Improvements in Protectors for Boots, Shoes, and like Foot Coverings.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 15th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Protectors for Boots, Shoes, and like Foot
Coverings.
I, GEORGE WOOD, of 4, Croft Street, Burnley, in the County of Lancaster,
Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to a new and improved boot protector, which is intended
to entirely obviate the annoyance of worn down soles and heels of boots, shoes,
slippers, et cetera.
In carrying my invention into effect, I employ a metal plate of any desired
shape or dimensions, which I attach to the heel of the boot or the like by means
of nails or screws, or the said plate may be cast or provided with teeth which may
be hammered into the leather of the boot heel. The said metal plate carries a pin
or stud projecting from its outer face, which may be provided with a screw thread
or pointed or otherwise as hereinafter explained.
I now make or mould a pad, or piece of india-rubber, felt, leather, or a compound
of guttapercha or such substances, preferably circular in form, and of any desired
thickness, which has a metal plate embedded in it during its manufacture. This
metal plate is inserted in the centre of the indiarubber disc, and is intended to
make the indiarubber disc rigid, and to prevent it from curling or falling when
being worn.
This pad or piece of leather or like material is hollowed or grooved or formed
with an undercut recess on its underside, so as to fit over the aforesaid plate of metal
and come flush with the top lift of the boot heel. The said pad or piece of leather
or rubber is also formed with a small central hole to slip over the projecting stud
on the metal plate, and around the hole it is hollowed or grooved at the top, so as to
enable a small nut to be screwed on the stud or pin projecting from the metal plate
to tighten against the embedded plate or otherwise maintain the rubber pad in
position on the boot heel, until a portion thereof should become worn, when the nut
may be readily loosened to slacken the rubber pad, which may be then turned or
revolved, to present a fresh wearing surface.
The nut may be formed square, hexagonal, octagonal, or other shape, or it may
take the shape of a small boss having either two slots or two lugs, one on each
side, which may be tightened or slackened on the pin or stud of the metal plate by
a suitable key. Or the pin or stud of the metal plate may have a T head, over
which a small slotted boss passed, and then turned with the slot across the T head
piece, which thereby retains the rubber in position.
In all these cases a small washer may be slipped on the stud or pin of the metal
plate.
The rubber plates may be made of any suitable shape, and my improved
protector may be applied equally as well to the soles as to the heels of boots, shoes,
and the like.
In a modification of my invention, 1 dispense with the sole plate or that affixed
to the leather of the heel or sole of the boot, and pass a screw through the centre
of the plate embedded in the indiarubber disc, which may be screwed into the heel
or sole of the boot by means of an ordinary screw driver from the outside or

page_text: wearing side of the rubber. When a part becomes worn, the screw may be
unscrewed, and the disc or piece of rubber revolved to present a fresh wearing
surface, previous to the screw being again tightened against the face of the embedded
plate, to firmly secure the protector on the boot.
Dated this 11th day of May 1896.
F. RICHMOND,
12, Standish Street, Burnley, Agent for the Applicant.
VOMI DID DIBUITIVATION.
Improvements in Protectors for Boots, Shoes, and like Foot
Coverings.
I GEORGE WOOD of 4 Croft Street Burnley, in the County of Lancaster,
Mining Engineer, 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 a new and improved boot protector which is intended
to entirely obviate the annoyance of worn down soles and heels of boots, shoes,
slippers etcetera.
In carrying my invention into effect, I employ a metal plate of any desired shape
or dimensions, which I attach to the heel of the boot or the like by means of nails
or screws or the said plate may be cast or provided with teeth which may be
hammered into the leather of the boot heel. The said metal plate carries a pin or
stud projecting from its outer face, which may be provided with a screw thread, or
pointed or otherwise as hereinafter explained.
