A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVE
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and Foreign
Patent Offices, 38, Porchester Terrace, Bayswater, in the County of
Middlesex, and 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of
France. Patent Agent, for the Invention of "A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVE-
Sealed the 5th February 1867, and dated the 3rd September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd September 1866.
I, HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices,
38, Porchester Terrace, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex, and 24, Rue
du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVE-
MENT IN HOOP SKIRTS," a communication to me from abroad by Agustus
James Colby, a person residing at New York City, in the United States of
America, to be as follows:-
This Invention and inprovement, as set forth in the Figures of the Drawings
hereunto annexe, relates, firstly, to a novel arrangement of the hoops or

page_text: springs constituting the skirt; and, secondly, to a novel construction of clasps
for connecting the boops or springs to each other. The upper portion
(Figure 1) of the skirt is formed of a series of equidistant or parallel
springs c, c, c, and the remaining portion of a series of springs 9, 9, 9, 9,
arranged parallel to each other, or nearly so, but at an inclination to the
vertical axis of the skirt; these springs gradually increase in length until a
spring constituting a complete circle is attained, when they gradually decrease
in length to the lower spring f, which forms a completo circle and the bottom
of the skirt. The ends of the inclined springs of only a portion of the cir-
cumference of a circle are secured to the lower spring or hoop c¹ of the upper
horizontal series, or to the bottom spring f of the skirt, according as they are
either above or below the inclined spring that forms a complete circle. The
clasps by means of which the hoops or springs of the skirt are fastened
together are of two sorts; the rigid clasp and the flexible or jointed clasp;
both are made of any suitable sheet metal readily bent without breaking.
The rigid clasp A (Figure 2) has two channels B and C formed by bending
up its dented sides. The channel B receives the horizontal spring D, whilst
the other channel C at an angle with the channel B receives the inclined
spring E. The dented sides of the clasp channels being bent over upon the
springs connect them securely together with the angular projecting tongue
piece F of the straight channel B, which on being bent down covers over one
side of the spring joint. The flexible or jointed clasp (Figure 3) consists of
two independent ways or grooves A' and B' formed by the sides a, a, with
prongs or teeth, which, on applying the clasp to the springs are bent over and
made to clasp or embrace the same. The way or groove A¹ has a ring C¹
projecting from one of its sides, in the cut-out centre of which turns or
swings the round-shaped end of the other way B' resting by its flange E¹ of
the said circular piece C', where by means of the bent-over portions of the
way A¹ it is confined and prevented from becoming disengaged, but yet so as
to be perfectly free to turn or swing thereon in a direction toward each end of
the way A', but with no other movement. These clasps serve to connect the
ends of the oblique or vertical springs to the horizontal springs; the way A
receives the horizontal springs, and the way B' the inclined vertical springs.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th February 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI ADRIEN
BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 38, Porchester
Terrace, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex, and 24, Rue du Mont
Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henri Adrien Bonneville, Her special licence that I, the said Henri
Adrien Bonneville, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as 1, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should in any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENT IN HOOP SKIRTS," a communication to
me from abroad by Augustus James Colby, a person residing at New York
City, in the United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:—
This Invention and improvement, as set forth in the Figures of the Drawings
bereunto annexed, relates, firstly, to a novel arrangement of the hoops or
springs constituting the skirt; and, secondly, to a novel construction of clasps
for connecting the hoops or springs to each other.
The upper portion of the skirt is formed of a series of equidistant
or parallel springs, and the remaining portion of a series of springs arranged
parallel to each other, or nearly so, but at an inclination to the vertical

