A New or Improved Appliance or Attachment for use in Cycling Skirts and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Appliance or Attachment for use in Cycling
Skirts and the like.
HENRY ALBERT HARMAN, 89, Palmerston Road, Southsea, England, Costumier,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The cycling skirts now in general use, being mostly made & draped with the
object that the amount of material at the back shall, when the rider is mounted
hang in equal parts or folds on each side of the saddle, & such object being often
frustrated by or in the act of mounting, by the point or nose of the saddle not
entering fairly the centre of the folds at the back of the skirt.
The object of this present invention is that on a rider wishing to mount, that
whilst so doing the upper portion of the back folds of the skirt can be equally
divided & automatically held open so as to give passage for the nose of the saddle,
& that when the rider is seated the opening may be closed again if desired.
I proceed as follows. I take two pieces of round or flat metal or wire or
any substance I may prefer & cut them to a length of four inches more or less
as I may wish. I join them at one end in such manner as I choose but which
gives them an action somewhat akin to & like to a pair of compasses with arms
about four inches long.
By certain devices and arrangements I do not allow them to open out at more
than a certain angle. With or without the aid of a spring or springs as I may
wish I arrange that on their being opened out up to a certain angle & beyond
a certain point extra pressure is required to close them.
I arrange suitable holes & other conveniences to allow of the arms & the like
being attached or sewn to fabrics I may of course if I so wish arrange that with
the help of a spring or springs that the arms shall spring open & that on being
brought together they may close with a snap device or some such arrangement
as I may think proper. I may if I desire or think proper construct my invention
using more than two arms.
I may also should I desire so construct my invention that I may govern the
action of it as regards its opening & closing by strings or lines or any arrangement
I may desire which might act from the front or the sides of the skirt.
To attach to a skirt, the upper or rivetted or fastened portion of the device is
fastened on or near to the waistband with the arms pointing downwards, & one
half of the back drapery or portion of it is fastened to one arm and the other half
or portion of it is fastened to the other.
lated this Tenth day of February 1898.

page_text: A New or Improved Appliance or Attachment for use in Cycling
Skirts and the like.
HENRY ALBERT HARMAN, 89, Palmerston Road, Southsea, England, Costumier,
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 follow-
ing statement:-
The cycling skirts now in general use being mostly made and draped with the
object that the amount of material at the back shall when the rider is seated
hang in equal parts, or folds, on each side of the saddle and such object being
often frustrated by, or in the act of mounting the point or nose of the saddle not
entering fairly the centre of the folds at the back of the skirt.
The objects of this present invention are that on a rider wishing to mount and
that whilst so doing the upper portion of the back folds of the skirt can be equally
divided and automatically held open so as to give passage for the nose of the
saddle and that when the rider is seated the opening may be closed again.
I attain these objects by mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings
in which Fig. 1 is a front view of one of the appliances or attachments.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the same
Fig. 3 shews it in a skirt with the folds or draperies closed.
Fig. 4 shews it again in a skirt with the draperies open.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 are other means and ways of carrying out the same
objects as attained by the use of Figure 1.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
I construct my appliance of any sulistance suitable, but preferably, of brass,
or steel.
Fig. 1 consists of the arms A and B the spring C and the catch E and the
necessary rivets.
To construct the appliance as shewn in Fig. 1 I proceed as follows.
I take one piece of steel and make it the shape of the arm A Fig. 5.
I then take two other pieces and make them the shape of arm B Fig. 5.
I take another piece the shape of the catch or lock E Fig. 5 and further I con-
struct the spring'C Fig. 5.
Between the two arms B Fig. 5, I place the spring C and the catch E in
position as shewn in Fig. 1 between the two arms B I place the head of the arm A
Fig. 1 rivetting the whole together by rivets K, H, M, I, F and G in such manner
that the arms A and B have free play as regards their opening and closing when
not engaged by the catch E in the slot O of the arm A Fig. 1.
Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1 shewing the arms bent to the shape required by
the form of the body, and further in which the lower end of the arms at R Fig. 2
are so curved or thickened that they will cause the least friction to fabrics or
whatever they are placed in.
The shape of the arms may in all cases of course be varied and further they may
be made other than flat, but for convenience they are shown flat in this specifica-
tion.
Further the arms may be covered by leather or any other material or fabric by
which means they may be attached by sewing to a skirt. The ways by which the
appliance may be attached to a skirt are many and various. As shown in Fig. 3
and 4, a hook or similar receptacle has been sewn or fastened close to the waist
and on the underside of the drapery two pieces of material have been sewn form-
ing a receptacle into which the arms have been placed and in which they freely

