A NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT OR APPARATUS FOR PRESERVING THE HEELS OF TROUSERS FROM WET AND DIRT
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Spencer, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
INSTRUMENT OR APPARATUS FOR PRESERVING THE HEELS OF TROUSERS
FROM WET AND DIRT."
Sealed the 23rd July 1878, and dated the 5th February 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Spencer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th February 1878..
WILLIAM SPENCER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer.
"A NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT OR APPARATUS FOR PRESERVING THE HEELS
OF TROUSERS FROM WET AND DIRT."
My Invention consists of the instrument or apparatus herein-after described to
be connected with the rear or hind part of the boot or shoe for the purpose of pro-
tecting the bottom of the trousers from wet and dirt.
The said instrument or apparatus is constructed by preference in the following
manner: A tubular socket having in cross section a semicircular figure, and
having an attaching plate, is fixed to the rear or hind part of the boot or shoe.
The attaching plate is situated inside the boot or shoe, and the socket passes
through an opening in the boot or shoe to the outside. The attaching plate, which
has a concavity similar to that of the part of the boot or shoe at the place where it
is attached, is secured in its place by sewing. A piece of strong wire, about two
inches long, fits in the socket described. That end of the wire which enters the
socket is provided with a spring snap fastening; that is, when it is placed in the
socket and pushed home it is fastened by the said spring snap. The upper part of
the wire is bent somewhat out of the line of the socket; the top of the wire
inclining outwards or from the boot or shoe. The socket is permanently fixed in
the boot or shoe, but the wire described is removeable, pressure on the spring
permitting it to be withdrawn from the socket.
In using this instrument or apparatus the bottom of the trousers, which in its
ordinary position descends to the heel of the boot or shoe, is raised above the top.
'

page_text: of the wire described, and allowed to fall between the said wire and the back of the
boot or shoe. The bottom of the trousers is thus supported at such a distance from
the ground as to protect it from wet and dirt.
In dry weather the wire may be removed, or the bottom of the trousers may
hang in its ordinary position over the wire without removing the wire.
The attaching plate may be connected to the boot or shoe by points on the edge
of the plate passed through the boot or shoe, and clinched, or it may be otherwise
attached.
The wire described may be fixed to the attaching plate, and thus be permanently
connected to the boot or shoe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Spencer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st July
1878.
WILLIAM SPENCER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer.
"A NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT OR APPARATUS FOR PRESERVING THE HEELS
OF TROUSERS FROM WET AND DIRT."
My Invention consists of the instrument or apparatus herein-after described to be
connected with the rear or hind part of the boot or shoe for the purpose of protecting
the hottom or heel of the trousers from wet and dirt.
The said instrument or apparatus is constructed, by preference, in the following
manner: A tubular socket having in cross section a semicircular figure, and
having an attaching plate, is fixed to the rear or hind part of the boot or shoe.
The attaching plate is situated inside the boot or shoe, and the socket passes
through an opening in the boot or shoe to the outside, or the socket may be
attached to the outside of the hind part of the boot or shoe. The attaching plate
which has a concavity similar to that of the part of the boot or shoe at the place
where it is attached, is secured in its place by sewing. A piece of strong wire,
about two inches long fits in the socket described. That end of the wire which
enters the socket is provided with a spring or spring snap fastening; that is, when
it is placed in the socket and pushed home, it is fastened by the said spring or
spring snap.
The upper part of the wire is bent somewhat out of the line of the
socket, the top of the wire inclining outwards or from the boot or shoe. The socket
is permanently fixed in or on the boot or shoe, but the wire described is removeable,
pressure on the spring permitting it to be withdrawn from the socket.
In using this instrument or apparatus the bottom of the trousers, which, in its
ordinary position descends to the heel of the boot or shoe is raised above the top of
the wire described, and allowed to fall between the said wire and the back of the
boot or shoe. The bottom or heel of the trousers is thus supported at such a
distance from the ground as to protect it from wet and dirt.
In dry weather the wire may be removed, or the bottom or heel of the trousers
may hang in its ordinary position over the wire without removing the wire.

