IMPROVEMENTS IN BRACES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Charlton Harding and Charles Doody, of
the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BRACES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Charlton Harding]
and Charles Doody at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 30th August 1862.
We, EDWARD CHARLTON HARDING and CHARLES DOODY, of the City of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRACES," to be as follows:-
Instead of the ordinary method of buttoning the braces to the back and
front of the trowsers, we fasten them to the sides only and dispense with the
back and front buttons altogether. We attach the two bands constituting
the braces by a cross piece at the back at or about the shoulders and bring
one end of each band under the shoulder, and attach it to the trowsers or to
straps buttoned to them, the other end of each band is brought over the
corresponding shoulder and attached to the front part of the braces or to the
trowsers, which arrangement will prevent the trowsers dragging or tearing
when the wearer is in the act of stooping or in a sitting posture as well as
securing many other advantages.

page_text: These improvements will be understood by referring to the accompanying
outline Drawing, and letters of reference marked thereon. a represents the
bands constituting the braces; b, the cross piece attaching them together at or
about the shoulders; c, straps buttoned to the sides of the trowsers; d, the ends
of the bands which are attached to the straps; and e, the ends of the bands
which are brought over the shoulders and buttoned to the straps or trowsers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Charlton Harding and Charles Doody in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th February 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWARD
CHARLTON HARDING and CHARLES DOODY, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said.
Edward Charlton Harding and Charles Doody, Her special license that
we, the said Edward Charlton Harding and Charles Doody, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Edward Charlton
Harding and Charles Doody, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BRACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Edward Charlton Harding and Charles Doody, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Edward Charlton Harding and
Charles Doody, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):-

page_text: Instead of the ordinary method of buttoning the braces to the back and
front of the trowsers, we fasten them to the sides and dispense with the back
buttons altogether. We form each of the main bands of the brace of two.
parts placed in an angular position with each other, and attach the two main
bands so formed by a cross piece at the back at or about the shoulders, and
bring one end of each band to the side and attach it to the trowsers or to
straps buttoned to them, the other end of each band is brought over the
corresponding shoulder and attached to the band near the trowsers or directly
to the side of the trowsers, either of which arrangements will prevent the
trowsers dragging or tearing when the wearer is in the act of stooping or in a
sitting posture as well as securing many other advantages.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a
back view of that arrangement of our brace in which the ends of each band
are buttoned together, and Fig. 2, a back view of that arrangement in which
both ends of the bands are connected to the trowsers. In both the Figures a, b,
represent the two parts of the two main bands of the brace, and c the cross
piece by which the pair of bands are attached together at or about the
shoulder. For the arrangement shewn in Fig. 1 we employ straps & each
having one or more button holes at the top for attaching them to studs e at
the ends of the parts a. The straps & are buttoned or otherwise fastened to
the sides of the trowsers and then attached to their corresponding studs or
buttons e on the parts a, after which the ends of the parts b are brought over
the shoulder and attached to the studs or buttons. In the arrangement
shewn in Fig. 2 the brace is formed so that the ends of the parts a of the
main bands shall be attached to the trowsers a short distance behind the side
seams, and the ends of the parts 6 of the bands after being brought over the
shoulder attached to the trowsers in front of the side seams.
These arrange-
ments secure a perfect suspension of the trowsers and allow the greatest
amount of free action to the movement of the body either in walking, sitting,
or riding, the trowsers remaining steady on the boots in all positions.
The peculiar nature of this Invention consists in forming each of the main
bands of two parts and attaching the two parts to the cross piece in such a
manner that they may be angular with each other, and thereby enable the
bands to be brought without any puckering to the sides of the trowsers.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention, we
desire it to be understood that we claim the formation of each main band of
the brace of two parts and attaching the two parts in angular positions to the

page_text: cross piece which connects the two main bands together for enabling the
brace to be efficiently attached to the sides of the trowsers as herein described
and illustrated in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edward Charlton Harding and Charles
Doody, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-seventh
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three.
EDWARD CHARLTON HARDING. (LS)
CHARLES DOODY.
(L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Edward Charlton Har-
ding and Charles Doody, in the
presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.