Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1888
Specification Accepted, 24th Aug., 1888
A communication from abroad by WILLIAM MATTHEW DUCKER, of the City, County,
and State of New York, in the United States of America, Manufacturer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both 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:
This invention relates to a corset fastening device, which will hold the parts securely
in position against the ordinary pressure or strain to which a device of this kind is usually
subjected, which is not liable to become unfastened by any of the ordinary movements of the
body of the wearer, which can be easily adjusted to fasten the corset, and by means of which
the corset can be quickly unfastened, which is simple and can be cheaply made and
readily applied to corset steels such as are commonly in use, and which will project but
little above the surface of the steels, and which can be readily covered to present a neat
appearance by such coverings as are usually employed for covering corset steels.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a view of the fastening applied to a pair of corset steels, as it appears
when they are fastened.
Figure 2 shows the steels opened.
Figure 3 is a section on the line x, x, of Figure 1, looking towards the fastening.
Figure 4 is a section through the line y, y, of Figure 1, showing the position of the
parts relative to each other when the fastening is closed.
Figure 5 is a similar section, with the steels turned to unfasten the corsets, and
shows the position of the parts relative to each other in unfastening.
Figure 6 is a front view of the stiff catch part.
Figure 7 is a front view of the spring catch part.
Figure 8 is a view corresponding to Figure 1 of another way of carrying out this
invention
•

page_text: Figure 9 is a section of Figure 8 on the line ¹, x¹.
Figure 10 is a section corresponding to Figure 5, with the steels turned to unfasten
the corset.
Figure 11 shows another way of forming the guide-way g.
Figures 12, 13, and 14 illustrate other ways of forming the catches.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the drawings.
This device consists essentially of a, stiff catch and a spring catch to engage there-
with of novel construction, arranged relatively to each other so that these catches will
engage and lock or fasten the corset when properly adjusted.
A is one of the corset steels, to which the stiff catch piece a is secured, and B is a
similar steel to which the spring catch piece b is secured.
The stiff catch piece a is conveniently made of a single piece of suitable metal,
having attaching parts or cars as c, c, which may lie against the corset steel and be
secured thereto by suitable rivets. Between these parts or ears, a raised portion d, is
provided into or under which the end of the spring catch piece b is received, when the
fastening is closed, and for this purpose an opening e is provided therein. A portion
a¹ of this piece a, with an upwardly turned catch f, clearly shown in Figure 2, projects
beyond the edge of the corset steel A, to engage with the catch on the spring piece b.
This stiff catch part a, is conveniently made of a single piece of metal bent or struck
up into the desired shape with the hole e made theroin.
The spring catch part b may consist of two pieces of suitable metal, which can be
fastened to the steel B with a single rivet at one end, as shown in the Figures. One
part, the under part g, has two little ears or guides, i, i, turned up, between which the
spring catch piece b rests, and which also guide into position the stiff catch part a¹
when the fastening is to be closed or locked. The end of the piece g, is bent back
upon itself under the steel B, and with the rivet at the other end, keeps this guide piece
9, firmly in position. Above the piece g, a spring catch piece b is secured by the same
rivet. This is to be made of suitable spring metal, and is provided with a suitable
catch or engaging part k, and a tongue part 1. The tongue part / projects beyond the
corset steel, and is adjusted to enter the hole e of the piece a, while the catch part k,
which may be formed by bending the spring piece b, or by an attached portion.
engages with the catch on the piece a. The normal adjustment of the spring part of
B, between the catch k and the rivet is such that the under side of the catch k will
press toward the steel and upon the guide piece g.
The operation is as follows: When the steels A, B, are opposite each other as shown
in Figure 2, they are brought towards each other so that the tongue will enter the
hole e, and the part a will pass between the ears i, i, and when the steels are near to
cach other, at the point at which they are intended to be fastened, as shown in Figure 1.
the catches f, k, will engage with each other and hold the steels firmly together, as
clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4.
