Untitled record

H. C. WHITMARSH.

COMBINED SHOULDER-BRACE AND SUSPENDERS.

No. 175,221.

Patented March. 21, 1876.

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N. PETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, 0 C.

United States Patent Office

HENRY 0. WHITMARSH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED SHOULDER-BRACES AND SUSPENDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,221, dated March 21,1876; application filed December 18, 1875.

To all whom it may concern: ‘

Be it known that I, Henry 0. Whitmarsh, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combined Shoulder-Braces and Suspenders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to tbe accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification.

My invention consists in an improved form of yoke, made of any suitable flexible material, to which are attached suspender-straps of suitable construction for the support of the garments which clothe the hips and lower limbs of the human body, the combined action of the suspender-straps and yoke being so directed by the construction that the weight of the suspended garments is applied, through the yoke, to hold back and retain the shoulders in their normal position, and thus to prevent the shoulders from acquiring the deformity commonly known as “round shoulders,” and to assist in the cure of this deformity, when it has been acquired.

Figure 1 represents my combined shoulderbraces and suspenders in position on the human body, and supporting pantaloons on the same. Fig. 2 is a view of my combined shoulder-braces and suspenders detached from the person aiid spread out to exhibit separate parts and their junctions. Fig. 3 is an outline-diagram of a view from above of an erect human body, showing the parts situated just above the arm-pits, and intended the better to explain tbe action of my improvement.

Similar letters of reference are applied to similar parts in all the figures.

Y represents the yoke, made of cloth, leather, or any suitable flexible material, and substantially of the shape shown in Fig. 2, which is approximately that of a triangle with its sides preferably curved toward its center, the upper side being preferably somewhat more curved than the others. To the apex a of this yoke is attached the rear snspender-strap S, preferably of elastic web, the attachment being preferably made by a loop in the yoke Y and a loop in the suspender-strap, and a metallic loop - holder engaging these loops. To the apices a¹ a² of the yoke Y are respect ively attached, in a similar manner, the suspender-straps S', preferably of inelastic material. The suspender-straps are preferably made adjustable iu length by metallic slides s in the usual manner, and are preferably provided with button-hole straps S²joined to the suspender-straps S and S¹ by metallic loopholders I.

The action of my combined shoulder-brace and suspenders, when constructed substantially as described, is as follows, reference being made to the diagram, Fig. 3: In this diagram, which represents with approximate accuracy the normal relative positions of the shoulders, breast, and hollow between the shoulders, when viewed from above, it will be seen that the dotted line joining the extreme outward points of the shoulders p p lies back of the middle of the dotted line drawn at right angles to the line p p, and joining the center of the breast b anti the back-bone b'; therefore any pressure which tends to force the points pp nearer together, and at the same time acts in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 3, must throw the shoulders backward, and relatively expand the chest. This pressure is obtained in a manner very comfortable to the wearer by the stress of the suspender - strap S, when suspending the weight of the lower garments, acting upon the yoke Y, this stress being converted into stress along the curved dotted line a a² iu the direction indicated by the arrows, owing to the depression of the center of the yoke Y by the downward pull upon the suspender-strap S.

In this way shoulder-braces and suspenders are combined, while elegance in appearance and cheapness in manufacture are retained, and iucreased comfort secured.