Improvements in Corsets or Corset Stays.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Aug., 1893-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Corsets or Corset Stays.
I, FRANZ OTTO ESTERMANN, Manufacturer, of Wellendingen-Rottweil, in the
German Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates more particularly to corset stays and has for its principal
object to render the same more flexible and durable than ordinary metallic stays,
without sacrificing the necessary strength.
Another object of my improvements is to hold and protect the metallic stay in
such a manner, that it is not liable to cut the lining or sheathing of textile fabric
and thereby to damage the clothes.
In order to increase the flexibility of metallic stays, I compose each stay of two
(or more) thin blades of elastic sheet steel, placed one upon the other, so as to allow
some relative motion or shifting in a longitudinal direction. These blades are
enclosed by a sheathing of textile fabric which secures the blades in position without
impeding the necessary mobility. The said sheathing is preferably composed of
two strips, or covers which overlap the edges of the steel strips, so as to form along
the edges of the stays a pair of rims, by means of which the stays may be sewn
on to the material of the corset. The two covering strips are united with each
other by two rows of stitches close to the edges of the steel blades, so that the
steel blades cannot shift bodily without much friction. In some cases the steel
blades, before they are sheathed with textile fabric, may be encased along their
edges by two metal strips, forming a longitudinal rim along each edge, and the
whole may then be sewn into a sheathing of woven linen or other textile fabric.
The whole stay, that is the sheathing containing the steel blades, is then laid
upon one of the seams of the corset or introduced into one of the pockets provided
for the stays, and united with the corset material by longitudinal rows of stitches
running through the rims or flanges formed by the sheathing along the edges of the
blades.
To prevent the ends of the steel blades from piercing the cloth, each end of the
stay is armed with a metallic clip or cap, which extends over the sheathing and is
fixed to the same, while allowing sufficient clearance between the ends of the steel
blades and the bent extremity of the clip, as not to interfere with the necessary
mobility of the steel blades.
The said clips may, however, be fixed to the inside of the corset material or
pockets, which enclose the stay.
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Corsets or Corset Stays.
I, FRANZ OTTO ESTERMANN, Manufacturer, of Wellendingen-Rottweil, in the
German Empire, 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 more particularly to corset stays and has for its principal
5 object, to render the same more flexible and durable than ordinary metallic stays,
without sacrificing the necessary strength.

page_text: Another object of my improvements is, to hold and protect the metallic stay in
such a manner, that it is not liable to cut the lining or sheathing of textile fabric
thereby damaging the clothes.
in order to increase the flexibility of metallic stays, I compose each stay of two
(or more) thin blades of elastic sheet steel, placed one upon the other, so as to
allow some relative motion or shifting in a longitudinal direction. These blades
are enclosed by a sheathing of textile fabric, which secures the blades in position
without impeding the necessary mobility.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a part of a corset provided with stays embodying
my invention.
Fig. 2 is a section along line R-R of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a section along line S-S and
Fig. 4 a section along line P-P of Fig. 1.
A-A represent the steel blades,
B-B the cloth sheathing.
The said sheathing is preferably composed of two strips or covers which overlap
the edges of the steel strips, so as to form along the edges of the stays a pair of
rims, by means of which the stays may be sewn on to the material of the corset.
The two covering strips B, B, are united with each other by two rows of
stitches close to the edges of the steel blades, so that the steel blades cannot
shift bodily without much friction. In some cases the steel blades, before being
sheathed with textile fabric, may be encased along their edges by two metal strips,
forming a longitudinal rim along each edge, and the whole may then be sewn into a
sheathing of woven linen or other textile fabric.
The whole stay, that is the sheathing containing the steel blades, is then laid
upon one of the seams of the corset, or, as shown by the drawing, it is introduced
into one of the pockets C provided for the stays, and united with the corset-material
by longitudinal rows of stitching e e running through the rims or flanges formed by
the sheathing along the edges of the blades.
To prevent the ends of the steel blades from piercing the cloth, each end of the
stay is armed with a metallic clip or cap D, which extends over the sheathing and
is fixed to the same, while allowing sufficient clearance between the ends of the steel
blades and the bent extremity of the clip, as not to interfere with the necessary
mobility of the steel blades.
The said clips may, however, be fixed to the inside of the corset material or
pockets which enclose the stay.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A corset stay chiefly composed of two or more thin flexible metallic blades,
placed one upon the other, so as to be capable of relative motion, substantially as
described.
2. A corset stay composed of two or more thin flexible metal blades placed one
upon the other so as to allow longitudinal shifting, a sheathing of textile fabric
enclosing the said metal blades, and metal caps adapted to protect the ends of the
blades, without preventing their relative motion, substantially as described.
3. A corset stay composed of two or more thin flexible metal blades A A, an
inner sheathing B B enclosing the blades by rows of stitches, and a pair of caps D,
the whole being enclosed in an outer sheathing C and sewn with the latter to the
material of the corset, substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of August 1893.
FAIRFAX
WETTER,
433, Strand, London, Agents.