US1041830A - Edge and bottom protector for shoes. - Google Patents

Description

E. O. & E. MARSHALL. EDGE AND BOTTOM PROTEGTOR FOR SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED APR 22, 1910.

Patented 0013.22, 1912.

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jig/f 2 w W WM pnrrnn srja'rns PATENT ora ion EDWARD C. MARSHALL AND"ER1 IEST MARSHALL, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, AS-

SIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO NOVELTY SELLING COMPANY, 6F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

nnen AND BOTTOM rnozrn'o'ronron snons.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Oct. 22,1912.

Application filed April 22, 1910. Serial No. 556,943.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD C. MAR- SHALL and ERNEST MARsnALL, of Lynn,

off and then to apply successive coats of a form of liquid enamel to the surface with a cloth. or other means, so that the damaged portion is re'e'naineled. This damage usually occurs close to the edge of the shoe, and it is extremely difiicult, and almost impossible to perform this work without applying the liquid enamel to the projecting edge of the sole or the fair, or outer-sole-connecting stitches. As, in many instances, it is desired that these stitches be kept white and that the surface of the extension edge, or the welt be finished in a light color, much difficultv has arisen in preventing discoloration of these parts of the shoe when the tip-repairing operation is performed.

In performing the work of tip-repairing, the fingers usually become soiled with the enamel, and, as the shoe mustbe held in one hand while the enamel is applied with the other, it frequently happens that the sole is stained by the fingers. It is also diiiicult to keep the bench at which the work is performed, free from the enamel, and, as it is often convenient to place the shoe on the bench, the bottoms frequently become soiled in this way. As a light colored finish is required for the soles of many shoes, means for preventing these bottoms from being soiled is desirable.

in the manufacture of white canvas shoes,

or shoes having light-colored uppers, it is frequently necessary to clean the uppers after the shoe is otherwise finished. This cleaning operation is frequently performed by the application of a liquid preparation,

and much difliculty has been occasioned, in performing this operation, by reason of the fact that the liquid frequently runs down on the edge and bottom of the sole, necessitating therefinishing thereof, and thus entailing additional expense.

The shoes which must be repaired or cleaned as above described are delivered to the repairer in widely varying sizes and shapes so that it is practically essential that any protecting means which is employed should be adapted for application to a widevariety of shapes and sizes, both for reasons of convenience and expense, and it is further desirable that such protecting means be adapted for ready application and removal.

The objectof our invention is to provide a protecting device which will enable the tip repairing operation to be readily accomplished and which, at the same time, will effectively prevent damage either to the edge or the bottom of the sole by the application of the tip-repairing enamel, from handling.

A further object of our invention is to provide a simple device which may be man ufactured at small expense and is adapted to be readily applied to, and removed from a shoe, and which is also adapted to hold itself in place when applied, and to be readily conformed to a wide variety of sizes and shapes of soles, and thicknesses of edges.

We accomplish these objects by the means shown in "the' accompanying drawing, in which* Figure 1 is a. top plan View and Fig. 2 a bottom plan view of a protecting device made according to our invention, and showingit as applied to a certain form of sole, Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the application of our device, Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view of an edge portion of the device and Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view showing the application of the device to a different form of sole from that shown in Fig. 2.

According to our invention, we provide a sole-protecting plate of suitable thickness, the contour of which corresponds to the contour of a sole of medium size and shape, of ,the shoe soles to which the.device is designed to be applied, said protecting plateat points which may he considered as ad-- jacent the front ends of the corresponding 'pered with relation t -the under side, so

side portions of a shoe sole, or a short distance in front of the middle portion of the tip. The transverseslots a and a are preferably formed to taper to an extent from their inner to their outer ends, as shown in Fig. l. I

An edge-engaging flange Z) is provided, which is formed integrally with said sole plate and extends continuously about the outer edge thereof, the height ot'said flange corresponding approximately to the. greatest thickness of the edges of the shoes to which the protector is to be applied. The upper edge of said flange is provided with an inwardly extending lip c, the under side of which preferably extends obliquelydownward with relation tothe surface of the sole plate, the upper side of said lip beingtathat it is providedwith a relatively sharp edge, or is wedge shaped n cross-section (see Fig. 5.)

The plate, flange and lip, that is the on tire device, are integrally molded of elastic rubber in a shape which approximately cor responds to the shape of a sole of medium size of the seies of soles to which the device is adap ed to be applied, while the width of said lip at'its under side is at least as great as the width of the edge extension, or distance from the sole edge to the point of connection of the upper of any shoe, to

which the device is' likely to be applied.

In practice,v the projecting edge of the shoe is passed beneath the hp 0 and the flange Z) is pressed closelyagainst the sole edge, so that the lip is tightly wedged between the edge andthe upper, as shown in Fig. 4:.

