A NEW OR IMPROVED HOLDER OR SUSPENDER FOR HOLDING OR SUSPENDING LADIES' DRESSES AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Caulkin, of Handsworth, in the County of
Stafford, Silversmith, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED HOLDER
OR SUSPENDER FOR HOLDING OR SUSPENDING LADIES' DRESSES AND OTHER
ARTICLES."
Sealed the 7th November 1879, and dated the 15th May 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Caulkin at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th May 1879.
JAMES CAULKIN, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, Silversmith.
"A NEW OR IMPROVED HOLDER OR SUSPENDER FOR HOLDING OR SUSPENDING
LADIES' DRESSES AND OTHER ARTICLES."
My Invention consists of a new or improved holder or suspender for holding or
suspending ladies' dresses and other articles, the parts of the said holder or suspender
being constructed and arranged in the manner herein-after described.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a lady's dress holder or dress
suspender.
In constructing a lady's dress holder or dress suspender according to my Invention,
I form by preference a rectangular frame having an oblong opening in it. The upper
part of this frame has a prolonged or stem part of less breadth than the said frame,
and the top of the said prolonged or stem part carries a loop by which the holder is
connected to the waist of the wearer, and the holder fastened in its gripping
position. To the back of the frame and near the upper end of the opening in the said
frame, a gripping lever is jointed. This gripping lever has nearly the same breadth
as the opening in the frame, and the two arms of the said lever are situated at.
opposite sides of the frame, that is to say, the upper arm of the lever passes through
the opening in the frame, and the greater part of it is situated in front of and is
capable of lying close against the prolonged or stem part of the frame, while the
lower arm is situated at the back of the frame and opposite the opening in it. The
lower arm of the lever has a bow or nearly semi-circular figure, the concave side of
the bowed arm being presented to the opening in the frame. The extreme end of
the bow part, when the gripping lever is in its fastening position, projects slightly
through the opening in the frame and is situated parallel to the bottom edge
of the opening in the frame.

page_text: The top of the upper arm of the gripping lever has a slot or opening in it passing
somewhat more than half across the said arm. When the connecting loop at the
head of the holder is at right angles to the prolonged part or stem of the holder
the upper arm of the gripping lever can shut down close upon the said prolonged
part, and by bringing the said connecting loop in a line with the upper arm of the
gripping lever the latter is firmly bound to the frame.
In using the dress holder or dress suspender the upper straight arm of the
gripping lever is liberated from the frame and the said lever turned on its joint so
as to remove its bowed lower arm from the opening in the frame. The portion of
the dress to be gripped being placed within the bowed lower arm of the gripping
lever, the upper arm of the said lever is closed upon and fastened to the prolonged
upper part of the frame. The part of the dress in the bowed lower arm of the
gripping lever is thereby gripped very securely between the lower edge of the
bowed arm of the lever and the lower edge of the opening in the frame of the dress
holder or dress suspender.
By my Invention, the part of the dress to be held is readily placed in and removed
from the holder or suspender, and the dress is gripped very firmly by the holder or
suspender.
Besides holding or suspending ladies' dresses, my Invention may also be used for
suspending other articles from the waist, such as scissors, keys, and reticules, as
well as for suspending curtains and other articles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Caulkin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th November
1879.
"
JAMES CAULKIN, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, Silversmith.
A NEW OR IMPROVED HOLDER OR SUSPENDER FOR HOLDING OR SUSPENDING
LADIES' DRESSES AND OTHER ARTICLES."
My Invention consists of a new or improved holder or suspender for holding or
suspending ladies' dresses and other articles, the parts of the said holder or suspender
being constructed and arranged in the manner herein after described.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a lady's dress holder or dress
suspender.
In constructing a lady's dress holder or dress suspender according to my Inven-
tion, I form by preference a rectangular frame having an oblong opening in it.
The upper part of this frame has a prolonged or stem part of less breadth than the
said frame, and the top of the said prolonged or stem part carries a loop by which
the holder is connected to the waist of the wearer and the holder fastened in its
gripping position. To the back of the frame and near the upper end of the
opening in the said frame a gripping lever is jointed. This gripping lever has
nearly the same breadth as the opening in the frame, and the two arms of the said
lever are situated at opposite sides of the frame, that is, to say, the upper arm of

