IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC MATERIAL
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Browne, of 49, King William Street, in
the City of London, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC MATERIAL."-A com-
munication from abroad by Gustave Mayer, of Rue des Tournelles, 7,
Passy, Paris, in the French Empire.
Sealed the 10th November 1863, and dated the 16th May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Browne at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
May 1863.
I, BENJAMIN BROWNE, of 49, King William Street, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC MATERIAL," CODI-
municated to me from abroad by Gustave Mayer, of Rue des Tournelles,
7, Passy, Paris, in the French Empire, to be as follows:-
This Invention cousists in forming elastic material, or material partly elastic
and partly rigid, in the following manner, by which it is adapted for the
manufacture of various useful articles such as boots and shoes, horse collars,
saddles, soldiers' knapsacks, and many other articles.
And an important feature in this Invention consists in rendering articles
manufactured with my improved material self-ventilating, as presently described.
The following is an example of the means by which my Invention may be

page_text: effected:-I form a die or plate with holes or indentations therein, so that the
elastic material in the act of being made into sheets, instead of the sheet being
smooth or flat on both sides, the under side will have a series of points or pro-
jections thereon, and the material thus formed and applied between the soles
of boots and shoes when in use the weight of the body and pressure of the feet
of the wearer will compress the series of points aforesaid, and produce elasticity
very much resembling that furnished by nature in the structure of the human
foot.
Material of the above form when applied to the manufacture of horse collars,
saddles, knapsacks, and such like articles may be so affixed as to admit of the
free passage of air between the materials, thus rendering same self-ventilating,
and by thus distributing the pressure or weight on the saddle, collar, and
knapsack chafing is avoided, and the weight carried with more comfort and
ease than when the above-named articles are made in the manner heretofore
practised..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Browne in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
BROWNE, of 49, King William Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineer
and Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Benjamin Browne, Her special licence that I, the said Benjamin
Browne, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Benjamin Browne, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC MATERIAL," communicated to me from abroad
by Gustave Mayer, of Rue des Tournelles, 7, Passy, Paris, in the French
Empire, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin

page_text: Browne, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Benjamin Browne, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in forming elastic material, or material partly elastic
and partly rigid, in the following manner, by which it is adapted for the
manufacture of various useful articles such as boots and shoes, horse collars,
saddles, soldiers' knapsacks, and many other articles.
And an important feature in this Invention consists in rendering articles
manufactured with this improved material self-ventilating, as presently
described.
The following is an example of the means by which this Invention may be
effected-I form a die or plate with boles or indentations therein so that the
elastic material in the act of being made into sheets, instead of the sheet being
smooth or flat on both sides, the under side will have a series of points or
projections thereon, and the material thus formed and applied between the soles
of boots and shoes, when in use the weight of the body and pressure of the feet
of the wearer will compress the series of points aforesaid and produce elasticity
very much resembling that furnished by nature in the structure of the human
fuot.
Material of the above form when applied to the manufacture of horse collars,
saddles, knapsacks, and such like articles, may be so affixed as to admit of the
free passage of air between the materials, thus rendering same self-ventilating,
and by thus distributing the pressure or weight on the saddle, collar, and
knapsack chafing is avoided, and the weight carried with more comfort and
ease than when the above-named articles are made in the manner heretofore
practised.
In order to explain this Invention as completely as possible, I now proceed
to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into
practical effect, reference being had to the Sheet of Diagrams accompanying
these Presents, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked
thereon respectively as follows:-

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAMS.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a sheet of elastic material
as it would appear when manufactured according to this Invention; Figure 2
a plan view of the under side of said sheet of material; Figuro 3 a section of
said material as it would appear when placed between two substances.
A, marks the flat surface of the material; B, B, conical projections formed
upon said material, or said projections might be made of elastic material united
to a sheet of material or surfaco non-elastic, such as wood, metal, leather, or
other substance or material. Or the surface A of the elastic material may be
mado very thin, with projections B, B, thereon; and the flat surface A be
united by cement, glue, or other suitable adhesivo substance to a flat piece of
metal, wood, leather, or other suitable substance or material as at C, Figure 3;
or said improved elastic material may be placed loosely between two substances,
as at Figure 3, and used in this stato in the manufacture of various useful
articles; thus it will be obvious that upon pressure being exerted upon the
surface A, as in the case of the sole of a boot for example, the projections B, B,
will be compressed and constitute an elastic cushion which may be made very
powerful by increasing the number and size of the projections B, B, taking
care to leave space between same for expansion thereof.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of this
Invention for "Improvements in the Manufacture of Elastic Material," together
with the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical
effect, I would remark in conclusion that I hereby declare this Invention to
consist in, and I claim manufacturing elastic material with points or projections
either entirely of elastic material or of clastic material in combination with other
materials which are either partially or entirely non-elastic as above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Browne have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
BROWNE.
L.S. )