US42544A

US42544A - Improved boot-leg stiffener

Info

Publication number: US42544A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1864-04-26
Anticipated expiration: 1881-04-26

Description

llnrrnn @rares PATENT lrricn.

NATHANIEL GEAR, OF INDIANAPOLIS,INDIANA.

MPROVED BOOT-LEG STIFFENER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,544, dated April 26, 1864.

- State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful improvements in the manner of stiffening bootlegs and preventing' them from wrinkling and chafing the ankles ofthe wearer,

while they are quite free' to conform to the bending of the leg in walking; and I do here by declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a boot with my improvement attached. Fig. 2 represents a side View of one of the jointed stiit'eners for preventing the leg from Wrinkling, and Fig. 3 represents an edge view of the same.

I am aware that stift'euers for garments have been made, and that the backs of boots have been supported by metal bars or pieces, and that cloth tops for boots have been staid somewhat like cloth gaiters; but none of these. stiifeners have been hinged or pivoted opposite to the joints in the leg ofthe wearer, so that while they keep the boot from wrinkling they shall not interfere with the free bending of the ankle or kneejoints inwalking or sitting.

My invention consists in the use of jointed.

stiiieners in bootlegs, so that while the bootleg shall be prevented from wrinkling and chating the wearer it may be free to bend at the ankle or knee joint, and thus be perfectly comfortable and easy to the user.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the saine with'refereuce to the drawings.

The boot A may be made in any of the usual forms, whether ordinary in length or top boots. A seam, B, is made down the sides of the boot, into which a jointed and steelspring bar, U, is slipped, and which may be united to the boot solely by the rivet a., or by a screw, button, bolt, or any other fastening that will admit of the stiffener being removed or replaced.

The stiftener O has a joint, b, at or near that portion of it that comes opposite the ankle of joint ot' the user.

the user, and one or more joints, c, at or near that portion of it that is opposite the knee- These joints b c are so made as that they, as well as the boot-leg, will freely bend or yield with the joints of the leg, but be quite rigid in a line transverseto the joints. Thelowerend,d,ofthestiffenerisslightly curved, so as to lit the natural curve of the foot and boot where the upper joins the sole near the fr ont ofthe heel, and this lower end, d, need not be riveted or fastened of necessity to anything, as it will rest against the upper and inner portion of the sole of the boot. It may, however, be fastened to the boot or to a strip of meta-i or other substance thateX- tends across to the opposite side of the boot, and to which the stift'ener on the opposite side of the boot-leg may be fastened. The stiftl ener in tine boots may be between the lining and outside and entirely concealed, but in colrse boots, which have no linings, it may be connected to the inside by rivets or otherwise without injury to the wearer. Many ways otl uniting the stift'ener to the bootlegs may be devised-as, for instance, the placing of the stift'ener in the rear of the boot-legbut having' shown one feasible plan, I need not describe others. I prefer to make the bars of spring-steel, but other metal may be used, and it' designed for short boot-legs but onejoint, b, is necessary; but fortopboots, eX- tending above the knee, two or more joints are necessary. Besides stiffening the legs of the boots, these metal strips att'ord great support to the ankles of the wearer.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The application of jointed metallic bars or stitt'euers to the legs of boots, so as to keep them up and prevent them from wrinkling, while they are free to coliform to the joints of the wearer, making them very comfortable and easy and avoiding chatng of' the feet, substantially as described.

NATHANIEL GEAR.

Vitnesses:

A. B. SroUGHToN, XAVER. FENDRICH.