IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Mole, of Pembroke Terrace, Regent's Park,
in the County of Middlesex, Boot Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
Sealed the 4th May 1866, and dated the 8th November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Mole at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th November 1865.
I, CHARLES MOLE, of Pembroke Terrace, Regent's Park, in the County of
Middlesex, Boot Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to enable the wearer of a boot or shoe to
turn the lower portion of the heel in such wise that an unworn portion thereof
may take the place of that previously subject to wear, and which has become
uneven with the remainder of the bottom or head of the heel. I am aware
that moveable and revolving heels have in many instances been applied to
boots and shoes for the above-named purpose, but the different methods
have labored under the disadvantage of being too expensive, too complicated,
or otherwise ineffective. I propose in my improved moveable or revolving
heel to bring two squares in juxtaposition, the one on the upper portion of
the heel to be a projecting square, and the one on the lower portion thereof a
sunken square. The upper square is formed on a plate attached to that
portion of the heel which is previously built on the boot; from the centre
of the square projects a pin with a screw thread on the whole or part of it.

page_text: The lower portion of the heel has also a disc or plate attached to it, and a
hole is pierced through its centre, in which also is made the sunken square
to receive that which projects on the upper disc. To fix the heel in position
pass the lower part over or up the pin so that the squares lock into each
other, then screw on the pin a nut, which will firmly secure the whole in
position; the leather in the bottom of the heel is countersunk to receive the
said nut. To unfasten or enable the weaving surface to be changed, unscrew
the nut till the two squares are free from each other, then turn one quarter
or one half, and so present a new surface for wear, thus giving four surfaces,
and rendering the reheeling of a boot or shoe during its entire wear unneces-
sary. The apparatus may be reversed, the pin passing from lower diso or
even from the nut and screwing into the upper disc, or one or other or both
discs or plates may be dispensed with and the operation effected within the
boot heel. I also propose to form a circular tip of iron (instead of nails
or pegs) on the heel. It may be well to observe that instead of squares
the forms may be sexagon or octagon, but I consider four quarter turns of
the heel will be found sufficient.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, fileḍ
by the said Charles. Mole in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
MOLE, of Pembroke Terrace, Regents Park, in the County of Middlesex,
Boot Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Mole, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Mole, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Mole, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Charles Mole, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly

page_text: describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Mole, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
making a part of this my Specification, and to the figures and letters of
reference marked thereon, similar letters of reference denoting similar parts
where such parts appear or may be seen at each of the Figures respectively.
The nature of my Invention consists in so making the heel of a boot or
shoe that the wearer may with great facility turn the lower part thereof, and
thus bring an unworn portion of the bottom or tread into the position previously
occupied by a part of the tread which from being subjected to the greatest wear
shall have become uneven with the remainder of the bottom of the heel. I am
aware that moveable and revolving heels have in many instances been applied to
boots and shoes for the purpose above set forth, but in every case the methods
adopted have laboured under the disadvantages of being too expensive, too
complicated, or otherwise ineffective. I construct my boot heel in two parts,
and screw or otherwise fasten a dise or plate of brass, bronze, or other suitable
metal or material on to the under side of the top part, and a similar plate of
the same material on to the upper surface of the lower part, so that when the
two parts of the heel are placed together these two plates are brought into
juxtaposition. In the centre of one of the metal plates (the top or bottom
one indifferently) I cut a square hole passing either through or only partially
through the thickness of the plate, and on the other plate which is to be brought
into juxtaposition, with it I form a projection, the shape of which will be the
exact counterpart of the hole in the first-mentioned plate. The two parts of
the heel will be secured together by a pin passing through a hole in the
centre of the lower part of the heel, and which may either form part of the
top plate, in which case its shoulder may form the square or other projection
which is to take into the hole or slot made in the under plate, and its lower
end will be screw threaded to receive a flat nut of brass, or other suitable
metal or material, which when the two plates are brought close together will
be countersunk in the bottom or tread of the heel; but this pin may also
pass up from the tread of the heel, in which case its head will take the place
of the nut above mentioned, and the pin will be screw threaded at that part
which passes through the holes in the centre of the top and bottom plate,

