US544287A - Lacing-hook - Google Patents

Description

(No l fiodel.)

L. B. COBB.

W'ITEE 5 s E 5, I Ilfizel fur UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEANDER B. COBB, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LACING-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,287, dated August 13, 1895.

Application filed August 3,1894. Serial No. 519,321. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEANDER B. COBB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lacing-Hooks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and .exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in lacing-hooks, and particularly to those used on boots and shoes, and has for its object to obviate the wearing of the edges of the clothing or the wearing and polishing of the hook itself by the clothing, as is the case with those in common use.

This invention consists in providing a head or plate having suitable means to firmly fasten it to the boot or shoe or other materialon which it is to be used. This head is-provided with the hook proper, which is formed with a portion substantially at right angles to the surface of the head and another portion extending in a line substantially parallel to the surface of the head. This latter portion is preferably curved in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the head, and also is provided with a ball projection or enlargement on the extreme end of the same.

The invention further consists in minor details of construction, as will be fully set forth hereinafter and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention and form an essential part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a prospective View of my improved hook in its preferred form, showing one of the means which may be employed to attach it to the material upon whichit is used. Fig. 2 rep resents a plan view of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 represent, respectively, similar views to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the hook provided with another means to fasten it to the mate rial on which it is to be used. Figs. 5 and 6 represent, respectively, similar views to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the hook provided with another form of head or plate. Fig. 7 represents a plan View of a modified form of the hook proper, showing a circular head or plate. Fig.8 represents the manner of placing the hooks of the material to be laced and also the manner of lacing the same.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts of the drawings.

The head or plate a is made circular in form, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 7, and 8, and may be concave on its under side, if so desired, or it is made ring-shaped, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, T-shaped, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, or it may be made in any otherrequivalent and desired form as is most convenient and best suited for the purpose intended. This head or plate is provided with a fastening device I) to secure it to the material on which it is used, which fastening device may be made in the form of prongs, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in theform of an eyelet, as shown in Fig. 3, or it may be made in any other equivalent, well-known, and desired form as is best suited to secure it to thematerial.

- To the head or plate is attached the portion 0 of the hook, which portion is substantially at right angles to the surface of the head or plate a, and may be made, in one.

piece with the head or plate or firmly attached to it in any desired manner. The portion (:1 of the hook, which portion forms the hook proper, is attached to or made in one piece with the portion 0 and extends at right angles to said portion, being substantially in a plane parallel to the surface of the head a and across the same. It is preferably curved in said parallel plane, so that the convex side of said portion will be toward the meeting edges of the material to be laced, but it may be straight, if so desired. When the portion at is curved, it may be made concentric with the head a, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 6, or it may be made eccentric with the head, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The curved portion (1, when eccentric to the head a, may be made so that the concave side of said portion will be towardthe center of the head, as shown in Fig. 7, or it may be made so that the convex give it a more finished appearance.

hen my improved hooks are to be used upon boots and shoes, they are attached to the same in such a position that the convex sides of the curved portion (I, when such portions are curved, will be toward the meeting edges of the quarters c e of the boot or shoe, and the free end of the portion (Z, or the ball thereon, will extend downward toward the toe of the boot or shoe, or, in other words, so that the line of the hook portion on either side of the meeting edges of the quarters will be in a line parallel to said edges of the quarters, as fully shown in Fig. 9.

By referring to Fig. 8 it will be seen that in lacing the boot or shoe the lacing f is first placed under the portion d of the hook and then back over such portion to the nexthook in the opposite series of hooks, causing the lacing to surround the hook and to project above any portion of the same to substantially cover it and to come into contact with the clothing of the person wearing the boot or shoe. This will prevent the hooks from wearing the clothing, also the clothing from chafing, wearing, and polishing the hook.

Heretofore the hooks in common use have been arranged so that the lacings are placed under the hook and the hooks allowed to project above the lacings, thus causing the clothing of the wearer to come in contact with the hooks,,which on account of their sharp edges wear out the edges of the clothing, the clothing at the same time chafing against the hooks, causing the japan or other finish on the hooks to be rubbed otf and the hooks to become polished, which materially injures their appearance by making them more conspicuous.

I do not wish to confine myself to the use of any particular form of head or plate portion or to any particular form of fastening device, as they constitute no essential part of this invention, which relates especially to the form and arrangement of the hook proper, which arrangement causes the lacing to substantially cover, surround, and project above the hook and adds to the appearance of the Having thus fully described the nature, construction, and operation of my invention, I wish to secure by Letters Patent and claim- 1. As a new article of manufacture, a lacing hook comprising a head a, a fastening b, and a hook proper consisting of two portions, the portion 0, extending upward from the head, and the portion (1, rounded in cross section, extending directly over the head and curved in aplane parallel therewith, the circle of the curved portion (1 surrounding a vertical line through the center of the head, so that when the lacing is wrapped around the portion (1, it will cover and protect the hook from abrasion, as set forth.

2. The combination of two series of lacing hooks, one series on each side of the meeting edges of the material to be laced, each hook having the head or plate a, the fastening b, and the hook proper formed with portion 0 extending upward at one side of said head or plate, and the portion d rounded in cross section extending directly over the head or plate in a plane parallel therewith, being curved in said parallel plane, substantially as shown,

and for the purpose of causing the lacing hool to cover and act as a protection for the entire hook except the extreme ends thereof, the ends of the curved portion of each hook being substantially in lines parallel with the meeting edges of the material to be laced for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto sign my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

D. E. KEMPSTER, HENRY CHADBOURN.

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