Improvements in Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1899-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1899
Improvements in Boots and Shoes.
I, ATTILIO VIANELLO, Captain in the Royal Italian Army, of 233, Corso
Vittorio Emanuele, Naples, Italy, 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:-
This invention has for its object to so form a boot or shoe that the same can
be readily taken to pieces and certain parts thereof exchanged.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood I have caused to
be appended hereunto one sheet of drawings marked with letters of referenos
indicating like parts in the various figures.
In carrying out my invention my improved boot or shoe is composed
1) of a base (Figs. 1 & 2) formed by back quarters a, the counter b, the heel c,
the sole d the latter having from twenty-six to thirty-two rectangular holes e & x.
2) of the vamp f (Fig. 3) united to the welt g, by means of the inner sole h,
the front end of the welt projecting from the vamp and being also provided with
rectangular holes i which correspond with those in the sole d (Fig. 2).
3) of the half sole s (Fig. 4) having conical holes j, which correspond with
those e of the outer sole d (Fig. 2) and the holes i of the welt g (Fig. 3).
4) (Fig. 5) of two leather straps k which are passed through the slits m & n
in order to unite, the back quarters a with the vamp f (Fig. 1 & 3), the swelling
at the inner end of the said straps serving to facilitate the fixing of the same
in the first slits of the back quarters a.
5) (Fig. 6) is an elevation and perspective view of one of the twenty-six, thirty-
two or other required number of aluminium nails r having conical heads o
and stems p.
The heel piece c is strengthened at 9 (Fig. 2) by conical pins (Fig. 10) of steel,
iron, brass or any other metal, disposed with their larger end towards the inside
and fixed to the sole d by means of small iron nails.
Each pair of shoes or boots is provided with pieces for exchange, namely with
two other vamps f, two half-soles s, four leather straps and the necessary
number of aluminium nails r. All the interchangeable pieces are identical to
those already described
The heads of the aluminium nails r may be pyramidically conical and have a
rectangular or polygon base (Fig. 7), whilst the holes ; of the half soles are
of a corresponding shape.
The said nails may be made of any other convenient form and although I prefer
to make them of aluminium, they may also be made of iron, brass, copper or any
other suitable metal.
In putting the shoe or boot together the half sole s is placed below the sole d
to coincide therewith and fastened thereto by four nails driven through the
slits x.
The vamp with the inner sole h is placed upon the sole d, and the
back part of the inner sole h below an auxiliary inner sole over the heel, as
shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the vamp and the inner sole have been

page_text: placed upon the sole d as described, the holes i of the projecting welt g will
coincide with those e of the outer sole d, after which the nails r are driven in
from below, until their heads o are level with the half solc, the stems p passing
through the outer sole d and the guard 9 into the upper part. Afterwards the
half sole, the outer sole and the welt are tightly pressed together with ordinary
pincers by placing the lower part of the pincers on the head of every nail, after-
wards all the projecting ends of the stems are bent over with a screw-driver or
any other suitable iron.
The vamp fis afterwards united with the back quarters a by the leather straps k.
This system offers the advantage, that when the half soles and the vamps are
worn, they can be replaced in the following way.
The stems bent on the welt, are raised with a screw-driver or any other
suitable tool, by introducing the point thereof between the inner sole and the welt
whilst the latter is detached with the vamp from the sole.
The leather straps are untied and the stems of the four nails whereby the half
sole is fixed to the outer sole are then raised and by placing afterwards the
screw-driver between them, the half sole is detached, the nails remaining fixed
to it.
The vamp and the half sole are then replaced by a reserve one and the shoe or
boot put together again as previously described.
This make of shoe or boot reduces the weight in baggage, as instead of carry-
ing a number of complete shoes or boots for change, a set of reserve pieces have
only to be carried which is of great importance for troops.
A further advantage is that a good quality of shoes or boots can be secured as
owing to the same being detachable bad material would be easily detected and
thus more wear of the shoe or boot secured.
If the shoes or boots are intended for mountaineering, or if the half sole is
required to be extra strong in order that it will last nearly as long as one of the
vamps, in addition to employing the nails shown in Figs. 6, 7 & 8, other special
nails with large stems, see Fig. 9, rivetted on brass washers, to the inner side
of the half soles and with heads projecting on the outside may be employed.
Having now 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:-
A boot or shoe adapted to be taken to pieces and secured together by metal
nails of suitable shape and leather straps, substantially in the manner as herein-
before described and illustrated in annexed drawings.
1
1000
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicant.