US2094091A - Footwear - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 28, 1937.' A, F, BANCROFT 2,094,091

FOOTWEAR Filed June l0, 1956 Patented Sept. 28, 1937 2,994,091v

UNirED erste s e r cfr-Fics t i 2,094,091 i n FOOTWEAR Albert F. Bancroft, West Newton, Mass.

Application June 10, 1936, Serial No. 84,455

4 Claims. (Cl. 36-51) 'I'his invention pertains to footwear and re- Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section substantially on lates more particularly to an improved' closure the line Li-l of Fig. 3. tie for the Vent of a shoe and to a shoe embody- Referring to the drawing, the numeral I desiging such tie. hates a womans shoe of usual construction com- 5 From the aesthetic and ornamental standprising the upper 2 having the throat or vent 5 point a ribbon, tied in a carefully formed bow, Openingr 3 at the inSi'ieDI drehe-'611e Upper COIn-y is generally conce-ded to constitute one of the prising the tongue e which underlies the throat most desirable means for closing the front openor vent opening. The edges 5 and 6 of the vent ing or vent of a shoe, especially a womans dress Opening, as here shown,v are spaced apart, it

shoe. However, a ribbon shoe string, p-articbeing understood that in accordance with the 10v ularly when wide enough to obtain'the maximum style of the shoe this throator vent'opening may ornamental effect, has been found undesirable be normally wider or narrower than that here in practice by reason of its inherent tendency to illustrated. y Y become permanently crushed and wrinkled after In accordance with the embodiment of lthe inbeing tied and untied a very few times. Furthervention as here disclosed, the upper is provided` 15 more, objection has been made to ties of this with openings or eyelets l and 8 at vopposite type by reason of the difficulty experienced by the sides of the throat or vent opening -These ordinary wearer in tying the ribbon bow aftery eyelet openings may merelyv be holes through the shoe has been donned so as to obtain a symthe material of the upper, although in ymost cases metrical and pleasing eifect. the edges of theseholeswill benished in onef20 The principal object of the present invention way or another either, for example, by orna-V, is to provide an improved shoe closure tie mente1 Stitching 01 by the USeYOf a Ineiaiiinl'f i adapted to impart the desired aesthetic ornaother eyelet member. These eyeletopeningsl mental appearance inherent in a properly formed and 3 may be 0f any desired SiZe reind ai? amide* ribbon bow but which does not suier substantialsired point below the extreme upper end of the 25!V ly in appearance through repeated dofling and vent opening. As here illustrated these eyelet, donning of the shoe. A further Objectis to proopenings are more or less elliptical in shape,A alvide' an improved closure tie which may be adthough itis obvious that they may be of any justed to the foot of the individual wearer byv other contour desired. v f

the shoe salesman and which may retain this in- In accordance with the: .present invention the 30 itial adjustment tbroughouttne life of the shoe. improved c1osure tieoomprises lengths 9 ,and` I0 A further object is to provide an improved clo- (Fig. 4) of ribbon, preferablyV atextile ribbon" sure tie of pleasing and ornamental appearance and of a fairly stii shape-retaining character, comprising a bow-knotted portion, and which is fOI eXample taieta Silk, and 0f any Suitable capable of holding the vent portion of tbe shoe width, although it is desirable that the nbbon be 35 upper snugly but yieldingly over the instep arch of such width as to provide a bow of maximum of the foot, although permitting the shoe to be Ornamental effect. Each ribbon 9 and I0 iS pel'- dolfed and donned without disturbing the bowmarlently secured at one end tov an elastically knotted portion of the tie. stretchable member Il, for example, a piece of Further objects and advantages` of the invenelastic webbing, the ribbons being permanently 40 tion will be made manifest in the following more secured to this webbing, for example, by sewed detailed description and by reference to the acseams I2 and i 3, respectively. The tie member companying drawing, in which thus constructed is threaded through the eyelet Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe provided openings l and 8 which are so positioned that the With an improved Closure tie of the present inelastic member Il overlies or is disposed in front 45 vention substantially as it appears when the shoe 0f the tongue 4 (Fig. 3)- Pl'eferabiy the inne!` is on the foot; end of one of the ribbon members, for example Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing the the member 9, iS permanently SeCllIed i0 the capability of the closure device to allow the vent material of the upper closely adjacent to the of the enoe to stretch so as to permit the shoe to vent opening as, for example, by means of the 50 be donned or doied without disturbing the bow- Stitched Seam l5 (Fig. 4) On the Other hand. knotted portion of the tie; the ribbon l0 is permitted to reeve freely through Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, to smaller the eyelet opening 8. scale, showing the closure tie applic-d to a shoe When the shoe is being fitted to a customers but before it has been tied; and foot, the shoe salesman pulls upon the ribbon 5 members 9 and l0 to draw the forward part of the shoe upper snugly about the instep arch of the wearer, and when the proper fit has thus been obtained, the salesman ties the ribbons 9 and I0 to form a bow-knot I6 extending transversely across the vent opening. It is contemplated that the salesman will be trained to determine the proper degree of stress to be imparted to the ribbons in thus drawing the upper about the foot and also in the tying of a bow tie of pleasing and symmetrical shape. If desired, fastening means may be applied permanently to maintain the bow as tied by the salesman. For example, its overlapping parts may be stitched together by concealed stitches or a suitable metallic fastener may be provided for the purpose.

