New or Improved Means for Cushioning the Soles of Boots, the Seat or Pedals of Cycles, or for other analogous purposes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 29th Sept., 1893—Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Means for Cushioning the Soles of Boots, the Seat
or Pedals of Cycles, or for other analogous purposes.
I, FREDERIC WOOD of Commercial Quay Wexford, in the County of Wexford,
Seed Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the use and construction of a pneumatic cushion to be
applied to the soles of walking boots, the seat or pedals of cycles, or to other
analogous purposes, the means employed consisting of air charged into suitable
receptacles so arranged and constructed that the pressure of the foot or the like
muscular effort is exerted on a special soft cushion the formation of which enables
the user to sustain such pressure or muscular effort with less fatigue and to move
more easily and quickly than is the case when no such cushioning is provided.
The object of my invention is to provide an artificial adaptation of the protective
principle of nature, as seen in the cushion like formation of the under part of the
feet of many swift footed animals by applying that principle by means of a pneu-
matic cushion to the walking soles of boots, by which elasticity and ease is provided
without tire or fatigue and great comfort is derived in walking or running, or when
applied to the pedals of a cycle the vibration or concussions of the pedal motion
which causes the feet to get weary and numb after a long ride is obviated.
My invention may also be similarly applied to saddles with the like advantage to
the rider.
The nature of my invention consists as follows: The pneumatic pedal or walking
sole is constructed either in the form of a sandal to fix on over the regular boot or
as a shoe or boot complete in itself. The sole is either a whole sole including heel
and made to follow the usual curve of the foot, or may extend only to the fore
part of the foot. The upper part of the sole if made to slip on over the boot like
the old fashioned goloshes is constructed with a inch or inch web fixture all
round the top so as to fix on to the boot and is provided with ventilating holes
perforated therein in a direction edgewise to the sole. Or the said upper part of
the sole is made fluted inside next the boot, the corrugations leading up from and
corresponding to serrations provided round the edge of the said upper sole for
ventilation.
Below the upper sole I provide the pneumatic cushions, which in its simplest
form consists of a plain air tight compartment extending the full area of the upper
sole so as to be sandwiched between the upper and under soles, if an under sole be
used, or the air tight compartment may be furnished with a system of air vessels
taking the form of half balls or cups with flat side up or of semi-cylindrical air
tubes also flat side up and united at the ends and all round by a tube running
round the edge of the pneumatic cushion.
The under part of the sole may be dispensed with altogether if it should be
found that the air vessels whether cups or tubes can be made sufficiently strong on
the under side next the ground as not to wear too quickly, and to afford a suffi-
ciently rough surface to prevent slipping, otherwise an undersole is provided but is
principally intended to bind all together into one compact and serviceable
article.
An air valve is provided in any convenient position to enable the cushion to be
inflated afresh whenever required as in case of a puncture, or when otherwise out
of order.
Where detached air vessels are used as aids to the pneumatic cushion the
system of ventilation may be modified to utilize them as valves, that is to say, that
each air vessel is enclosed within its own separate receptacle with ample air space

page_text: around it, which air space communicates by holes through the upper and under
soles, one hole in the under sole forming the air inlet which is discharged through
the holes in the upper sole, the object in view being that the inlet hole in the under
sole shall be closed by the air vessel when pressed down upon it by the foot and
opened when the foot is lifted again.
By modifying my invention it can be adapted to various purposes such as for
providing a pneumatic cushion to the treadles of a cycle the crank of the cycle
taking the place of the ordinary boot as the part to which the pneumatic cushion
is attached; or the like means may be employed both for the cushioning and ven-
tilation of saddles, where the pressure is applied and withdrawn to suit the
movement of the horse in the same kind of way as the foot is pressed down on the
sole of a boot and lifted again for another step in walking or running.
Dated this 28th day of December 1892.
G. J. CLARKSON,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Means for Cushioning the Soles of Boots, the Seat
or Pedals of Cycles, or for other analogous purposes.
I, FREDERIC WOOD, of Commercial Quay, Wexford, in the County of
Wexford, Seed Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to the use and construction of a pneumatic cushion to be
applied to the soles of walking boots, the seat or pedals of cycles, or to analogous
purposes, the means employed consisting of air charged into suitable receptacles so
arranged and constructed that the pressure of the foot or the like muscular
effort is exerted on a special soft cushion the formation of which enables the user
to sustain such pressure or muscular effort with less fatigue and to move more
easily and quickly in boots constructed according to my invention than when no
such cushioning is provided.
The object of my invention is to provide an artificial adaptation of the protective
principle of nature as seen in the cushion like formation of the under part of the
feet of many swift footed animals by applying that principle by means of a
pneumatic cushion to the walking soles of boots by which elasticity and ease is
provided without tire and fatigue and great comfort is derived in walking and
running; or when applied to the pedals of a cycle the vibration or concussion of
the pedal motion which causes the feet to get weary and numb after a long ride is
obviated.
My invention may also be similarly applied to saddles and seats with like
advantage to the rider or user of the seat.
Having so far described the nature of my invention and its utility I will now
proceed to further explain how the same may be carried out in practice and for
that purpose shall refer to the annexed sheets of drawings in which
Figures 1 to 7 inclusive illustrate certain ways of applying my invention to the
sole of a boot.
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the invention as applied to the pedals of a cycle.
Figures 10 and 11 apply to the saddle of a cycle and Figures 12 and 13 to an
ordinary, or fixed seat.
The same letters of reference are used to indicate the same or corresponding
parts in all the figures.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive which illustrate my invention as applied
to the pneumatic pedal or walking sole constructed in such cases either in the form
of a sandal to fix over the regular boot or as a shoe or boot complete in itself.
The sole is either a whole sole including the heel and made to follow the usual.

