Improvements in and relating to overanoes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Improvements in and relating to overanoes.
I, JOHN FRANCIS O'BRIEN, of Morley's Hotol, London, Inventor, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to overshoes, and refers
in which the hoel
particularly to the class of overshoes known as "foot "holds'
portion of tho shoe 18 dispensed with, said foot hold being provided with a heel
strap or equivalent to assist in retaining said foot hold on the boot, and the especial
objects of my invention arc-
(1) To prevent the ingress of water into the foot hold at the waist of the boot,
and (2) To prevent the heel strap of the foot hold sliding down off the rear portion
of the boot when said foot hold is being worn; both of which defects appertain to
foot holds of the hitherto ordinary make.
The fust defect referred to in foot holds of the hitherto ordinary make, is due to
the portion of the waist of sand foot hold, which when worn is in contact with the
waist of the boot, being caused to move backward and for waid at each step taken
by the person wearing the same, whereby, in wet weather, the water is drawn into
the foot hold by reason of said reciprocating motion as descubed.
The second defect referred to in foot holds of the hitherto ordinary make, is due
to the fact that the flat surface of the hoel stiap is in contact with the flat surface
of the portion known as the "quarters at the heel of the hoot, both of which
defects I overcome by my invention as will be hereinafter described.
"
In carrying my invention into practice, I provide the waist of my improved foot
hold with a preferably rubber flap, said flap being either fixed in a suitable manner
The free
to the sole of the foot hold or forming an integral part with said sole
end of said flap is next folded inwardly in a direction towards the sole of the
foot hold and a portion of the extreme end of said flap is folded back towards the
heel, the whole when folded approximately representing in sectional shape a
letter Z. The edges of said folded flap alo sown or cemented to the side of the
foot hold or to the heel strap so that ingress of water at such sides is thereby
prevented. The action of this improvement, when the foot hold is on the boot, is
as follows, the portion of the flap which has been folded back towards the heel ns
described, comes into frictional contact with the waist of the boot, and the portion
of the flap which has been folded inwards towards the sole as described, allows the
necessary play or movement of the different parts of the foot hold in walking,
without communicating such play or movement to the portion of the flap which is
in frictional contact with the waist of the boot, so that said portion of the flap
which is in contact with the waist of the boot, as described, is altogether stationary
und consequently provents any water being sucked or drawn into the foot hold at
the waist.
For the purpose of preventing the heel strap of the foot hold slipping off the
heel of the boot, as hereinbefore described, I preferably sew a piece of rubber to
the inside of said heel strap, said piece of rubber being sewn in such a mannor as
to form one or more preferably tapering arches or loops extending from said heel
strap, sand arched picco of rubber being sewn at such a position to the heel strap
As when put on a boot to be in frictional contact with the reat most part of the heel
portion of the quarters of said boot By this means the slipping of the heel strap
is altogether presented as the arched piece of rubber referred to gups or "bites"
the heel portion of the boot.

page_text: I wish it to be understood that I do not confine the application of my improve-
ments to any special kind of foot hold and also that I may employ any material
which in practice is found most suitable I prefer in practice to make that portion
of the flap which is folded towards the heel as herembefore described, longer than
the other portion, so that the joint between said flap and the heel strap of side of
the foot hold will be less bulky.
I, JOHN FRANCIS O'BRIEN of Morley's Hotel, London, Inventor, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what mauner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in aud by the following
statement
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to overshoes and refers
particularly to the class of overshoes known as "footholds" in which the heel
portion of the overshoe is dispensed with, said footholds being provided with a heel
strap or equivalent to retain said foothold on the boot, and the especial objects of
my invention are (1) To prevent the ingress of water at the shank of the foothold,
aud (2) To prevent the beel strap of the foothold sliding down off the rear portion
of the boot when said foothold is being won, both of which defects appertain to
footholds of the hitherto ordinary construction.
The first defect referred to in footholds of the hitherto ordinary make, is due to
the foothold shank-which when the foothold is being worn is in contact with the
shank of the boot-being caused to move backward and forward on the shank of
the boot at each step taken by the person wearing said foothold, by reason of the
boot being bent and straightened at each step, the consequence being that in wet
weather the water is drawn into the foothold on account of said reciprocating motion
of the foothold shank as described.
The second defect referred to in footholds of the hitherto ordinary make, is due
to the fact that the flat surface of the heel strap 18, when the foothold is being
worn, in contact with the flat surface of the ear portion of the boot, the fictional
contact of said flat surface being found insufficient to retain the strap in position
after frequent use, and as the heel strap becomes loose more water and mud entor
the foothold at the shank.
Both these defects I overcome by my invention as will be hereinafter fully
described.
In order that my invention may be readily understood, reference is made to the
accompanying drawing wherein like letters of reference indicate conresponding
parts throughout the several figures and in which :—
Figure 1, represents a sectional side elevation of a foothold provided with my
improvements.
Figure 2, represents a bottom plan view of the shank portion of Figure 1.
Figure 3 represents an enlniged sectional vow of the shank of a foothold
provided with my improved foothold shank, and
Figures 4 and 5 represent a fi ont view and sectional side elevation respectively
of a portion of a heel strap with my heel strap grip.
In carrying my invention into practice, I provide the shank portion a of a foot-
hold A with a preferably rubber tongue or flap B, one end of which tongue is

