IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOSING AND FASTENING BOOTS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Harris, of Chatham, in the County of
Kent, Lieutenant-Colonel Royal Marines Light Infantry, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOSING AND FASTENING BOOTS, AND
Sealed the 16th June 1876, and dated the 22nd December 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Harris at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd December 1875.
I, PHILIP HARRIS, of Chatham, in the County of Kent, Lieutenant-
Colonel, Royal Marines Light Infantry, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOSING AND FASTENING BOOTS, AND
IN THE
MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as follows, that is to
say :-
The Invention consists in closing and fastening boots by the employ-
ment of a bowline strap and runner buckle, whereby the boot is
fastened with facility by one operation, and without undue looseness or
tightness.

page_text: I take as the base for carrying out my Invention the old lace up boot
without any holes being made in it for laces. Instead of holes and to
fasten the boot on the foot I use a flap of leather, somewhat in the
shape of the letter D blocked to fit the instep. This flap is securely
stitched on to that side of the " upper " of the boot commonly known
as the "outside" of the foot by one of its edges only, the bow part of
the flap being downwards towards the toe. On to the flying or inner
side of the flap I attach by its ends a strap of leather which I call the
"bowline strap." This strap in course of affixing to the flap is folded
or turned over once in the middle, and is passed through two D buckles
and also through a "runner" buckle, to which latter is attached the
"ankle strap," which works freely along the bowline strap by means of
the runner buckle attached to it.
The two D buckles aforesaid are fastened to the boot on the "inside
of the foot," in such a manner that the "bowline strap" when pulled
though them by the ankle strap upwards and towards the outside of
the foot will cause the flap to draw down towards the "inside" in two
parallel directions, viz., from the fore part of the instep to the hollow..
of the foot, and from the bend between the instep and ankle towards
the heel. The flap is now held securely down over the instep and closes
the boot effectually, and the fastening process is continued by pulling
the "ankle strap" round the outside of the instep and the ankle, and
so on towards the inside until it meets the instep buckle, which is
attached to the front of the flap in the bend between the ankle and
instep.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Philip Harris in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st June 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PHILIP
HARRIS, of Chatham, in the County of Kent, Lieutenant-Colonel, Royal
Marines Light Infantry, send greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in,
:

page_text: the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Philip Harris, Her
special licence, that I, the said Philip Harris, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Philip Harris,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
" IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOSING AND FASTENING BOOTS, AND IN
THE MEANS OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Philip Harris, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Philip Harris, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereto
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:
2
This Invention consists in closing and fastening boots by the employ-
ment of a "bowline" strap and runner buckle, whereby the boot is
fastened with facility and by one operation without undue looseness or
tightness.
To make my Invention better understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1
is an elevation of the "inside" of a boot made according to my improve-
ments, and shewn closed and fastened on the foot; Figure 2 an elevation
of the "outside" of the same, and Figure 3 is an elevation of the
boot before being closed and fastened. Similar letters in all the Figures
represent similar parts..
I take as the basis for carrying out my Invention the old lace up boot
without any holes being made in it for laces. Instead of holes and to

page_text: the 66
fasten the boot A on the foot I use a flap of leather B somewhat in the
shape of the letter D blocked to fit the instep. This flap B is securely
stitched on to that side of the "upper" of the boot commonly known as
"
outside of the foot, as seen at a, a, a, Figure 2, by one of its
edges only, the bow part 6 of the flap B being downwards towards the
toe c.
On to the flying or inner side d of the flap BI attach by its
ends e a strap of leather C, which I call the "bowline" strap. The.
"bowline" strap C in course of affixing to the flap is folded or wound
over one-half turn, and is passed through two D buckles or rings f, g,
which are fixed to the "inside" of the boot below the inner edge of the flap
when closed, and also through a "runner" buckle K, Figures 2 and 3
(between the buckles f, g), which is sewn on to a strap Ę which I call
the ankle strap, and which may be worked freely along the "bowline
strap by means of the said buckle k. To the front of the flap B and in
the bend of the ankle I also fix a buckle 7 which I call the instep
buckle; this is for fastening the ankle strap Ę when the boot has been
closed and tightened. m is the ordinary leather tongue employed with
this class of boot.
Figure 3 shews the boot placed on the foot ready to be closed and
fastened. To close the boot the ankle strap Ẹ must be pulled, as shewn
in this Figure, so as to draw the "bowline" strap C through the D
buckles f, g, and thus draw down the flap B well on the instep. The
ankle strap E continues passing upwards and towards the outside of the
foot and round the ankle to the instep buckle 7 where it closes. All
this will cause the flap B to be drawn down towards the "inside" in
two parallel directions, videlicet, from the fore part of the instep to the
hollow of the foot, and from the bend between the instep end ankle
towards the heel, the natural place for the strain in walking. The flap B
is now held securely down over the instep, and effectually closes the
boot, and the fastening process is continued by pulling the ankle
strap E round the outside of the instep and the ankle, as shewn in
Figure 2, and so on towards the inside until it meets the instep buckle /
through which it is passed and fastened as aforesaid.
By these improvements not only may the boot be fastened on by one
operation, but any undue looseness or tightnes in buckling is obviated
by the readiness with which (by the use of the "bowline" strap and
runner buckle) the looseness or tightness distributes itself all over the
fastening apparatus and the boot itself.

page_text: The fastening on or pulling off this boot may also be effected in a
position most easy and natural to the human frame because the "inside"
of the foot is the part operated on, and a person can place one foot on
the opposite knee, and so fasten on the boot with a comfort hitherto
unattainable. In case of swelling, wet, soreness, or wounds, this is of
great importance.
Having thus described my said Invention and the best means with
which I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein laid
down, and shewn in the Drawing, as the same may be varied without
departing from the peculiar character of my Invention, but what I do
claim is,―
Firstly. The improvements in closing and fastening boots, herein-
before described.
Secondly. The employment of a flap of blocked leather in combina-
tion with a "bowline" strap, runner buckle and ankle strap for
closing and fastening boots, as herein-before described and represented
in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Philip Harris, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
PHIL HARRIS (10)