Improvements in or applicable to Boots, Shoes, Gloves, and other Articles of Apparel.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July. 1895
Complete Specification Left, 29th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 13th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Boots, Shoes, Gloves, and other
Articles of Apparel.
I MAURICE GOODMAN of 41 Corporation Street Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Produce Broker, and Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improved means to be employed as a substitute for laces
in closing and securing boots, shoes, gaiters, gloves, corsets and other articles of
apparel wherein it is desirable to close and secure a V-shaped or other aperture by
bringing the two sides together, and for opening and releasing the same, the
principal object of the invention being to open and close and secure the aperture
by a simple movement instead of the tedious operations of lacing and unlacing the
same.
For the purposes of my invention I employ metal hooks, studs, rings or other
similar devices at each edge or side of the aperture, and I provide the same with a
wire or wires or with longitudinal slides, grooves, or bars, and for the purpose of
bringing these edges together or separating them so as to close or open the
aperture, I employ a series of small levers or links jointed together in the manner
of what is known as "lazy-tongs," the ends of the said levers being so connected to
the edges of the aperture by means of the hooks studs or other devices aforesaid
that when the "lazy tongs are extended in length the two edges or sides of the
aperture are brought together, and on the other hand when the "lazy tongs
contracted in length, and consequently expanded laterally, the sides of the aperture
are opened out to a corresponding degree. A hook, catch or other simple device,
preferably adjustable, is provided for holding the ends of the "lazy tongs" levers
together or otherwise keeping the aperture contracted or closed, and for readily
releasing the same when it is desired to open or expand the said aperture.
"
are
It will be readily understood that the precise details of construction may be
considerably varied so long as the principal feature of my invention is retained,
which is, the use of a device capable of extension and contraction in the manner of
lazy-tongs" for opening and closing the aperture of boots, shoes, gloves and other
articles of wearing apparel.
66
Dated this 97th day of July 1805
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or applicable to Boots, Shoes, Gloves, and other
Articles of Apparel.
I MAURICE GOODMAN, of 41 Corporation Street, Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Produce Broker, and Agent, 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 :-
This invention relates to improved means to be employed as a substitute for

page_text: 66
"
laces or buttons in closing, and securing boots, shoes, spats gaiters, gloves,
corsets and other articles of apparel wherein it is desirable to close and secure a
V-shaped or other aperture by bringing the two sides together, and for opening
and releasing the same, the principal object of the invention being to open and
close and secure the aperture by a simple movement instead of the tedious
operations of lacing and unlacing or buttoning and unbuttoning the same.
For the purposes of my invention I employ metal hooks, studs rings or other
similar devices at each edge or side of the aperture, and I provide the same with a
wire or wires, or with longitudinal slides, grooves, or bars, and for the purpose of
bringing these edges together or separating them so as to close or open the
aperture, I employ a series of small levers or links jointed together in the manner
of what is known as "lazy-tongs" the ends of the said levers being so connected to
the edges of the aperture by means of the hooks studs or other devices aforesaid
that when the "lazy-tongs" are extended in length the two edges or sides of the
aperture are brought together and on the other hand when the "lazy-tongs" are
contracted in length, and consequently expanded laterally, the sides of the aperture
are opened out to a corresponding degree. A hook, catch or other simple device,
preferably adjustable, is provided for holding the ends of the "lazy-tongs" levers
together or otherwise keeping the aperture contracted or closed and for readily
releasing the same when it is desired to open or expand the said aperture.
It will be readily understood that the precise details of construction may be
considerably varied so long as the principal feature of my invention is retained,
which is, the use of a device capable of extension and contraction in the manner of
"lazytongs" for opening and closing the aperture of boots, shoes, gloves and other
articles of wearing apparel.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto
four sheets of drawings illustrative thereof and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those of the following description.
Sheet 1 shows my invention applied to a boot, and from this the application
thereof to such articles as shoes gloves and other articles which are loosened from
one end only will be clearly understood without further illustration.
Fig. 1 is a front view of a boot the fastening being closed. Fig. 2 is a similar
view with the fastening opened.
It will be understood that although the aperture of the boot is shewn similar to
that of a lace boot such aperture could be more to one side of the foot like that of
a buttoned boot.
Fig. 3 is a face view and Fig. 4 a plan view of part of the fastening shewn
detached and drawn to a larger scale.
Sheet 2 shews one method of applying my invention to such articles as gaiters
"spats or leggings.
66
""
Fig. 5 shews a side view of a gaiter almost ready to be unfastened and Fig. 6 is
an enlarged plan view of the fastening detached.
Sheet 3 shews another method of applying my invention to gaiters and the like;
Fig. 7 shews a gaiter with its fastening closed and Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view
of the said fastening detached.
Sheet 4 illustrates my invention as applied to corsets.
Fig. 9 is a front view of a corset fastened.
Fig. 10 is an enlarged plan view of the fastening detached and Fig. 11 is a
similar view of a modified form of such fastening.
On all the figures similar parts of the fastening are similarly lettered.
a is the article to which the fastening is applied, b are the links or levers above
described, linked together at 6' like "lazy tongs" and connecting the hooks, clips,
studs or similar devices c which engage with, or in the slides grooves or equivalent
devices d.
For articles like boots shoes or gloves where one end of the aperture only is
loosened I prefer to make the levers or links 6 gradually increasing in length as
seen on Fig. 1, so that the sides a of the aperture of the article are forced open by

page_text: the bringing together of the pivots b¹ and sliding clips c (or their equivalents) see
Fig. 2; on Figs. 1 and 2, the lowest clips c¹ can not rise or fall but are fixed by
any convenient means to the sides of the boot a.
The slides d as shewn on Sheet 1 are not continuous wires or grooves but are
made in small sections with contiguous rounded heads (see also Figs. 3 and 4) and
each clip preferably engages with two or more sections so that the sections forming
the slides d can yield to the irregular action of the foot and ankle and to the
bending of the leather when opening the boot without interfering with the
continuity of the said slides d.
When as in the case shewn on Sheets 2, 3 and 4 it is necessary to entirely
disengage one of the sides a of the article from the other side, one set of clips or
studs c is permanent in its slide d but the other set ct can be removed from one end
of its slide d+ (say the lower end thereof) or otherwise.
Figs. 5 and 6 shews the studs c+ almost entirely removed from their groove or
slide d+.
Figs. 7 and 8 shews spring clips c+ hooked round the beaded edge of a strip d+
from which they can be disengaged by unhooking when required. Figs. 9, 10, 11
shew other forms of clips c c+ running over beaded strips d d+, the clip c+ being
disengaged from one end of the strips d+ for unfastening the corset.
The lazy tongs b can be held in place, when the fastening is closed, by a catch e
and hook e holding the ends of the uppermost levers together. Or by a chain e¹
fastening the top pivot of the lazy tongs to the article by a hook e passing through
one of the link of the said chain e¹ and fixed either to the pivot (see Fig. 5) or the
article (see Fig. 9) or by a chain or other device connecting the two sides a
together say at the top of the article (see Fig. 7).
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 :-
A device for opening and closing the aperture of boots, shoes, gloves, gaiters,
corsets and other articles of wearing apparel capable of extension and contraction
in the manner of "lazy-tongs" substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 28th day of April 1896.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.