AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE, CONSTRUCTION, AND PRODUCTION OF THE HEELS AND THE UPPERS IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES FOR IMPARTING DURABILITY AND PERMANENCY OF FORM TO THE SAID HEELS AND UPPERS
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Theodor Woycke at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th July
1861.
I, THEODOR WOYCKE, of America Square, Minories, in the City of London,
in the County of Middlesex,(Gentleman,) do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE, CONSTRUCTION, AND
PRODUCTION OF THE HEELS AND THE UPPERS IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE HEELS OF
BOOTS AND SHOES FOR IMPARTING DURABILITY AND PERMANENCY OF FORM TO THE
SAID HEELS AND UPPERS," to be as follows:-
I attach to the under and external surface of the heel ordinarily made of
leather, and which for my purpose is previously rounded, a moveable circular
plate of brass or any other metal, or any other suitable material, said plate
being cupped and sunk in the centre, and attached to the leather or other
portion of the heel by means of a screw recessed in the central portion of the
plate, and working in a female screw sunk for the purpose in the body of the
heel, or otherwise in the leather or other material of which the heel may be
composed; said plate, which is so made as to cover the whole surface of the
under external portion of the heel, and to admit by means of a screw-driver
applied to the head of the screw, which is sunk below the general surface of
the under external portion of the plate of revolution, in order to readjust-
ment when any portion of the plate from internal pressure or external friction,
or from any other cause, becomes more worn in one part than another, the part

page_text: most worn revolving to where it will be less exposed to wear and tear; and
when in the course of time a complete revolution has been made, and the plate
worn level, the same process may be repeated; furthermore, I insert a band
or sheet of metal of any kind, or wood, or horn, or other material of suitable
character (excluding leather,as unsuited to the purpose), between the internal
lining of the uppers immediately above the heels, and the leather or other
material constituting the exterior surface of the uppers, so as to prevent from
lateral or oblique pressure by the foot of the wearer the uppers immediately
above the heels from overlapping the heel parts of the boots and shoes, to aid
in equalising or distributing any pressure by the wearer in that part over the
upper surface of the heels of boots or shoes, and so by aiding to keep the
heels and uppers immediately above the heels in their true relative positions,
protecting both from beingwarped from theiroriginal and manufactured form.
I claim the application of the plate or other suitable material, in the form
above described, to boots and shoes of all kinds to the under external portion
of the heels of boots and shoes, whatever the depth or thickness, or material
of said heels; also the mode of attachment and the application of the same to
enable the said plate to be partially or wholly revolved or taken off and again
readjusted; also in conjunction with this circular plate, the insertion between
the internal lining and the external surface of the uppers immediately above
the heels of boots and shoes, of a plate or band of any given material of such
character that it will not yield in its place to any internal pressure. This
application has the following advantages:-The inconvenience arising from
any one portion of a heel on its external under surface being worn more than
another portion is compensated for by a partial revolution of the plate above
described, the uppers being kept in their place by the band or plate inserted
in them, and so the pressure of the foot being equally diffused overthe internal
surface of the heel, there is less unequal wear in the under surface of the heels
of boots and shoes than would otherwise be occasioned, and durabilityof form
to heels and uppers is ensured.