US1141913A - Heel-stiffener. - Google Patents

Description

M. BROCK.

HEEL STIFFENER,

APPLICATION FILI-1Dv SEPT. 3 1913.

l l 99 1 B 9 y Patented June 1, 1915.

Mpx/5555.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFCE.

MATTHIAS BROCK, OF BOSTON', 'MASSACHUSETTS kASSIGNOIIR. TO UNITED SI-IOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATTERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

HEEL-STIEFENER.

Patented June 1, 1915.

Application filed September 3, 1913. Serial No. 787,874.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHmszBnoCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of lvlassachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Heel-Stilfeners, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the Ldrawings indicating like parts in the several igures.

This invention relates to boots and shoes, and particularly to the form or construction of one of the constituent parts of a shoe used in the manu-facture thereof and known as a heel stiilener or counter.

An object of the invention is to provide a heel stillener blank which may be used as a straight stiffcner in assembling the shoe or may be first molded in any suitable heel shape desired, and which will be so formed as to facilitate in either case the lasting operation so that the stilfcner may be properly positioned with relation to other parts of the shoe with but little eort on the part of the operator and without distorting the stiffener materially from any particular shape with which it may be impressed.

In assembling upon a lastthe different parts of a shoe including a heel stiifener, a tack is driven through the upper and stiffener into the innersole at the extreme rear end of the shoe bottom, and another tack is driven through the shoe materials into the last at the rear end face of the yshoe so as.

to fix the relation of these portions of the materials to the height of the last. Nothing,

however, is done until a later stage in the' manufacture of the shoe' to HX the position of the stiflener wings, and it is usually found after the pulling over operation that these wings have been depressed and that it is necessary to pull them up into proper relation to the last bottompreparatory to the heel seat lasting operation. One reason for this condition is that the heel end face of the present day last is vertically curved and the sides of the last are shaped to cause the shoe to hug closely the ball of the heel of the wearers foot, particularly in the case of an Oxford shoe, and manipulation of the marginal edge of the upper in the assembling and pulling over operations tends to cause the upper and the stiflener to hug the rear end face of the last more especially at that portion adjacent to the heel seat, as

ppinted out, for example, in U. S. Patent 800,881 granted to Emery Bayard June 4,

1907. rrlhere is atendeney, therefore, for i enough to pull them up as required. The

operation generally involves the use of hand pincers which itis necessary to pick up for this purpose; and aside from the time and trouble incident to this procedure it is found that in the case of a molded stiffener having a flange shaped to overlie the heel seat the use of pincers tends to bend the flange and distort the stiffener from its true shape so that' the shoe materials will not fit the last as closely as desired. f

An important feature of this invention residcs'in the provision in a heel stilfener blank of means suitably located to assist in positioning the sti'tfener and to facilitate the pulling yup, as required, of the stiilencr wings.

In the preferred embodiment of-the invention the blank is formed at the wing portions with extensions suitably located to project within convenient reach of the operator 'when it is necessary to pull up the wings.

The preferred embodiment comprises a straight blank which may be conformed as desired to the shape of the last in the assembling and lasting operations, or may be previously molded to give it the desired shape, and the wing extensions are so located that for either mode of treatment of the stiifener they will project in suitable position to provide the operator with convenient means whereby to pull'up the wings without dilieulty and without the liability of distorting the stilliener fromits proper shape.

The invention will be understood more readily by reference to the accompanying dra wings', in which- Figure l` is a view of a preferred form of heel stilleuer blank embodying the invention, and Figs. l and fl are cross sections of the blank takenl respectively on lines22 and 3-3 of Fig. 1, these ligures being relatively arranged upon the sheet of drawings to indicate the extentof projection ofthe kwing extensions above adjacent'portions' of the blank.

The blank as a whole is designated by the numeral 2, and is shown as' a straight stiii'ener which may be used in that form in the assembling of the shoe or may be molded in some," suitable heel shape lprior to the assembling operation.' The upper portion of the blame-asv viewed in Fig. l, is that portion which will be located at or adjacent to the bottom of the assembled shoe, and it will be understood lthat the two opposite end portions of the blank constitute the wingsof the stifi'ener which will extend forwardly toward the shank. The; upper portion of the blank, as shown in Fig. 1, presents an edge of irregular contour, including avportion 4 comparatively regular in shape and of a length to extend forwardly from` the rear of the heel on both sides substantially Lto the breast line of the heel.

In the blank shown the edge 4 is somewhatT curved to accommodate the stiffener to a*l form of last in which the general 'contour lof the rear end face of the heel in the direction of the height of the last is somewhat inclined forwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis ofthe last, the object being to bring all parts of the bottom portion of the stiiener in such relation to the bottom ofV the last as to provide la Aflange of substantially uniform width to overlie the last bottom rearwardly from theheel breast location. For lasts of different shapes the contour of the edgel portion 4 would vary corj respondingly, and the `present invention is f not limited to any particular shape` of this l portion of the stiii'ener edge.

