An Improvement in or Addition to Boot and other Laces.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Nov., 1898
An Improvement in or Addition to Boot and other Laces.
We, ERNEST HORATIO LUDLOW, of Langley Green, Oldbury, in the County of
Worcester, Brewer, and ARTHUR WHITTALL, of Cobden Hotel, Corporation Street,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manager, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to supersede the ordinary unsightly knot tied at
the end of single boot and other laces to prevent the lace being pulled through
the eyelet or other hole of the boot or other article; and our said invention
consists in replacing the said tied knot by a neat metallic disc like head the said
disc like head being constructed and attached to the lace in the manner herein-
after described.
In carrying our invention into effect we take a disc of thin sheet brass or
other ductile sheet metal or alloy having on its edge four equi-distant radial
ears or flaps. These ears or flaps are situated in the same plane as the disc or
middle part of the blank and are of a nearly quadrant shape so that when folded
upon the said middle part of the blank their edges meet or nearly meet and
constituto a second disc between which and the first named disc the end of the
single lace is gripped as hereinafter described.
.
Passing nearly across the middle part or disc of the blank in the direction
of a diameter, is a slot through which the end of the boot or other lace is passed,
a short piece of the lace projecting through the slot and lying on the face of the
middle part or disc. By folding inwards the nearly quadrant shaped ears or
flaps and closing or pressing them flat upon the disc the projecting end of the
lace is covered and securely gripped between the disc and closed ears or flaps;
the said closed ears or flaps constituting virtually a second flat disc upon the first
named disc. A metallic projecting disc like head of double thickness of metal
and of great neatness is thus secured to the end of the lace, the said disc like
metallic head replacing the ordinary knot tied or made at the end of the boot
or other lace.
The quadrant shaped ears of the blank may be ornamented by the cutting out
tools or dies so that when the said ears or turned over, the disc like head has an
ornamental appearance.
Our invention is applicable to all kinds of boot and other laces where a knot
is ordinarily employed at the end of the lace for preventing it being pulled
through the eyelet or other lace hole in the boot or other article.
Deted this Twenty fifth dor of Vannon 1000
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: ами
We, ERNEST HORATIO LUDLOW, of Langley Green, Oldbury, in the County of
Worcester, Brewer, and ARTHUR WHITTALL, of No. 22, Upper Hagley Road (late
of Cobden Hotel, Corporation Street), Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The object of our invention is to supersede the ordinary unsightly knot tied at
the end of single boot and other laces to prevent the lace being pulled through
the eyelet or other hole of the boot or other article; and our said invention
consists in replacing the said tied knot by a neat metallic disc like head the said
disc like head being constructed and attached to the lace in the manner herein-
after described.
In carrying our invention into effect we take a disc of thin sheet brass or
other ductile sheet metal or alloy having on its edge four equi-distant radial
ears or flaps. These ears or flaps are situated in the same plane as the disc or
middle part of the blank and are of a nearly quadrant shape so that when folded
upon the said middle part of the blank their edges meet or nearly meet and
constitute a second disc between which and the first named disc the end of the
single lace is gripped as hereinafter described.
Passing nearly across the middle part or disc of the blank in the direction
of a diameter, is a slit or narrow slot through which the end of the boot or other
lace is passed, a short piece of the lace projecting through the slot and lying on
the face of the middle part or disc. By folding inwards the nearly quadrant
shaped cars or flaps and closing or pressing them flat upon the disc the slit in
the disc is closed upon the projecting end of the lace and the lace end thereby
securely gripped; the said closed ears or flaps constituting virtually a second
flat disc upon the first named disc. A metallic projecting disc like head of
double thickness of metal and of great neatness is thus secured to the end of the
lace, the said disc like metallic head replacing the ordinary knot tied or made at
the end of the boot or other lace.
The quadrant shaped ears of the blank may be ornamented by the cutting out
tools or dies so that when the said ears are turned over, the disc like head has an
ornamental appearance.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in plan one of the discs or
sheet metal blanks from which the disc like head or knot substitute of the lace is
made.
Figure 2 represents in plan and section the said disc or sheet metal blank
with the end of the lace passed through the slit in the disc preparatory to fixing
the disc to the lace.
Figure 3 represents in plan and section the finished disc like head or knot
substitute fixed on the end of the lace.
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 represent a modified disc like head or knot substitute
hereinafter particularly described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
We will first describe the arrangement Figures 1, 2 and 3.
a is the disc and a³, a², a³, a³ the equi-distant radial ears or flaps of the same;
b is the slit or slot crossing the middle of the disc through which the untagged
end of the lace c is passed. In order to facilitate the passing of the end of the

page_text: lace through the slit the part on one side of the said slit is pressed slightly
down while the part on the other side of the said slit is pressed slightly up as
seen in the section Figure 2 the slit being thereby opened. The said untagged
end of the lace c is passed through the opened slit 6 as represented in Figure 2
and the radial ears or flaps a³, a³, a², a², are bent over and pressed on to the lace
end on the face of the disc a with such force as to close the slit b and cause it to
securely grip the lace end and at the same time cover the lace end and face of the
disc and thereby securely connect the disc like head or knot substitute to the said
lace as represented in Figure 3.
Or the passing of the end of the lace through the slit 6 may be facilitated by
forming one of the sides of the said slit 6 into a slightly bent down tongue or
flap which is pressed back into place or nearly into place after the end of the
lace has been passed through the opened slit and at the same time as the closing
of the radial ear pieces or flaps a
According to the modification of our invention represented in Figures 4 to 9
both inclusive we take a plain or circular disc a and by a piercing and pressing
operation we depress from the middle of the said disc a tongue or flap (see
Figure 4). We fix the said disc to the lace end by passing the lace end through
the hole or slot at the middle of the disc and by pressing back or closing the
tongue or flap on the lace secure the disc to the lace end as seen in the section
Figure 5.
In order to increase the neatness of and to give an ornamental appearance
to the knot substitute, we prefer to employ in conjunction with the disc Figures 4
and 5 a covering plate or cap e of the kind represented in plan and elevation in
Figure 6 and in section in conjunction with the disc and lace end in Figure 7,
the said covering plate or cap being secured to the disc by turning over its edge
on to the disc a as represented in the section Figure 8 and plan Figure 9.
Our invention is applicable to all kinds of boot and other laces where a knot
is ordinarily employed at the end of the lace for preventing it being pulled
through the eyelet or other lace hole in the boot or other article.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as
our invention :-
First metallic disc like head or knot substitute for boot and other laces
made by taking a metallic disc with car pieces and a slit crossing the middle of the
disc the untagged end of the lace being passed through the opened slit and the
slit closed by the turning and pressing of the ear pieces on to the end of the lace
projecting through the slit substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawing.
Secondly: The modified disc like head for lace ends hereinbefore described
and illustrated in Figures 4 to 9 both inclusive of the accompanying drawing the
said modification consisting in attaching the lace end to the disc by a tongue
formed at one side of the slit crossing the middle of the disc the said disc being
preferably covered by means of a separate cap or covering plate substantially as
described and illustrated.
Dated the Ninth love of At 1000
ERNEST HORATIO LUDLOW.
ARTHUR WHITTALL.