Shoe Fastener.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1896-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1896
Shoe Fastener.
I, ISAAC DAVID WRIGHT, Gentleman, residing at No. 1213 E. Broadway,
in the City of Sedalia, County of Pettis, State of Missouri, U.S.A., 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 automatically adjusting and clamping the
heel of a low shoe, or slipper, to the wearer, or the heel of an overshoe to the
heel of a shoe or boot over which it is worn, and has for its object the provision
of means adapted for attachment to, or made a part of, the shoe and intended to
prevent the vertical reciprocation of a shoe relative to the foot, or of the rubber
overshoe relative to the shoe over which it is worn, which means shall be simple
and efficient in securing the shoe or slipper to the foot so that it will not be
capable of accidental displacement during the act of walking or
stooping, and
which will also prevent the overshoe from being withdrawn accidentally by the
adhesion of the same to the soil.
Referring to the drawings,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ordinary rubber overshoe having my
improved fastener applied thereto as required for practical use.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a rubber overshoe having applied thereto, a
slightly different form of my fastener.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a shoe having applied
thereto, another slightly different form of my fastener.
1 indicates a clamp, the same being constructed of a single piece of sheet
metal in rectangular form and with the integral attenuated prongs 2. Extending
longitudinally of the body portion of the clamp 1 is an outward bend 3 that is
provided with a cutaway portion or aperture 4...
5. indicates a spring-frame that is semi-circular in plan view and provided with
a loop 6 in the center thereof. The portions 7 and 8 of the semi-circular frame
pass downwardly to each side of the top portion of the rear of the shoe, are
there bent into loops 9, and the ends passed through the outwardly bent portions 3
of the clamp 1:
Outwardly bent portions 10 are formed near the ends of the circular loops 9
and extend through the apertures 4 in the clamps 1. These outwardly bent
portions 10 serve to retain the loops 9 against the clamps 1.
The ends of the wire frame after passing through the outwardly bent portions 3
are hooked around the ends of said outwardly bent portions, as indicated by the
numeral 11. Hooked around the other ends of the outwardly bent portions 3 of
the clamps I are the ends of horizontally positioned spring-wires 12 that extend
forward through the outwardly bent portions 3 of the clamps 1, are formed into
coils 13, from thence extend rearwardly and are provided with loops 14 in their
ends that engage the portions 7 and 8 of the main frame.
The attenuated prongs 2 are adapted to be passed through the sides of the over-
shoe, thus firmly securing the clamps 1 carrying the spring-frame and auxiliary
springs to the overshoe.
When the semi-circular portion 5 of the spring-frame is depressed into the
plane of the top edge of a low shoe, it will embrace the rear portion of said shoe
and be out of the plane of entrance of the foot into said shoe, as is required to
permit the positioning of the shoe relative the foot.
The resilience of the circular bends 9 of the frame, together with the resilience'

page_text: of the coils 13 communicated to the semi-circular portion 5 through the loops 14,
causes said semi-circular portion 5 to be positioned in the rear of and above the
heel of the wearer, thus firmly connecting the shoe to the wearer by the engage-
ment of said semi-circular portion with the upper and rear portions of the heel.
By forming the outward bend 10 through the aperture 4, a retainer or keep
is formed for the body of the frame as it moves forwardly and rearwardly. By
turning the ends of the spring-frame and the auxiliary springs around the ends
of the outwardly bent portions 3, the same are rigidly held in position when the
clamp 1 is located upon the rubber or overshoe.
Thus it will be seen how I have constructed a shoe fastener that possesses
superior advantages in point of simplicity, durability and general efficiency.
