Improvements in Corsets and in Supporting Belts for Use in Combination therewith.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 29th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 29th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 5th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Corsets and in Supporting Belts for Use in
Combination therewith.
I STEPHEN FIELDER, of 255 to 257 Oxford Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Corsetier, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
My said invention relates to ladies' corsets and to belts for use in combination
therewith for the purpose of supporting and confining the lower part of the body so
as to improve and preserve the figure.
Prior to my invention it has been the custom to make use of separate belts, to
support and press inwards the abdomen, but these have been subject to the
disadvantage that they are inclined to slip up and change their position on the
body.
According to the present improvements I make the front or supporting and
confining part of the belt separately. This part is properly strengthened and
shaped by means of whalebone or other ribs in the usual or in a suitable manner
and the side wings of the belt are furnished with buckles, fasteners or other suitable
means of attachment, adapted to receive and engage with straps or bands which
are attached near the back of the corset. The said fasteners might however be
on the corset and the straps or bands be attached to the wings of the belt. The
front of the corset carries two metal clips beneath which the top edge of the belt
is slipped and whereby the belt is prevented from rising. When the belt is applied
and secured to the body by the aforesaid straps or bands, it can be adjusted to
any required degree of pressure.
The belt is practically immovable in any direction, as the front clips keep it
from rising and the straps or bands being attached to the corset prevent the belt
from turning on the body. If desired the belt can be at any time removed by
releasing the fastenings from the straps or bands.
By applying my improved curbing clips to the front of an ordinary corset the
usual supporting belt can be worn with much greater comfort and security. Similar
curbing clips might be applied to the back of the corset to prevent the band or
strap of the belt from rising behind and one or more of the said curbing clips
might be made to engage with eyes or pockets in or on the belt or on the straps or
bands so as to prevent the belt from turning on the body as well as from rising.
My said improvements may be modified to some extent so long as the spirit of
my invention is adhered to namely the combination of a confining and supporting
belt with a corset in the indicated manner and accompanied by the described or
equivalent means for maintaining the belt in its proper position, the said means on
the corset being capable of use either in conjunction with my special belt or with
the ordinary form of belt.
My improvement can be fitted to or combined with any existing type of corset.
Dated this 28th day of June 1893.

page_text: Improvements in Corsets and in Supporting Belts for Use in
Combination therewith.
I STEPHEN FIELDER of 255 to 257 Oxford Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Corsetier, 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 and accompanying
drawings
My said invention relates to ladies' corsets and to belts for use in combination
therewith for the purpose of supporting and confining the lower part of the body
so as to improve and preserve the figure.
Prior to my invention it has been the custom to make use of separate belts,
to support and press inwards the abdomen, but these have been subject to the
disadvantge that they are inclined to slip up and change their position on the
body.
According to my present improvements I make the front or supporting and
confining part of the belt separately.
This part is properly strengthened and shaped by means of whalebone or other
ribs in the usual or in a suitable manner and the side rings of the belt are
furnished with buckles, fasteners or other suitable means of attachment, adapted
to receive and engage with straps or bands which are attached near the back of
the corset.
The said fasteners might however be on the corset and the straps or bands be
attached to the wings of the belt.
The front of the corset carries two metal clips beneath which the top edge of
the belt is slipped and whereby the belt is prevented from rising. When the belt
is applied and secured to the body by the aforesaid straps or bands, it can be
adjusted to any required degree of pressure.
The belt is practically immovable in any direction, as the front clips keep it
from rising, and the straps or bands, being attached to the corset, prevent the belt
from turning on the body. If desired the belt can be at any time removed by
releasing the fastenings from the straps or bands.
By applying my improved curbing clips to the front of an ordinary corset, the
usual supporting belt can be worn with much greater comfort and security.
Similar curbing clips might be applied to the back of the corset to prevent the
band or strap of the ordinary belt from rising behind and one or more of the said
curbing clips might be made to engage with eyes or pockets in or on the belt or on
the straps or bands so as to prevent the belt from turning on the body as well as
from rising..
My said improvements may be modified to some extent so long as the spirit of
my invention is adhered to, namely the combination of a confining and supporting
belt with a corset in the indicated manner and accompanied by the described or
equivalent means for maintaining the belt in its proper position, the said means on
the corset being capable of use either in conjunction with my special belt or with
the ordinary form of belt.
My improvement can be fitted to or combined with any existing type of corset.
To render my invention clearly understood 1 will now proceed to give a detailed
description of the improved corset and belt reference being had to the annexed
sheet of illustrative drawings.
The main illustration (Fig. 1) is a sketch of my improved corset and belt a
it appears when worn by a lady.

