Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 20th May, 1887.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co. Patent Agents,
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 :-
This invention relates chiefly to improvements in the manufacture of that class of
stocking supporters which consist of a strap attached at its upper end to the garment
or person and extending downward, its lower end being provided with a loop or eyo
of substantially V-shape; so that a portion of the stocking, passed through the larger
part of the opening in the eye, will be drawn down into the narrow portion, and by
the contraction into the narrow portion be held. While designed with special
reference to stocking supporters my improvements are applicable for similar purposes.
The class of holders or fastenings to which I particularly refer is such as described
in the Specification of United States Patent No. 57,247 and later patents.
In the more general construction of this class of holders or supporters, they are cut
from sheet metal; such cutting naturally leaves a square edge around the opening,
its angles being sharp. In finishing by tumbling or other process the angles are
somewhat dulled, but unavoidably many escape with so sharp an edge as to cut the
stocking this being a serious objection to this class of supporters.
The object of my invention is to overcome this difficulty, and it consists in

page_text: constructing the eye-piece from sheet metal, and with the opening of substantially
V shape, and having a flange around the opening, which flange passes through a
corresponding slit in the strap so as to bring the body of the eye-piece upon one side,
the flange being turned down upon the reverse side, so as not only to secure the eye-
piece to the strap, but present a smooth rounded edge around the opening, as more
fully hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1, represents a face view of the eye-piece attached to one end of a strap.
Figure 2, is the blank from which the eye-piece is made.
Figure 3 is a transverse section through the eye piece, showing the flanges turned
from one side.
Figure 4, is a transverse section through the interlocking device at the lower end
of the legs.
Figure 5, is a transverse section through the strap and eye-piece set therein.
Figure is the same section showing the flange struck down upon the reversed
side.
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, illustrate modifications.
To make the eye-piece with a V shaped opening, as seen in Figure 1, I cut a blank
from sheet metal, as seen in Figure 2, a representing the upper bar, and the two
sides or legs. These two legs are disconnected at their lower ends and the width of
the two legs is substantially double the width required for the finished eye-piece.
Near the lower end of one leg I make transverse cuts, to form a tongue-piece d and
in the opposite log I cut a corresponding slit e, through which the tongue-piece is
adapted to pass, and also cut diagonal slits fat the upper angles from the inside
outward, about one-half the width. I next turn the inner edge of the legs backward,
making the bend as indicated by the broken lino Figure 2, so as to form a flange g
projecting from the reverse side, as seen in Figure 3, I then bring the lower ends of
the legs together, as seen in Figure 4, and pass the tongue d through the slit e and
bend it back upon the reverse side, to interlock the ends of the two legs, and as
indicated in Figure 1, so that the lower ends become firmly united, the eye-piece then
has a flange substantially around its opening.
The strap A Figure 5 has a slit cut through it at the required position when the
eye-piece is applied the flange passes through the opening, as seen in Figure 5 and
then the flange is struck down upon the reverse side, after the manner of setting an
eyelet, as seen in Figure 6, thus making a metal binding around the edge of the
opening, presenting a finished rounded edge to the material, which may be introduced
through the opening, and which cannot cut the fabric, or otherwise injure it, thus
overcoming the difficulties existing in the cut holders or eyes before mentioned.
The shape of the opening is immaterial, for convenience of illustration I have
described it as of V, shape, but it may be V.shaped through its upper portion, and
from the apex downward a narrow slit, with substantially parallel slides, as seen in
Figure 7.
In this case the flange will be cut as indicated by the broken lines
Figure 8 so as to readily form the angle at the intersection of the two parts of the
opening, or the opening may have its sides and upper end curved, as seen in Figure 9,
the opening being large at the upper end, and contracting towards the lower end, a
well known form for this class of holders. In either case there is the same flange
formed around the opening to be turned upon the reverse side, and the lower ends are
interlocked.
In order to form the flange around the narrower portion of the opening, it is
necessary to separate the lower ends, and then bring them together as the flange is
turned. As the strain comes upon the narrower portion of the slot, tending to open
the two sides, it is necessary that the lower ends shall be interlocked in some manner.
I prefer to do this by means of the tongue formed on the one part and inserted
through a corresponding slot in the other part, but they may be overlapped and
rivetted, as indicated in Figure 10, or soldered, or secured by any of the known
niechanical means for uniting metals.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my 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. The herein described stocking supporter, consisting of a strap combined
with a metal eye-piece having an opening through it, contracting from its upper end
downward, and having a flange around the opening, extending through the strap and
turned down upon the reverse side, substantially as described.
Second. The herein described eye-piece for stocking supporters, made from sheet
metal and having an opening contracting from its upper end downward, and a flange
around the edge of the opening projecting from one side of the eye-piece and adapted
to pass through a corresponding opening in the strap, and be turned down upon the
reverse side, substantially as described.
Third. The herein described metal eye piece for stocking supporters, consisting of
two legs connected across the top, the said legs having a flange upon their inner edges
projecting from one side, the opening between the legs contracting from the upper.
end downward, and the lower ends of the legs being united, substantially as described.
Fourth. A metal eye-piece for stocking supporter, consisting of two legs connected
at their upper ends, each having a flange upon its inner edge, and turned from one
side, one leg being constructed with a tongue on its inner edge near the lower end,
and the other leg with a corresponding slot, the lower ends of the legs being brought
together, and the said tongue turned through the said slot to secure the two lower
ends together, the opening between the legs contracting from the upper end downward,
substantially as described.