Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 18th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 18th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted; 18th_Mar. 1887.
I, PATRICK ALPHONSUS MARTIN of Great Charles Street Birmingham in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my said invention is to so construct and arrange the parts of brace
and other like suspender connections or ends, in such a manner, that they admit of a
yielding action, and prevent that undue strain upon the buttons of a garment which is
common with brace ends of the ordinary construction; and further, the said con-
nections act in such a manner, that they yield or accommodate themselves by their give
and take action, to the various motions or postures of the body of the wearer.
My invention is based upon the principle of a yielding incline or inclines, con-
sisting essentially of yielding spring arins branching or curving outwardly, with the
concaved sides turned uppermost, and upon the outsides and insides of the inclines or
curved arms, a tab carrier, (with or without rollers) works. Thus the arms which are
depending extensions of the connection, are bent out of the perpendicular, so as to
form spring or yielding inclines, which come to, or approach each other, on pressure
being exerted, but again expand or react outwardly on pressure being relaxed.
In carrying out my invention I proceed as follows:
I take preferably a length of spring wire, which is afterwards bent into the form of
a loop or other shaped suspender connection, with the under or lower ends shaped or
formed into depending arms, of a length about double the depth of the buckle; and
which said arms are curved outwardly with their concaves uppermost; and in order to
impart thereto a maximum flexibility or springiness, the wire in forming the arms is
returned back to the body of the buckle, and there made into a single or double coil,
and which said coil is situated a little above the arms, and in the space enclosed by the
frame of the connection; that is, the wire which forms the yielding connection is
first bent into a buckle form, and then shaped downwards from its underside, into
one of two side arms, with the wire returned upwards from the lower end to the

page_text: middle of the frame of the buckle part, which is then twisted into one, two or
more spring coils, the wire is then returned downwards and upwards like that of
the first, thus making a second arm, which with the first constitute virtually the
yielding connection.
Upon the underside of the curved inclines thus formed, two sheave rollers or pulleys
of a tap loop, or other connector work; and which said loop or connector, carries the
tab ends or tab cords of a brace or other like suspender.
When pressure is applied to the connector or end, on the change of posture of
a person, the depending arms are brought together and to some extent straightened
out, by the rollers or the inside ends of the tab loops exerting themselves upon the
outsides of the inclines. On relaxation of pressure, the arms resume their normal
positions, or tend to resume their normal positions, and roll or press back the tab loop
or connector, to a position dependent upon the exact amount of pressure exerted.
Instead of a single central coil as described, for giving the desired flexibility to the
arms, two or more independent coils may be employed instead, either disposed in
juxta position, or at suitable distances apart, but in each case forming a portion of the
connector.
When the inclined arms are curved inwardly instead of outwardly, as described, the
tab carrier with end loops or eyes, is disposed between the arms, which form the sides
of a triangle of which the underside of the buckle part makes the base; and when in
this particular form of yielding commnection, a pulley is used I propose to place it
between the inside edges of the inclined sides.
Instead of employing rollers or loops embracing and moving upon the outsides of
the inclined arms, the tab connector or loop may be attached to the depending
yielding terminals, by loose links or coiled springs. In each case the yielding
character of the arms may be assisted if necessary, by transverse coiled springs suitably
arranged and when the arms are closed by links disposed at their ends, instead of by
a slide, the coiled spring is stretched evenly between the depending ends.
PATRICK ALPHONSUS MARTIN.
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Yielding Connections or Ends for Braces and
other like Suspenders.
I, PATRICK ALPHONSUS MARTIN of Great Charles Street Birmingham in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, 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:-
The object of my said invention is to so construct and arrange the parts of brace
and other like suspender connections or ends, in such a manner that they admit of a
yielding action, and prevent that undue strain upon the buttons of a garment, which
is common with brace ends of the ordinary construction; and further, the said con-
nections act in such a manner, that they yield or accommodate themselves by their
give and take action, to the various motions or postures of the body of the wearer.
This invention is based upon the principle of yielding, and outwardly disposed
spring arms, or inclines, with a spring coil, or with spring coils disposed between the
said arms.
