Improved Means of Lacing Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th July, 1894-Accepted, 18th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Lacing Boots and Shoes.
I EDWARD WOODHOUSE VEALE of St. Stephen Street, in the City and
County of Bristol, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows: :-
My invention relates to an improved mode of lacing boots and shoes, and it has
for its object to enable the laces to be drawn more freely and the edges of the
article to be brought more easily together to ensure a neater appearance than that
presented by ordinary laces, and to avoid the chafing of the material which occurs
when the laces are threaded through eyelets and pass across the inner and outer
faces of the article in the ordinary way.
The invention consists in making the edges to be united of two thicknesses of
material united at suitable intervals by short studs or pillars rivetted or otherwise
fixed at both ends in the two thicknesses of material, the said studs acting as
distance pieces to afford space between the two thicknesses for the passage of the
laces and also as abutments around which the laces pass and upon which they exert
their pull.
The bights of the laces which pass around these studs are thus received within
the double thickness and when the edges are drawn together the laces are wholly
concealed from view.
The friction of the laces upon the article is so far reduced that the laced edges
can be drawn together throughout their whole length by a pull applied to the ends
of the laces instead of by pulling on the laces at each crossing point separately.
In order that a pull thus applied may have a uniform effect and cause the laced
edges to be drawn together as closely at the parts remote from the point of
application of the pull as at any other part, the studs around which the laces pass
may be placed at varying distances from each other and from the edges of the
articles the effect being that the greater the distance of the studs from the edge
the greater the mechanical advantage at which the strain is applied. The same.
effect is also produced by placing the studs closer together at the part where the
greatest strain is required and both of these expedients may be conjointly applied
in order to equalize the strain.
When the laces are drawn tight the ends may be made fast by any suitable
means, for example, by knotting them together, or by means of a wedge block or
cleat by which they are gripped and retained.
Dated this 28th day of November 1893.
E. W. VEALE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Lacing Boots and Shoes.
I, EDWARD WOODHOUSE VEALE, of St. Stephen Street, in the City and
County of Bristol, Gentleman, 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 improved means of lacing boots and shoes, and it has for

page_text: its object to conceal the laces and to enable them to be more easily drawn tight
and to avoid the chafing of the boot or shoe upper which occurs when the laces
are threaded through eyelets in the ordinary way.
By my improvements the friction of the laces is so far reduced that they can be
drawn tight throughout their whole length by a single pull applied to the ends of
the laces (instead of repeatedly pulling on the laces at each crossing point in
succession) a special arrangement of the laces enabling this to be done even in a
lady's boot with bigh leg piece. Hence the usually troublesome operation of
lacing and unlacing of such boots may be performed with great facility.
The invention consists essentially in providing short studs or pillars for the laces
to pass round, said studs or pillars being secured by both ends in two superposed
thicknesses of leather, the middle portion of each stud being shouldered or
provided with a washer acting as a distance piece to separate the two thicknesses
of leather so as to give passage to the laces and allow them to pass freely between
the two thicknesses and around the studs upon which the laces exert their pull in
passing around them.
Both of the edges to be laced may be made of double thickness and provided
with studs as above described, or one of the edges may be so made and the other
edge may be made of a single thickness and provided with guide loops of special
form which project beyond that edge and are attached thereto by ears embracing
the two faces of the leather and secured by rivets traversing the leather and
received at both ends in the ears.
In either case the strain is fairly divided between the two ends of the rivet or
stud, so that there is no tendency to cant the rivet or stud and tear it out of the
fabric.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure 1 is a view of a boot laced according to my invention, both the laced
edges having studs fixed in two thicknesses of leather, the bights of the laces
passing around the studs and between the two thicknesses so as to be wholly
concealed when the laced edges are drawn together.
Figure 2 is an enlarged view, in the flat, of the mode of lacing shewn in Figure 1,
the laces being slackened.
Figure 3 shews a modified mode of lacing adapted for very high legged ladies'
boots.
Figure 4 shews another mode of lacing.
Figure 5 is a section through the pair of doubled edges and studs.
Figure 6 shews a boot similarly laced, one only of the edges having studs fixed
in a double thickness, the other edge being single and provided with projecting
loops.
Figure 7 is a section through the two edges, and Figure 8 is a face view of one
of the loops. Figure 9 shews a modified form of the same.
Figures 10 and 11 illustrate a mode of punching the holes in the double
thickness.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 5, the edges of the parts A, A, to be laced
together are each formed of two thicknesses a, a', of leather, in which are fixed at
suitable intervals, studs formed of rivets b and apertured discs c which separate the
thicknesses a a¹ and act as abutments or guides around which the laces pass and
on which they exert their pull. The rivets b traverse the discs c and their two
ends are rivetted in the two thicknesses of leather a, a'. The discs c may be flat
with plain or grooved edges, but it is preferred to make them slightly thicker in
the middle and to curve them to correspond to the curvature of the foot.
In order to prevent the outer thickness a bulging in an unsightly manner by the
bending of the ankle joint, care should be taken in punching the stud holes in the
two superposed thicknesses a a' to space the holes wider apart for the inner
thickness a' than for the outer one a. The correct spacing of the holes may be.
readily obtained by punching the holes when the two superposed thicknesses a a¹

