IMPROVEMENTS IN COATS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Allen, of Castle Place, Castle Street,
Canterbury, in the County of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN COATS."
Sealed the 3rd April 1857, and dated the 3rd October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Allen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd October 1856.
I, JAMES ALLEN, of Castle Place, Castle Street, Canterbury, in the County
of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN COATS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in so forming a coat as that it may be readily con-
vertible whilst on the back of the wearer into three different descriptions of
coats, known and distinguished as a frock coat, a dress coat, and a hunting or
sporting coat. To enable these changes to be effected, I form the coat in the
following manner:-Instead of connecting the skirt to the body of the coat by
sewing such parts together at the waist, as in making a frock coat or surtout,
I first aflix the top of the "skirt" necessary to form a frock coat to one half
of the "back" of the coat and to a portion of one "fore part," leaving as much
of the top of the skirt disconnected to the said "fore part" as will admit of
access to an outside pocket thus made, and, if necessary, for pulling out a flap
to cover such said opening or pocket (when the coat'is required to resemble a
"hunting" or "sporting" coat); and I again sew the said "skirt" to the said

page_text: "fore part" for such a distance as to produce one skirt which shall resemble a
"dress coat," and the remaining portion of the top part of the said skirt
I connect temporarily to the said fore part by buttons and button holes, or
other convenient means, so that the skirt shall resemble that of a frock coat,
the other skirt being similarly attached to the side of the coat. I also form
button holes and affix buttons to the lower part of each skirt for the purpose
of narrowing the bottom of the skirt, more or less, according as it is required,
to resemble either a hunting coat or a dress coat. By these means it will
appear evident that a frock coat may be readily converted into a dress coat or
a hunting coat, as above stated. The other parts of the coat are similar to
ordinary coats of the classes above named.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Allen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ALLEN, of Castle Place, Castle Street, Canterbury, in the County of Kent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of October, in the year of our. Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Allen, Her special licence that I, the said James Allen, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Allen, niy executors, administrators, and assigns, should at 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN COATS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Allen, 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 James Allen, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by.the.following
statement,thereof, that is to say:
My Invention consists in so: forming a coat as that it may be readily con-
vertible whilst on the back of the wearer. into three or moré different descrip-
tions of coats, such as a frock coat, a dress: coat, and a hunting or sporting
coat. To enable these changes to be effected, I form the coat in the following
manner :-Instead of connecting, the skirt.to the body of the coat, by sewing
such parts together at the waist, as, in making a frock coat or surtout, I first
affix the top of the," skirt "necessary to form: a frock.coat to. one half of the
"back" of the coat and to a portion of. one "fore part," leaving as much of
the top of the skirt disconnected from the said "fore part." as will.admit of
access to an outside pocket thus made, and, if necessary, for pulling out a flap
to cover such said opening.or pocket (when the coat is required to resemble a
hunting or sporting coat); and I again sew the said "skirt" to the said "fore
part "for such a distance as to produce one skirt, which shall resemble a "dress
coat," and..the remaining portion of the top part of the said skirt I connect
temporarily to the said "fore part" by buttons and button holes,, or other con-
venient means, so that the skirt.shall resemble that of a frock coat, the other
skirt being similarly attached to the side of the coat. I also form button
holes and. affix.. button's to the lower part. of each skirt, for the purpose of
narrowing the bottom of the skirt, more, or less, according as it is. required
to resemble either a hunting coat or a dress coat. By these means it will
appear evident that á frock.coat may be readily converted into a dress coat or
a hunting or other coat, as above, stated. The other parts of the coat are
similar to ordinary coats of the classes above named.
In order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible, I have
attached to this Specification a Sheet of Drawings illustrative of the means
which I employ and have found answer well for carrying my said Invention
into practical effect, reference being had to such said illustrative Drawing,
and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked thereon re-
spectively, as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents an outside view of one of my improved coats; Figure 2
is another view, showing the inside of said coat. At each of these Figures
I employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding parts, in so far as
such parts appear or can be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
A, A, and B, B, are the fore parts and backs of a coat constructed accord-
ing to hy said Invention; C, C, are the skirts of said coat; D, D, are the
sleeves thereof, exhibited folded up. At Figure 2, a, b, c, d, e, are small

page_text: buttons affixed to the inside of the coat, and employed for the purpose of
fastening back the skirts of the coat in the positions exhibited at Z, Figure 2.
The solid lines denote the position of the skirts when they are required to
represent those of a dress coat, and the dotted lines denote the position of the
skirts when they are required to represent those of á hunting coat. E is a tab,
the button hole in which passes over the lowermost button f of the coat, as at
Figure 1; and G is another tab, which passes through the lowermost button
hole 9 of the coat, as at Figure 2, and serves to connect temporarily the front
edge of the skirt to the fore part of the coat when it is required to represent a
frock coat. In manufacturing a coat according to my said Invention, the
skirts thereof instead of being sewn to the "fore parts" of the coat throughout
the entire length of the material at such points of junction, is simply sewn
(as at Figure 1) from 1 to 2 and from 3 to 4. The space from 2 to 3 has an
inside pocket fixed therein, and the space from 4 to 5 allows the skirt to be
turned and buttoned back, so as to alter the appearance of the coat from a
frock coat to either a dress coat or a hunting or other coat, as before stated.
H, H, are flaps (shewn by dotted lines at Figure 1); these flaps are tucked in
the pockets of the coat between 2 and 3, and are only used when the coat is
required to represent a hunting coat, in which case the said flaps are placed
outside the skirts. The other.parts of the coat are of the ordinary kind..
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my said
Invention of "Improvements in Coats," together with the best means I am
acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect, I hereby declare
my Invention to consist in, and I claim, the mode above particularly described,
set forth, and represented of manufacturing coats, whereby they are capable of
assuming and presenting the appearance of three or more different descriptions
of coats, as above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Allen, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
THOMAS WRAIGHT,
44, St. George's Street, Canterbury,
Kent.
JAMES ALLEN. (L.S.)