Improvements in Means for Closing or Fastening Boots, Gloves, and other Garments or Articles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Sept., 1889-Accepted, 12th Oct.. 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Closing or Fastening Boots, Gloves,
and other Garments or Articles.
1. ERNST ZAPPERT, of 14, Pramergassc, Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
My invention relates to improvements in means for closing or fastening boots,
gloves, and other garments or articles, and has for its object to facilitate the fastening
and loosening of such garments or articles.
According to my said invention, the adjacent edges to be connected are formed to
adapt them to engage with a series of clips. This is advantageously accomplished by
inserting strips or lengths of suitable material such as wire or braid, spiral springs, or
the like, into the fabric to thicken the same at the edges.
When the edges are thickened and stiffened as hereinbefore described, the clips are
formed with two grooves or notches adapted to receive the edges and are slipped over
the latter at the end, so as to embrace the said edges.
The number of clips employed depends upon the length of the edges to be fastened.
All the said clips are attached to a flexible band or tape at one side, so that by pulling
the said tape all the clips may be immediately drawn to their required position. A
cord or chain is sometimes arranged to pull the clips in the reverse direction.
The upper clip of the series of clips is provided with a catch to prevent it from
moving inadvertently after the fastening has been effected. Or any other desirable
means may be employed for the purpose.
It will be obvious that the front part of the clips may be made to represent buttons
or other ornaments.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Closing or Fastening Boots, Gloves,
and other Garments or Articles.
1, ERNST ZAPPERT, of 14, Pramergasse, Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, Merchant,
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:-
My invention relates to means for closing or fastening and loosening boots, gloves
and other garments and bags and other articles which are fastened by the junction of
two edges, and the said means to be applied to such articles may be of two descriptions,
which we will hereafter term single and double fasteners, the former being used where
the two edges to be joined are, connected at one end, as in the case of shoes, trousers,
&c., while the latter are adapted for use with articles the edges of which, when open,
are entirely separated, as in the case of gaiters, vests, corsets, &c. Gloves are equally
comprised in the latter class of articles inasmuch as the portion that requires to be
fastened really only begins beyond the central circular hole so that the fastening edges
proper, when open, are entirely separated.
According to my said invention the adjacent edges to be connected are formed with
what may be called slide bars adapted to engage with a series of clips or slides.
This
is advantageously accomplished by inserting strips or lengths of suitable material such
as wire or braid, spiral springs, or the like, into the fabric to thicken the same at the
edges. Or the slide bars may be formed in other ways as hereinafter described.

page_text: The clips or slides are adapted to receive or move within the said slide bars and are
slipped over or into the latter at the end so as to embrace or connect the said
edges.
The number of clips or slides employed depends upon the length of the edges to be
fastened. All the said clips are attached to a flexible band, tape, lace or cord so that
by pulling the. said tape all the clips may be immediately drawn to their required
position.
In the single fastener, when it is open, all the slides are gathered at the corner where
the opening begins, which enables the remaining portion of the article to be opened to
its full extent, and when the tape, lace or cord is pulled, the slides, in moving along
with the same, draw the two slide bars together until the junction of the two edges is
completed.
When the double fastener is employed, ie, where the two edges to which it is
applied are open from end to end, all the slides, so long as the article remains open,
are gathered at the lower portion of one of the two slide bars, which portion, for
that purpose, is convéniently lengthened and widened. At the beginning of this
extension, a socket, slot or opening is provided in the direction of the length of
the bars, which opening receives a projecting and slightly tapering projection or
pin attached to the other or shorter slide-bar so as to form the commencement of
the fastening; its continuation is effected in the same way as with the single
fastener.
It will be understood that, in the double fastener, it is immaterial which of the
two slide bars is employed to begin the fastening operation with, and that the
article to which it is applied may be fastened either upwards or downwards at
will.
The lower end of the lace or cord, to which the slides are attached, is fixed at
the lower end of the opening while the upper end of the said lace or cord, by
pulling which the fastening is completed, is retained at the top of the slide-bars
in any suitable manner so as effectually to prevent the accidental opening of the
fastened article.
The slide bars should, in the case of fastenings for garments, be flexible so as
to adjust themselves to the shape or outline of the part of the body to which they
are applied without causing any uncomfortable pressure, and, on the other hand,
they must offer sufficient resistance to avoid becoming warped or bent out of
shape by the moving slides.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure is a side elevation of a boot showing a single fastener constructed
according to my invention applied thereto.
and
Figures 2 to 6ª are elevations illustrating various modifications of the slide-bars,
Figures 7 to 10 are sections illustrating different constructions of slides with
their corresponding slide bars.
Figures 11 and 12 are a front elevation and a side elevation respectively showing
a corset provided with my double fastener, and,
Figures 13, 14 and 15 are detail views on a slightly enlarged scale, shewing
appliances for keeping the pair of slide bars together, previous to the slides being
drawn over them, for the completion of the fastening.
In Figures 2, 3 and 4 the flexible slide bars A1 and A2 are shown consisting of
spiral springs or whalebones stitched into the hem of the material in such a
manner as to thicken the same, or form with the material covering them, swellings
or rolls which the slides 61, 62, 63 &c. are made to clasp in the manner shewn in
Figure 7.
In Figure 5 the slide bars are shewn constructed of a flexible metal strip or
band provided with slots at short intervals and rolled back as indicated in Figures 8
and 9. The slides in this case either move inside the rolls or rings thus
formed as shewn in Figure 8 or partly clasp the same externally as shewn in
Figure 9.