page_text: axis of the skirt; these springs gradually increase in length until a spring
constituting a complete circle is attained, when they gradually decrease in
length to the lower spring, which forms a complete circle and the bottom
of the skirt. The ends of the inclined springs of only a portion of the circum-
ference of a circle are secured to the lower spring or hoop of the upper
horizontal series, or to the bottom spring of the skirt, according as they are
either above or below the inclined spring that forms a complete circle. The
clasps by means of which the hoops or springs of the skirt are fastened
together are of two sorts, the rigid clasp and the flexible or jointed clasp;
both are made of any suitable sheet metal readily bent without breaking.
Fig. 1 represents a boop skirt made according to my Invention; Fig. 2 is
a view of two springs of the skirt secured rigidly to each other by means of a
rigid clasp of peculiar construction; Fig. 3 is a view of one side of such rigid
clasp before it is attached to or bent over the springs or hoops; Fig. 4 is a
view of the opposite side of such rigid clasp; Fig. 5 is a front view of the
jointed clasp; Fig. 6 is a view of the rear side; Fig. 7 is a section in the
plane of the line x of Fig. 5.
In the wearing of hoop skirts as now constructed with a series of springs
arranged in parallel horizontal planes secured together by side bands or strips
much annoyance has been heretofore experienced in adjusting or arranging
the skirt about the person when sitting or lying down, leaning against a chair
or table, the skirt when touched or brought in contact upon one side with
some fixed object "flying up" upon the other or opposite side in direct pro-
portion thereto, and to such a height as to often cause an exposure of the
under garments to such a degree as to be not only quite distasteful, but
considerably embarrassing to the wearer before the skirt could be properly
arranged to suit the position that the wearer is occupying, and oftentimes it
could be accomplished only with great difficulty and trouble, the various
springs being so disturbed that when the person arose from the seat it was
necessary to again adjust the skirt. To remedy and obviate the above objec-
tions and disadvantages to the now prevalent mode of making hoop skirts as
before stated has been the object of many experiments, investigations, and
inventions, but all of which have practically failed, it being necessary, in con-
nection with my construction of the skirt adopted to avoid the said objections
that the flexibility, lightness, and freedom of motion to the skirt should be
always retained in order to have it a success; but by the present Invention a
practical and thoroughly successful mode of constructing a boop skirt is pro-
duced, by which the objections to the present style of hoop skirts are entirely
obviated, and it consists, in the first place, in a novel arrangement of the

page_text: various springs constituting the skirt, whereby when any one side or por-
tion of the skirt is brought in contact with a fixed object, as in sitting or
lying down, leaning against a chair or table, in lieu of throwing the other or
opposite side or portion up, as is now the case, the tendency is more to pull
it down, if any effect is produced upon it at all, as will be more readily
apparent by an inspection of Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawings, which
is an elevation of the front portion of a skirt made according to my improve-
ment, in connection with the following description :-
The letter a in the said Fig. 1 designates a hoop skirt made according to
my improvements with the same general form and outline as the ordinary
skirts, the various springs of which are secured together by bands or strips
running up and down its length with clasps or other suitable holding devices
at each intersection of the springs therewith; the upper portion 6 of the skirt,
say for about one-third of its length, is formed of a series of equidistant or
parallel springs c, c, c', and placed at any desired distance apart, and the
remaining portion d between the lower spring c¹ of this series of horizontally
arranged springs and the spring f forming the bottom edge of the skirt is
made of a series of springs 9, 9, 9, 9, arranged parallel to each other, or
nearly so, but at an inclination to the vertical axis of the skirt, or, in other
words, to the direction of its length; said springs gradually increasing in length
as you approach the lower spring forming the bottom edge of the skirt until
a spring constituting a complete circle in itself is reached, where on ordinary
sized skirts they gradually decrease in length to and from the same toward
the lower spring f; the ends of the springs consisting of only a portion of the
circumference of a circle are secured in any of the ordinary modes to the
lower spring or hoop of the upper horizontal series, or to the bottom spring of
the skirt, according as they are either above or below the inclined spring that
forms a complete circle, or nearly so, or which, in other words, are of the
greatest length.
From the above description of the manner in which I arrange the springs
constituting the skirt by placing them at any angle to the direction of its length
or its vertical axis, it is obvious that when the skirt is worn and the wearer
desires to sit or lie down, or to lean against a table or chair or any other
fixed object, instead of the skirt then being thrown outwards or upwards, as
has heretofore been the case, upon the opposite side to that where the pressure
is thus brought to bear upon the springs it receives no perceptible movement,
the compression of or the pressure upon the springs in lieu of acting straight
across the skirt and in horizontal planes, or nearly so, as heretofore, being
made either to act upward or downward according as the springs are secured

