IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LAY FIGURES OR DUMMIES FOR EXHIBITING ARTICLES OF WEARING APPAREL
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Stockman, of Paris, Fabricant, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LAY FIGURES OR DUMMIES FOR
EXHIBITING ARTICLES OF WEARING APPAREL."
Sealed the 4th May 1877, and dated the 8th November 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Stockman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th November 1876.
FREDERIC STOCKMAN, of Paris, Fabricant. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF LAY FIGURES OR DUMMIES FOR EXHIBITING ARTICLES OF WEARING APPAREL."
All the lay figures or dummies of cardboard or other material hitherto used for
exhibiting articles of wearing apparel in shop windows and elsewhere are con-
structed in one piece, and the legs not being removable great difficulty is experienced
in putting trousers upon them, especially if the trousers be at all tight. Now in
order to remove this inconvenience I have invented an arrangement of lay figure
with movable and removable legs, which at the same time permit the figure to be
dressed more easily, enable the height of the legs to be slightly varied, permit the
position of the feet to be changed more or less, and facilitate the removal of the
figure, and thus possess great advantage over the ordinary construction of these
dummies.
I effect the movableness or removableness of the legs by disposing and fixing in
the material of which the figure is made, below the level of the knee, a block or
kernel of wood or other material which enables a leg of wood to be connected, either
by means of grooved parts, or by round or square mortices and tenons, with a stop
or pressure screw, or by an arrangement in T form, or resembling that of a
bayonet or otherwise, with or without the assistance of ferrules or metallic rings to
hide the joint.
Such is the chief feature of my Invention, which will be thoroughly understood
from the following description:-My improved lay figure or dummy is preferably
constructed by means of sheets of pasteboard glued together, doubled between
sheets of metal so as to possess the firmness and consistency necessary, and then
covered with cloth. The legs are made removable from the body of the figure by
various arrangements, of which I proceed to give some examples.
The lower part
of the figure which terminates at the knee receives interiorly, by glueing, rivetting,

page_text: or otherwise, a kernel of wood intended for the connection of the legs or feet
portions.
In the first arrangement the kernel is pierced at the centre with a threaded hole,
whilst the leg carries a threaded tenon which screws into the kernel. The junction
of the figure body with the leg is hid by a ferrule or metal ring, which nailed to
the lower part of the figure maintains both the cardboard and the cloth, and
prevents any deterioration.
In another arrangement the hole in the kernel is smooth, and so is the tenon of
the leg; the two parts are rendered solid by means of the pressure screw which
fixes the tenon in the kernel. This arrangement like the preceding enables the
height of the legs to be varied by regulating the advance of the tenon. By making
the tenon of circular section the advantage will be gained of separating more or less
the feet by turning the leg; but the tenon can be of any other form, square, for
example, so that the pressure screw may have a better surface of action; in short
this pressure screw regulates the figure.
In another method of jointing the kernel carrier a cross cut mortice; the tenon
is formed with a round part and terminates at the top in a head, thus forming a T ;
this tenon can enter into the mortise of the kernel and hold the leg, preventing it
from coming out by turning it a quarter of a circle.
This arrangement equally permits the height to be regulated by squeezing by
means of a pressure screw the tenon of the leg against the mortise of the kernel, so
long as the head has not left the upper part of the kernel.
'
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederic Stockman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th May
1877.
FREDERIC STOCKMAN, of Paris, Fabricant. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF LAY FIGURES OR DUMMIES FOR EXHIBITING ARTICLES OF WEARING APPAREL."
All the lay figures or dummies of cardboard or other material hitherto used for
exhibiting articles of wearing apparel in shop windows and elsewhere are con-
structed in one piece, and the legs not being removable great difficulty is experienced
in putting trousers upon them, especially if the trousers be at all tight. Now in
order to remove this inconvenience I have invented an arrangement of lay figure
with movable and removable legs, which at the same time permits the figure to be
dressed more easily, enables the height of the legs to be slightly varied, permits the
position of the feet to be changed more or less, and facilitates the removal of the
figure, and thus possesses great advantages over the ordinary construction of these
dummies.
I effect the movableness or removableness of the legs by disposing and fixing in
the material of which the figure is made, below the level of the knec, a block or
kernel of wood or other material, which enables a stem of wood to be connected,
either by means of grooved parts, or by round or square mortices and tenons, with
a stop or pressure screw, or by an arrangement in T form, or resembling that of a
bayonet or otherwise, with or without the assistance of ferrules or metallic rings to
hide the joint.
Such is the chief feature of my Invention, which will be thoroughly understood
from the following description and by reference to the accompanying Drawings:-
Figure 1 is a view of the whole of my improved lay figure or dummy; it is
preferably constructed by means of sheets of pasteboard glued together, doubled.
between sheets of metal, so as to possess the firmness and consistency necessary, and
then covered with cloth. The legs a, a, are made removable from the body of the
figure by various arrangements, of which I proceed to give some examples with
reference to Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, of the Drawings.
.
It will be noticed that in the Figures the lower part 6 of the figure which

page_text: terminates at the knee receives interiorly, by glueing, rivetting, or otherwise, a
kernel c of wood intended for the connection of the legs a, a.
In the arrangement shown at Figure 2, the kernel c is pierced at the centre
with a threaded hole, whilst the leg a carries a threaded tenon d which screws into
the kernel. The junction of the figure body with the leg is hid by a ferrule or
metal ring e, which nailed to the lower part of the figure maintains both the
cardboard and the cloth, and prevents any deterioration.
In the arrangement shown at Figure 3, the hole in the kernel c is smooth, and
so is the tenon d of the leg a; the two parts are rendered solid by means of the
pressure screw f which fixes the tenon in the kernel. This arrangement like the
preceding enables the height of the legs to be raised by regulating the advance of
the tenon, as clearly shown in Figure 3. By making the tenon of circular section,
the advantage will be gained of separating more or less the feet by turning the
leg; but the tenon can be of any other form, square, for example, so that the
pressure screw may have a better surface of action; in short this pressure screw
regulates the figure.
Figures 4 and 5 show a third method of jointing; the kernel c carries a mortise
cut as shown in horizontal section at Figure 5; the tenon is formed with a round
part g, and terminates at the top in a head h, thus forming a T; this tenon can
enter in the mortise of the kernel c and holds the leg, preventing it from coming
as shown, turning it a quarter of a circle..
out
>
This arrangement equally permits the height to be regulated by squeezing (by
means of a pressure screw) the tenon of the leg against the mortise of the kernel, so
long as the head h has not left the upper part of the kernel. The arrangements for
jointing are capable of infinite variation, but those already indicated suffice to
explain the Invention.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly. The employment as described above the knee in dummy or lay figures
of a block for enabling by the combination of a solid piece of each movable leg the
variation in the height of the legs as desired.
Secondly. The fastening of the lower limb to the upper limb of dummy or lay
figures by means of tenon and mortise, screwed, plain, in T or bayonet, or other
shape, as described and shown with reference to the annexed Drawings, for the
purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Stockman, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of May, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
Seven
Witness,
CH. ARMENGAUD,
No. 23, Bd. de Strasbourg,
à Paris.
FREDERIC STOCKMAN. (L.S.)