Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1888
Specification Accepted, 16th Mar., 1888
I, FREDERICK BRITTAN SPOONER of Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, U.S.A.,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said 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 suspender-ends or attachments, whereby the susponders
aro secured to the buttons of pantaloons or other garments.
The object of the invention is to produce at small cost a device for the purpose
stated, which shall possess sufficient elasticity to compensate for the absence of rubbor
or other elastic means usually employed in the manufacture of suspenders, and which
will enable tho suspenders to readily adapt themselves to the movements of the body
of the wearer.
In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which
like features are indicated by like letters of reference, Figure 1 is a front elevation
of one embodiment of my invention. Figure 2 is an elovation, partly in perspective,
of another embodiment of the invention; and Figure 3 shows the manner of applying
the attachment to the back of the suspenders.
Referring to the drawings, a indicates a spring device, preferably of brass, and
which is of sufficient strength and rigidity to take up any strain to which it might be
subjected in the movements of the body of the person wearing susponders to which
this device is attached.
In Figure 1 the letter bindicates the suspender, which is looped through the spring
device a, and secured thereto, by the slide c, of the usual construction. In this
figure [1] the spring device a has its depending arms d provided with housings e,
preferably of the form shown, and adapted to receive the continuous cord, tape, or
like device, f, in manner illustrated in said figure. The ends of said continuous cord
are provided with means, g, for securing the same to garments. The loops or
housings e, Figure 1, are made of sheet metal or other suitabte material and secured to
the arms d by any desirable method, preferably a hinged connection.
In Figure 3, hi indicate the suspender-straps at the point where they are connected
at the back. In this view, k indicates a metallic loop or ring, which may be more or
less elongated, to which the suspender straps may be secured or through which they
are passed for adjustment,

page_text: The spring device a in Figure 2 is connected to the loop k by a ring, l, which may
also be more or less elongated. By this arrangement a metallic hinged joint is
effected between the suspender-straps and the spring device a, thereby preventing the
destruction of the straps by the rubbing action to which they might be subjected
if attached directly to said spring device. The loop 7 serves the further function
of strengthening the spring device a at its upper horizontal bend, thereby enabling
the employment of lighter wire in the construction of said spring device than could
otherwise be the case. Of course, if desired, the loops may be dispensed with and
the suspender secured directly to the spring device a, as shown in Figure 1.
The spring device a will be formed in any desirable shape best calculated to give
good results, and its arms d will preferably be turned at an angle to the body of the
device, as shown.
In some instances it may be found desirable to employ pulleys, sheaves, or rollers a
secured within the housings, loops, or eyes of the arms d of the spring device.
These rollers may be of any suitable shape, and may be combined with the spring-
arms by various means.
The continuous cord, tape, or analogous flexible device f, operates the same in the
several constructions. When a pull is exerted upon the continuous cord or the like,
the spring device a not only yields by reason of its inherent elasticity, but there
is a slight lengthening or elongation of the attachment, due to the movement of the
ends of the arins d of said spring dovice a toward the vertical axis of the attachment;
and at the same time, during the approach of said arms d toward each other, that
portion of the cord which is between said arms is shortened and the slack taken up,
producing a considerable lengthening of the entire structure.
My attachment affords a yielding resistance at all times, and it readily accomodates
itself to any position that the body of the wearer may assume.
By pivoting the sheet-metal loops to the arms d of the spring dovice, whereby said
loops are adapted to swing laterally on the arms, I provide greater freedom of
movement than could be obtained if the connection between the loops and arms were
a rigid one.
I am aware that spring devices have heretofore been employed for connecting
suspender-ends to the webbing; but I do not claim such feature, broadly.
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. The spring device for suspenders, comprising flexible arms and means,
substantially as described, for connecting the suspender-web, in combination with
sheet-metal loops pivoted to the extremities of said arms and adapted to swing
laterally thereon, and a continuous cord having buttoning means at its ends and
passing through and co-operating with both of said pivoted loops, substantially as
set forth.
2. A suspender-end with means, substantially as described for securing the same to
the suspender-web, and provided with spring-arins d, having at thoir ends sheet-metal
loops provided with segmental tubes attached to the arins, and a continuous cord
having button-hole tabs adapted to render through the loops, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.