New or Improved Device for Preventing Shoe Laces from Becoming Untied.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 12th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Device for Preventing Shoe Laces from
Becoming Untied.
A communication from abroad by LEON BOURGAIN, of 91 Boulevard Sebastopol,
Paris, in the Republic of France.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, 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 :-
It often happens that shoe laces come untied, which is very troublesome and
annoying. A device constructed in accordance with this invention removes this
inconvenience. .
This invention is best explained by aid of the accompanying drawing..
It is essentially composed of two parts, one, A, represented by Figure 3, and the
other, B, represented by Figure 4.
The piece A preferably presents the form shown on the drawing and has a metal
spring a fixed upon it by means of a rivet b. In Figure 3 this spring is supposed to
be partly broken off.
The piece A has two eyelets or openings c and d through which the laces may pass,
and it is bent down at efg, forming a hollow in which the piece b can engage as
described hereafter.
The plate B is composed of a single piece of metal which is curved as shown in
Figures 1 and 2, one of its ends being cut out or otherwise to form a lug i and two
smaller lugs. The outside of the piece B may be decorated as shown on the annexed
drawing, or in any other suitable way.
To put the parts together, the piece B is placed on the piece A in such a way that
the small lugs enter the transverse groove fg and the lug i in the shallower
groove eh. Then the spring a is put on, the end of which covers the lug i.
The plates are thus connected and can no longer be readily separated from one
another. Figure 1 shows the apparatus thus composed when open; if the end of
the plate B be pressed down, it will be brought down against the plate A as repre-
sented in Figures
and 5. The spring a pressing on the end of the lug i retains
the plate B in the closed position, and it requires a pretty considerable effort to
raise it.
The mode of action is as follows:-
When the shoe is put on and the laces drawn tight, one of them is passed through
the eyelet c and the other through the eyelet d, the plate B being raised into the
position shown in Figure 1. The bow is then tied and the plate B pressed down
towards the plate A, when the laces will be gripped and held between the
two plates A and B, as shown in Figure 6, consequently the bow cannot come
undone.
Besides preventing the laces from becoming unfastened, the device also serves as
an ornament.
Figure 1 shows the device open, and Figures 2 and 5 closed.
Figure 5 is a view from below.
Figure 3 represents the plate A (underneath view) and
Figure 4 the plate B.
Figure 6 shows the arrangement of the apparatus when it is in position.
Figures 1 and 5 are on a scale double the size of which the device is intended to
be manufactured, Figure 6 is the natural size.

page_text: It should be noted that, when the apparatus is closed, there is no projecting part
inside, in which the laces could catch. Further, the arrangement of the lugs i and
makes this apparatus a very solid one, for the plates A and B, being held in position
by the spring, cannot be separated one from another.
The drawings annexed form an integral part of this specification..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:―
A device for holding fast the lace of a boot, shoe or the like, consisting essentially
of a lower plate A having eyelets c and d through which the lace ends may be passed,
an upper plate B pivotally connected with the plate A, and a spring a attached to
said under plate in such manner that the plate B is retained in position thereby,
while free to open or close with pressure provided by said spring, substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 10th day of March 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.