Improvements in Ice-grips for Boots and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Improvements in Ice-grips for Boots and the like.
I, OTTO Hass, of 'Sprechtsbrunn, near Gräfenthal, Thuringia, in 'the Empire
of Germany, Evangelical Pastor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The subject-matter of this invention is a device made of bent wire and constructed
of such a form and so provided with points that when properly secured on a boot,
it will prevent the foot of the wearer from slipping on ice or slippery frozen
surfaces.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the device secured on a boot,
Fig. 2 a view of the same as seen from below; and
Figure 3 a perspective view thereof.
The ice-grip herein described has the advantage of being adapted to be used,
without the aid of any adjusting-mechanism, for boots of different lengths and
widths of sole, and of different shapes of toe. It comprises a piece of wire a
provided, if desired, with downwardly-projecting points s soldered or twisted
thereon. The wire a is formed under the waist, bight or bend of the sole into
loops b, and is then carried forward towards the toe of the boot, and there bent
outwards as at.c, upwards as at d, and inwards as at e and f, and then bent again
in a similar but reversed manner at g, h, i and k, loops being formed at h and i, and
the arrangement being such that the wire clasps the sole near the toe of the boot
approximately at the first joint of the big toe. The free end k of the wire a is
fastened at to the main portion of the said wire by being twisted therewith.
At the rear, the wire is bent outwards so as to form two arms m n under the
heel. Fastened to these arms by being twisted therewith, is a wire o which is bent
back so as to form two hooks p. In the hooks p there engages a strap q which
serves to hold the device from the instep of the boot.
Through the Icops formed at d and e by bending up the wire there is passed a
strap by means of which the wire-device is secured to the toe of the boot.
The loops are such as to enable the device to be lengthened by simply pulling
it out. By bending the arms c, k and e, f, g and h inwardly or outwardly, the
device can be made to fit a boot-sole of any desired width. It will be seen that an
ice-grip according to this invention is adapted to give so as to fit boots of very
different lengths and widths.
In strapping the ice-grip on a boot, it must be bent out or together, as the case
may be, so that the strap r comes over the great toe, and the device must fit the
sole in such a manner that the books can be drawn tight over the heel only by
firmly bending out the spring, which is effected when the ice-grip is already on the
boot. When the device has been once set to fit a particular pair of boots, the front
strap is left thereon; so that when it is desired to put the ice-grip on a boot it is
necessary merely to insert the toe of the boot under the strap r, to draw the
hooks p over the heel, and to put on the rear strap, which only takes a few
seconds. In this manner the ice-grip can be readily and conveniently applied to
D
07

page_text: any boot or shoe, and also to goloshes or over-shoes, without in any way injuring
the foot-gear.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1895.
вис Аррисать,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ice-grips for Boots and the like.
I. OTTO HASS, of Sprechtsbrunn, near Gräfenthal, Thuringia, in the Empire
of Germany, Evangelic Pastor, 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 :-
This invention has reference to an ice-gripping device formed of wire and
adapted to be fastened to the underside of a boot or shoe for the purpose of
preventing slipping on hard-trodden snow or frozen surfaces, and which is so
formed and constructed that it will fit boots or shoes of considerably different
lengths and widths.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figs, 1 & 2 are respectively a side elevation and an underside view, showing an
ice-grip according to this invention secured on a boot;
Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views representing a modification; and
Fig. 5 is a broken underside view, drawn to a larger scale, of the front portion
of the device.
The device is made of strongly elastic metal-wire of a thickness of say from
about 2 to 3 millimetres, and is held under the sole of the boot by means of four
clamps, of which two, a and b are in front and serve to grip the sole in front near
the toc, and the other two are at the rear and clamp the heel e. The clamps a b
are formed by suitably bending as shown, the wire of which the ice-grip is formed.
When the device is formed of comparatively thin wire, the clamps are made to
form loops and g (Figs. 1 and 2), through which is passed a strap h, which is
placed around the instep and aids in holding the ice-grip in place. But when the
device is composed of thick wire, the rear clamps are formed with sharp points c
and d (Figs. 3 and 4) which become embedded in the rear surface of the heel of
the boot or shoe to which the device is applied.
As the device must be tight in order to effectually secure itself on a boot or
shoe it is constructed in such a manner as to be capable of springing both in a
longitudinal direction, and also, near the toe, in a transverse direction. For the
purpose of obtaining the required longitudinal elasticity, the wire of which the
device is made, is bent to form say, four loops i, i, 2, 3 so that when the device
is applied to a boot or shoe, the front clamps a, b and the rear clamps c, d or f, g, as
the case may be, will be strongly drawn together and will consequently be firmly
pressed against the sole and heel of the boot. But this strong contraction will be
produced only after the front clamps a, b have been placed over the sole and the
rear portion of the device pulled over the heel with a certain amount of effort,
either by hand, or with the aid of a hook somewhat similar to a button-hook.
The device should therefore, be about say from 1 to 2 centimetres shorter than
the boot to which it is to be applied, so as to render it necessary, in order to
lengthen it to the required extent, to pull out the spring-loops i, i¹, 12, 13. It will be
evident from the foregoing, that the ice grip will be drawn so tightly by the
loops i, 1, 2, 3, as to pull the front and rear clamps a, b and c, d, or a, b and f, g, as
the case may be, towards the middle of the foot, and thus cause them to grip the
hoot with considerable force.

page_text: In order to enable the front end of the device to be made narrower or wider
according to the width of the boot, if this be found necessary before applying the
grip thereto, the connection between the clamps a and b consists not of a straight
piece of wire, but of a loop k into which shape the wire forming this part of the
grip is bent, and the legs of the wire are arranged obliquely, so that the loop k
may be bent inwardly or outwardly by hand to a greater or less extent, and the
clamps a and b thereby brought nearer together or forced further apart.
The end portions m and n of the wire of which the device is made are twisted
to the main portion thereof so as to provide the device with coiled portions or
prominences of such a nature as to become, when in use, embedded into hard-trodden
snow, ice, or slippery frozen surfaces to an extent sufficient to prevent the wearer
from slipping when walking thereon. In order to assist in effecting this object
short separate pieces of pointed wire s may be soldered or twisted around the ice
grip as shown in the drawings filed with my Provisional Specification, but I prefer
to use for this purpose ribs or notches o (Fig. 5) which, by means of a sharp chisel
or steel punch, are cut, stamped or impressed in the portions of the wire that are
situate under the front part of the boot.
The clamps a bare formed in the ice-gripping device by suitably bending back
the wire as shown. If desired, these clamps a b, which are in the form of loops,
may have a toe strap connected to them as shown in and described with reference
to the drawings filed with my Provisional Specification; usually however I find
this will be unnecessary.
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. An ice-grip for use on a boot or the like, made of wire bent so as to form
two toe-clamps a, b, two heel clamps f, g, or c, d, and spring-loops i, 1, 2, 3, that are
adapted to permit the length of the device to be increased and to draw the toe and
heel clamps firmly against a boot, or the like when applied thereto, the ends n n of
the wire being twisted to the main portion thereof in such a manner as to form
prominences that will serve to prevent the wearer from slipping when walking on
hard-trodden snow or frozen surfaces, and the arrangement being such that the
toe-clamps a, b can be adjusted as to distance apart by bending the loop k of the
wire, substantially as herein described, whether or not the underside of the first
portion of the ice-grip be notched or ribbed as set forth.
2. My improved ice-grip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to and shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the modification thereof shown in Figs. 3 and 4,
of the accompanying drawings.
Dad his 20th 1 5 Cane
100%