Patent GB-190727540-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to Leggings.
Inventor: BOULT ALFRED JULIUS
Filed: 1907-12-13
Granted: 1908-08-06
Abstract: 27,540. Boult, A. J., [Fowler, H. B.]. Dec. 13. Leggings and gaiters.-Waterproof storm leggings, principally for wear by ladies, comprise a leg portion and a spat, the leg portion being split down the front, and the spat portion being extended around and over the upper part of the instep and provided with instep straps. The spat portion may be omitted. At the back of the top edge of the legging is an adjustable gore, which may be taken up to fit the wearer. The material used is preferably thin india-rubber reinforced along the top, the bottom, the closing- slit, at the gore, and where the instep straps are fastened. A strip 4 of rubber, integral with the body piece 1 of the legging, extends around the top edge and gore. The bottom portions are reinforced by an extra thickness of rubber extending between a region corresponding to the top of an ordinary boot, and the ankle, and by two thicknesses of rubber extending from the ankle to the bottom of the spat portion 2. One extra thickness of the latter reinforcement is produced by allowing that portion of the form on which the legging is made to remain longer in the rubber composition, an extra layer of rubber being then applied over the whole portion from the top of the boot to the bottom of the spat portion. The closing-slit is reinforced throughout its whole length on both sides by a strip 5 of cloth and a covering-strip 6 of rubber. The fastenings along the closing-slit consist of a series of books and eyes. The hook, Fig. 6, is formed by an extension of a metal plate 7 bent back over the plate. The eye 14, Fig. 5, is struck up from a metal plate 13. These hooks and eyes are fastened to the legging by clamp plates 9, which carry the rivets 12. These pass through the reinforced edges of the legging, cloth washers being interposed between the metal and the rubber, to avoid cutting the latter. 'Throughout its whole length, the closing- slit is arranged to provide a gap for ventilation purposes by means of these fastenings. At the bottom of the closing-slit, a ball-and-socket fastening 15 is fixed, the edges of the closing-slit being provided with additional front and rear reinforcements of cloth at these places. The instep straps 17 are preferably of leather tapering in width. They are each sewn to the front portion of the spat 2 at either side of the centre, and fold one across the other above the instep, crossing again under the instep, and being finally fastened at their narrow ends to tabs 19 depending from the sides of the spat, by ball-and-socket fastenings 15. Reinforcements, consisting of a number of layers of rubber and a layer of cloth to receive the stitches, are applied at the permanent connexion of these instep straps 17 with the spat, and the tabs 19 are reinforced by an intermediate layer and two exterior layers of cloth. The goreadjusting device, Fig. 12, consists of a socket carried in an adjusting-strap 22 sewed to the margin of the legging on one side of the gore 3, which engages either of two balls 24 riveted through the margin at the other side of the gore. A strip of canvas at the back of the legging takes the stitches holding the strap 22, and reinforcements on either side of the legging material take the strain of the balls.