As theprotector is made of readily flexible and elastic rubber, the flange Z) is adapted to be bent to conform to any configuration of solo, while the lip 0, and the portions of the sole plate opposite the ends of the slots therein, are adapted to be stretched or compressed, so that they in no a) way interfere with the ready bending of the flange at the ends of said slots. For example, in placing the protector on a shoe having a wide, rounding toe, theflange will be bent opposite the end of the middle slot a, so as to swing the two toe sections" apart, while it will be bent opposite the ends of the otc es-o transverse slots, a and a, so that the rear sections will be swung toward their ad jaeent t p sections, as shown in Fig. it may be here note'd'that the slots a and a are made of sullicientwidth at their 'adgaccnt ends to enable the flange o to he conformed to atoe of as wide shape as would be required without having one bottom sec-- tion over-lap another.

in placing the protector on a narrow tied shoe the tip sections will be held close to gether, while the flange bwill be bent opposite the ends of the slots a a, so as to swing the rear sections away from the tip sections, as shown in Fig. Generally the toe-portions of the right and left shoes of a pair vary quite materially in shape,.and it is desirable to have the protector conform equally well to either a right or a left shoe. For example, the inner edge of the toe-portion of many slices is practically straight, while the outer edge is formed on a wide curve. in applying a protector to a shoe of this sort, assuming, for example, that the section ais placcdagamst the inner edge of the sole, the section a will be drawn toward the tip of the shoe, while the section a will be drawn toward the shank, 'with the result that the sides of the slot 0 will be drawn close together, or into engagement, as in Fig. *2, while the sides of the-slot a willbe swung far apart, as in Fig. 6. Under these conditions the extent to which the slot or will be opened will be about half as much as the extent which the slot at is opened.

The lip cis either stretched or pressed together in thus conforming to the different shapes into which. the flange 6 is bent, and is also caused to yield transversely to conform to the varying thicknesses of the sdlc edge. By having the lip c extend obliquely toward the bottom plate, as above described. and. shown in Fig. 5, the device is adapted to be conformed more perfectly to soles of different thickness. That is, in practice the. lip c. is extended toward the bottom plate to an extent sufiicient to engage the upper side of the edge of a-rclatively thin sole, while the height of the flange 7), between the bottom plate and the inner side oi the lip c, is made approximately equal to the thickness of the edge of a relatively thick sole, the lip 0 being adapted to yield according to intermediate variations in thickness. This arrangement also enables the lip to engage the edge of the sole with some force, and thus hold the device more securely in place on the shoe.

lit will be apparentthat the protector may thus be made to conform to any intermediate or dili'ere'nt shape, within reasonable limits. which is likely to be required.

The user, in holding the shoe most conveniently to perform the tip repairing the lit)

- repairer operation, presses the fingers and thumb against opposite side portions of the edge flange 7), while the plate or sole-engagingportion rests onthe palm of the hand, the protector thus being firmly held in position as an incident to the holding of the shoe. Moreover, by reason of the fact that the de vice is made of soft rubber the workman is enabled to secure a much firmer grip on the shoe, and to hold it much more easily, than when the device is not used, as the edges and bottom of the shoe are very slippery when finished, and as the device also protects the fingers from the sharp corners of the sole.

Then the sections are swung apart, the elasticity of the lip c and the sole portion at the ends of the slots (1 and a will tend to draw the flange 7) against the edge of the sole, although, while there is practically no liability of displacement of the protector while the shoe is being held in the hand and operated on as above described, it is frequentl necessary to place the shoe on the bench for a time to permit the enamel to harden, the protector being left on the shoe. In such instances the frictional engagement of the downwardly inclined lip with the surface of the projecting sole edge is s'uflicient to retain the protector in position on the sole. The wedge-shaped form of the lip 0 enables the lip to be force-ii so tightly in between the sole and upper as to prevent the liquid which may be applied to the upper from passing about the edge of the lip onto the sole, and it also affords ready access to the upper close to the point at which it is stitched. so that the enamel thereon may be and in case the device is used when the upper of a shoe is being cleaned, access may be had to the entire upper for this purpose, without danger ofdamage to the sole.

With the above described device, it will be apparent that, not only will the projecting sole edge be effectively protected, but the bottom plate'will prevent the fingers from coming in contact with the sole.

If it is desired to have the bottom plate extended over a greater portion of the sole, said plate may be provided with rearward extensions, as a indicated in dotted lines in Fig. ,9. It will also be obvious that the size of the device may be increased to extend, for example, to the shank, if desired, but for the particular purpose for which the device iscspecially designed the particular form shown is believed to be the most .desir-able.

It will be apparent that each device is adapted to be used for a wide range of sizes,

it being necessary, in practice, to provide only three sizes of the devices for childrens, womens an'din ens shoes.

