Year: 1886

page_text: We, HENRY JOHN TURNER, and JOHN BOLDERO, trading together under the
style of Spencer, Turner and Boldero, and PERCY PIKE, all of Lisson Grove in the
County of Middlesex, Warehousemen and Merchants, 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, referénce
being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say ':-
Heretofore, stands for exhibiting ladies' costumes, dresses, and other garments,
in shop windows, and elsewhere, have been constructed of different sizes, to suit
various sizes of costumes or garments, so that it was necessary, when a larger size
costume was to be exhibited, to seek for a stand which would correspond therewith,
and for which purpose, a number of stands of different sizes had to be kept in
stock.
Now the object of our Invention is to construct a costume stand which shall be
capable of expansion, as required, so that the same stand shall serve for exhibiting
costumes, or other garments, of various sizes.
And in order that our Invention may be clearly understood we proceed to
describe the same fully, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of our improved costume stand, shewing the bust and
skirt portions in their closed position. This bust, which may be made of any
suitable material, is formed in halves Z, Z, vertically, and their inner faces which
are constructed of wood, are slotted to allow of the working of the mechanism
hereinafter described.
Fig. 2, is a similar view of the stand, but shewing the bust and the skirt in
their expanded form.
Fig. 3, is a side elevation of one of the halves of the bust, together with the
mechanism for operating the same.
Fig. 4, is also a side elevation of the same half of the bust, detached from the
mechanism and standard..
Fig. 5 is a perspective view, drawn on an enlarged scale, of the mechanism
we prefer to employ for operating the two portions of the bust and skirt, and for.
[Price 8d1

page_text: causing them to approach to, or recede from each other, according to the size of
the costume or garment it is desired to exhibit.
A, is a standard having a rebated cross piece B, which serves as a guide for the
outward and inward travel of the two portions forming the bust of the stand, and
which bust is provided on its under surface, with a guide way B¹, corresponding
thereto. This standard is provided at top with a saddle, or bridge piece C, forming
a bearing, through which works a screw D, terminating at top in a handle E, for
operating said screw; this screw is kept in position in the bearing by a collar x.
Secured to the standard are two guides a, a, through which a metal bar F, having
its top portion b, bent at a right angle, is caused to slide upwards or downwards,
by the action of the screw D, which passes through and works in the said angular
portion of the bar. The point of this screw impinges against a metal block c, let
into the top of the standard, and gives to the screw the purchase necessary for
actuating the said sliding bar F, upwards or downwards, according to the direction
in which the handle E, is turned. This sliding bar F, has pivotted upon it, at
suitable distances apart, two pairs of levers d, d, of segmental shape. The
opposite ends of these levers take on to pins e, e, secured, in relative position to
each other, to the inside of each of the portions forming the bust of the stand, and
to the levers d, d, aforesaid, so that on turning the screw D, by means of the
handle E, the sliding bar F, is caused to move in a downward direction, as shewn
in figure 2, thus forcing the segmental levers d, d, to move outwardly in opposite
directions, to carry with them the two portions forming the bust before
mentioned.
Thus it will be evident that costumes or dresses of various sizes can be exhibited
on this stand according to the number of turns given to the screw D, actuating the
levers above mentioned.
A rod or tube f, traverses the standard horizontally and forms two arms which
pass through apertures or holes g, g, formed in the cross pieces h, fixed to the
interior of the faces of the bust. These guide arms, together with the parts B, B¹,
serve to steady the motion of the two portions forming the bust, during their
outward or inward travel.
The neck portion A³, of the bust, as shewn in the drawings, is rigidly fixed to
the standard and does not move or open out in any manner; it is secured to the
top of the saddle or bridge piece C, by any suitable means. But if preferred this
neck portion may be constructed in two portions and form part of the bust.
i, is a piece of suitable fabric attached to the inner edges of each half of the bust,
and capable of opening out to the required distance, on the two portions of the
bust being caused to recede from each other, thereby masking the mechanism. On
the closing of the portions of the bust against each other this fabric lies in plaits
or folds, as shewn in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, the fabric is removed, in order to clearly
shew the actuating mechanism.
A wire frame formed in two portions k, for the display of the skirt of the
costume or dress, has its half portions secured to the corresponding portions of the
bust, and is therefore capable of an outward or inward movement in the same
proportion as the halves of the bust. This wire frame may however be dispensed
with when the stand is to be used for exhibiting jackets, or the like.
Although we have described, and, have shewn in the drawings, suitable
mechanism for effecting the separation of the halves of the bust, and the skirt,
when the same is combined therewith, yet it is obvious that we can employ other
mechanism for effecting the same purpose, without departing from the nature of
our Invention.
Having now described the nature of the said invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is:
1. Constructing costume stands in the manner substantially as herein described
so that the same shall be capable of expansion, as set forth, to suit various sizes of
:

page_text: 2. The combination with the vertically divided portions forming the bust, (and.
provided or not with the portions forming the skirt) of the mechanism for
operating the same, consisting of the sliding bar, levers centred thereon, and
engaging with pins in the bust, and the screw for operating the said mechanism
and effecting the expansion of the bust (or combined bust and skirt), substantially
as described and shewn.
3. The special construction of expanding costume stand, as herein described and
shewn in the drawings.