page_text: at their ends to the bottom spring of the skirt or to the lower one c' of its
horizontal series at the upper portion; but it is of course manifest that by
transferring the force of the compression of the springs in an entirely different
direction from that in which it is imparted thereto its effect upon the opposite
side of the skirt is thereby greatly and almost if not entirely diminished,
each compression of the springs when arranged in an inclined position serving
rather to pull the skirt down or cause it to "hug" the floor or ground than
to "fly" or be thrown upward, as is obvious without further explanation. It
is not necessary that I should herein enumerate the many advantages which
arise from constructing a hoop skirt in the manner described, whereby the
results specified are successfully obtained, as they are so plainly obvious to all
persons,
whether accustomed to the wearing of them or not, and the superiority
cf such a skirt over the now prevalent and most general skirt worn, as well
as its desirability, are also apparent. In lieu of arranging the springs consti-
tuting the upper portion of the skirt in parallel horizontal planes, as described,
they may be arranged in inclined positions, as specified for the lower portion
of the skirt, but as the springs at such a height are of a short diameter, and
are consequently affected but very little by any compression of the skirt, I
bave not deemed it necessary.
The second part of my Invention relates to the manner of connecting the
springs of hoop skirts that are so made. The connection is made by means of
clasps, whereof one is rigid and the other flexible or jointed.
I will first describe the rigid clasp (referring to the Figures 2, 3, and 4), which
clasp is adapted to embrace the joints formed between the series of vertical
boops or springs and the hoops or springs which are in a horizontal plane.
The letter A in the said Figures 2, 3, and 4 designate the rigid clasp, which
is formed of any suitable sheet metal, such as brass, tin, or other kind that
can be bent with readiness and without breaking. This clasp A has two
channels B and C formed by bending up the several sides of the same, in one
of which channels B the horizontal spring of the skirt is placed, while the
other channel C of the clasp extends in such a direction or angle from the
channel B as to receive the vertical inclined spring E of the skirt at its point
of junction with the horizontal spring D. The sides of the clasp channels are
then bent over upon the springs D and E, the joint of which they unite and
connect securely together with the angular projecting tongue-piece F of the
straight channel B, which tongue-piece when bent down covers over one side
of the spring joint, as is plain to be seen in Fig. 2. The clasps when bent
around the springs as above described firmly and tightly securing them
together at their point of junction. The tongue-piece F of the clasp may

page_text: be provided with flaps or side pieces along its sides or edges for the purpose
of embracing the sides of the spring upon which it is bent, but I do not deem
them absolutely necessary, although they increase the holding power of
the clasp.
The flexible or jointed clasp is seen in Figures 5, 6, 7, it consists essentially
of two independent ways or grooves jointed to each other so as to be capable
of moving or swinging in the same plane on their pivot or point of attachment.
The letters A and B' in the Drawings designate the two ways or grooves of
my improved jointed clasp, both being stamped or cut out of the strip or sheet
of inetal of any suitable kind, or other proper material, with prongs or teeth a
along the length of the same, which when the clasp is applied to the springs
are bent over and made to clasp and embrace the same, as with ordinary hoop
skirt clasps. One A' of these ways or grooves A' and B' has at a point
between its two ends a circular ring or piece C₁ projecting from one of its
sides, the centre D' of which ring is cut out and its edge turned over, forming
a flange E¹ entirely round it upon its rear side. In the opening of the circular
piece C of the way A' the round-shaped end F¹ of the other way B' turns or
moves, resting by its flange E' upon the rear side of the said circular piece C',
where by means of the bent-over portions d of the way A' it is confined and
prevented from becoming disengaged, but yet so as to be perfectly free to turn
or swing thereon in a direction toward each end of the way A', but with no
other movement, as plainly shown in the Drawings.
In the application of the said jointed clasp to the class of skirt herein-before
described it is used as a means of joining or connecting the ends of those
springs which extend in an oblique or vertical direction and are upon the
front side of the skirt to the horizontal springs of the same from and at which
they commence and terminate. In the part A' the horizontal springs are
secured, and in the other part B', which is hinged to the former as above
explained, the inclined vertical springs are secured, it being found desireable in
the construction and manufacture of the said skirt that a clasp of the naturo
and description embraced in the present Invention should be used at some if
not all of the points of connection of the two series of springs with each other,
in order to render the skirt efficient and perfect in its operation and use, and
to allow the said vertical and horizontal springs to move independently of
each other.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider and therefore claim as
novel and original is,-

page_text: A hoop skirt made of a series of springs arranged at an inclination to the
central vertical axis or direction of the length of the skirt, substantially in the
manner described and for the purposes specified.
I also claim a rigid clasp for hoop skirt springs having channels B and C to
receive the springs, substantially as herein described, one of said channels
branching from the other as shown.
I also claim a clasp consisting of two parts A' and B', one of which is
hinged to the other at a point between its two ends and out of line with the
same, in such a manner as to only swing or turn in a direction toward the
ends of the said part A', substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have hereto set
my band and seal, this Twenty-second day of February, in the year of
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
our
H. BONNEVILLE.
(L.S.)