Improvements in Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 9th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 10th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 20th May, 1893.
Improvements in Boots and Shoes.
I, JAMES MARTIN of Foulds and Company, 45 Union Street, Glasgow, Boot
Factor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to boots and shoes and it has for its object to so construct
them that the feet are ventilated when walking.
In carrying out my invention I make the boot or shoe with a, preferably,
perforated or partly perforated insole. Below the insole I fit, or may fit, one, two,
or more small tubes which may communicate with a small flexible air bag, air
cushion, or equivalent, bellows arrangement which is fitted in a hollow in the heel
or below the insole.
The heel may be made entirely of leather or partly of rubber and leather or of
rubber alone.
With the improved boot or shoe the person, when placing down his foot in
walking, squeezes or presses the bag or bellows in the heel and thereby forces air
along the tubes and into the boot or shoe.
When the person lifts up his foot the bag expands again and draws in a fresh
supply of air which is expelled again at the next step.
The hollow heel may be made sufficiently flexible to serve as the air bellows.
Dated this 8th day of July 1892.`
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
Glasgow and London, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boots and Shoes.
1, JAMES MARTIN formerly of Foulds and Coy., 45 Union Street, now of
2 Battlefield Avenue, Langside, Glasgow, Boot Factor, 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 boots and shoes and it has for its object to so construct
them that the feet are ventilated when walking,
In carrying out my invention I make the boot or shoe with a, preferably,
perforated or partly perforated insole. Below the insole I fit, or may fit, one, two,
or more small tubes which may communicate with a small flexible air bag, air
cushion, or equivalent, bellows arrangement which is fitted in a hollow in the heel
or below the insole.
The heel may be made entirely of leather or partly of rubber and leather or of
rubber alone.
With the improved boot or shoe the person, when placing down his foot in
walking, squeezes or presses the bag or bellows in the heel and thereby forces air
along the tubes and into the boot or shoe.
When the person lifts up his foot the bag expands again and draws in a fresh
supply of air which is expelled again at the next step.
The hollow heel may be made sufficiently flexible to serve as the air bellows.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have
hereunto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon,
Fig. 1 is a view of a jack or high legged boot.
:

page_text: is a part section of a waiking boot.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the sole and waist piece of the boot Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a plan and section of the outsole of a lawn-tennis shoe.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a waist piece.
Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line - Fig. 5.
Figs. 6 and 7 are sections of heels with bellows.
Fig. 8 is a view of an insole.
Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of part of the underside of the waist piece Fig. 5.
Referring to the drawings whereon the same reference letters wherever repeated
indicate similar or like parts.
Fig. 1 shows a hussar boot, with a hollow rubber or leather heel a which can be
compressed, when walking, so as to force air along the tube b (see dotted lines)
which is perforated on the inside throughout its length as indicated. With this
arrangement the heel, which is compressed at the setting down of the foot, expands
again when the foot is raised up off the ground, thus acting as a bellows and
alternately forcing air out of and drawing air into the tube b.
Fig. 2 shows a boot with a compressible hollow leather or rubber heel a which
communicates with a perforated tube fitted in or to the sole c. The insole d is
perforated as shown. With this arrangement at each expansion of the heel
a, air
is drawn in through the hole e and at each compression is forced out along the
tube so as to thoroughly ventilate the foot.
If desired the tube may be connected to the waist piece f, which is made as
shown at Figs. 5 and 5, that is, it has pyramidal projections (see enlarged view
Fig. 9) on its underside which rest against the insole d (see Fig. 5^) and form
channels along which air can freely pass. The waist piece is perforated as
shown at Fig. 5.
Fig. 4 shows the inside of the outsole of a lawn tennis or like shoe. The outsole,
which is of rubber, is moulded with a groove b' and pillars or supports 62 are made
or left along said groove. e is the hole communicating with the bollow rubber heel.
The air courses along the groove b¹ and out through the perforations in the insole
which is laid on top of the outsole. Leather soles may be moulded with grooves in
the same manner.
Fig. 8 shows the perforated insole d (Fig. 2) in plan.
Fig. 6 shows the hollow heel of a boot fitted with a rubber bag connected to
the tubing b, the insole is laid on top of the bag and the alternate pressure and
relaxation of pressure of the heel of the foot causes said bag to act like a pump or
bellows.
Fig. 7 shows a bag connected to a cushion piece which is somewhat of the
shape of the waist piece Fig. 5, and can be inserted within and taken out of the
boot or shoe at pleasure. The heel is a hollow rubber, wood, or leather one.
This cushion piece and bag is specially adapted for dancing, "Plimsol," and like
shoes having no insole.
The heels and soles can be altered to suit different styles of boots without
departing from the principle of the invention.
The rubber heel may be secured to the boot by means of a strip of leather which
is solutioned to the heel in such a way as to leave a projecting edge which is sewn
to the welt.
The waist piece, Fig. 5, to a certain extent performs a bellows action and assists
the ventilation.
In my invention there are no outside holes for ingress or egress of air.
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 or shoe made with a hollow flexible heel capable of being compressed
and expanded, so as to act as a bellows, substantially as and for the purpose
herein before set forth.

page_text: 2. The combination with a boot or shoe having a hollow heel, of a flexible bag.
fitted in the heel and communicating with ventilating grooves or tubes (b, b¹),.
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings annexed.
Dated this 8th day of April 1893.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
Glasgow and London, Agent..