Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Mar., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 6th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 8th Jan., 188
1 JOHN BÖSSER, of 10 Torrance Buildings, Torrance Street, City Road London
E.C. Fur Worker do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
My Invention relates to an improved galoche for protecting the sole of a boot or
shoe from the wet. This improved galoche is easily applied and is practically invisible
when in wear.
It comprises a sole piece extending from the toe to, and along, the
the waist of the boot or shoe with raised side flanges extending just high enough to
embrace the edges of the sole and exclude the wet from the seams uniting the sole of
the boot or shoe to the upper. It is held in place by a toe cap shaped and ornamented
to resemble the leather toe cap which commonly forms part of a boot or shoe, and by
rearward rigid extensions rising at each side of, and clipping, the counter and connected
by an elastic strap passing round the back of the boot or shoe at a sufficient height
above the heel to obtain a firm grip and prevent slipping off at the heel. It may be
further secured by side straps crossing over and united at the instep.
Dated this 6th day of March 1888.
J. BÖSSER.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: I JOHN BÖSSER, of 10 Torrens Buildings, Torrens Street, City Road London, E.C.
Fur Worker, 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 :-
My Invention relates to an improved galoche or sole protector for protecting the
sole and the seam uniting the sole with the upper of a boot or shoe from the wet; the
object of the invention being to provide a galoche or sole protector which affords
adequate protection under ordinary circumstances, which may be easily applied, and
is practically invisible when in use.
<<
Ordinary galoches which encase the heel of the boot or shoe are particularly open to
the objection that they do not readily adapt themselves to heels of different heights
or shapes, and as their retention in position on the boot depends upon the grip at the
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counter or heel portion of the upper it is obvious that when galoches of the ordinary
shape adapted for low heeled boots are applied to high heeled boots the necessary grip
will not be obtained. Moreover even when a good fit and grip are obtained such
galoches are apt to come off in walking on clayey or sticky ground. Also galoches
enclosing the sides and toe of the boot or shoe have the disadvantage of not being
so readily put on and off the boots or shoes of the wearer as the improved galoche
made according to my invention; and further galoches prior to my invention
having sides which cover the boots or shoes have the further disadvantage of not
permitting the heat and perspiration of the feet to pass freely through the leather. All
of which disadvantages are avoided by the use of my improved form of galoche.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings annexed to and forming a
part of this specification wherein figure 1 is a side elevation of a boot showing the
galoche attached and figure 2 a plan of the galoche separately.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both figures.
The galoche or sole protector of my invention, as will be seen on referring to the
drawing, does not enclose the heel of the boot or shoe. It comprises a sole piece a
extending from the toe to and along the waist of the boot or shoe and terminating just
in front of the heel. This sole piece has raised side flanges b extending just high enough
to embrace the edges of the sole of the boot or shoe and cover the seam uniting the
sole to the upper so as to exclude wet therefrom. It is held in its proper place by a
toe cap c by preference shaped and ornamented to resemble the leather toe cap which
commonly forms part of a boot or shoe, and by rigid extensions d rising towards the
ankle joint at each side of and clipping the narrow part of the foot, the galoche or
sole protector being held in place by a strape attached to said extensions and passing
over the instep and round the back of the boot or shoe at a sufficient height above
the heel to obtain a firm grip.
This improved galoche or sole protector may be made of caoutchouc moulded and
vulcanized in the ordinary way of making galoches; the upper edge of the flanges b

page_text: being bevelled and inclined inwards so as to fit snugly against the upper part of
the boot or shoe and make such a neat fit as to appear an integral portion of the
boot or shoe. The extensions d are made of strips of thin sheet iron, zinc, stiff
leather, or similar material doubled or folded on themselves to form loops for the
strap e to pass through, the ends of the strip coinciding and being connected to
the galoche by being rivetted or sewn or otherwise attached to the side flange b.
These strips should be sheathed or covered with black water-proof cloth or other-
wise ornamented and protected from the wet. The strap e is preferably a strip of
elastic india rubber passed through the loops of the extensions d, the ends of the
strap being connected at the front or side by a loop and hook or other form of
fastening.
As the waist of the boot or shoe is usually well out of the mud in ordinary
walking and as this part of the galoche or sole protector makes a close fit with the
boot or shoe, it will be obvious that wet or mud will not be liable under ordinary
circumstances, to enter between the galoche and the boot or shoe and that the heel
of the latter especially if of medium height requires no protection. The heel of the
boot is therefore safely left exposed, so that the liability to slip in walking (by
reason of the smoothness of the caoutchouc covering the tread of the heel) to which
ordinary galoches are subject is avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would observe that I
am aware that galoches extending on the sole of the boot or shoe only so far as
the waist and leaving the heel of the boot or shoe unprotected have been
used prior to the date of my said patent, therefore no claim is made herein
generally to galoches which protect only a portion of the sole of boots or shoes, but
I declare that what I claim is :-
The herein described galoche or sole protector constructed of the sole piece a
with toe cap c and side flanges the sole and side flanges extending only far
enough backwards to cover the waist of the boot or shoe leaving only the heel
uncovered and provided with upward extensions d and a strap e substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 4th day of Waga 1000