At the ends of the edge portionl 4 the stiener edge is offset to provide extensionsv 6, these extensions in the preferred .embodiment shown running from the ends of the edge 4to the ends of the 'blank. vThese main v fpulling-'up-members which will project in portions 6 are sufficiently extended from the body portion ,of the blank to provide suitable position `to be grasped readily by the operator when 'the stiifener wings become depressed vte/ith respect to the last bottom. Itwill be seenf that these extensions l,are so located that they may project farther inwardly over the insole in the assembled shoe than the main portion of the e iiange at the stiffeneredge when this flange is shaped to lie fiat upon the heel seat and adjacent portions of the insole. This feature is clearly illustrated vin Fig. 1 in which 'the dotted line rshows where-the stiifenery will preferably be bent to vform the flange. When the blank is molded before it is assembled in a shoe these extensions, if shaped to lie in thel same plane as the ange, will thus act as reinforcing members to assist, s v by contact with theinsole, in preventing they stiiiener ,wings from being depressed. ln the case of such a molded stiiiener, moreover, these -extensions will still serve their main purpose of providing pulling up members which may be grasped if the wings are depressed so thatit would otherwise be dilicult to bring the stiifener to its proper position.

The face of the stiffener blank in the'preferred embodiment shown is skived, as usual, atv its upper edge as the blank is l viewed in Fig. l, and it will be seen by referring to Figs. 2 andy 3 that the skiving operation 1s particularly effective upon the extensions 6, reducing thethickness of these members materially in comparison with adjacent portions of the stifener. This leaves the main flange portionvof the stiiener more firm and durable than it` otherwise would be, and at the same time renders the extensions more flexible to the grasp of, the

operator, so that where pincers are used in lperforming the pulling up operation any bending in the case of a molded counter will takev place principally at these comparatively iexible portions, and the main .por-- tion of the stifener flange will not be ini jurcd or distortedmaterially from its true shape. l l

It will be understood that the form and likewise thelengthvand breadth of the extensions 6 may be suitably varied as necessity or choice may dictate, and such variations are comprehended within the scope of the invention. Y

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters -Patent of the United States is:

1.l A heel stiifener blank adapted to be assembled in a shoe as a straight stiener or to vbe molded into suitable heel shape prior to assembling in a shoe and having, on the edge which is to overlie the sole in the shoe',- extensions running from the shank ends backwardly a short distance' to constitute ulling up members to be engaged for pulling up the stiffener ends in the lasting operation.

2. A heelstiffener blank adapted to be as-'f sembled in a shoe as a straight stifienersfpr' toward the ends of the stiener to constitute j, pulling up members to be engaged for pulling up the stifener ends in the lasting operation.

3. A heel stiifener blank adapted' to be assembled in a -shoe as@ a straight stiifener or Y to be. molded into suitable heel shape prior, vtoy assembling in a shoe and having an extension -from one edge constituting a pulling bythe laster forpulling up the stiffener end during the -heellasting operation. v v

4f. Aheel stilfener. blankfadapted to be assembled in a shoe vas a straight stifener or to be molded into suitable-heel shape prior to assembling in a shoe'and having that edge portion which is-to be located at the bottom of the shoe of suitable contour to provide for forming a relatively narrow flange to overlie the edges of the insole at the curved portion of the heel seat and a flange of greater width to extend from said narrow portion forwardly into the shank of the shoe.

5. A heel stifener blank adapted to be assembled in a shoe as a straight stiiener or to be molded into suitable heel shape prior to assembling in a shoe and having that edge portion which is to be located at the bottom of 'the shoev ot vsuitable contour L' i provide, forv forming a flange of substantially'nniform width overlying the edges of the heel seat, and' extensions near the ends of the stii'ener located to project from the edge of said flange in the assembled shoe and formed to'provide pulling up members vwhereby* the wings of the stiener, may be "brought to proper position in the lasting operation without distorting V,the shape of the flange portion ofthe stifener.

6. A heel stiifener blank adapted to be as-v sembled in a shoe as a straight -stiffener or to be molded into suitable heel shape-prior to assembling in a shoe and having, on the.

edge whichy is to overlie the insole in the shoe, extensions running from the shank ends backwardly a short distance to consti'- Vtute pulling up members to be engaged for pulling up the stiii'ener ends Vin the lastin operation, said extensions being skived o to render them more flexible than the adjacent portions of the stiiener.

In testimony whereof I'have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MATTHIAS BROCK. Witnesses: Y

HOWARD O. WINsLow, A ARTHUR L. RUSSELL.

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