Improvements in the Mode of Fastening Stays or Corsets.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 28th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 30th Jan.. 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Mode of Fastening Stays or Corsets.
1 CARL ROBERT VIEHOFER, Merchant, of 21 Georgenkirch Strasse Berlin,
Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
My invention relates to improvements in the mode of fastening stays or corsets
whereby a mere tug at a cord will suffice to forthwith open and detach such articles
of wearing apparel from the body of the wearer. This arrangement will be found
invaluable in cases of sudden illness such as fits and the like, when instead of
wasting precious moments in endeavouring to loosen the corset from the generally.
swollen body of the wearer, this very condition will help according to my invention
in instantaneously releasing the same.
In carrying my invention into practice, I provide the inner edges of the two
stay busks or steels with two or more corresponding slant hooks arranged at suitable
intervals and fastening one within the other in such a manner to have a tendency
to slip off when pressure is exerted from inside. The busks or steels are locked at
the lower part in the following manner, that is to say: I rivet or fix crosswise
on one of the busks or steels a plate terminated inwardly when in position by a
key hole notch, in which can enter a corresponding headed pin fixed to the other
busk or steel being secured therein by a spring locking piece pivoted to the plate
aforesaid and arranged underneath the same; this locking piece is moreover
furnished upwards with a curved notch which is pushed over the shank of the above
mentioned pin and thus tightly locks together the two steels or busks.
The upward or locking motion of this piece is limited by a pin fixed to a lower
extension of the notched plate aforesaid, and entering a curved slot of the former
which is provided at its lower end with an opening to which a cord is attached.
Dated this 19th day of October 1891.
RAYNER & CASSELL,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Mode of Fastening Stays or Corsets.
I, CARL ROBERT VIEHOFER of 21 Georgenkirch Strasse Berlin, Germany
Merchant, 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 relates to new or improved fastening means for corsets and the like
and has for its object to enable the wearers of such articles to unfasten them
instantaneously without having to remove, unbutton or otherwise disturb any outer
garment.
In carrying my invention into practice, I provide three or more pairs of claws
which are rivetted or otherwise fixed to the two steels or busks of a pair of corsets
or stays and are so formed as to slip readily apart whenever the device locking the
said corsets is opened, this device being fixed according as desired either at the
top, at the bottom, or in the middle of the corsets or stays, so as to be readily
accessible.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a front view of part of a pair of corset steels or busks provided with
my improved fastening means and showing the corsets locked.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing the corsets
open.
Figure 3 is a sectional view, drawn at an enlarged scale, showing the claws
fastened one within the other.

page_text: Figures 4 and 5 are views of separate parts of the lock.
Figure 6 is a view illustrating the application of a modification of my invention
to a pair of corsets.
My invention consists in rivetting upon the steels S S¹ of a pair of corsets, a
number of claws h h', the claws h fixed to the steel S engaging with the claws h¹,
fixed upon the steel S'. The claws and consist each of a metal strip rounded
at its outer end and furnished with holes at its inner end whereby it is rivetted.
to the steel, the ends of these strips being bent over in such a manner that the
claw h has a much longer bent portion than the claws h¹, so that the only contact
taking place, when these two opposite claws are connected together is between the
rounded edge of the inner bent end of the claw h, and the inside bend of the
claw . It will thus appear obvious that the claws will hold sufficiently together
if the two steels or busks S S' are held by means of a locking device in close
proximity to one another, while on the contrary as soon as the said device is opened,
the steels being released will pull sufficiently on the claws to cause them to slip
apart.
My improved lock consists of a plate » furnished with a notch a and a slot b
and secured to the steel S for instance by the rivets e. Underneath the outer part
of this plate is pivotted at c a plate p' of peculiar shape (Fig. 5) provided with a
circular notch n and a stud f the shank of which can move freely within the slot b
of the plate p.
A spring d fixed at one end to the under surface of the plate p
bears with its other end upon the lower edge of the plate and has for its object
to maintain the latter in its locked position. When the stud s fixed to the steel S'
is inserted in the notch a and is pressed upon the bevelled upper edge of the
plate it pushes the latter back in order to reach the end of the notch a
when the plate pl returns into its locked position under the action of the spring d,
so that its circular notch n surrounds now the shank of the studs and the two
steels S S are now tightly locked together. To unlock the stays, the stud f
is grasped between the thumb and the index finger and drawn downward
against the tension of the spring d, when the studs will be withdrawn from
the notch a thus unlocking the stays, which will now fly open, as the slight
force exerted in opening the lock will also disengage. the claws and h¹ on the
stay busks.
If found desirable the claw h may be formed with a sloping side
as shewn at Figure 7, when the expanding pressure of the body will open the
hooked fastening when the lock is open or the claws may be formed as shewn
in Figure 3 with one fixed straight on one busk, and the other fixed with a
slant on the other busk, to obtain the same effect of the receding side.
The aforesaid claws are formed in stamped from a thin sheet of metal. I may
as shown in Figure 6 attach a chain m to the stud f aforesaid and pass the same
through one of the button-holes of the wearer's bodice, so that it may be connected
by a snap ring n to the ring o of a watch, charm, or other article of jewellery.
This arrangement would enable a lady in the case of sudden illness to uncon-
cernedly and unostentatiously unfasten her corsets by giving a short pull to the
said chain, which would open the lock and disengage the claws by pulling down
slightly the busk on which the stud fis fastened, when the curved form of the claws
will further help the disengagement through the expanding pressure of the body.
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
The improved fastening means for stays or corsets and the like arranged sub-
stantially as herein described and shown and for the purpose set forth.
RAYNER & CASSELL,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.