AN IMPROVED METALLIC EYE FOR LACES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's
Inn, in the County of Middlesex, and No. 87, St. Vincent Street, in the
City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED METALLIC EYE FOR LACES."-A communication from
abroad by Louis Christian. Hoffmeister of Philadelphia. Pennsylvania.
Sealed the 31st December 1867, and dated the 10th July '1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th July 1867.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, and No. 87, St. Vincent Street, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED METALLIC EYE FOR LACES," (communicated to me from
abroad by Louis Christian Hoffmeister, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United
States of America,) to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a strip of metal formed, bent, and otherwise
constructed for attachment to boots, corsets, and other articles of dress
substantially as described hereafter so as to form a cheap, substantial, and
efficient eye for receiving the laces by which boots and other articles of
wearing apparel are secured.
In order that the Invention may be readily understood I will now proceed
to describe the manner of constructing the eyes. I first take a thin plate of
metal, and by means of suitable punches and dies cut from the plate pieces

page_text: consisting of two flat rings connected together by a strip; I then by suitable
dies form on one ring a projecting annular flange, thereby reducing it to the
form of an ordinary eyelet.
Another operation is to turn up the edges of the intermediate strip so
that it may be rounded underneath for an object rendered apparent hereafter.
This last operation may if deemed necessary be accomplished prior to the
formation of the eyelet ; I now bend the strip so as to form an eye or loop,
causing the eyelet to pass through the other ring, after which the device is
ready for attachment to the boot or other article of apparel in the following
manner: A hole of proper diameter is in the first instance formed in the
fabric, and the eyelet portion of the device passed through this hole, after
which an ordinary eyelet is inserted into the interior thereof, when the whole
is removed to a proper eyelet machine and rivetted or compressed in the
usual manner, so that the device consists of a ring or loop standing out at
right angles from the material and attached thereto by a metal eyelet formed
of one piece with the former.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
and No. 87, Saint Vincent Street, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of July, in the year of, our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Ierself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George Davies,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED METALLIC EYE
FOR LACES," being a communication to me from abroad by Louis Christian
Hoffmeister, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, upon

page_text: the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Davies, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Davies, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
that is to say-
This Invention consists of a strip of metal formed, bent, and otherwise
constructed for attachment to boots, corsets, and other articles of dress
substantially as described hereafter so as to form a cheap, substantial, and
efficient eye for receiving the laces by which boots and other articles of
wearing apparel are secured.
In order that the Invention may be readily understood I will now proceed.
to describe the manner of constructing the eyes; I first take a thin plate
of metal, and by means of suitable punches and dies cut from the plate
pieces consisting of two flat rings connected together by a strip; I then by
suitable dies form on one ring a projecting annular flange, thereby reducing.
it to the form of an ordinary eyelet.
Another operation is to turn up the edges of the intermediate strip so that
it may be rounded underneath for an object rendered apparent hereafter;
this last operation may if deemed necessary be accomplished prior to the
formation of the eyelet; I now bend the strip so as to form an eye or loop,
causing the eyelet to pass through the other ring, after which the device is
ready for attachment to the boot or other article of apparel in the following
manner: A. hole of proper diameter is in the first instance formed in the
fabric, and the eyelet portion of the device passed through this hole; after
which an ordinary eyelet is inserted into the interior thereof, when the whole
is removed to a proper eyelet machine and rivetted or compressed in the
usual manner, so that the device consists of a ring or loop standing out at
right angles from the material and attached thereto by a metal eyelet formed.
of one piece with the former.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for "An, Improved
Metallic Eye for Laces," I will now proceed to describe more in detail the
manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into

page_text: practical effect; and in order that the same may be distinctly understood I
have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with
those in the following explanation thereof, that is to say :—
On reference to the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 represents a front
view of part of a boot or other article of clothing with the improved eye for
laces; Figure 2, a plan view of Figure 1; Figure 3, a plan view illustrating
the ordinary method of lacing boots, &c.; Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are
views drawn to an enlarged scale, and illustrating the mode of manufacturing
the improved eye for 'laces; and Figures 10 and 11 views of the eye as
ornamented with a button. I first take a thin plate of metal, and by means
of suitable punches and dies, cut from the plate pieces of the form represented
by Figure 4, namely, a piece consisting of two flat rings a and b, connected
together by a strip d; I then by suitable dies form on the ring a a projecting
annular flange e, thereby reducing it to the form of an ordinary eyelet, as seen
in Figure 5.
Another operation is to reduce the intermediate strip d to the 'form
represented in Figure 6, which is a transverse section on the line 1, 2, Figure 5,
both edges of the strip being turned up so that it may be rounded underneath
for an object rendered apparent hereafter; this last operation may if deemed
necessary be accomplished prior to the formation of the eyelet e; I now bend
the strip d so as to form the eye A, causing the eyelet e to pass through the
ring b, and the whole to assume the form represented in Figure 7, after which
the device is ready for attachment to the boot or other article of apparel in the
following manner :-A hole of proper diameter is in the first instance formed in
the fabric B, Figure 8, and the eyelet portion of the device passed through
this hole, after which an ordinary eyelet D is inserted into the interior of e,
when the whole is removed to a proper eyelet machine, and compressed to the
shape seen in Figure 9, the ring 6 being brought into contact with the upper
surface of the fabric, the flange a bearing against the ring b, the lower edge of
the eyelet e being turned up again at the under surface of the fabric, and the
eyelet D compressed and confined as it is within the eyelet e serving to secure
to the fabric the device which as seen in Figure 9 constitutes the improved
eye for laces, the relative position of a number of these eyes when attached
to boots, corsets, &c., being shown with a lace in Figure 1.
One of the advantages of the Invention can be best described by referring to
Figures 2 and 3, the former representing a plan view of the improved eyes
for laces, and the latter a plan view of the ordinary mode of lacing boots, &c.
In the improvement the situation of the eyes is such that the lace E is never

page_text: in contact with the stocking F, whereas in Figure 3 the lace having to pass
through ordinary eyelets must necessarily bear against the stocking with such
force as to cause a friction, which is 'well known to render the act of unlacing
the boot a matter requiring tedious manipulation. The freedom with which
the lace will pass through the improved eyes will be understood when it is
remembered that it has to bear against the rounded surface formed on the
strip d, Figures 4 and 6, this rounded and smooth surface preventing all
possibility of the lace being cut.
Although the use of the eyelet D in the manner described is preferred, it
will be evident that it may be dispensed with, and that the fastening may
depend on the eyelet alone.
The front of a boot furnished with the improved eyes may be ornamented
by inserting into the eyelet holes gilt headed pins m, m, Figure 1, or glass
beads of different colors. The pins m, m, may be provided with ordinary
button shanks, or they may be constructed as shown in Figures 10 and 11,
where f represents the metallic head of the pin, to which is secured an india-
rubber shank g, the latter being enlarged at the point x, so that when
it is inserted into the eyelet hole the pin is at once attached as shown in
Figure 11.
Another advantage of the Invention is that the eyes may be secured to
boots and other articles of wearing apparel which have been previously
furnished with ordinary eyelets.
The strength and cheapness of the improved eyes and their secure
attachment to the fabric will be readily understood without explanation.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for "An
Improved Metallic Eye for Laces," together with the manner in which the
same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would
remark in conclusion that I claim as the Invention communicated to me by
the above-named Louis Christian Hoffmeister the within described eye for
laces, consisting of a strip of metal formed, bent, and constructed for attachment
to articles of wearing apparel, substantially as and for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
GEORGE DAVIES. (L.S.)