Improvements in and connected with Absorbent Pad Suspenders and with Combined Absorbent Pad and Stocking Suspenders for Women.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 5th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 8th Dec., 1894
OIBUITIVATION.
Improvements in and connected with Absorbent Pad Suspenders
and with Combined Absorbent Pad and Stocking Suspenders for
Women.
I, ROBERT DARTON GIBBS, of 3, Duchess Road, in the City of Birmingham,
Surgical Dressing Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
This invention consists of the hereindescribed improvements in and connected
with absorbent pad suspenders and combined absorbent pad and stocking
suspenders for women.
In carrying out my invention I employ as in other absorbent pad suspenders or
stocking suspenders a belt made of sateen or calico or other suitable flexible
material shaped and adapted to be secured round the waist by means of buttons or
by other means.
Attached to the front of the belt and near the sides of the
person wearing it so as to be supported by the hips there are two elastic and
adjustable depending bands provided at their lower ends with clips or other means
for attachment to the two front corners or otherwise to one end of the absorbent
pad and there are two similar elastic and adjustable depending bands at the back
of the belt similarly arranged to connect to the two back corners or otherwise to
the back end of the absorbent pad. Thus the pad is held in position on the person
by the two front and the two back elastic and adjustable bands which are
respectively inclined towards each other when in use; and in order to keep the
lower parts of the two elastic and adjustable bands at the proper distance apart
when the absorbent pad is removed I provide for each pair of pads a horizontal cross
strap which may be a piece of tape made with loops at each end through which the
elastic and adjustable bands pass. Each of the said elastic and adjustable bands
is by preference made of a piece of elastic webbing one end of which is threaded
through a metal loop fixed to a leather or other tab which is buttoned or otherwise
secured to the waist belt this end of the elastic webbing being made with a slide as
is usual for adjustment the bottom end of the elastic webbing being sewn or
otherwise fixed to another leather or other tab which is made with an upwardly
projecting hook eyelet or other means for the attachment of one of the four clips
or other fastenings by which the absorbent pad is held. Each of these clips is
made with a loop or eye or with a hook or otherwise formed at the top so as to
connect on to the hook or eyelet or other means provided on the said tab at the
bottom of the band and so as to be readily removed therefrom. The said clips
may be of any convenient kind which will clip and hold the ends of the absorbent pads
which are commonly thin gauze but the form of clip which I prefer and which forms
a feature of this invention consists of two thin sheet metal plates hinged together
near their upper ends one of which plates is jointed to a loop for looping on to the
hook on the pad at the bottom of the strap. Both plates are made with upwardly
projecting teeth on their inner surface the teeth on one plate corresponding
with the spaces between the teeth on the other plate so as to grip and firmly hold
the gauze end of the absorbent pad; and in order to keep the two plates closed
together one of the said plates is made with a heel near its jointed end which is
acted upon by the other plate causing the two plates to spring and hold together
but allowing of their being readily opened apart when it is required to remove the
clip from the pad. When the absorbent pad suspender is in use the absorbent pad
can readily be removed by simply unhooking or otherwise disconnecting the said

page_text: clips or fastenings from the hooks or connections on the tabs at the bottom of the
straps and then the clips or fastenings can as stated above be opened and removed
from the absorbent pads and fixed on to a new pad ready for use and the clips or
fastenings connected on to the hooks or other fastenings at the ends of the straps
as stated above.
The suspending of the absorbent pad by the four inclined straps attached to its
four corners as stated above is an important feature of this invention as by
suspending a pad in this way instead of as is usual by one loop or connection at the
front and another loop or connection at the back of the person the pad is kept
opened out and is therefore more serviceable for the purpose for which it is
intended.
The waist belt fitted with the inclined straps as stated above for suspending the
absorbent pad may be made with stocking suspenders of the usual kind at each
side so as to also serve the purpose of suspending the stockings.
Dated this 2nd day of February 1894.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Absorbent Pad Suspenders
and with Combined Absorbent Pad and Stocking Suspenders for
Women.
I, ROBERT DARTON GIBBS, of 3, Duchess Road, in the City of Birmingham,
Surgical Dressing Manufacturer, 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 reference to absorbent pad suspenders and combined
absorbent pad and stockings suspenders for women, and this invention consists in
constructing the suspenders as hereinafter described so that the absorbent pad is
suspended by each of its four corners and kept opened out thus rendering the pad
more serviceable for the purpose for which it is intended than when the pad is
suspended in the usual way by one central strap tab or tape at the front and
another central strap tab or tape at the back. My said invention further consists
of an improved construction of clip for use with the said suspenders for clipping
and holding the pad.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which the same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures and
on which
Fig. 1 is a front view of a suspender constructed according to this invention
represented as suspending one of the absorbent pads;
Fig. 2 is a back view of a portion of the suspender;
Fig. 3 shews the two parts of one of the bands of the suspender separately;
Fig. 4 is a front elevation and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the clips;
Fig. 6 is a front elevation and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the said clip with its
outer leather covering removed and Fig. 8 is a sectional side elevation of the said
clip open.
In carrying out my invention I employ as in other absorbent pad suspenders a
belt A made of sateen or calico or other suitable flexible material adapted to be
secured round the waist by means of hooks a or buttons or by other means. Fixed
to the front of the belt A and near the sides of the person wearing it so as to be
supported by the hips there are two elastic and adjustable depending bands B' B²
provided at their lower ends with clips C' C² or other means for attachment to the
two front corners or otherwise to one end of the absorbent pad D and there are
two similar elastic and adjustable depending bands B³ B' at the back of the belt A

