A New or Improved Fastener for Fastening the Laces of Boots and for other like purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: A New or Improved Fastener for Fastening the Laces of Boots and
for other like purposes.
We, ERNEST HORATIO LUDLOW, of Langley Green, Oldbury, in the County of
Worcester, Brewer, and ARTHUR WHITTALL, of No. 4, Comberton Terrace, Kidder-
minster, in the County of Worcester, Gentleman, 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: -
Our invention consists of a fastener constructed in the manner hereinafter de-
scribed, which said fastener is especially applicable to the fastening of the laces of
boots, but is also applicable to the fastening of cords for other purposes; such for
example as the fastening of the laces of ladies' corsets, the laces of gloves and the
like.
Fasteners made according to our invention are simple in construction, efficient
in action and uncostly.
We will describe a fastener constructed according to our invention for fastening
a boot lace.
In constructing a fastener according to our invention we take a piece of steel
wire or wire of other elastic metal or alloy, say of about six inches in length and of
about one sixteenth of an inch in diameter, but we do not limit ourselves to these
proportions. At a distance of about an inch from one end, we double or fold the
wire upon itself so as to form a doubled part; the longer portion of the wire is
then bent at right angles, say, for about a quarter of an inch and is then again
bent at right angles so as to be parallel or nearly parallel to the doubled part.
At somewhat less than an inch from the last bend, the wire is again bent parallel
to the doubled part and midway between the said doubled part and the part
already bent parallel to the said doubled part.
The wire is next bent across the doubled part and afterwards so bent as to form
a bend or loop similar to that first formed, but on the opposite side of the doubled
part.
There is thus formed from one piece of wire a middle piece, herein before called
the doubled part, with side pieces and a middle elastic tongue.
The fastener may however be made from thin sheet metal.
The fastener is attached by sewing or otherwise at or near the top edge of the
boot and is used as follows;-The lace to be fastened is passed from the front to the
back of the ankle part of the boot and is passed under the tongue of the fastener,
whereby it is gripped between the said tongue and the middle and side pieces of
the fastener. For greater security the lace may be passed around the ankle and
again passed under the tongue and its extreme end tucked under the coil made by
passing the lace around the ankle.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing represent in front and side ele-
vation respectively our new or improved boot lace fastener made of wire.
Figures 3 and 4 represent similar views of the said fastener made from thin sheet
metal.
Figures 5 and 6 show the said fastener attached to a portion of a boot and illus-
trate the methods of securing a single and double lace respectively by the said
fastener.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
The said fastener consists essentially of a double divided loop or
lower part of which is upturned and constitutes a tongue a³.
frame a, a the
At the middle

page_text: Date of Application, 15th July, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 30th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 30th Apr., 1898
PROVISIONAL
A New or Improved Fastener for Fastening the Laces of Boots and
for other like purposes.
We, ERNEST HORATIO LUDLOW, of Langley Green, Oldbury, in the County of
Worcester, Brewer, and ARTHUR WHITTALL, of No. 4, Comberton Terrace, Kidder-
minster, in the County of Worcester, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
-
Our invention consists of a fastener constructed in the manner hereinafter de-
scribed which said fastener is especially applicable to the fastening of the laces of
boots, but is also applicable to the fastener of cords for other purposes; such for
example as the fastening of the laces of ladies' corsets, the laces of gloves and the
like.
Fasteners made according to our invention are simpl
in action and uncostly.
Auction efficient
We will describe a fastener constructed according to our invention for fastening
a boot lace.
In constructing a fastener according to our invention we take a piece of steel
wire or wire of other elastic metal or alloy, say of about six inches in length and of
about one sixteenth of an inch in diameter but we do not limit ourselves to these
proportions. At a distance of about an inch from one end, we double or fold the
wire upon itself so as to form a doubled part; the longer portion of the wire is
then bent at right angles, say for about a quarter of an inch, and is then again
bent at right angles so as to be parallel or nearly parallel to the doubled part.
At somewhat less than an inch from the last bend, the wire is again bent parallel
to the doubled part and midway between the said doubled part and the part
already bent parallel to the said doubled part.
The wire is next bent across the doubled part and afterwards so bent as to form
a bend or loop similar to that first formed, but on the opposite side of the doubled
part.
There is thus formed from one piece of wire a middle piece hereinbefore called
the doubled part, with side pieces and a middle elastic tongue.
The fastener is attached by sewing to the upper part of the back of the ankle
part of the boot and is used as follows:-The lace to be fastened is passed from
the front to the back of the ankle part of the boot and is passed under the tongue
of the fastener, whereby it is gripped between the said tongue and the middle and
side pieces of the fastener. For greater security the lace may be passed around the
ankle and again passed under the tongue and its extreme end tucked under the
coil made by passing the lace around the ankle.
Dated this Fifteenth day of July 1897.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: and depending from the upper part of the double sided frame a is an arm a³, which
is of doubled wire in the case of a wire fastener, the said arm a³ occupying the
middle open slot of the tongue a².
The
The fastener is secured to the boot at one side thereof by sewing or in the case
of the sheet metal fastener by sewing, rivetting or eyeletting at the ears a*.
end or ends of the lace to be secured are passed between and gripped by the middle
arm a³ and the two sides of the tongue a², a³, the said end or ends of the lace being
passed into the fastener in the manner hereinafter described.
Where the lace is so arranged as to leave off at the top of the boot with a single
end as in Figure 5 the lace is passed round the ankle part of the boot and in passing
the fastener is each time slipped between the middle part or bar a³ and the tongue a³
as is illustrated in the said Figure 5, the grip of which parts on the lace preserves
it tight. Where the lace is used double and terminates with two ends it is so
arranged that the end terminating at the side of the boot opposite to that at which
the fastening is secured has a length much shorter than the other end. The short
end marked b in Figure 6 is passed directly into and is gripped by the fastener
but the long end marked c is first passed round the boot without being passed into
the fastener and on passing the fastener finally, is engaged therewith as shown
in the drawing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as our invention :
--
A fastener for fastening the laces of boots and for other like purposes consisting
essentially of a double sided frame made from wire or thin sheet metal having a
middle bar a³ and a turned up tongue a² between which the end or ends of the lace
to be secured are passed and by which they are gripped or held substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
this manter fourth dow of March 1808
ERNEST HORATIO LUDLOW.
ARTHUR WHITTALL.