Improvements in Garment Stays Designed for Use as a Substitute for Whalebones or other Analogous Devices for Stiffening a Dress Waist, Corset, and the like
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1887
Specification Accepted, 24th Feb., 1888
Improvements in Garment Stays Designed for Use as a Substitute
for Whalebones or other Analogous Devices for Stiffening a
Dress Waist, Corset, and the like.
A communication from abroad by CLINTON WILLIAM RUSSELL, of Detroit, County
of Wayne, and State of Michigan, United States of America, Draughtsman.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and C Bank Street, Manchester, hoth in
the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, 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 :-
The invention consists of a metallic preferably a steel strip which is first coated by
dipping or otherwise with rubber or other analogous plastic substance, impervious to
moisture; my correspondent then takes a piece of fabric and lays thereon a sheet of
gutta-percha tissue, he then lays thereon this strip of coated metal and on top of that
another sheet of fabric, and the whole are united by pressure, as for instance with a
flat iron, heated or not as may be found necessary.
In the drawings-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a series of these stays as they are formed side by
side in a single sheet.
Figure 2 represents the same as they are severed by a pinking machine or other
cutter.
Figure 3 is a separate view of one of the individual stays, and opened up to show
its construction.
Figure 4 represents a modification in which instead of employing the sheet of gutta
percha tissue, the surface of one of the sheets of fabric is simply coated or smeared
with the said gutta percha, or similar compound impervious to moisture.
Figure 5 is a cross section of the structure shown in Figure 3.
A represents the lower sheet of fabric, B, the upper sheet of fabric, C represents the
steel or metallic strip coated by dipping or otherwise with rubber or equivalent
plastic C. D is a sheet of gutta percha tissue. These are placed in the order shown

page_text: in Figure 3 and the whole is then compressed until they thoroughly adhere. When
thus compressed together the metallic strip is thoroughly protected from the effects
of moisture and the gutta percha extends out at the sides into the portion b designed
for stitching.
In practice these stays are made in a series as shown in Figure 1, laying the steels
side by side, and after the sheet or series is complete the separate stays are severed
in any convenient way, as for instance, by a pinking machine as indicated in
Figure 2.
Instead of using the sheet of gutta percha D, this sheet may be dispensed with and
instead thereof, one of the fabrics, as for instance A, may be coated with liquid, gutta
percha or analogous plastic, by a brush or otherwise, said coated surface being
represented at D₁ in Figure 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A garment stay consisting of a metallic strip coated with plastic rubber or
analogous substance, in combination with an upper and lower surface of fabric, and an
intermediate sheet of gutta percha tissue, the whole being united by pressure and heat,
substantially as described.
2. A garment stay consisting of a metallic strip coated with plastic rubber or
analogous substance impervious to moisture, the same interposed between two sheets
of fabric, the inner surface of one of said sheets being smeared with plastic rubber or
analogous substance, and the whole united by pressure, substantially as described.
Dated this 24th day of October 1887.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.