IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Mole, of Tottenham Court Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Boot Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
Sealed the 25th January 1870, and dated the 9th November 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Mole at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
November 1869.
1, CHARLES MOLE, of Tottenham Court Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Boot Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said In.
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES,"
to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is so to make the heel of a boot or shoe
that the wearer may turn it at pleasure to shift the wear from one part to
another of the bottom surface or head of the heel.
I propose to make the heel in two parts in some cases so that the
lower part may be turned at any moment without the removal of any
[Price 8d.]

page_text: pin, screw, or other fastening, and in other cases I propose to fix the
under part of the heel by a fastening, which must be removed before this
part can be turned. In both cases I use a central pin or stud, but in
the first case a flange at one of its ends is fitted so as to turn in the
leather of either the fixed or the moveable part of the heel; the stem of
this pin is pierced transversely with one or more holes and passing
through the leather enclosing its flange forms a projection, which if the
flange is in the upper part of the heel passes into a hole prepared for its
reception in the lower noveable part, and which on the contrary if the
flange is in the moveable part passes into a hole in the upper fixed part.
when the two parts are against each other. The two parts of the heel
being together if the stem of the pin is in the moveable part I pass a
wire pin, screw, or other fastening transversely through this part of the
heel and through one of the holes in the central pin, so that it is thus
attached to and can rotate with it. If on the contrary the central pin
is carried by the moveable part and its stem is in the fixed upper part
then the fastening by which it is attached is passed transversely through
said fixed part of heel. When it is preferred that the lower part of the
heel should not rotate with the central pin or stud, but only turn when
the fastening is removed I make the central pin a fixture by riveting or
otherwise attaching the flauge to either part of the heel, so that when the
lower part is to be turned the fastening passing transversely through the
stud must be pushed out and replaced when the requisite turn has been
given. In this case it is desirable that the stem of the central pin should
be pierced with a number of holes at right angles to its vertical axis, so
that a very slight turn may bring one of them to receive the fastening
which passes transversely through the heel, and which may be a pin of
equal diameter throughout, so that it may be punched or pushed
out or have a head by which it may be drawn from the heel, or a
screw may be used. If the central pin (which may be solid or hollow)
is to be a fixture it may form part of a metal plate fixed on to either
part of the heel, and I may in each case place metal plates between the
two parts of the heel with central hole for the passage of the pin, but I
prefer to dispense with these plates both on the score of economy and
because without them the heel does not differ in appearance from an
ordinary round heel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Mole in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th May 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
MOLE, of Tottenham Court Road, in the County of Middlesex, Boot
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Mole, Her special license
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 MANUFACTURE 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 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 late 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 Drawings, forming
part of th is Specification, and to the figures and letters of reference
marked thereon, similar letters of reference denoting similar parts where
such parts appear in each of the Figures respectively.
The object of my Invention is to construct the heel of a bout or shoe
in such a manner that the wearer may at pleasure shift the wear from
one part to another of the bottom surface or head of the heel.

page_text: I attain my object in two ways, the one constituting what I herein-
after term a revolving heel, and the other what I term a shifting heel.
Each of these heels is made in two parts, but in the revolving heel tho
lower part may be turned at any moment without the removal of pin,
screw, or other fastening, whereas in the shifting heel the under part is
in its normal state fixed by a fastening, which must be removed before
this part can be turned. In both cases I use a central pin or stud
having a flange at top or bottom, but in the case of the revolving heel
this stud is permitted either to turn freely in the upper and fixed part
of the heel moving with its lower and moveable part, or to form a pivot
upon which this latter may itself turn freely, while in the case of the
shifting heel the stud is screwed, rivetted, or otherwise fixed by its
flange in either part of the heel. The stem of this central pin or stud is
pierced with one or more holes for the passage of the screw, pin, piece
of wire, or other fastening by which the fixed and the moveable part of
the heel are to be held together. In every case this fastening passes
transversely from one or other side of the heel into and through the
hole made in the stud for its reception, but if the flange is in the upper
part of the heel this fastening must be in the lower, and vice versa.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing Figure I. represents an
elevation and plan of central pin or stud as used for a revolving heel.
A, stud; a, flange; b, hole for passage of screw or other fastening by
which the two parts of the heel are kept in juxtaposition.
Figure II., elevation and plan of stud for shifting heel. c, holes for
screws or rivets fixing stud in heel. It will be observed that this stud
is provided with six holes 6 for passage of cross pin or screw, consequently
one of these holes will come in front of the fastening pin or screw at
each one-third of a revolution given to the stud; the number of these
holes will vary at pleasure. The above Figures are drawn to an enlarged
scale.
Figure III. is a section through a revolving heel showing flange a of
stud A in fixed part D, and cross pin or fastening screw B in moveable
part C of heel. The stud A being here simply held and not fixed by its
flange a on the upper part of the heel it revolves with the lower part,
which may therefore be turned by the thumb and finger of the wearer
without the removal of any fastening or the aid of any instrument.
Figure IV. is a similar view of a revolving hecl, but with stud A fixed
by cross pin or screw B to upper part D of heel. Here the lower

page_text: part C of the heel is kept against 1 by the flange a, and revolves not with
but on the stud A, in this case fixed by the pin B.
Figure V. is a section of a shifting heel, that is to say, of a heel the
lower part C of which can only be turned by the removal of the
fastening, B. This arrangement differs from that of the revolving heel
only in that the flange a of the stud is fixed to the lower part of the
heel C by means of the pins d, but the stud being also fixed in the
upper part D by the screw B it follows that no movement can be given
to the part C until the fastening E is removed. To shift the wear from
one part of the head of this heel to another the wearer must unscrew or
draw out the fastening B, turn the lower part C to the required extent,
and by re-inserting the fastening secure it in this position. It will be
evident, that the stud A might, if desired, be fixed by its flange in the
part D and the fastening pass across the part C, but I prefer the
arrangement shown.
Figure VI. shews scrow or cross pin B.
Figure VII. is a plan of lower part of heel with stud A fitted in.
Figure VIII. is an elevation of heel of boot complete shewing head of
cross pin or screw B, the position of which may however be shifted if
desired to any other part of the periphery of the heel. The fastening B
may be a screw or a pin to be punched or pushed out, or having a head by
which it may be drawn out, and be of any shape and material which may
be found applicable for the purpose. The stud A may be either solid or
(as shewn on the Drawing) hollow, be made of iron, brass, or any suitable
metal or material, and its flange a is secured in the upper or lower
part of the heel in the building up of the same, which I need not explain
as it only differs from that of ordinary heels by the hole cut for the passage
of the stem of the stud. If the pin or stud A is to be a fixture it may
form part of a metal plate fixed to either part of the heel, and I might in
every case introduce metal plates between the two parts of the heel with
central hole for the passage of the central pin or stud, but I prefer to
dispense with such plates both on the score of economy and because
without them the heel appears an ordinary round heel with no distinctive
mark on its exterior. The fastening B need not necessarily pass entirely
across the heel from one side to the other.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire it to be under-
stood that I claim,-

page_text: Firstly. The combination of the stud A with the fastening B for the
production of a revolving heel, substantially as herein described and
illustrated Figures III, and IV. of the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The combination of the stud A with the fastening B to form
a shifting heel, substantially as herein described and illustrated Figure V.
of the annexed Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Mole, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy.
CHARLES MOLE. (L.S.)