AN APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING THE CONTENTS OF THE POCKETS OF WEARING APPAREL FROM THEFT AND LOSS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Leon de Landfórt, of Higher Broughton, near Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"AN APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING THE CONTENTS OF THE POCKETS OF WEARING
APPAREL FROM THEFT AND LOSS."
Sealed the 16th April 1858, and dated the 31st October 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Leon de Landfort at,
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on, the
31st October 1857.
I, LEON DE LANDFORT, of Higher Broughton, near Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING THE CONTENTS OF POCKETS
OF WEARING APPAREL PROM THEFT AND Loss," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in closing the opening of pockets by means of a
spring, fitting at one end into a piece attached to the pocket; this spring,
when the pocket is closed, is held by a trigger, which can be liberated by
means of a cord or other agent, so as to allow the pocket to be opened. It is
necessary to connect one side of the pocket to the spring by an elastic fabric
or material, so that it may stretch when the spring opens and contract
when closed.
I do not limit myself to the arrangement' described, the object of. my

page_text: Invention being to protect the contents of pockets from theft and loss, by an
apparatus that remains closed until the cord or other agent is pulled to allow
the pocket to be opened. These safety pockets can be applied to and removed
from wearing apparel with facility, as they are or may be attached to the
garments by buttons or hooks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Leon de Landfort in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEON DE
LANDFORT, of Higher Broughton, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Leon de Landfort, Her special licence that I, the said Leon
de Landfort, my, executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Leon de Landfort, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "AN APPARATUS FOR
PROTECTING THE CONTENTS OF THE POCKETS OF WEARING APPAREL FROM THEFT AND
Loss," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Leon de Landfort,
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 per-
formed, 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 Leon de Landfort, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement (that is to say):—
My said Invention consists of an apparatus attached to the waistcoat or

page_text: other article of wearing apparel, and encircling the pocket, which apparatus
when closed protects the contents of the pocket from theft or from falling out
by accident.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me,.
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a front view of my improved pocket protector; Fig. 2. is a
section; Figs. 3 and 4 are plan views of the same; and Fig. 5 is a detached
view of part of the apparatus. a is a light frame made by preference of sheet
metal; this frame is attached or connected to the waistcoat or other garment
by the hooks b, b, or by buttons or other convenient means. To the frame a
are hinged the springs c and c¹; the outer ends of these springs are furnished
with clips, each clip passing over one of the springs; both the springs c and c¹
pass through a slide c², furnished with a screw stud by which the protector is
also connected to the garment; the pocket passes within the frame a and the
springs c and c¹. To the spring c is rivetted the plate a', in which is a slot for
the head of the spring trigger d, which is seen best in Fig. 5, and is rivetted
to the spring c. When the pocket is closed, as shewn in Fig. 3, the spring
trigger d catches hold of the small stud e, which is attached or rivetted to the
spring c. The cord f is attached to the spring trigger d, and this cord is
brought out of sight to any convenient part of the person. In order to open
the pocket when closed, the cord f must be pulled to liberate the stud e, which
is held by the trigger d, and as soon as the stud e is liberated, the springs c
and c¹ open, as shewn in Fig. 4, to allow the watch or othér article to be
When the watch or other article has been replaced
taken out of the pocket.
in the pocket, the opening of the pocket is closed by pressing the springs c
and c¹ towards the frame a, until the stud e is caught by the trigger d; the
contents of the pockets are thus secured from being abstracted or from falling
out accidentally. The bent part a² of the frame a is for the watch chain to
pass through. It is evident that this pocket protector can be made of any
suitable size and shape, according to the pocket for which it is intended, and
that it can easily be applied to and removed from one article of wearing
apparel to another.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself
to the precise arrangements of parts shewn and described, as that may be
considerably modified without departing from the peculiar character of my

page_text: Invention; but what I claim is the apparatus described for closing the pockets
of wearing apparel, and protecting the contents thereof from theft and loss, or
any modification of such apparatus.
In witness whereof, I, the said Leon de Landfort, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight. '
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
.Manchester.
LEON DE LANDFORT. (L.S.) ·
.