An Improvement in Boot and Shoe Protectors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 16th Mar.. 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Boot and Shoe Protectors.
I, THOMAS OFFORD, of 64, Charlwood Street, London, S.W. Jobmaster,
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:-
My invention relates to protectors for those portions of the treading surfaces of
the soles and heels of boots and shoes which are most exposed to wear, and it has
for its object to provide efficient and readily-attachable protectors which are exempt
from the defect of liability to slip common to such protectors when made of metal
as heretofore, and which besides being non-slipping are noiseless and elastic to the
tread. My improved protectors are suitably shaped according to the position they
are intended to occupy, and are adapted to be fixed by the wearer himself, either
to a new or partly-worn boot or shoe. They are, in all cases, of composite con-
struction, that is to say partly of metal and partly of india-rubber so applied that
the rubber comes first into contact with the ground, and by its elasticity and
adhesion renders the tread noiseless and prevents the slipping on smooth, and
particularly on wet metallic, surfaces which is liable to occur when the protectors
are made of metal only. The rubber portion is in the form of studs or protuberances
preferably of cylindrical shape attached by moulding or vulcanizing to a thin
foundation of rubber or rubber-coated canvas. The metal plate is identical in size
and shape with the foundation which it covers and has apertures corresponding
with, and giving passage to, the studs or protuberances. The height of the elastic
studs or protuberances is such that when the covering plate is placed upon the
foundation and secured in position upon the boot or shoe by screws or nails the
studs or protuberances upon the foundation shall pass through the corresponding
holes in the covering plate and project some distance from the underside of the
latter. The ends of the studs, protruding through the perforations in the covering
plates afford an elastic, noiseless, and non-slipping treading surfaces for the boot or
shoe, of which the sole is also by this means so far raised from the ground as to be
protected in great measure from damp.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein Figure 1 represents a face view of the under surface of the
outer sole and heel of a boot or shoe provided with my protecting devices,
Figure 2 representing a cross-section of the boot or shoe, taken upon line 2-2
Figure 1.
a, a, are the metal covering plates, which are, preferably, of iron or steel and
may, if desired, be roughened upon their outer surface. These covering plates
serve to laterally support the elastic studs or protuberances b under the crushing
pressure and friction to which they are exposed and also in conjunction with the
nails or screws as the means of securing the rubber portion of the protector to the
boot or shoe. Each covering plate a is identical in size and shape with the thin
strip or foundation c (Figure 2) which it covers and on which the studs or
protuberances b, b, are formed or fixed, the said studs protruding through corre-
sponding holes formed in the covering plates beyond whose under-surface they
project as indicated in Figure 2. Each covering plate is limited in size and shape
to the particular portion of the sole or heel which it is desired to protect from
undue wear, and is provided with two or more holes for the passage of nails or
screws which are driven into the outer sole of the boot or shoe to which the
ID: 037

page_text: protectors are applied after the boot or shoe is completely made and even after it is
partly worn out.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would observe that I
am aware that Letters Patent have been granted for the application to boots and
shoes in course of manufacture of an entire inner sole formed of a sheet of india-
rubber having studs or protuberances of the same material which project through
corresponding perforations in the outer sole of leather, and similarly in respect of
the heel, but I wish to point out that my invention presents special advantages, not
merely with, respect to the manufacture and repair of boots and shoes but also from
a hygienic point of view, the absence of a complete india-rubber sole obviating the
tendency well known to result from the use of soles composed of such material to
heat and "draw" the feet of the wearer. And I therefore declare that what I
claim is
The herein described composite protectors for the soles and heels of boots and
shoes, consisting of an apertured covering plate of metal in combination with elastic
studs or protuberances adapted to project through the apertures of the metallic
plate and attached to a thin foundation or strip of similar material, the plate
serving as the means whereby the whole protector is secured to the sole or heel of
the boot or shoe, substantially as specified.
Dated this 11th day of February 1895
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.