IMPROVEMENTS IN CLASPS OR FASTENERS FOR CORSETS OR OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Fannah Mary Dyson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd July 1883.
HANNAH MARY DYSON of Marmora Road, Honor Oak in the County of Surrey
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CLASPS OR FASTENERS FOR CORSETS OR OTHER ARTICLES
My invention relates to clasps or fastening devices and is chiefly designed to
provide a more secure connection for the busks of corsets than is possible with the
clasps heretofore used which are liable to become disconnected by certain movements
of the wearer and thus cause considerable inconvenience.
Clasps made according to my invention afford complete security in this respect
and at the same time can be fastened or unfastened by the wearer when required
with the greatest facility.
In carrying the said invention into practice I provide a small plate or piece of
metal of suitable shape which is perforated at one end with holes designed to
receive the rivets by means of which it is secured to one of the busks of a corset.
The portion of the said small plate which is designed to extend over and be secured
to the other busk is provided with two circular apertures one of which is considerably
larger than the other and the metal between these two apertures is cut away so as
to leave communication between them in order that the shank of the rivet upon
the second busk may pass from one of the said apertures to the other in the act of
fastening or unfastening the clasp. The opening communicating between the two
apertures is made slightly smaller in width than the diameter of the rivet shank so
that some slight degree of force is necessary to cause the said shank to pass from
one aperture to the other and the relative dimensions are so arranged that while it
will be quite easy for the wearer to exert the required force for this purpose with
the hands, it will be impossible for the rivet to pass from one aperture to the other
by any movement of the body of the wearer. To facilitate the fastening and
unfastening the clasp is preferably split at its free end so that it will yield slightly
for the passage of the rivet. The latter is provided with a head which is of such
dimensions that it will freely pass through the larger aperture in the clasp but
will not pass through the smaller aperture. When it is desired to fasten the
corset upon the wearer the head of this rivet is passed through the larger aperture
and then the shank is caused to pass through the opening connecting the two

page_text: apertures and remains in the smaller one. The two busks are thus securely
attached to each other and cannot become accidentally separated. To unfasten,
the same operation is repeated but in the opposite direction. I may use any
suitable number of such fastenings on the busks but it is found that in ordinary
corsets two are sufficient viz, one at the upper and the other at the lower part
thereof, in which case the intermediate ones may be of the ordinary construction
excepting that the aperture should be made slightly longer
My invention although designed chiefly for corsets may be employed for fastening
gaiters or similar articles.