Improvements in Coat Holders.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1897-Accepted, 11th Sept., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coat Holders.
I, ROBERT JAMES STUART, (Foundry and Machine Shop Proprietor) of New
Hamburg, in the County of Dutchess and State of New York, United States of
America, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:
My invention consists of a device intended for holding coats while being put
on, and is intended particularly for use by people whose joints are stiff, or who
for any other reason are not able to comfortably put their coats on without assis-
tance. The invention consists essentially of two bars or rods pivoted upon each
other and having clamping fingers at their outer ends, between which the upper
portion of the coat is placed; and by which it is held while the owner is placing
his arms within the sleeve of the coat. These arms or fingers are held together
by means of spring, so that when the owner's arms have been placed within the
sleeve of the coat, the coat may be released either by pulling upon the coat, or
by treading upon a lever provided for this purpose.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the views.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of the device;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same;
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a form like that shown in Figures 1 and 2;
excepting that the support is from a wall instead of from a special standard;
Figure 4 is a side elevation of a form which is secured directly to the wall,
and is not adjustable in height;
Figure 5 is a front elevation of a form showing a slightly different construction
of the arms;
Figure 6 is a side sectional elevation;
Figure 7 is a sidé elevation of the same form ;
Figures 8 and 9 are details showing the construction of the pivoted arms
separately; and
Figure 10 is a side sectional elevation of an arm similar to that shown in
Figure 6, excepting that a rear portion thereof is cut away.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the device is supported upon a standard A',
which is attached at its lower end to the floor, and consists of a tube which receives
the upper adjustable standard B, and is provided with a set screw a by which the
device may be secured at any elevation desired. To the upper end of the standard B
is secured a cross bar C¹, which as shown in this form, consists of a tube. To
the outer ends of this tube or pipe are secured clamping fingers or arms E, which
projects forwardly. Within the tube or pipe C is a rod D, which extends beyond
the ends of the tube and has a pair of clamping fingers E secured upon its
outer ends. The fingers upon the rod D and tube Care so arranged that their
outer ends meet.
The rod D at its centre is slotted to receive an arm d', which passes through the

page_text: rod D and by which the same is operated to release and clamp the fingers E
together. To one end of the arm dis attached a cord or rope f, which extends
downwards, and at its other end is attached to the treadle or foot lever J, which
is pivoted to the base of the machine, or to the floor. To the opposite end of the
arm is attached a spring G,' which acts thereon so as to clamp the arms or
fingers E together. Figure 3 represents a construction similar to this, except that
the lower portion or standard A¹ is omitted, and a bracket A is secured directly
to the wall and acts as a support for the upper portion B.
In Figure 4, the two arms are formed of two plates bent in a U-shape and
pivoted to each other by a central pivot b. In this case the outer bar is secured
directly to the wall, and the spring G is secured to the inner arm and to the wall
above the same, while the cord f is secured to the inner arm and to the foot
treadle J.
In the form shown in Figures 5 to 9 inclusive, the bar which corresponds to the
tube of the other figures, is made simply as a skeleton, being shown as comprising
simply the upper portion of the tube, and connected to the base by suitable
standards B. As shown in these views, this arm is made as a casting, which also
includes the clamping fingers or arms E. The other arm D is made to journal
upon the ends of the arm C, and is provided with clamping fingers or arms E
similar to those upon the other arm or bar C. The outer ends of these clamping
fingers are shown also as provided with pads F, which may be made from short
sections of rubber tubing which are slipped over the ends of the arms. The inner
one of the rods D) is also provided with a rearwardly extending arm d, and the
two are held clamped together by means of the spring & which is under compression,
and at its opposite end bears upon the base of the main bar C. To insure the
retention of the spring G in its proper place, a small rod g is inserted through a
hole g in the arm d, and enters the central hole in the support B, which in this
case is shown as consisting of a pipe or tube. This device is shown as supported
from a bracket A, which is secured to the wall and held at any position therein
by the set screw a. It may however, be supported upon a separate stand, as
shown in Figures 1 and 2.
In Figure 10, the main bar C is shown as consisting of a plain rod or bar having
curved arms e at each end adapted to form bearings for the inner rod D), and having
the rear supports connecting it with the standard B cut away. It is provided with
the clamping arms at each end, similar to those shown in the other figures.
Other than in the points mentioned, this construction is the same as that shown
in Figures 5 to 9 inclusive.
In Figure 7, the cord connecting the lever with the treadle J, is shown as
attached to a clamp I, which is provided with a set screw and is adjustable upon
the rod f', which is hooked directly onto the arm d. This device may, by loosen-
ing the set screws a and the set screw of the clamp I, be quickly adjusted to any
height desired.
In using this device, the coat is placed between the clamping fingers in the
manner shown in Figure 2. The owner then turns with his back toward the coat
and inserts his arms within the sleeves until it is in place. The coat may then 4
be released from the device either by pulling the same from between the fingers,
or by stepping upon the treadle J, which will open the clamping fingers and
release the coat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A coat holder having two horizontally-extending bars pivoted one upon the
other, each having coat-holding arms extending forwardly from their ends and
adapted to grasp a coat between them, a spring acting to hold said arms closed
and a releasing treadle connected to said arms by which they may be opened, 5
substantially as described.
5

page_text: 2. A coat holder having two parallel bars pivoted one on the other with coat-
holding fingers on their ends, and a spring to keep said fingers closed, substantially
as described.
3. A coat holder having two parallel bars pivoted one on the other, with coat-
holding fingers on their ends, a spring to keep said fingers closed, and a treadle
or foot lever connected to the bars by which the coat may be released from the
fingers, substantially as described.
4. A coat holder having two parallel bars pivoted one on the other with coat-
holding fingers on their ends, an adjustable support for the same, and a spring to
keep the fingers closed, substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of July 1897.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.