IMPROVEMENTS IN BROOCHES, AND OTHER DRESS FASTENINGS, AND DRESS ORNAMENTS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Martha Jane Creese, wife of Joseph Creese, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Lithographer and Printer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BROOCHES, AND OTHER DRESS
FASTENINGS, AND DRESS ORNAMENTS.”
Sealed the 17th April 1874, and dated the 8th November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Martha Jane Creese at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with her Petition, on
the 8th November 1878.
I, MARTHA JANE CREESE, wife of Joseph Creese, of Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Lithographer and Printer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BROOCHES, AND
OTHER DRESS FASTENINGS, AND DRESS ORNAMENTS," to be as follows:-

page_text: of the pin or tongue after it has been passed through the dress is
fastened by being engaged by a lateral movement with an eye or catch
open at its side, the pointed end of the pin or tongue being held in the
eye or catch by the elasticity of the pin, causing it to bear against the
upper part of the eye or catch. In brooches so fastened the pin is readily
released from the eye or catch by lateral pressure, and the brooch is in
consequence frequently detached from the dress and lost.
The object of my Invention is to remedy the defect referred to; and
my said Invention consists in so constructing the fastening of the brooch
or other article that the pin or tongue cannot be accidentally released
from the catch by lateral pressure, and great safety in the fastening is
thereby ensured.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a brooch. I use the
ordinary jointed pin or tongue and eye or catch, but to the lateral
opening in the said eye or catch I apply a safety apparatus, consisting
of a spring arm having at its free end a closing piece, by means of which
closing piece the lateral opening in the catch or eye is closed, and the
escape of the pin from the said catch prevented.
The closing piece of the spring arm has by preference the same
curvature as the eye or catch, and the spring arm is so situated with
respect to the lateral opening in the said catch that when the spring
arm and its closing piece are in their normal or uncompressed position
the said closing piece fits into and fills up the lateral opening in the
catch and the said catch has the appearance of a continuous ring. The
end of the closing piece is inclined, and the bottom edge of the opening
in the catch against which it bears is also inclined. The spring arm of
the closing piece is fixed to the frame of the brooch or to a cross bar on
the frame of the brooch.
In fastening the pin of the brooch the spring arm of the safety
apparatus is pressed upon by the pointed end of the pin; the closing
piece is thereby made to descend so as to remove its upper part from
11

page_text: To unfasten the brooch it is only necessary to press upon the spring
arm described when the closing piece descends and the pin may be with-
drawn from the catch through its side opening.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Martha Jane Creese in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARTHA
JANE CREESE, wife of Joseph Creese, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Lithographer and Printer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Martha Jane Creese, Her special licence that I,
the said Martha Jane Creese, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Martha Jane Creese, my executors, admini-
strators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN BROOCHES, AND OTHER
DRESS FASTENINGS, AND DRESS ORNAMENTS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Martha Jane Creese, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 per-
formed, 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 I, the said Martha Jane Creese, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
In ordinary brooches, and other dress fastenings, and ornaments
which are fastened by means of a pointed pin or tongue the pointed end

page_text: of the pin or tongue after it has been passed through the dress is fastened
by being engaged by a lateral movement with an eye or catch open at its
side, the pointed end of the pin or tongue being held in the eye or
catch by the elasticity of the pin causing it to bear against the upper
part of the eye or catch. In brooches so fastened the pin is readily
released from the eye or catch by lateral pressure, and the brooch is in
consequence frequently detached from the dress and lost.
The object of my Invention is to remedy the defect referred to; and
my said Invention consists in so constructing the fastening of the brooch
or other article that the pin or tongue cannot be accidentally released
from the catch by lateral pressure, and great safety in the fastening is
thereby ensured.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a brooch. I use the
ordinary jointed pin or tongue and eye or catch, but to the lateral
opening in the said eye or catch I apply a safety apparatus consisting of
a spring arm having at its free end a closing piece, by means of which
closing piece the lateral opening in the catch or eye is closed and the
escape of the pin from the said catch prevented.
The closing piece of the spring arm has by preference the same
curvature as the eye or catch, and the spring arm is so situated with
respect to the lateral opening in the said catch that when the spring arm
and its closing piece are in their normal or uncompressed position the
said closing piece fits into and fills up the lateral opening in the catch,
and the said catch has the appearance of a continuous ring. The end of
the closing piece is inclined, and the bottom edge of the opening in the
catch against which it bears is also inclined. The spring arm of the
closing piece is fixed to the frame of the brooch, or to a cross bar on
the frame of the brooch.
In fastening the pin of the brooch the spring arm of the safety
apparatus is pressed upon by the pointed end of the pin; the closing
piece is thereby made to descend so as to remove its upper part from the
opening in the catch. By a lateral movement the pointed end of the
pin now enters the open catch and the closing piece rises by the elasticity
of the spring arm and again closes the lateral opening in the catch. The
pin is thus fastened very securely in its catch, and there is no danger of
the accidental detachment of the pin from the catch by lateral pressure.

page_text: To unfasten the brooch it is only necessary to press upon the spring
arm described when the closing piece descends and the pin may be
withdrawn from the catch through its side opening.

page_text: piece f, and closing the lateral opening dat which the pin entered
secures the pin in the catch c.
In order to unfasten the brooch the closing piece f is depressed and
the lateral opening d in the catch c uncovered. By pressing the pin
laterally it may be made to pass out of the catch c by the said lateral
opening d and the brooch is unfastened.
Instead of constructing the catch, and the closing piece, and spring
in the manner represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, they may be con-
structed in the way represented in Figures 6, 7, and 8; Figure 6
representing the safety apparatus applied to a brooch, and Figures 7
and 8 the parts separately. In this method of carrying my Invention
into effect the catch c, spring h, and closing piece fare connected
together, and may be attached to the brooch by soldering or rivetting.
The spring is of greater length than in the modification, Figures 1, 2,
3, and 4, and is folded or doubled at h² (see the separate views of the
spring and closing piece Figures 7 and 8), and the catch c (shown
separately in Figure 7) is soldered to the folded end of the spring. The
closing piece f may work in a slot in the catch c, as represented in
Figure 7, instead of working as represented in Figure 3. The said slot
is seen in the front view of the catch, Figure 7, and is marked i.
Although I have only represented and described my Invention in its
application to a brooch, yet my said Invention is applicable to all kinds
of dress fastenings or ornaments, which are or may be attached by the
use of a pin or tongue which requires after the attaching of the article
to be held securely in an eye or catch.
As however the application of my Invention to articles other than
brooches differs in no essential respect from its application to brooches
I believe the application of my said Invention to other articles will be
fully understood by the description and representation herein given of
its application to brooches.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention, the improvements in brooches,
and other dress fastenings, and dress ornaments herein-before described

page_text: and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, securing
the pin or tongue by which the said articles are attached in an eye or
catch having a lateral opening closed by a spring closing piece, sub-
stantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Martha Jane Creese, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
MARTHA JANE CREESE. (L.s.)