page_text: similarly arranged with clips C³ C* or other fastenings to connect to the two back
corners or otherwise to the back end of the absorbent pad D. Thus the
pad D is held in position on the person by the two front elastic and adjustable
bands B B and the two back elastic and adjustable bands B B which are
respectively inclined towards each other when in use. Each of the elastic
and adjustable bands is by preference made of a piece of elastic webbing
one end of which is threaded through a metal slide e which connects to a
metal loopf which is fixed to a woven cotton or other tab or tape 62 which is
sewn or otherwise secured to the waist belt A. By adjusting the slide e on the
webbing bor the loopf on the tape or tab 2 the length of the bands B1 B2 B3 B*
can be adjusted as required. By an upward sliding movement the slide e can be
slided out of the loop f and the webbing b¹ disconnected from the tab or tape b³ so
that the belt A with its four tabs or tapes 6 can readily be washed. It is
to be understood that I make no claim to the fittings e and f by which the
bands B1 B2 B3 B' are adjusted in length, nor do I confine myself to these fittings as
other means may be employed for adjusting the length of the bands B1 B2 B3 B*.
The bottom end of the elastic webbing 6 of each of the bands B' B2 B3 B4 is sewn
or otherwise fixed to a leather or other tab (the four tabs being marked g¹) which
is made with an upwardly projecting metal hook h (or with an eyelet or other
means) for the attachment of one of the four clips C1 C2 C3 C4 or other fastenings
by which the absorbent pad is held. Each of these clips C1 C2 C3 C4 is made with
a loop or eye c' (or with a hook or otherwise formed at the top) so as to connect on
to the hook (or eyelet or other means) provided on the said tab g' at the bottom
of each of the bands B1 B2 B3 B (see Figure 1) and so as to be readily removed
therefrom as shewn in Figure 2. The clips CC2 C3 C4 may be of any convenient
kind which will clip and hold the ends of the absorbent pads D which are commonly
thin gauze but the form of clip which I prefer and which forms a feature of this
invention is shewn separately by Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and consists of two thin
sheet metal plates I and J hinged together at i near their upper ends, one of which
plates namely J is jointed to the loop c' for looping on to the hook h¹ on the tab g¹
at the bottom of the strap. Both plates I and J are made with upwardly projecting
teeth marked respectively on their inner surfaces the teeth 22 on the plate I
corresponding with the spaces between the teeth on the other plate J so as to
grip and firmly hold the gauze end of the absorbent pad D; and in order to keep
the two plates I and J closed together one of the plates namely I is made with a
heel near its jointed end which is acted upon by a spring portion of the other
plate J causing the two plates I and J to spring and hold together as in Figure 7 but
allowing of their being readily opened apart as in Figures 5 and 6 when it is
required to remove the clip from the pad. Each of the clips C1 C2 C3 C is by
preference covered with a small piece of wash leather c².
When the absorbent pad suspender above described is in use the absorbent pad D
can readily be removed by simply unhooking or otherwise disconnecting the
clips C1 C2 C3 C4 or fastenings from the hooks or connections or the tabs g' at
the bottom of the straps or bands B1 B2 B3 B4 and then the clips C1 C2 C3 C+ or
fastenings can as stated above be opened and removed from the absorbent pad D
and fixed on to a new pad ready for use and the clips or fastenings C1 C2 C3 C*
connected on to the hooks h or other fastenings at the ends of the straps or
bands B1 B2 B3 B4 as stated above.
The suspending of the absorbent pad D by the four inclined straps or
bands B B B3 B attached to its four corners as stated above is an important
feature of this invention as by suspending a pad in this way instead of as is usual
by one loop or connection at the front and another loop or connection at the back
of the person the pad is kept opened out and is therefore more serviceable for the
purpose for which it is intended.
The waist belt A fitted with the inclined straps or bands B1 B2 B3 B* as stated
above for suspending the absorbent pad D may be made with stocking suspenders
of the usual kind at each side so as to also serve the purpose of suspending the

page_text: stockings. The upper portions of the stocking suspenders are shewn by dotted
lines in Figure 1 and marked k' k².
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In absorbent pad suspenders and in combined absorbent pad and stockings
suspenders for women, so arranging the depending bands which connect to the pad
that the pad is suspended by its four corners and opened out substantially as
herein before set forth.
2. In absorbent pad suspenders and in combined absorbent pad and stockings
suspenders for women, the combination with the waist belt of four elastic
adjustable depending bands connected thereto and adapted and arranged to connect
to the four corners of the pad and suspend the pad opened out all substantially as
herein before set forth.
3. In absorbent pad suspenders and in combined absorbent pad and stockings
suspenders for women, the combination with the waist belt of four elastic and
adjustable depending bands connected thereto, two at the front and two at the
back thereof each of the said bands being provided with a removable clip at its
lower end which clips are adapted to hold the four corners of the pad respectively
said depending bands being so arranged on the waist belt as to suspend the pad
opened out substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
4. For use with absorbent pad suspenders and with combined absorbent pad and
stockings suspenders for women, the herein described improved construction of
clips for holding the pad and connecting the same to the depending bands of the
waist belt, substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1894.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.