BODY-CONFORMER.

To call, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES MUNTER a
citizen of the United States, and a resident
of the city of New York, borough of Man-
hattan, in the county and State of New
York, have invented a new and Improved
Body-Conformer, of which the following is a
full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of the invention is to pro-
vide a corset device particularly adapted for
rectifying the shape of the human body at
the hips and at the lower portion of the
trunk, wherein a pliable material, such as
cotton or silk cloth fabric, is cut in such a way
as to be given a skin-tight fit to the body at
such points by reason of the peculiar shape
of the device and, further, by reason of a sim-
ple arrangement of laces running through
eyelets, the individual laces being joined to
belt-straps connected by a buckle or its equiv-
alent at the front of the device.

A further purpose of the invention is to
so construct the device that by drawing the
belt-straps together at the front of the per-
son the tendency will be to place the body
in such a position as to render the base of the
spine the center of gravity, thereby leaving
the weight of the upper structure above the
hip-line so perfectly centered as to relive
the various individual parts of the body
all cumbersome weight, since the whole
body when the device is applied is practically
lifted up, and, furthermore, to prevent the
body from sinking down or sagging into
the space designed for the hip-bones. The
gradual lifting of the body and uniform pres-
sure of the device cause a gradual reduction
in the size of the portion of the person sur-
rounded by the conformer, since by the
manipulation of the belt-straps and con-
nected lacings each and every part of the de-
vice has even tension there being a total
absence of concentrated tension at any par-
ticular spot.

Another purpose of the invention is to so
construct the device that when worn the
pressure is thrown across the shoulders,
making the shoulders carry the weight of the
body instead of the pit of the stomach or
the diaphragm This condition relieves the
pressure on the shoulder-blades, which re-
lief in itself allows the lungs to inflate through
the vacuum which is formed therein, and it
also causes the lungs to rise by reason of
their becoming lighter through inflation, and

thus the bony structure is distended, allow-
ing the heart free action and providing a
space into which the stomach may recede
upward and backward under the protection
of the ribs in its natural position.

The above conditions cause a relief below
the waist-line of the body, and with such
conditions prevailing the space across the
front of the body at the waist-line to the
pelvis-bones becomes empty naturally re-
ducing the size around the entire abdomen
at such point without or any- uncomfortable
pressure from without or any inconvenience
from within. The major portion of the
above results is accomplished by reason of
the formation of the aforesaid lacings, which
when the belt-straps are pulled together
shorten themselves through an automatic
process, being pulled in opposite directions
without individual force or strain, but in a
general uniform and cooperative manner.
By throwing the body back on the spine and
relieving the pressure on the front of the
person deep breathing is possible, which
when the the lungs inflate forces the loose cover-
ing of skin on the body to draw upward and
backward, raising upward the bust of the
body in either a man or a woman and giving
thereby a correct figure and graceful car-
riage.

Another purpose of the invention is to
provide a device which will act with rela-
tion to the male or the female body to relieve
all the vital organs from internal pressure
without injuring the stomach, spine, ribs,
or other important organs.

The invention consists in the novel con-
struction and combination of the several
parts, as will be hereinafter fullyset forth,
and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompany-
ing drawing, forming a part of this specifica-
tion, in which similar characters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in all the fig-
ures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the im-
proved device placed upon a parson viewed
partially form the side and partially form the
rear. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the de-
vice, illustrating it as partly unfastened for
removal form the person. Fig. 3 is a rear
elevation of the device shown upon the per-
son, illustrating the manner in which it is
tightened thereon. Fig. 4 is a perspective
view of the device in set or adjusted position

upon the person, the view being taken partly
from a side and from the front. Fig. 5 is a
rear elevation of the device upon a person,
the device being shown in set or adjusted po-
sition; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal
section through the device.

The device practically in its entirety is
made of cotton, silk, or fabric of a similar
nature and comprises primarily an upper or
body section A and a lower or skirt section
parts A and B may be made from two parts A
suitably cut and gored, or the two parts A
and B may be separately cut and joined to-
gether, or the two parts A and B may consist
of any desired number of pieces properly
joined together. The skirt-section B ex-
tends around the body from the waist-line
downward, covering the hips and the lower
part of the abdomen, and is suitably shaped
to such portions of the body of the person,
while the upper or body section A of the de-
vice is shaped to that portion of the wearer
above the waist-line and is carried entirely
around the body, extending from said waist-
line to about a point just below the breast in
front and to about an equal height at the
back. The combined body A and the skirt
B are open at the front from top to bottom,
as is shown at 11 in Figs. 2 and6, and at said
front opening 11 the parts are connected
when the garment is worn by means of any
suitable form of fastening devices 12--for in-
stance, separable buttons or clips.

At the central portion of the back of the
garment a vertical opening 13 is produced,
extending through the lower edge of the skirt
across the waist-line 10 and terminating at
a point adjacent to the upper edge of the said
device or garment, as is illustrated at 14 in
Figs. 3 and 5. In connection with the skirt-
section B at the back a cross-lacing C is em-
ployed, utilized in connection with two belt-
straps, designated, respectively, as D and D',
and which are adapted to extend along the
waist-line to the front and to meed at the
front of said waist-line, as is best shown in
Fig. 4. To that end a series of eyelets 15 is
formed in the material of the skirt-section B
at each side of the opening 13, the eyelets
being in transverse alinement. The said eye-
lets commence at a point near the lower edge
of the skirt and terminate at a point just be-
low or slightly below the waist-line 10.

