Improvements in Lacing Devices for Boots, Shoes, and other Articles of Wearing Apparel.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb. 1897-Accepted, 24th Apr.. 1897
COMPLEIN DE MULTATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CALVIN EDWARD FOSBURGH, of 370 Marcy
Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, and EDGAR CHARLES FOSBURGH, Lumber
Dealer, of Norfolk, Virginia, both in the United States of America.]
Improvements in Lacing Devices for Boots, Shoes, and other Articles
of Wearing Apparel.
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:-
I will describe an article embodying my improvement, and then point out the
novel features in a claim.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe having my improvement embodied
in it.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the shoe open.
Figure 3 is an inside view of a portion of the shoe.
Figure 4 is a transverse section at the line 4-4, Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a pulley-block of modified construction, and
a fragment of the edge portion of a shoe opening to which such pulley-block is
secured.
Figure 6 is an inside view of a portion of a shoe having my invention in a modified
form.
Figure 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the pulley-block comprised in
Figure 6.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A designates a shoe, which may be of any suitable construction, except that it
has an opening a which is closed and secured by a lacing B. Inside the two
edges a¹ a² of the opening a are strips C1 C2, preferably of leather. These strips
need only be fastened along or close to the inner edge, so as to leave the upper of
the shoe along the edges a¹ a² extending outside and slightly beyond it as flaps. The
strips C¹ C² have fitted to them pulley-blocks D. These pulley-blocks preferably
consist severally of two plate-like portions of sheet metal dd2 united by an integral
intermediate neck d³ and secured to the strips C1 C2 and the edges a¹ a² by means
of rivets. The plate-like portions d' embrace the strips C1 C2, and the rivets e¹ e³
may pass through the plates and through the strips C₁C². The rivet e³ may pass
through the edges a¹ of the shoe upper without passing through the strips C¹ C².
The rivets 3 are provided with pulleys D. Laces or a lace pass around the pulleys
and through the pulley-blocks, so as to cross the opening a of the shoe. By pulling
on these laces, the side edges of the opening a may be drawn together and secured.
This may be done very quickly, because there will be no appreciable friction.
By the term "rivet" as used herein, I wish to comprehend all devices of the
nature of a rivet, even if integral with a pulley-block.
At the top of the shoe opening we have shown two hooks E, one on each side.
These are desirable because they afford better opportunity for manipulating the
lace at that point. Indeed my improvement involving the use of the pulley-
blocks may be used for any part of a shoe opening, instead of along the entire
length.

page_text: In the modification shown in Figure 5 the pulley-block is formed of a single
strip of metal slit at about the middle, so that when bent back or doubled at that
point two arms will be left extending beyond the point where the bending
or doubling occurs. These arms may be constructed in any way for engagement
with the edge portion of a shoe opening. In the present instance they are provided
with holes to permit of securing them by stitching. The doubled portion forms
the receptacle for the pulley, and the extremities of the doubled portion may
terminate in claws a' for securing the pulley-block to the fabric upon which it is
mounted.
In the modification shown in Figures 6 and 7 it will be seen that the pulley-
block is made of a strip of metal bent at about its middle to form a box-like
portion for the reception of a pulley, and having its ends formed into claws
for embracing the leather or other fabric with which it is to be engaged.
Where stay pieces are employed inside the edge portions of a shoe opening,
they may answer as the flaps, inasmuch as the pulley-blocks may be fastened to
them.
So far as my pulley blocks are novel in construction, they may, of course,
be applied to the outside of a shoe opening, and I desire to cover such a use
of them.
By the term pulley-block as used herein I intend to cover not only the structure
shown or the structure ordinarily meant by that term, but all equivalent structures
which may be used in the same positions for the same purpose.
Obviously my improvement in any form before described may be applied to other
articles of apparel.
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. The combination with an article of wearing apparel having an opening, of
a lacing for securing the opening, strips arranged inwards of the opening, so that
the edges of the opening will constitute flaps, and pulley-blocks secured to such
strips and receiving the lacing, substantially as specified.
2. The combination with an article of wearing apparel having an opening, of
a lacing for securing the opening, strips arranged inwards of the opening so that
the edges of the opening will constitute flaps, and pulley-blocks secured to such
strips and receiving the lacing, the rivets el e² securing the pulley-blocks to the said
strips, and the rivet 3 supporting the pulleys aud securing the pulley-block to the
edges of the flap-like sides of the said opening, substantially as specified.
3. The combination with an article of wearing apparel having an opening, of
a lacing for securing the edges of the opening, pulley-blocks arranged inwards of
the exterior of the edge portion of such opening, and hooks arranged at the
extremity of said opening and upon the outside of the edge portions, substantially
as specified.
4. The combination with an article of wearing apparel having an opening, of
a lacing for securing the edges of the opening, and pulley-blocks mounted upon the
edge portions of such opening, substantially as specified.
5. The combination with an article of wearing apparel having an opening, of
a lacing for securing the edges of the opening, and pulley-blocks mounted upon the
edge portions of such opening, and constructed with arins extending toward the
edge portions of the opening for securing the pulley-blocks thereto, substantially as
specified.
Dated thin 50 1 da of Wahun 1907
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.