IMPROVEMENTS IN STRENGTHENING, SECURING, AND RENDERING MORE DURABLE THE SOLES OR BOTTOMS OF BOOTS, SHOES, AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE FEET
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Wagner, of Pforzheim, in the Grand Duchy
of Baden, Farmer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STRENGTHENING,
SECURING, AND RENDERING MORE DURABLE THE SOLES OR BOTTOMS OF BOOTS,
SHOES, AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE FEET."-A communication from
Franz Vester, residing at Pforzheim, in the Grand Duchy of Baden
aforesaid.
Sealed the 19th May 1863, and dated the 21st November 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Wagner at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st November 1862.
I, CHARLES WAGNER, of Pforzheim, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Farmer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STRENGTHENING, SECURING, AND RENDERING MORE DURABLE THE SOLES OR BOTTOMS
OF BOOTS, SHOES, AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE FEET," a communication from
Franz Vester, a person residing at Pforzheim, in the Grand Duchy of Baden
aforesaid, to be as follows:-
In strengthening the soles or bottoms of boots, shoes, and other coverings
for the feet, the improvements communicated to me relate to the outer soles
or bottoms, and the clamping or binding of the same preparatory to their being
fastened to the inner soles or bottoms, and the uppers, whether such soles or
bottoms are made of one or of several thicknesses of leather, india-rubber,,
gutta percha, a combination of these or of any other material or materials.
Through the said outer soles or bottoms, at suitable distances apart, and forming
any desired figure or pattern thereon, metallic rivets or studs comparatively
thick, and much stronger than any of those generally in use, are passed, and
then over one or both ends of such metallic rivets or studs metallic washers

page_text: are placed, the former being finally hammered or rivetted down until the
soles or bottoms are firmly clamped or bound between the said washers, or
when the rivets or studs are formed with solid heads at one end between such
heads and the washers. When washers are used on both ends, the said rivets
or studs may be increased in thickness or diameter towards the outer or wearing
end to fit into a conical-shaped or countersunk aperture in the wearing
washers. The said wearing washers, when so formed, must be placed on the
rivets or studs before they are passed through the soles or bottoms, and such
wearing washers may have serrated or otherwise roughened surfaces to prevent
the wearer from slipping. The soles or bottoms, strengthened in the manner
above described may be secured or fastened to the inner soles and uppers, or
to either of them, by sewing, pegging, or any of the means already in use, or
in the manner herein-after mentioned.
In securing the soles or bottoms of boots, shoes, and other coverings for
the feet, the same means of fastening by metallic rivets or studs and washers
the inner soles and uppers together, and the inner soles and uppers to the
outer soles, are employed as are described under the former paragraph for
strengthening. the outer soles; and in addition thereto, and in some parts of
boots, shoes, and other coverings for the feet, metallic screwed rivets or studs,
and screwed nuts, are sometimes used for securing the same in position. By
the adoption of the means herein-before described, boots, shoes, and other
coverings for the feet are rendered more durable. Among the advantages
obtained, it may be mentioned that manufacturers will be enabled to use
several thin layers of leather in place of one thickness for the outer soles of
the very strongest boots, and that the mode of strengthening and securing is
such that the rivets cannot fall out of the leather when it has shrunk.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Wagner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th May 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES 3
WAGNER, of Pforzheim, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Farmer, seud
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of 3
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles Wagner, Her special licence that I, the said Charles

page_text: Wagner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Charles Wagner, my executors, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN STRENGTHENING, SECURING, AND RENDERING MORE DURABLE THE
SOLES OR BOTTOMS OF BOOTS, SHOES, AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE FEET," (a com-
munication from Franz Vester, a person residing at Pforzheim, in the Grand
Duchy of Baden, aforesaid), upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Charles Wagner, 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 Charles Wagner, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
In strengthening the soles or bottoms of boots, shoes, and other coverings
for the feet, the improvements communicated to me relate to the outer soles or
bottoms, and the clamping or binding of the same preparatory to their being
fastened to the inner soles or bottoms, and the uppers, whether such soles or
bottoms are made of one or of several thicknesses of leather, india-rubber,
gutta percha, a combination of these, or of any other material or materials.
Through the said outer soles or bottoms, at suitable distances.apart, and forming
any desired figure or pattern thereon, metallic rivets or studs, comparatively
thick, and much stronger than any of those generally in use, are passed, and then
over one or both ends of such metallic rivets or studs metallic washers are
placed, the former being finally hammered or rivetted down until the soles or
bottoms are firmly clamped or bound between the said washers; or when the
rivets or studs are formed with solid heads at one end between such heads and
the washers. When washers are used on both ends the said rivets or studs
may be increased in thickness or diameter towards the outer or wearing end
to fit into a conical-shaped or countersunk aperture in the wearing washers.
The said wearing washers, when so formed, must be placed on the rivets or
studs before they are passed through the soles or bottoms, and such wearing
washers may have serrated or otherwise roughened surfaces to prevent the

