US66099A - Improved boot-lacing device - Google Patents

Description

@uitrit tetes @strut @ffice ALENDO McKEN N EY, PORTLAND, AND SETI-I CARPENTER, 0F PATTEN,

' MAINE.

Letters Patent No. 66,099, dated June 25, 1867.

IMPROVED BOOT-LAGING DEVICE.

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TO ALL-WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be itknown that we, ALEsDo McKExNnr, of Portland, Cumberland county, and Seru Caliri-zx'ri-zn, of Patten, Penobscot'county, all in the State of Maine, have Vinvented an improved Boot-Lacing Device; and we do hereby declarethat the following, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and forni part of this specification, is a description of our invention snlicient to enable those skilled in the art to practise it.

The invention relates to the consti-action and operation oi' a detachable device to be applied to that class of boots which laee, for the purpose of enabling the lacing to be more easily tightened and loosened when' the boot is upon the Foot, such device consisting ot' a loose ringr connected by a link to a button, cach ring and lihk'being inserted through the upper at a suitable distance from the laced edge, and being pressed through to the edge, between the lining and vamp, leaving the series of rings projecting from the opposite edges to be laced, each ring being loosed with respect to the link, but held in position relatively to the edge oll` the boot by the button at the opposite end of the link. Through a series ot' these rings the lacing is passed, it being carried from Side to side and from ring to ring, as in the ordinary manner-of lacing through holes punched through the edges to be brought together.

It is in the construction and employment ot' such adrawing that our invention consist-s.

The drawing represents a bootY having our device applied thereto, a detail view showing the device separated from the boot.

ya. denotes a. button or head, having a long link or eye, It, fixed to its under side. lo this link,- a ring, c, is applied, the ring hanging loosely therefrom. In the outer leather or vamp d, at each opposite side of the boot opening e, holesf are made, as seen, where one ot' the buttons is broken et?, each hole extending through the vamp, and heilig ot' a size sullicient to admit the link and its ring, or so that the link and ring may be passed through it, and between the vamp andthe'lining to the edge, as shown in the drawing, the button holding the link in place, and a space-at the edge beingleft unstitched for each link and ring, as will be readily understood. (The ring may, however, be made with provision for 'slipping it on to the link after the link is inserted.) When the rings are thus attached to the boot the lacing or lacings are run through them, as shown in the drawings. The boot being now placed on the foot, (the lacing being loosened.) the upper end of the lacing is drawn up, and it will readily be seen that the rings beingloose they assume position in accordance with the gradual straightening ofthe lacing as the opposite edges of the boot are drawn together, and the strain produced thereby., and that by simply drawing upon `the lacing at'the top ofthe boot the lacing will readily render through all the rings instead of having to draw upon it. gradually,v or at every lacing hole or everyfew holes, as in the common method ot lacing. When a pair of boots is worn and discarded the buttons and rings may be detached from said boots and placed in another pair, and `being very strong they maybe inn-de to wear for a great length of time.' n i Now we are aware that metal eyes or loopster lacing have been fastened permanently to boots., but beside being expensive from thefact that being undetachable they had to be thrown away when the boots were worn ont, the eye part in each was made removable relatively to the edge of the boot, and having a fixed angle of projection from such edge itl could not yield in position to the varying position of the lacing or from the very zigzag position of the lacing when loose, to its gradually straightening position when tightened, and hence there was too greatfriction when trying to draw it througball the eyes or loops simultaneously to enable it to render freely, whereas with our device, as the rings are` loose, they all yield to the direction of strain uponV them.

We claim a shoe-lacing device constructed to operate substantially as set forth.A

, ALENDO MCKENNEY, sE'rH CARPENTER.

Witnesses:

J. B. CROSBY F. GoULD.

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