IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1884

page_text: I THOMAS LAYCOCK of N° 10 Billing Road, Northampton in the County of
Northampton, Boot and Shoo Manufacturor do hereby declare the nature of tho
said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES Ja
to be as follows:-
This invention relatos to improvements in the manufacture of that class of boots
and shoes known as lawn tennis, cricketting and boating shoes and the like and
having india rubber soles..
In carrying out the present improvements I manufacture the upper of the boot
or shoe in the usual manner. The soles I prefer to make of an ordinary leather
middle solo to which I attach by cement and sewing, or by sewing only or by
cement, rivets or screws, or by rivets or screws only, an india rubber sole, of the
ordinary corrugated form by preference, the stitches, scrows or rivets being passed
through the spaces between the corrugations preferably, which may be straight or
of any fancy design. The india rubber sole is by preference somewhat smaller
than the leather middle sole so as to leave a margin of leather all round the india
rubber sole through which margin the combined leather and rubber sole is sown
screwed or rivetted to the upper and insole.
In cases where the combined leather and rubber sole is to be stitched to the welt
or middle sole I first attach to the upper a middlo solo or welt in any usual manner
and then stitch thereto the combined leather and rubber sole.
The india rubber sole may be made of the same size as the leather middle sole or
welt in which case the sewing, screwing, rivetting or stitching of the combined sólo
to the upper and insole (or to the first-middle sole or welt) is effected under the
india rubber.
It will be obvious that I can employ india rubber for the waist portion only of
the sole or for the forepart and heel portion only.
It will also be obvious that any other suitable material than leather may be
employed for the middle sole or welt.

page_text: "
I THOMAS LAYCOCK, of, No 10 Billing Road, Northampton, in the county of
Northampton, Boot and Shoe Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of the
said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES
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 improvements in the manufacture of that class of boots
and shoes known as lawn tennis, cricketting and boating shoes and the like, and
⚫ having india rubber soles.
•
In carrying out the present improvements I manufacture the upper of the boot
or shoe in the usual manner. The middle sole or welt I prefer to make of
ordinary leather to which I attach by cement and sewing or by sewing only, or by
cement, rivets or screws or by rivets or screws only, an india rubber sole of the
ordinary corrugated form by preference, the stitches, screws or rivets being passed
through the spaces between the corrugations preferably which may be straight or
of any fancy design. The india rubber sole is by preference somewhat smaller
than the leather middle sole, so as to leave a margin of leather all round the india
rubber sole, through which margin the combined leather and rubber sole is sewn,
scrowed or rivetted to the upper and insole.
In cases where the combined leather and rubber sole is to be stitched to the welt
or middle sole, I first attach to the upper a middle sole or welt in any usual manner,
and then stitch thereto the combined leather and rubber sole.
The india rubber sole may be made of the same size as the leather middle sole or
welt, in which case the sewing, screwing, rivetting or stitching of the combined
sole to the upper and insole (or to the first middle sole or welt) is effected under
the india rubber; or the combined sole may be secured by being sewn, rivetted or
screwed round the sole, through the India rubber and leather sole or welt to the
upper and insole.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood, I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which figure 1 represents a
plan of the sole or underside and figure 2 a cross section of a boot or shoe manu;
factured according to my invention, the combined sole (the rubber sole of which is
somewhat smaller and of a higher level than the leather middle sole or welt) being
shewn sewn to the upper and insole through the margin of the leather middle sole
or welt; figure 3 is a side elevation partly in section, and figure 4 a plan of the
underside of a shoe, in which the combined sole is attached to the shoe by being
stitched to a middle sole or welt thereof; figure 5 is a cross section of a boot or
shoe in, which the combined sole is sewn through the rubber and leather sole or
welt (which are of the same size) to the upper and insole; figure 6 is a cross section
of a boot or shoe in which the combined sole is sewn through the rubber and
leather to a first middle sole or welt.
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
In figure 2, a is the upper of the boot or shoe manufactured in the usual manner;
b, (figures 1 and 2) is the leather middle sole and c, is the india rubber sole, which
is here shown as cut from a sheet of ordinary corrugated rubber, the corrugations