In order that the material shall be strength-
ened where the eyelets 15 are placed, stay-
strips 16 are introduced into pockets formed
at the opposite sides of the eyelets 15, as is
shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6. These stays are
the only stays employed in the construction
of the device, as the soft material of the de-
vice is so skilfully shaped as to be relied upon
to hold the body in the desired position and

healthfully and scientifically modify the gen-
eral contour of the parts of the body of the
wearer they are intended to inclose.

The lacing C consists, of a series of indi-
vidual laces 18 of graduated length, and in
applying these laces one lace, as is shown in
Fig. 3, for example, is attached to the lower
rear edge of the belt-strap D and is then car-
ried down and is passed through the lower
most left-hand eyelet of the skirt-section B,
as is shown at x in said Fig. 3, and this lace is
then carried through the second, lowermost
eyelet on the right-hand side of the skirt
across the section extending from the strap
D and to an engagement with the left-hand
strap D at a point near its rear lower edge.
Thus it will be observed that the lace just
described is secured at one end to the lower
portion of the 'right-hand belt-strap and at
its opposite end adjacent to the lower por-
tion of the left-hand belt-strap. The next
lace is passed through the last eyelet x' at the
right-hand side of the skirt and is carried up
to an attachment to the left-hand belt-strap
D' at its lower rear edge or just below the
point where the first-named lace was se-
cured. The second lace is then made to
cross the first lace at the opening 13 and is
then passed up through the second eyelet at
the left-hand side of the opening, and cross-
ing the opposite strand of the same lace it is
carried up to an engagement with the right-
hand belt - strap and secured thereto just
above the point where the first-named lace
was as attached. In this manner individual
laces are passed through alining eyelets,
forming cross-lacing at the inside of the gar-
ment and cross-lacing at the outside; but
the cross-lacing at the outside is an inter-
lace, since all of the strands of the laces com-
ing from the left-hand side of the device are
attached to the belt-strap at the right-hand
side and all the strands of the laces coming
from the eyelets of the right-hand side of the
device are attached to the belt-strap at the
left-hand side.

In operation the garment is placed upon
the person and is fastened at its front edge.
Then the belt-straps D and D' are drawn for-
ward and upward at the same time, placing
the body of the wearer in the positions which
have been described, and after the person has
been thus properly straightened or posed
the ends of the belt-straps at the front of the
device are connected at the waist-line by a
buckle 19 or any equivalent thereof. It will
be observed that when the right-hand belt-
strap is drawn upon it exerts a gentle pulling
influence on the right-hand side portion of
the skirt, and when the left-hand portion of
the skirt-section of the device is to be tight-
ened to any particular extent the left-hand
belt-strap is more strongly drawn upon or
more forcibly placed under tension. Thus it
will be observed that the body of the wearer

at the hips may be lifted more on one side
than on the other, if required, and that the
lifting and confining action may be rendered
equal all around by simultaneously drawing
equally on each of the belt-straps D and D'.
Under all conditions of operation, however,
tension on the belt - straps causes a grad-
ual and uniform contraction of the device
throughout its area. The upper end portion
14 of the body of the device, or where the open-
ing 13 in the back stops, acts in conjunction
with the strengthening-strips 16 and 17 in
similar manner to a pivot-point and in a
great measure regulates how much or how
little the body of the wearer needs to be
straightened. I desire. it to be distinctly
understood that each end of each lace 18 is
individually attached to one or the other of
the belt-straps D or D'.

Having thus described my invention, I
claim as new and desire to secure by Letters
Patent--

A body-conformer constructed of pliable
material and consisting of a body-section
shaped to fit the body of the wearer above
the waist-line and extending to a point just
below the breast, a skirt-section shaped to fit
the body below the waist-line and extending
over the hips and the lower part of the ab-
domen, the sections being secured together,

forming a corset-like garment adapted to fit
the body skin-tight and having an opening
in its front extending from the top to the bot-
tom and a rear opening extending from the
bottom to a point near the upper edge the
rear opening being provided along its edges
with eyelets extending from the bottom to
within a short distance of the waist-line,
strengthening stay-strips on either side of
each row of eyelets and being the only stays
in the garment, fastening devices for the
front opening, a series of individual laces
graduated in length and laced through the
eyelets at the sides of the rear opening, the
lowermost lace being the longest and the up-
permost one the shortest, and belt-straps,
one of which is provided with a buckle at its
front end and to the rear ends of each of which
an end of each lace is attached, the belt-straps
being adapted to be pulled upwardly and for-
wardly toward the waist-line, passes around
the waist and buckled together at the front.

In testimony whereof I have signed my
name to this specification in the presence of
two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES MUNTER.

    Witnesses:
        J. FRED. ACKER,
        JNO. M. RITTER.