Improvements in Fasteners for Use in connection with Shoes, Gloves, Corsets, and other Articles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1896-Accepted, 6th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by PRATT FASTENER COMPANY, a Corporation
organized and existing under the laws of the State of New Hampshire,
and having its principal place of business in the City of Chicago, County of
Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Fasteners for Use in connection with Shoes, Gloves,
Corsets, and other Articles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,.
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to that class of fasteners made of wire, wherein each fastener
forms a means for engaging and holding a lace.
This class of fasteners may be used in connection with shoes, gloves, corsets and
various other articles.
The object of the invention is to produce a fastener capable of economical
manufacture by machinery, and which will be most efficient in use.
The invention consists in substantially the construction set forth in the subjoined
Specification.
Like letters of reference designate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawing, in which,-
Figure 1 is a front view of an article with a series of the fasteners applied thereto,.
and a lace engaged and held by such fasteners.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the fastener before it is clinched.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the fastener after it is clinched.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the fastener.
The fastener is composed of a single piece of wire of suitable gauge and length,
which is bent into a coil of one whole convolution and a partial and preferably half
convolution; one of these convolutions having its free and projecting end outside
of, beyond and at an angle to the plane of the convolution. The other end
projects beyond the convolutions and from the point of beginning of one of them.
The two ends of the wire are intended to pass through the material and to be
clinched or otherwise fastened on the inside of such material and it is desirable that
that end which passes outside of the convolutions shall, after passing behind the
same, be bent inwardly below and transversely to the convolution, so that the one
convolution will have its side enclosed within a sort of U-shaped yoke, as
illustrated at the right hand side of Figure 3 of the drawing. The object of having
one convolution pass outside of the plane of the plane of the convolutions is to make
it serve as a post or stop to resist the strain of the engaging lace, and to prevent lateral
movement of the convolution resting against the same; and when this end is bent
inwardly in clinching, the action just described is intensified. In the accompanying
drawings a preferable construction is shown on which the convolutions are composed
of an upper and a lower convolution and the free end or post passes beyond the
convolutions at substantially a right angle, although this arrangement of coils
and this angle for the post is not absolutely necessary, the essential point being that
the end of one convolution passes outside of the other convolution and acts to
thereby confine it after the manner of a stop or post.
The partial convolution is designated by the letter B, and the complete
convolution by the letter C; while the ends projecting at angles from such

page_text: convolutions are respectively lettered E and D. These ends may be bevelled, as
shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, for the purpose of facilitating their passage
through the material, and the bending of the same in clinching. Many variations
may be made in the details above described without departing from the principles
of the invention.
With this fastener the lace is prevented from slipping or rendering and is
ravelable at will, because each loop constitutes a separable point of the fastening,
which may be adjusted independently of the other loops and without distributing
the strain.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A lace fastener comprising a single strand of wire bent to form convolutions,
the free end of one projecting down outside of and at an angle to the plane of the
other convolution, whereby the lateral movement is impeded; as and for the
purpose set forth.
2. A lace fastener comprising a single strand of wire, formed into a coil composed
of a lower complete convolution and an upper partial convolution, the end of the
upper being turned to substantially a right angle with the plane of the coil and
outside the lower convolution; substantially as described.
3. The combination with a body of supporting material and a lace of a fastener
for such lace, comprising a single piece of wire formed into a coil composed of
convolutions superposed one above the other and the free end of the upper
projected outside the lower and at right angles to the plane of the coil, and the
free end of the lower projected therefrom at a similar angle, and both adapted to
be secured to the inside of such material; substantially as described.
4. A shoe lace fastener, consisting of a single wire formed of convolutions, the
free end of one projecting outside of and beyond the other convolution, and bent
inwardly below the convolutions; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 5th day of May 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.