IMPROVEMENTS IN LADIES' DRESS HOLDERS OR SUSPENDERS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Leslie Fyfe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th February 1880.
ALEXANDER LESLIE FYFE, of Aldersgate Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LADIES' DRESS HOLDERS OR SUSPENDERS."
My Invention relates to an improved construction of ladies' dress holder or
suspender for keeping the lower part of the skirt or train raised off the ground.
The dress holder or suspender is constructed of a tubular bow or frame composed
of a metal tube bent to a horse shoe form, at the extremities of which two gripping
levers are jointed. These levers are opposite one another, and they are rather
longer than the distance between their fulcra, so that when closed together they
meet nearly end to end. They resemble the levers of a toggle joint in their action,
and their inner extremities carry indiarubber or other pads and form jaws to grip
the skirt, which they retain more firmly the greater the tension. The gripping
levers terminate at the other extremities in knobs, by pressing on which the levers
may be oscillated to throw the jaws back from one another. The levers are closed
together by a spiral spring or springs contained within the tubular bow or frame,
and attached to the gripping levers near their fulcra. If a single spring is used
it would pass round the curved part of the bow or frame and be attached by its
two extremities to the two gripping levers, a pin being preferably passed through
the frame at the middle of the spring to retain the latter in place; or if two
openings are used they would each be attached by one end to a gripping lever, and
by the other to a point in the tubular frame. These springs or spring act
preferably by tension, but they might be arranged to act by compression if
desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Leslie Fyfe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
August 1880.
ALEXANDER LESLIE FYFE, of Aldersgate Street, in the City of London.
“IMPROVEMENTS IN LADIES' DRESS HOLDERS OR SUSPENDERS."
My Invention relates to an improved construction of ladies' dress holder or
suspender for keeping the lower part of the skirt or train raised off the ground, in
which spiral springs are employed for closing the gripping levers on the dress and
maintaining them in that position.
According to one arrangement the dress holder or suspender is constructed of a
tubular bow or frame composed of a metal tube bent to a horse-shoe form, at the
extremities of which the two gripping levers are jointed. These levers are opposite
one another, and they are rather longer than the distance between their fulcra, so
that when closed together they meet nearly end to end. They resemble the levers
of a toggle joint in their action, and their inner extremities carry indiarubber or
other pads and form jaws to grip the skirt, which they retain more firmly the
greater the tension. The gripping levers terminate at the other extremities in
knobs, by pressing on which the levers may be oscillated to throw the jaws back
from one another. The levers are closed together by a spiral spring or springs,
preferably of steel contained within the tubular bow or frame, and attached to
the gripping levers near their fulcra. If a single spring be used it would pass
round the curved part of the bow or frame, and be attached by its two extremities
to the two gripping levers, a pin being passed through the frame at the middle of
the spring to retain the latter in place; but if two springs are used (this being the
form I prefer) they would each be attached by one end to a gripping lever, and by
the other to the tubular frame. These springs act preferably by tension, but they
might be arranged to act by compression if desired.
In a second arrangement the dress holder consists of a pair of arms pivoted to
one another at or near their midlength, and connected at their upper extremities
by jointed links, the spring in this case being placed between the pivot at the
middle of the arms and the point of connection of the links.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 shows the first arrangement. a is the
tubular bow or frame, and 6 the gripping levers having rubber cushions or pads c,
between which the dress is held, said levers being pivoted at 61 to ears on a tubular
piece c, which is soldered to the inside of the extremity of the bow, and to which is
attached one end of the spring d; f is a metal strip which is attached to the lever b
at f', and passes through and is bent over and connected to the upper end of the
spring, so that the springs are compressed, when by pressing on the knobs g of
levers b the levers are oscillated, as indicated by dotted lines, to separate the jaws
and allow of the insertion of the dress. On releasing the levers the springs
instantly close the jaws and grip the dress between them. The application of a
single spring will be obvious without illustration.
In Figure 2 I have shown a dress holder of another design, but in which the
levers are similarly operated.
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, illustrate the second arrangement. h are the two levers
carrying the pads or cushions
at their lower ends, and pivoted to one another
at i. At their upper ends the levers h are connected by links j, which are loosely
jointed to the levers and to one another at j¹ and j³ respectively; k is the spiral
spring, which in this case is applied between pivot í and the point of connection
of the links at 12. The spring is contained in a box or case n made in two parts
sliding one within the other, and which is mounted on a slotted bar o that passes
through slits o' in the top and bottom of the spring box (see Figure 7). The pin 1³
which connects the links passes through the slot in o¹.

page_text: In using this holder the jaws are separated by pressing inwards the upper
extremities of the levers (as seen in Figure 5), whereby the links force the one half
of the spring box along the other half, and compress the spring within said box.
When the levers are released the spring expands and forces the upper half of, the
box upwards, carrying therewith the links j, and closing the pads or cushions on
the dress which has been placed between them.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The several constructions of ladies' dress holders or suspenders, substantially
as herein described and shown in the Drawings.
2nd. A dress holder or suspender constructed of a tubular frame, a spiral spring
or springs, and a pair of gripping levers, combined to operate substantially as
described and shown in the Drawings.
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In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Leslie Fyfe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
T