US1410477A - Last - Google Patents

Description

w. A-KRENTLER LAST.

APPLICATION HLED APR- 23; 1919- lAlOA-W; patented Mar. 21,1922.

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UNITED STATES Parser WALTER A. KRENTLER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIG-NOR TO KREN'ILER-ARNOLD HINGE LAST COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

LAST.

Application filed April 23, 1919. Serial No. 292,140.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVAL'rn-n A. KnnNrLnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, Michigan, have invented an Improvement in Lasts, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention relates to lasts and more particularly to two-partlasts wherein the fore part and heel part are relatively movable.

In. the manufacture of boots and shoes, it is most desirable to use lasts having a hinge -or jointed construction connecting the fore part and heel part and permitting them to last construction in facilitating the removal of the lasts from the completed shoes. Among these objections are the lack of rigidity in the lockingdevices to hold the last extended; wearing of the hinge parts, looseness of the fore part on the heel part relatively with the connecting devices; constant danger of the fore part and heel part being moved slightly on the pivotor hinge,

breaking the last and then when it is closed, nipping, pinching, and marring the lining or upper of the shoe; looseness of the joint due to give and take of the wood during the drying and swelling of the last in use, and also the expense and difficulty of assembling the usual commercial types of hinge now in use.

The object of my present invention is to obviate all the dilliculties above noted and to improveand perfect the hinge type of last by a strong, simple, and inexpensive construction rendering the last easy to assemble, and so it will provide a positive, rigid,

hinge locking construction which will render the last unbreakable 1n use, ehmmating all danger of pinching the lining, will automatically take up any wear or looseness in the hinge parts when locking the last in. extended position. will easily and readily be unlocked so as to permit the last to be flexed or broken without much or any e: ertion and which will be very economical. In fact my present invention enables a hinge last to be locked and held locked in extended position so that it shall be as rigid as a solid or block last, entirely without wedges. separate blocks, levers, etc. but solely upon the hinge members and during the normal operation or use of the last. In carrying out the invention, I may use any particular line of cut and type of hinge member which may be desired, preferably employing metallic hinge members fitted respectively into the fore part and heel part and united by a pivot, with means upon one of these metallic members to be engaged by and rigidly locked with a freely movable locking ball, disc. or member, preferably capable of being housed in the other part. As a last is usually employed with the toe part upwardly and is almost always used with the bottom portion uppermost, I so construct the cooperating hinge and locking members with the locking ball that it will be normally held by gravity in the locking engagement with the cooperating hinge member while the last is going through the shoe manufacturing processes bottom upward and will preferably be so elty and I wish to claim the same broadly.

As herein shown I have illustratei'l my present invention as applied to the type of hinge last shown in my prior Patent, No. 1,094,153, issued April 21, 191%, to which my present invention may be readily applied.

In the type of last shown in said imtenl, for example, a very strong spring was requisite in order to hold the locking member in engagement with the cooperating binge member and consequently in asseitnbling the last, this spring had to be compressed and it exerted a constant tendency to loosen the hinge anchoring pins and to separate the fore parts and the heel parts of the last. This constant tension during the successive breaking and extending of the last soon was apt to result in a looseness of the hinge particularly it great care was not taken 111 the original assembling of the last parts and compressing the hinge. My present invention by eliminating any such spring tension, reduces all strain on the locking hinge which would in any way spread the fore part or heel aai't or loosen the anchorin iins for the hinge members, thereby insuring longer life and usefulness to the last. One of the most important features of the present last is that it is practically impossible to flex or break the last while the hinge is locked, whereas formerly no matter how strong a spring was utilized, it w: possible that it would yield and the last parts he sprung sufficiently to :atch and injure the shoe or lining during the processes of manufacture, or distort or spoil the shoe contour.

Referring to the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention Fig. 1 is a side view of my improved last with a portion of the woodo f both fore part and heel part broken away to more clearly illustrate the hinge and lock, showing the hinge locked;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the last showing the heel part in flexed or broken position and with the locking member inoperative;

In the attached drawings, I have utilized a commercial type of hinge well known as the Kant Break last but it will be appreciated that other types of lasts having a hinge or connections, permitting movement of the heel and fore part relatively with each other may be utilized within the scope of the present invention. 7

