Improvements in or connected with Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1894-Accepted, 9th June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Boots and Shoes.
I, FREDERICK ROBINSON, of Trent Works, Burton-on-Trent, in the County of
Stafford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference more particularly to those boots and shoes which
are worn by athletes or by persons playing tennis, cricket and other out-door games
but my invention is also applicable to boots and shoes generally.
My invention consists in the application of inflated or pneumatic india rubber or
like Hexible tubes to the soles and heels of boots and shoes so as to form an elastic
tread, the said tubes being either detachable from the said soles and heels or not
detachable and provided with a valve by which the tubes can be inflated or deflated
at will
The said pneumatic or inflated tubes may be arranged and connected to the said
soles and heels in various ways for instance the sole of the boot or shoe may
have an undercut groove or projecting ribs running round the under side of the
same in an oblong or other suitable form and in this groove or between these ribs fits
the pneumatic tube which may be like the endless inner india rubber or like air tube
and the outer covering of a pueumatic tyre for wheels. There is a similar groove
or ribs running round the underside of the heel and a similar pneumatic tube
fitting therein. The sole tube and the heel tube are connected together by a small
tube under the instep and in this small tube is the valve and connection for the
pump when inflating the tubes so that both tubes are inflated together. Or the
sole and heel tubes may be quite separate and distinct with separate valve to cach
or the same pneumatic tube inay be arranged round both the sole and heel of the
boot or shoe.
Or the sole and heel may be made as usual and the pneumatic tube or tubes
be arranged to fit in a light metal or other plate or frame or plates or frames
the edges of which are turned outwardly and inwardly so as to form the necessary
undercut section to hold the pneumatic tube or tubes in place.
When made in this way the said metallic plate or frame or plates or frames can
readily be removed from and replaced on the soles and heels of the boots or shoes
thus enabling the boots or shoes to be changed from ordinary to pneumatic or from
pneumatic to ordinary at will.
Or the pneumatic tube or tubes may be cemented or otherwise fixed to the sole
and heel of the boots and shoes.
By "pneumatic tube I mean any kind of india rubber or like flexible air tube
whether made with a separate outer covering portion or not so made.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1893.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Boots and Shoes.
J, FREDERICK ROBINSON, of Trent Works, Burton-on-Trent, in the County of
Stafford, Engineer, 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 has reference more particularly to those boots and shoes which are
worn by athletes or by persons playing tennis, cricket and other out-door games but
my invention is also applicable to boots and shoes generally.
My invention consists in the application of inflated or pneumatic india rubber or
like flexible tubes to the soles and heels of boots and shoes so as to form an elastic
tread, the said tubes being either detachable from the said soles and heel or not
detachable and provided with a valve by which the tubes can be inflated or deflated
at will.
The said pneumatic or inflated tubes may be arranged and connected to the said
soles and heels in various ways for instance the sole of the boot or shoe may have
an undercut groove or projecting ribs running round the under side of the same in
an oblong or other suitable form and in this groove or between these ribs fits the
pneumatic tube which may be like the endless inner india rubber or like air tube
and the outer covering of a pneumatic tyre for wheels. There is a similar groove
or ribs running round the underside of the heel and a similar pneumatic tube fitting
therein. The sole tube and the heel tube are connected together by a small tube
under the instep and in this small tube is the valve and connection for the pump
when inflating the tubes so that both tubes are inflated together. Or the sole and
heel may be quite separate and distinct with separate valve to each.
Or the sole and heel may be made as usual and the pneumatic tube or tubes be
arranged to fit in a light metal or other plate or frame or plates or frames the
edges of which are turned outwardly and inwardly so as to form the necessary
undercut section to hold the pneumatic tube or tubes in place..
When made in this way the said metallic plate or frame or plates or frames can
readily be removed from and replaced on the soles and heels of the boots or shoes
thus enabling the boots or shoes to be changed from ordinary to pneumatic or from
pneumatic to ordinary at will.
Or the pneumatie tube or tubes may be cemented or otherwise fixed to the sole
and heel of the boots and shoes.
In order that my invention may be well understood I will now proceed to
particularly describe the same by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a shoe with inflated or pneumatic.
india rubber or like flexible tubes applied to the sole and heel of the same:
Fig. 2 is an inverted plan of the same with portions of the pneumatic tubes
removed so as the better to shew the fixing plates or frames of the same;
Fig. 3 represents in sectional elevation and in inverted plan the metal plate
separately which secures the pneumatic tube to the heel of the said shoe ;
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a portion of a shoe with the
pneumatic tubes fixed to the sole of the same according to a modification of this
invention and
Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the heel portion of the shoe shewn by Fig. 4,
part of the indiarubber pneumatic tube being represented as being cut away so as
to more clearly shew the groove in the heel of the shoe in which the said pneumatic
tube fits;
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a portion of a shoe with the
pneumatic tubes fixed to the sole of the same in a slightly different manner to that
shewn by the preceding figs, and

page_text: Fig. 7 is an inverted plan of the heel portion of the shoe shewn by Fig. 6
and with a portion of the pneumatic tube removed so as to shew the fixing
plate.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
I will first describe my invention as illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3. A is the
sole of the shoe made of india rubber leather or other suitable substance. B¹ is
the endless inner india rubber or like air tube of the sole portion of the shoe
and B2 is its outer covering of india rubber or canvas insertion like the inner air
tube and outer covering of a pneumatic tyre for wheels. This outer covering B
is made to surround or almost surround the inner air tube B' and made with two
beads, marked respectively 61 62, one along each edge which fit in the undercut
recess of the thin metal plate or frame C which is by preference made of
aluminium or some other light and thin sheet metal and fixed to the sole A by
screws such as those shewn and marked d. It will be seen that the edges are
raised and turned towards each other so as to form the necessary undercut section
under which the beaded edges 6' 62 of the outer covering portion B2 fit so as to be
firmly secured when the inner air tube B' is inflated. E' is the endless inner india
rubber or like air tube of the heel portion F of the shoe and E2 is the india rubber
and canvas insertion outer covering of the same; G is the thin metal plate or
frame which is pierced with a central hole g' and the edges g² g³ of the plate G
are turned inwardly so as to form the necessary undercut section for the beaded
edges el e² of the outer covering E' to take under so as to be secured thereto when
the inner air tube E' is inflated. The plate or frame G is secured to the heel as.
