IMPROVEMENTS IN FIXING THE SOLES AND HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Ephraim Lamb and Samuel
Middleton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 3rd September 1866.
We, EPHRAIM LAMB, of 54, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, and SAMUEL MIDDLETON, of 44, Great Carter Lane, in the City
of London, Shoe Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIXING THE SOLES AND HEELS OF BOOTS AND
SHOES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in certain improved methods of attaching soles and
heels to boots and shoes, and whereby such operations are performed with
great facility.
In carrying out this Invention various modifications may be adopted, but
the principle of so connecting the several parts of which the soles and heels
of boots and shoes that the same can be readily connected with or detached
from each other is preserved in all such modifications.
One mode of attaching the soles to the bottoms of boots and shoes is as
follows:-The boot or shoe having been "lasted" in the usual way, an addi-
tional sole, which may be termed a "mid-sole" is formed, having on the under
side thereof, or that side which is next the "in-sole," transverse or longitudinal
channels or grooves, the edges of which may be dovetailed or straight as may
be preferred. The channels or grooves may be formed by ploughing or cutting
them out of the substance of which the mid-sole is made, or they may be

page_text: produced by attaching by any suitable means strips of leather or other suitable
material to the substance of which the inid-sole is made, or in the event of
gutta percha or certain other materials being used the form may be produced
by means of the mould herein-after mentioned. The external sole, which is
to form the tread of the boot or shoe, is provided on the outer surface thereof
with transverse or longitudinal channels or grooves corresponding with those
on the mid-sole; the mid-sole and the outer sole are then connected together
by means of endless straps or bands of india-rubber or other suitable elastic
or non-elastic material, such straps or bands being placed in the channels or
grooves of the respective soles. The combination thus produced is attached
to the boot or shoe by rivetting or otherwise securing the mid-sole to the
in-sole. Upon those portions of the endless straps or bands which are exposed
to wear becoming thin, the straps or bands can be shifted in the channels or
grooves so as to bring the unused portions thereof into the channels or grooves
in the outer sole. Instead of employing endless straps or bands straight
straps or bands may be used, the same being placed in the channels or grooves
in the outer sole, and the ends turned over into the corresponding channels
or grooves in the mid-sole, and secured or fastened by means of studs, or
hooks and eyes, or by any suitable meaus, thus. connecting the two soles
together; or small bars of metal with projections at the respective extremities
thereof may be attached to the in-sole or mid-sole (when the latter is employed),
the ends of the straps or bands being attached by any suitable contrivances to
such projections.
.
Another mode of attaching the mid-sole and outer sole to each other is
to form fransverse or longitudinal dovetailed channels or grooves in the
outer surface of the in-sole, or if it be preferred to use a mid-sole on the outer
surface thereof, corresponding dovetailed projections being formed on the
under turface of the outer sole; or the projections may be placed on the in-sole
or mid-sole, and the channels or grooves in the outer sole. By sliding the
soverál projections into the corresponding channels or grooves the soles will
be effectively connected. The outer soles may also be made in two or more
pieces, the edges thereof being bevelled, or chamfered, or dovetailed so as to
be slipped one under the other and held firmly to the mid-sole either by
straps or bands, or other suitable contrivances. It is unnecessary particularly
to describe all the different modes in which the soles may be connected and
fixed by means of channels or grooves, or recesses and projections (whether
the same be dovetailed or not) in accordance with the principles of this
Invention, inasmuch as such variations are mere matters of detail, and will
readily present themselves to persons acquainted with such operations.

page_text: A convenient mode of forming the soles with the requisite channels or
grooves therein is to stamp the same out of a solid piece of leather at one
operation by means of the shaped knives or cutters used by shoemakers, and
then having fixed the leather in a vice or press to cut the channels or grooves
by any instrument adapted for the purpose. The heels of boots and shoes may
be attached by means similar or analogous to those before described, or
they may be made of a circular form and attached to the "stiffener " by pivots
or screws so as to be capable of being turned thereon; by this arrangement
when one portion of a heel has become more worn than the remainder it may
be turned so as to present another portion to the wearing influence. When
the heels are formed of what is termed a "square" shape they may be readily
fixed and removed by attaching to the "stiffener" a dovetailed block of
suitable material, the moveable beel being constructed with a corresponding
hollow or recess therein so that it can be readily slipped into the desired
position. In order to obtain soles formed of gutta percha or of materials com-
bined with any suitable elastic substance or substances of a suitable shape, and
with the edges in a finished state, an apparatus (which forms no part of this
Invention) constructed as follows may be conveniently employed. A mould
of the desired shape is formed of gun metal, or other suitable material, the
same consisting of a rim polished internally and of two sides, the latter being
moveable, and of such a size that they will just fit within the rim. The gutta
percha or other materials are placed (if necessary in a hot state) in the
mould and then subjected to pressure, the soles thus being formed of any
desired form or thickness, and the edges being smoothed and fitted for use by
being pressed against the polished internal surface of the rim.