page_text: cemented or otherwise fixed in a suitable manner under the limug c to the sole C
of the foothold, or said tongue may form an integral part with said sole C. The
portion 6 of the tongue B is next folded inwardly in a direction towards the sole of
the foothold and the portion 6' at the extreme end of said tongue is folded back
towards the rear, the whole tongue when folded as described approximately
representing in sectional shape the letter Z as shown. The side edges of the
portion & are cemented or otherwise fixed to about the top edges d of the sides D
of the foothold as shown and the sides of the portion b are fixed to the sides of
the foothold from immediately under the portion b¹ to tho lower edges of the heel
strap.
It is found when a foothold is being worn that the lower edge of the sides D
and the lower edge of the heel strap E are stretched as the foot is bent at each step,
but the top edges of the side D and beel strap E are not stretched, consequently no
motion will be imparted to the portion b' by the sides D of the foothold if it be
fixed as described The shank portion a of the foothold is moved backward and
forward at each step as above described, consequently the portion of the tongue
which 13 fixed to said shank is also moved at each step, but such motion is prevented
from being communicated to the portion by reason of the portion of the tongue
acting as a hinge thereby allowing the necessary movement of the shank at a
without communicating such motion to the portion b¹ When my improved foot-
hold is being worn the portion of the tougue B is in close contact with the shank
of the boot and inasmuch as no motion is imparted to said portion 6', as above
described, no water is drawn into the foothold. The whole of the tongue B may
be made of unvarnished rubber or the upper surface of the portion b¹ may be faced
or covered with a stup of unvarnished iubber so that the contact between said
part and the shank of the boot will be sufficiently close to prevent the ingress of
water, and in order to further ensure that no water shall enter into the foothold,
I prefer to curve the outer edge of the portion 6' as shown. For the purpose of
further assisting in keeping the portion of the tongue B in contact with the
shauk of the boot, I preferably make the sole C of the foothold of the shape shown
in Figure 2, so that the ends of the heel strap where they join the sole C, pass
under the tongue B as shown and thereby raise or lift the tongue B against tho
shank of the boot.
By
In order to prevent the heel strap E slipping off the rear portion of the boot
when my improved foothold is being worn, I sew or otherwise attach a piece e of
preferably unvarnished rubber to the inner side of said heel strap. Said piece e is
attached to the heel strap in such a mauner as to be arched as shown, and said
arched piece e is attached to the heel strap at such a position as to be in frictional
contact with the rear portion of the boot when the foothold is being worn.
means of said piece e which acts as a grip, the heel strap is prevented from slipping
down off the rear portion of the boot by reason of the lower edge of my heel
strap gripe being brought into fictional contact with the rear portion of the boot,
the arrangement being such that the heel strap gripe will curl up rather than slip,
whereby the fictional contact of the heel strap with the rear portion of the boot
will be farther increased.
I wish it to be understood that the different parts of my improved foothold may
be made in any suitable manner and of any suitable material or materials, and the
joints between the parts may be made by cementing, sewing or otherwise according
to requirements.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what mannei the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim 18:
1 In combination with a foot-hold a tongue B having a portion & folded inwards
towards the sole and a portion & folded outwards towards the real, the edges of
the portion & being attached to the top edges of the sides D of the foothold, all
for the purposes and substantially as set forth.

page_text: 2. In combination with a foothold a heel strap E formed or provided with a
gripe of unvarnished rubber, for the purposes and substantially as set forth.
3 In a foothold the combination of a tongue B having a portion b folded inwards
towards the sole and a portion b' folded outwards towards the rear, the edges of the
portion & being attached to the top edges of the sides D of the foothold and a
heel strap E formed or provided with a guipe of unvarnished rubber, all for the
purposes and substantially as set forth.
Dated this 25th day of January 1896.
JOHN FRANCIS O'BRIEN,
By his Agents, Horn, Son & Co.,
151 Strand (next Somerset House), London.