IMPROVEMENTS IN STAY BUSKS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lewis and Edward Smith Lewis, of No. 12, War-
wick Square, Newgate Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STAY BUSKS."
Sealed the 7th October 1876, and dated the 9th May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lewis and Edward
Smith Lewis at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th May
1876.
GEORGE LEWIS and EDWARD SMITH LEWIS, of No. 12, Warwick Square, New-
gate Street, in the City of London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STAY BUSKS."
Our said Invention consists in the manufacture and use of an improved stay
busk, whereby the busk made of metal, wood, or any other material is easily
removed and replaced in the stay without stitching or sewing in, as now practised,
and is carried out in the following manner :-
In the stays, made of any material, we make on each side of the front or open
part two or moro eyelet holes, as found necessary and convenient, of an oval form,
and made of brass or any other metal, in the ordinary way. On one half side of
the busk we make and fasten thereto two or more revolving studs, or the studs may
bo fixed in the busk and have moveable or revolving heads. These studs will be
fitted on the busk to correspond with the eyelet holes on the stay, and will be of
the same oval form as the eyelet holes. The studs thus fitted are capable of being
turned round, or the head only of the stud may be made to turn round, so that the
head of the studs being passed through the eyelet holes in the stay they are turned
partly round, and the lengthway of the stud will then transverse, overlap, and clip on
the sides of the eylets, and fasten the busk securely to the stay. By the reverse
action of these studs, namely, turning them partly round so that the lengthways of
the heads correspond to the lengthways of the eyelets, which are then freed from
the studs, the busk is casily removed. On the other half side of the busk we fix
metal hooks or studs, which may be fastened with rivets or otherwise, and will cor-
respond to the eyelet holes in the stay, which will pass over the hooks or studs, and
thereby fasten the stay when adjusting them.
The busk fitted as above will be self-adjusting, and may be taken off the stay
and readjusted at will, without any trouble.

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said George Lewis and Edward Smith Lowis in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th November 1876.
GEORGE LEWIS and EDWARD SMITH LEWIS, of No. 12, Warwick Square, New-
gate Street, in the City of London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STAY BUSKS."
The object of our said Invention of improvements in stay busks is to afford means
of readily detaching the busk from the corset or stay when it is necessary to replace
the old busk by a new ono or to wash the corset or stay; according to the means
ordinarily employed when this has to be effected the seams of the casing or covering
which encloses the busk, or more commonly the busks (for two busks are usually
inserted in corsets or stays), have to be ripped open, and consequently, when the
corsets or stays are to be again used the busks must be sewn in afresh, all of which
causes some trouble and expenditure of time. Now by our Invention the busk is
so inserted in the corset or stay that by simply turning a fastening or stud the busk
may be immediately detached and as easily replaced, and although our Invention is
applicable to corsets or stays where two busks are used we prefer the uso of one
busk.
And in order that our said Invention of improvements in stay busks may be pro-
perly understood we shall now proceed to describe the manner in which the same is
or may be carried into practical effect, referenco being had to the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto appended, and to the letters and Figures marked thereon, that is to say,
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a front view of the busk
portion of a stay or corset, shewing our improvements applied thereto, and Figure 2
is a corresponding view of the busk detached from the stay so far as relates to the
busk. The material of which the stay is made is sown as far as the line A on the
busk side of the stay. Beyond this line the fabric is doubled, and in such manner
that the upper part slightly overlaps that beneath. The edge of the lower part or
lining is folded outwards to the line C, so as to underlap the outer part just referred
to. In this way a space or casing is formed, extending from the top to the bottom
of the stay, suitable for receiving the busk. In the outer edge of the lining, near
the margin C are inserted the eyelets D, and inside these, on the upper part, are the
eyelets B. Corresponding with these two rows of eyelets an equivalent number of
studs are fitted in the busk, as shewn in Figure 2. The busk E is of tho usual kind.
The studs and G project up through the metal and terminate in a small oval head,
so that when turned round in the eyelet they form a catch or fastening. Thus when
the busk is inserted in its place in the stay one set of studs pass through the eye-
lets B, and the other through the eyelets D, thus securely fastening the busk in its
place. The other side of the stay H has in it the usual eyelets I, which are passed
over the studs G to fasten the stay.
Another mode of constructing the busk is that in place of the studs there is a
row of eyes on it like small loops or saddle pieces. The bowed parts of these eyes
do not project through the material of the casing. The other side of the stay or
corset corresponding to the part H is fitted with small hooks, which take into the
looped eyes just referred to." In both of these modifications it will be obvious that
the removal of the busk is effected by simply passing the studs or eyes through the
casing or outer covering, and at the same time the busk is as easily replaced when
required.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is or may be used and carried into practical effect, we desire
it to be understood that what we claim and desire to secure by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is the constructing, arranging, and adapting of stay
busks in combination with a casing or covering, so as to admit of the ready removal
of the busk without unripping or severing or interfering with the sewn portions of

page_text: the stay, as herein-before described and in part shewn in the accompanying Draw-
ing, and in combination with the fastenings herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Lewis and Edward Smith Lewis, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Ninth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
GEORGE LEWIS.
(L.S.)
EDWARD S. LEWIS. (L.S.)