IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING ARTICLES WORN ON THE PERSON."
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Mair, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid
Lothian, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING ARTICLES WORN ON THE PERSON."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Mair at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on tho
3rd March 1857.
I, ROBERT MAIR, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING ARTICLES WORN ON THE PERSON,"
to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to a safety contrivance to be used for protecting
articles worn on the person, such as watches and purses, so as to prevent their
being stolen, injured, or removed by force.
In its application for protecting or securing watches when worn in the watch
or other pocket, this apparatus consists of two segments of thin steel or other
metal, together embracing about three-fourths or four-fifths of the watche's
periphery, and lined with soft leather or other substance, so as to fit well to
the watch without injury thereto. These segments fit to the lower portion of
the watch, or the part opposite to the handle or stem thereof, and outside thent

page_text: is a solid segmental piece also of thin steel, embracing about one-half of the
watch. The two inner segmental pieces are connected together by a catch
arrangement, which prevents one segment moving without the other, and
the outer solid segment has a blade-spring attached to it, and made to press
on one side of the catch, so as to cause it to embrace the two inner segments.
The junction holder of the contiguous ends of the inner segments is so
contrived as that when the watch is "protected" by insertion in the apparatus,
the holder shall connect itself to the spring of the outer segmental piece, and
hold all firm. The two outside ends of the internal segmental pieco are jointed
to the internal segments by suitable terminal eyes. A chain or other metallic
connection or cord is passed through the central button of the external seg-
ment, and is thence conveyed away to the part of the dress chosen by the
wearer as the best part for secure attachment, this chain or cord being con-
nected with the blade-spring of the outer segment for the liberation of the
watch when required. Or, instead of this a connection may be brought to
the upper part of the protector, which by being pressed will liberate the watch
as the hand is passed into the pocket to draw it out. By putting the watch
into the protector, its own weight brings down the moveable parts of the inner
segment and secures it. The button at the bottom or central portion of the
protector is passed through a hole in the pocket for making it secure to the
dress.
This apparatus may be variously modified to answer for protecting purses,
and other articles worn on the person.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Mair in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
MAIR, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of March; in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Mair, Her special license that I, the said Robert Mair, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such otliers as I, the said Robert

page_text: Mair, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 APPARATUS
FOR PROTECTING ARTICLES WORN ON THE PERSON," upon the condition (amongst.
others) that I, the said Robert Mair, 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 Robert Mair, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to a safety contrivance to be used for protecting
articles worn on the person, such as watches and purses, so as to prevent their
being stolen, injured or removed by force.
In its application for protecting or securing watches when worn in the watch
or other pocket, this apparatus consists of two segments of thin steel or other
metal, together embracing about three-fourths or four-fifths of the watche's
periphery, and lined with soft leather or other substance, so as to fit well to
the watch without injury thereto. These segments fit on to the lower portion
of the watch, or the part opposite to the handle or stem thercof, and outside
them, is a solid segmental piece, also of thin steel, embracing about one-half of
the watch. The two inner segmental pieces are connected together by a catch
arrangement, which prevents one segment moving without the other, and the
outer solid segment has a blade-spring attached to it, and made to press on
one side of the catch, so as to cause it to embrace the two inner segments.
The junction holder of the contiguous ends of the inner segments is so con-
trived as that when the watch is "protected" by insertion in the apparatus,
the holder shall connect itself to the spring of the outer segmental piece, and
hold all firm. The two outside ends of the external segmental piece are
jointed to the internal segments by suitable terminal eyes. A chain or other
metallic connection or cord is passed through the central button of the external
segment, and is thence conveyed away to the part of the dress chosen by the
wearer as the best part for secure attachment, this chain or cord being con-
nected with the blade-spring of the outer segment for the liberation of the

