Improvement in Devices for Fastening Corsets.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 25th May, 1897-Accepted, 17th July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Devices for Fastening Corsets.
I, WENDELIN MUTHER, of Minneapolis, in the County of Hennepin, State of
Minnesota, United States of Americ, Gentleman, 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:-
My invention has relation to improvements in devices for fastening corsets on the
person, and the object is to provide a simple and convenient article for this purpose,
whereby a person can with ease and convenience draw the stays together and secure
them, and if necessary, compress the waist within the corset to a degree that would
be impossible to accomplish by the hands alone. To this end the novelty consists in
the construction, combination and arrangement of the same as will be hereinafter
more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings the same letters of reference indicate like parts of
the invention.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device in the first step of the operation of
fastening a corset ;
and
Figure 2 is a similar view, showing the second step, or completion of the operation;
Figure 3 is a similar view of the end of the lever.
A is a bifurcated lever, provided with a handle a, and its arms a² a² are fulcrumed
to a shoe B by a bolt b, the ends of said lever being formed with lugs b¹ 61 which
limit the play of said lever when the lugs rest upon the shoe. This shoe is
formed with a semicircular recess a¹, which engages the stud c on the corset-
stay C.
D is a lever fulcrumed on a bolt d between the arms a² a², and its free end
terminates in a hook E, formed with a forwardly-projecting toe e provided with a
semicircular recess e¹, approximately in the same vertical plane as the recess a¹ in the
shoe B.
By referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the shoe B is first placed on the stay C
so that its recess a¹ will engage the stud c. The hook E on the lever D is then
inserted in the opening i in the plate of the opposite stay I, and the handle
operated to close the stays; and when the hook E is over the stud c, the recess e¹ in
the toe e of the hook E then engages the stud c, and the handle is pressed inwardly
towards the person. This causes the recess in the toe of the lever D to slide up
under the head c¹ of the corset-stud c, and force the plate ¹ down over said stud.
When in this position the plate slips off of the hook E and onto and into engagement
with the stud c, at the same time releasing the shoe B from said stud.
The operation is very expeditiously and simply accomplished, and as a powerful
leverage is exerted by the handle, it follows that a great degree of compression of the
person at this point can be attained if desired; and as only one hand is required in
its manipulation, it follows that a one-armed person can successfully and rapidly
accomplish this object.
Although I have specifically described the construction and relative arrangement
of the several elements of my invention, I do not desire to be confined to the same, as

page_text: such changes or modifications may be made as clearly fall within the scope of my
invention, without departing from the spirit thereof.
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. The combination with the bifurcated lever A fulcrumed to the shoe B, of the
lever D fulcrumed between the arms of the said bifurcated lever, and formed with a
hooked end E terminating in a toe e, provided with a recess e', substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
2. The bifurcated lever A provided with a handle a, lugs 61 61, and fulcrumed to
the shoe B formed with a recess a', in combination with the lever D fulcrumed
between the arms a² a² of said lever A, and having its free end terminating in a
hook E, provided with a toe e formed with a recess e¹, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
3. In a device for fastening corsets upon the person, a lever provided with a handle
and a shoe pivoted thereto, in combination with an auxiliary lever pivoted to the
former, and having its free end terminating in a hook formed with a stud engaging a
recess, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
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CAL
1007