The fore part, 1 and heel part 2 are formed with a line of cut as shown, wherein the topmost faces 3 on the fore part and 4 on the heel part, meet substantially at the curved line 5 extending around to the vertical faces 6 on the fore part and 7 on the heel part. In the fore part is bored a recess 8 adapted to receive one of the metallic locking member's, herein shown as a tube 9-, which is securely anchored or attached to the fore part by a pin 10 driven therethrough. A recess or socket 11 is formed in the heel part to receive the cooperating plate or hinge member 12, said plate being anchored to the heel part by a pin 13. These two hinge members 9 and 12 are adapted to swing on the pintle 1.5, constituting the axis for the movement of the fore part and heel part and being eoncentric with the curved face 5 in this particular type of last. The tube 9 has slotted portions as indicated at 16 and 17 to permit the member 12 to swing above and below the line of the tube. As thus far described the last shown in the drawings is substantially similar to the type illustrated in my said prior patent. But the locking arrangement herein is much simpler and more effective-as above briefly explaiiied-providing a positive rigid locle iug means and yet preferably without any spring or the like. On the member-12 and extending forwardly to the "pintle 15 is formed an extension 20 having faces 21 and 22, the face 21 being formed at a slight angle relatively with the hinge member 9. Cooperating with the projecting portion 20 of the hinge member 12 and adapted to roll or slide into'w'edging contact with the angular face 21 of said member, is a locking ball 25 which is free to roll within the tube 9.

The operation of this locking construction is controlled by the position and slight manipulation of the last. As above noted, lasts in' use are generally put through the machineoperations upside down and therefor in inverted position, from that shown in Fig. 1. .Vhen in this inverted position, the locking ball 25 normally tends, by its weight, to roll downwardlyinto contact with the wedge face 20 and the adjacent wall of the tube or member 9. Consequently to operate the last, it is simply necessary invert the last or move the fore part 1 vertically. whereupon thelocking ball 25 will drop into engaging and locking contact, as shown in Fig. 1. \Vhen thus engaged the fore part and heel part are rigidly,firmly and positively locked and cannot readily be moved upon the pintle 15. Furthermore anyslight iooseness which may be causedby wear, shrinkage of the wood or the last on the pins 10 and 13, or otherwise, will be automatically taken up by the locking engagement of the ball 25 bearing upon the wedge face 21 of said member 12 and the last thus held firmly in closed positionwith the faces 6 and '7 closely abutting. It is at'this point, i. e. where the'abutting faces 6 and 7 join that the danger of distorting, nipping, pinching or marring the lining of a shoe during manufacture is greatestand my present invention positively insures the holding of these faces of a hinge last firinly in contact and, as above explained, will-so hold them even should the hinge be weak or loose. "In order to unlock or break the last, it is simply necessary to hold the heel part upwardly and with a slight strain onthe fore part 1, the locking ball 25 will'be released from its wedging engagement and fall by its own weight downwardly out of contact and as shown in Fig. 2 would normally rest upon the forward pin 10.

It will thus be seen that my improved last combines all the advantages of a hinge type of last together with the positive rigid locking construction of a block last. Furthermore my construction automatically compensates for any wear orlooseness in the hinge members, always holding the surface of the fore part and heel part on the last bottom closely in contact, eliminating the wearincident to a heavy strong locking spring and thus reducing the exertion neces sary to interlock or break the last, to a minimum, the slight spring 26 being of but little power as compared with the relatively strong springs heretofore used and considered necessary to hold the last in extended position.

An important characteristic of my invention consists, briefly in the rigid, unbreakable. locking construction on the hinge members and preferably by means of a gravity controlled locking member of ball 25 and cooperating wedge faces. In place of the locking ball 25 and the wedge face 21 on the hinge member. I may reverse these elements so long as the same function results. i. e. I may provide the wedge far: on the locking lnember to engage a cooperating part on the hinge member.

For this purpose. the contacting face on the hinge member, 21 in the drawings, may be either inclined or straight relatively with the line of travel of the loclring member. Also I consider that a light spring to actuate the sliding member into wedging engagement is a mechanical equivalent of the gravity controlled locking ball or wedge member 25,'so long as the weight of the locking member is sufficient to compress such spring and be released from locking engagement upon inverting the last and releasing the wedging action by pressure on the fore part relatively with the heel part, as above explained. Thus it will be noted that the wedging effect. presenting a positive rigid lock, and the gravity release of such wedging locking device constitute the fundamental features of the present hinge last. My locking member is thus controlled by gravity, and the position in which the shoe is held, and while preferably the ball is used, any disc. wedge, cone or other freely movable device to. lock the last and hold it by friction or wedging action, capable of unlocking by gravity, is an embodiment of my invention, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modificationsa-lso the tube 9 is not essential, as any hinge members can be employed so long as they are locked by the freely movable gravity controlled locking member.

