IMPROVING THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1884

page_text: 1, WILLIAM STEVENS, of 29 Wellington Street, Northampton, in the county of
Northampton, boot, shoe and upper manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for IMPROVING THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES to be as
follows:-
My invention relates more particularly to the manufacture of Boots & Shoes
intended to be worn by Atheletes and others in playing Football Lawn Tennis and
Similar Games and also by Cyclists (or users of machines for locomotion actuated
by foot power) but it is also applicable to Boots or Shoes intended for ordinary
walking purposes In the production of Boots & Shoes by my process I tako out.
from the centro of the Sole and Top piece that is to say the layer of leather or
other materal which comes nearest the ground in walking a portion of the
materal so that only a rim remains this being of sufficient width to make the sole
or Top piece above described to be firmley attached by sewing rivetting screwing or
other methods In place of this I insert a similarly shaped piece of pyrimid rubber
or other suitable materal by which a better grip of the ground can be obtained
than is ordinarly the case This piece is firmley attached by means of Solution
either Singley or in combination with rivets screws or stiches the foot is by this
means prevented from Slipping while, the Boot or Shoe is rendered thoroughly
waterproof the materal inserted is capable of being removed when worn away and
easley can be replaced without injury to the other portions of the Boot or Shoe A
considerable amount of extra wearing quality is thus added to the Boot or Shoo
and it is caused to be much Lighter than a Boot or Shoo made in the ordinary
way.

page_text: I WILLIAM STEVENS of 29 Wellington Street, Northampton in the county of
Northampton, Boot, Shoe and Upper manufacturer do hereby declare the nature
of the said invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS
AND SHOES and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
"
My invention relates to improvements in the soles and heels of boots and shoes
for fishing, walking and other purposes.
In carrying out my invention I connect the upper insole and middle sole or welt
which are of leather or other suitable material by stitching, sewing, pegging or
rivetting in the usual way; I then take a sole of india rubber made in a manner
such as that described in my Provisional Specification N° 15421 dated the twenty
second day of November 1884 and over the edges of such india rubber sole I place
an outer sole of less thickness than the india rubber sole and having the centre
portion or that part which usually comes nearest the ground in walking cut away
so that only a rim remains which is of sufficient width to allow of the soles being
firmly attached by cement or by sewing or other means; the said india rubber sole
and outer sole are then secured to the boot in the usual manner by hand stitching,
machine stitching, rivetting or machine screwing or by other suitable means; the
outer sole round the inner edge of the flesh side of the rim is further reduced in
thickness to admit the edge of the india rubber sole so that when the boot is
finished the edge of the rubber shall not be visible; the heel excepting the top
piece thereof is then built up in the usual manner; I then take a heel of india
rubber made in a manner such as is described in my said Provisional Specification
and over the edges of the same I place the top piece the centre portion of which
has been previously cut out and reduced in thickness on the flesh side of the rim
in a similar manner to that described for the outer sole and I attach the same by
means of cement or sewing or the like and fix the said top piece and india rubber
heel to the boot in the usual manner.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 represents a
side elevation and figure 2, a part longitudinal section of a boot provided with a
sole and heel manufactured according to my invention; figure 3, is a transverse
section of the same on line A B of figure 1; figures 4, and 5 are detached plan
views of the outer sole and the top piece of the heel respectively. Similar letters
in all the figures represent similar parts.
a, is the upper of the boot; b, the insole and c, the middle sole or welt of
leather or other suitable material and connected by the usual means such as by
stitching or sewing; d, is the india rubber sole and e, is the outer sole, the centre
portion of which or that part which usually comes nearest the ground in walking
is cut away as shewn in figure 4, so that only the rim f, remains, the flesh side of
the rim being reduced in thickness as shewn at n, to admit the edges g, g, of the
india rubber sole d, which is then cemented, sewn or otherwise attached thereto;
the rim is of sufficient width only to allow of the outer sole e, india rubber sole d,
and middle sole or welt c, being sewn together as shewn, h, representing the
.. stitches; i, is the heel of the boot which is built up in the usual way except the
top piece thereof; j, is the india rubber heel and k, is the top piece the centre
portion of which I cut away as shewn at figure 5, so as to leave only a rim which
I place over the edges 1, of the rubber heel j, and attach the same by any suitable
means such as by cement or sewing or in any other suitable manner the flesh side

page_text: of the top piece being reduced in thickness as shown at o, to admit the edges of
the rubber heel j, the rubber heel and top piece so connected are then secured to
the boot in the usual manner.
By my improved soles and heels the boot or shoe is rendered thoroughly water-
proof, the india rubber soles and heels can be easily removed when worn away and
replaced without injury to the other portions of the boot or shoe which will there-
fore last much longer in wear than boots and shoes having ordinary rubber Boles
and heels; the boot or shoe is also much lighter than those made in the ordinary
way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my. said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1). The improved soles and heels for boots and shoes having a portion of the
outer sole and the beel top piece respectively cut away so as to form a rim and
flange fitting over the edges of the rubber sole and heel substantially as and for
the purpose herein before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
(2). In a boot or shoe the combination with an india rubber sole of an outer sole
of leather or like material of less thickness and from which a portion is cut away
the said outer sole fitting over the edges of the rubber sole substantially as and for
the purpose herein before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
(3). In a boot or shoe the combination with a heel having a portion of the top
piece thereof cut away of an india rubber heel piece over the edges of which the
said top piece is secured substantially as and for the purposes herein before described
and represented in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 6th day of December 1884