Improved Apparatus for Raising and Lowering Ladies' Dresses.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 16th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Raising and Lowering Ladies' Dresses.
WILLIAM EDWIN HICKLING Clarendon Park Leicester ALFRED PERCY
CARRYER Highfield Street Leicester do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
.
The object of this invention is to enable a lady to raise the skirt of her dress
when desired and to lower it again to its normal position when there is no longer
any necessity for keeping it raised. For this purpose a plate or band of thin
metal is made to place round the waist underneath the skirt requiring to be raised.
To this band is attached by rivets but in such manner that they can be moved
two pieces of metal about 4 inches long. The points of attachment to the waist
piece are about 6 inches apart. These pieces hang down and their lower ends
are joined together by two links of metal which together are of greater length
than the distance between the points where the hanging pieces are attached to the
waist piece. At the centre point where the links are joined is a clip or means of
attaching to the dress skirt. This clip is made to hold the dress when at its
lowest point and by lifting the dress the links are raised by forcing the hanging
pieces outwards till the dead centre is passed when the hanging pieces approach.
each other again and are kept together by a spring thereby holding the dress at
the desired height. By simply pushing down the clip the power of the spring is
overcome and the dress again hangs at its lowest point. As an alternative
arrangement instead of the hanging pieces two hinge joints are made and a piece
of wire (the ends of which make the moving parts of the hinges) is bent downwards,
and across and up again. These hinges are made with a spring so that when the
wire bend is lifted up carrying the dress with it it remains raised till the power of
the springs is overcome and the dress again lowered.
Dated this 15th day of December 1890.
W. E. HICKLING.
ALFRED PERCY CARRYER.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Raising and Lowering Ladies' Dresses.
We, WILLIAM EDWIN HICKLING of No. 43 Howard Road Clarendon Park,
Knighton, in the County of Leicester and ALFRED PERCY CARRYER of
No. 12 Highfield Street Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Accountants, 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 improved apparatus for raising and lowering ladies
dresses.
The object of this invention is to enable a lady to raise the skirt of her dress
when desirable and to lower it again to its normal position where there is no longer
any need for keeping it raised.
That this our invention may be well understood we will now refer to the drawings
annexed in which :
Figure 1 is a representation of one arrangement of the apparatus hereinafter
referred to.
Figure 2 a modification of same.
Figure 3 an alternative arrangement.

page_text: Figure 4 the apparatus is herein shown designed for raising the dress two
different heights.
Figure 5 is a detail or inner end view of a toothed plate forming part of lug B
having recesses to receive the curved or turned in end c' of the wire C, the
dotted lines c, indicate the different heights the dress skirt may be raised.
Figure 6 is a front view of the same showing the wire C in its highest
position and
Figure 7 shows the same in the lower position, or when hanging down out of
operation, in raising the wire C the curved or turned in end c works upon the
flat face of the plate B, and springs into any of the recesses 62 of or between the
teeth b'.
is
For the purpose of our invention a plate or band of thin metal A Figure
made to be placed round the waist of the wearer underneath the skirt required
to be raised, and at both ends thereof are secured the waist band a', made of any
webbing or other suitable material and secured by buckle or other fastener a*.
In carrying out our invention we prefer the alternative arrangements mentioned
in our Provisional Specification and shown in the drawings accompanying this
Specification.
In the apparatus shown in Figure 3 we make the two hinged joints B and the
ends of the wire C at c', the moving parts of the hinges, these hinges being made
with a spring such as D, so that when the wire bend C or dress lifter, is lifted up,
the dress is carried with it and remains raised till the wearer again manipulates
the springs to release the lifter, when the dress is again lowered to its normal
position.
The spring clip c', Figure 1. made in the wire C is adapted to grip the skirt
when in its lower position by the person using it, that when the wire is raised the
skirt is carried up with it, or two of these clips can be made as shown in Figure 2,
in which it will be seen that the ends c¹ of the bent wire C enter the turned over
ends of the lugs B, which in this case are cut out of the spring D from the metal
band A, the bent part of the wires C which press upon the said springs may carry
a roller thereon if desired or the lugs B can be attached to the band A. as seen in
Figures 1, 3 and 4 by rivets 6', and the spring D can be formed as in Figures 3,
4 or 7, by the end c' of the wire C passing through the hole d' in the lip D. To
lower the dress the right hand side of the wire C is pressed inwards to take it out
of the catch, when the wire becomes free and falls down as shown in dotted line
Figure 3 and the dress with it. To raise the dress skirt the apparatus is lifted by
gripping the wire C, which by the action of the springs D slips into the catch b³,
or one of the teeth 6, seen in dotted line Figures 3 or 5, when it is secure until
pressure is again put on the wire C at the right side to force it out of the catch or
teeth.
It will be seen upon reference to Figure 4, that another wire E is arranged to
cross the wire C whereby one is carried up by the help of the other when it is
desired to lift the dress higher than the wire C will allow of. We can also cause
the dress to be lifted up an additional height by making the wires C and E
independent of each other and arrange the wire E so that it shall not overlap the
other "
as seen in dotted line e', Figure 4" the curved extremity of the wire E in
this case being reversed e', by this means two independent heights are also
obtained.
It will be noticed that the wires C or E in the act of being lifted describe a
portion of a circle consequently a portion of the actual lifting power is lost by the
dress slipping, to overcome this catches such as ordinary dress hooks may be
stitched to the back of the skirt, so that when the wire C or high lift wire E is
lifted the hooks will catch upon the transverse wire, and that part of the dress to
which the hooks are attached will be lifted with it.
It will be well understood that the pattern of the springs and lugs may be
modified, and the band A made from any other suitable material such as celluloid,
vulcanite or the like without departing from the principle of our invention in
5

page_text: providing apparatus for raising and lowering ladies dresses. Amongst the advantages
of which it will be seen that it does not require buttons, cords or tapes to be used
and is securely fastened round the waist by the buckle and belt or its equivalent
making this dress lifter available for any costume; besides being simple and effective
and as such we call it by the name of "Beryl" the almost imperceptable action
with one hand being all that is required by the wearer to turn the lifter upwards
which movement carries the skirt up, and it is held in a graceful drape, when by
a gentle side pressure with the hand the lifter is immediately released from the
catch the dress is lowered to its normal position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. An apparatus for raising and lowering ladies dresses which consists of a band
such as A, waist belt a', secured by studs a², clenched through holes a³, in the
band, and having thereto a buckle or other such fastener as a', attached to one end
of the belt a¹; lugs as B or D secured to band by rivets b', and having a catch
or projection, or teeth ³, to engage the bent ends c¹ or c² of the wires C or E in
the manner herein shown and described.
2. A dress lifter that is capable of being raised or lowered by the simple turning
over of a bent wire or wires such as C or E which turn on common centres as
herein specified.
3. An improved apparatus for raising and lowering ladies dresses by springs till
the power of the springs are overcome, substantially in the manner and for the
purpose herein before described and set forth.
Dated this 15th day of September 1891.
WILLIAM BESTWICK MAXFIELD,
The Central" Patent Office,
19, Bowling Green Street, Leicester, Applicants' Agent.