IMPROVEMENTS IN LADIES' DRESS SUSPENDERS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Halladay, of No. 30, Burbury Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LADIES' DRESS SUSPENDERS."
Sealed the 8th February 1878, and dated the 11th August 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Halladay at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th August 1877.
HENRY HALLADAY, of No. 30, Burbury Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LADIES' DRESS SUSPENDERS."
My Invention relates to ladies' dress suspenders, composed essentially of a pair of
arms or levers crossing each other, and jointed together near one end after the
manner of a pair of forceps, the portion of the dress to be suspended being gripped
between the ends of the short arins of the levers. The gripping action of the short
arms of the levers is produced by the ends of the long arms being drawn together
by a slide.
In ladies dress suspenders of the kind described the ends of the short arms of
the levers are generally provided with circular parallel discs rivetted to the said
ends, and the part of the dress to be suspended is gripped between the said discs.
The said discs are liable to become detached from the ends of the arms, and their
production and attachment constitute an important item in the cost of manufac-
turing the said suspenders.
By my Invention all the advantages of the said discs are obtained without the
inconvenience and cost referred to, and a more efficient and less costly suspender is
produced, free from the liability to derangement attending the use of the said discs.
In constructing a ladies' dress suspender, according to my Invention, I make the
two arms or levers in the ordinary way, excepting that the short arms are made
somewhat longer than usual. The extreme ends of the short arms are bent into a
circular figure so as to form two rings, which, when the suspender is closed, are
parallel to one another, that is, occupy the positions of the ordinary discs. These

page_text: rings are flattened by dies and pressure, and their outer faces may be ornamented
at the same time and by the same process. The flattened rings thus produced are
virtually parallel discs, having central openings formed from the same piece of wire
as the arms or levers of which they form the terminations. As the said disc-like
termination of the arm and the arm itself are formed from one continuous wire or 5
rod, there is no risk of the detachment of the said termination.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Halladay in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th February
1878.
HENRY HALLADAY, of No. 30, Burbury Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LADIES' DRESS SUSPENDERS.'
33
My Invention relates to ladies' dress suspenders .composed essentially of a pair of
arms or levers crossing each other, and jointed together near one end after the
manner of a pair of forceps, the portion of the dress to be suspended being gripped
between the ends of the short arms of the levers. The gripping action of the short
arms of the levers is produced by the ends of the long arms being drawn together
by a slide.
In ladies' dress suspenders, of the kind described, the ends of the short arms of
the levers are generally provided with circular parallel discs rivetted to the said
ends, and the part of the dress to be suspended is gripped between the said discs.
The said discs are liable to become detached from the ends of the arms, and their
production and attachment constitute an important item in the cost of manufac-
turing the said suspenders.
By my Invention all the advantages of the said discs are obtained without the
inconvenience and cost referred to, and a more efficient and less costly suspender is
produced, free from the liability to derangement attending the use of the said discs.
In constructing a ladies' dress suspender, according to my Invention, I make the
two arms or levers in the ordinary way, excepting that the short arms are made
somewhat longer than usual. The extreme ends of the short arms are bent into a
circular figure so as to form two rings, which, when the suspender is closed, are
parallel to one another, that is, occupy the positions of the ordinary discs. These
rings are flattened by dies and pressure, and their outer faces may be ornamented
at the same time and by the same process. The flattened rings thus produced are
virtually parallel discs having central openings, the said rings or discs being formed
from the same piece of wire as the arms or levers of which they form the
terminations. As the said disc-like termination of the arm and the arm itself are
formed from one continuous wire or rod there is no risk of the detachment of the
said termination.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in perspective a lady's dress suspender made according to my
Invention; Figure 2 represents in side elevation and edge view one of the arms or
levers of the said dress suspender; Figure 3 represents the piece of wire or rod

page_text: from which one of the said arms or levers is made; and Figure 4 represents a
partly made arm or lever.
a, a, b, 62, are the arms or levers of the dress suspender crossing each other, and
jointed together at c, the article of dress to be suspended being gripped between the
disc parts or circular terminations d, d, at the ends of the short arms a³, 63, of the
arms or levers. The gripping action of the short arms a, b, of the levers is
produced by the slide e upon the long arms a, b, drawing the said arms a, b,
together, as is well understood. The gripping discs or circular terminations d, d, of
the dress suspender are made solid to or in one piece with the arms or levers a, a³,
b, 62, according to my Invention.
In making a lady's dress suspender according to my Invention I proceed as
follows:-I take a piece of wire or rod of metal of the kind shown in Figure 3, the
said wire or rod being somewhat longer than the wire or rod ordinarily employed.
I next bend one end of the wire into a ring or circular eye, as represented at d²,
Figure 4. The ring or circular eye d², Figure 4, is next subjected to the action of a
pair of dies worked in a press, so as to flatten the sides of the ring, and shape the
inner and outer edges of the same, and at the same time perfect the junction of the
end of the bent eye or ring d² with the part of the wire against which it abuts, as
represented in Figure 2, where the flattened and perforated disc is marked d. By
the action of the dies the outer face of the flattened disc d may be ornamented
with any desired ornamental pattern, and the inner or gripping face of the disc
roughened or checkered so as to improve its holding quality, as represented in the
Drawing. There is thus produced on the lower end of the wire and in one piece
therewith a disc having a central opening in it.
The partly made lever is finished by fashioning the joint part f, fashioning and
bowing the part between the gripping disc d and the joint part f, and also fashioning
the slide end of the arm or lever at g, as represented in Figure 2.
The last described fashioning of the wire, whereby the parts above the gripping
disc d are finished, is effected in the ordinary way, and constitutes no part of my
Invention.
By taking two of the said arms or levers, Figure 2, crossing and jointing them
together, and applying the slide e thereto, a lady's dress suspender is made, the solid
and flattened ring or disc parts d, d, at the ends of the short arms of the two levers
constituting parallel disc-like terminations, as represented in Figure 1, between
which the dress is gripped and held.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention of
improvements in ladies' dress suspenders of the kind described, making the disc-like
gripping terminations at the ends of the short arins of the crossing levers of the
dress suspender solid to or in one piece with the wires or rods from which the
said levers are made, whereby the risk of the detachment of the said disc-like
terminations is avoided and the manufacture of the dress suspender economized,
substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Halladay, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
HENRY HALLADAY. (L.S.)