In the construction of the device as shown in Fig. 2 the numeral 20 designates
a shoe and 21 a spring-frame secured thereto. The spring-frame comprises the
movable arched portion 22, adapted to cross the rear portion of a shoe above the
same, and the convolutely wound end portions 23 adapted to be fixed to the sides
of the shoe, by means of staples 24, the extreme end portion of the portions 23
being extended forwardly in an approximately horizontal plane, across and outside
the lower ends of the arched-portion 22 for the purpose of guiding the same,
and provided with an eye 25 adapted to be secured to the side of the shoe, by
means of a staple 26. I have illustrated the devices as secured to the shoe, by
means of staples, but it is obvious that any other rigid fastening may be employed,
the intent and object being merely to provide a secure and closely contiguous
connection between the frames and the shoe. The portion 22 of the frame 21 is
of such a length as that when the same is depressed into the plane of the top edge
of the side portions of the shoe, it will embrace the rear portion of said shoe, and
be out of the plane of entrance of the foot into said shoe, as is required to permit
the positioning of the shoe relative to the foot. The resilience of the revolubly
wound portion 23 causes the portion 22 of the frame 21 to reassume a position in
the rear of, and above, the. heel of the wearer, after the downward pressure
thereon is relieved, and said arched portion is urged especially forward carrying
with it the inner shoe and wearer's foot, thus firmly connecting the shoe of the
wearer by the engagement of said frame with the upper and rear portion of the
heel. Fixed to the rear portion of. the shoe 20 is a slotted strap 27, which said
strap engages at its upper end portion, with the central portion of the spring-
frame, a portion of said strap extending above the said spring frame and being
adapted for manual actuation in a downward direction to cause the strap to act
upon, and depress, the spring-frame.
The device shown at Fig. 3 is composed of four pieces or parts; part 31 at its
forward end is looped around the spring clamp, or part 30, extends forwardly
and is bent into a semi-circular portion 32, and extends forwardly terminating in
the longitudinal portion 33.
The part 31ª is, at its forward end, looped around the body portion of the part 31,
extends rearwardly, bent into the semi-circular portion 34, and then forwardly
into the horizontal extended portion 35.
A clamp, such as 1 (Fig. 1), should surround the parts 33 and 35 to securely
hold the springs to the.outer sides of the shoe, rubber or overshoe.
The part or hook 36, which is shown, is of great utility in holding the clamping
loop out of contact with the operator's shoe whenever the operator does not wish
to feel the pressure caused by said clamping loop upon his foot, and were it not
for said hook, this pressure would in some cases become inconvenient and
irritable, but by drawing the clamping loop down and causing it to engage
beneath said hook, as shown by dotted lines, all such objections will be overcome.
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. A shoe fastener, comprising a resilient spring-frame, sheet metal clamps

page_text: having outwardly bent portions in the body thereof, apertures formed in said
outwardly bent portions, the ends of said resilient spring-frame passed through
the apertures in the outwardly bent portions of the clamps to act as retainers
for the horizontally moving body portions of the resilient spring-frame, and auxiliary
springs fixed to the clamps and engaging the spring-frame to cause said frame
to more efficiently engage the heel of the wearer.
2. In a shoe fastener, the combination of a resilient spring-frame bent into
semi-circular form and adapted to engage the heel of the wearer, auxiliary
assisting springs connected to said resilient spring-frame, and sheet metal clamps
provided with longitudinally extending bent portions in which are located the
ends of the auxiliary springs and the ends of the resilient spring-frame.
3. In a shoe fastener, the combination of a resilient spring-frame, auxiliary
assisting springs connected to said frame, and sheet metal clamps adapted to
engage the sides of the shoe, and through which one of the ends of the spring-
frame and auxiliary springs is passed in order to form a guide or retainer for the
upwardly extending portion of the body of the spring-frame.
4. The improved shoe securer, comprising a vertical arched body portion
having a bend or coil at each end fixed to the shoe and bent to act as a
bell-crank lever and urge the foot forward in the shoe, the bends or coils
being fixed to the shoe at a suitable distance from the vertical arms of said
arched portion, substantially as described.
5. The combination with a shoc, of a clamping frame yieldingly mounted
upon the rear portion thereof, springs attached to said shoe and acting upon said
clamping frame, and a securing hook attached to the upper rear portion of the
shoe and adapted to retain the clamping frame in an inoperative position,
substantially as specified.
Dated this 12th day of August 1896.
ISAAC DAVID WRIGHT.