Improvements in or relating to Loose Waist Belts and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Feb., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 20th Nov., 1839 -Accepted, 30th Dec., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Loose Waist Belts and the like.
I, WILLIAM MENZIES, of Danellan, West Ferry, in the County of Forfar,
Warehouseman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to waist belts or like articles, of the kind clasped or
otherwise fastened on the body, above a garment or garments, the object of
such invention being to provide for the attachment of the said belts to such
garments, for purposes of support or otherwise, in a more ready, perfect, and
practically invisible manner than hitherto.
In carrying out my invention, I attach to, or incorporate with the belt on its
inner or body face, a flap or flaps or their equivalent, so designed and arranged
that they can be readily grasped by the wearer and a button-hole or button-
holes, or a button or buttons, or other known convenient form of dress-fastening
therein or thereupon; connected by the said wearer, with, or to, the comple-
ment of such fastening upon or in the dress. Such flap or flaps may be con-
nected to or incorporated with the belt, by sewing or other known means, and
so that when the belt or the like is fastened about the person; it hides or tends
to hide or conceal such flaps from view.
The design of the flaps may be such that they shall connect the belt to one
only, or to more than one garment.
Thus where buttons and buttonholes are used, and where the belt covers the
junction between a skirt and bodice, a flap may contain two buttonholes, of
which the upper may engage with a button on the bodice, and the lower with
one on the skirt, or opposing flaps may be used for the same purpose.
The number and arrangement or disposition of the flaps may be those most
suitable in any particular case, having regard to the character of support, or the
degree of attachment, desired between belt and garment. Thus only one flap
with one fastening device might be provided at the centre of the back to support
a skirt or pants. Again a series of flaps might extend over the entire inner
face or lesser desired part of the belt; or one continuous flap extending over
such face or part thereof, may carry or contain the desired means of fastening
as described. Holes for buttons or the like, may be made longer than usual in
the direction of the belt's length if desired, to permit of some circumferential
adjustment, and in such cases, the edges of the holes may be stiffened to in-
crease their supporting power.
I may construct belts complete with my fastening or supporting flap or flaps
as described, or I may provide the latter separately for attachment to or incor-
poration with any belt.
Dated this 20th day of February 1899.
WILLIAM MENZIES,
Applicant.

page_text: I, WILLIAM MENZIES, of Danellan, West Ferry, in the County of Forfar,
Warehouseman, 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:-
This invention relates to waist belts or like articles of the kind clasped or
otherwise fastened on the body, above a garment or garments the object being to
provide for the attachment of the said belts to such garments for purposes of
support or otherwise, in a more ready, perfect, and practically invisible manner
than hitherto.
In order that my said invention may be the better understood, I have here-
unto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, in which the same reference
numerals denote the same or like parts where shown.
Fig. 1, is a perspective view of a waist belt showing the method of applica-
tion of my invention, while Figures 2, to 11, illustrate in enlarged detail
various modifications of construction or applications of the same hereinafter
described.
In carrying out my invention, I attach to, or incorporate with the belt 20,
on its inner or body face 21, a flap or flaps 22, or their equivalent, so designed
and arranged that they can be readily grasped by the wearer, and a button-
hole or button-holes 23, or a button or buttons 24, or other known convenient
form of dress-fastening therein or thereupon, connected by the said wearer, with
or to, the complement 23, or 24", of such fastening upon or in the dress 25.
Such flap or flaps 22, may be connected to or incorporated with the belt 20,
by sewing 26, or other known means,, and so that when the belt or the like is
fastened about the person; it hides or tends to hide or conceal such flaps from
view.
The design of the flaps may be such that they shall connect the belt to one
garment only as shown by Figures 4, and 5, or to more than one garment as
shown by Figures 2, 3, and 6. In Fig. 5, and more particularly in Fig. 6, I
have shown how, where buttons and button-holes are used, and where the belt
covers the junction between the skirt 25", and bodice 25b, the flap 22, may
contain two button-holes 23, of which the upper may engage with a button on
the bodice, and the lower with one on the skirt. Again in Figures 4, and 5, I
have shown how two opposing flaps, one for each garment, may be used for the
same purpose.
The number and arrangement or disposition of the flaps 22, may be those most
suitable in any particular case, having regard to the character of the support,
or the degree of attachment, desired between the belt 20, and garment 25, or
25. Thus only one flap may be provided at the centre of the back as shown by
full lines in Fig. 1. Again as shown by dotted lines in the same figure, a series
of flaps might extend over the entire inner face or lesser desired part of the
belt; or as shown by Figures 7, and 8, one continuous flap extending over such
face or part thereof, may carry or contain the desired means of fastening as
described. On the lower flap of Fig. 8,-although it may apply to any of the
figures shown, I show how holes for buttons or the like may be made longe
than usual in the direction of the belt's length if desired, to permit of some
circumferential adjustment, relative to the fixed button or its equivalent or
the garment. In such cases the edges of the holes 23, may be stiffened to
increase their supporting power, by any simple known means, such as by an

page_text: eyelet 27. I may construct belts complete with my fastening or supporting flap
or flaps as described, or I may provide the latter separately for attachment
to or incorporation with any belt substantially as shown by Fig. 9.
Although for convenience of reference I have described my invention in con-
nection with button-holes in the flap or flaps and buttons on the garments, I
may as already mentioned have the button on the flap and the hole in the garment
as shown by Figures 10, and 11, or I may use with my flap or flaps any other
known convenient form of dress-fastening.
In using my invention, the flap or flaps 22, having been attached to or in-
corporated with the belt as described, the wearer holding the belt loosely by
the flap, connects it thereby with the garments. Such connection or connec-
tions being made substantially as shown in Figures 5, and 6, the ends of the
belt are then taken, and being brought together are tightened by clasping or
the like in the known way; the materials of the belt, the flap, the button or
its equivalent, and the garments are then forced together so as to form a series
of compact or closely superimposed laminae, causing little or no bulging to the
outside and effectively connecting together the parts, for their desired mutual
support about the body. When disengaging after unclasping, the flap or portion
thereof attaching it to one of the garments may only be detached, the other
forming a temporary attachment between the belt and the remaining garment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be under-
stood that I do not limit myself to the precise details of construction or arrange-
ment herein set forth and illustrated, but that I hold myself free to make such
modifications thereof as conform with the spirit and scope of my said invention.
I also wish it to be clearly understood that I am aware that holes have been
made in, or buttons, hooks, brooches, or the like attached to waist belts for con-
nection with the garment, and that single flaps have been employed somewhat
as I have herein set forth but for connection of a belt to a single garment only,
and that I lay no claim at large to such construction or devices but I declare
that what I claim is:-
(1) The combination and use with a waist belt or the like of a distinct partially
loose flap or flaps attached or attachable to such belt, and carrying a button-
hole or buttons or equivalent means of engagement with the complement of
such fastening in or on the garment or garments so as to be readily attached
by the wearer and to support, restrain, or practically temporarily incorporate,
and conceal the junction between two such garments substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the appended sheet of drawings.
(2) A waist belt fitted with a flap or flaps in the manner and for the purposes
above claimed and substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the appended sheet of drawings.
(3) A separate flap or flaps prepared for attachment to any waist belt in the
manner and for the purposes above first claimed and substantially as hérein-
before described and illustrated more particularly by Fig. 9, of the appended
sheet of drawings.