Plates to the Bottom of Rubber Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1886

page_text: Plates to the Bottom of Rubber Boots and Shoes.
I, JUDSON LEVATOR THOMSON, of the City of Syracuse, County of Onondaga,
and State of New York, one of the United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 the application of rivets, nails, and other analogous
metallic wearing points or plates to the soles and heels of rubber boots and shoes
for protecting the tread thereof, and thus rendering the same more durable.
This invention is specially designed to be employed in the usual. method of
applying the soles and heels to rubber boots and shoes, by cutting or stamping said.
soles and heels out of sheets of unvulcanized rubber, then cementing said soles and
heels on to the boot or shoe, and subsequently vulcanizing the same.
And the invention consists in an improved process of applying rivets and other
pronged wear plates to rubber soles and heels as aforesaid.
To better enable others to avail themselves of my invention, I annex hereto a
drawing showing the attachment of the wearing points or rivets to the sole and
heel of a rubber shoe in its various stages of construction.
Fig. 1 is a side view of the shoe complete; Fig. 2 shows the same in its
condition before the sole and heel proper is attached thereto; Fig. 3 is a longi-
tudinal section of the sole and heel detached from the shoe; Fig. 4 is an inverted
plan view of said sole and heel; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same as cut from the
sheet of unvulcanized rubber; Fig. 6 is a transverse section on line x x Fig. 4.
In practicing my invention I proceed as follows, to wit: I form the sole and heel
in one piece of the form of a blank cut or stamped out of a sheet of unvulcanized
rubber as heretofore, and as represented in Fig. 5 of the drawing, then force the
attaching prongs of the rivets or other wear plates through the unvulcanized
rubber sole and heel from the underside thereof, and clinch said prongs on the
upper side of the same, then I cement said sole and heel combined, on to the edges
of the upper and on to the usual inner cloth lining of the rubber boot.or shoe, and
subsequently vulcanize the same while on the last
When it is desired to obtain a more secure hold for the clinches of the rivets o
or wear plates, I cement on to the upper surface of the unvulcanized sole and heel

page_text: a lining b of canvas, or leather, or other suitable material, through which lining the
clinching prongs are forced, and upon which they are clinched as illustrated in
Fig. 3 of the drawing.
Said lined side of the sole and heel being subsequently cemented to the usual
inner cloth lining of the boot or shoe as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, and the
latter then vulcanized as hereinbefore stated.
I am aware that prior to this invention, pronged wear plates have been secured
to rubber soles and heels, by casting the unvulcanized rubber around the attaching
prongs of the wear plate placed in the mould in which the sole and heel is formed,
but it will be observed that by such process the rubber is not compressed around
the attaching prongs of the rivet or wear plate, but is left of a uniform density
throughout, while by my process, the rubber is compressed by the clinching of the
attaching prongs, and consequently the rubber is caused to hug more closely the
said prongs.
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 process of applying rivets and wear plates to the soles and heels of
rubber boots and shoes, consisting in cutting or stamping the sole and heel in one
piece out of a sheet of unvulcanized rubber, then forcing the attaching prongs of
the rivets or wear plates through said sole and heel from the underside thereof, and
clinching them on the upper side of the same, then cementing the combined sole
and heel to the bottom edges of the upper, and to the usual inner cloth lining of
the rubber boot or shoe while on the last, and subsequently vulcanizing the same
substantially as set forth.
2. The process of applying rivets and wear plates to the soles and heels of rubber
boots and shoes consisting in cutting or stamping the soles and heels in one piece
out of a sheet of unvulcanized rubber, then cementing on to the upper side thereof
a lining of canvas or other suitable material, then forcing the attaching prongs of
the rivets or wear plates through the said sole and heel and through the lining, and
clinching them upon the latter, then cementing the lined side of the sole and beel
to the usual inner cloth lining of the boot or shoe, and subsequently vulcanizing
the latter, substantially as specified.