page_text: Fig. 2 is a side view of the belt showing more clearly the side strap attachment
to the corset.
Figs. 3 and 4 show to an enlarged scale the curbing clips or stops which prevent
the belt from rising in front.
The corset is marked A and the belt B. The corset is of the ordinary con-
struction except that it is furnished with the aforesaid curbing clips a which are
securely rivetted to the busk plates b b or front of the corset.
As these clips are an important part of my invention I have separately
illustrated its construction and application in Figs. 3 and 4. The clip itself is
made of a suitable metal such as steel and is of the shape in side view shown in
Fig. 4. The part a¹ is securely rivetted by rivets to the busk plate or
front of the corset. The clips project sufficiently above the front of the
corset to allow the top edge of the belt b to slip beneath them as clearly shown
in Fig. 1.
The front of the belt is strengthened by the insertion of a strong steel plate d
curved and shaped to the proper configuration. It is the upper edge of this plate
which slips beneath the clips and when the belt and corset are in position upon the
wearer the belt practically forms a continuation of the front of the corset so that
a strong and practically unbroken front is maintained from the top of the corset
to the bottom of the belt. The clips being rivetted firmly to the plates forming
the front of the corset, cannot possibly be sprung or moved from their position so
that it is impossible for the belt to shift upwards after it has been applied. The
sides or wings of the belt are also secured to the corset by means of straps or
bands e. One end of the strap e is fixed to the belt B.
The strap e is passed through an eye f which is fastened to the corset, and is
then engaged with a buckle g fixed to the belt. The side of the belt and the
strap are shown more clearly at Fig. 2. The straps e can be pulled tight so as to
maintain the belt in position. The belt B thus applied and secured cannot possibly
move in any direction. The clips prevent it from rising and the straps from turning
on the body. The belt can at any time be removed by releasing the straps or
bands. Instead of two clips a as described I might apply only one such clip to
the front of the corset and clips of the indicated nature inay be applied to existing
types of corsets.
Although I have described a useful and practical mode of carrying my invention
into effect it will of course be evident to the reader that various modifications in
the details could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. For
example by applying my improved clips to the front plates or busks of an ordinary
or existing corset the ordinary supporting belt, even when not made with the front
plated could be worn with much greater security and comfort. In cases where
the belt is secured by a band or strap passing round the person, instead of by the
side straps already described I might apply clips to the back of the corset to
prevent the band or strap from rising and the said clips might engage with eyes
or pockets in or on the belt or strap so as to prevent the belt from turning on the
body as well as from rising.
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. The combination of a confining and supporting belt such as B with a corset A
the belt and corset being furnished with the indicated or with equivalent means for
maintaining the belt in its proper position relatively to the corset, substantially as
hereinbefore described and shown.
2. The clips a applied to a corset for the purpose of maintaining a confining and
supporting belt, either of my improved type or of the ordinary description, substan-
tially as described and as shown.
3. In a confining and supporting belt, when used as and for the purposes of my
improved combination, the employment of a tongue or plate d of steel or other

page_text: suitable metal or material sufficiently broad at the upper edge to extend through
both of the clips on the corset when two such clips are used substantially as
described and shown.
+
4. The improved confining and supporting belt B, furnished with a strengthening
plate d in front, capable of engaging with a clip or clips on the corset, and also
with side straps or bands engaging with hold fasts on the corset, all arranged and
applied substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 28th day of March 1894.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.