page_text: *The attaching plate may be connected to the boot or shoe by points on the edge
of the plate passed through the boot or shoe and clinched; or it may be otherwise
attached.
The wire described may be fixed to the attaching plate, and thus be permanently
connected to the boot or shoe.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, side elevation, and section, my new or
improved apparatus for supporting, and thereby preserving the heels of trousers.
from wet and dirt; Figures 2 and 3 represent the same applied to a boot or shoe,
and exhibit the heel or bottom of the trousers supported by the apparatus above
the heel of the boot or shoe, Figure 2 representing a side elevation of a portion
of a boot or shoe, and Figure 3 a back elevation of the same.
Figure 4 represents the parts of the instrument separately.
'
a is the tubular socket of the instrument, having in cross section a nearly semi-
circular Figure. At the side of the tubular socket are flanges b, b, constituting an
attaching plate, the said plate having a concave figure to fit the back of the boot or
shoo; the said attaching plate b, b, is perforated with small holes, and the socket is
fixed in its place at the back of the boot or shoe by sewing through the said per-
forations in the plate b and through the material of the boot or shoe, as illustrated
in Figures 2 and 3; or instead of sewing the socket to the back of the boot or shoe
the sides of the attaching plate may be furnished with points, which may be
passed through the boot or shoe and clinched on the inside thereof.
I do not, however, limit myself to any particular method of attaching the socket
to the boot or shoe, but I prefer to sew it to the boot or shoe as illustrated in the
Drawing.
c is the removeable or detachable wire by which the trouser heel is supported
when required. The bottom of the supporting wire c is provided with a spring
end c², made by flattening and doubling or folding the end of the wire c, and also
with a notch c for engaging with the lip a², at the top of the tubular socket a.
When the spring end of the wire c is forced into the socket a the said spring end
c² is compressed, and when the notch c is brought opposite the lip a² of the socket
a the said notch snaps upon the said lip, and the wire c is fastened very firmly in
the said socket, as seen in Figure 1.
By pressing between the thumb and finger the tail end c³; of the spring c², and the
part of the wire above the notch, the said notch at c is liberated from the lip a² of
the socket a, and the wire c is released, and may be withdrawn from the socket a.
Although the snap fastening represented answers well in practice, yet I do not
limit myself thereto, as other kinds of fastenings may be employed for fixing the
wire c in its socket. The supporting wire c is slightly curved or inclined outwards
from the boot or shoe, so that when it is fixed in the socket a a space is left between
it and the back of the boot or shoe.
When it is wished to protect the heel d. of the trousers, Figures 2 and 3, from wet
or dirt the supporting wire c is introduced and pushed home in the socket.a, fixed
on the boot or shoe, and the heel d of the trousers is raised above the top of the
wire c, and allowed to fall between the said wire c and the back of the boot or
shoe, as represented in Figures 2 and 3. The bottom of the trousers is in this
way supported at such a distance from the ground as to protect it from wet and
dirt.
The supporting wire c may be removed in dry weather from the socket a, or the
wire need not be removed from the socket a, the bottom of the trousers hanging
over and concealing it.
Instead of making the supporting wire c detachable from the socket as described
and illustrated the said wire may be fixed permanently to the attaching plate, or
jointed to a socket or box fixed permanently to the boot or shoe.
Figure 5 represents in front elevation and side elevation the modification of my

page_text: '
Invention in which the supporting wire c is fixed to the attaching plate b, both parts
being thus permanently connected to the boot or shoe.
Figure 6 represents in back elevation, and Figure 7 in section, the modification
of my Invention in which the supporting wire is jointed to a box or socket on the
boot or shoe.
Figure 8 represents this arrangement applied to a boot or shoe.
In this arrangement the supporting wire c is jointed at cs to the top of the
socket a, which in this case constitutes a box for containing the heel part of the
wire and the spring e, the said box being sewn to the back of the boot or shoe in
the manner before described. When the supporting wire c is not required to be
used for holding the bottom or heel of the trousers above the heel of the boot or
shoe the said wire occupies the position represented in Figure 8. When, however,
the jointed wire c is to be used for supporting- the heel of the trousers it is
pressed outwards or into the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 8, and
the heel of the trousers is lifted and introduced between the said wire and the
back of the boot or shoe. The jointed supporting wire c is held in either of the
two positions shewn by the spring e, in the box or socket a, the upper end of
the said spring bearing upon, one or other side of the angular heel or tail end
of the said jointed wire c. Instead of the spring e a coiled spring may be used to
hold the jointed wire c in either of the positions represented.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,
a new or improved instrument or apparatus for preserving the heels of trousers
from wet and dirt, the parts of which are constructed, combined, and used
substantially as herein-before described, and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Spencer, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM SPENCER. (L.S.)