Improvements in or relating to Holders or Supports for Garments.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Holders or Supports for Garments.
A communication from MAX JONAS, of Rochstrasse 111, Berlin, Empire of Germany.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to holders or supporting devices for garments generally.
The garment-holder consists of. a bent rod or support which is of the same
curvature as that of the shoulder parts either of a man's or a woman's garment.
In case the holder is to be used for men's garments it is provided with a trouser
stretcher or support consisting of a hook which engages with an eye or ring on
the coat-holder. The hook terminates in two rings supporting and separating two
spring stretchers each provided with two spring parts and two eyes or parts by
which the ends may be drawn inwards. The handles or ends at the ends of the
stretchers are made of or covered with rubber or other suitable material.
It is sufficient to introduce two fingers, say the thumb and the index finger
into each of the eyes to draw inward the ends of the stretchers so as to enable them
to be introduced into the trouser-legs. Then the eyes are released to enable the
springs to act and to freely stretch said trouser legs without their coming in con-
tact. The four rubber-ends are of a suitable length to enable them to be intro-
duced into the trouser-legs without damaging the latter.
This device enables wet trousers to be stretched and at once hung up. Then
they do not change their shape in drying. When the garments are wet, the
stretcher may be separated from the dress-holder. In dress-holders destined for
women's garments, the skirt stretching or holding device consists of a rod pro-
vided with several hooks or bends for skirts of different widths.
Another hooked branch serves to raise the back of the skirt, the waist of said
skirt being opened. This latter hook engages with the plaquet hole of the skirt
or at any other desired point. The stem of this hook is connected to the skirt-
holding device by a union-piece or it may be flexibly formed in one therewith.
The skirt holding device may be permanently secured to the dress-holder or be
separate from it so as to be connected to it or detached from it in the same manner
as with the trouser-stretcher.
In order to prevent the garments-whether men's or ladies'-from touching the
wall when hung up, a special device may be used both for trouser and skirt-
holders.
This device consists of a rod arranged at right angles to the rod or skirt holding
device then bent at a right-angle and terminating at the top in a hook which
engages with the ring or eve of the dress-holder; at its other end the device
terminates in a hook which engages with the plaquet hole of the skirt. These
two hooks the lower one and the upper one-are arranged at the same distance
from the skirt-holding device which distance is chosen so as to prevent the gar-

page_text: ments from touching the wall, the hooks being arranged at right angles to each
other.
1
Ladies' dresses can thus be suspended when wet, and the skirts fall in their
natural folds without their shape being spoiled.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1897.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
relating to orders or supports for Garments.
A communication from MAX JONAS, of Rochstrasse 11, Berlin, Empire of Germany.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to stretching, holding or supporting devices for garments
of all kinds such as trousers, jackets, vests, skirts, bodices and the like. The
accompanying drawing which is given by way of example illustrates several
stretching devices constructed on the principle of this invention. In these draw-
ings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stretching device for trousers hooked onto
a coat holder. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same without the coat holder.
Fig. 3 shews a stretching device for skirts adapted to a bodice holder. Fig. 4 is
a perspective view of a stretching device for skirts without the bodice holder and
provided with arms which keep it away from the wall from which it is suspended.
Fig. 5 is a detail view of a stretching device for skirts. Fig. 6 illustrates a
stretching device for skirts arranged in such a manner as to serve at the same
time as a bodice holder. Figs. 7 and 8 shew modifications of the stretching
device for trousers, with coat-holders. The stretching device for trousers consists
of two elastic stirrups a a provided at their centre, with a portion b which is bent
in the form of a spiral, so as to constitute a spring. On each side of this spiral,
the iron stem forming the stirrup is bent back in the form of an eye c, which latter
forms a handle, in such a manner as to allow of shortening each of the two stirrups
for the purpose which will be described hereinafter in the present description.
Each of the two stirrups is introduced into one of the two legs of the trousers in
such a manner that the latter will be suspended upside down and also in such a
manner that the material which is thus suspended and stretched at its upper part,
shall remain perfectly smooth and without creases. This insertion is effected by
contracting by means of one's 'hand, each stirrup by means of two fingers which
are placed in the eyes cc, whilst the other hand remains free to guide the trousers.
The ends of each stirrup must be introduced into the ends of the trousers, only
just sufficiently to stretch the edge of the latter. Insertion to a greater extent
would spoil the shape of the trousers, that is to say would pull them askew. The
exact degree of insertion of the stirrup is limited by the curve or bend of an outer
eve e. provided near each end of the said stirrup, and which arrests the stirrup at
the edge of the trousers so as to render this operation easy and within the power
of everybody. The ends of the stirrups are bent back in such a manner that the
heads or bent parts formed by the folded parts gh, engage and lie in the vertical
creases of the trousers. (Fig. 2.) These ends are covered with rubber or with
cloth, so that by reason of said covering the material of the trousers cannot be
damaged. This covering also prevents the trousers from slipping off. so that the
spring need not be very strong. The elastic force of the stirrups may be regu-

