Improvements in Tailors' Measures.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 31st Jan., 1891
COMPLETE SIEUIT ICATION.
Improvements in Tailors' Measures.
I, RICHARD LEWIS, of Union City, in the County of Erie, State of Pennsylvania,
United States of America, Tailor, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN TAILORS' MEASURES and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to instruments used by tailors for measuring the human
form; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of the parts herein-
after fully described and claimed.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a front view of the instrument showing the manner of using it.
Figure 2 is a rear view of the instrument; and
Figure 3 is a side view of the same.
A is a wooden vertical blade provided with cross arms B and C at right
angles to it; and D is a blade of flexible metal secured in line with the
blade A below the cross arms and provided with a scale of inches or other
divisions d.
E is a pendulum pivoted at e in the bracket e¹ secured to the upper part of
blade A; and F is a graduated plate provided with stops f for limiting the motion
of the lower end of the pendulum.
G is the reversable guard pivoted in the centre of the blade A by pins 7 and
lugs g, and adapted to be turned over to guard the other side of the pendulium, as
indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1.
H H are two pins projecting from the arms B and C at equal distances from the
edges of the flexible blade. The said flexible blade is one inch wide, and the
pins H H are five inches apart. I is a swinging arm pivoted centrally between
the pins H, upon the pivot i, and provided with the pin . J are projections upon
the back of blade D for retaining the arm I which is springy enough to pass
over them when turned forcibly by hand. The pin comes a little over the edge
of the blade D when turned in either direction, and each pin H is exactly three
inches from that edge of the flexible blade which is the farthest from it. The
blade D is made flexible so as to fit close against the body.
The principle upon which this instrument is constructed and applied, is that the
breast measure should be six inches greater than the waist measure to preserve a
perfect proportion. This instrument is applied, as shown in Figure 1, by placing it
against the vest in front of the arm. The end of the pendulum comes opposite the
point of contact with the arm, and the guard prevents the shirt sleeve from
obstructing the motion of the pendulum. When the pendulum indicates that the
arm D is vertical, a measurement is taken from the pin H under the arm to a
point d which is at the middle of the back. An ordinary tape measure is used with
a ring at the end which will slip over the pin H. The instrument is so pro-
portioned that the distance from the pin H under the arm to the point & should be
one quarter of the breast measure. Thus if the distance is nine inches the correct
breast measure should be thirty six inches; if ten inches the breast measure should
be forty inches, and intermediate measurements will give different breast measures
varying in the same proportion.
The tape measure is then moved and applied to the waist, a mark being made on
the vest, down the outside edge of blade D. The figures on the scale d show at
what distance the waist is measured below the arm. The distance is measured
between the mark made against the outer edge of the blade at c on the waist line to
the point which is at the middle of the back. If the proportion of the body is

page_text: perfect the distance between c and will be exactly the same as between H and b,
but if the distance is not the same the amount of difference will indicate the dis-
proportion, and this amount of difference must he distributed between the breast
and waist measures in cutting out and making up the garment. Thus measuring
from H to gives the breast measure, and also what the distance from c to 1
ought to be and measuring from c to gives the actual measure and the dis-
proportion at the same time. The instrument can be applied to the other arm at
the opposite side of the vest in a similar manner.
The arm I is turned as shown in Figure 1, according to the side of the body to
which the instrument is applied, and measurements are taken from its pin i¹ to
point b, and to the point at the middle of the top of the back.
also taken from pin H under the arm to the point k.
A measurement is
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 1
claim is :
1. The combination, with the vertical blade and its cross arms, of the flexible
blade arranged in line with the said vertical blade, the pins projecting from the
cross arms at a certain fixed distance from the edges of the said flexible blade
farthest from them, and a pendulum pivoted to the vertical blade, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
2. The combination, with the vertical blade and its cross arms, of the pendulum
pivoted to the upper part of the vertical blade, and the reversible guard pivoted on
the centre line of the pendulum to the said vertical blade, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
3. The combination, with the vertical blade, and its cross arms provided with
pins H, of the flexible blade arranged in line with the said vertical blade, the
swinging arm provided with a projecting pin at its free end and having its other
end pivoted to the blade centrally between the pins H, and the projections on the
back of the blade for retaining the said swinging arm, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 16th day of December 1890.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
Agents for Applicant.