IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES FOR USE WHEN PLAYING LAWN TENNIS AND OTHER GAMES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM HENRY STEVENS of No 89 Princess Road Leicester in the County
of Leicester, Boot Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES FOR USE WHEN
PLAYING LAWN TENNIS AND OTHER GAMES to be as follows:-
Heretofore boots and shoes with, india rubber soles have had the soles cemented:
or sewn to a leather outer sole.
}
When such soles have been cemented to the leather outer sole they have been:
liable to be torn off whilst when they have been stitched thereto there has been a
liability for the stitches to cut through the india rubber in consequence of coming,
into direct contact therewith.
In each of the above cases an outer leather sole is previously fixed to the boot or
shoe which decreases the elasticity and increases the cost.
It has also been proposed to unite an edging of leather to an india rubber sole;.
by placing the leather edging in the mould in which the india rubber sole, is formed:
and vulcanized.
By this process however the leather is much injured by the heat to which it is
exposed in the process of vulcanization.
According to my Invention I dispense with the leather outer sole and employ a
sole constructed and fixed in the following manner. I mould a sole to the shape
and with the projections or undulations required and I at the same time produce
all around the same a thin flange or a channel or groove.
On the flange or within the channel or groove, I place a strip of leather and
I connect such strip to the india rubber sole by cement or by light stitching.
preparatory to attaching the same to the boot or shoe.
After lasting the upper in the usual manner I first fix the india rubber sole
thereto by cement, tacks or otherwise in order to hold it firmly in position during
the process of sewing the same to the insole of the boot or shoe which I effect by
passing the stitches through the leather strip and also through the part of the
india rubber sole-to which such strip is secured.
If desired the flange of the india rubber sole may be bound with leather, either.
by bending a strip of thin leather around the same or by inserting the flange in a
channel or groove formed in the edge of a piece of sole leather. In either case the
binding leather is fixed to the sole by cement or by stitching.

page_text: I WILLIAM HENRY STEVENS of No189 Princess Road, Leicester in the County of
Leicester, Boot Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES FOR USE WHEN
PLAYING LAWN TENNIS AND OTHER GAMES, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
1. V
-
Heretofore boots and shoes with india rubber soles have had the soles cemented
or sewn to a leather outer sole.
"
When such soles have been cemented to the leather outer sole they have been
liable to be torn off whilst when they have been stitched thereto there has been a
liability for the stitches to cut through the india-rubber in consequence of coming
into direct contact therewith:
abi
In each of the above cases an outer leather sole is previously, fixed to the boot or.
shoe which decreases the elasticity and increases, the cost. It has also, been
proposed to unite an edging of leather-to an india rubber sole by placing the leather
edging in the mould in which the india rubber sole is formed and vulcanized.
By this process however the leather is much injured' by the heat to which it is
exposed in the process of vulcanization.
978
According to my Invention I dispenser with, the leather outer sole and employ.a
sole constructed and fixed in the following manner. I mould a sole to the shape
and with the projections or undulations required and Iat the same time produce
all around the same a thin flange or a channel or groove.
On the flange or within the channel or groove' I place a strip of leather, and
I connect such strip to the india-rubber sole by cement.or by light stitching
preparatory to attaching the same to the boot or shoe...-
After lasting the upper in the usual manner I first fix the, india-rubber sole
thereto by cement tacks or otherwise in order to hold it firmly in position during
the process of sewing the same to the insole of the boot or shoe which I effect by
passing the stitches through the leather strip and also through: the part of.. the
india rubber sole to which such strip is secured:
"",
If desired the flange of the.india-rubber sole may be bound with leather either
by bending a strip of thin leather around the same or by inserting the flange in
a channel or groove formedi in the edge of a piece of sole leather. In either case
the binding leather is fixed to the sole by cement or by stitching.
0
' 1
And in order that my said invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more
fully to describe the same.
2. 21
11
i
.:
I
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS,
'
Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 is an underside view, and Figure 3 is a cross
section of a shoe provided with a leather edged india rubber sole according to my
invention and Figures 4 and 5 are sections representing slight modifications.
According to my invention I dispose with the leather outer sole and employ a
sole constructed and fixed in the following manner.
I mould an india rubber sole a to the shape and with the projections or undulations
required and I at the same time produce all around the same a thin flange a¹ or it
might be a channel or groove.

page_text: On the flange a¹ or within the channel or groove I place a strip of leather b and
I connect such strip to the india rubber sole by cement or by light. stitching
preparatory to attaching the same to the boot or shoe.
This leather strip may consist of an endless piece cut to the shape of the sole or
it may consist of a long narrow piece bent round to the shape of the sole.
After lasting the upper c in the usual manner I first fix the india rubber sole a
thereto by cement, tacks or otherwise in order to hold it firmly in position during
the process of sewing the same to the insole d of the boot or shoe which I effect by
passing the stitches through the leather strip b, and also through that part of the
sole to which such strip b is secured.
If desired the flange a¹ of the india-rubber sole a may be bound with leather
either by bending a strip of thin leather b¹ around the same as shown at Figure 4
or by inserting the flange a¹ in a channel or groove formed in the inner edge of a
piece of sole leather 62 as shown at Figure 5. In either case the binding leather is
fixed to the sole a by cement or by stitching.
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
Connecting a strip of leather to a flange or to a channel or groove formed around
the edge of an india rubber sole and securing such compound sole to the insole of a
boot or shoe by stitching through the leather edging and at the same time through
the india rubber intervening between the same and the lasted upper and insole,
whereby the necessity for the use of the ordinary outer leather sole is dispensed
with, substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
..…l. l 1
1007
W. H. STEVENS.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.