A Pneumatic Pad for the Soles and Heels of Boots or Shoes.
Year: 1891

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Pneumatic Pad for the Soles and Heels of Boots or Shoes.
FRANK LEIGH 128 High Street Homerton E. Clerk & Salesman do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A sole & heel pad of any shape or thickness, of rubber or any other material,
singly or combined, and hollow or inflated, can be made plain or otherwise.
Incased or covered with leather or any other material, or without being incased
or covered:
Can be inflated from any part.
There are many ways of attaching it to the bottom of the foot, boot or shoe
either in or after manufacture.
Can be used with or without heel as required.
To be used in all kinds of athletics etc.
933
1, FRANK LEIGH of 128 High Street, Homerton, E., Clerk and Salesman, 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 pneumatic pads for boots or shoes and will be best
understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which ;-
Fig. 1 is a plan of one form of the pad constructed according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the underside or sole of a running shoe
fitted with my improved pad, part of the same being represented broken away to
more clearly illustrate the invention.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the fore part of the shoe.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section similar to Fig. 3 through a modified arrangement
the chos

page_text: Fig. 5 is a similar transverse section showing my invention applied to a walking
boot.
Fig. 6 is a plan of the preferably steel plate hereinafter described.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A is the inflatable pad which as shown in Fig. 3, may be wholly open from one
side or edge to the other or may as shown in Fig. 4 be provided with a central
web A uniting its upper and lower plates; or it may be formed with two or more
of the longitudinal webs or with one or more similar webs running obliquely or
transversely across the pad. These webs A preferably do not extend quite to the
ends, sides or middle of the pad but leave spaces for the passage of the inflating air,
gas or medium to pass from one part to another. These webs may be so close
together as to divide the pad into a number of tubes or passages, or a zigzag or
coiled tube or a number of separate tubes or tubular pads properly secured to the
sole of the shoe and inflated may be employed in place of this arrangement.
A² is the nozzle by which the pad is temporarily connected to the inflater when
it is desired to inflate it and which when the pad A is inflated may be closed by a
plug A or in any other convenient manner. The inflating may be effected from
any desired part of the pad and the nozzle if employed may be situated where found
most convenient.
B is a thin plate preferably of steel and advantageously perforated as at B¹ for
the sake of lightness. 132 Fig 6 are holes in plate B, through which rivets may
be passed for securing it to the sole C; or if desired the plate B may be perforated
around its edges so as to allow of its being stitched to the sole C or to the welt of
the shoe or to be used in the place of a welt.
D Fig. 2 is an outer sole preferably stitched over the pad A aud plate B and
which as shown may be perforated for the passage of the spikes E through it,
these spikes being each preferably fitted to the outersole D by means of rivets
passed through the perforated head E' sole D and perforated collar E' the rivets
being burred over on the head E' and collar E'.
The pad A may be wholly or partly covered with canvas or any other suitable
material either internally or externally or both.
In constructing a shoe in the manner shown in Fig. 2 the plate B is secured on
the sole C by rivetting, stitching or other means such as by cement or indiarubber
solution, the pad A is laid on the sole C and may be secured to it by. cement or
otherwise or the plate B may be curved to receive the pad and the outer sole D is
laid on the pad A, the spikes E having been already secured in the said outer sole
and their heads E' covered cach with a disc E³ Fig. 2 of leather or equivalent
material cemented or otherwise secured over the head E' to prevent it coming into
contact with the pad A; in place of the separate discs E3 one continuous sheet of
leather or equivalent may be used. The outer sole D is then stitched or otherwise
secured to the sole C or to the welt, sufficiently loose to leave room for the
subsequent inflation of the pad A if said pad is not fixed to the shoe in an already-
inflated condition. The nozzle A' projects out beyond the sole D as shown, or it
may if desired be passed through a perforation in the sole C to the inside of the
shoe. The plate B may be secured to the sole by the stitches or other fastenings
which secure the outer sole D to the sole C.
In applying my invention to a walking boot as shown in section Fig. 5 I may build
up the edges or welt F of the boot so as to form a recess for receiving the pad A
which is retained in position between the inner and outer soles CD, or between a
plate B and outer sole D.
If desired the plate. B instead of being used in addition to the welt may when
perforated around its edges be used instead of the welt.
When coiled tubular or equivalent pads are employed the spikes E may be
secured to the inner sole C or to the plate B and pass between the convolutions or
adjacent folds of said pad, or they may be passed through sleeves or tubes specially
provided for this purpose in a pad such as is shown in Figs. 1 to 5.
Although the before mentioned pad has been herein generally described.as applied

page_text: to a boot or shoe between an inner and outer sole, yet it may be the only portion
of the boot or shoe between the foot and the ground.
The before described inflated pad is applicable to a boot as well as to a shoe and
if desired the heel may be provided with an inflated pad either independent of
the sole pad or connected with it by suitable air passages. The inflated sole and
heel may be made in one piece the upper and lower walls thereof being united by
one or more webs such as A' at any part where it is not necessary to be inflated as
for example at the "waist " of the sole.
Though it is preferred for protective purposes to cover-in the pad A Figs. 1 to 5.
with an outer leather sole yet this sole is not indispensable as the surface of the
pad may itself constitute the treading surface and may be roughened as in ordinary
tennis or other rubber soled shoes.
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 have it understood
that by the words "pneumatic" and "inflated" I mean that the air in the pad is
at a pressure materially in excess of atmospheric pressure and that I make no.
claim to the use of such pads containing air substantially at atmospheric pressure.
But subject to the above disclaiming note, I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. A pneumatic or inflated pad for a boot or shoe.
2. The combination with a boot or shoe of a pneumatic or inflated pad sub-
stantially as described.
3. A pneumatic or inflated pad such as A having one or more longitudinal oblique
or transverse webs such as A¹ substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
4. The combination with a boot or shoe of a pneumatic or inflated pad such as A
and plate such as B substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
The Seventearth day of December LUST
FRANK LEIGH.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.