Lacing Boots, Shoes, Leggings, or other Articles of Wear Required to be Laced for Use.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 12th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 15th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SP
TON.
Lacing Boots, Shoes, Leggings, or other Articles of Wear Required to
be Laced for Use.
I, THOMAS RICHMOND CLEPHAN, of Middleton-St.-George, in the County of
Durham, Retired Shipowner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to means for and method of lacing boots, shoes, leggings, or
the like articles of wear which are fastened by laces threaded through eyelets or holes
placed along the edges to be laced together.
According to existing arrangements for this purpose, one lace is threaded across
from edge to edge of the partition to be drawn in through a series of eyelets, or
two laces are similarly threaded across from edge to edge, each lace taking alternate
eyelets of the series to the other lace. The lace threading involved is a tedious
process which has to be repeated wholly or partially whenever the boot or other article
of wear requires to be put on or taken off, and as the edges so laced together leave at
all times an open space or line of division between them a tongue is usually required
for the protection and comfort of the foot or part within.
By my invention I unlace or lace up the boot or other article of wear without
unthreading or rethreading the lace through the eyelets or lace holes and inasmuch as
my improved method is adapted to be used with overlapping edges of the boot or other
article, the tongue or its equivalent hitherto necessary for the comfort of the wearer
can be dispensed with.
In describing the nature of my invention I will refer to boots only which may be
taken as representative of those articles of wear generally to which my invention is
applicable as an improvement.
In a boot to which my invention is applied the upper leathers are made to overlap
preferably to one side of the instep, and the eyelets or lace holes in each overlap are
placed to come in line and coincident with those in the other overlap, so that when the
lace is threaded through the several coincident pairs of eyelets or lace holes and led
back from the extreme pair of such holes direct to the outside of the boot, the loops or
stitches can be drawn up until the laps are brought together or to the tight or fitting
position. The stitches or loops so formed can be drawn up or released and
opened out for taking the boot on or off without unthreading or rethreading
the lace.
G. J. CLARKSON.
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Lacing Boots, Shoes, Leggings, or other Articles of Wear Required to
be Laced for Use.
I, THOMAS RICHMOND CLEPHAN, of Hawthorn Villa, Middleton St. George, in
the County of Durham, Retired Shipowner, 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:-
My invention relates to means for and method of lacing boots, shoes, leggings,
spats or the like articles of wear which are fastened by laces threaded through eyelets
or holes usually placed along the edges to be laced together.
According to existing arrangements for this purpose one lace is threaded across
from edge to edge of the partition to be drawn in through a series of eyelets, or two
laces or two lengths of the same lace are similarly threaded across from edge to edge
each lace taking alternate eyelets of the series with the other lace. The lace threading
and unthreading involved is a tedious operation, which has to be repeated wholly or
partially whenever the boot or other article of wear requires to be put on or taken off,
and as the edges so laced together leave at all times an open space or line of division
between them a tongue is usually required for the protection and comfort of the foot
or part within.
By my invention I unlace or lace up the boot or other article of wear without
unthreading or re-threading the lace through the eyelets or lace holes and inasmuch
as my improved method is adapted to be used with overlapping edges of the boot or
other article the tongue or its equivalent hitherto necessary for the comfort of the
wearer can be dispensed with.
Having described the object of my invention and its utility I will now proceed to
fully explain the same by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate in
various convenient modifications my improved system of lacing boots and the like
articles requiring to be laced and the manner in which this is carried out in practice.
For this purpose I will refer to boots only which may be taken as representative of
those articles of wear generally to which my invention is applicable as an
improvement.
In the drawings Figs. 1 to 4 illustrate in side elevation the vamp and upper leather
of a boot with the lace drawn up tight in Figs. 1 and 4 and relaxed in Figs. 2 and 3.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged detached view of the form of eyelet used in Fig. 4 and Figs. 6
to 9 inclusive are detached views appended for the purpose of shewing other
convenient modifications of carrying or threading the lace through the eyelets for
the purpose of my invention.
In a boot as illustrated in the drawings the upper leather and its lapels are
fashioned and fitted up in any ordinary or suitable manner and are made to form an
overlap preferably to one side of the instep and the eyelets or lace holes in each
lapel are shown in line or coincident with those in the other lapel so that when the
lace is threaded through the several pairs of eyelets or lace holes and led back from
the extreme pair of such holes direct to the outside of the boot the loops or stitches
can be drawn up until the laps are brought together or to the tight or fitting position.
The stitches or loops so formed can be drawn up or relaxed and opened out for taking
the boot on or off without unthreading or rethreading the lace.
In Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the eyelets a are in line and in coincident pairs
through which one length 6 of the lace is threaded (which for distinction I will term
the threading lace) whilst the other length 6' (which I will term the return lace) is
led back direct from the extreme pair of holes a¹ to the top or outside of the boot.
By pulling both lengths of the lace simultaneously the laps are drawn together as in

page_text: Fig. 1. To release the laps as shown in Fig.,2, the lace is drawn out into loops as
shown, but not unthreaded.
Fig. 3 illustrates a modification of the system of lacing which possesses the
advantage of applying an equal strain to each length of the lace and the operation
of tightening or loosing the lace is easier in consequence. It will be observed that
in this modification the return length instead of being taken back to the outside
of the boot direct as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is threaded through the eyelets the same
as threading length b, the two parts of the lace alternating with each other in this
respect.
In Fig. 4 a special form of eyelet such as that shown in detail in Fig. 5 is used
the length passing through the eyelets directly to the extreme eyelet of ordinary
form at a' and returning directly to the top of the boot as in Figs. 1 and 2.
In Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 c'e' represent the laps in sectional view taken through the
eyelets, and the threading lace passed through them in the manner shown each of
which will serve the purpose of my invention it being understood that Fig. 8 is a
transverse sectional view of Fig. 7.
Having thus fully described my said invention and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it to be understood that I am aware that the method or principle
of lacing through a series of coincident eyelets set in line and thereby forming a
series of loops is not new as applied to boots and the like articles of wear requiring
to be laced and unlaced as this method is set forth for this purpose in the Specification
of Letters Patent granted to Alfred Pearse No. 24,421 of 1893. I therefore make
no claim to such method or principle otherwise than as described and carried into
practice by my improvements as hereinbefore specified in which a return lace b'is
used in combination with the threading lace by which the tightening and relaxing
of the lace is facilitated even to a considerable number of eyelets and the margin of
tension unrestricted as distinguished from the use of a threading lace only, secured
at the lower or inner end.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :-
A system of lacing boots, shoes, leggings or other articles of wear requiring to be
laced for use whereby the threading and unthreading of the lace is dispensed with
and by means of a pull at both ends thereof the lace is drawn tight, substantially in
the manner as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings
and as illustrated by way of example in the several figures of the same.
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.