GB2161363A

GB2161363A - Top pieces for shoe heels

Info

Publication number: GB2161363A
Application number: GB08417678A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Arthur Prescott
Original assignee: GARNAR BOOTH PLC
Current assignee: GARNAR BOOTH PLC
Priority date: 1984-07-11
Filing date: 1984-07-11
Publication date: 1986-01-15
Also published as: GB2161363B; GB8417678D0

Abstract

A top piece for a shoe heel comprises a diecast shell (1), preferably formed of a zinc alloy. The shell is in the form of a U-shaped rim (2) with an upper plate (3) integral therewith. A hardened pin (6) extends through a hole (5) in the plate, for attaching the completed top piece to a shoe heel. A body (7) of a hardwearing plastics material, such as polyurethane, is injection moulded into the shell so that the body extends through the open bottom of the shell so that the body extends through the open bottom of the shell and covers the lower edge (9) of the rim. The plate (3) has a slot (4) therein, so that nails or other fixing members can pass therethrough into the heel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Top pieces for shoe heels This invention relates to top pieces for shoe heels, particularly for the heels of ladies' shoes.

As the area of the tip of the heel of a lady's shoe which makes contact with the ground is often small, that tip is subjected to very considerable wear. It is, therefore, usual to manufacture the tip as a separate piece from the rest of the heel, so that it can be made wear-resistant, and also so that it can be readily removed from the heel when it is worn, and quickly renewed. Such a tip is known as a "top piece".

Various kinds of top pieces have previously been used. For example, top pieces comprising a steel member with means, such as a central steel pin, for attaching the member to the heel, have been used. Such top pieces are reasonably wear-resistant but, due to the high loading on the small area, they dig into the surface on which the lady is walking. A polished wooden floor can suffer quite bad scratching and indentations due to the use of such top pieces.

Top pieces made of plastics materials with a moulded-in central steel pin have been used, but they do not wear well and they suffer from a serious disadvantage in that after a relatively short period the plastics material can pull away from the pin and fall off. This leaves the pin projecting from the heel, so that its end can seriously damage the floor.

Pressed-steel shells with leather or plastics inserts have been used, but once the leather or plastics material wears down to the level of the hard steel, the shell comes into contact with the walking surface and the steel produces a dangerous cutting edge. Furthermore, even when new the steel pressings do not have a pleasing appearance.

In order to avoid the use of hard and damagecausing top pieces incorporating steel members, top pieces have been made of relatively soft alloys, such as the zinc alloys conforming to British Standard Specification BS 1004A. Such alloys have proved to be hard-wearing and durable on small heels.

Top pieces made wholly of diecast alloy BS 1004A are the most popular type in use today, particularly for the very small heels 10 mm and smaller but, as heel sizes increase with the fashion trends, this form of top piece will not be ideal as the knurled attaching pin will not prevent the top piece from rotating on the heel in wear. This type also damages floors but, to date, they are the only satisfactory product.

Shoe manufacturers and repairers also fix top pieces which have been cut from sheets of polyu rethane, nitrile rubber and various mixtures of sty rene butadiene and thermoplastic rubbers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved top piece for heels of all sizes, from the smallest ladies' heel to the largest mens' heel, measuring say, from 6 mm to 90 mm across.

According to one aspect of the invention, a top piece for a shoe heel comprises a diecast alloy shell having an opening in one of its major surfaces; and a body of hardwearing plastics material moulded within the shell and filling the shell.

According to another aspect of the invention a method of manufacturing a top piece for a shoe heel comprises the steps of diecasting an alloy shell having an opening in one of its major surfaces; and moulding a body of hardwearing plastics material within the shell and filling the shell.

Preferably the plastics body extends out of the shell through the opening and includes an integral layer entirely covering said major surface.

For smaller top pieces, the shell can be provided with a hard knurled pin extending from the opposite major surface of the shell for attaching the top piece to a shoe heel. For larger sizes, the top piece can be attached by grindery, i.e. rivets or nails.

