CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MACHIN, of Stockport, in the County of Chester, Shoemaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Seventeenth day of June, in the fourteenth year of Her reign, and
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Machin, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said John Machin, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, and such others as I,
the said John Machin, my exors, admors, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England and Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOTS AND SHOES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said John Machin, shall cause
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled 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
John Machin, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following explana-
tion thereof; that is to say:-
My Invention consists, first, in manufacturing boots and shoes with circular
heels, in such a manner that the heels of the same may be attached or
detached at pleasure, and consequently varied, both in form or height, at the
convenience of the wearer; and, secondly, in so arranging and adapting the
said heels that they are adjustable on a centre, in order that, as the heel is
worn down at one portion of its circumference, the circular heel may be
detached and readjusted, so as to present a fresh point of bearing, thus causing
the wear of the heel to be equal at all points of its circumferance, and pre-
serving the heel level until quite worn away. Besides the convenience thus
secured by preserving the heel of the boot or shoe constantly level, and a
considerable economy effected by exposing all parts of the heel successively to
the wear, much time, inconvenience, and expence are saved by the said heels
being so adapted that when worn away they may be at once readily removed
and replaced by others, at the convenience of the wearer, without the usual
recourse to a workman. Another important feature in my Invention is, that by
its use the compter of the boot or shoe is preserved in its original state in con-
sequence of its not being subjected to unequal pressure by the heel wearing
on one side only, and also the seat of the boot will remain entire, and wear
much longer, owing to its not being destroyed or weakened by nails and
stitches, as in the case in the ordinary method of repairing boots and shoes as
hitherto practised. Such being the nature and object of my said improve-
ments, I will proceed to describe the method of carrying the same into
practical effect, which will be readily understood upon referring to the Sheet
of Drawings (accompanying these Presents) and the following description
thereof:-
Fig. 1 represents a side view of a boot with the circular heel detached, the
dotted line shewing the position of the heel when replaced; Fig. 2 is a view
of the sole of the boot with the moveable part of the heel detached; and
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the heel of the boot, shewing more distinctly
the method of constructing the same. a, a, is a circular metal plate, having
a screw 6 attached to it. The plate a is placed between the insole c and the
sole d, not being fixed, and the screw b passes through the sole d. e is a
circular piece of leather, gutta percha, or other material suitable for wear,
which forms the moveable part of the heel, and has a plate of metal f fixed to

page_text: it; or the moveable heel may, if preferred, be made entirely of metal. The
plate has a centre bush g, which is tapped with a thread corresponding
with that of the screw b. The fixed part of the heel is formed by circular
"lifts" h, h, as usual, with this exception, that they must be perforated to
admit the bush g, and must be surmounted by a "ring lift" of the same
thickness as the plate f. It will thus be evident that the part e of the heel may
be readily attached to or detached from the part by screwing or unscrewing
the same. I would here remark, that the length of the screw 6 must be so
regulated that the two surfaces of leather shall come in contact before the
screw is "home," which will effectually prevent the heel from revolving, and
consequently screwing off whilst walking. The screws of the two boots may
also be made one right-handed and the other left-handed, for the same
purpose. The method of presenting a fresh point of bearing as the heel
becomes worn is as follows:-The moveable portion e of the heel is to be
detached by unscrewing; the screw b and plate a are then to be turned a
portion of a revolution, a notch or "sawgate" being cut in the end of the
screw b for that purpose (see Fig. 2). When the moveable part e is replaced
and screwed home its position will be found to have altered in a degree cor-
responding with the position given to the screw b. I would here observe,
that this Invention is also applicable for the purpose of attaching spurs to the
heels of boots, in which case the "ring lift" is dispensed with and the spur
made with a corresponding ring. The spur will thus become firmly fixed by
screwing on the heel. The ring of the spur must be provided with spikes or
a tongue, taking into the fixed part of the heel, in order to prevent it from
turning and unscrewing the heel.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention, together
with the method of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark, in
conclusion, that I claim as my Invention,-
First, the manufacturing of boots or shoes with circular heels, in such
a manner that the same may be attached or detached at pleasure. And,
Secondly, the so arranging or adapting the said moveable heels that they
are capable of being readily adjusted so as to present a fresh point of bearing
when they become worn.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Machin, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
JOHN (L.s.) MACHIN.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of December, in
the year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid John Machin came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.