Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sep., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 30th June, 1897-Accepte 1, 31st July, 1897
[A communication to me from abroad by LINA SCHMITT, née BOURSEE of 18 Bayreuther-
strasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany, Dressmaker.]
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of London,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Until now as far as is known to my correspondent ladies' dresses have been
suspended amongst other methods, by means of sliding tapes with hooks sewn
onto the bodices and connected with the skirt by means of cords, tapes and the
like.
This method of attachment has many disadvantages, for instance the whole weight
of the skirt is thereby suspended at few points of the bodice only by which the fit of
the bodice is materially interfered with. This however is comparatively of minor
importance to the great inconvenience caused by these suspenders whilst putting on
the dress.
The fashion is now to wear the bodice underneath the skirt and with such an
arrangement of the bodices it is almost impossible to attach the old suspenders
properly, whilst with blouses a special skirt and band is requisite. The way the dress
is suspended is on the other hand very objectionable as in certain places the material
of the skirt will be drawn in and will be tightened horizontally.
These however are not the only disadvantages attendant on the old arrangements.
These inconveniences are designed to be overcome by the use of the improved
suspenders about to be described herein.
The improved device consists of an appliance fastened vertically in two places,
preferably, inside the article of apparel so that it can be felt and actuated so as to
effect adjustment by shortening or lengthening, from outside the dress.
The suspenders of which a sufficient number should be placed around the skirt are
best attached at the pleats or the seams, as places of especial strength.
The material of the skirt is by this means not injured.
As the suspender device is to form a permanent portion of the article of dress it is
of course necessarily important to make it as flat as possible. It is therefore made
mainly of two parts: viz., a flat strip or elongated plate of metal fastened on the dress
and a snap or clipping device also fastened on to the dress and capable of sliding to
and fro on the metal strip and capable of being adjustably fixed thereon at various
points.
The adjustable clip may be of substantially ordinary spring compression clip form,
but this may be somewhat varied to meet requirements.
This sliding adjustable clip can be so arranged as to effect adjustment of the dress
where it is attached to different lengths at will. It can be readily brought into use at
any monent as necessity may require. It will be found also of especial value to ladies

page_text: in mountaineering expeditions and on other occasions when variations of length of
skirt is called for, that is to say by the use of the improved suspender devices the
most elegant. promenade or lengthened skirt can be at once transformed into a
mountaineering, walking, excursion, golf or other shortened dress and by its means the
user may be enabled to avoid the necessity of taking with her an extensive assortment
of dresses when travelling.
The metal strip may have a longitudinal slot therein mainly of narrow form, but
with enlargements of the slot at parts and the slider clips the edges of this plate,
whilst the catch pieces when apart enter and are retained in adjusted position in these
recesses. When it is required to shift these catch pieces they are brought together
by spring controlled extensions actuated by the hand from without the dress and when
so brought together they can be slidden up or down the narrow slot from one pair of
notches or holding position to another, sustaining the skirt at a variable height
accordingly.
The two parts of the devices may be sewn to the dress by means of perforations in a
part of each provided for the purpose, or this may be effected in any convenient
analogous manner.
Dated the 20th day of Santambun 1900
WM. BROOKES and SON,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
[A communication from abroad by LINA SCHMITT, née BOURSÉE of 18 Bayreutherstrasse,
Berlin, in the Empire of Germany Dressmaker.]
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 :-
Until now as far as is known to my correspondent ladies' dresses have been
suspended amongst other methods, by means of sliding tapes with hooks sewn on
to the bodices and connected with the skirt by means of cords, tapes and the
like.
This method of attachment has many disadvantages, for instance the whole weight
of the skirt is thereby suspended at few points of the bodice only by which the
fit of the bodice is materially interfered with. This however is comparatively of
minor importance, to the great inconvenience caused by these suspenders whilst
putting on the dress.
The fashion is now to wear the bodice underneath the skirt and with such an
arrangement of the bodices it is almost impossible to attach the old suspenders
properly, whilst with blouses a special skirt and band is requisite. The way the
dress is suspended is on the other hand very objectionable as in certain places
the material of the skirt will be drawn in and will be tightened horizontally.
These however are not the only disadvantages attendant on the old arrange-
ments.
These inconveniences are designed to be overcome by the use of the improved
suspenders' about to be described herein.
The improved device consists of an appliance fastened vertically in two places,
preferably, inside the article of apparel so that it can be felt and actuated so as to
effect adjustment by shortening or lengthening, from outside the dress.

