IMPROVEMENTS IN BUSKS FOR STAYS AND BODDICES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas, of Nos. 128 and 129, Cheapside,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BUSKS FOR STAYS AND BODDICES."
Sealed the 29th September 1871, and dated the 22nd April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd April 1871.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS, of Nos. 128 and 129, Cheapside, in the City
of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BUSKS FOR STAYS AND BODDICES," to be as follows :—
My Invention has for its object to prevent the breaking of steel busks,
and consists in covering the same with a thin band of steel wrapped
round the busk in a helical direction, so as to constitute a flat helical
spring, in which the busk is enclosed. Such steel spring may either be
made to cover the whole length of the busk or only a portion of the
same, and if desired a further strengthening may be afforded by a second
similar helical spring placed over or under the first named one, and by
preference wrapped round in the contrary direction. These helical steel

page_text: coverings or springs may conveniently be secured on the busk by means
of metal clips of any suitable known form, upon which are also fixed
the fastening for the stay or boddice. For forming the flat helical
springs a thin band of steel when in a softened condition may be
wrapped in a helical direction round a mandril of the same width and 5
thickness as the busk, and the spring is then removed from the mandril
and is hardened and tempered in the usual manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Thomas in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS, of Nos. 128 and 129, Cheapside, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Thomas, Her special licence
that I, the said William Thomas, my exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Thomas, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BUSKS FOR STAYS AND BODDICES," upon the condition (amongst others,
that I, the said William Thomas, my executors or administrators, 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 performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Thomas, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and.
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-.
panying Sheet of Drawings, and to the Figures and letters marked
thercon, that is to say :-
My Invention has for its object to prevent the breaking of steel busks,
and consists in covering the same with a thin band of steel wrapped
round the busk in a helical direction, so as to constitute a flat helical
spring, in which the busk is enclosed. Such steel spring may either be
made to cover the whole length of the busk or only a portion of the
same, and if desired a further strengthening may be afforded by a second
similar helical spring placed over or under the first named one, and by
preference wrapped round in the contrary direction. These helical steel
coverings or springs may conveniently be secured on the busk by means
of metal clips of any suitable known form, upon which are also fixed
the fastening for the stays or boddice. For forming the flat helical
springs a thin band of steel, when in a softened condition, may be
wrapped in a helical direction round a mandril of the same width and
thickness as the busk, and the spring is then removed from the mandril
and is hardened and tempered in the usual manner. Or the thin band
of steel in a softened condition may be wrapped directly round the busk
itself, and this may then be passed between rollers, which are caused
to exert considerable pressure upon the steel covering so as to harden
the same somewhat.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings shews the steel busk A, with
the thin steel band B in the act of being wound upon it in a helical
direction; the winding on being effected either by hand or by any
suitable known mechanical means. The edges of the steel band may
either abutt against each other as shewn, or they may overlap each other
slightly; Figure 2 shews the busk with the steel covering B complete,
and secured on the busk by means of metal clips C, which also serve
as the fastenings for the stays or boddice; Figure 3 shews a busk with
two such helical steel coverings B, B¹, wound upon it, one over the
other, the covering B¹ being wound on in the contrary direction to B.
The second covering B' may either be only on the middle part of the
busk as shewn, or it may also extend the entire length of the busk.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, what I claim is, covering steel
busks for stays and boddices with one or more thin bands of steel wrapped

page_text: round the busk in a helical direction, substantially as and for the
purposes herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
T17 THOMAS