When it is desired to unfasten the corset, it is only necessary to grasp the
steels at either the upper or the lower ends, and press their joining edges toward the
person of the wearer, until they assume the position shown in Figure 5, when all
the fastenings in the series will unclose at once, because in that position the stiff catch
part a throws upward the spring catch part & and allows it to pass over the catch f,
as is clearly indicated in Figure 5.
In Figures 8, 9, 10, another way is shown of carrying out the invention. In this
example the stiff catch part a² is formed without a raised portion d and hole e, and the
spring catch part 61 is shortened and rounded or thickened up at its exposed endas
by being turned back upon itself. The operation is the same as in the former
example of the invention, the stiff catch part a being inserted between the spring
catch and its steel, when it is designed to fasten the corset, and pushed forward until
the catch flocks into the catch k. To unfasten the corset, the outer edges of the steels
are brought towards each other, pushing the edges with the fastening inward, as
shown in Figure 10, which uncloses the entire series, as before.
In Figures 12 and 13, another way of carrying out the invention is shown: In this
the stiff catch part a³ has a downward catch f¹, and an upward turned catch ³, is

page_text: provided under a spring 63 on the other steel.
This turned up catch k³ may be struck
up from the bottom of the guide way g, or from a separate piece, as indicated in
Figure 13. This form of fastening is closed by simply pushing the forward end of
the stiff catch part a³ between the end I³ of the spring and the steel B of Figure 12,
and as the catches incline toward each other when they meet, they will pass and
interlock. The corset is to be unclosed in the same manner as in the other examples
of the invention.
In Figure 14 still another way of carrying out the invention is shown. In this
the stiff catch part a is formed as in Figure 8, and a spring strip 6 of suitable
size, arranged to press upon the corset steel B, is attached to such steel. This spring
strip & has a slot * cut in it of suitable size to receive and engage with the catch f,
on the stiff catch piece a², Figure 14. In locking the parts together in this example
of the invention, the catch fis pushed against the lower side of the projecting end 14
of the spring piece b* far enough to separate the spring piece 6 from the steel B, so
that the catch may enter and engage in the slot k. The corset is unclosed as in the
other examples, the end of the spring piece 4 will press against the outer face of
the stiff catch a when the steels are turned as before, and will allow the catch to, pass
out of the slot kt.
In Figure 11 a modification of the guide way 9, of Figures 1 to 10 is shown. In
this instance two portions j, j, which may be continuations of the parts i, i, are bent
over the spring part of the structure on the steel B, and these serve to support or
stiffen the spring, and also to prevent that part turning in the rivet, if that should
become loosened.
This guide way, in one or the other form shown, is used advantageously with every
form of the spring catch device herein shown and described.
It will be seen that the parts may be neatly covered with any desired material
usually employed in covering corset steels, leaving exposed only the portions
projecting beyond the steels, and giving to the steels a very neat appearance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what Danner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A corset fastening, consisting of a stiff catch part such as a carried by one
steel, and a spring catch part such as 6 carried by the other steel, the said parts
being so constructed and located as to interlock with each other when the outer
edges of the steels are brought together laterally, and so as to be readily disengaged
by pressing said edges inwards, substantially as described and shown.
2. In a corset fastening, the combination of a stiff catch part a, provided with a
raised part d, opening e, projecting portion a', and catch f, of a guide way, having
guides i, i, for said catch f, and of a spring catch part b, secured above said guide
way g, and provided with an engaging part k, for interlocking said catch f, and with
a tongue for insertion into the aforesaid hole e, substantially as described and
shown.
3. In a corset fastening, the combination of the stiff catch part a, c, d, e, a¹, f, the
guide way part gih, and the spring catch part b kl, each formed of a single piece of
material, substantially as described and shown.
4. The modified forms of corset fastenings, each constructed as a whole, substan-
tially as described and shown in Figures 6 to 14 inclusive.
Til th
1.1 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.