page_text: The suspenders of which a sufficient number should be placed around the skirt are
best attached at pleats or the seams, as places of especial strength..
The material of the skirt is by this means not injured.
As the suspender device is to form a permanent portion of the article of dress it is
of course necessarily important to make it as flat as possible. It is therefore made
mainly of two parts, viz., a flat strip or elongated plate of metal fastened on the dress
and a snap or clipping device also fastened onto the dress and capable of sliding to
and fro on the metal strip and capable of being adjustably fixed thereon, at various
points.
The adjustable clip may be of substantially ordinary spring compression clip form,
but this may be somewhat varied to meet requirements.
The sliding adjustable clip can be so arranged as to effect adjustment of the dress
where it is attached to different lengths at will. It can be readily brought into use
at any moment as necessity may require.
It will be found also of especial value to ladies in mountaineering expeditions and
on other occasions when variations of length of skirt is called for, that is to say by the
use of the improved suspender devices the most elegant promenade or lengthened skirt,
can be at once transformed into a mountaineering, walking excursion, golf or other
shortened dress and by its means the user may be enabled to avoid the necessity of
taking with her so extensive an assortment of dresses when travelling.
The metal strip may have a longitudinal slot therein mainly of narrow form, but
with enlargements of the slot at parts and the slider clips the edges of this plate,
whilst the catch pieces when apart enter and are retained in adjusted position in these
recesses. When it is required to shift these catch pieces they are brought together by
spring controlled extensions actuated by the hand from without the dress and when
so brought together they can be slidden up or down the narrow slot from one pair of
notches or holding position to another, sustaining the skirt at a variable height
accordingly.
The two parts of the devices may be sewn to the dress by means of perforations in
part of each provided for the purpose, or this may be effected in any convenient
analogous manner.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 are a front and a side view of the improved garment wrapper or
suspender device.
Figure 3 is a view from the rear side of Figure 1.
Figures 4 to 6 are two cross sections and a longitudinal section through the
adjusting mechanism shown in Figures 1 to 3.
Figures 7 and 8 show a side and a front view respectively of a modified form of the
adjusting device.
Figures 9 to 11 are a front view and two sections through a second modification of
my adjusting device.
Figures 12 and 13 are a front view and a section of a third modified form of my
adjusting device.
In Figures 1 to 6, a is the strap of the wrapper or suspending device provided with
a slot b having recesses d; e is the main body of the slide having two parts g g which
are pressed asunder by a spring à so that their hook shaped laps ff normally engage
the recesses d and secure the slide e in its position relative to the strap a. The
parts a and e are screwed or otherwise fixed to the garment at the points a' and e¹
respectively.
Now suppose the wrapper or suspender be in the position shown at figures 1 to 3
and it being desired to wrap the garment. To this effect the parts g g are pressed
inward against the action of the spring à until the curved parts of the hooks / become
disengaged from the respective recesses d; the slide may now be shifted in the slot b
until the hooks ff come in front of the next pair of recesses d which they will engage
after the pressure upon the parts g has been released; the parts a¹ and e¹ are thus
brought nearer to each other s.e. the garment has been wrapped or adjusted.
In the modifications shown in Figures 7 to 13 the main body of the slide has been
omitted there being only shown the adjusting device itself which may either be

page_text: directly fastened to the proper part of the garment or there may be provided a main.
body equal or similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 6.
In Figures 7 and 8 the slide is provided with a pivotally arranged part i one arm of
which is pressed apart from the strap a by a spring & thereby making the other arm
to engage by its point la corresponding hole of the said strap a.
In Figures 9 to 11 the slide m is made of springy material and may be laterally
compressed against the action of two springs n interposed between the edges of the
strap and the said slide. The latter is provided with a knob o normally engaging one
of the openings in the strap as shown in Figure 10; for the purpose of shifting the
slide, the latter is compressed as shown in Figure 11.
Figures 12 and 13 show a modification in which laps or looks rare employed
which act similar to the hooks f shown in Figures 1 to 6; for the spring h of that
construction, however, are substituted two springs 88 held in bearings q of the
part p.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
Lion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
The constructions, arrangements, and use of dress suspenders, and the like, so as
to be cabable of ready sliding adjustment, as may be required, to vary the length or
height of the skirt or part of garment from the ground substantially as and for the
purpose set forth and shown by the drawings.
Dated this 29th day of June 1897.
WM. BROOKES and SON,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.