Preferably, the shell is made of a zinc alloy comforming to BS1004A, and the moulded plastics body is formed of polyurethane.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an underneath plan view of a shell of a top piece; Figure 2 is a cross section of the shell taken on a line Il-Il of Figure 1, with a fixing pin inserted therein; Figure 3 is a pictorial view of a completed top piece; and Figure 4 is a plan view of an alternative form of shell.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, a diecast shell 1 is formed from an alloy, such as one of the BS1004A alloys. The shell comprises an outer open-ended U-shaped rim 2 and an upper plate 3 integral therewith. The bottom of the shell is open. The plate 3 is shaped to provide a slot 4 through which grindery, i.e. fixing nails, can be inserted, as required, when the finished top piece is attached to the heel. The edge of the plate 3 adjacent the open end of the U-shaped rim 2 is shaped for the same purpose. A central hole 5 is provided through the plate to receive a fixing pin 6.

Referring also to Figure 3, the shell 1, with the pin 6 in position, is placed in a mould which fits closely around the shell, and a body 7 of hardwearing plastics material, preferably thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, is injection moulded within the shell and extending through the open bottom of the shell. The shell is thereby filled with the plastics material and a layer 8 of the material covers the edge 9 of the rim 2.

The pin 6 has a fluted shank 10 and a head 11.

The head has a shouldered portion 12 which is a close fit in the hole 5, to prevent the plastics material from escaping past the head during the moulding process. The flutes on the shank 10 assist in retaining the pin in a hole or a tube reinforcement in the shoe heel, and prevent the top piece from rotating on the heel when in use. Larger top pieces will be secured to the heels by grindery.

The layer 8 may have a pattered lower surface to improve its appearance and to act initially to pre vent the wearer from slipping.

The shell 1 may alternatively be formed from any other alloy which is suitable for diecasting such as aluminium- based, copper-based or tinbased alloys, provided that the alloys are sufficiently hard to give reasonable wearing properties and do not produce dangerous burred-over cutting edges. The plastics material may alternatively be p.v.c. or thermoplastic rubber or any other material giving adequate wear when it is supported and surrounded by the alloy shell.

The top piece of the present invention has the following advantages over the previous top pieces.

The combination of an alloy shell and a plastics moulding provides good wearing properties. The plastics moulding is well supported within the shell and is prevented thereby from pulling away from the pin 6 or the grindery. In use, the layer 8 wears away, so that the shell makes contact with the ground, but only the relatively narrow rim 2 of the shell. The major contact area is provided by the softer plastics moulding within the shell. The thin alloy rim chips away in wear, and does not leave a dangerous cutting edge. The die-casting and moulding processes produce a nicely-finished article, of pleasing appearance.

The moulding machine may be designed to mould, say, eight top pieces at a time, on a common sprue from which the top pieces can readily be detached.

Claims

1. A top piece for a shoe heel, comprising a diecast alloy shell having an opening in one of its major surfaces; and a body of hardwearing plastics material moulded within the shell and filling the shell.

2. A top piece as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shell comprises a U-shaped rim and a plate integral therewith extending across the rim at one edge thereof.

3. A top piece as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plate has at least one slot therein through which nails or other fixing members can be inserted into a shoe heel.

4. A top piece as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, including a hardened pin extending perpendicularly from the plate for attaching the top piece to a shoe heel.

5. A top piece as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the plastics body extends out of the shell through the opening and includes an integral layer entirely covering said major surface.

6. A top piece as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the shell is formed of a zinc alloy.

7. A top piece as claimed in claim 6, wherein the zinc alloy conforms to British Standard Specification BS 1004A.

8. A top piece as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body of plastics material is formed of polyurethane.

9. A method of manufacturing a top piece for a shoe heel, comprising the steps of diecasting an alloy shell having an opening in one of its major surfaces; and moulding a body of hardwearing plastics material within thesheel and filling the shell.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, including the additional step, effected before the moulding step, of inserting a hardened pin into a hole in the opposite major surface of the alloy shell so that the pin extends from the shell, for attaching the top piece to a shoe heel.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the shell is formed of a zinc alloy.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the zinc alloy conforms to British Standard Specification BS 1004A.

13. A method as claimed in any one of claims 9-12, wherein the body of plastics material is formed of polyurethane.

14. A top piece for a shoe heel, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A method of forming a top piece for a shoe heel, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.