page_text: the lever passes through the opening in the frame, and the greater part of it is
situated in front of and is capable of lying close against the prolonged or stem part
of the frame, while the lower arm is situated at the back of the frame and opposite
the opening in it. The lower arm of the lever has a bow or nearly semi-circular
figure, the concave side of the bowed arm being presented to the opening in the
frame. The extreme end of the bow part, when the gripping lever is in its
fastening position, projects slightly through the opening in the frame. The top of
the upper arm of the gripping lever has a slot or opening in it, passing somewhat
more than half across the said arm. When the connecting loop at the head of the
holder is at right angles to the prolonged part or stem of the holder, the upper arm
of the gripping lever can shut down close upon the said prolonged part, and by
bringing the said connecting loop in a line with the upper arm of the gripping
lever the latter is firmly bound to the frame.
In using the dress holder or dress suspender, the upper straight arm of the
gripping lever is liberated from the frame and the said lever turned on its joint so
as to remove its bowed lower arm from the opening in the frame. The portion of
the dress to be gripped being placed within the bowed lower arm of the gripping
lever the upper arm of the said lever is closed upon and fastened to the prolonged
upper part of the frame.
The part of the dress in the bowed lower arm of the gripping lever is thereby
gripped very securely between the lower edge of the bowed arm of the lever and
the lower edge of the opening in the frame of the dress holder or dress suspender.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, Figure 2 in back elevation, Figure 3 in
side elevation, and Figure 4 in section, a lady's dress holder or dress suspender
mado according to my Invention, the gripping lever being shown closed or in its
gripping position. Figure 5 represents in side elevation and Figure 6 in section
the holder or suspender with the gripping lever open for releasing the dress.
Figure 7 represents the frame of the holder detached, and Figure 8 represents the
gripping lever detached.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
The
a is the frame of the holder or suspender having in it an oblong opening b; a² is
the stem or prolonged part of the holder, of less width than the said frame a.
top of the stem part a² carries a loop c, by which the holder is connected to the
waist of the wearer and the holder fastened in its gripping position, as herein after
explained. , d, is the gripping lever, jointed at e to the back of the frame a and
near the upper end of the opening b in the said frame. The gripping lever d, d²,
has nearly the same width as the opening b in the frame a.
The short arm d³ of
the gripping lever has a bow or nearly semi-circular figure, the concave side of the
bowed arm d² being presented to the opening b in the frame. It will be seen by
an examination of Figures 4, 5, and 6 that the upper straight arm d of the gripping
lever d, d, is situated at the front of the stem part a³, and the lower bowed arm d²
is situated at the back of the frame a and opposite the opening b in it. The stem
part of the frame and the upper arm & of the gripping lever have a slightly
curved figure in cross section. In the top of the upper arm & of the gripping
lever d, d², is an oblique slot f. When the loop c is turned down into the position
represented in Figure 2, the upper arm & of the gripping lever can be shut down
close upon the part a of the holder, and by turning the said loop c into a line with
the upper arm of the gripping lever, as illustrated in Figures 1, 3, and 4, the
gripping lever is bound firmly to the frame. In order to hold the connecting loop c
in its fixing position, a stud g is made near the end of the arın d, against which stud
the said loop bears. When the loop c is raised into the position represented in
Figures 1, 3, and 4, for fastening the gripping lever to the holder, the said loop c
rises over the stud or stop g, and the arin d and stem a² are drawn together, and
after the loop has passed the said stud g it snaps onto the opposite side of the said

page_text: stud, as seen in Figure 1, and thereby prevents the accidental liberation of the
gripping lever of the holder. The slight elasticity requisite for the snapping action
of the loop c over the stud g is provided for by making the stem part a² of the
frame of a curve in cross section of a slightly larger radius. than the curve of the
lever arm d. In using the dress holder, the upper straight arm d of the gripping
lever is liberated from the part a² of the frame by turning down the loop c into the
position shewn in Figure 2. The lever d, d², can now be turned on its joint e into
the position represented in Figures 5 and 6. The part of the dress to be held being
placed within the bowed arm of the gripping lever, the upper arm d of the said
lever is closed upon and fastened to the stem part a² of the frame a, in the manner
represented in Figures 1, 3, and 4. That part of the dress passing around the
edge d³ of the gripping arm d² and the back a* of the frame a is thereby gripped
very firmly between the said edge d³ and the lower edge a³ of the opening b in the
frame, as will be understood by an examination of Figure 4.
By my Invention, the part of the dress to be held is readily placed in and removed
from the holder or suspender, and the dress is gripped very firmly by the holder or
suspender.
Besides holding or suspending ladies' dresses my Invention may also be used for
suspending other articles from the waist, such as scissors, keys, and reticules, as
well as for suspending curtains and other articles.
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 claim as my Invention,
the new or improved holder or suspender for holding or suspending ladies' dresses
and other articles, and the parts of which holder or suspender are constructed,
combined, and used substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Caulkin, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this First day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JAMES CAULKIN. (L.S.)