IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING ELASTIC MATERIAL TO BOOTS, SHOES, AND SUCH LIKE COVERINGS FOR THE FEET
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Cartwright, of Tavistock Street, in the
County of Middlesex, and Augustus Dale, of 101, Castle Road, Kentish
Town, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPLYING ELASTIC MATERIAL TO BOOTS, SHOES, AND SUCH LIKE COVERINGS
FOR THE FEET."
Sealed the 16th February 1866, and dated the 18th August 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Cartwright and
Augustus Dale at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 18th-August 1865.
We, MATTHEW CARTWRIGHT, of Tavistock Street, in the County of
Middlesex, and AUGUSTUS DALE, of 101, Castle Road, Kentish Town, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING ELASTIC MATERIAL TO BOOTS, SHOES, AND SUCH LIKE
COVERINGS FOR THE FEET," to be as follows:-
Our Invention has reference to boots, shoes, and such like coverings for
the feet, in regard to the use for the same of elastic or spring side and front
pieces, and consists in substituting for the india-rubber webbing, or other
material hitherto used, sheets or pieces of elastic material, (as for instance
plain sheet rubber,) applied or adapted as hereafter set forth. The sheets or
pieces which we prefer to use are of the proper size to fit the required opening
left in the side or front of the boot, shoe, or other such like covering for the

page_text: foot; and along the connecting edge or edges, and to some distance within
the said connecting edge or edges, we fasten by solution, or we firmly secure
thereto, a piece or pieces of linen or other fibrous material, or desired non-
elastic fabric, (which may be, if thought desirable, of such size and form
as to project beyond the edge or edges of the elastic fabric,) and thus allow
of the non-elastic fabric being sewn through and stitched, or otherwise secured
to the part of the boot, shoe, or covering for the foot required, whereby
we avoid all difficulty from having to sew through, stitch, or connect unpro-
tected elastic material in the articles aforesaid. We should prefer that the
india-rubber should be vulcanized or sulphurized, but we do not limit our-
selves thereto; and if desired, instead of the rubber being in one unbroken
sheet or piece, we could make perforations or openings therein, and could, if
required, close the same by fibrous material or suitable non-elastic substance;
and the sheet or piece of elastic material might be stamped or impressed with
any pattern, figures, or devices that may be eligible.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Matthew Cartwright and Augustus Dale in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 17th February 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, MATTHEW
CARTWRIGHT, of Tavistock Street, in the County of Middlesex, and AUGUSTUS
DALE, of 101, Castle Road, Kentish Town, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Matthew Cartwright and Augustus Dale, Her special licence that
we, the said Matthew Cartwright and Augustus Dale, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Matthew Cartwright"
and Augustus Dale, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPLYING ELASTIC MATERIAL TO BOOTS, 'SHOES, AND SUCH LIKE COVERINGS
FOR THE FEET," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Matthew

page_text: Cartwright and Augustus Dale, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention;
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.. NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Matthew Cartwright and Augustus
Dale, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our Invention has reference to boots and shoes and such like coverings for
the feet, in regard to the use for the same of elastic or spring side and spring
front pieces, and consists in substituting for the india-rubber webbing or other
similar material hitherto used, pieces of elastic material, which can be applied
and adapted as hereafter set forth. The pieces which we use being of the
kind and character hereafter set forth and described, and along the connecting
edges of which (within the edge lines of such connecting edges) we fasten
by solution, or we firmly secure thereto, fibrous material or fabric, (cotton
cloth, for instance,) or any such like suitable fabric, berein-after termed the
edge pieces (which may be, if thought desirable, of such size and form as to
project beyond the edge or edges of the elastic fabric, but we do not recom-
mend this). The fibrous or non-elastic fabric is to be sewn through and
stitched or otherwise secured to the part of the boot, shoe, or other covering
for the foot required, whereby we avoid all difficulty from having to sew
through, stitch, or connect unprotected elastic material. In order to protect
the top edges of side or front pieces we make them in the manner hereafter
described. The india-rubber should be vulcanized in order to give it strength
and durability, and if desired, instead of the elastic material or india-rubber
being in one unbroken sheet or piece, we could make perforations, openings,
or eyelet holes therein, and could, if required, close the same by fibrous
material or suitable non-elastic substance, and the sheet or piece of elastic
material might be stamped or embossed with any pattern, figures, or devices
may be eligible.
that
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, we now, in com-
pliance with the said condition in the aforesaid Letters Patent contained,
proceed to particularly describe and ascertain not only the nature thereof, but
also in what manner the same is to be and may be performed or carried into
practical effect, that is to say:
:
We take elastic material in sheets, as for instance, plain or sheet rubber,

