IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS FOR LADIES' SKIRTS AND SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SPRINGS FOR LADIES' SKIRTS AND SIMILAR PURPOSES."-A communication
TITL
Din the Timnize of France
Sealed the 3rd July 1866, and dated the 2nd February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd February 1866.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS FOR LADIES' SKIRTS AND SIMILAR PURPOSES,"
a communication to me from abroad by Jules Libert, of Paris, in the Empire
of France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel manufacture of springs or hoops for ladies'
skirts and other 'like purposes where long springs are required, whereby a
more uniform temper is obtained in the case of steel springs, whilst at the
same time facility is afforded for readily lengthening or shortening the same
and for effecting repairs in case of fracture..

page_text: According to this Invention it is proposed to make up the springs of the
class above referred to from a number of separate short lengths either of steel
or other suitable flexible material joined together end to end. The mode
preferred for forming and joining together such pieces consists in stamping
them out of thin sheet steel and puncturing at one end a small hole in a
tapered tongue piece, whilst at the other end there is stamped up a strap
piece and a small projecting tongue or catch. The tapered end or tongue of
one piece is pushed through or under the strap piece at the end of the
adjoining piece, and the hole in the extremity of the tongue is engaged on to
the projection or catch above referred to, It will thus be seen that the two
pieces will be held together end to end by an overlapping joint, the projection
in one piece which enters the hole in the other keeping the parts together,
whilst the strap piece under which the tongue is passed prevents the hole
from becoming accidentally disengaged from the projection or catch. In
some cases a second strap piece and projection at right angles to the first are
stamped up in the centre of the piece so as to enable another piece to be
secured thereto at right angles, or at any other angle therewith, or some of the
pieces may have tongues at both ends and others strap pieces and projections
stamped up at both ends. When steel is employed the several pieces may
be tempered in packets, and thus be all of one uniform temper, so that a
spring composed of a number of such pieces will be of equal temper through-
out its entire length, which cannot be ensured when the springs are composed
of one long strip of metal as heretofore. Should the spring break at any part
it can be instantly repaired again by removing the broken piece and inserting
.another. To remove a piece it is necessary to pass a thin blade under the
end of the tongue and lift it off the projection, when it will readily slip out of
the strap piece, this detachment cannot, however, take place accidentally.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN IIENRY
JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her nost Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the 2nd day. of February, in the year of our Lord One

page_text: thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the 29th year of Her reign
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SPRINGS FOR LADIES' SKIRTS AND SIMILAR PURPOSES," a communication to me
from abroad by Jules Libert, of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The said Invention relates to a novel manufacture of springs or hoops for
ladies' skirts and other like purposes where long springs are required, whereby
a more uniform temper is obtained in the case of steel springs, whilst at the
same time facility is afforded for readily lengthening or shortening the same,
and for effecting repairs in case of fracture.
According to this Invention it is proposed to make up the springs of the
class above referred to from a number of separate short lengths, either of
steel or other suitable flexible material joined together end to end. The mode
preferred for forming and joining together such pieces consists in stamping
them out of thin sheet steel and punching at one end a small hole in a tapered
tongue piece, whilst at the other end there is stamped up a strap piece and a
small projecting tongue or catch. The tapered end or tongue of one piece is
pushed through or under the strap piece at the end of the adjoining piece, and
the hole in the extremity of the tongue is engaged on to the projection or catch
above referred to. It will thus be seen that the two pieces will be held
together end to end by an overlapping joint, the projection in one piece which
enters the hole in the other keeping the parts together, whilst the strap piece

page_text: under which the tongue is passed prevents the hole from becoming accidentally.
disengaged from the projection or catch. In some cases a second strap piece
and projection at right, angles to the first are stamped up in the centre of the
piece so as to enable another piece to be secured thereto at right angles or at
any other angle therewith, or some of the pieces may have tongues at both
ends, and others strap pieces and projections stamped up at both ends. When
steel is employed, the several pieces may be tempered in packets; and thus be
all of one uniform temper, so that a spring composed of a number of such
pieces will be of equal temper throughout its entire length, which cannot be
ensured when the springs are composed of one long strip of metal, as hereto-
fore. Should the spring break at any part it can be instantly repaired again
by removing the broken piece and inserting another. To remove a piece it is
necessary to pass a thin blade under the end of the tongue' and lift it off the
projection when it will readily slip out of the strap piece. This detachment
cannot, however, také place accidentally.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I. shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the corresponding
Figures.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings represents a plan, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal
section of one of the before-mentioned short lengths of spring. The form of
the piece may be varied, it being simply requisite that the port A be provided
with a strap piece b struck up from the metal, and with a small projecting
tongue or catch d'also struck up from the metal, and that the end B have an
opening e made near the extremity and should be capable of fitting or entering
beneath a strap similar to that at b. In order to make up a spring of any
desired length a number of these parts A, B, are united end to end by inserting
the end B of one part under the strap b of the adjoining part when the projecting
tongue or catch d by engaging in the small aperture e will effectually prevent
any accidental displacement or severing of the two parts, whilst the strap
will prevent any lateral displacement of the parts. In order to separate or
take asunder two parts united together, as shown in plan and section at
Figs. 3 and 4, it is simply necessary to elevate slightly the end B by inserting
a metal blade between the two parts, when the catch d being released from
the opening e the parts may be drawn asunder.
In Figs. 3 and 4 I have represented one part K as being provided with an
additional central strap piece and a small tongue or catch m situate at right
angles to the rest, whereby facility is afforded for attaching other parts in a

page_text: vertical position, or perpendicular to the first-mentioned parts, as shewn clearly
in Fig. 5.
Fig. 6 illustrates the use of parts P-made with a narrow tongue and small
opening at both extremities, in which case the adjoining parts will be
provided with a strap b and catch à at both ends. One great advantage
attendant on the use of these improved springs is the ornamental appearance
imparted to the article on which they are sewn. For example, a skirt
extended by these springs will be much improved in appearance by having
them stitched on the outer side, so as to be visible in place of being concealed,
as heretofore, and this ornamentation may be varied by adopting parts of
various patterns or designs, and gilding, plating, or otherwise treating the
same for increasing the ornamental effect.
Fig. 7 represents a skirt ornamented in the manner described; Fig. 8 is an
enlarged view of a portion of the same; and Fig. 9 illustrates the application
of compass joints for uniting the springs down the hinder portion of the skirt,
and at the same time imparting the desired shape or contour thereto. The
several parts having been united together in the manner herein-before
<described are stitched to a band of any suitable fabric 6, the red lines c in
Figs. 7 and 8 representing the stitches. At the back of the skirt (and at the
front on the two top springs only) the ends are connected by a compass joint d,
Fig. 9, which imparts the desired pliability as well as the correct form or
contour to the skirt. The bands b, with the springs stitched on the exterior
surface thereof, are sewn on to the skirt, which may be of any color that will
match or contrast well the color of the bands and metal springs fixed thereon.
As the parts composing these springs are punched out of very thin sheets the
springs are much lighter than ordinary springs for the same purpose, which
is an important advantage. It is obvious that these springs may be employed
not only in the construction of skirts or "crinolines," but may be advan-
tageously applied to corsets, stays, bodices, and other articles of dress where a
certain amount of stiffness is required.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the general construction of springs or hoops for ladies' skirts and
other articles of dress, as herein-before described.
Second, the construction of springs or hoops for ladies' skirts and other
articles of dress by joining together a number of short lengths of steel, whalo-

page_text: bone, or other suitable material, substantially in the manner herein-before
described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of July One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-six.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)