Improvements in the Manufacture of Heels for Boots and Shoes
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 17th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 19th Feb., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Heels for Boots and Shoes
I, HENRY DELANE RICHARDSON, Director of Baxter, Schenkelberger & Co.,
Limited, 46, Tabernacle Street, Finsbury, in the County of London, Leather
Importers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of machine built heels
for boots and shoes whereby the weight of the heel is considerably lightened, its
appearance improved, and a saving in cost effected.
Machine built heels are usually composed wholly of lifts, that is to say of layers of
leather of uniform substance throughout, and in making these into a heel the
necessary cavity, or "cup" which is required in order that they should fit the back
of the boot is obtained by heavy pressure unequally distributed, that is to say being
heaviest in the centre and lighest at the edges of the heel. I am aware that split
lifts, or welts, have been used in order to equalize the pressure, and for the purpose
of effecting the said saving, but as they have always been fastened by nails or tacks,
such split lifts, or bevelled pieces of leather, secured in such manner are never to be
relied upon to effect the object in view. They are apt to tear out when the heel is'
pared by machinery, or to push out by the nails that should secure them being
displaced by the action of attachment from the inside of the shoe. According to
my invention I stitch by means of any heavy sewing machine suitable for the
purpose one or more split lifts, rands, or welts, to a corresponding number of whole
lifts, placing the stitching where the split lift or rand is thinnest, thus obtaining
hollowed, or "cupped" layers which are then built in with whole lifts in the usual
way. The pressure necessary to produce the cup is thereby materially lessened, and
is more equally distributed. At the same time the use of one or more layers of
leather known as whole lifts is obviated.
Dated this 15th day of Anni 1907
Improvements in the Manufacture of Heels for Boots and Shoes.
I, HENRY DELANE RICHARDSON, Director of Baxter, Schenkelberger & Co., Limited,
46, Tabernacle Street, Finsbury, in the County of London, Leather Importers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My. invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of machine built heels

page_text: for boots and shoes whereby the weight of the heel is considerably lightened, its
appearance improved, and a saving in cost effected.
Machine built heels are usually composed wholly of lifts, that is to say of layers
of leather of uniform substance or thickness throughout, and in making these into a
heel the necessary cavity, or "cup" which is required in order that they should fit
the back of the boot is obtained by heavy pressure unequally distributed, that is to
say being heaviest in the centre and lightest at the edges of the heel. I am aware
that split lifts, or welts, have been used in order to equalize the pressure, and for the
purpose of effecting the said saving, but as they have always been fastened by nails
or tacks, such split lifts, or bevelled pieces of leather, secured in such manner are
never to be relied upon to effect the object in view. They are apt to tear out when
the heel is pared by machinery, or to push out by the nails that should secure them
being displaced by the action of attachment from the inside of the shoe.
66
According to my invention I stitch by means of any heavy sewing machine
suitable for the purpose a split lift, rand or welt, onto a whole lift, placing the
stitching in the thin portion of the split lift or rand, thus obtaining hollowed, or
'cupped" layers which are then built in with whole lifts in the usual way. The
pressure necessary to produce the cup is thereby materially lessened, and is more
equally distributed. At the same time the use of one or more layers of leather
known as whole lifts is obviated. It will be obvious that one or more of my
combined lifts may be employed in building a heel.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by reference
to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a plan; and,
Figure 2 a section shewing one of my combined lifts:
Figure 3 is a section of a built up heel having the said combined lift:
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but shewing the split lift applied to the
underside of the first lift, that is to say, between the first and second lifts.
In the several figures a represents the ordinary whole lifts, b represents a split lift,
rand or welt which as shewn in Figures 1 and 2 is attached by stitching c to a
whole lift a, the stitching c passing through the thin portion of the split lift, rand or
welt b. By this arrangement I obtain a hollowed or cupped layer suitable for
building in with the whole heel lifts as shewn in Figure 3 wherein the split lift is
applied to the "bottom" of the heel.
"
"
The same result is obtained by attaching the split lift, rand or welt b to the
underside of the first lift, as clearly shewn in Figure 4.
I am aware that heels have been made with split lifts fastened by tacking or
nailing, also that two split lifts have been stitched together, I am also aware that
lifts have been sewn together in making heels on hand sewn boots and I make no
claim to such modes of manufacture,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The manufacture and use of the herein described combined lifts, that is to say,
of lifts consisting of split lifts, rands or welts attached by stitching to whole lifts,
substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
2. A machine built boot or shoe heel consisting of a number of ordinary lifts in
combination with one or more of the described combined lifts, substantially as
hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 17th day of Tan 1000
17th day of Januar
day
January 100
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.