AN IMPROVED MODE OR MODES OF FASTENING TROWSERS AND OTHER PARTS OF DRESS OR APPAREL
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LUKE
HEBERT, late of Camden Town, in the County of Middlesex, but now residing
at Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, in the second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Luke Hebert, my exors, admors,
assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that i, the
said Luke Hebert, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said Luke Hebert, my exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OR MODES OF FASTENING TROWSERS AND OTHER
PARTS OF DRESS OR APPAREL," which was communicated to me by a certain
Foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said Luke Hebert, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-.
formed,. by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled.
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next.

page_text: and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as,
upon reference being thereunto made, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Luke Hebert, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the.
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto-annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say:-
The Invention consists in a new mode of fastening or unfastening, tightening
or slackening, the bands of pantaloons, trowsers, or breeches, the backs of
waistcoats, and are also applicable to braces and other parts of dress. This
Invention or apparatus is denominated in France "Serre coulisse," and as the
expression is difficult of translation into English, it is intended to adopt the
same in this country. One of these serre coulisses is represented at Figure 1,
in which it is shewn as half extended or half open. It consists, as there
shewn, of two pieces or bands of silk, or other cloth or fabric, respectively
marked a, a, and b, b, which, for the sake of distinctness merely, are colored
differently, one of a yellow and the other of a rose tint. These two pieces
slide over each other (as expressed by the two colours yellow and rose, forming
by their combination the orange colour represented), and are flexible at any
desired point, by means of a spring which presses a stud into one of a series of
circular holes j,j', made in a steel or other metallic rack c, c, and is released
therefrom at pleasure by a slight degree of pressure of a finger upon a button
head d.
The construction of these parts will be best explained with reference to
Figures 2 and 3, which shews these two pieces in a separated state, the same
parts being indicated by the same letters of reference. The piece of stuff a, a,
has fixed to it at one end a flat steel loop e; through this loop is passed the
piece of stuff b, b, and slides through the same, according as it may be desired
to lengthen or contract the "serre coulisse." At the same time the other end
of the piece of stuff a, a, is passed, and slides through another flat steel loop f
on which is fitted the button head d. This button head is shewn in several
views separately at Figures 11, 13, and 14, from which it will be perceived
that it has a thin flat shank at g, which slides along the narrow groove or
slit in the steel rack c. At the lower extremity of the shank g is a little
cylindrical stud i, which is adapted to fit easily into the circular holes j, j, of
the steel rack c, c. When the serre coulisse is at rest, the stud i is kept in one of
the circular holesj,j; of the rack by the action of a little spring at the back;
and when it is desired to move or shift the same to another hole, a slight

page_text: pressure with the end of a finger upon the button head d forces out the little
stud i beyond the thickness of the rack, and then the flat shank g can be
slided along the narrow slit h to the required adjustment; and upon taking
the finger off the button head, the reaction of the spring again presses the
little stud i into another of the circular holes j,j. At each of the ends of the
serre coulisse are fixed small wire hooks l, l, which take into wire eyes m, m,
attached to pieces n, n, that are sewn to the back of the waistcoats or the band
of trowsers, or other similar parts of dress that require occasional expansion
and contraction.
(Note, buttons and button holes may be substituted for hooks and
eyes.)
Supposing a serre coulisse to be attached to the back of a waistcoat, and
the parts to be in the position represented in Figure 1, and the wearer desires
to relace the fastening, all that he has to do is to press lightly upon the button
head d; but on the contrary, should he require to tighten it, while he presses
lightly on the button head with one finger, he pulls gently the silk loops o, o,
in opposite directions, which causes the piece b, b, to slide entirely over
the piece a, a, so as to cover entirely. the rack, as is shewn in the
Figure 15.
Figure 1, 2, 3, exhibit the front or external side of a serre coulisse, but for
the better understanding of the construction, Figure 4 has been added, which
shews the back or internal side (next to the person). In this view is seen,
at P, the little spring before alluded to, which is also shewn at Figures
9 and 10; it is fixed to the back of the flat loopf by means of little screws,
as shewn separately at Figure 8.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 shew the steel or metallic portion separately, Figure 6
exhibiting the whole together, Figure 5 an edge view of Figure 6, and
Figure 7 a plan of the loop f without its button and spring; the principal
portion consisting of the rack c, c, and the flat loop e, which are of one piece,
and the remainder is the flat loop f, with its button head d, and spring p, p,
&c., which is made to slide over and fix itself at any desired part of the rack,
as already described.
The whole of this Invention being entirely new in the British Dominions,
I claim an exclusive right for the same under my aforesaid Patent.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-nine.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-ninth day of May, in
the year of our Lord 1839, the aforesaid Luke Hebert came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.