Improvements in or relating to Foot-ball or Cricket Boots.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 2nd June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Foot-ball or Cricket Boots.
I, JOHN JAMES GASCOINE of High Cross Street Leicester, in the County of
Leicester, Shoe Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :—
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The object of this invention is to protect the ankle of the wearer from blows or
kicks while at the same time affording as much ease and freedom to the joint
as possible. Hitherto it has been customary with foot-ball boots to form a stiff cup
which was placed upon the part of the boot supposed to correspond with the ankle
joint of the wearer and this cup was lined or stuffed with felt, indiarubber or other
soft material; it has been found however that the difference in the positions of the
ankle-joints of various persons using the same size of boot often gave rise to great!
inconvenience owing to the joint not coming opposite the centre of the cup and the
present invention is designed partly to overcome this difficulty.
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In carrying out my invention I construct the boot in the ordinary manner and upon
the side of the upper I place a separate piece of leather or other suitable material
preferably ornamentally shaped and stitched or otherwise suitably secured to the
upper. This piece is blocked so as to form ridges or projecting ribs around which
I prefer to place rows of stitches so that these projections cannot be pressed flat.
The hollows of the ribs may be lined or filled with felt, indiarubber or other suitable. !
material and as I make the ribs and the piece in which they are formed of sufficient.
length it will be seen that they always protect the ankle-joint of the wearer, and
do not present any uncomfortable edges or parts to press upon the joint as is the
case with the previously described cup should it not be properly placed to suit the !
wearer.
The ribs may be formed or blocked in the upper itself if desired suitable means
being taken to prevent the ribs from being knocked flat which might occur unless
they were supported. This may be effected by placing inside a simple flat piece of
leather or the like, and placing stitches around each rib through to this supporting [
piece of leather. Or separate pieces of leather or the like may be provided for '
each rib or even straps or bands may be placed across and stitched so as to prevent
the ribs from collapsing.
Where the ribs are formed in the upper itself I may use a leather lining, either: >
complete or partial, the stitches around the ribs being used as before.
Although it is convenient where the outer piece of leather is employed to stitch :
around the ribs right through into the upper it will be understood that so long as i
means are provided to prevent the collapsing of the ribs it is not necessary for the :
stitches to go through into the upper. For instance this outer piece of leather or
the like might be formed of two thicknesses stitched together around the ribs and
then solutioned or stitched around the edges only to the boot itself.
Dated this Thirteenth day of April 1893.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Foot-ball or Cricket Boots.
I, JOHN JAMES GASCOINE of High Cross Street, Leicester, in the County of
Leicester, Shoe Manufacturer, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to protect the ankle of the wearer from blows or
kicks while at the same time affording as much ease and freedom to the joint as
possible. Hitherto it has been customary with foot-ball boots to form a stiff cup
which was placed upon the part of the boot supposed to correspond with the ankle
joint of the wearer and this cup was lined or stuffed with felt, indiarubber or other
soft material; it has been found however that the difference in the positions of the
ankle-joints of various persons using the same size of boot often gave rise to great
inconvenience owing to the joint not coming opposite the centre of the cup and the
present invention is designed partly to overcome this difficulty.
In carrying out my invention I construct the boot in the ordinary manner and
upon the side of the upper I place a separate piece of leather or other suitable
material preferably ornamentally shaped and stitched or otherwise suitably secured
to the upper. This piece is blocked so as to form ridges or projecting ribs around
which I prefer to place rows of stitches so that these projections cannot be pressed
flat. The hollows of the ribs may be lined or filled with felt, indiarubber or other
suitable material and as I make the ribs and the piece in which they are formed of
sufficient length it will be seen that they always protect the ankle-joint of the
wearer, and do not present any uncomfortable edges or parts to press upon the joint
as is the case with the previously described cup should it not be properly placed to
suit the wearer. Also being very flexible this guard allows of the boot being firmly
laced to the foot without causing inconvenience to the wearer.
The ribs may be formed or blocked in the upper itself if desired suitable means
being taken to prevent the ribs from being knocked flat which might occur unless
they were supported. This may be effected by placing inside a simple flat piece of
leather or the like, and placing stitches around each rib through to this supporting
piece of leather. Or separate pieces of leather or the like may be provided for
each rib or even straps or bands may be placed across and stitched so as to prevent
the ribs from collapsing.
Where the ribs are formed in the upper itself I may use a leather lining, either
complete or partial, the stitches around the ribs being used as before.
Although it is convenient where the outer piece of leather is employed to stitch
around the ribs right through into the upper it will be understood that so long as
means are provided to prevent the collapsing of the ribs it is not necessary for the
stitches to go through into the upper. For instance this outer piece of leather or
the like might be formed of two thicknesses stitched together around the ribs and
then solutioned or stitched around the edges only to the boot itself.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side view of a boot provided with this invention, and
Figure 2 is a section through the pad.
A represents the upper of the boot and B the piece of leather or other material
in which the ribs or ridges C are blocked or raised by lines of stitches D being 4
formed around each of the ridges and at the edge of the pad itself the stitches
extending through the side of the boot as shown in Figure 2 so that the ridges C
may retain their form, even if the spaces E between them and the side of the boot
be not filled with any kind of packing material. It will be noticed that the space
covered by the ridges is sufficient to allow of considerable variation in the position 5
of the ankle joint of the wearer while it is still protected by the ridges.
Where the ribs are formed in the boot upper itself the ridges C would he part of

page_text: the boot upper and the part A as shown in Figure 2 would represent a backing or
lining of leather or the like the two being stitched together as before described.
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 I
claim is :-
1. A boot pad or protector having blocked or raised ribs or ridges such as C
and stitched around each rib to the boot or other non-expansible material
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. The combination with a boot of a pad such as B C stitched thereto around its
edges and around the ridges substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
3. A pad or protector formed by ridges or ribs blocked or raised in the boot
upper the ridges being stitched round, and to a non-expansible backing substantially
as and for the purpose described.
4. Preventing the collapsing of protecting ridges or ribs such as C by stitching
around them and to a non-expansible material substantially as described.
5. The combination with a boot of a pad or protector extending over a large
surface so as to allow for variations in the position of the ankle joint of the wearer
and afford protection to all these positions, substantially as described.
Dated this 97th day of Anvil 1902
JOHN JAMES GASCOINE.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.
JOHN JAMES GASCOINE.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.