IMPROVEMENTS IN HERTS FOR BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Chambers, of 6, Victoria Place, Saint
George's Road, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, for the In-
vention of if IMPROVEMENTS IN HERTS FOR BOOTS AND SHOES "
Sealed the 2nd April 1874, and dated the 21st October 1873.

page_text: fixed by screws to the under side of the ordinary leather heel, and a
movable cast metal disc having a stud or boss in the centre which is
received into a hole prepared for it in the middle of the plate or frame.
The disc is secured to the frame by spreading or rivetting over the head
of the boss or stud.
The fixed plate or frame has a flange extending around the back of
the heel and more or less along its sides, this flange takes a portion of
the wear to which the heel is exposed, whilst the remainder is sustained
by the movable disc which around its periphery is of the same height
as the flange.
The plate or frame has three or other number of screw holes in it for
the screws for fixing it to the heel, and openings are also formed to
lighten the plate or frame.
E
1
The disc has a square hole in the centre to receive a key by which it
can be turned, and there is also a hole on one side of the disc for the 1
insertion of the screws by which the plate or frame is fixed to the
heel. Between its periphery and the stud or boss in the centre, there
is an annular hollow which may if desired be filled in with leather.
When the heel becomes at all worn its original uniform height is
restored by turning the disc partly round, by which means an unworn 2
part of the disc is brought up to the worn part of the outer flange
and the worn part of the disc is brought up to a part of the flange
which is complete and unworn.
In some cases, especially for the heels of ladies' boots, I dispense
with the flange of the fixed plate or frame, and bed the plate or frame 2
and disc in a circular recess in the ordinary leather heel.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-threc, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her. heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Chambers, Her special
license that I, the said George Chambers, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Chambers, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HEELS FOR BOOTS AND SHOES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Chambers; my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing, under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Chambers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in heels for boots
and shoes.
In order to compensate for the irregular wear of the heels of boots
and shoes, I construct a rotary heel in the following manner :-This
rotary heel consists of two parts, a cast metal plate or frame which is
fixed by screws to the under side of the ordinary leather heel, and a
movable cast metal disc having a stud or boss in the centre which is
received into a hole prepared for it in the middle of the plate or frame.
The disc is secured to the frame by spreading or rivetting over the head
of the boss or stud.
The fixed plate or frame has a flange extending around the back of
the heel and more or less along its sides, this flange takes a portion of

page_text: side.. This boss is received into a hole as in the centre of the plate or
frame a, and it is secured before either of the parts are attached to
the boot or shoe by spreading or rivetting the end of the boss over
on the upper side of the plate a. 6* is a square hole in the centre of
the boss to receive a key. The disc has a raised edge 63 on its under
side, and the hollow or space between this raised edge and the boss is
filled with a ring of leather c which is retained in its place by the
points 63 springing from the surface of the disc. The leather ring c is
inserted after the action has been fixed to the heel, and the screws for
this purpose are inserted through the hole b** in the disc b.
When the rotary action has been fixed the heel is finished by building
it up with leather at the front, so as to form a flush surface!
Figure 5 is an under side view, and Figure 6 is a section of an
"action" in which the flange a² is dispensed with; the separate parts
are shewn at Figures 7, and an under side view of the heel complete at
Figure 8. The disc b, as will be seen, is in this case embedded in a
recess in the piece of leather which forms the under side of the
heel.
Figure 9 is an under side view, and Figure 10 is a section of an
action in which the raised edge 3 of the disc is dispensed with.
Figures 11 shew the parts separately, and Figure 12 an under side
view of the complete heel. In this arrangement the under surface of
the rotating part of the heel is wholly of leather, excepting where
the boss in the centre appears. The outer flange a² of the plate a
is retained in the arrangement shown in these Figures, but this also
may be dispensed with simultaneously with the raised edge 62.
An arrangement in which both these parts are absent is shown at
Figures 13, 14, 15, and 16; Figure 13 being an under side view of the
action; Figure 14 a section of the same; Figure 15 plans of the parts
separately; and Figure 16 an under side view of the heel of a boot
or shoe provided with such an action.
This construction avoids altogether the appearance of metal on the
under surface of the heel, it is however less durable than the other
constructions, especially than that shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4,
although more durable than a heel of ordinary construction.

page_text: What I claim is, the construction of heels for boots and shoes,
substantially as described and shewn in the Drawings hereunto
'annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Chambers, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
.