I now make or mould a pad, or piece of indiarubber felt, leather, or a compound
or guttapercha or substances, preferably circular in form and of any desired
thickness, which has a metal plate embedded in it during its manufacture. This
metal plate is inserted in the centre of the indiarubber disc, and is intended to make
the indiarubber disc rigid, and to prevent it from curling or falling when being
worn. This pad or piece of rubber or like material is hollowed or grooved or
formed with an undercut recess on its underside, so as to fit over the aforesaid plate
of metal, and come flush with the top lift of the boot heel. The said pad or piece of
leather or rubber is also formed with a small central hole to slip over the projecting
stud on the metal plate, and around this hole it is hollowed or grooved at the top,
so as to enable a small nut to be screwed on the stud or pin projecting from the
metal plate to tighten against the embedded plate or otherwise maintain the rubber
pad in position on the boot heel, until a portion thereof should become worn, when
the nut may be readily loosened to slacken the rubber pad, which may then be
turned or revolved to present a fresh wearing surface. The nut may be formed
square, hexagonal, octagonal or other shape, or it may take the shape of a small
boss having either two slots or two lugs, on each side, which may be tightened or
slackened on the pin or stud of the metal plate by a suitable key. Or the pin or
stud of the metal plate may have a T head, over which a small slotted boss is
passed, and then turned with the slot across the T head piece, which thereby retains
the rubber in position. In all these cases, a small washer may be slipped on the
stud or pin of the metal plate.
The rubber plates may be made of any suitable shape, and my improved protector
may be applied equally as well to the soles as to the heels of boots, shoes, and
the like.
In a modification of my invention, I dispense with the sole plate or that affixed
to the leather of the heel or sole of the boot, and pass a screw through the centre

page_text: of the plate embedded in the indiarubber disc, which may be screwed into the heel
or sole of the boot by means of an ordinary screw driver from the outside or
wearing side of the rubber. When a part becomes worn, the screw may be
unscrewed, and the disc or piece of rubber revolved to present a fresh wearing
surface previous to the screw being again tightened against the face of the embedded
plate, to firmly secure the protector on the boot.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a boot heel with the first part of my invention applied.
A is the boot heel, to which I fix by means of nails, screws or the like B a
metal fixing plate C, or instead of nails, the said plate may be cast with spikes.
E is the pad or revolving heel composed of indiarubber, felt, leather or a
compound of guttapercha or other similar substance. This pad, which is prefer-
ably circular in shape, has embedded in it during manufacture a metal plate or
disc F, and in it a central hole is formed, and a hole is also made in the metal plate
or disc F. The revolving rubber pad is now slipped on the stud D of the metal
plate C, and the nut G tightened against the face of the disc F to retain the pad
in position. When a part becomes worn, the nut G may be readily slackened, and
a fresh part presented for wear. In substitution of the flat embedded plate F
a cast or malleable centre may be vulcanised in the rubber with a countersunk hole
in the centre for the screw. This will, of course, make the pad much thicker and
more durable.
The pad E may, if desired, be hollowed or recessed on its face next the plate C,
which may be of smaller dimensions, so as to allow the pad to slip over the same,
and come flush with the boot heel as described in my Provisional Specification.
In the modification represented in perspective in Fig. 2, the pad E is made or
moulded with a central embedded plate F, shewn in dotted lines, and is formed
with a central hole H, while a hole is also made in the plate F, so as to allow of
the same being fixed direct to the boot heel or sole by a screw J. Sufficient play
may be allowed between the screw J and the plate F, so that the pad may
accommodate itself in wear by continually presenting a fresh surface.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In revolving protectors or pads for boots, shoes, and the like, the combination
of metal fixing plate C having a stud D, on which is mounted revolving pad E
having an embedded or cast malleable plate F with a central hole, and secured to
the stud D by the nut G, substantially as described, and shewn in Fig. 1.
2. In revolving protectors or pads for boots, shoes, and the like, the combination
of a pad E having an embedded plate F with a screw or nail, by which it is
attached to the boot, substantially as described and illustrated in Fig. 2.
Dated this 19th dor of Marab 1907
F. RICHMOND,
12 Standish Street, Burnley, Agent for the Applicant.