page_text: which hole will also be screw threaded, and thus the two parts of the heel
will be drawn tightly together. It will be evident that if the pin or screw
forms part of the top plate, the lower plate only will have a hole through its
centre. This method of fastening is much more certain and durable than any
spring fastening, and also less expensive.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the annexed Sheet of Drawing illustrate the
construction of a man's boot heel made according to my Invention.
Figure 1 being a vertical section through the centre of boot heel, and
Figures 2, 3, and 4 detached parts of same, the fastening pin or screw forming
part of the top plate.
a, top plate (shewn detached at Figure 2); b, bottom plate (shewn detached
at Figure 8); c, pin or screw passing from top plate through lower plate and
bottom part of heel, where it is secured by the nut d, which has two slots e
(see Figure 4), in order that it may be unscrewed with a key provided for
that purpose; (Figures 1 and 2) is the projecting square piece which takes
into the sunken square g of the plate 6 (see Figures 1 and 3); h, lower part
of heel; i, tread or bottom of heel; j, screws fastening plate to heel, and k, hole
for the passage of pin c.
The action is as follows:-When it is desired to
turn the heel and bring another part of the tread into the place most subject to
wear, the nut d is unscrewed from the pin c, either wholly or enough to permit
the lower part of the heel to be sufficiently moved from the top part or plate
a, that the projecting square f may come out of the sunken square g, leaving
the part h free to be turned round right or left, and when it has received one
quarter turn the projection f can drop again into the sunken square g, and
the whole be again secured in position by screwing up the nut d, or the
may receive another quarter turn and be then secured.
part h
Figures 6, 7, and 8 illustrate a man's boot heel made according to my
Invention, the fastening screw or pin c passing up from beneath and not
forming part of the top plate.
a, Figure 5, vertical section through centre of boot heel; Figure 6, top plan
view of bottom part of heel; b, bottom plate or disc; g, sunken square; h,
boot heel; Figure 7, bottom plan view of top part of heel; a, top plate; f
projecting square; b, top part of heel. It will be observed that in this
arrangement, the plates or discs a and b are countersunk in their respective
parts of the heel, and that their rims do not appear on the exterior as at
Figure 1. Figure 8, pin c detached; m, slot for screwing up; here the screw
passes from the head i up through the lower h part of the heel, and through
the plates 6 and a, the central holes in which are screw threaded. By un-
screwing the pin c two or three turns, the projection f may be drawn out of g,

page_text: and the lower part of the heel become free to be turned as may be required.
Figure 9 illustrates the application of this last-described arrangement to the
heel of a lady's boot. The plates a and b may be placed near the top of the
heel, in the centre or elsewhere as may be desired. My experience leads me
to believe that less than a quarter turn of the lower part of the heel will rarely
be required, and I would therefore, usually use a square projection and hole
or slot; but my projecting piece may be made sexagonal, octagonal, or present
any desired number of sides, so that the slot hole or countersunk part which
is to receive it be of precisely the same shape. The projection may be made on
the top plate as shewn in the Drawing, or on the bottom plate, in which case
the sunken square will necessarily be formed in the top plate. The method of
fastening by pin or screw herein-before described and shewn will be found very
preferable to any spring arrangement, being more certain and durable, and
less expensive. Or in some cases I take the lower half of a boot heel and
put thereon a plate having a projecting square, this I screw by, say, four
screws on to the upper surface of said lower half of boot heel, and on to the
under face of the upper part of the boot heel, which part is attached to and
forms part of the boot, I fix by pins, screws, or otherwise a plate having a
square cut in its centre to admit the projecting square on the lower half, I
then place said lower half in position, and pass a screw through the inner part
of the boot (at the heel), and screw it firmly down, there being a screw thread
cut in the projecting square on the lower part of the heel to receive it, as the
screw tightens up the lower portion of the heel and firmly secures it to
the upper part the head of the screw becomes countersunk in the inner boot
heel or tread, and the head of the screw being lined or covered no irritation is
imparted to the heel of the wearer. I repeat that although I mention above
only a projecting square, the projection may be sexagonal, octagonal, or of
more sides, and the holes in the plates made to correspond.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the means
by which I carry it into practical effect, I would have it understood that I do
not confine myself to the exact details herein given, nor to any precise
dimensions of the several parts, as such may be varied and modified without
departure from my Invention, but what I claim as of my Invention as secured
to me by the Letters Patent herein in part recited is, the manufacture of a
moveable boot beel in two parts to be adjusted in different positions by means
of a single central projection taking into a single slot or hole or countersunk
part, and secured in position by means of a central screw or pin, whether
such projection and hole or countersunk part be square or many sided, and
no matter what the shape of these sides, so that the shape of the projection

page_text: and that of the hole which is to receive it be identical, the whole substantially
as herein-before described and illustrated on the annexed Sheet of Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Mole, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
CHARLES MOLE. (L.S.)