page_text: curve of the boot or may extend only along the fore part of the foot. The upper
part of the sole if made to slip on over the boot like the old fashioned goloshes is
constructed with a " or " inch web fixture all round the top so as to fix onto the
boot.
In order to clearly explain the general principle and arrangement of details
pertaining to this part of my invention I have illustrated in Figure 1 a longitudinal
section of a sole extending along the fore part of the foot only to which view
Figure 2 is a corresponding plan. Figure 3 is a similar view in longitudinal section
of a whole sole, that is including both heel and fore part and with a modified
construction of pneumatic cushion, and Figure 4 is an inverted plan of the same
construction except that the heel is shown solid and the bottom sole is removed.
Figure 5 is also a longitudinal sectional view of a boot with another modification
of construction of the pneumatic cushion corresponding to which Figures 6 and 7
are an inverted plan and transverse sectional view respectively.
In the figures a, is the web when a web is used to fix the sole to the boot as
shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive which web is dispensed with when the pneumatic
sole is constructed as a part of the boot as shown in Figure 5, 6 is the upper
sole, c the under sole, and d the pneumatic cushion which I provide below the
upper sole 6 and which in its simplest form consists of a plain air tight compart-
ment d as shown in Figure 1 extending the full area of the upper sole so as to be
sandwiched between the upper and under soles b and c or the air tight compartment d
may be furnished with a system of semi-cylindrical air tubes e placed flat side up
and united at the ends and all round by a tube running round the edge of the
pneumatic cushion which arrangement is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.
Or the
air tight compartment d may be furnished with a system of air vessels e' taking
the form of half balls or cups with flat side up which is the construction of the
boot illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 7.
The under part of the sole may be dispensed with altogether if it should be
found that the air vessels whether tubes or cups can be made sufficiently strong on
the under side next the ground as not to wear too quickly and afford a sufficiently
rough surface to prevent slipping, otherwise an undersole is provided but is
principally intended to bind all together in one compact and serviceable article.
An air valve g is provided in any convenient position to enable the cushion to be
inflated afresh whenever required as in case of a puncture or when otherwise out
of order. Provision is made in some cases for ventilating the upper sole and when
the upper part of the sole is made to slip over the boot the web fixture a, is
provided with ventilating holes perforated therein in a direction edgewise to the
sole. Or the said upper sole 6 is made fluted inside next the boot, the corrugations h
leading up from and corresponding to serrations / provided round the edge of the
said upper sole which arrangement is clearly shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.
Where detached air vessels e¹ are used as aids to the pneumatic cushion the
system of ventilation is modified to utilize them as valves, that is to say that each
air vessel el is enclosed within its own separate receptacle d' with ample air space
around it which air space communicates by holes through the upper and undersoles,
one hole in the undersole forming an inlet for air which is discharged through
the holes in the upper sole, the object in view being that the inlet hole in the
under sole shall be closed by the air vessel e¹ when pressed down upon it. by the
foot and opened when the foot is lifted again.
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the application of my invention in its simplest form to
the pedals of cycles. Figures 8 and 9, showing the pedal in plan. '' are the
treads of the pedal which take the place of the upper and under soles of the boot
and enclose an air space or system of air spaces d' which cushion the pressure
exerted by the foot of the cyclist; as in the case of the boot sole one or more air
valves are suitably attached to the tread to charge it with air from time to time.
Figures 10 and 11 are a sectional view and corresponding plan respectively of a
cycle saddle poeumatically cushioned according to my invention. In this case the
half ball arrangement as already described with reference to Figures 5 to 7 is

page_text: adapted to the cycle saddle in a manner too obvious to require further description.
Figures 12 and 13 similarly illustrate in sectional view and plan an ordinary or
stationary seat pneumatically cushioned like the cycle saddle shown in Figures 10
and 11.
It will be readily seen from the foregoing description that this invention is not
limited to any precise means for applying the pneumatic cushion to the soles of
boots, the pedals and seats of cycles or for analogous purposes and the interposed
pneumatic cushion would of course be adapted by its form dimensions, and
arrangement to suit the particular design of boot, cycle pedal or seat to be
cushioned but substantially on the lines or methods or their equivalents as shown
in the drawings and which will be found convenient and practical for the several
purposes enumerated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
Firstly. The use in combination with walking boots, of a pneumatic cushion to
be applied to the soles thereof whether in the form of a sandal to fix over the
regular boot or as a boot or shoe complete in itself, and with or without provision
for ventilating the upper sole, all arranged and constructed substantially as and for
the purpose as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 7 inclusive of
the accompanying drawings.
Secondly. The use in combination with cycle pedals of a pneumatic cushion
applied to or enclosed within the tread of the pedal and arranged and constructed
substantially as and for the purpose as herein before described with reference to
Figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly. The use in combination with a cycle or the like saddle of a pneumatic
cushion applied to or enclosed within the saddle all arranged and constructed
substantially as and for the purpose as herein before described with reference to
Figures 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings.
Fourthly. The use in combination with an ordinary or stationary seat of a
pneumatic cushion applied to or enclosed within the seat, all arranged and
constructed substantially as and for the purpose as hereinbefore described with
reference to Figures 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th day of September 1893
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.