improvements in Clasps or Fastenings for Shoes and other Articles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1889
Specification Accepted, 13th Apr., 1889
[Communicated from abroad by MELLEN NEWTON BRAY, of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America, President of a Company.]
improvements in Clasps or Fastenings for Shoes and other Articles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be perforined, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to clasps for shoes and other articles and it consists in certain
novel features of construction arrangement and combination of parts which will be
readily understood by the following description with reference to the accompanying
drawing in which
Figure 1 is a plan of a clasp embodying the invention, the same being shown as
applied to the to the securing together of the two ends of a strap.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the same on line 1, 1, on Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a plan of the main body or female portion of the clasp.
5 is a longitudinal section on line 2, 2, on Figure 4.
Figure
Figure 6 is an inverted plan of same.
Figure 7 is a transverse section on line 3, 3, of Figures 5 and 6.
Figures 8, 9 and 10 are respectively a plan, a longitudinal section and an inverted
plan of the tongue or male portion of the clasp.
Figures 11, 12 and 13 are respectively a plan, an elevation and an inverted plan of
the hinge plate by which the tongue or male portion is secured to the strap, shoe or
other article.
In the drawing A represents the main body or female portion of the clasp, con-
sisting of a plate of sheet metal having transverse slots a, a, cut through it, and
provided with the ribs b, b, or other stiffeners as shown.
The bars c. between the slots a. a. are forced upward above the main body of
said plate a distance about equal to the thickness of said plate as shown in Figures 5
and 7

page_text: To the under side of the plate A is secured a spring plate B having a longitudinal
curve corresponding substantially to the curve of the plato A, and provided, in its
upper side, with recesses or indentations d, done beneath the hars c. c, of the plate A
as shown in Figure 5, the object of which will presently appear.
Both the plates A and B have formed in one end thereof a hole e to receive a
rivet by which they are secured to the strap (or to one side or portion of a shoe or
other article.
To the other of the strap C or the opposite of the shoe or other article is secured,
by the rivet g, one end of the plate D, io the opposite end of which is pivoted the
tongue or male portion E of the clasp which consists of a plate of sheet metal curved
transversely as indicated by the shading in Figures 8 and 10 to stiffen it and longitu-
dinally as shown in Figure 9 and having two slots h, h, cut through it to form a bar/
around which the end of the plate D is bent to form a hinge connection therewith, as
shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
The toe of the tongue E is made narrower than the middle portion containing the
bar i so that it can pass through a slot a in the plate A, and is bent upward so that it
can be readily passed under the bar e and between it and the spring plate B, when
the tongue or lever is in the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3.
The toe has formed upon its under side a projection which, when the tongue
lever is moved from the position indicated by dotted lines to the position indicated
by full lines in Figures 2 and 3, will snap into the indentation d in the plate B, and
thus lock said tongue lever against accidental displacement.
The spring plate B is rigidly secured to the plate A at one end and at its opposite
end, the hole through which the rivet which secures it to plate A passes, is preferably
slotted so as to permit a slight extension of said plato B in the direction when said
plate is depressed at or near its middle by the projection pressing thereon before
passing into the recess or indontation d.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent 1 declare that what I claim is
In a clasp for securing together two sides or portions of a shoe or other article the
combination of a tongue engaging plate having a plurality of transverse bars
separating rectangular slots formed in said plate; said plate being constructed and
adapted to he secured to one side or portion of a shoe or other article-a spring plate
secured at each end to the inner side of said tongue engaging plate, and extending
across the slots formed therein, and having formed in its surface next the tongue
engaging plate a plurality of depressions or indentations corresponding in number
and position to the bars in said tongue engaging plate a hinge plate constructed and
adapted to be secured to the other side or portion of a shoe or other article, and a
tongue in the form of a lever of the first order pivoted to said hinge plate, the short
arm of which lever is constructed to enter a slot in, and engage with a bar of, said
tongue engaging plate, and provided upon its under side between its end and fulcrum
with a projecting lug or detent constructed and arranged to snap into an indentation
in said spring plate when the long arm of said tongue lever is pressed down upon
-the-slotted plate and thus lock said tongue lever in position,
Dated this 12th day of March 1889
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.