IMPROVEMENTS IN STAYS AND CORSETS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew George Totterdell, of the firm of Totterdell,
Son and Royle of Landport in the County of Hants for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN STAYS AND CORSETS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew George Totterdell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th November 1882.
MATTHEW GEORGE TOTTERDELL of the firm of Totterdell Son and Royle of
Landport in the County of Hants, "IMPROVEMENTS IN STAYS AND CORSETS."
My Invention relates to improvements in the fastenings for stays and corsets,
and has for its object, first to avoid the projection of the front fastenings from the
surface of the busk and causing undue wear of the dress or outer garment by
friction against such projecting parts; secondly to prevent the upper or lowermost
fastening as the case may be, which is usually fastened first, from becoming
detached in the act of fastening the others (this improvement being applicable in
combination with or independently of the first improvement); and thirdly, to
prevent the eyelets of the lace holes at back from tearing out of the fabric.
The fastenings forming the first improvement consist of a button-hole shaped
eyelet in the one busk, and of a hooked lug attached to the back of and projecting
from the edge of the other busk so as to pass behind the eyeletted busk anıl
engage with the eyelet therein. This eyelet is inserted and clenched in a hole of
corresponding shape made through the busk, but is covered over on the front by
the material forming the facing or covering of the stay or corset so that the
fastenings when engaged together are not visible, the edges of the two busks
abutting close together.
I may however reverse the hooks and cause them to enter at the front instead
of at the back of the eyeletted busk, if preferred.
The second improvement consists in placing the upper or lowermost eyelet
(which is of the same button-hole shape as the others) at right angles to the
direction of the other eyelets, that is to say, longitudinally instead of transversely
of the busk, the hooked lug to engage therewith being turned in the corresponding
lirection, the relative arrangement of the two being such that when this hook is

page_text: inserted in its eyelet and caused by a slight longitudinal motion of the one busk
past the other, to securely engage in the parallel portion of the eyelet, the
remaining hooks will be brought opposite to their respective eyelets ready for
engagement therewith so that in effecting this latter operation, the first one cannot
become accidentally detached. This improvement is applicable, not only to the i
peculiar form of fastening of this Invention but to other fastenings in which studs
engaging with button-hole-shaped slots are employed.
The third improvement consists in inserting in the line of the eyelet holes at
back, a strip of steel perforated with holes corresponding in size and position to
the eyelets, and setting the eyelets therein. This steel strip is covered by the
facing and lining material at front and back respectively, and the eyelets are
clenched upon the latter in the usual way. This steel strip, whilst affording the
necessary flexibility, prevents the eyelets tearing out in wear.

page_text: the one busk (in the same way as the plates shown in Figures 7 and 8) and in
making the female portion of the fastening ie, the eyelet or hole through the
other busk itself in lieu of being formed in such plates.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 a are hooked lugs rivetted to the front or back of
the busk A the hooked ends being turned forwards or backwards according as
they are to pass behind the other busk B as in Figures 1, 2 and 3 or in front of
it as in Figures 4 and 5. These hooked lugs are stamped out of sheet metal and
bent up to the desired hooked form by suitable dies. Being mere hooks bent up
from sheet metal they do not form any appreciable projection from the face of the
other busk. b are the eyeletted holes of elongated form preferably that of a key
hole but they might be oval or even circular.
The second improvement is also illustrated in Figures 2, 4, 6 and 7 as applied
to the uppermost fastening but it will be understood that it might be applied to
the lowermost fastening with equal advantage. It will be seen that the point of
the hook a¹ is directed upwards (but it might also be directed downwards) and the
long axis of the eyelet b¹ is up and down instead of crosswise of the busk like the
others, the relative position of the hook a¹ to the eyelet b' being such that when
the hook is securely engaged with the upper end of the eyelet b¹ the other hooks a
will be opposite their respective eyelets thus necessitating that the book a¹ be
inserted first and caused to engage by a slight longitudinal motion of the one busk
relatively to the other, whereby said hook is locked and cannot become disengaged
ngain in the act of fastening the others as so frequently happens with fastenings
arranged in the ordinary way.
Referring to Figures 7 and 8 the slotted plates o are of the usual form and
arranged in the usual way except that the keyhole slot in the top or bottom
plate as the case may be, has its axis at right angles to that of the others as
shown for the purposes of my second-improvement, the mode of fastening being as