IMPROVED FASTENINGS FOR COVERINGS OF PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY, AS BOOTS, SHOES LEGGINGS, GLOVES, &C
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Frederick Fryer, of 7, Plantagenet Street,
Nottingham, for an Invention of "IMPROVED FASTENINGS FOR COVERINGS
OF PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY, AS BOOTS, SHOES LEGGINGS, GLOVES, &C."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Frederick Fryer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd October 1880.
" IMPROVED
JOHN FREDERICK FRYER, of 7, Plantagenet Street, Nottingham.
FASTENINGS FOR COVERINGS OF PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY, AS BOOTS, SHOES,
LEGGINGS, GLOVES, &C."
This Invention relates to improved fastenings for coverings of parts of the
human body, as boots, shoes, leggings, gloves, &c., and consists mainly of a series
of laces or thongs united at one end, or the series may be formed by being cut out
of a single piece of material, say leather, by stopping the cuts between them a short
distance from one end, the latter being provided with eyelet-holes, so that it can
be fastened by one of said holes taking over a stud or pin on the garment to be
fastened.
In applying the fastening to, say, a boot or shoe, the free ends of the laces are
passed through one side of the uppers by means of the usual eyelet-holes, and are
made fast to the holes in the other side. The outside portion or terminal is then
drawn tight, and is passed round the back of the boot to the front, where it is
fastened by one of the eyelet holes taking over a stud or pin on the uppers, pre-
ferably on the side on which the free ends of the laces are fastened. In the above
description a boot is described as being fastened by one set of laces, but two may
be employed if preferred, and in the latter case the laces need not be passed round
the back of the boot or shoe, but may be made shorter and fasten at the sides.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Jolin Frederick Fryer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd April 1881.
JOHN FREDERICK FRTER, of 7, Plantagenet Street, Nottingham. " IMPROVED
FASTENINGS FOR COVERINGS OF PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY, AS BOOTS, SHOES,
LEGGINGS, GLOVES, ETC."
This Invention relates to improved fastenings for coverings of parts of the
human body, as boots, shoes, leggings, gloves, &c., and consists mainly of a series
of laces or thongs of any desired number united at one end, or the series may be
formed by being cut out of a single piece of material, say leather, by stopping the
cuts between them a short distance from one end, the latter being provided with
eyelet holes, so that it can be fastened by one of said holes taking over a stud or
pin on the garment to be fastened.
As an instance, in applying the fastening to, say, a boot or shoe, the free ends
of the laces are passed through one side of the uppers by means of the usual 1
eyelet-holes, and are made fast to the holes or to studs or their equivalents in the
other side. The outside portion or terminal is then drawn tight, and is passed
round the back of the boot to the front, where it is fastened by one of the eyelet-
holes taking over a stud or pin on the uppers, preferably on the side on which
the free ends of the laces are fastened. In the above description a boot is described 2
as being fastened by one set of laces, but two may be employed if preferred, and in
the latter case the laces need not be passed round the back of the boot or shoe,
but may be made shorter and fasten at the sides.
The Invention will be clearly understood on reference to the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, Figure 1 shows the improved fastening as formed from a strip of
leather, one end being cut into laces or thongs a, the slits or cuts extending only
so far as the point b, which leaves the end c as a terminal uniting the thongs
together. The terminal c is provided with eyelet-holes d, to take over a pin, stud,
or hook on the garment or article to which the Invention is applied. Such a
hook is shown at e in Figure 2, which is preferably secured to, say, a piece of a
leather as a foundation to facilitate its attachment, or it may be attached to the
article to be fastened direct.
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 illustrate several modes of applying the Invention to
fasten ordinary lace up boots and shoes, similar letters of reference indicating
similar parts all through the Drawings.
In Figure 3 a boot is shown as fastened by one set of laces a, their free ends
passing through the eyelets g on one side of the uppers, and secured to the
opposite side by the studs j. The terminal c and the laces a are passed around
the back of the boot, and fastened by an eyelet in the terminal, being passed over
a stud e on the front of the uppers.
In Figure 4 two sets of laces are shown fastening a shoe. In this instance the
ends of laces are attached by the studs j to the uppers on each side; they cross each
other without passing through any eyelets, and are fastened to the sides of the shoe
uppers by a hook or stud, as clearly shown; Figure 5 is a side view of this
arrangement.
Figure 6 is a modification of Figure 3. In this instance a fastening is used with
four thongs a; the three upper ones are secured to one side of the uppers at j, and
the lower one is laced, as clearly shown; c is the terminal fastened by the
hook e.
៩
Figure 7 shows another modification. In this case the ends of the thongs a, 5
after being laced through the uppers, as shown, are united by the piece k, which

page_text: also carries the hook or stud e, and the fastening is completed by the terminal c
being attached to the hook e of the piece at the back of the boot.
Figure 8 shows the improved fastener made of a piece of ordinary shoe lacing
united to the terminal c. The free ends of the lacing are secured to the terminal
by, say, knots or sewing, rivetting, or other equivalent method at 1, the lace itself
being arranged so as to form four divisions or portions a, a, a², a³, as clearly
shown. This may be applied to an article, say, a boot, and laced in many different
ways, some of which are shown in Figures 9, 10, and 11.
Sometimes I arrange the fastening so that it has three divisions or portions
arranged and laced, as in Figure 12, and sometimes with two portions, as shown in
Figures 13 and 14; in the latter Figures the laces and terminal are seen on the
right as unfastened. The terminal is also shown in the position it occupies when
fastened, after having with the laces been passed around the back of the boot, the
Figures 13 and 14 showing the uppers of such an article.
Figure 15 shows a glove with a fastener having three ends, and laced similar to
that in Figure 3, but with the securing stud or hook at the side.
Figures 16, 17, 18, and 19 show other simplified forms in which the Invention
may be used. In Figure 8 the fastening is shown with four portions or divisions
a, a³, a², a³, but in Figure 16 two divisions are used, viz., a and a¹; each division
terminates in a tongue piece m, provided with an eyelet hole or holes, and when
laced in the uppers of a shoe, as shown, is secured by cach tongue on the studs or
hooks e, e.
In Figures 17, 18, and 19 other very simple modified forms of applying the
Invention for securing a glove are shown. In these instances the lace is single,
and provided with a terminal c, with eyelet holes similar to those shown in many
of the other Figures, but the lacing is arranged so as to produce the same effect
in closing the two portions of the wrist band as that produced in the other modes
shown of applying the Invention.
In Figure 17 is shown the wrist band of a glove unfastened. The lace a is
secured at one end, preferably to the inside of the glove at n, while the free end
is passed through the eyelet at o on the opposite side of the wrist band, as shown.
Two studs e and e', shown at the upper portion of the division in the wrist band,
are fitted, and the lace is caused to take around one stud e', and its terminal c
over the other stud e, in the manner shown in Figure 13, and the fastening is
complete.
In Figure 19 the fixed end of the lace is attached to the glove at p on the same
side as the securing stud e, the loop or turn of the lace around the stud e¹ drawing
the two portions of the wrist band together, and so giving a neat appearance to
the fastener. In Figure 20 the wrist band of a glove is shown as fastened by a
lace with one end attached at p, the lace being then passed around several studs e¹,
and secured at e.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
The improved fastenings for coverings of parts of the human body, as boots, shoes,
leggings, and gloves, as described, and substantially as shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Frederick Fryer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of April, One thousand eight hundred
JOHN F. FRYER. (L.S.)