page_text: slide and the appliance is then suspended by a holder P Fig. 10 to the hook
or suitable receptacle at the waist above mentioned. This is done in such manner
that the appliance as shewn in Fig. 3 is not visible from the outside.
The appliance may and can be used without this hook or holder by simply
sewing on to the back of the skirt two pieces of material forming long narrow
pockets the size of the arms and into which when required for use the appliance
can be inserted and when not required can be simply withdrawn.
Fig. 6. The action of the arms A and B in this are governed by the compass
square the rivet E projects and on being pressed down by the finger or hand
forces the arms out to the position of the dotted lines. When the compass square
falls below its centre and holds the arms in position the projections H engaging
one another to release the same an upward pressure is exerted by the finger or
hand at the centre of the compass square which on being raised above its centre
collapses and the arms regain their perpendicular position.
Fig. 7 the action is governed by the strings and cords as shown which strings
or cords are led round from the back of the skirt to the sides or front, where they
can be drawn up, so as to open the skirt and engage on a stud or other device and
on being released the weight of the skirt on the arms brings it into position
again.
Fig. 9 shows the same action as Fig. 7 but in which the head has been duplicated.
Fig. 8 shows a spring and snap device on releasing the snap S the arms spring
open being forced to do so by the coiled spring Con extra pressure being used
the arms A and B are brought together until the snap S once more engages itself
when they are held in position as before.
Fig. 10 consists of the arms A and B the spring C and the necessary rivets
the construction is similar to the construction of Fig. 1.
The heads of the arms A and B are shewn separately Fig. 10.
The arm A consists of two parts, & between these two parts, is rivetted the
spring C, at the rivets G and H, the head of the spring C, is then forced back,
and kept back, by the rivet M which it presses against when not engaged by the
eccentric head of the arm B at the point 0 0 0.
The arm B is shown separately Fig. 10.
That part of it which is to engage the spring C is shown at 000 and L.
It is to be observed that the head of the arm B, by virtue of the rivet hole K
not being in the centre that the head of the arm B when slung between the cheeks
of the arm A has an eccentric movement that is to say the head of arm B
at 000 does not come in contact with the head of spring C (which is held back
by the rivet M) until the arms have been drawn open to the distance as shown by
the dotted lines X X (Fig. 10) at this point the head of arm B at engages the
point of spring C & on the arms being further drawn open the spring C is forced
back and rides over that portion of arm B at 000 until the arms are drawn open
as far as the dotted lines Z Z by which time the point of the spring falls into the
notch prepared for it on the arm B at L, and the arms are held in this position.
The arms are closed by simply pressing them together when the point of spring
is forced out of the notch L and when in use directly the point of the spring
is released from L the weight of the skirt on the arms brings them to their closed
condition.
C
Fig. 10 differs from Fig. 1 in that whereas in Fig. 1 on arms being drawn
open up to a certain distance when the catch E falls into the slot (Fig. 1) locking
the arms such arms can only be released by pressing back the catch E which
projects for the purpose between the plates forming the arm B (Fig. 1).
In Figure 10 by use of pressure on the arms the spring is forced in or out of
the hollow the action being similar to a spring knife action.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A supporting device consisting of two arms and a spring and a pin D (Fig. 10)

page_text: hanging in a holder which when suspended to the waist of a skirt reciprocates
the movements of the body by virtue that when the spring is not engaged on the
arms they have a self acting perpendicular movement & swing perfectly free thus
allowing the draperies of the skirt to follow their own natural fall Figures 1 & 10.
2. A supporting device which on the back draperies of a skirt being drawn open
up to a certain point retain the skirt in such position by a locking arrangement.
until such time as the wearer thinks fit to release it Figures 1--6-10.
3. A device Fig. 7 and 9 by which, the draperies can be opened from the front
or sides and also released from the same position.
4. A supporting device which on releasing a catch or spring arrangement the
draperies are forced open by the action of a spring and retained in position by
the same until closed again.
Dated this 9th day of November 1898.
HENRY ALBERT HARMAN.