My present invention is further described and defined in the form of claims as follows:

1. A two-part last having hinge members uniting said parts and means to lock the last in its extended position, comprising gravity controlled locking means, said locking means being housed within one of the hinge members.

2. A two-part last having hinge members uniting said parts and means to lock the last in its extended position, comprising a gravity controlled locking member, engaging the hinge members connecting the last parts together. operated to lock or unlock by in (lining the last in reverse positions respectively.

3. A two-part last having hinge members uniting said parts and means to lock the last in its extended position, con'iprising a gravity controlled locking member, adapted to be moved into wedging'engagement with the hinge members and to be released from said wedging action by its weight.

4. A two-part last having hinge members uniting said parts and means to look the last in its extended position, comprising a movable locking member by gravity and housed within one hinge member and adapted for positive locking engagement with the hinge member on the other part.

A two'part last having hinge members uniting said parts and means to lock the last in its extended position, comprising a movable locking member housed within one part and adapted for locking engagement with the hinge member on the other part, constructed and arranged. to be released from locking contact by its weight, and the position of the last. I

6. A hinge last having a fore part. a heel part, a hinge member attached to each part and pivoted together, one of the hinge parts extending beyond said pivot and having a -wedging face thereon. a movable locking member carried in a recess in the other part and adapted to cooperate with a bearing surface on its part and the projecting, wedging face of the other hinge member, and means providing a guide for the movement of the locking member into and out of looking engagement by gravity.

7. A hinge last having a bored recess in one part, a hinge member secured in said recess. a movable looking member adapted to traverse said recess, a cooperating hinge member secured to the other last part and united to said first hinge member by a pivot, and a wedging face on the second hinge member of appropriate form and size to cooperate with the movable locking member, whereby a rigid, solid locking engagement is effected by the engagement of said movable member and the locking face of the hinge member when the last is in extended position.

8. A hinge last having a bored recess in one part, a tubular hinge member secured in said recess. a locking ball adapted to be freely movable by gravity in. said tube and a cooperating hinge member in the other part having a ball engaging surface, whereby the two hinge members will be rigidly locked when the last is in extended position and the ball contacts with said. wedging face.

9. A hinge last having a bored recess in one part, a tubular hinge member secured in said recess, a locking ball therein adapted to be freely movable by gravity, a plate hinge secured. in the other part, a pivot uniting said hinge members, a portion on the plate hinge projecting beyond the pivot and said tubular hinge member being slotted to permit the movement of the plate above and below said tube, and a wedge face formed at a slight angle relatively with the axis of said tube and normally extending within the tube, adapted to cooperate with the locking ball when the last is extended and held at an inclination to permit said ball to traverse the tube hinge member, whereby rigid unbreakable locking engagement is provided on the hinge members.

10. A hinge last having a fore part, a pivot for said hinge, a heel part, a portion of the wood of one part extending about the pivot on which said last part swings, a knuckle joint concentric with the pivot having a radius sufliciently small to provide a substantially cylindrical engagement of the last parts with each other, a spring to normally hold said last parts in said. extended position and a gravity controlled locking member to hold the last parts extended, said locking member being housed within one of the last parts.

11 A- last, comprising a forepart and a heel part pivoted together, with provision for relative movement to provide collaps ing and extending action, one last part hav ing a concealed recess and a rolling looking member adapted to transverse said recess to lock the last rigidly in one of its said positions.

12. A last, comprising a forepart and a heel part pivoted together, with provision for relative movement to provide collapsing and extending action, onevlasv part hay mg a concealed recess, a metallic lining in said recess, and a rolling locking member the last in its extended position, comprising agravity controlled locking member, adapted to be moved into wedping engage-- ment with the hinge members and to be released from said wedging action by its weight, in combination with means cooperating with the locking member to compensate automatically for wear of said member and the parts contacting therewith.

14. A two part last having hinge mem-- bers uniting said parts and means to loci; the last in its extended position, comprising a gravity controlled locking member, adapted to be moved into wedging engagement with the hinge members and to be released from said wedging action by its weight, in combination with means cooperating with the locking member to compensate automatically for wear of said member and the parts contacting therewith, con sisting in wedging faces, permitting a rigid wedging action of thelockin'g member on said faces irrespectiveot wear.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to thisspecification," in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. V

lVALTER A. KRENTLER.

Witnesses f V A. H, AYLns,

AUeUsTA L. RIEeEL.

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