Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of N° 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by Moritz Seifert, of
Martin-Luther Strasse, No 10, Dresden, Saxony, German Empire, Engineer,) to be
as follows:-
The fastenings hitherto in use for corsets, particularly those most commonly
used, consisting of two busks with interlocking spoon-like projections-do not
answer their purpose satisfactorily, either from a sanitary point of view or in
appearance.
In consequence of the elevation and projection of the fastening, the shape
assumed by the outer garment creates an unnatural depression in those parts of
the body which the corset is designed to enclose, and further, owing to the said
construction, the projecting fastening of the corsets hitherto in use are not situated
centrally to the body, but deviate sideways.
Now the object of this invention is to obviate the above evils and to simplify
the operations of closing and opening the fastening. To this end there are
employed two elastic stiffeners or busks which in shape resemble when open a
pair of flat segmental springs. These stiffeners are sewed or otherwise attached
to the opposite edges of the corset to be joined in such a manner, that theoretically
the centre line of both stiffeners coincides with the centre line of the body. That
stiffener which forms the inner busk when the fastening closed can, owing to its
greater width or depth exert a greater elastic force than the outer (or upper) one
so that, when both are closed against one another, the arc formed by the stronger
busk assumes a slightly flatter curve while the weaker busk assumes the form of a
reversed flattened arc. The locking of the busks is effected by providing at both
ends on the outer face of the inner busk a small shield socket or plate into which
the ends of the upper busk are pushed.
For temporarily holding together the two edges of the corset when it is being
put on, the busks may be provided in the middle with any suitable holding
appliance such as a stud on the one busk engaging in an eye on the other. This

page_text: arrangement will also serve the purpose of resisting the tendency of the corset
to shift laterally, seeing that otherwise the busks would only be closed at
the ends.
The busks when closed, retain elasticity which manifests itself in so far, that the
vertical centre line of the corset tends to exactly adjust itself to the centre line of
the body, while the lateral portions of the corset do not press forcibly against, but
only envelope the corresponding parts of the body as they should do. This
fastening may furthermore be applied to securing or supporting other garments
than corsets, as for example, gowns or bodices by providing the busts arranged in
the centre line of the body with hooks, buttons and other suitable attaching
appliances, against which the upper garment closes.
The fastening may also serve for securing the dress or other garment by two
springs being attached to the edges of said garment and being closed in the manner
indicated.

page_text: An Improved Steel or Busk for Corsets and other Garments.
I; WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of No 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the county of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention for "AN IMPROVED STEEL OR BUSK FOR CORSETS AND OTHER
GARMENTS," (a communication to me from abroad by Moritz Seifert, of Martin
Luther-Strasse No 10, Dresden Saxony, in the Empire of Germany,) and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
The fastenings hitherto in use for corsets, particularly those most commonly
used, consisting of two busks with interlocking spoon-like projections, do not
answer their purpose satisfactorily, either from a sanitary point of view or in
appearance.
In consequence of the elevation and projection of the fastening, the shape
assumed by the outer garment produces an unnatural depression in those parts of
the body which the corset is designed. to enclose, and further, owing to the said
construction, the projecting fastening of the corsets hitherto in use are not situated
centrally with the body, but deviate sideways.
Now the object of this invention is to obviate the above evils, and to simplify
the operations of closing and opening the fastening. To this end there are
employed two elastic stiffeners or busks a and b, Fig. 1 of the accompanying
sheet of drawings, which in shape resemble, when open, a pair of flat segmental
springs arranged like the letter x These stiffeners are sewn or otherwise attached
to the opposite edges of the corset to be joined in such a manner that theoretically
the centre line of both stiffeners coincides with the centre line of the body. The
stiffener a, which forms the inner busk when the fastening is closed, (Figs. 2 and 3,)
can, owing to its greater width or depth, exert a greater elastic force than the outer
(or upper) one b, so that, when both are closed against one another, the arc formed
by the stronger busk assumes a slightly flatter curve, (Fig. 2,) while the weaker
busk assumes the form of a reversed flattened arc. The locking of the busks is
effected by providing at both ends on the outer face of the inner busk a small
shield socket or plate into which the ends of the upper busk are pushed.
For temporarily holding together the two edges of the corset when it is being
put on, the busks may be provided in the middle with any suitable holding
appliance, such as a stud m on the one busk engaging in an eye on the other.
This arrangement will also serve the purpose of resisting the tendency of the
corset to shift laterally, seeing that otherwise the busks would only be closed at
the ends.
The busks, when closed, retain elasticity which manifests itself in so far that the
vertical centre line of the corset tends to exactly adjust itself to the centre line
of the body, while the lateral portions of the corset do not press forcibly against,
but only envelope the corresponding parts of the body as they should do. This
fastening may furthermore be applied to securing or supporting other garments
than corsets, as for example gowns or bodices, by providing the busks arranged
in the centre line of the body with hooks, buttons, and other suitable attaching

page_text: appliances, against which the upper garment closes! The fastening may also serve
for securing the dress or other garment by two springs being attached to the edges
of said garments, and being closed in the manner indicated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A fastening for corsets or other garments consisting of two elastic busks
which, when open, face one another after the manner of the two members of the
letter x, and are closed to lie against one another, in such a manner that they
together form a flat bent spring, whose centre line coincides with the centre line
of the body, substantially as described and shown.
2. The combination with busks of the kind described in the preceding claim,
of hooks, eyes, buttons, or attachments, to aid in the closing or fastening of an
upper garment, substantially. as described.
described with
3. The improved busks constructed and operating substantially as desc
reference to the drawings.