Improvements in Boot and Shoe Heels.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 13th May, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boot and Shoe Heels.
I, JAMES JOSEPH NAUGHTON, of 170, W, 121st Street, in the City of New York
(Borough of Manhattan), in the County and State of New York, United States
of America, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to provide an attachment to boot and shoe
heels, whereby the wearing surface of a heel may be removed at will and replaced
by a new wearing surface when desired.
Another object of the invention is to provide for the attachment of a tread
lift of any desired character to a heel, and to supply means whereby the detachable
lift may be expeditiously and conveniently secured to the heel or detached there-
from.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the
several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar oharacters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a portion of a shoe sole and the heel for the
shoe, illustrating the adaptation of the heel to receive the detachable tread lift,
portions of the heel being broken away:
Figure 2 is a section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a section taken at right angles to the section shown in Figure 2,
and on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the detachable lift for the heel of a boot or shoe;
and
Figure 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.
A represents the sole of a shoe and B the heel thereof, which heel is adapted
to receive an auxiliary and detachable lift or lifts C. The body portion B of
the heel, or that portion that is attached to the sole, is provided with a recess 10
at or near its centre, extending from the front of the heel in direction of the rear,
and preferably the upper wall of the recess 10 is made tapering, the inclination
of said upper wall of the recess being in a downwardly and rearwardly direction.
The recess 10 is connected directly with a vertical recess 10" made in the front
surface of the body of the heel, as illustrated in Figure 2. A plate 11 is secured
to the bottom surface of the heel proper B, which plate 11 is of substantially
horse-shoe shape, and is attached to the heel proper through the medium of
nails 11 or equivalent fastening devices.
The plate 11 is preferably made of metal, and the space 12 between the members
of the plate is of tapering form, the forward walls a of said space or opening 12
being given an inward and rearward inclination to a point near the centre of
the plate, from which point the walls a¹ are more sharply and decidedly inclined

page_text: toward each other to meet a straight rear wall a². The inner walls of the plate 11
are provided with a groove 13, shown best in Figure 3, and the space between
the members of the plate 11 is designed to be closed by a plate 14, that is attached
to the auxiliary section, or to the detachable lifts C above referred to.
The plate 14 is shown best in Figure 4, and is provided with a marginal flange
or tongue 15, adapted to enter the groove 13 in the main heel plate 11; when the
tongue 15 of the plate 14 of the detachable section of the heel has been fully
entered into the groove 13 of the main plate of the body of the heel, the plate 14
of the detachable section of said heel will evenly and completely close the space
between the members of said main plate 11. The plate 14 is secured to the detach-
able portion of the heel by means of nails 16, or their equivalents, and said
plate 14 of the detachable. section C of the heel is provided near the front at its
centre with an aperture 17, shown best in Figures 2 and 4.
In connection with the body B of the heel, or that portion of said heel that
is permanently attached to the sole, a spring 18 is employed. This spring is
provided with a stud 19 projecting beyond its under surface, and adapted to enter
said aperture 17, as shown in Figure 2, when the detachable section of the heel
is to be secured to the body portion, preventing forward and rearward movement
of the detachable section of the heel, while the plate 14 serves the dual purpose
of locking the detachable section to the fixed or main section of the heel, and
prevents side movement. The spring 18 is provided with an upwardly-extending
member 18" at the front; and when the spring 18 is located upon the main portion
of the heel, the upwardly-extending member 18" is located within the front
recess 10" of the main or body portion of the heel, as shown in Figure 2. The
body portion of the spring 18 extends below the inclined recess 10 in the body
portion. B of the heel, and the rear portion of the spring 18 is made to enter a
the rear
the upper face
central portion of
for
as illustrated
the body of the heel,
in Figure 5. The spring 18 is
in
held securely
engagement with
the body portion of the heel by means of a screw 20, or an equivalent device,
passed through the face or body plate 11 into and through said spring, as shown
in Figure 2.
21 made in
recess
the main
face plate 11
or
of
The forward upwardly projecting member 18" of the spring is usually provided
with an opening 18b, so that when the attached section C of the heel is to be
removed from said body section, a nail or other instrument may be introduced
into the opening 18 and said spring 18 be lifted sufficiently to clear the stud 19
from the removable section of the heel, permitting said removable section to
be drawn forwardly and horizontally from its engagement with the main or
face plate 11 of the heel.
I desire it to be distinctly understood that the detachable section C of the heel
may consist of one or more lifts of leather, rubber or other material, and that the
under face of the detachable section of the heel may be given any shape that in
practice may be found desirable. Furthermore, that calks may be integrally
formed upon the under or tread surface of the detachable section of the heel, or
that calks may be removably introduced into said detachable. section if desired.
Under the construction shown it is evident that the tread surface of a heel
may be removed and replaced by another section whenever said surface becomes
worn; or the tread surfaces of heels may be removed and replaced by other
It is likewise evident
tread surfaces adapted to the conditions of the weather.
that the detachable tread surfaces of the heels of a pair of shoes are interchange-
able; therefore, if the outer edge of the heel of the right shoe should become run
down, said detachable section can be placed upon the heel of the left shoe, thus
insuring an even wear of the tread sections of the heels.
Should the detachable tread section of a heel by any means become discon-
nected from the main section of the heel, and the spring 18 interfere with loco-
motion, said spring may be readily removed from the body portion of the heel,
or if necessary may be broken off and another spring be substituted when the

page_text: detachable lift section is replaced by another and connected with the main
section of the heel.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A boot or shoe heel constructed substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The combination, with the heel of a shoe, provided with a recess in its
bottom, the wall of said recess being grooved, of a detachable lift provided with
a projection, the edges of which projection are adapted to enter said groove,
and means for locking the detachable lift to said heel, for the purpose set forth.
3. A boot or shoe heel having a recess in its bottom surface, the recess ex-
tending to the front of the heel, the wall of said recess being provided with a
groove, a lift having a projection adapted to fit into the recess of the heel proper,
a marginal portion of said projection being adapted to enter said groove, and
a locking device carried by the heel proper and arranged for engagement with
said lift, for the purpose set forth.
4. The combination, with the heel for a boot or shoe, a horse-shoe plate at-
tached to the under surface of said heel, the inner wall of said plate being provided
with a groove, and a spring attached to the heel proper, provided with a down-
wardly extending stud, of a lift having a projection upon its upper face corre-
sponding in contour to the shape of the space between the members of said horse-
shoe plate, said projection having a marginal surface arranged to enter the groove
in said horse-shoe plate, said projection of the lift being further provided with
a recess arranged to receive the stud of said spring, for the purpose described.
5. The combination, with a boot or shoe heel, a plate secured to the under
face of said heel, having an opening extending to the forward portion of the heel,
the wall of said recess being provided with a groove, and a spring detachably
attached to the heel between its under surface and the plate, said spring extending
upward at the forward end of the heel and being capable of upward movement,
and a projection from the under face of the spring, of a lift provided with a plate,
adapted to fill the space between the members of the plate attached to the body
of the heel, the plate of the lift having a tongue arranged to enter the groove
in the plate attached to said body of the heel, the lift plate being further provided
with an opening arranged to receive the projection from said spring, as described.
Dated thie 4th dor of Anvil 1899
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.