Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Aug., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 20th Sept., 1887.
1, JACOB FRANCIS MILES of the city and county of Philadelphia state of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, 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 relates to a well known class of contrivances which, when worn by
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men, are known as "suspenders," gallowses," or braces," and employed to
support knee-breeches, trousers, drawers, or pantaloons, and which, when worn by
women, are known as
skirt-supporters," and employed to support petticoats and the
skirts of frocks or dresses.
My improvements relate to that class of suspenders or skirt-supporters in which
attachment is made to the waist-band of the garment to be supported both at the fron
and back thereof, the straps or webs of material constituting the suspenders or
supporters proper passing over the shoulders of the wearer and being connected
directly or indirectly with said waistband.
The object of my improvement is a construction of suspenders in which perfect
freedom of movement is secured to the wearer, it being possible to bend the body in
any direction, and to raise, lower, or throw forward or back the shoulders without
occasioning any binding of the body by the suspenders or any part of them.
The foregoing objects I secure by a construction a good form of a convenient
embodiment of which is represented in the accompanying drawings and described in
this specification the particular subject-matter claimed as novel being hereinafter
definitely specified.
Suspenders "and by this term I include skirt-supporters-as a general rule
consist of two independent straps which pass, respectively, over the shoulders of the
wearer, and are termed the "shoulder-straps," and which are secured, either directly
or indirectly, to the waistband of the garment to be supported, both at the front and
at the back thereof, there being usually two points of attachment at the back and four
in the front.
I make my shoulder-straps of a single continuous flat wob, strip, or strap of canvas,
webbing, ribbon, tape, leather, kid, or any other preferred elastic or inelastic material
of suitable breadth, which I double back or fold upon itself into a flat fold near its

page_text: central portion and at the back near its point of attachment to the back tabs or band-
straps of the suspenders, passing the said continuous web at its fold through an eye
or keeper, to which, directly or indirectly, are secured the back-band straps, and
protecting the said flat folded web, which above said fold passes up over the shoulders
of the wearer as the shoulder-straps, by a guard, which retains each member, so to
speak, of the folded web independent of the other and prevents any possible displace-
ment, all substantially in the manner represented in the accomyanying drawings and
herein described.
In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a rear elevational view of so much of a pair of suspenders
embodying my invention as is necessary to illustrate my improvements. Fig. 2 is a
central vertical side sectional elevation through the suspenders of Fig. 1, section being
supposed in the plane of the dotted line upon said figure, and sight being taken
in the direction of the arrows upon said line. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1,
showing a pair of suspenders which differ only from those of Fig. 1 in the mode of
attachment of the back-band straps. Fig. 4 is a central vertical side sectional elevation
through the suspenders represented in Fig. 3, in the plane of the dotted line y y upon
said figure, and sight being taken in the direction of the arrows upon said line.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Referring now to the first two figures of the drawings, A A are the shoulder-straps,
being members of a single continuous web, band, or strap of any preferred. material,
folded upon itself at or near its central portion to form the flat fold A¹, for the purpose
of the formation of which fold the web forming the shoulder-straps is passed through
an elongated loop of metal or other preferred rigid material, which I term the
keeper," B.
"
CC are the back-band straps, the same being cords, webs, or straps, of any preferred
material, firmly secured to the keeper B below the line of attachment of the shoulder-
straps and independent thereof. One of these back-band straps is shown provided
with a button-hole, c, for attachment to a button of a waist-band, while the other is
shown provided with a safety-pin, c', to be pinned through the waist-band. D is
a guard, preferably formed of leather or other suitable material, which, being double,
incloses or enfolds the flat fold of the shoulder-straps, and which is provided with two
preferably independent and unconnected throats or openings, d, d, through which the
respective shoulder-straps freely-pass.
may secure the guard to the back-band straps with any suitable fastenings or in
any suitable way, but I have shewn the said guard secured to the said back-band
straps by means of a rivet d¹.
b, Fig. 2, is a friction roll or cylinder, applied to the keeper to facilitate the travel
of the folded web A about the keeper.
In the construction represented in Figs. 3 and 4 my improvements, as above
described, are shown in connection with back-band straps made moveable with respect
to a supplemental keeper E, either formed as a part of the keeper B or else connected
conveniently by a uniting web F, (which web may be either elastic or inelastic as
preferred,) with said keeper B, through which the shoulder-strap A is looped and free
to travel. The supplemental keeper E and the keeper B may however be of one piece
of metal. The back-band straps in this construction are shown as double, although
of course they may be single.
Such being a construction of a good form of suspenders embodying my improve-
ments, it is obvious that the essential features of the said improvements are the
provision of a continuous web forming the shoulder-straps, which is folded through
a keeper, eye, or loop connected with the back-band straps in a flat fold, which fold,
while always formed of the web itself, is yet in the movement of the wearer's body
formed in or of different parts of said web, the fold proper always forming itself over
the keeper, and the further provision, in connection with such flat fold over the
keeper, of a guard to preserve the fold and prevent the twisting of the web in the
region of said fold. The keeper may be of any form and construction, but I prefer
to make it of a continuous piece of metal. The form of the guard also is immaterial,
that form which is represented in the drawings being a good one, and I may make

page_text: the said guard of any suitable material. It is important, however, that the guard
should extend at its sides a sufficient distance above the keeper to insure the
maintenance of the flat fold about said keeper.
It is not vital that the guard should be provided with independent throats, as it is
operative with the throats formed as a single continuous throat extending from side to
side of the guard. The mode of attachment of the guard is also manifestly
inconsequential, it being possible to form it as a part of the keeper, or to apply it
thereto,orto apply it either to the back-band straps or to a uniting web, as shown.
The shoulder-straps may in front be each provided with a single or with double
band-straps equipped with either button-holes, safety-pins, or other devices for
attachment; or they may themselves be directly provided with button-holes, safety-
pins or other devices for attachment direct to the waistband.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a pair of suspenders, shoulder-straps formed of a continuous web or strap
folded upon itself at the back in a flat running fold, a keeper about which the web
forming the shoulder-straps is folded and runs, which is secured to back-band straps
or kindred contrivances for connecting it with the garment to be supported, and
a guard adapted to inclose the web of the shoulder-straps in the region of its fold in
order to maintain said fold, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
2. The combination, to form suspenders or skirt-supporters, of shoulder-straps
formed of a continuous web or strap folded at or near its central portion in a flat fold
adapted to run through a keeper, a keeper connected with back-band straps, a guard
to maintain the flat fold in the shoulder-straps, and back-band straps, substantially as
set forth.
Dated th: 10th J
1007