Shoe Ties and Boot Laces.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 15th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th July, 1887.
of Shoe Ties and Boot Laces.
We THOMAS HOOPER and SAMUEL GEORGE MOORE trading as Hinks Wells and
Company of No. 106 Buckingham Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Steel Pen Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
Shoe ties and boot laces are frequently untied by the action of the bottom of the
trousers or dress or under clothing in walking and the object of our invention is to
prevent this or other accidental untying of the tie or lace and consists of a fastening
constructed and applied in the manner hereinafter described.
Our new or improved fastening consists of a steel or other strong metallic tongue
jointed between short uprights on a base or foundation plate. The said tongue is a
cranked lever having arms of unequal length the bend being situated at the jointed
part or fulcrum. The short arm makes an obtuse angle little greater than a right
angle with the long arm. In the base plate or spring tongue is formed which presses
upwards against the end of the short arm of the lever and retains the long arm in
position both in its raised and lowered positions.
The base plate is fixed preferably by sewing it to the tongue of the boot or shoe
in such position that when the long arm of the lever is depressed it shall bear upon
the knot of the tie so as to protect the knot from the bottom of the trousers or dress
or under clothing and by its pressure to resist the untying of the knot and to retain
the tongue in position.
In use the long arm of the lever is raised for the purpose of tying or untying the
tie or lace and when the tying has been effected the said arm is depressed upon the
knot of the tie or lace. By the spring described sufficient pressure is maintained on
the knot to prevent its accidental untying. To untie the tie or lace the said arm is
raised when the tie or lace can be readily untied.
We do not limit ourselves to the particular position of the fastening although we
prefer to fix it as described on the tongue of the boot or shoe.
Lofotohan 1886
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
A New or Improved Fastening for Preventing the Accidental Untying
of Shoe Ties and Boot Laces.
We THOMAS HOOPER and SAMUEL GEORGE MOORE trading as Hinks Wells and
Company of No. 106 Buckingham Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Steel Pen Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
Shoe ties and boot laces are frequently untied by the action of the bottom of the
trousers or dress or under clothing in walking and the object of our invention is to
prevent this or other accidental untying of the tie or lace and consists of a fastening
constructed and applied in the manner hereinafter described.
Our new or improved fastening consists of a steel or other strong metallic tongue
jointed between short uprights on a base or foundation plate. The said tongue is a
cranked lever having arms of unequal length, the bend being situated at the jointed
part or fulcrum. The short arm makes an obtuse angle little greater than a right
angle with the long arm. In the base plate a spring tongue is formed which presses
upwards against the end of the short arm of the lever and retains the long arm in
position both in its raised and lowered positions.
The base plate is fixed preferably by sewing it to the tongue of the hoot or shoc in
such a position that when the long arm of the lever is depressed it shall bear upon the
knot of the tie so as to protect the knot from the bottom of the trousers or dress or
underclothing and by its pressure to resist the untying of the knot and to retain the
tongue in position.
In use the long arm of the lever is raised for the purpose of tying or untying the
tie or lace and when the tying has been effected the said arm is depressed upon the
knot of the tie or lace. By the spring described sufficient pressure is maintained on
the knot to prevent its accidental untying. To untie the tie or lace the said arm is
raised when the tie or lace can be readily untied.
We do not limit ourselves to the particular position of the fastening although we
prefer to fix it as described on the tongue of the boot or shoe.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in side elevation; Figure 2 in
longitudinal section and Figure 3 in plan of upperside and end elevation, with the
lever depressed, our new or improved fastening for preventing the accidental untying
of shoe ties and boot laces, the said Figures being drawn to a large scale; Figure 4
represents the same in side elevation with the lever in its raised position and Figure 5
represents a plan of the underside of the same.
Figure 6 represents in side elevation a shoe to the tie of which our improved
fastening is applied.
The same letters indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the drawing.
a is the cranked lever of the fastening jointed between the short uprights b, on the
base plate c the joint on which the said lever turns being marked d. The two arms of

page_text: the lever a are of unequal length, the short arm or heel making an obtuse angle with
the long arm as seen in the Drawing; e is the spring tongue formed from the base
plate c.
The said spring tongue e presses upwards against the end of the short arm of
the lever a and retains the long arm in position both in its raised position Figure 4
and in its lowered or depressed position Figures, 1, 2 and 3. Portions of the edges of
the long arm of the lever a may be serrated or toothed for causing the said arm to
take a firm grip or bite upon the tie or lace to be fastened.
The fastening is fixed by its base plate c, by sewing, to the leather or other
tongue Figure 6 of the boot or shoe in such a position that when the long arm of
the lever is depressed it bears upon the knot of the shoe tie (or boot lace) as
represented in Figure 6 and by its pressure resists the untying of the knot. The said
fastening also serves to retain the tongue f of the boot or shoe in position. The spring
lever a of the fastening bears upon the knot with sufficient pressure to prevent its
accidental untying by the motion of the foot or by the action of the trousers or dress
or underclothing upon it.
In order to untie the shoe tie or boot lace it is only necessary to raise the lever a
into the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 6. It is thereby clear of the
knot which can now be untied.
y
Although we have represented the improved fastening as attached to the tongue of
the shoe, yet it may be attached to the side of the shoe (or boot) or other position on
the shoe or boot in which its lever when depressed bears upon the knot of the shoe tie
or boot lace.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as
our invention―
A new or improved fastening for preventing the accidental untying of shoe ties and
hoot laces, the said fastening being constructed applied and acting substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Dated this teen ay or une 100.
THOMAS HOOPER.
SAMUEL GEORGE MOORE.