Improvements in Corset Fastenings.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 12th June, 1889-Accepted, 13th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Corset Fastenings.
I, Charles AlfrED CLEMENT, of Limoges (Haute Vienne) France, Corset Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to corset fastenings; and has for its object to enable the
whole of the fastenings by which the busks at the front are connected to be instantly
and simultaneously released without, however, permitting of such release occurring
accidentally.
The Invention may be applied in connection with different forms of fastening,
and consists mainly in the combination with the busk fastenings of a longitudinally
sliding locking bar whereby the fastenings are retained in their engaged or fastened
position, the said locking bar being mounted to slide on one of the busks, in order
that it may be moved into such position that the whole of the fastenings may be
simultaneously released when desired.
The Invention may be carried out in practico in different ways, according as the
locking bar acts as a stop to prevent motion of the movable portions of the fastenings
or itself carries parts of the fastenings by which the engagement of the two busks
is effected.
According to one arrangement, the one busk carries eyes for engagement with the
usual studs or hooks carried by the other busk, but these eyes instead of being of
the usual kind are made to open and close, each eye being made of two pieces of
which one is pivoted whilst the other is fixed to the busk. The pivoted portions
of the eyes are normally prevented from turning upon their centres and so separating
or opening away from the fixed portions, by their heel ends abutting against shoulders
upon the locking bar which lies adjacent to the whole of the fastenings.
The locking bar is connected to the busk by studs and slots, staples, or guides, and
is permitted to receive limited longitudinal motion from a thumb lever mounted on
the busk and engaging with the locking bar near one end thereof, means being
provided of locking the lever so as to retain the locking bar in its normal position.
In putting on the corset, the fastenings are engaged singly in the ordinary manner,
the locking bar having previously been secured in its normal position, but in order to
unfasten the corset it is only necessary to release and move the lever in order to
slide the locking bar to such position that it no longer acts as an abutment for the
movable portions of the eyes which are thereupon free to separate from the fixed
portions, and so release all the fastenings at once.
According to another arrangement, the locking bar itself carries lugs which engage
with the hooks of the other busk, the said lugs being of hooked form recurved in the
opposite direction to the said hooks. In this case, the said lugs or bolts act in
conjunction with spring guide staples or bridge pieces fixed to the busk, under which
the locking bar and its lugs slide, and which serve both to guide the locking bar, and
to guide the hooks on the other busk into, and to retain them in position of,
engagement with the said lugs. These guide staples or bridge pieces have rearwardly
turned lips at their front or free end with a gap or opening between, at which the
hooks of the other busk are inserted, the bridge pieces springing outwards to allow
of the said hooks engaging with the lugs of the locking bar, an outwardly turned
nib or striking piece being formed on the bridge pieces immediately over the said
gap or aperture, to facilitate the insertion of the hooks therein.
D
3711
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Corset Fastenings.
I, CHARLES ALFRED CLÉMENT, of Limoges, (Haute Vienne) France, Corset Manu-
facturer, 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 relates to corset fastenings; and has for its object to enable the
whole of the fastenings, by which the busks at the front are connected, to be instantly
and simultaneously released without, however, permitting of such release occurring
accidentally.
The Invention may be applied in connection with different forms of fastening;
and consists mainly in the combination with the busk fastenings of a longitudinally
sliding locking bar whereby the fastenings are retained in their engaged or fastened
position, the said locking bar being mounted to slide on one of the busks, in order
that it may be moved into such position that the whole of the fastenings may be
simultaneously released when desired.
The Invention may be carried out in practice in different ways according as the
locking bar acts as a stop to prevent motion of the movable portions of the fastenings
or itself carries parts of the fastenings by which the engagement of the two busks
is effected.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifi-
cation; Sheet 1 of which represents the first arrangement. Figure 1 is a front
view of the busk with the locking bar and eyes in the open position; Figure 2 is a
similar view with the parts in the closed position and showing a portion of the
other busk and its hooks or studs in engagement with the eyes; Figure 3 is an edge
view, and figure 4 a cross-section, on line 1-2 figure 2, the thickness of the several
parts being exaggerated in order to more clearly shew the construction. Figures 5
to 12 are detail views of the several parts.
To one of the two busks A B are attached the ordinary hooks or studs a, figure 2,
and on the other are mounted the eyes with which the said hooks or studs engage.