page_text: wearer from slipping. The soles or bottoms, strengthened in the manner above
described, may be secured or fastened to the inner soles and uppers, or to
either of them, by sewing, pegging, or any of the means already in use, or in
the manner herein-after mentioned.
In securing the soles or bottoms of boots, shoes, and other coverings for the
feet, the same means of fastening by metallic rivets or studs and washers the
inner soles and uppers together, and the inner soles and uppers to the outer
soles, are employed as are described under the former paragraph for strength-
ening the outer soles; and in addition thereto, and in some parts of boots,
shoes, and other coverings for the feet, metallic screwed rivets or studs and
screwed nuts are sometimes used for securing the same in position. By
the adoption of the means herein-before described, boots, shoes, and other
coverings for the feet are rendered more durable. Among the advantages
obtained it may be mentioned that manufacturers will be enabled to use
several layers of leather in place of one thickness for the outer soles of the very
strongest boots, and that the mode of strengthening and securing is such that
the rivets cannot fall out of the leather when it has shrunk.
That the Invention may be clearly understood in detail, a Sheet of expla-
natory Drawings has been attached hereto, in which Fig. 1 is an under view
of a clump sole of a boot or shoe with the wearing surfaces of my improved
parts shewn in various shapes; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 1,
shewing the improved means it is preferred should be employed for strength-
ening; vizt., studs with washers on both ends of the same, and on both sides
of the soles or bottoms; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a boot shewing
the position occupied by a sole or bottom strengthened as shewn in Fig. 2,
and how it may be secured to the other parts.; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section
of a double clump sole fitted with studs, with wearing surface, solid heads,
and with washers, such studs being passed through the outer sole only; and
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a boot shewing the studs with solid heads
at one end and screwed nuts on the other ends thereof. In all these views the
same letters of reference denote the same parts.
a represents the uppers or tops of the boots; b, the soles or bottoms; c, the
studs or rivets preferred, usually made of iron or steel, and increasing in dia-
meter at the wearing end, on which the countersunk washers d, made of iron
and steel with roughened surfaces, are placed; e, the washers, say, of thin iron
or steel, for keeping the studs or rivets in their places; and which is effected
by clinching, the inner ends of the studs c by hammering, or by any convenient
tool or means, so that the sole or bottom may be firmly clamped. Several
thicknesses of leather may be clamped in similar manner to the one shewn and

page_text: described; f, shews the studs or rivets, preferably made of iron or steel, with
solid wearing surface heads on one end and washers g on the other end, so
that over the latter the studs f are rivetted or clinched in similar manner to
those herein-before delineated; h, shews studs with solid wearing heads,
preferably made of iron or steel, the other ends of which are formed with a
thread to receive the nuts i; such studs h may have washer-wearing surfaces
if desired.
When any of the arrangements referred to are employed for securing the
soles or bottoms of boots, shoes, and other coverings for the feet, and are
passed through the various thicknesses of leather or other material, it will be
necessary to place a layer of leather or other material over the inner ends of
the studs or rivets, as shewn in Figs. 3 and 5, by the letter j; but when such
arrangements are used for securing an outer clump sole or its equivalent to
an inner one, as illustrated in Fig. 4, then the inner sole, or its equivalent of
the boot or shoe, would cover the inner ends of the studs and washers. The
terms soles or bottoms, be it understood, include the heels and any other parts
that may be known by different names.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and described modifications of the same, it should be understood
that various alterations in shape may be made without departing from the
nature or leading features of the Invention; but what is claimed as the Inven-
tion communicated by the afore-named Franz Vester, is,
Firstly, strengthening the soles or bottoms of boots, shoes, and other cover-
ings for the feet preparatory to their being attached to the uppers, by a, studs
or rivets with washers or their equivalents at both ends; b, studs or rivets,
with solid heads at one end and washers at the other end; c, studs or rivets,
with washers or solid heads at one end and with a thread and screwed nuts at
the other end, all as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.
And, secondly, securing the soles or bottoms of boots, shoes, and other
coverings for the feet to the uppers, or to other or intermediate parts, of boots,
shoes, and other coverings for the feet, by the means set forth in detail under
the first claim, all as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Wagner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight bundred and sixty-three.