Improvements in or connected with Boot and Shoe Lacing.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Feb., 1893-Accepted, 25th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in or connected with Boot and Shoe Lacing.
I, ALLAN WILSON of 16 Bondgate Without, Alnwick in the County of
Northumberland, Doctor of Medicine, 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 improvements in or connected with boot and shoe
lacing and has for. its object a saving of time in effecting the lacing or unlacing
while the fingering of the laces and consequent soiling of the fingers is in great
part abolished. Further in the case of boots, an additional support is afforded to
the ankle, while more accurate lacing and greater durability of the laces is
effected.
I will fully describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure 1 shows in perspective view a boot arranged with lacing according to
my invention. The boot is shown with the lacing loose and ready to be put on.
Figure 2 shows a similar view of a shoe with the lacing drawn tight but still
unfastened.
It
In the following description like marks of reference designate like parts.
Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the essential features of novelty are here
embraced in the pieces of leather a and a¹ and in their arrangement for use.
will be observed that the piece a is fitted by preference with an ordinary buckle a²
and with eyelets down the slanting edge e e. The end-a³ of piece a' is designed
to be secured, when the boot is tightly laced, to the buckle a². The opposite
end 4 of piece a¹ is also furnished with eyelet holes. The edges e e and 4* 4* of
the separate pieces of leather a and a¹ are to be cut or formed more or less to
coincide with the cut of the lines of the boot leather.
With regard to the lacing, in Fig. 1 six separate laces are shown, marked 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6. They are all similarly arranged; thus taking lace 1 as an example, one
end of the lace is passed through eyelet hole 1* in leather a and knotted behind.
The lace is then passed as shown round to eyelet 8 in the boot, through 8 and 8°
in the boot to eyelet 4* in a where it is again knotted. The lengths of all these
laces are to be carefully adjusted to the fit of the wearer and instead of being
knotted behind eyelets as described the laces may, if desired, be stitched to the
parts a and a¹.
Thus, when it is required to put on the boot, the wearer slips in his foot, pulls a
and a' so as to draw all the laces tight and then he secures them all by tightly
buckling as to the buckle a' at the back of the boot.
With reference to shoes, in Figure 2 is shown a similar arrangement of lacing
but in this case the ends of the five laces are shown sewn to leather strips s.
These strips are fitted each with an eyelet hole as shown. Then at either side of
the shoe I fix a spring catch device or fastening button or stud as shown. This
may be arranged in a variety of ways. There is nothing new in the catch itself.
The catch may consist as shown of a hinged flap c with a hole c' in it, which,
when the flap is sprung down, fits over the pin c in the front part of the catch
plate. Thus the wearer, having put on the shoe, pulls all the lacing tight by
means of the strips ss; he then slips the eyelet in each strip over its pin and
then he pushes down spring flaps which close over the strips, the pins c³ passing.
through the holes caforesaid. The spring device at the hinge of the flap c¹ (such.
a spring may be arranged in any convenient way) holds the strips s and lacing.
quite securely

page_text: When taking off the shoe, the flaps are raised and the strips lifted off the
pins when the lacing can be loosened.
The spring catch devices may be attached to the leather of the shoe in any
convenient manner and although such devices act very, efficiently and when neatly
made are not unsightly, they may be replaced, if necessary by stud, button or
other equivalent clasp connection.
Similarly, instead of the buckle a², obviously a clasp or button connection might
in like manner be substituted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said.inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The improved method of boot lacing consisting in the provision in combination
with the lacing of a leather strip a provided with a buckle clasp stud or equivalent
connection and a leather strip a, these strips and the lacing being arranged with
respect to the boot and adapted for use substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
2. The improved method of shoe lacing consisting in the provision in combination
with the lacing of leather strips s, these strips being adapted for connection or
disconnection to or from stud or catch devices secured to the shoes the several
parts being arranged and adapted for use substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 90th don of Bohm 1902
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
3, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Patent Agent.