When the shoe has thus been fitted to the foot and the ribbon bow tied, the shoe may be doiTed from the foot without untying the bow, by reason of the capability of the elastic member Il to stretch and to reeve through the eyelet opening 8. Thus, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the edges 5 and 6 of the throat opening may be stretched apart from their normal relative positions illustrated by the dotted lines at 5a and 6a to the expanded full line positions, thus increasing the throat opening and permitting the shoe to be pulled off of the foot. In the same Way in donning the shoe, the member Il will stretch so as to permit the foot to be inserted in the shoe, but as soon as the shoe is in place, the member Il will contract and thus restore the throat opening substantially to its normal width as determined in the original tting of the shoe to the foot.

It will be evident that when the closure tie has been applied and the bow I6 has once been formed, the tie forms in effect a continuous band comprising a loop or bight portion threaded through the eyelet openings 1 and 8 with its ends anchored to the bow-knot, the loop or bight portion being elastically extensible so as to permit the width of the throat opening to be temporarily increased to allow donning and dofng of the shoe.

In its broader aspects, it is understood that some equivalent ornamental device other than a bow tie may be employed either as forming a constituent element of this continuous tie band or attached to that part of the tie band which extends across the front of the throat opening.

While I have herein illustrated a desirable embodiment of the invention by way of example and suggested certain modifications thereof, I wish it to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to this precise construction either as shown or suggested, but is broadly inclusive of any arrangements such as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe comprising an upper having a vent opening and a tie uniting the portions of the upper at opposite sides of the vent, said tie comprising end portions of inelastic material adapted to be tied together to form a knot, and an intermediate portion of elastic material, the tie being permanently attached to the upper adjacent to one side of the vent opening and being free to reeve through an opening in the upper at the opposite sides of said vent.

2. A shoe comprising an upper having a vent opening and a tie uniting the portions of the upper at opposite sides of the vent opening, said tie comprising end portions of ribbon of ornamental character, and an intermediate portion of elastic material, the tie being permanently secured to the shoe upper at one side of the vent opening and being arranged to reeve through an eyelet at the opposite side of the vent opening, the ribbon material being permanently knotted together to form a bow which extends transversely across the vent.

3. A shoe including an upper having a vent and a closure tie comprising two lengths of textile ribbon of substantial width and an intermediate portion of elastic webbing, said tie being threaded through openings in the upper at opposite sides of the vent opening and having its ends tied to form a bow-knot of ornamental appearance disposed at the outside of the upper and extending transversely across the vent, the intermediate portion of the tie being attached to the upper at one side of the vent but being free to reeve through the opening at the other side of the vent whereby the vent is permitted to expand and contract in donning and dofng the shoe.

4. A shoe including an upper having a vent and eyelets at opposite sides of the vent, and a closure tie comprising a continuous band threaded through the eyelets and permanently attached to the upper at one side of the vent but being free to reeve through the other eyelet, said band including an elastic portion permitting the vent to expand and contract.

ALBERT F. BANCROFI.

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