Improvements in or relating to Boots or Shoes for the Purpose of Facilitating the Playing of certain Games.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 29th July, 1891-Accepted, 5th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Boots or Shoes for the Purpose of
Facilitating the Playing of certain Games.
I, WALTER JOHN PEARCE, of 20 Holles Street, Clare Market, in the City of
London, Bootmaker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to boots and shoes which are used especially for games,
such as football, cricket, tennis, golf, running and the like, the object being to secure
a firmer foot-hold. The devices hitherto employed for these purposes have chiefly
consisted of roughening the sole in one form or other. In temis this is usually done
by making the whole sole completely of indiarubber with the projections arranged
in an ornamental pattern upon it; in foot-ball the usual plan is to secure pieces or
strips of leather upon the sole and in cricket and running, spikes are usually
employed. Now by my present invention I am enabled to make the boot or shoe
adaptable for the different requirements by providing ready means of securing and
removing the various non-slipping devices, and in carrying out my invention I
prefer to proceed as follows:-
Through the sole, preferably from the inside, I place a socket which may with
advantage be a little brass casting with a flat head or flange for the inside of the
sole and a socket to pass through the sole and preferably of about the same length
as the thickness of the sole so that the outer face of the sole and socket will about
coincide. This, socket may be secured to the sole in any convenient manner, a thread
may be formed on the outside of the socket so as to screw it on or it may be secured
by screws, studs.or the like passing through holes in the flange or otherwise securing
it or a separate plate may be secured in any desired manner upon or in connection
with the socket.; Into this socket can be screwed a stud or equivalent preferably
consisting of a projection or shank adapted to screw into the socket and a flange to
which may secured a plug, strip or other piece of leather, rubber, wood, metal or
other suitable material, preferably of a more or less fibrous nature so as to be as
little likely to slip as possible. The shape of what I will call the stud, viz., this
piece of leather or other material may vary according to circumstances and
where it is desired to employ strips which have to be secured at more than
one point the shanks which carry them may be arranged not to screw into the
socket but to fit in and be secured there by spring catches, friction or other suitable
means.
For foot-ball I provide preferably at least three forms of studs, besides a plain
cover or plug to fill the hole in the socket when the projecting studs are not
required. The studs are preferably made of different thicknesses, one a moderate
thickness consisting say of a single thickness of leather would do when the ground
was not very slippery; the next would consist of say two thicknesses of leather and
would be suitable for ground in a more slippery condition than the first, and the
third might have three thicknesses of leather and be suitable for the worst condition
of the ground. For the heel of the boot the socket may as above stated be fixed
in any suitable manner but a convenient way is to place it through the last
lift or top layer of the heel and secure it in the same manner as in the sole,
to the heel in the usual
the lift or layer being subsequently fastened on
manner.
For cricket the leather or other studs above described would be replaced by the
spikes which could be arranged to screw direct into the sockets or could be provided

page_text: with a disc or flange if required, provision being made as by providing flats or
otherwise for screwing the pegs in and out.
Dated this 17th day of November 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Boots or Shoes for the Purpose of
Facilitating the Playing of certain Games.
I, WALTER JOIN PEARCE of 20 Holles Street, Clare Market, in the City of
London, Bootmaker, 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 which are used especially for games,
such as football, cricket, tennis, golf, mountain climbing and the like, the object
being to secure a firmer foot-hold. The devices hitherto employed for these
purposes have chiefly consisted of roughening the sole in one form or other. In
tennis this is usually done by making the whole sole completely of indiarubber with
the projections arranged in an ornamental pattern upon it; in football the usual plan
is to secure picces or strips of leather upon the sole and in cricket and running spikes
are usually employed. Now by my invention 1 am enabled to make the same boot
or shoe adaptable for most athletic requirements by providing a ready means for
changing the various non-slipping devices as the character of the game or the state
of the ground may require.
My invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of socket to be fastened on to the inner sole of the
boot or shoe.
Figures 2 and 3 are elevations of non-slipping devices suitable for the games of
football and cricket respectively.
Figures 4 and 5 are respectively an elevation and plan of a device for adapting
the shoe to tennis or walking purposes, and
Figure 6 is a section showing the socket secured to the boot and ready for the
insertion of the non-slipping device.
The socket A as shown in Figures 1 and 6 is preferably a brass casting formed
with a flat head or flange perforated with any desired number of holes a for
securing the socket to the inner sole of the boot or shoe by the pins or studs a¹;
the socket is screw-threaded internally at A. H is the outer sole which is secured
to the boot in the ordinary manner and is provided with a suitable number of holes
to fit over and correspond with the sockets A which are preferably the same length
as the thickness of the sole H so that the outer faces of the sockets and sole will
about coincide.
Figure 2 shows the device adapted to football requirements and consists of one, two
or more studs or pads C of leather or other suitable substance secured to the broad
headed screw B. The thickness of the leather studs C will depend upon the state of
the ground; for instance when the ground is hard a single thickness of ordinary
sole leather will be found sufficient. When on the other hand it is
greasy a double
thickness of leather will be found desirable, while when the ground is saturated a
third thickness of leather may be found necessary to gain a firm grip and prevent
slipping. It will be found desirable for players to provide themselves with sets of
studs of different thickness in order that they may adapt themselves to the condition
of the ground at the time of play.
D Figure 3 is an ordinary cricket spike, and all that is necessary to attach these
spikes or non-slipping devices to the boot is to screw the shanks B into the various

page_text: sockets, and the spikes may be more firmly secured by the employment of a leather
or other suitable washer.
As the ends of the sockets do not project beyond the outer face of the sole, the
boot can on the withdrawal of the spikes he used for ordinary purposes, but as dirt
would accumulate in and choke the sockets I prefer to screw in a plug E. By this
arrangement the shoe can be used for walking, tennis or other purposes.
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 for athletic purposes adapted to receive any form of spike stud
or other non-slipping device which may be changed at will to meet special require-
ments substantially as specified.
2. In a boot or shoe for athletic purposes the combination with sockets such as A
secured between the inner and outer soles of the boot of spikes studs or other non-
slipping devices changeable at will substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
3. The complete athletic boot or shoe attachment substantially as specified.
Dated this 28th day of July 1891.
WALTER PEARCE.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.