Improvements in and connected with Corsets.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 6th June, 1893-Accepted, 8th July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Corsets.
We, WILLIAM BBADBURY GARNISS and WILLIAM WHITMORE JONES both
of Britannia Street, Burton Road, Derby in the County of Derby, Corset
Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
This invention has for its object an improved form of corset and busk whereby
the busk can be at any time taken out and replaced by the wearer without having
to unsew, and also whereby the wearer can reduce or enlarge the circumference of
the waist without having to unlace the cord at the back; the cord being attached
to the belt in a peculiar manner for this purpose.
In carrying out our invention, we place the busk or steel fastener in the corset
firmly against the front edge, with the loops and pins projecting out in the usual
manner. The outer edge of the busk, however, instead of being confined by
sewing, is confined by eyelets and cords.
The arrangement adopted in our experimental corsets is as follows:-
We place busks or fasteners into the corset fronts as in the ordinary way of
manufacture, except that we cover the busk with an extra large piece of inter-
covering for the purpose of forming a complete double pocket-like receptacle to
receive the busk and to strengthen the hold of the eyelets, then we turn back the
lining or bottom cloth along with the bottom portion of the inter-lining, and sew a
row of stitches through the top cloth and top portion of the inter-lining about an
eighth of an inch distance away from the inside edge of the busk so as to allow
space enough for a row of eyelets to be placed down the sides of the busk. This
operation of eyeletting we carry out, for convenience, at this part of the process of
manufacture, by punching holes in the usual way through all four cloths, then we
eyelet together the top cloth and top portion of the inter-lining with eyelets, and
the same with regard to the lining or bottom cloth, and the bottom portion of the
inter-lining. Afterwards, the operator (with the lining or bottom cloth and the
bottom portion of the inter-lining still turned back) stitches in the cords or any
other work or device required. The front is then joined or sewn to the other
portion of the corset in the usual way with the lining and inter-lining in their
proper positions. At the bottom of the front, we form an opening by turning in
and sewing down the lining or bottom cloth and the bottom portion of the inter-
lining the required distance, so as to cause the edge of this portion to be a short
distance away from the edge of the top cloth and top portion of inter-lining, and
then we bind the corset along the bottom edge in the usual way, thus forming an
opening at the bottom of the front. This opening can be formed in other ways,
but, for convenience of manufacture, we make it as shown. By this means, by
simply unlacing the cord or lace which is threaded through the eyelets immediately
behind the busk, the busk can be drawn out at the opening at the bottom, and
replaced by another through the same opening. These busks do not, as a rule,
admit of any adjustment as regards the diameter of the corset. To enable us to
effect this, we place a belt round the corset united by a buckle or equivalent device
in front, and at the back attached by eyelets to an adjusting cord. By thus
tightening or slackening the belt, the operator can at once tighten or slacken the
cord.
Again continuing the description of our experimental corset, we stitch a strip of
cloth between the two halves of the corset, commencing level with the top and
extending downwards, preferably 44 inches, and the same at the bottom extending,
upwards preferably 4 inches, leaving an open space in the centre, and afterwards
we eyelet the centre portions of the back with a row of eyelets between the two

page_text: outside whalebones or other equivalent, and lace a cord through the eyelets, then,
from the two centre eyelets on each side, we draw out the cord and form a loop to
which we attach one part of the belt. Our mode of attaching the cord to the end
of the belt is by inserting a steel plate transversely to the belt having spaces cut
out to admit of eyelets at each end, the end of the material of the belt is then turned
double over this plate and is fixed in position by two eyelets passing through the
three layers of the belt. We either cross one end of the loop of the cord through
the other, or fasten the belt without crossing the loops. By this means, the wearer
can reduce or enlarge the circumference of the waist without having to unlace the
cord at the back. The cord is too, by means of the eyelet and plate already
described, attached to the belt in such manner as to bring no wear and tear on the
belt itself. The attachment, therefore, is thoroughly secure.
It is obvious that, in thus describing the use of cord through eyelet holes in this
way, other temporary fastenings could be passed through the eyelet holes in front
instead of a cord, but this would take much more time to do and undo.
Secondly, it is obvious that the lacing at the back could, if desired, be extended
the entire height of the corset, but, instead of a single cord tied at top, or bottom,
and passed through the eyelets of the belt, between the centre eyelets in each case,
as we prefer, there might be several separate cords attached to the belt in such
manner that, by drawing the belt, the cords shall be simultaneously tightened up.
The great advantage, however, of a single cord, besides its simplicity, is that a
practically even pressure is brought to bear along the entire length of the steel
bars, as the various folds of the cord give with any undue pressure on any one of
them, so as to equalise the pressure.
Dated this 11th day of August 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Corsets.
We, WILLIAM BRADBURY GARNISS and WILLIAM WHITMORE JONES, both
of Britannia Street, Burton Road, Derby in the County of Derby, Corset
Manufacturers, 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 has for its object an improved form of corset and busk whereby
the busk can be at any time taken out and replaced by the wearer without having
to unsew, and also whereby the wearer can reduce or enlarge the circumference of
the waist without having to uulace the cord at the back; the cord being attached
to the belt in a peculiar manner for this purpose.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawing, in which,
Figure 1 is the front view of a corset with busk partially withdrawn and the
front slightly bent up at bottom.
Figures 2 and 3, two variations of back view.
Referring first to Figure 1-
"
A, is the busk or steel fastener in the corset. This is placed firmly against the
front edge, with the loops and pins projecting out in the usual manner.
The outer
edge of the busk, however, instead of being confined by sewing, is confined by
eyelets and cords B B.
The arrangement we prefer to adopt in our corsets is as follows-
We place busks or fasteners into the corset fronts as in the ordinary way of
manufacture, except that we cover the busk with an extra large piece of inter-
covering for the purpose of forming a complete double pocket-like receptacle to
receive the busk and to strengthen the hold of the eyelets, then we turn back the

