US752173A - A firm - Google Patents

Description

No. 752,173. PATENTED FEB. 16, 1904.

' J. A. Muss.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1903.

no MOD-BL.

I] nu anlor 'of the upper being shown in section.

UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT ()EEICE.

JCHN ALBERTMANSS, or CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR To URFIT COMPAIW, or CINCINNATI, orno, A FIRM.

SHOE.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,173, dated February 16, 1904.

Application filed September 16,1903. Serial No. 173,385. (1% model.)

To all whom it .may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN ALBERT MANSS, a

citizen of, the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of constructing and applying the lacing in.

strumentalities of a shoe.

The object of my invention is, first, to apply 'alacing instrumentality to the lips or mouth of. a low-cut shoe, concealed from view and free from Contact with the foot and adapted to engage with the instep-lacing, so that the top of the shoe and the instep will be simultaneously laced, drawn tight, and fastened,

causing the shoe to fit closely to the ankle-and instep. I

Another object of my invention is to provide means for lacing both the instep and the mouth of the shoe, the lacing instrumentalitiesat the ankle being concealed from view between the lining, so as not to come in actual contact with the foot.

The features of my invention are more fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which' Figure 1 is an inside elevation of the upper of a shoe with the lacing instrumentalities applied near the mouth of the shoe, one-quarter Fig. 2 is a top perspective view of a shoe, partly in section, showing the lacing in position for tying.

A represents the sole of the shoe; B, the vamp-front; C, the quarters; D, the backstay; E, the eyelet-holes at the front of the quarter. The style of cut is immaterial. Around the ankle, preferably between the lining and quarter, I construct an inclosed laceway adapted to hold a draw-strip. I place in this inclosed way a strip, preferably of rawhide or leather G, which is shown in its preferred form as stitched or fastened at the backstay, as shown in Fig. 1. The forward end of said draw-strip projects through a slit a in thelining, and its front end is provided with an eye or loop 6.

The opposite side of the shoe in like manner is provided with a similar draw-strip. Preferably these are inserted and fixed in position before stitching the lining to the quarter. It will be observed that shoes of ordinary construction have a curved form at the mouth of the shoe, as shown in Fig. 2. Now when lac- 1ngs are applied and concealed in the manner shown and described and a lace-string is inserted in the eyes 6 the tendency of the drawing is to cause the lips of the mouth of the shoe to engage and fit the ankles, the tend ency of the strain being in the straight line while the lace-strip is confined within the shoe beneath the lining in circular form. Hence it causes all parts to fit the foot, and this can be obtained by the use of a tie-lace embracing the eyes of the strip only.

In the preferred form of construction the instep lacing or string 5 is shown as having its ends passed through the eyes 6 of the lacing-strip G, so that the instep and mouth of the shoe will be simultaneously drawn around the foot of the wearer. 'This method is preferred, because when the instep is laced in the ordinary manner the strain is vertically over the instep from the shank upward and but very little or no forward draft is given the mouth of the shoe, but "with the lacings engaging and drawn, as shown in Fig. 2, the forward and upward draft of the lacings is simultaneously effected and a much more uniform and comfortable fit of the shoe is made.

While this invention is readily applicable to a high shoe, it is primarily designed to be used'with a'low-Cut shoe, particularly of the Oxford type. With this style of shoe laced in the ordinary manner the fitting of the upper to the contour of the ankle is altogether effected by drawing together the eyelet edges of the upper in front. As a result the tension of the lacing over the tongue makes an uncomfortable binding across the instep in front, while the sides and rear of the shoe-top remain unfitted. The original rigidity of the sides and rear of the shoe-upper soon become reduced, and as a result the movement of the ankle causes the shoe to assume an unsightly bulge at the sides. This not only mars the beauty, but largely nulls the lacing efiect, so that after a few weeks wear such a shoe can be frequently taken off and put on without touching the lacing, or, if extra tension be imparted to the lacing to compensate for this bulge it pinches only across the front and seriously impedes the circulation of the blood at this point.

With my invention the lacing cooperates with the draw-strip and a slight amount of uniform contraction, accomplished by manipulating the lace-strings in the usual manner, will draw the flexible upper gently to fit the contour of the ankle, and this with a minimum tension. The bulge at the sides no longer occurs, and the fitting, instead of deteriorating as the upper loses its original stiffness and rigidity, improves as the upper becomes more flexible. This pulling together the lace-string ends from the tops of the eyelets with my invention strains uniformly upon the upper from all directions in which it is free to yield and produces a perfect fit with a minimum tension, a result improving with the life of the shoe. Any strip, preferably non-elastic, will answer for the draw-strip.

One salient feature of my invention is the termination of the ankle-contracting means in close proximity to the free or tying ends of the lacing, whereby the latter is made to directly engage with the free ends of the anklecontracting means, and in the act of tying the shoe the lacing is caused to simultaneously contract the upper portion of the laceway and that part of the upper immediately surrounding the ankle.

It will be observed that when the lacing engages the ankle draw-strip said combined strip and lacing constitutes a tension means operated by manipulation of the lace ends in the usual way to draw in the upper and laceway.

While I have shown eyelets, other wellknown means for engaging the lacing may be employed; also while I have shown the inelastic draw strip as the preferred form, broadly speaking, any tension device capable of cooperating with the lacing to simultaneously tighten the laceway and ankle-way would be an acceptable equivalent.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a lace-shoe, in combination with the lacing and engaging means therefor, a drawstrip around the ankle, having looped front ends inside of the upper, through which the lacing passes, whereby tension on the lacing ends contracts the shoe-upper tothe contour of the ankle, substantially as described.

2. In a lace-shoe, in combination with the lacing, and engaging means therefor, a drawstrip at the ankle, under the lining, having looped front ends exposed inside of the upper in juxtaposition to the laceway, the lacingstring on each side engaging the looped end of the draw-strip on the'opposite side of the upper, whereby tension on the lacing uniformly contracts the shoe-upper to fit the contour. of the ankle, substantially as described.

3. In a lace-shoe, the combination with the lacing, and engaging means therefor, a substantially non-elastic draw-strip around the ankle, having looped front ends through which the lacing passes, whereby the tension imparted to the lacing in tying simultaneously contracts the upper to the contour of the ankle, substantially as described.

4:. In a lace-shoe, in combination with a lacing and engaging means therefor, an inclosed way around the ankle, a draw-strip therein, having looped front ends, each end of the lacing-string passing through the engaging device on one side of the shoe, throughthe looped end of the draw=strip on the opposite side of the shoe and back through the top-engaging device on the first-named side of the shoe, whereby each end of the lacing-string has a direct pull on the opposite end of the drawstrip, substantially as described.

5. In a lace-shoe having a laceway, engaging devices therefor, an inclosed way around the ankle, laceway and ankle contraction means engaging said engaging devices and said inclosed way, said means having tying ends adapted to simultaneously contract said lace and ankle ways, substantially as described.

6. In a lace-shoe, in combination with the front lacing and engaging means therefor, ankle-contracting means attached to the inside of the shoe-upper having looped ends upon opposite sides of the lace-engaging means in juxtaposition thereto, the lacing engaging through the loops of the said ankle-contracting means for the purposes substantially shown and described. 1

7. In a lace-shoe, in combination the lacing and engaging means therefor, ankle-contracting means having ends attached to the inside of thshoe-upper upon opposite sides of the laceway in position to be directly engaged by the ends of the lacing-string, whereby the act of tightening the tying ends of said string contracts both the laceway and the ankle-way, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set Witnesses:

OLIVER B. KAISER,

Lmsn BECK.

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