Improvements in Boots or Shoes for Walking on Water.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 5th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 17th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boots or Shoes for Walking on Water.
We, THOMAS WILLIAM POTTS, of 30, Burnaby Street, Chelsea, Engineer, and
Captain PAUL BOYTON, of Warwick House, Warwick Road, Kensington, both in
the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
This invention relates to what we call water-boots or shoes, the object being to
provide boots or shoes which will enable the wearer to walk upon water, and which
when not required for use can be folded up so as to occupy but little space for
packing or transport.
In carrying out the invention we provide a kind of boat-shaped collapsable shoe
of flexible material capable of being inflated with air or filled with a suitable light
buoyant material and we have found antelope hair to give good results in practice.
Our shoe is of approximately elliptical shape in plan and has a flat underside,
a cavity being provided on the top side to receive and embrace the foot of the
wearer.
A frame is provided adapted to be laced or otherwise suitably connected to the
bottom of the shoe and to this frame are hinged wings or fins so arranged as to
close against the underside of the shoe or open out and offer a resistance to the
water according to the movement of the foot.
The side walls of the cavity for receiving the foot bulge towards each other and
on the foot being forced in they give to allow it to pass and then resume their
original position and grip the ankle thus securing the shoe to the foot of the
wearer. If desired the shoe may be laced or otherwise suitably fastened to the
foot and from the foot-hole upwards to the knee a legging may be extended so that
a fisherman may stand for hours together in the water without the water touching
him. These shoes can be used where no boats are available.
1
C A
11000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. -
Improvements in Boots or Shoes for Walking on Water.
We, THOMAS WILLIAM POTTS, of 30, Burnaby Street, Chelsea, Engineer, and
Captain PAUL BOYTON, of Warwick House, Warwick Road, Kensington, both in
the County of London, 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 what we call water-boots or shoes, the object being to
provide boots or shoes which will enable the wearer to walk upon water, and which
when not required for use can be folded up so as to occupy but little space for
packing or transport.
In carrying out the invention we provide a kind of boat-shaped collapsable shoe
of flexible material capable of being inflated with air or filled with a suitable light
buoyant material and we have found antelope hair to give good results in practice.

page_text: In order to enable the invention to be fully understood we will describe the same
by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a shoe constructed according to this
invention :
Figure 2 is a plan; and,
Figure
3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.
a is the boat-shaped collapsable shoe capable of being inflated with air. b is a
cavity at the top side to receive and embrace the foot of the wearer, the side
walls c, c of such cavity bulging towards each other so that on the foot being
forced in the walls give to allow it to pass and then resume their original position
and grip the ankle thus securing the shoe to the foot of the wearer.
The underside of the shoe properly so called is formed with a flange d having
eyelet holes e to which a frame ƒ may be laced or otherwise suitably connected; to
the frame fare hinged wings or fins 9 the outer euds of which are connected to the
underside of the frame by means of cords h in such a manner that when the cords
are taut the wings or fins form an angle of about 90° with the bottom of the shoe.
From this construction it will be seen that upon the wearer of the shoe taking a
step forward the fins on the underside of the shoe which is moved forward would
move up towards the underside of the shoe as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1
but upon the other shoe being moved forward pressure would be brought to bear 2
upon the first mentioned shoe and the wings or fins would open out to the position
shewn in full lines in Figure 1 and offer a resistance to the water. The shoe is
provided with a suitable valve to allow of it being inflated.
In some cases instead of being inflated with air the shoe may be filled with a
suitable light buoyant material and we have found antelope hair to give good
results in practice.
If desired the shoe may be laced or otherwise suitably fastened to the foot and
from the foot-hole upwards to the knee a legging may be extended so that a
fisherman may stand for hours together in the water without the water touching
him. Our improved shoes can be used with advantage where no boats are
available.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
A collapsable boot or shoe for walking on water formed of flexible material
capable of being inflated with air or filled with a suitable light buoyant material
provided with a cavity having bulging sides to receive and hold the foot of the
wearer, the said shoe being adapted to have secured thereto a frame carrying
hinged wings or fins connected at their outer ends by cords to the underside of the
frame substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
Dated the 5th day of January 1893.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.