supplemental blades
substantially vertical and parallel with each other and separated at any proper

page_text: interval at the inside of the corset and I therefore combine such a series of blade*:
in one structure constituting a corset stiffener adapted to be sold separately for
corsets already in use or to be connected to the corset before commencing to wear
and constituting a practical part thereof.
The series of blades may be assembled and connected together in any suitable
manner and may consist of a series of separate covered blades so connected or of a
series of blades all connected within a single pocketed casing.
As shown in the drawing there is a single casing consisting of two superposed
pieces A, A', of fabric each cut to form a series of separate parallel strips a, inter-
mediate connections b, and two tongues c, c, extending laterally beyond the terminal
strips a, a, and these two pieces A, A', are stitched together along the lines x-x,.
so as to form pockets in the strips a, a, to receive the parallel bones e, e, which are
then secured by closing the ends of the pockets by stitches, as usual. The stiffener
thus produced may be sold as a separate article of the form illustrated in Figure 2,.
to be afterwards applied to the inside of the corset, or it may be secured to the
corset before the latter is sold by stitches along the lines y-y, Figure 1, passing
through the ends of the tongue c, c, and through the corset.
The blades e, may be of bone, horn, or other material but are preferably of thin
steel and when applied so as to occupy a position at the side of the body and crossing.
the waist inside of the corset, they serve to a certain extent to restrain the pressure
of the movements of the body upon the bones of the corset and prevent the latter
from being bent abruptly at the waist to such an extent as to be broken, and this.
result is rendered more certain in consequence of the fact that the stiffener is so
applied that it can have a certain amount of free movement inside of the corset
without losing its proper relative position thereto while it does not bind upon the
body as in the stiffening pads.
Instead of making the casing of two pieces A A' of the same size the casing
may consist of one strip A. having the outline shown in Figure 2, and a series of
strips sewn parallel to each other upon the strip A, to form pockets as shewn in.
Figure 4.
It will be seen that the blades of the stiffener above described while maintained
in their proper position in respect to the corset have a limited play at their ends in
consequence of the fact that the connection between the blades is only at one point.
about midway between the ends of the blades.
The parts e may be prolonged sufficiently to form a belt around the waist.
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 without
limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, what I
claim is :-
A corset stiffener, consisting of a series of vertically disposed resilient blades
and pockets therefor, the pockets being separated from each other at their upper
and lower portions and connected together at their central portious, each end pocket.
being provided with a tongue at its central portion, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1894.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.