page_text: watch when required. Or, instead of this a connection may be brought to the
upper part of the protector, which by being pressed will liberate the watch as
the hand is passed into the pocket to draw it out. By putting the watch into
the protector, its own weight brings down the moveable parts of the inner
segment and secures it. The button at the bottom or central portion of the
protector is passed through a hole in the pocket for making it secure to the
dress.
This apparatus may be variously modified to answer for protecting purses,
and other articles worn on the person.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several illustrative Figures on the explanatory
Sheet of Drawings, which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of show-
ing certain modifications, under which my improvements may be judiciously
carried out in practice.
Figure 1 of my illustrative Drawing is a front view or elevation of one
modification of my improved apparatus for protecting articles worn upon the
person; Figure 2 is a side view of the same, and Figure 3 a front view of
the "protector," with the watch removed therefrom.
In the particular modification I have shown in my illustrative Drawing, the
improved protector is shown as applied to a watch, in order to prevent the
same from being abstracted from the wearer's pocket.
Although this improved protector is applicable to other articles of value
than watches, yet its application to this purpose has been selected because the
present mode of wearing watches is peculiarly insecure, and offers great
temptation to dishonest persons from the ease with which the watch may be
broken away from the ordinary guard. The protector consists of two seg-
mentally-shaped pieces of suitable metal A, which are jointed at about one-
third from their upper extremities to a semicircular piece of metal B. These
three pieces of metal are made convex externally, and with a corresponding
hollow or concave form upon the inner side. The inner grooved part is lined
with velvet, soft leather, or other suitable material, which will not injure the
edge of the watch when held in the protector. The velvet lining is shown
at C turned over the upper edge of the segments A; the lining is fastened to
the metal by cement or glue, and is turned over the edges of the metal, in
order to prevent its being loosened by the passing of the watch into and out
of the protector. One of the metal segments A has a slot made in the lower
end of it; in this slot a pin D, formed on the under side of the corresponding
segment, moves to and fro. The pin D has an eye made in it, through which
the end of the blade-spring E passes, and holds the two segments A down

page_text: firmly, so that neither of the segments can be released until the spring is
drawn back, so as to remove the end of the spring E from the pin D. The
spring E is a small blade spring, curved to the convexity of the semicircular
The free end of the
piece of metal B, and fastened thereto by small screws.
spring is bent at right angles, so as to form a short stud or pin which passes
through the eye of the segment A. Near to its free end the spring E-is
enlarged, so as to form a projecting part sufficiently large to pass the end of a
chain or cord through it. This chain or cord F passes through the hollow
stem of the button G, which projects from the back of the semicircular guard
piece of metal H. The segmental pieces of metal A and B are made of such
a curvature as to closely fit the watch when placed therein, as shown in
Figure 1 of my illustrative Drawing. The button G is passed through a
button hole, made for the purpose in the pocket, or other part of the dress of
the wearer. The chain or cord F is fastened to some secure part of the
inside dress when the wearer wishes to release the watch from the protector;
whilst he holds the stem or handle of the watch with one hand, he draws the
cord or chain F with the other. This action draws the end of the spring E
out of the eye in the pin D; the two segments A are then released, the wearer
at the same time draws the watch upwards, which causes the segments A to
move outwards upon their hinges, as shown in Figure 3 of my illustrative
Drawing. When the parts A of the protector are in this position, their upper
extremities are sufficiently wide apart to allow the watch to pass freely between
them. Upon returning the watch to the pocket it is passed between the seg-
ments A; its weight carries down the lower extremities of the segments, which
are made to turn very easily upon their axes. The descent of the segments
causes the pin D to push the end of the spring E aside until it comes opposite
the eye, when the end of the spring enters it and the watch is securely held.
Instead of drawing back the spring E by means of the cord or chain F to
release the watch, the same end may be attained by means of a pin or stud I,
projecting from the spring, and passing through the front of the guard plate H.
In this arrangement, instead of releasing the watch by drawing the cord or
chain F, the stud is pressed upon from the outside of the watch pocket with
one hand, whilst the watch is withdrawn. The protector.may be made in
either gold, silver, steel, or other metal, and may be adapted for preventing
watches from being abstracted from the pocket, or lost by reason of the
ordinary chain or guard being broken.
By modifying the arrangement of the parts of the protector, it may be
adapted to secure purses, and other valuable property carried upon the
person.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my Invention; but 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 arrangement and construction of apparatus for protecting
or securing watches, and other valuable articles worn on the person, from
being improperly abstracted or inadvertently lost, as herein-before described.
Second, the use and application of a safety apparatus or "protector" to
watches and other articles, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Mair, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-seven.