page_text: and having marked out or indicated any number of superficies which may be
admissible, according to the form and size thereof, we then divide or cut it
into pieces in accordance with the indications or markings thereon. Each of
these pieces is intended to form one portion (or the whole) of one spring side
or spring front for a boot or shoe or such like covering for the foot. Having
thus provided the suitable pieces of rubber or elastic material we proceed to
prepare. the fibrous material for the edge pieces, and for this purpose we
procure sheets of undressed cotton cloth, or other similar fibrous 'material,
and cut or form out of the same a number of strips of such shape that they
will follow the edges of each spring side or front piece, as thus, for instance,
These edge pieces are payed or coated over with india-
rubber, adhesive solution, or any other similarly suitable adhesive solution.
They are then placed between two of the said pieces of elastic material, which
fit each other as to shape and size, and the whole then pressed or rolled
together by rollers, such as are used in the india-rubber manufacture, the
operation being so performed that the edge pieces may be, at any edge
or edges, except the top edge, found between the two superficies of india-
rubber or elastic material, the central portion having nothing but elastio
U or V. or V
material, as thus U or V or V The black portions in the diagrams
being the two superficies with edge piece or pieces between the same, and the
white parts being the two united superficies of india-rubber or elastic material.
The top edge, which is unprotected by edge pieces, (because the edge pieces
being non-elastic, or nearly so, cannot be adopted at that part, as they would
destroy the spring or elasticity,) is protected by the edge of one superficiers of
the rubber or elastic material, being doubled over at that part and solutioned
and pressed or rolled together as before described. The side or front piece
may be formed out of one piece of sheet rubber or elastic material without
joining or protection at the top, by making the whole of the elastic material
of a side or front piece all in one piece, and doubling it over with the non-
elastic or fibrous edge piece or pieces between, as in this diagram
The dotted lines in this
diagram shewing the point at
which the elastic material is to be doubled over to form the top as aforesaid.
The black part shewing the nou-elastic or fibrous edge piece or pieces which
will be enclosed by the two elastic surfaces when doubled over as described.
Or the piece of elastic may be turned over sufficiently to secure the edge
piece or pieces between the elastic material, so that it shall be double where

page_text: these edge pieces are placed, and single in the central part of the side or front
piece, the top edge being made as before described; or the edge piece or
pieces may be simply laid on a piece of elastic, being solutioned and rolled or
pressed into it, but we do not recommend this plan, as we do not consider it
will produce an article of sufficient strength and durability. When the side
or front piece is thus prepared it is vulcanized, and is then fit for use. For
spring fronts and sides for shoes and boots a central or mid-line strengthening
strip of fibrous or non-elastic material may be introduced, similar to the edge
pieces aforesaid, and this may, if thought desirable, be pierced with eyelet
holes, through which a lace may be inserted so as to give the shoe or boot
the appearance of the lace-up article, and a soft tongue may be laid under-
neath, if thought desirable, or instead of the eyelet holes and lace aforesaid,
and without using any lace whatever, other perforations may be made in the
elastic material. If it should be thought desirable to make use of more pieces
of elastic material than two, the same may be done by cementing or other-
wise holding them together, but we do not recommend the adoption of such
a plan, and it is obvious that the fibrous or non-elastic edge pieces for each
side or front piece might be composed of more than one piece of fibrous or
non-elastic material where strength is not a desideratum.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or put in
operation, we hereby declare that we claim the improvements in applying or
adapting elastic material to boots, shoes, and such like coverings for the
feet, consisting in the use of india-rubber or elastic material in the manner
herein described, combined with the fibrous or non-elastic fabric as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Dale, on behalf of myself and
the said Matthew Cartwright, have hereunto set my hand and seal
this Seventeenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
W. THISTLETHWAITE,
15, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
Solicitor.
AUGUSTUS DALE. (L.B.)