AN IMPROVED SPRING BRACE
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Harding Palmer, of No. 3, Exchequer
Place, in the Parish of Lewisham, in the County of Kent, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED SPRING BRACE."
Sealed the 14th July 1868, and dated the 8th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Harding Palmer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th April 1868.
I, GEORGE HARDING PALMER, of No. 3, Exchequer Place, in the
Parish of Lewisham, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SPRING BRACE," to be
as follows:-
The spring for both the hind ends and for each front double end is
each made of one piece of round, flattened, or other shaped metal, or
caoutchouc or other material and of various shapes, to cach end of each
spring is attached a suspender made of metal, or leather, or other material;
these suspenders pass through 'moveable rings placed on the spring.

page_text: To the ends of these suspenders button holes or loops made of leather,
or metal, or otlier material are attached; these rings keep the parts with
which they are connected in proper position, also they form an effectual
stop which makes it impossible to strain the spring. Or to each end of
each spring is attached a loop with a button hole made of leather
or other material; parts of the spring pass through the loops,
which like the rings keep the parts in position, form a stop, and
prevent the spring being injured by a strain. Or each front double end
is made of two pieces of leather or other material pear-shaped at the
bottom or button hole end, and tapering to about one-half of its width
at the other end, the narrow end of each piece passes through a loop
attached to the brace and is secured above the button hole to its fellow
piece by an eyelet or a rivet. In the event of the brace ever being
adopted for the use of the army or any other large body of men the
hind spring is secured to the brace by a kind of double hook, by means
of which on the brace being injured or worn out it can readily be
detached and fixed to any other. To enable any person- to form an
opinion by contrast it may be pointed out that while the spring of an
ordinary brace soon looses its elasticity, and which at the outset is nearly
neutralised by its having to overcome by friction from 48 to 96 inches
of surface, the newly invented spring never loses any part of its clasticity,
and as its action is confined to the end of the brace its friction extends
over a surface so small that it may be considered frictionless, in short
it is almost frictionless, it is unstrainable, it never loses its elasticity,
it has long action, and it is very durable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Harding Palmer in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 5th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HARDING PALMER, of No. 3, Exchequer Place, in the Parish of 3
Lewishamn, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, 3

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said George Harding Palmer, Her
special licence that I, the said George Harding Palmer, my ex-
ecutors, administrators, and assigns, or. such others as I, the said
George Harding Palmer, my 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 "AN IMPROVED SPRING BRACE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Harding Palmer,
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 im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Harding Palmer, 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, reference being made by figures
to the accompanying Drawings which show some of the various
shapes:
(1.) The spring for both the hind ends of the brace, braces, or
suspenders, and the spring for each front double end is each made of
round, flattened, or other shaped metal, or caouchouc, or other suitable
material, and of various shapes.
(2.) To each end of each spring is attached a suspender made of metal
or leather or other material.
(3.) These suspenders pass through moveable rings, or ring, or other
shaped pieces of metal or other material placed on the spring.
(4.) To the ends of suspenders button holes or loops made of
leather or other material are attached, the said rings, or ring, or other
shaped pieces keep the parts with which they are connected in proper
position and also form stops to prevent the spring from being strained.
(5.) By another arrangement to each end of each spring is attached
a loop with a button hole made of leather, or caouchouc, or other
material.

page_text: (6.) Parts of the spring pass through the loops which like the rings,
or ring, or other shaped pieces in the before-mentioned arrangement
keep the parts in position and prevent the straining of the spring.
(7.) Or by another arrangement each front double end is made of two
pieces of leather or other material pear-shaped at the button hole end
and tapering to about one-half of its width at the other end; the
narrow end of each of these pieces passes through a loop attached to
the brace, and is then secured above the button hole to its fellow piece
by an eyelet or a rivet.
(8.) Each front end of the brace passes through a buckle with a
centre tongue support, then through or under the upper part of the
spring, and is then secured to the tongue support of the buckle; by this
arrangement no alteration in the length of the brace by slipping can
occur, and the spare or otherwise loose ends of the brace are prevented
from dangling about.
(9.). The kind of double hook shown in the Drawing forms part of the
improvement and will be attached to the brace when it is intended for
the use of the army or other large body of men; by its means on a
brace being injured or worn out the hind spring as well as the front
ones instead of becoming useless can readily be detached therefrom and
fixed to another, and thereby effect a saving which when applied to a
large number may be considerable.
The springs are unstrainable, non-relaxing, long-actioned, and durable,
and so elastic that without cutting they enable a person to wear the
trowsers close home at the crutch, and even while walking at every step
they freely play.
The improvement with the exception of the sides which may be of
the ordinary shape and make extends to the whole of the brace, braces,
paper and
or suspenders, substantially as set forth and described in this
illustrated and explained in the before-mentioned Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
(1), bows in which springs play; (2), suspenders which loosely work
on ends of springs; (3), moveable rings or stops; (4), button holes
secured to suspenders; (5), double hook for attaching hind spring to
or removing it from brace; (6), suspenders with loops or stops; (7);

page_text: loops which in either pattern may be used instead of button holes;
(8), buckles for lengthening or shortening the brace; (9), lining which
when required the bows will be furnished with. The springs and the
ends of the brace the Drawings explain. Like figures refer to like
parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Harding Palmer, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
G. H. PALMER. (L.S.)