Improvements in or relating to Boots, Shoes, and the like.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 31st, Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 29th Sept., 1392-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Boots, Shoes, and the like.
We, HENRY COOPER PRETTY, of Florence Villa, St. Saviour's Road, Leicester,
Engineer, and JAMES HEWITT, of Upper Tichborne Street, Leicester, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
11
This invention has reference to boots, shoes and the like, the object being the
provision of non-slipping and practically noiseless boots and shoes, and also means
for ventilating same.
According to this invention, the outer sole preferably, is provided with a series
of perforations, having a corresponding number of studs, or other projections, of
rubber or other resilient, or suitable material, passed through the same from
preferably the underside, so as to stand proud of the said outersole, and form the
tread or surface of the boot or shoe, which first comes into contact with the
ground.
The studs or other projections may be made of any suitable shape and furnished
with flanges, or a suitable base, by which they may be secured in proper position
on the boot, or shoe, by solution or otherwise, or they may be constructed singly as
desired.
When the studs or projections are formed with flanges, two or more of the latter
may be connected to each other, or not as desired.
In the underside of the studs or projections a hollow, cavity, or chamber, is
formed and it is this feature in combination, which assists the ventilation of the boot
or shoe as hereinbefore referred to.
The natural action of the foot in walking, effects the ventilation of the boot or
shoe in the following manner.
The foot of the wearer, upon being placed on the ground, compresses the walls of
the chamber thereby contracting the internal space and displacing the air therein,
but upon the foot being raised, the pressure is relieved, the chamber assuming its
normal condition and a fresh supply of air entering therein.
By this means a constant supply of air is maintained in circulation about the
foot, and the insensible perspiration of the latter is consequently carried off.
In order to further assist in ventilating the boot or shoe there may be placed
within the chamber hereinbefore mentioned an india-rubber or other ball or
equivalent which will act as a valve, controlling and regulating the supply of air,
and the walls of the chamber may also be perforated to allow of a freer ingress
of air.
These latter perforations would of course be closed by the pressure of the foot
(when on the ground) contracting the walls thereof, but upon the pressure being
removed by the lifting of the foot, air would pass through the said perforations into
he chamber.
In actual practice the studs or projections, will be placed between the middle sole
and the outer-sole, although we do not of course confine ourselves to such position
olely, but instead, a porous middle sole and innersole may be used so that upon
compression of the air taking place in the chamber in the manner stated, it will be
forced through the same to the interior of the boot or shoe; or either or both the
niddle sole and innersole may be treated otherwise to allow of the passage of air.
Dated this 31st day of December 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Boots, Shoes, and the like.
We, HENRY COOPER PRETTY, of Florence Villa, St. Saviour's Road, Leicester,
Engineer, and JAMES HEWITT of Upper Tichborne Street, Leicester, Manu-
facturer, 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 has reference to boots, shoes and the like, the object being the
provision of non-slipping and practically noiseless boots and shoes, and also means
for ventilating same.
According to this invention, the outer sole preferably is provided with a series of
perforations, having a corresponding number of studs, or other projections, of rubber
or other resilient or suitable material, passed through the same, from preferably the
underside, so as to stand proud of the said outersole and form the tread or surface
of the boot or shoe which first comes into contact with the ground.
The studs or other projections may be made of any suitable shape and furnished
with flanges, or a suitable base, by which they may be secured in proper position on
the boot or shoe, by solution or otherwise, or they may be constructed singly as
desired.
When the studs or projections are formed with flanges, two or more of the latter
may be connected to each other, or not as desired.
In the underside of the studs or projections, a hollow, cavity, or chamber may be
formed, and it is this feature in combination, which assists the ventilation of the
boot or shoe as hereinbefore referred to.
In order to further assist in ventilating the boot or shoe, there may be placed
within the chamber herein before mentioned, an india-rubber or other ball or
equivalent which will act as a valve, controlling and regulating the supply of air,
and the walls of the chamber may also be perforated to allow of a freer ingress
of air.