The eyes are formed of two parts or jaws preferably of brass and shewn
separately in figures 11 and 12. The jaw b is fixed rigidly and the jaw b¹ is pivoted
to the busk B at 62. The jaws bb are of such form as together to form an eye to
engage with the hook or stud and the jaw b¹ has a heel piece 63 which abuts against
a stop c in a sliding locking bar C. This locking bar C is a thin steel strip (separately
represented in figure 6) of less width than the busk B to which it is connected by
studs g passing through slots in the. strip C and in the stop pieces c (figure 10)
which are rivetted to the underside of the strip Copposite each fastening. A
lever D pivoted to the busk B at d has its short arm engaged between
one of the abutments c and an additional piece c¹, the end of the lever being
retained in position between c and c¹ by a thin steel covering plate 1 (figure 8).
rivetted with c and c¹ to the strip C. The other arm of this lever may have a thumb
knob and engages with a hooked catch E for holding the locking bar C in the
normal or locked position. The locking bar C is then in its lowest position and the
stops cabut against the heel ends of the movable jaws 6 of the eyes so as to
hold them in the position shewn in figure 2 and the corset can then be fastened in
the ordinary way by successively inserting each hook or stud a on the busk A into
its corresponding eye on the busk B. By releasing the lever from its catch E and
bringing it to the position shewn in figure 1 so as to raise locking bar C until the
abutments c are withdrawn from the heel ends of the pivoted jaws b', the latter are
simultaneously released and caused to fly open by the pressure of the body, thus releasing
the hooks or studs a.
The second arrangement is illustrated in Sheet 2 of the drawings; wherein
figures 13 and 14 shew the busks in the fastened and unfastened positions respectively;
Figure 15 is a cross-section on line 1-2 figure 13, Figures 16 and 17 are an edge

page_text: and face view of the busk which carries the locking bar; Figures 18 and 19 are
face and end views of the locking bar; Figures 20 to 24 shew details of the locking
bar guides.
The busk A has hooks of the form shewn and the locking bar C has recurved
hooks or lugs b rivetted to it for engagement with the hooks a but of greater width
than said hooks so as to permit of a slight sliding motion of the bar C without
becoming unfastened. The locking bar C (figures 18 and 19) is guided on one side
by the clips H (figures 20 and 21) and on the other by the bridge pieces 1 which
also serve for the other purposes hereinafter referred to, both H and I being
rivetted to busk B, the sliding movement of C being limited by studs and
notches. The lever D is pivoted at d to the busk B near the lower end
thereof and is connected by a slot and stud d¹ with the bar C. The bridge pieces I
(figures 22, 23, and 24,) are stamped out of spring steel bent of such form as to form
guides at one side of the bar C and give passage beneath them to the hooked lugs b.
Their front or free ends are splayed and formed with rearwardly bent lips ¹ which
bear against the locking bar C. Between these lips a gap or opening is formed
for the admission of the corresponding hook a on the other busk and the metal
removed to form the said gap is bent outwards or forwards, as at i, the rounded
part of which projects beyond the edge of the busk and forms a sort of striking
piece to guide the hook a into the aperture. In order to fasten the corset, the
hooked lugs bare brought beneath the bridge pieces I, as shewn in figure 13, by
sliding the bar Cupwards, and the hooks a are inserted behind the bridge pieces I
which spring back and permit the hooks a to engage with the lugs b; the bridge
pieces I, by their elasticity and by the lips ¹, constantly maintaining this connection
so as to prevent the fastenings becoming accidentally disconnected by the movements
of the body. To unfasten the corset, the locking bar C is slid downwards by means
of the lever D to the position represented in figure 14, thus withdrawing the lugs b
from engagement with the hooks a. To refasten the corset, the bar C should be
first brought to the position shewn in figure 13.
It will be seen that, in both these arrangements, it is impossible for the busks to
become accidentally unfastened as, although the bar C is liable to slide on the busk B
at the opposite end to the lever D by reason of the flexure of the strips A, B, C,
when the wearer stoops yet this movement is very slight and, in both arrangements,
the parts in engagement are of sufficient length to provide for this slight motion
without any of the fastenings becoming disconnected.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1st: The combination, with a sliding locking strip C, of eyes having movable
jaws independent of said strip and provided with heel pieces 63 and of abutments c
rivetted to said strip and of a lever D for operating it, all as herein before described
and represented in sheet 1 of the drawings for the purpose specified.
2nd: The combination, with a sliding locking strip C, of lugs B bridge pieces I
clips H and lever D, all as herein before described and represented in Sheet 2 of
the drawings for the purpose specified.
The 10th
1000