The ends 'ofithe slots a a and a are made rounding, as shown, to prevent tearing or breaking of the bottom plate at vthe points at which it is bent.

lVe claim:

1. A protector for the tip portion of a shoe-sole comprising a sole-bottom-protecting plate composed of a plurality of partly separated sections, and a flexible, edge-engaging'flange connecting said sections and extending continuously about the outer edges thereof and having a correspondingly ,extending elastic, inturned, protecting and retaining lip for the exposed upper side of the sole arranged to leave free the adjacent portion of the upper, substantially as described.

2. A protector for the tip-portion of a shoe-sole comprising a sole-bottom protecting plate composed of a plurality of partly separated sections having a sole-edge engaging flange extending continuously about the outer edges thereof, said flange having a correspondingly extending, inturned, edge protecting and retaining lip, and said parts being formed of integrally connected elastic rubber permitting the connecting portions of said sections and said flange and lip to be bent to conform to soles'of different shape, substantially as described.

3. A bottom and edge protector for the toe portion of a shoe-sole comprising a soleshaped bottom protecting portion composed of two pairs of jstly separated sections, one pair former is cover portions adjacent the tip end of the sole and the other formed to cover portions in the rear thereof, a per-.

pendicularly disposed, sole-edge-engaging portion integrally connected with said sections, and an inwardly extending lip on the said edge-engaging portion adapted to engage and cover the upper side of the .sole between its edge and the upper and to leave free the adjacent portion of the upper, said parts being formed of elastic rubber, integrally connected to permit relative swinging movement of said sections, substantially as described.

1. A bottom and edge protector for the tip portion of a shoe-sole, integrally formed of elastic rubber, and comprising an edgeengaging flange, molded in sole shape and having at its upper edge a protecting and retaining lip arranged to extend adjacent the upper without hearing against an apflexible wedge-shaped lip disposed to be pressed between the upper and projecting edge of the sole and out of engagement. with an appreciable portion of the surface of the upper, substantially as described.

6. A protector tor the tip portion of a shoe-sole comprising anexpansihle sole-bob tom protecting plate having a flexible, up-

of said plate provided with a'corre-r .SQOIIClIH inwardly extending, protecting lip for the-projecting. portion of the sole arranged to leave tree the adjacent portions of the upper, said flange? and lip and the portionjof said plate opposite the front end ofsaid slot being flexible to'permit the separated portions of said plate to be swung into diflerent relativdpositions, substantially as described.

8. A protector for the tip portion of. a

shoe sole comprising a tip-shaped solebottom protecting platehaving a longitudinal slot extending from the rear end to a point adjacent the tip.end thereof and two transverse slots leading from said longitudinal slot to points at each side of theplate, a sole-edge-engaging flange extending about the edges of said sections and having an inwardly'extending protecting lip for the oroiectin ortion of the sole, said flan 'e and lipand the portions of said plate op posite the ends of said slots being flexible to permit theprotector to be conformed -to soles of different shapes, substantially as described.

9. A protector for the tip portion of a shoe sole comprising a tip-shaped sole-bot tom protecting plate molded of flexible rubber and having a longitudinal slot extending from the rear end toa point adjacent the tip' end thereof and two transverse slots leading from said longitudinal slot to points at each side of the plate, a sole-edge-engag ing flange extending about the edges of said protecting lip tor the proj g, g V the sole, said flangeand lip 'and the portions of said plate opposite the ends of said slots being flexible, and the sides of said transverse slots being formed to converge toward their outer ends to. permit the sections into which said plate is divided thereby to be swung in opposite directions from the normal relative positions in which they are molded, substantially as described.

10. A protector for the tip-portion of a shoe sole comprising a tip-shaped sol ebottom protecting plate jhaving alongitudinal slot extending from the rear end to a point adjacent the tip end thereof and two transverse slots leading from said longitudinal slotto points at each side of the plate, a sole-edge-engaging flange extending about the edges of said sections and having an inwardly extending protecting lip for the projecting portion of the sole, said 2 slots being terminated adjacent said flange and having their ends rounded; said flange and lip and the portions of said plate opposite the ends of said slots being flexible to permit the protector to be conformed to soles of different. shapes, substantially as described.

sections and having an inwardly extending 11. A protector for the tip-portion of a shoe sole comprising an expansible sole-bottom-protecting plate having a flexible solecdge-engaging flange provided with a transversely and longitudinally flexible, inwardly projecting, edge-protecting and retaining lip arranged to leave free theadjacent portions of the upper, substantially as described.

12. A protector for the tip-portion of a shoe sole comprising an expansible sole-bottom-protecting portion having a flexible s0le-edge-engaging flange provided with a transversely and longitudinally flexible lip tapering transversely from said flange and disposed yieldingly to engage and protect the projecting edge-portion of the sole adj acent the upper, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to ,this specificationin the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

now/inn o. Mansn'ariii. ERNEST MARSHALL.

Witnesses:

L. H. HARRIMAN, H. B. DAVIS.

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