page_text: are bent to a curve of the same, or rather smaller, radius than that to which they
would be bent when on the foot, and are separated by a temporary distance piece
corresponding to the thickness of the discs c. Such a mode of punching is
illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 and will be hereafter described.
In Figures 1 and 2 the members d, d, of the lace cross each other between each
successive pair of studs..
Figure 3 shews a similar mode of lacing wherein two laces are applied to act at
different parts of the opening. This is of special advantage for ladies' boots in
which the leg-piece is so high that one lace will not draw easily from top to bottom.
One lace d is applied to close the lower part of the aperture and the other lace d¹
is applied to close the upper part of the aperture, the ends of the lace d passing
up between the two thicknesses of leather and behind the studs round which the
lace d' is passed, as shewn, and both ends of both laces being drawn on at the same
time so that the whole length of the aperture is closed by a single pull applied to
the two laces.
In Figure 4 a single running lace is used.
In all these arrangements the bights of the laces which pass around the studs
are received within the double thickness a a', so that when the edges of the opening
are drawn together by the laces, the latter are wholly concealed from view.
In all cases an ordinary tongue would be provided, as usual, to close the laced
opening on the inner side.
In Figure 6 the cut of the upper is similar to that of a buttoned boot, the
opening being towards one side. In this case the opening is covered externally by
the outer thickness a projecting over the opposite edge a³ of the opening. This
edge as is a single thickness, and instead of passing the laces round discs c (as in
the previously described fastenings) on the rivets b, loops f of the form shewn in
Figures 6, 7, 8, are used. These are attached to the edge a³ by a rivetted stud g
passing through the apertured ears of the loop, or by two such rivets, as in
Figure 9. The clip is formed by stamping out and bending sheet metal to the
form shewn, the bow portion f being curved in the direction in which the lace
runs through it to, say, a half-circle or to a rather longer segment of a circle than
that formed by the bight of the lace in passing through it, so that no abrupt edges
will be presented for the lace to chafe against. These loops fare attached to the
single edge a³, so as to project therefrom and come opposite the intervals between
the studs 6 in the opposite edge so that when the laces are drawn tight the loops f
will be wholly concealed by the overlapping flap a.
Referring now to Figures 10 and 11 which illustrate in vertical section and
perspective view a mode of punching the holes in the double thickness a a¹ in
proper relative position so as to avoid bulging of the leather, the edges of the
inner and outer thicknesses a a¹ having been accurately superposed, the two
thicknesses are temporarily pasted together and bent, as shewn in Figure 10, and
secured in that position by a pair of clamping jaws h h operated by a pressure
screw or by any other suitable means. The edges to be punched project from
these jaws and between the said edges is placed a curved plate i forming a distance
piece corresponding to the thickness of the discs c, the plate i also forming the
cutting bed for the hollow punches k. After the holes have been thus punched
the two thicknesses are to be separated and the studs b and distance pieces c having
been secured in position in the punched holes the two thicknesses are then to be
bent to the curvature of the foot in the other direction, as shewn in Figure 5, and
again pasted together, after which the two thicknesses a a¹ are united by the
stitching . By this means all bulging of the leather, which would otherwise
occur, is prevented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1.. A laced boot or shoe having one or both the edges to be laced, made of two.

page_text: thicknesses of material traversed by studs fixed and supported at both ends in said
thicknesses, the studs being provided with shoulders or discs intervening between
said thicknesses and acting as distance pieces, in combination with laces passing
around said studs and distance pieces and between the two thicknesses of material,
substantially as specified.
2. In a laced boot or shoe, the combination, with studs and distance pieces fixed
between a double thickness of material at one edge to be laced, as described, of
clips affixed to the other edge to be laced, in alternate order with the said studs,
the bow portion of the clip projecting. beyond the edge to which it is attached and
being made of curved form on the inside, as specified.
3. In a boot or shoe, a guide for laces, formed of sheet metal stamped with
apertured ears and bent to U-form, the bow portion being stamped up to a curved
form in the direction in which the lace runs, said bow portion projecting from the
edge to which the clip is secured by a rivet traversing the material and the
apertured ears of the clip embracing opposite sides of the material, substantially
as specified.
UNIO
E. W. VEALE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.