In carrying out my invention, I take a length of spring wire, with its middle part
twisted, or bent into a single or double coil, and with the arms, or outwardly disposed
ends directed upwardly, and also with the loop of the coil, which hangs downwards,
as the tab carrier.
To the free ends of the inclined arms as aforesaid, the outer ends of two connecting
links are secured, and jointed; while the inner ends of the said links, are connected
to a loop of a buckle frame. The space enclosed by the arms, and the links aforesaid,
ds of a lozenge shape.
On the spring connection being in its normal condition, the yielding connection has
its arm fully opened out, but on pressure being applied, the arms and links are made
to approach each other, and to again expand and react, and open out automatically on
pressure being relieved.
Or the coil or coils from which the arms receive their springiness, may be connected
to the buckle frame, or to a back connector. In this case, the spring arms hang down,
and spread out in a convergent manner; and upon the outsides of these arms, rollers
carried by a tab carrier, work.
On pressure being applied to the tabs, or one of them, the carrier's position is
changed or lowered, with respect to the spring coil.
The downward movement upon the said spring arms, causes them to be drawn
together, and on pressure being relaxed, the tab carrier and pulleys again react and
pass upwardly, with the arms spreading out again as before; and further, the coils
instead of being at the top, or at the bottom as aforesaid, they may be disposed at two
opposite points of the connection.
1 will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the
manner in which the same is to be performed.

page_text: Figure 1 represents in front elevation, (partly in section) a yielding connection for
braces, constructed according to my invention, and which said view represents the
said brace connection in its normal condition. Figure 2 represents the same with the
spring arms or yielding connection part distended, or in the position which the con-
nection assumes when in use. Figure 3 represents an edge view of figure 2, and
figure shows the brace when the tabs and yielding connection are pulled obliquely.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in figures 1 to 4 both
inclusive.
a is a yielding spring coil, and a² a² are outwardly disposed spring arms, proceeding
from the said coil or loop; that is, the coil is made by bending a piece of spring wire
about its middle, into a single or double loop, and with the terminal ends of the wire
directed outwardly, and which said ends a³ ³ which are free, are connected and
jointed at a at to connecting links bb. These link are connected at their inner ends,
to a circular hanging loop ², on the underside of the buckle frame c. d is the web
of the brace, and e e are the tabs, which are suspended from the coil or carrier loop a
of the yielding connection.
On pressure being applied to the tabs on wear, the spring arms which proceed from,
and are continuations of the spring coil, approach each other as represented in
figures 2, 3 and 4, by the junctions of the arms with the coil overlapping each other.
Figure 5 represents another form of my invention, and shown applied to a back
connection for a brace. In this arrangement, the spring coil from which the arms
proceed, is at the upper part of the connection, instead of at the lower part, and with
the outwardly disposed arms hanging downwards; and which said arms are closed by
rollers or runners at the two opposite sides of a carrier loop.
a is a single or double spring coil, and a² a² are the arms proceeding therefrom, made
from a single piece of spring wire. is a brace end, from which the spring con-
nection is hung. is a carrier loop, having at opposite sides, runners or pulleys 21,
which work upon the outsides or inclines of the spring arms a² ², and draw the said
arms together, on pressure being applied to the tabs e, e, suspended from a secondary
loop 3 of the said tab carrier. The rollers work freely upon the arms, and travel
backwards and forwards, on the give and take, or the action and reaction of the brace
connection.
The turned up ends a³. a³, prevent the carrier loop from being withdrawn, or
disconnected from the arms aforesaid.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. A yielding connection for braces and other like suspenders, consisting
of a spring coil or coils, from which, outwardly directed spring arms or limbs proceed
and from which coil or coils, the said arms or limbs which are connected by joints and
links to the knuckle frame, (or a loop of the buckle frame) receive their springiness,
substantially as described and set forth in figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying
Drawing.
Secondly. A yielding connection for braces and other like suspenders, consisting
of a spring coil or coils a, outwardly disposed spring arms a², proceeding there-
from with carrier loop b, and rollers or runners 2, which latter work upon the
outsides of the said arms, and from the carrier loop aforesaid, the brace tabs are
suspended, substantially as described and set forth in figure 5.