These latter perforations would of course be closed by the pressure of the foot
(when on the ground) contracting the walls thereof, but upon the pressure being
removed by the lifting of the foot, air would pass through the said perforations into
the chamber.
In actual practice the studs or projections will be placed between the middlesole
and the outersole, although we do not of course confine ourselves to such position
solely, but instead, a porous middlesole and innersole may be used so that upon
compression of the air taking place in the chamber in the manner stated, it will be
forced through the same to the interior of the boot or shoe; or either or both the
middlesole and innersole may be treated otherwise to allow of the passage of air.
In order to assist to a clear understanding of the invention, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a plan and Figure 2 a longitudinal section of the underside of a boot
or shoe fitted with rubber studs according to our invention.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the sole portion of a boot or shoe containing
a modification of our invention.
Figures 4 and 5 are plan and section respectively of a heel with a further modifi-
cation and
Figure 6 is a detail view showing two studs connected together at their bases.
Like letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the figures.
A. represents the outersole and B the middle sole of a boot or shoe.
C. C. represent the studs which may be of rubber or any other resilient or
suitable material and placed in any suitable positions on the underside of the sole or
heel of a boot or shoe as desired.

page_text: The sole A is provided with a series of openings equivalent in number to the
studs C to be used thereon, and the latter may each be formed separately with a
flange C or two or more studs may be connected together by their flanges as
indicated by Figure 6.
The studs C are passed through the leather from the under or flesh side; the
flanges C¹ remaining between the outer and middlesole as in Figure 2, or the middle
and innersole as in Figure 3.
In order to assist in ventilating a boot or shoe, these studs are each formed with
an internal chamber or cavity D.
In the action of walking and when the foot of the wearer is placed on the ground,
the walls of this chamber become contracted more or less, according to the weight
of the person wearing the boots or shoes. The effect of such contraction of the
walls is to reduce the extent of the chamber D and consequently displace to a more
or less degree the air therein contained.
Upon the foot being lifted and the pressure relieved, the walls of the chamber
assume their normal size and condition and the now practically enlarged chamber
becomes charged with a larger volume of air.
It will therefore be seen that the action of walking effects a continual influx and
efflux of the air in the chamber D thereby ventilating the boot or shoe, in the
manner herein before referred to.
A very porous middlesole and innersole, also if desired will considerably enhance
the ventilating properties of a boot or shoe and will more readily admit the air to
the interior thereof.
The ingress of air to the chamber D may be facilitated by the provision of one
or more passages or perforations D³ communicating with the atmosphere as in
Figure 3.
These passages D' may be formed in the walls of the studs either in an oblique
direction as shown in Figure 3 or horizontally as in Figure 2.
It is obvious that no wet could enter the chamber through these passages, as in
the act of walking the foot being on the ground the adjacent faces of such passages
would be closed upon each other, thereby making a practically solid wall, and
blocking communication between the chamber and the exterior of same.
E represents a ball or equivalent placed inside the chamber D and which will act
as a ball valve as before mentioned.
The walls of the chambers D may be continued in a vertical direction beyond the
flange C as in Figure 3 so as to pass through the middlesole B.
As regards the heel, the studs therein may either pass through the top piece only,
or the next lift or layer in addition, as in Figure 5, and instead of a series of studs
as shown in Figure 1, there may be a single stud of enlarged size placed preferably
in the centre of the heel as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:—
1. In a boot or shoe provided with rubber or other studs as described the com-
bination in such studs of an internal chamber or cavity substantially as and for the
purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
2. In a boot or shoe provided with rubber or other studs as described the com-
bination in such studs of an internal chamber or cavity and one or more communi-
cating passages or perforations substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
3. In a boot or shoe provided with rubber or other studs as described the com-
bination with an internal chamber or cavity in such studs of a ball valve or
equivalent substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
4. In a rubber or other stud such as described the combination therewith of an
internal chamber such as D one or more passages such as D' and a ball valve such

page_text: as E substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
5. The improved rubber or other studs for boots and shoes constructed and
operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th day of September 1892.
HENRY
COOPER PRETTY.
JAMES HEWITT.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicants.