CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE LEGS AND FEET, AND ALSO IN THE MEANS OF OR APPARATUS FOR FASTENING THE SAME UPON THE LEG OR FOOT
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ITENRY SMITH, of Wellingborough, in the County of Northampton, Boot
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourth day of February, in the eighth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Henry Smith. Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said William Henry Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said William Henry Smith, my executors, adñiors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE LEGS AND
FEET, AND ALSO IN THE MEANS OF OR APPARATUS FOR FASTENING THE SAME UPON
THE LEG OR FOOT;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging
me, the said William Henry Smith, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Henry Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):
My Invention of "Certain Improvements in the Construction of Boots,
Shoes, and other Coverings for the Legs and Feet, and also in the Means of
or Apparatus for Fastening the same upon the Leg or Foot," consists, in the
first place, in a novel mode of cutting the leather to form the boot from the
skin of leather in such a manner as to dispense with some of the scams that
ordinarily exist, and thereby to economize the leather, and also in an improved
plan of constructing hunting boots so as to ventilate them, and allow of the
escape of perspiration from the leg or foot.
Secondly, in a novel and simple fastening, which I intend to denominate
the Euknemida fastening. whereby boots, shoes, gaiters, spatterdashes, and
other coverings for the legs or feet, may be adapted or applied to or taken
from the leg or foot with facility, and yet may be securely held thereon when
in use without the use of strings, straps, buttons, or buckles.
The first part of the Invention is shewn in the accompanying Drawings at
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Fig. 1 represents a piece of leather cut in a peculiar manner, so as to form
a short boot out of one piece of leather, and without having a seam behind
up the back of the heel, or at one side.
Fig. 2 represents a boot complete, and made according to this plan.
Fig. 3 represents a piece of leather similar to Figure 1, with my improved
fastening sewed thereon. The dotted line at a, a, represents the line which
will run up the back of the heel, and b, b, is a part of one of my improved
fastenings hereafter described. The dotted line at c, c, represents the line
from the toe to the instep, and the place where the upper part of the leather
is folded over to form the inner side of the boot. d, d, is the part of the
inner side of the boot to which that part of my improved fastening seen at b, b,
corresponds.
Fig. 4 represents my improved ventilating hunting boot, which is open all
the way down to the ancle. The leg part of the boot is closed by my im-
proved fastening hereafter described, and which is very flat and sits very close,
and yet will be found amply sufficient to ventilate the foot and leg and allow
the perspiration and warmth to escape, and is easily attached and detached
from the foot in consequence of an opening being made at the side of the leg.

page_text: Owing to the flatness of the fastening it may, if required, be placed on the
inner side of the leg so as to go against the saddle, as it will not hurt the leg
or be at all inconvenient to the wearer when riding; the thigh part of the
boot is closed by buttons as seen in the Drawing.
The improved fastening which forms the second part of my Invention, con-
sists of two thin pieces of steel or other suitable elastic material, one of which
is furnished with studs or projections which are made to take into corre-
sponding holes or recesses, and thereby form a collapsing fastening. Several
modes of carrying this part of my luvention into effect are shewn in the
Drawing.
Figures 5 and 6 represent one plan of constructing the fastening, but the
same principle of construction exists in all the other Figures, although the
means of connecting the parts together are somewhat different. It will be
seen that in Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, the two pieces of steel or
other suitable elastic material of which the fastening is composed are bent
outwards in opposite directions, and therefore when they are brought together
to be fastened, as shewn in Figures 6 and 10, the two parts are bent back
or collapsed, and will hold firmly together and form a perfectly secure and
very flat fastening, and will keep the article to which it is applied from
working down in wrinkles. In Figures 5 and 6 the two pieces of steel or
other material are fastened together, by inserting the points of the top piece a
into the boxes or sockets placed at the end of the other pieco b; and the
tendency of the ends of both of these pieces to spread away from each other
will of course keep them securely fastened until one end of the piece a is
withdrawn from one of the boxes or sockets.
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, represent another mode of connecting these pieces
together. In these Figures one end of the piece a is inserted into a box or
socket made in or attached to the upper end of the other piece b, and the two
pieces are further connected by means of two studs on the piece taking into
corresponding slots made in the piece b, as will be clearly seen in the Drawing.
Fig. 10 represents the appearance the fastening would assume when the two
pieces are connected together or collapsed.
a
Figures 11 and 12 represent a third mode. In this plan the piece a has
notches made at each end, and into which studs situated at the end of the
piece b, b, are inserted.
In the Figures 13, 14, and 15, I have shewn another plan in which the
same effect can be obtained without bending the pieces of steel a and b in
opposite directions, as in the other instances. In these Figures both pieces

page_text: are curved in the same direction, but one to a greater degree than the other;
one may even be quite straight, or nearly so. The ends of the piece b, b, are
bent back and inserted into slits or openings made in the corresponding piece,
and these slits are covered over with a small piece of steel, as shown at c, c,
so as to form a kind of box or socket.
Figure 16 represents the two pieces connected, from which it will be seen
that they form a flat and very secure fastening.
Figure 17 represents another modification. In this instance the piece a is
furnished with a small stud, which is rivetted near each end, as seen in the
Figure, and the piece 6 has corresponding slots made at each end thereof,
and into which the studs of the piece a are inserted, and firmly hold together
the two pieces, which are moreover curved in the manner shewn in the other
Figures.
Fig. 18 is a representation of a gaiter or spatterdash with my improved
fastening applied thereto. The piece which carries the box or stud is
attached to that part of the gaiter which is innermost, the other part a being
attached to that part which folds or laps over the other part, as seen at Fig. 18.
Both the pieces or blades a and b are covered over with the leather, cloth, or
other material of which the article is composed, the blades are in fact sewn
into the seam or edge of the gaiter or other article, and nothing is visible but
the points of the piece a, a, and the boxes or sockets of the piece b. I would
here observe, that if one of the edges of the gaiter or other article is sufli-
ciently rigid, small detached sockets may be sewn on and the piece a only
used, the other piece b being dispensed with.
In Fig. 19 have shown an improved plan of closing a gaiter without
buttons, in place of which I employ a thin piece or plate of steel or other
metal, furnished with any convenient number of studs, which correspond to
certain holes similar to button holes made in the opposite side of the gaiter.
By the employment of a thin piece of metal running up one side of the
gaiter, the latter is prevented from getting out of its place, either by rising
up or slipping or working down.
"
Figure 20 is a representation of a short gaiter furnished with my improved
Euknemida" fastening on the inner side of the foot, as shewn by dots in the
Figure. The buttons are sewn on, and false buttonholes are made merely
to give the gaiter the appearance of an ordinary gaiter, but if required they
may of course be dispensed with. By the employment of this improved
fastening the gaiters may be put on and off with greater facility than ordinary
ones, and kept better in shape.

page_text: Having now described my Invention, and the means of carrying the same
into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent,-
First, the peculiar manner of cutting out a boot or shoe from a piece of
leather, as shewn and described in reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Secondly, the mode described of constructing a ventilating hunting boot.
And thirdly, the various modes herein shewn and described, or any modi-
fication of them, or any of them, for the purpose of making or constructing
a fastening by means of blades or pieces of steel, or other suitable elastic
material, which when uncollapsed are curved out of a straight line, but which
when brought into connection are bent back or collapsed, and thereby firmly
and securely retain their places until disconnected by hand, and also the
application of the said fastening as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
WILLIAM HENRY (L.s.) SMITH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of August, in the
year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Henry Smith came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute in that case made and provided.