page_text: lining or bottom cloth along with the bottom portion of the inter-lining, and sew
a row of stitches through the top cloth and top portion of the inter-lining about
an eighth of an inch distance away from the inside edge of the busk so as to allow
space enough for a row of eyelets to be placed down the sides of the busk. This
operation of eyeletting we carry out, for convenience, at this part of the process of
manufacture, by punching holes in the usual way through all four cloths, then we
eyelet together the top cloth and top portion of the inter-lining with eyelets, and
the same with regard to the lining or bottom cloth, and the bottom portion of the
inter-lining. Afterwards, the operator (with the lining or bottom cloth and the
bottom portion of the inter-lining still turned back) stitches in the cords or any other
work or device required. The front is then joined or sewn to the other portion of
the corset in the usual way with the lining and inter-lining in their proper positions.
At the bottom of the front, we form an opening by turning in and sewing down the
lining or bottom cloth and the bottom portion of the inter-lining the required
distance, so as to cause the edge of this portion to be a short distance away from
the edge of the top cloth and top portion of inter-lining, and then we bind the
corset along the bottom edge in the usual way, thus forming an opening at the
bottom of the front. This opening can be formed in other ways, but, for
convenience of manufacture, we make it as shown. By this means, by simply
unlacing the cord or lace which is threaded through the eyelets immediately
behind the busk, the busk can be drawn out at the opening at the bottom, and
replaced by another through the same opening.
These busks do not, as a rule admit of any adjustment as regards the diameter
of the corset. To enable us to effect this, we place a belt C, Figures 3 and 4,
round the corset united by a buckle or equivalent device in front, and at the back
attached by eyelets to an adjusting cord D. By thus tightening or slackening the
belt, the operator can at once tighten or slacken the cord.
Again continuing the description of our corset, we stitch a strip of cloth E
between the two halves of the corset, commencing level with the top and extending
downwards, preferably 4 inches, and the same at the bottom extending upwards
preferably 4 inches at F leaving an open space in the centre, and afterwards we
eyelet the centre portions of the back with a row of eyelets between the two outside
whalebones or other equivalent, and lace a cord through the eyelets, then, from
the two centre eyelets on each side, we draw out the cord and form a loop to
which we attach one part of the belt. Our mode of attaching the cord to the end
of the belt is set forth in Figure 4 enlarged_detail and by inserting a steel
plate G transversely to the belt having spaces H cut out to admit of eyelets at each
end, the end of the material of the belt is then turned double over this plate and is
fixed in position by two eyelets passing through the three layers of the belt. We
either cross one end of the loop of the cord through the other, or fasten the belt
without crossing the loops. By this means, the wearer can reduce or enlarge the
circumference of the waist without having to unlace the cord at the back. The
cord is too, by means of the eyelet and plate already described, attached to the belt
in such manner as to bring no wear and tear on the belt itself. The attachment,
therefore, is thoroughly secure.
It is obvious that, in thus describing the use of cord through eyelet holes in this
way, other temporary fastenings could be passed through the eyelet holes in front
instead of a cord, but this would take much more time to do and undo.
Secondly, it is obvious that the lacing at the back could, if desired, be extended
the entire height of the corset, but, instead of a single cord tied at top, or bottom,
and passed through the eyelets of the belt, between the centre eyelets in each case,
as we prefer, there might be several separate cords attached to the belt in such
manner that, by drawing the belt, the cords shall be simultaneously tightened up.
The great advantage, however, of a single cord, besides its simplicity, is that a
practically even pressure is brought to bear along the entire length of the steel
bars, as the various folds of the cord give with any undue pressure on any one of
them, so as to equalise the pressure.

page_text: It must be understood that either this arrangement of the back of the corset or
the one shown in Fig. 2, which is the usual way of fastening can be employed in
conjunction with the improved busk fastening shown in Fig. 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is―
1. The improvement in corsets substantially as set forth in the first part of the
Specification, whereby a busk can at any time be withdrawn and another applied
without undoing the stitching of the corset.
2. The improvement in and connected with corsets substantially as set forth in
the latter part of the Specification whereby by means of a belt or the other
somewhat inferior modifications set forth, the wearer can at once tighten or slacken
the corset so as to give a substantially uniform strain on the lacing through a large
vertical space.
Dated this 5th day of June 1893.
WM. P THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.