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EDWIN THOMAS, or PHILADELPHiA, PENNSYLVANIA.
Letters Patent No. 80,518,` dated J'uly 28,- 1868.
IMPROVEMENT 1N VENTILATING Boers AND SHOES, i
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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERNE Y Be it known that I, EDWIN THOMAS, et' Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, and State'o Pennsylvania., have invented Improvements in Ventilating Boots land Shoes; and I do hereby declare the following to he a full and correct description lof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows the inner sole of e 'ooot or shoe with ventilatinggrooves to allow the air to pass through the shoe under the foot, and up through the counter or heel-piece B, or through the valve, as shown at letter a in fig. 1.
Figure is a section ofthe sole and ventilator, as shown at letter a, and the red line.
 Figure 3 represents a piece ot' leather manufactured for inner soles, with dove-tail grooves,rand a. porous cover to allow the air to pass through to the foot, and is intended to keep the dirt out of the Ventilating-grooves. Figure 4; is a. section of the ventiluting-valve a open to admit air.
 Figure 5 shows the valve closed to keep out water and dirt. The'nature of my invention consists of Ventilating boots and shoes by means of' a gum-elastic flap-valve fitted to an eyelet-hole in the upper leather, as shown at letter a, lig. 1, and byeutting grooves in the sole or sole-leather, that is narrow etthe top and wide below, so that the nir can pass along the grooves and up the counter or heel-piece. By this means the' sole und the fair vin the'grooves act as a cushion `for the foot, and it can .be grooved on both sides, so that the air can pass under the sole and up back ofthe counter, or tothe yvalve in the upper leather. The object of thellup having a. hevelled end,`as shown at letter e, fig. 4, is to act as a. catch, when shut, to hold the Hup in its' proper place. i
 What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl. 'Ventilating boots and shoes` hy grooving the inner soles with grooves that are narrow at the top and wide below, so as to allow the air to pass along the grooves, as herein described, and for the purposes set forth. 2. The manufacture of leather for inner soles of boots and slices, with grooves oi' a dove-tai1 shape, and aporous cover, for the purposes as specified. I i y The above specification of my said invention signed and witnessed at Philadelphia., this 2d day of June, A. D. 1868.
EDWIN THOMAS.
Witnesses:
JOHN A. HuRLnY, T. H. ANDREWS.-