Improvements in Stays for Corsets and like purposes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1892-Accepted, 6th Aug., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by GEORGE OTTO SCHNELLER, of Ansonia,
County of New Haven, State of Connecticut, United States of America,
Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Stays for Corsets and like purposes.
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, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming part of
this Specification, and in which
Figure 1, represents a face view of the stay complete.
Figure 2, edge view of the same.
Figure 3, the wire or spring as prepared to receive the covering.
Figure 4, transverse section through the stay on line x-x of Fig. 1.
Figure 5, longitudinal central section of the stay complete.
This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of stays adapted
to be introduced into pockets in corsets, dresses, and for like purposes as a sub-
stitute for whale-bone, the object of the invention being to produce a light metal
stay, covered to protect the metal, and also to produce non-metallic tips for the
ends of the stay from the same covering which incloses the wire, and the invention
consists in the construction as hereinafter described and particularly recited in the
claim.
Metal wire, preferably steel, and preferably flat, is cut to the required length
for the stays, a Fig. 3, representing a piece of wire thus cut for the stay.
The wire is then inclosed by a covering, preferably paper, the paper being
preferably folded around the wire, as represented in Fig. 4, b, representing the
covering; the length of the covering is somewhat greater than the length of the
wire. Adhesive material is applied, which will secure the covering firmly to
the wire, and this adhesive material extends through the portions c, of the
covering which extend beyond the ends of the wire, and the covering is pressed
hard upon the wire so as to adhere thereto, and the projecting ends are also pressed
to bring the two thicknesses of covering close together beyond the ends of the
spring, the adhesive material serving to stiffen the said projecting ends. The
projections of the ends may be quite short, but must be sufficient to permit a firm
securing of the two ends, and so as to stiffen the projections so that they will not
easily bend out of the plane of the spring. The extreme ends of the tips are
pointed, may be angular, as seen at one end Fig. 1, or rounded as represented at
the other end of Fig. 1. The tips which project beyond the end of the wire are not
only for the purpose of preventing contact of the ends of the metal with the fabric to
which they are applied, but are provided principally as a means to facilitate the
introduction of the stays into the pockets.
In use, the pockets are formed in the usual manner, and the stays, each complete
in itself, are introduced by running the stays into the pockets in the usual manner
for introducing whale-bones. The tips are much less rigid than metal would be,
yet are sufficient to facilitate the introduction of the stays and protect the fabric.
Their less rigidity than metal prevents the wear of the tips upon the fabric, which
necessarily follows the employment of a metal-tipped stay.
While preferring to make the covering from a strip or ribbon of paper, for the
reason that it gives full protection for the metal and produces serviceable and
suitably stiff tips for the ends, good results may be obtained by making the covering
from fabric, in any case, however, it is necessary that the two thicknesses of

page_text: covering shall project slightly beyond the ends of the stays, be closed together,
and secured by an adhesive material which will give to the tips the requisite
thickness.
1
The stays thus produced are very much cheaper than whale-bone, more durable,
and are used with no more liability to wear the fabric of the pockets than whale-
bone.
I do not claim broadly a stay composed of a metal elastic wire inclosed by a
-covering caused to adhere to the wire, as such, broadly considered, I am aware is
not new, the essential feature of my invention being the projecting stiffened tips
produced by a projection of the covering material beyond the ends of the wire, and
the projections pointed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion 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 ;
The combination of a flat metal spring, a covering around said spring secured
thereto by adhesive material, the covering of a length greater than the length of the
spring, and so as to project somewhat at each end, the projecting ends of the
covering closed and secured together and stiffened, and the said stiffened projecting
-ends pointed, substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of July 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.