US26159A - bradley - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. W. BRADLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LADY S BUSTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 26,159, dated November 22, 1859.

To all whom 'it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. BRADLEY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ladies Bustles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a top view of a bustle constructed according to my invention showing it in the condition it assumes on the body, in wear. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal view of the same taken looking toward the inner side. Fig. 8, represents the bustle folded for packing or putting away. Fig. et, represents one 0f the metal clasps employed in the bustle.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My invention consists in the combination of a waist band, and a spiral spring tapered from the middle toward each end, substantially as hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The waist band is composed of two strips of spring steel cz, a, of a length nearly sufficient to encircle the waist, arranged parallel or nearly so with each other and having their extremities connected with two straps Z), c, which are furnished with hooks and eyes or other fastenings to secure it upon the waist and, if necessary, to adjust it to the proper size. The strips a., a, are kept sep- `arate for the greater portion of their length to permit the attachment of the spiral spring A, to them by the metal clasps d, d. The spring A, which gives form to the bustle should preferably be made of a single strip of steel, and if made of more than one piece the pieces should be united together securely by the clasps (Z, CZ, which attach the spring to the strips c, a, or by other metal clasps provided for the purpose. The length of the spring between the terminal coils of the spiral should be sufficient to extend about 01 more than half way around the body, the middle coil being as large as may be desired, say from three to four inches in diameter and the other coils gradually diminishing in size toward the terminal ones which may be as small as desired, say one inch in diameter. The extremities of the spring are secured to the terminal coils by clasps f, f. One of the strips a, a, of the band may be passed through the spring A, inside of all the coils and the other along the outside or both of the said strips may be-inside or both outside of the coils. The clasps cl, d, are made of metal plate in the form of crosses as shown in Fig. 4, with lips e, e, Figs. 2, and 4L, to lap over the strips a, a., on each side of every coil and over every coil above and below each strip a.

The bustle thus constructed possesses many advantages over the bustles having a somewhat similar appearance made of a combination of bows and rings. In those bustles the rings being held in place by metal slides are very liable to be displaced when,the bustle is in wear and cannot well be readjusted by the wearer without taking off the outer garment at least; but in this improved bustle the coils forming parts of a continuous spring serve to preserve each others form and to keep each other in place and thus insure the necessary stability while affording all the flexibility that is necessary; and another advantage of this bustle is that it can be folded so as to occupy a smaller space than any other kind of bustle heretofore made with metallic springs, as the coils of the spring will enter between each other when it is folded with the band outward as shown in Fig. 3.

I do not claim the invention of a bustle composed of bows and rings nor do I claim the employment in a bustle of cross shaped metal clasps, but

IVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- A bustle consisting of a waist-band composed in part of strips a., a, of metal or other elastic material, and a spiral spring A., tapered from the middle toward each end, applied to and combined with such waistband substantially as herein described.

J. W. BRADLEY.

Vitnesses:

' WM. TUseH,

R. S. SPENCER.

Images