Improvements in Soles for Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 12th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Soles for Boots and Shoes.
I WILLIAM MCDONNELL of India Villa Corbally Limerick Ireland Merchant do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is the better to secure, make waterproof & save in wear
the soles of boots and shoes and to repair broken ones.
I take a thin plate of any convenient metal as steel, tin copper or brass and having
cut it to the shape of the sole of the Boot or shoe to be covered I attach it thereto by
means of large headed nails or screws with large heads and of sufficient number &
thickness to prevent the thin plate coming into contact with the ground when the
Boot is in wear.
The plate thus forms a water proof sole and the heads of the nails
or screws save it from wear.
It may be found convenient to attach the plate in the first instance by means of
small tack and afterwards to put in the thick headed nails or screws for the purpose
of preserving it & for its protection afterwards in wear or the plate may also be
protected by means of iron clips or strips of iron fastened to it in any convenient
manner.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Soles for Boots and Shoes.
I, WILLIAM MCDONNELL of India Villa Corbally, Limerick, Ireland, Merchant 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 :-
The object of my invention is to make waterproof, and increase the wearing
properties of the soles of boots and shoes, and to repair worn or broken soles
thereof.
My invention will be best understood by the following description having reference
to Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.
According to my said invention I provide a thin plate of any suitable or con-
venient metal, as steel, tin, copper, or brass, and having cut it to the shape of the
sole of the boot or shoe I attach it thereto by means of what I may call large
headed nails or screws and so prevent the thin plate coming into contact with the
ground.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a shoe having such a plate, marked a, applied to
the boot or shoe sole, and represents the nail or screw heads which prevent
the plate a from coming into contact with the ground. The plate a thus forms a
waterproof sole and the heads of the nails or screws b as the case may be, save it
from wear.
The plate a is preferably secured to the sole by tacks and the nails or screws b
are afterwards inserted.
I have found in practice that time may be saved and my object more effectually
carried out by forming, so to say, several or a number of nail or screw heads in one
piece, and securing such a cluster of heads by say two or more screws or tacks. I
have shewn in the inverted plan view Figure 2 an application of such composite
nail or screw heads applied to the sole of a shoe, b shews the said composite nail or
screw heads which I place so that one cluster forms a toe piece, while another
stretches across the full breadth of the sole, or there may, as shewn, be two such
Price 6d 1

page_text: clusters which stretch across the sole. Figure 3 is a vertical section and Figure 4
is an inverted plan drawn to a larger scale than the previous figures, shewing one
form of what I may call my nail or screw head clusters; b represents a number of
the heads which are formed in one piece and are the holes by which the heads
are secured by means of screws to the sole. These head-clusters may consist of one,
two, or more rows of heads, all as found necessary.
When desired I may make the plate sufficiently thick to stand the wear, or I may
thicken the said plate at the desired points either by making the metal of which the
plate is made, thicker at those parts or by rivetting plates of metal to the plate « in
which latter case it would only be necessary to tack the plate a to the boot sole.
The head clusters b, or the thickening formed with or attached to the plate a is so;
shaped, according to my invention as to extend entirely across whaterer part of the
boot or shoe sole it is applied to, whereby the foot of the wearer is not subjected to a
pressure in one spot but the pressure is distributed entirely across the foot, and by
this arrangement I am enabled to entirely do away with any tendency to create corns
on the feet.
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 :-
1. The metal plates a forming outer soles for boots or shoes substantially as and for
the purposes herein described.
2. The combination with the metal plate, of the screws, nails or head clusters all
substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this Twelfth day of tahan 1500
WM. MCDONNELL.
By Brewer & Son,
33, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.