Improvements in Forms or Stands for Wearing Apparel.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 7th Dec., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Forms or Stands for Wearing Apparel.
I WILLIAM VOGLER of Somerville, in the County of Middlesex, in the State of
Massachusetts one of the United States of America, Machinist 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 :-
This invention has for its object the production of a simple and serviceable form
for wearing apparel and to hold dresses, coats, etc., the said form being so con-
structed that it may he readily expanded or contracted to the desired shape.
In the form to be herein described the wings, preferably of wire, are connected
with arms a series of which are held at a certain distance apart by means of a
carriage, which carriage is shown as made radially adjustable toward and from the
standard of the dress form by means of a grooved cam-plate having preferably a single
spiral or scroll-like groove, but instead the said cam-plate may have several grooves
or be made after the fashion of what is called a snail cam, but the spiral groove
affords more accurate adjustment and enables the wings to better retain and remain
in their adjusted position when a dress is on the form.
The carriages referred to are so constructed as to receive the arms of the wings
and keep them separated.
These carriages have studs or pins which enter the groove or grooves of the cam-
plate, and co-operating with each of the grooved cams used and the said carriages,
is a slotted cap-plate through which the said studs or pins are extended to thus enable
the cap-plates to serve as a guide for the carriages in their radial movements.
A shoe interposed between the cam and cap-plate and fast on the said stud or
pin serves to keep the said studs or pins in the grooves of the cam-plate, the said
shoes aiding in keeping the said studs or pins in upright position.
My invention consists essentially in a dress form containing a standard, a grooved
cam-plate thereon, an independent slotted cap-plate, a series of carriages having pins
or studs, and a series of arms arranged in groups and having dependent wings
attached thereto, the said arms being connected with the said carriages; also in a
dress form containing the following instrumentalities, namely a standard, two
grooved cam-plates thereon, two independent slotted cap-plates co-operating there-
with, a series of carriages and connected pins or studs actuated upon by one of the
said cams, a series of wings having arms connected to and made movable with the
said carriage, the bust or holder section connected with the said wings, a series of
neck-rods, and a series of neck-carriages to which the said neck-rods are connected,
substantially as will be described.
Fig. 1 represents a sufficient portion of a form for wearing apparel, the form
being shown as a dress form to enable my invention to be understood, the wings
being in elevation, the front half of the bust or shoulder portion being supposed to
be broken away and omitted.
Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the upper portion of the form represented in
Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1 with the shoulder or bust portion removed, the
standard being in section.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of the neck portion of the form with part of the
shoulder or bust in section at the right.
Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the upper part of the form in the line, Fig. 4.
Fig. 6, a plan view of the cam employed in the neck of the form for expanding
the shoulder or bust portion.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail of the form showing the arms carrying the skirt
wings and the means for supporting and adjusting the said arms.

page_text: Fig. 8 is a partial section in the line of Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 is a detail showing in plan view the cam employed to expand and contract
the lower part of the form, the said cam being located in the waist of the form.
Fig. 10 shows a modified form of cam which may be used, and
Fig. 11, an under side view of one of the cap-plates showing the shoes in place.
The standard à, preferably of metal, will in practice have a suitable foot or feet to
rest upon the floor.
This standard has screwed to it by a suitable set-screw as a¹, the hub of a grooved
cam-plate a², the said hub in practice preferably having inserted within it a sleeve,
as b. through which the said screw extends to impinge against the standard a.
The sleeve above the cam-plate a³ is provided with a shoulder or collar, as ', which
serves to keep down in proper position a cap-plate 6 having several radial slots,
as 2, the said cap-plate and grooved cam-plate being rotatable one with relation to
the other about the said sleeve.
The cap-plate at its under side below the slots thereon have lips 40, see Fig. 11,
to receive and guide the shoes c¹.
The upper side of each like grooved cam-plate a² and m shown separately in
Figs. 9 and 6, has a groove made as a scroll, it starting from the central part of
the cam-plate and passing around and around the same substantially to its edge.
Each shoe c fitted to slide in guideways between the lips 40, see Fig. 11, at the
underside of the cap-plate &, has a stud or pin as c, the upper part of which enters
a carriage as d to which is connected an arm g of eacli of the several wings g
employed in one group.
These studs or pins c are free to play in the slots 2 of the cap-plate, and below
'the shoes the said studs or pins enter the groove.