page_text: lated by bending them more or less at d, that is to say for wide trousers, the
distance between the ends f f of each stirrup may be increased by opening out
the bend d, whilst for narrow trousers this distance may be diminished by closing
up the said hend. The two stirrups are connected together by two transverse
rods which are parallel to each other and which are formed at each of their
ends with an eye in which the corresponding leg of the stirrup engages and is
capable of rotating freely. These two transverse rods are connected together by
means of a rod m in the centre n of which is fixed the hook for suspension o
(Figs. 1 & 2). The stretching device may be constructed with a single connecting
rod k, in which case the latter is attached to the spiral portions of the stirrups as
shewn in Fig. 7. Finally, the bend d may be dispensed with as shewn in Fig. 8.
The greater or less distance apart of the ends f f of the stirrups is then obtained
by opening out or closing-in the bend made for the purpose of closing each eye c
at a As the ends of the trousers placed upon the stretching device cannot
touch each other, it follows that this stretching device is also suitable for holding
wet trousers, because the stretched ends of said trousers cannot soil each other.
The stretching device will preserve the shape even of wet trousers.
The stretching device for trousers may be made with or without coat-holders;
in the former case the coat-holder is either permanently fixed to the stretching
device as shewn in Fig. 7, or it may be detached from the latter in any desired
manner. Fig. 1 shews a coat holder p having a suspending hook g whose end r is
bent so as to leave only a small opening so that the stretching device can only
be removed from it when a slight rotation is imparted to the stretching device.
The rear portion of this apparatus, that is to say the portion which receives the
back of the garment, is not bent outwardly, but it is bent circularly towards the
inside in such a manner that the back of the suspended garment will have a
certain amount of arch or camber.
The stretching device for skirts shewn in Figs. 3 and 4 may be made without
a bodice holder. The stretching device for dresses consists of a curved rod a¹
which is provided with a number of eyes 61 (Fig. 3) or of hooks 1 (Fig. 4) from
which the skirt is suspended by means of loops or fastening devices sewn on the
waist band or otherwise secured thereon. The front of the skirt is then smooth
whilst the rear part of the said skirt is raised by means of a hook e belonging to a
rod extending from the centre of the curved rod and forming an obtuse angle
with the latter. In this manner the rear part of the skirt is creased in a regular
way, whilst the hook by reason of the length of the shank or rod serves at the
same time to stretch the waistband of the skirt. The arrangement which has
just been described prevents the skirts from creasing even wet skirts which are
suspended therefrom will fall in very regular curves or folds and can dry easily.
The hook which carries the rear portion of the skirt may be arranged with a
shank shorter than that of the aforesaid hook, in such a manner that the rear of the
said skirt will be simply raised without stretching the waistband. The skirt
stretcher shewn in Fig. 3 is combined with a bodice holder. In cases where the
stretcher is removably attached to the bodice-holder, it is provided with a sus-
pending hook similar to that of the trousers' stretcher. In the skirt stretcher
without bodice holder shown in Fig. 4 and intended to be suspended from the
wall, the point f¹ of the hook touches the wall in order that the dress shall not
become creased and shall assume regular folds. The point f¹ corresponds to the
point of a suspending hook g¹ the portion h¹ of which, arranged at a right angle
to the rod a', makes a right angle at 2 by extending parallel to das far as the
point where it terminates in the suspending hook 7. The hook with the long
shank carrying the rear portion of the skirt may be combined with a second hook
arranged at right angles relatively to the former. In this case it will be capable
of turning in the curved rod with the aid of a pivot pl pl represented in Fig. 5,
in such a manner that by means of a quarter of a rotation one or other of the
hooks may be used: the one (o') serving as a hook for simply supporting the back
of the dress, whilst the other one (n³) serves as a hook for supporting the back of

page_text: the dress, whilst at the same time stretching the waist band of the dress. Finally
the bodice holders may be connected directly to the hook c¹. In this case the
hooks are fixed directly to the bodice holder (Fig. 6) and serve to receive the
attachments of the skirts.
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 1
claim is:-
1. Devices for supporting and stretching garments of all kinds such as trousers,
jackets, vests, skirts, bodices and the like, characterised by stirrups, upon which
the lower ends of the legs of the trousers are stretched, or by curved rods provided
with eyes or hooks for receiving the skirt, the said stirrups or the said curved rods
being capable of being attached either permanently or in a detachable manner to
suitable coat-holders or bodice-holders, as set forth.
2. A device for supporting and stretching trousers in accordance with Claim 1,
characterised by two stirrups upon which the lower ends of the legs of the trousers
are stretched in such a manner that the latter shall be suspended with the waist
downwards, the said stirrups being capable of rotating in the ends (bent in the
form of eyes) of one or of two transverse parts which serve as stays for the same;
said stirrups being provided with a tensioning device, and being capable of being
attached either permanently or removably to a suitable coat-holder, as set forth.
3. A supporting and stretching device for skirts in accordance with Claim 1,
characterised by a curved rod, arranged for different sizes of waistbands, and
provided with any suitable number of eyes or hooks for receiving the loops or
other fastening devices sewed or otherwise attached to the waist band of the skirt,
and by a single or double hook for supporting the back of the skirt, and for stretching
the waist-band of the latter at the same time, the said curved rod being capable of
being attached either permanently or removably to a bodice-holder, the said hook
supporting the back of the skirt, being adapted to be rigidly fixed or rotatably fixed
on the curved rod, or to be directly connected to the bodice holder, which in this
case, receives the hooks that support the fastenings of the skirt as set forth.
4. The improved devices for stretching garments substantially as hereinbefore
described and shewn.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1898