page_text: running in a transverse direction to the length of the sole; d, d, represent the
stitches whereby the india rubber sole c, is attached to the leather middle sole b,
the two soles b, and c, together forming a combined leather and rubber sole, the
stitches being passed through the spaces between the corrugations i, as shewn ; e, is
the margin of leather sole left round the india rubber sole c, which sole is smaller
than the leather middle sole b; through this margin e, the combined leather and
rubber sole b, c, is sewn to the upper a, and ordinary insole f; g, g, represent the
stitches. Instead of the rubber sole o, being attached to the leather sole b, by
stitches, it may be attached by rivets or screws, and in all cases it is advantageous
to first connect the two soles together by cement.
In figures 3 and 4, the shoe is provided with a middle sole or welt h, attached in
the usual manner to the upper a. The combined leather and rubber sole b, c is
then stitched thereto through the margin of loather as shewn, by the stitches g, g.
The rubber sole shewn in figures 3 and 4 is moulded or formed with transverse
corrugations i, in the middle part thereof and with two rows of pyramidal pro-
jections,, round the edge, except at the extreme toe and heel, (the pyramidal
projections may however be continued all round) the rubber solo c, being stitched
to the leather sole b, through the groove or space k, between the two rows of
pyramidal projections and between the transverse corrugations i; or the edge may
be of any suitable design such as a flat surface level with the points of the
pyramidal projections which surface can be continuous or divided into oblongs or
squares, the transverse stitches being inserted in the grooves which separate the
said oblongs or squares.
When the combined sole is formed of a middle sole and a rubber sole of the same
size, the rubber sole c, is first preferably connected to the leather sole b, by means
of cement and stitches d, (or screws or rivets) across the sole between the transverse
corrugations, or between the two rows of pyramidal projections, or in the space or
groove k, formed by the second or inner row of pyramidal projections, and the
ends of the transverse corrugations i, as shown in figure 5, or in any other suitable
manner; when the combined sole b, c, has been sewn (or otherwise) between the
transverse corrugations i, or as shown in figure 5, in the groovek, it is then secured
to the upper a, and insole f, by being sewn (or rivetted or screwed) round the sole
by stitches g, (or by screws or rivets) passing through the combined india rubber
and leather sole b, c, to the upper a, and insole f, in the space or groove l, formed
by the two rows of pyramidal projections j, and, or when the sole is not sewn
across between the transverse corrugations before sewing in the groove formed by
the pyramidal or other projections, the sewing across may be effected, at the same
time going through to the inside of the boot or shoe. Or where the boot or .shoo
is provided with a first middle sole or welt h, na shewn in figure 6, the india rubber
and leather forming the combined sole b, c, are first attached in a like manner to
that described when referring to figure 5, and the combined solo is then secured to
the first middle sole or welt h, by being sewn, rivetted, or screwed thereto round
the sole through the combined leather and rubber sole in the space or groove l; in
these two latter cases I use a specially prepared sole such as is shewn in figure 4
with pyramidal projections or having any other suitable form, and made preferably
uniform all round the edge so as to form a continuous groove for the stitches to
lie in.
Instead of connecting the combined sole to the upper and insole (or to the first
middle sole or welt) by being sewn, screwed, rivetted or stitched thereto through
the combined india rubber and leather sole as herein before described, I sometimes
attach the combined sole by sowing, screwing, rivetting, or stitching through the
leather middle sole to the upper and insole or to the welt under the india rubber
sole; in this case, in attaching the rubber sole to the leather middle sole or welt,
sufficient space is left round the edge to allow the stitches (or screws or rivets) for
attaching the combined sole to the upper and insole or to the welt, to go
underneath the rubber sole; the edge of the rubber sole is then cemented down
over the stitches &º.

page_text: It will be obvious that I can employ india rubber for the waist portion only of
the sole and, by this means, I produce a boot or shoe having a leather sole and heel
with an india rubber waist, and thus greatly increase the Bexibility of the boot or
shoe. Or the india rubber can be employed for the forepart and heel portion only
of the boot or shoe.
It will also be obvious that any other suitable material than leather may be
employed for the middle sole or welt.
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 manufacture and use for boots and shoes of combined soles of india rubber
and leather or other suitable material, the two soles being attached together
by sewing, screwing or otherwise between corrugations or through grooves in the
rubber sole, so as to form a combined sole ready to be attached to the welt or
upper and insole of a boot or sole substantially as herein before doscribed.
2. In a combined sole of india rubber and leather or other suitable material,
leaving a margin. of the leather or other material on a lower level than the rubber
all round the rubber sole so as to allow of the combined sole being attached to the
welt or to the upper and insole of a boot or shoe, through the said margin.as
herein beforo described and represented in figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying
drawing.
3. Sewing, screwing, or rivetting a combined sole of rubber and leather or other
material through the upper and insole all round or round and across, the rubber
sole having been first attached to the middle sole by cement or sewing, screwing or
rivetting substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in figure 5 of the
accompanying drawing.
4. Sewing, screwing or rivetting a combined sole of rubber and leather or other
material all round through a first middle sole or welt, the rubber and leather or
the like forming the said combined sole having been first attached together by
cement or sewing, screwing or rivetting substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in figure 6 of the accompanying drawing.
5. Forming a sole with pyramidal projections or their equivalents in such a
manner as to form a gutter or groove preferably at an equal distance from the edge
thereof, in which groove the stitches can be placed, substantially as and for the
purpose herein before described and represented in figure 4 of the accompanying
drawing.
6. The modified construction of boot or shoo in which india rubbor is employed
for the waist portion only or for the fore part and heel portion only of the solo
substantially as hereinbefore described.
7. A middle sole or welt made of felt or other suitablo material in conjunction or
not with leather (in place of the ordinary leather middle sole or welt) and to which
is attached a rubber outer sole, substantially as hereinbefore described.
8. The manufacture and use of boots and shoes having combined soles of india
rubber and leather, or other suitable material as hereinbefore described and
represented in the accompanying drawing.
Dated L FIL 1.