page_text: In the arrangement shewn in Figure 6, the slide bar is made of flexible wire
bent in such a way as to form a series of alternate U-shaped portions of unequal
width, the wider of which portions are turned back so as to form hooks.
slides to be used in connection with this description of bars are illustrated in
Figure 10.
Tho
Another modification of the slide bar is illustrated in Figure 6º, it being formed of
a flexible wire wound spirally, then flattened by pressure and finally turned back. The
last described two forms of slide bars are flexible in all directions.
a
In the corset fastening illustrated in Figures 11 to 15 the slide bars are made of flat
flexible metal strips or bands turned down throughout their length so as to assume
shape in cross section. The edge thus turned down is provided at
short intervals with slots in order to make the bar more yielding and to enable it the
better to accomodate itself to the shape of the body of the wearer. The slides used in
this case are formed as shown in Figure 14 which is a section of the slide bar and one
of the slides. The slides are attached to a slightly elastic lace or cord a' which is
fixed at the bottom end of the lengthened bar A', figure 13, while its upper end
carries a closing piece c having a hook c' and a finger loop d, which hook e' after the
completion of the fastening hooked on to the top of both slide bars, thereby pre-
venting the same from opening accidentally.
The slide bar A is shewn in Figure 15 lengthened and widened at its lower end so
that, while the article remains unfastened, all the slides can be moved out of the way
upon the extension so formed. A socket or opening o Figures 13 and 15 is provided
at the beginning of the extension of the bar A into which socket when the fastening
operation is commenced a projection or pin s on the other or shorter bar A2 is inserted
whereby both the slide bars A' and A2 are brought sufficiently near to each other to
enable the slides to be drawn over them by means of the lace or cord a¹.
It will be understood that any suitable form of slide bars and slides may be employed
in a similar manner for any article of wearing apparel.
Fastenings for gaiters, gloves and vests are constructed in a similar manner to those
herein before described and illustrated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :
1. The employment for the purpose ef rapidly fastening and unfastening boots,
shoes, gloves, gaiters, bags, corsets, vests, breeches and other similar articles at, in or
near the hein or edge of the material of which the article is inade, of flexible slide
bars A and A2 capable of adjusting themselves to the form of any part of the body.
they are to be applied to, and having a circular, flattened or hook shape in cross
section, a number of slides 61, 62, 63 &c. being adapted to move within such bars or to
clasp them externally which slides are, at regular intervals, attached to a flexible
elastic or non-elastic tape, ribbon, lace or cord a', whereby they can be readily moved
up and down the said slide bars, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The means whereby the slide bars A and A' are rendered elastic, such means
consisting in
(a) forming flexible borders or rolls, by stitching spiral springs into the hem of
the material as shewn in Figures 2, 3 and 4.
(b) providing slots in the turned down metal strips or bands so as to produce a
number of book-shaped projections as herein before described.
(c) bending flexible wire into the shapes substantially as shown in Figures 6
and 6.
3. The device whereby the ribbon, lace or cord a', after the fastening is completed,
is hooked onto the top ends of the slide bars.
4. In means for fastening and unfastening boots and other articles as indicated in
Claim 1, the arrangement of slides, set at the desired intervals apart, upon a single
lace or cord, substantially as herein before described.

page_text: 5. Providing articles whose edges, when open, are entirely separated such as stays,
gaiters, &c., with an arrangement of slide bar lengthened and widened at its lower
end, so that, while the article is unfastened, all the slides can be moved out of the way
upon such extension of the bar, a socket or opening o being provided at the beginning
of the extension of one of the bars, A', into which opening, when the fastening opera-
tion is commenced, a projection or pin s on the other or shorter bar A², is inserted,
whereby both slide bars A and A2 are brought sufficiently near each other, at one end,
to enable the slides to be drawn over them by means of a lace or cord a¹, substantially
as described.
Dated the 3rd day of September 1889.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.