by screws d as shewn. It will be seen that the plate or frame G with its air tube E'
and outer covering portion E2 is (except as to shape) similar to the plate or frame C
with its inner air tube B' and outer covering portion B2. Formed with the inner
air tube B' there is a short tube which passes through a hole in the outer
covering portion B3 and is connected to one branch of the valve H, to the other
branch of which a small india rubber air tube formed with the inner air-
tube E is fixed. This valve H may be similar in construction to those used for-
pneumatic tyres for connecting to the pump to inflate the air tube so that by means.
of this valve both air tubes E B' are inflated simultaneously.
When it is desired to remove the metal plates or frames C and G with the air
tubes from the shoe the air tubes B' E' have first to be deflated by allowing the
air to escape through the valve H and then the air tubes with their outer
coverings B E will be free to be removed from the plates C and G and the latter-
can be removed from the sole A and heel F by taking out the screws d. In the
same way the plates and air tubes can be refixed on the shoc by first fixing the
plates and G by screws d and then placing the air tubes B' E' within their
respective outer covering portions B E and then placing the outer covering
portions in position on the plates so that the beaded edges of the outer covering
portions engage under the edges of the plates as shewn; then when the air-
tubes B E are inflated the shoe will be ready for use.
I prefer to employ one valve H which is common to both air tubes B' E but it
will be evident that if desired a separate valve may be used for each air tube
instead of the valve H which is common to both..
In the modification of my invention shewn by Figs. 4 and 5 the plates or
frames C and G are dispensed with and instead thereof the underside of the sole A
of the boot or shoe is moulded or otherwise made with an undercut groove a¹
carried round the sole and of similar shape to the groove c¹ in the plate Cand in.
this undercut groove a' fit the beaded edges of the outer covering B³ of the
pneumatic tube B'; and there is a similar groove" running round the underside.
of the heel F between the ribs for the beaded edges ele of the outer
covering E to fit under as shewn so that the air tubes B'E' and their outer
coverings B2 E2 will be secured to the sole A and heel F when the inner air tubes
are inflated as above described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3

page_text: In the modification of my invention shewn by Figs. 6 and 7 the outer
coverings B E are each made with flanges as shewn, that is to say, the outer
covering B² is made with two flanges marked respectively which are secured
flat against the underside of the sole by the two plates I¹ I' which are made to
conform with the shape of the sole and are fixed thereto by the screws d as shewn.
Similarly the outer covering E³ of the heel tube E is made with flanges e
which are fixed flat against the underside of the heel by the two ring shaped metal
plates J1 J2, screws a passing through these plates at intervals and through the
Hanges and thus securing the air tube E and its outer covering E³ to the
underside of the heel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be, performed I wish it to be understood
that I am aware that prior to my said invention the soles of boots and shoes have
been constructed so as to be inflated with air and therefore I make no claim to the
exclusive right of so constructing the said sules and heels but I declare that what
I claim is
.
1. The application of inflatable india rubber or like flexible tubes to the soles
and heels of boots and shoes so as to form an elastic tread for the same the said
tubes being constructed and fixed to the said soles in any of the several ways
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
2. For boots and shoes the india rubber or other like flexible outer coverings B² E²
of the air tubes made with beaded edges adapted to engage in the undercut
recesses in the plates or in the sole and heel of the boots or shoes so as to be
secured thereto by the inflating of the inner air tube substantially as bereinbefore
set forth.
3. For boots and shoes the india rubber or other like flexible outer coverings B2E²
of the air tubes made with flanges adapted to be fixed against the sole and heel of
the boots or shoes by metal plates substantially as hereinbefore described by
Figs. 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In boots and shoes making the india rubber or like soles and heels with the
undercut grooves such as a' for the beaded edges of the outer coverings of the
inner air tubes to engage with substantially as herein before described and illustrated
by Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
5. For securing the india rubber or other like flexible outer coverings and inner
air tubes to the soles and heels of boots and shoes the thin sheet metal plates C
and G made with their edges turned upwardly and inwardly so as to form undercut
grooves for the beaded edges of the flexible outer coverings to engage with in the
manner substantially as herein before described and shewn.
6. For boots and shoes, the combination of the metal plate C made with an
undercut groove, the outer covering B2 made with beaded edges engaging with
the undercut groove, and the inner air tube B contained between the outer
covering B2 and the plate C the whole adapted for fixing to the sole of a boot or
shoe so as to form an elastic tread substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
7. For boots and shoes, the combination of the metal plate G made with undercut
groove, the outer covering E² made with beaded edges engaging with the undercut
grooves, and the inner air tube E' contained between the outer covering E and
the plate G the whole adapted for fixing to the heel of a boot or shoe so, as to
form an elastic tread substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 3rd day of May 1894.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.