Year: 1888

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by EDWIN FORBES, Artist, of Flatbush, in the State of
New York, and JOHN VALENTINE KOOH, Manufacturer, of No. 64, Third
Avenue, Brooklyn, in the said State of New York, United States of America.]
I PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent 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 india rubber over-shoes which have formed in their uppers,
and extending from the edge of the font opening lengthwise towards the toe, one or
more flutes or corrugations, whereby the expansibility of the upper is increased
without reference to the extensibility or stretching properties of the india rubber. As
heretofore made, the ends of the flutes or corrugations which are presented at the
edge at the edge of the foot opening, have been left open, and consequently have
afforded channels through which snow and water might easily enter. To prevent the
entrance of snow and water into the channels formed by the flutes or corrugations,
the shoe is formed with such one or more flutes or corrugations closed at the ends
which are presented at the edge of the foot opening, and in order permanently retain
the flutes or corrugations in shape, so that the shoe will not soon become very loose
upon the foot, there is inserted between the outer ply of india rubber and the lining, a
key piece or stiffener, which conforms in transverse section to the shape of the one or
more flutes or corrugations, and is made of a material stiffer than that which forms
such outer ply.
The invention will be hereinafter particularly described and pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an india rubber shoe
embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the toe portion of the
shoe, showing the toe of the boot as in place therein. Fig. 3 is a transverse section
of a portion of the upper, showing the flutes or corrugations and the key piece or
stiffener in place therein, and upon a slightly larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2; and
Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 3, but showing one flute or corrugation only; and
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the key piece or stiffener in an inverted position.

page_text: .
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The shoe embodying this invention has formed in its upper portion one or more
flutes or corrugations a, that is to say, the material of which the shoe is made is fuller
than would otherwise be necessary, and the surplus material is gathered at the upper
toe portion, so as to form the one or more flutes or corrugations a, which extend
from the edge, b, of the foot opening lengthwise toward the toe. As the shoe is
vulcanized with the flutes or corrugations in proper form, its normal condition will be
with the material gathered in these flutes or corrugations, and therefore the shoe will
have an expansibility independent of the extensibility or stretch of the material of
which it is formed, and will fit easily upon the foot, and will not bind tightly upon
the instep, as rubbers are so apt to do, especially in case the foot be slightly
swollen.
The shoe may have two flutes or corrugations a, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, or only
a single flute or corrugation, as shown in Fig. 4.
To aid in maintaining the flutes or corrugations in their normal condition, and also
to give the shoe a greater strength to resist stretch or expansibility than it would
have if the flutes or corrugations were not reinforced in any way, a key piece or
stiffener B is provided, which is shown best in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. This key piece or
stiffener B is also fluted or corrugated, and conforms in transverse section to the
shape of the flutes or corrugations a, and the key piece B is introduced between the
outer plys of india rubber and the lining s¹, and may be cemented or otherwise
secured to these fabrics. The key piece or stiffener B shown in Fig. 5 is for a shoe
having two flutes or corrugations. The end of the key piece or stiffener, which is
presented at the front edge, b, of the foot opening, is closed, as shown at b¹,
therefore serves to close these ends of the flutes or corrugations a, and prevent snow
and water from entering the channels which they form. Inasmuch as these ends of
the flutes or corrugations are closed, all necessary expansibility in the shoe is gained
without employing open-ended flutes or corrugations, which form channels through
which the snow and water may pass downwards into the shoe.
and
The key piece or stiffener B may be of india rubber, and should be stiffer or harder
than the material of which the outer plys of the shoe is formed. This key piece will
give the flutes or corrugations sufficient stiffness and contractile tendency, so that they
will at all times maintain the shoe with a snug tit upon the boot, and will at the same
time be sufficiently elastic or yielding to prevent the shoe binding unpleasantly on
the foot.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as commnunicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The india rubber shoe herein described, having in its upper portion one or more
flutes or corrugations extending longitudinally from the edge of the foot opening
towards the toe, the ends of the flutes or corrugations which are at the edge of the
foot opening, being closed to provent the entrance of snow and water, substantially as
herein described.
2. The india rubber shoe herein described, having its material gathered in one or
more flutes or corrugations a, and having a key piece B, of material stiffer than the
shoe upper, introduced between the upper and its lining, and conforming in transverse
section to the shape of the flutes or corrugations, and serving to maintain the flutes
or corrugations in shape, substantially as herein described.
Datal this 01st day of Erh 1000
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.