Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus for Strengthening the Waists of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 11th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 12th Dec., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus for
Strengthening the Waists of Boots and Shoes.
I, ARTHUR HARRISON, of the Firm of Messieurs John Harrison and Son, of
Victoria Works, Knifesmith Gate, Chesterfield, in the County of Derby, Boot
Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in means or apparatus for strengthening
the waists of boots and shoes so as to prevent them from breaking at that part as
is frequently the case. This invention is particularly applicable for that class of
strong and heavy boots such as are worn or used by miners, navvies, and
the like.
According to this invention to the outside or between the layers of the sole, or
on the inside thereof, arranged so as not to injure the foot of the wearer, or partly
between the layers and partly inside or outside of the sole are arranged in a
longitudinal direction one, two, or more pieces or strips of iron, steel, or other
metal, either in the form of a wire, or in a strip of metal of any suitable shape or
cross section, length, and thickness or guage, alone or fixed by any suitable means
to a piece of leather of suitable width, breadth, and thickness or pieces or strips
of leather alone. When more than one piece or strip of metal alone is employed,
one or both of their ends, and centres also if desired, may be fastened or secured
by any convenient means to a cross piece of any suitable shape and size. Or when
the metal strip is fixed to a strip of leather it may be secured thereto at both ends
by any suitable means such as rivets, screws, or the like. The leather strip so
armoured may be fixed to the sole of the boot with the metal strip either next to
the sole or outside of the leather strip, by nails, rivets or their equivalents. Or
each strip or piece of wire may be separately inserted in or fixed to the waist of
the boot or shoe.
Each strip may also have one, two, three, or more loops or turns or holes
provided in its length by which it may be secured in position by any suitable
means such as for example by nails, screws, or the like.
The strengthening strip or strips of leather, or metal or leather and metal
combined are arranged in the waist so as to run in a longitudinal direction.
Dont first day of February 1896
ARTHUR HARRISON.
Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus for
Strengthening the Waists of Boots and Shoes.
I, ARTHUR HARRISON, of the Firm of Messieurs John Harrison and Son, of
Victoria Works, Knifesmith Gate, Chesterfield, in the County of Derby, Boot
Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in means or apparatus for strengthening

page_text: the waists of boots and shoes by means of a metal or other elastic strip alone or in
combination with a staip of leather, or strip of leather alone, so as to prevent the
boot or shoe breaking at that part as is frequently the case.
This invention is particularly applicable for that class of strong and heavy boots,
such as are worn or used by miners, navvies, and the like.
In the drawings hereunto annexed I have shown five examples in which this
invention may be carried into practice, but I distinctly wish it to be clearly
understood that these are to be taken simply as examples, and that I do not limit
myself, to them, as other methods might be readily adopted of carrying this
invention into practice without departing from its principle.
Fig. 1 is a part elevation of a boot with a metal and leather armature constructed
according to this invention with the armature shown in section..
Fig. 2 a plan of the same..
Fig. 3 a part elevation and section of a boot with a metal armatura applied
partly between the inner and through soles and inside of the boot.
Fig. 4 a part elevation of a boot with a metal and leather armature shown in
section and partly secured in position by a metal plate fastening.
Fig. 5 a plan of armature shown at Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a plan of an arrangement of armature.
Fig. 7 a plan of armature arranged in wire form.
Like parts in all the views are marked with similar letters of reference.
A is the boot upper. B, C, D, are respectively the inner, through, and outer
layers of the sole; E the heel of the boot built up in layers in the usual manner;
F the nails which are driven into the sole and heel in one or more rows.
All the above described parts may be of the usual construction and materials,
and sewn or united together by ordinary and well known means.
To the outside layer D of the sole, as at Fig. 1, or between the layers of the
sole, or on the inside thereof, arranged so as not to injure the foot of the wearer,
or partly between the layers B and C and partly inside, as at Fig. 3, or on the
outside of the sole, are arranged in a longitudinal direction, one, two, or more
pieces or strips of iron, steel, or other metal, or material of an elastic or spring like
nature hereafter termed the armature G.
The armature G may also be either in the form of a wire, or in a strip of metal
of any suitable shape or cross section, length, and thickness or gauge,-a flat piece
of thin steel is shown in the drawings,--and used alone, or the armature G'may be
fixed by any suitable means such as nails or rivets to a piece of leather H of
suitable length, breadth, and thickness, as at Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 5, that is to say the
piece of leather H is both longer and wider than the armature G. In some cases
the strengthening piece may consist of one or more pieces or strips of leather used
alone, that is without the armature G.
The leather strip H may be about the same thickness as the nails F, so that
when it is fixed to the sole of the boot, as say at Fig. 1, it forms a wearing surface
about level with that of the said nails.
When the armature G consists of more than one piece or strip say of metal,
without the leather H, one or both of its ends, and centres also if desired, may be
fastened or secured together by any convenient means to, say, a cross piece M
made of, say, either metal or leather, one or both, of any, as shown at Fig. 6
suitable shape and size. Or when the armature G is fixed to a strip of leather H
it may be secured thereto at one or both ends, preferably both of its ends, by any
suitable means such as rivets I, or by screws or eyelets, or the like, with or without
the additional metal plates J as shown at Fig. 5. Leather strips H so armoured
may be fixed, say, by one or more rows K of nails in a longitudinal direction, to
the sole of the boot with the armature G either next to the sole, as at Fig. 1, or
on the outside of the sole or of the leather strip H, and the latter afterwards
attached by nails, rivets, or their equivalents to the sole. Or each strip or piece
of wire forming the armature G, when for instance say in wire form as at Fig. 7,
may be separately inserted in or fixed to the waist of the boot or shoe,

page_text: Each strip, forming the armature G, may also have, if so desired, but not
necessarily so, one, two, three, or more loops L or turns or holes provided at each
end thereof, or centre, or at other points in its length, by which it may be
secured in position by any suitable means such as for example by nails, screws, or
the like.
For preventing the ends of the armature G-should it or they work or become
loose in course of time-from wearing away either the layer of the sole or the
strip H, a metal plate J, somewhat like a boot protector, provided with spikes for
fixing it in position on or to the outside of the sole or leather strip H, may be
employed and fixed over the said end or ends, as shown at Fig. 5. The plate
or plates J may also be used for fixing purposes or as an addition to the
nails 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is:-
1. An armature or protection for the waist portion of the soles of boots and
shoes substantially such as herein described consisting of an armature, such as G,
with or without a mounting of leather, such as H, and plate or plates, such as J,
said armature being fixed as described longitudinally to the outside, as at Fig. 1,
or between, or partly between and partly inside (or outside) the layers of the sole,
as at Fig. 3, combined and arranged in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described and illustrated.
2. An armature or protection for the waist portion of the soles of boots and
shoes substantially such as herein described, consisting of a strip of leather such
as H, fixed as described longitudinally directly to the outside of the sole as and
for the purposes herein set forth.
Dated this Sixth day of November 1896.
ARTHUR HARRISON.