US687824A - Soft-tread horseshoe. - Google Patents

Description

No. 687,824. Patented Dec. 3, l90l. W. T. FRENCH.

SOFT TREAD HLDRSESHOE.

(Application filed Nov. 23, 1900.)

(N0 Model.)

witnesses H h w@ Q f Q W hi'sAUuI'mBy UNITED STATES PATENT omen.

WILLIAM T. FRENCH, OF GREENVILLE, OHIO.

SOFT-TREAD HORSESHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,824, dated December 3, 1901.

Application filed November 23, 1900. Serial No. 37,455. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. FRENCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenville, in the county of Darke and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Soft-Tread Horseshoes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of horseshoes which have a separable tread-surface adapted to be attached and removed by the user when desired.

The object of my invention is to improve and simplify this class of shoes by the peculiar construction of the bed and cushion and the means for securing them together.

My invention consists in a horseshoe comprising a metal bed or foundation having a groove on its lower side and adapted to receive an elastic cushion having embedded lengthwise therein a strengthening-wire, said cushion being secured and held in place upon the bed by means of transverse screws or bolts taking through the bed and cushion beneath the wires, substantially as shown.

My invention also consists in certain novel features of the construction, combination, and arrangement of the several parts of my improved shoe, whereby important advantages are secured and the shoe is rendered the shoe.

more convenient economical, and effective and better adapted for the purpose intended.

The novel features of the invention will be defined in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the shoe. Fig. 2 is a view ofthe bottom, showing the parts secured together and a portion of the elastic tread broken away to show the strengthening-wires embedded therein. Fig. 3 is an edge View of Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the shoe, showing one means of fastening. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the shoe between the bolts, showing a modified flange and cushion, and also shows the shoe when constructed with solid flanges and having the rubber cushion held in engagement with the bed by frictional contact and without any cross-bolts. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the cushion, strengthening-wire, and transverse opening to receive the holding screw or bolt.

I prefer to construct and arrange lny-irnproved shoe substantially as follows:

The bed or foundation A is constructed of metal or other hard substance in circular shape to conform to the shape of a horses foot and provided on its lower side with in nor and outer depending flanges a, which extend its entire length and form a channel or groove thereunder.

The elastic cushion or tread portion B of the shoe is composed of rubber or other elastic material having molded longitudinally therein a metal wire or plate I) to strengthen and support the cushion in its proper relation to the bed, said cushion being formed to take into and fit the channel in the bed and having a tread-surface extending some distance below the flange of the bed.

The depending flanges are provided with a number of transverse holes 0., preferably seven, and the cushion with a corresponding number of holes I) to register with said holes and receive bolts or screws 0 to secure the parts together. The transverse openings in the cushion are formed just below the longitudinal strengthening-wires, as shown in Fig. 6, so that when the parts are together and bolts or screws in place the portions of the cushion between the transverse screws are held in contact with the bed and prevented from sagging, as shown in Fig. 5. When it is desired to use screws, the inner holes should be provided with screw-threads and the outer flange provided with circular countersinks to receive the screw-heads. When bolts are used, the holes in the flange are smooth to permit the bolt to pass through without turning, and the outer flange is preferably provided with a square countersink a to receive a squareheaded bolt and permitted to fit flush with the outer surface of the flange, the inner end of the bolt projecting through the inner flange and adapted to have a nut screwed thereon.

The depending flanges may be formed straight, as shown in Fig. 4:, and the cushion tapered to form a space between it and each flange, or, if desired, the flanges may be curved outwardly at their lower inner edges, as shown in Fig. 5, to form a space between each flange and the cushion to prevent the cushion, when being compressed, from being cut by the edges of the flanges.

I also construct the bed with solid flanges having fiat parallel inner Walls, into which I compress a solid-rubber cushion extending the entire length of the shoe, the same being retained therein by frictional engagement with the flat parallel walls of the channel.

The cushion may be formed with a curved or flat tread-surface and may extend only slightly below the flanges or a considerable distance below them, as may be desired.

In use the bed or foundation A is first nailed to the hoof, after which the cushion or tread part B is placed in the channel and secured by the means above described. When the cushion becomes worn, it may be readily removed and replaced by a new one by simply removing and replacing the screws or bolts.

From the above description it will be obvious that my improved shoe is capable of some modification without material departure from the scope of my invention, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise form and arrangement of the several parts set forthas, for example, the strengthening-wires embedded in the cushion may be varied in number and shape, as desired, or may be omitted altogether.

Having thus described my invention, I claim A horseshoe comprising a bed or foundation having downwardly-extending flanges forming a groove or channel on the lower side of said bed the full length thereof, an elastic cushion adapted to take into and fit said channel and having a longitudinal strengtheningwire loop embedded therein, and made U- shaped at each end as shown and means for securing the bed and cushion together, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAMT. FRENCH.

Witnesses:

JAMES N. RAMSEY,

RICHARD PHILLIPS.

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