By permitting the studs or pins to enter the groove or grooves of the cam-plate,
the said carriages, when the cam-plate or cap-plate are rotated one with relation to
the other about the standard, are moved radially toward and from the said standard
to expand or contract the dress form.
The wings g composed, preferably of wiro and shaped substantially as shown,
depend from the like arms g', and the said arms herein supposed to be of wire, are
connected in suitable manner with the said carriages, as by the studs or pins c,
the said arms being kept separated from each other for any desired or proper
distance by entering slots in the upturned or flanged outer ends of the said
carriages d.
The inner ends of the said arms g¹ are herein represented as bent, or provided with
eyes which fit over the pins or studs c, or they may fit any suitable pin or stud
extended above the carriage so long as the said arms are connected with and so as to
move in unison with the said carriages.
The upturned or flanged part of the carriages d are herein represented as of
segmental form.
I have herein shown four arms gl connected to each stud C₂ but I may use a
greater or less number of arms or wings with each carriage, according to the
number of wings desired in each group of wings, and the distance apart of the
slots in the flanged parts d' in which the said arms are dropped or laid.
In case of accident to any one or more arms or wings they may be readily
removed from the form and new ones substituted, or wings of other shape may be
readily substituted.
I have shown each wing as having an upwardly extended finger, as 3, represented
best in Fig. 8.
These 'fingers serve to receive sockets or eyes 4 preferably of metal secured in
suitable manner to the shoulder or bust portions of the form.
The shoulder or bust portion is herein represented as composed of four pieces,
preferably of papier-maché or paper, or other suitable or usual material.
The upper ends of the bust or shoulder portions have loops or eyes, as 5, sce
Figs. 4 and 5, which receive, as herein represented, the down-turned ends of neck-
rods m composed preferably of wire, each neck-rod having its inner end bent to

page_text: form an eye to embrace a pin or stud as m¹ erected upon the neck-shoes p³ interposed
between the slotted cap-plate m³ and the grooved cam m*.
The said cam m and cap-plate m³ surround a pipe ³ loose on the standard a
and resting loosely on a collar a secured to the rod by means of a suitable set
screw m
The small pipe having preferably a head n³ and a collar 7, is screwed into or
secured in other suitable manner to the cam grooved plate m so that the cam-plate
may be rotated by the said pipe while the cap-plate connected to the shoulder portions
remains at rest.
The pins or studs m', as described of the pins or studs c, are also extended through
a shoe, the shoes in the neck of the form being marked p², and thence into the grooves
of the neck-cam m*.
The cam m, the disc m³, the pin or stud m², shoe ², and the carriages m², are
substantially the same as the parts shown and previously described as employed at
the waist of the form to provide for adjustment of that part, and by rotating either
the cam-plate m' or the slotted plate m³ the carriages m³ may be adjusted radially
to expand or contract the upper part of the shoulder or bust portion of the
form.
Referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that the cam m* as described of the cam a³, bas
a scroll shaped groove.
In Fig. 10, have shown a modified form of grooved cam, the cam having a
series of independent grooves, it in practice being known as a snail-cam.
By employing a scroll-cam rather than a snail-cam, finer adjustment may be had
and the wings be better capable of retaining their adjusted position when the form
holds a skirt.
If the snail-cam is used, the dress-form will have a locking-device to prevent the
rotation of the wings and slotted cap-plate about the standard except when the form
is to be expanded or contracted, but with the scroll-cam the locking-device will not
be required.
The form, with the wings, may be readily rotated about the standard without
expanding or contracting the same, but by engaging the upper end of the pipe / in
one hand and rotating the form, the cap-plates rotating with the form and about the
standard, causes the pins or studs c and m¹ to travel in the cam-grooves and expand
or contract the form according to the direction of rotation.
I do not intend to limit my invention to the exact number of cam grooved plates
employed in the form, or to the exact shape of the grooves in the said cams.
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: A dress form containing a standard, a grooved cam-plate thereon, an
independent slotted cap-plate, a series of carriages having pins or studs, and a series
of arms arranged in groups and having dependent wings attached thereto, the
said arms being connected with the said carriages substantially as described.
2: A dress form containing the following instrumentalities, namely:-a standard,
two grooved cam-plates thereon, two independent slotted cap-plates co-operating
therewith, a series of carriages and connected pins or studs actuated upon by one of
the said cams, a series of wings having arms connected to and made movable with the
said carriage, the bust or holder section connected with the said wings, a series of
neck-rods, and a series of neck-carriages to which the said neck-rods are connected,
substantially as described.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.