US1529045A - Heel and method of making the same - Google Patents

Description

March 10,1925.

E. E. WINKLEY HEEL AND mmwn 0F umne was sum bri'ginai P11ed'Jan. "2s, 191s Patented Mar. 10, 1925.

V UNITED sures Parana,optics.

nrms'rus WINKL'E or Lynn, iunssncrrusnrirs, .assicinon '10 ,UNITED 'SHOE M'A "CHINERY CORPORATION, or ra rnnson, new .rnnsny, A oonr'onnrion on NEW JERSEY.

HEEL AND METHOD OF THE-SHEER.

Application filed January'25, 1918, Serial No. 213,68-1. Renewed June 20, H923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERA'sTUs E. -WINK- may, a citizen of the Uni-ted'Sta-tes, residing at Lynn, in thecounty of ESSGLL and State of Massachusetts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Heels and lifot hodsof Milking the Same; and I do hereby declare the following. to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. a

This invention relates to the preparation of heels or parts thereof and includes the method of making, off the shoe, compressed and definitely shaped heels, or lifts, and

the novel heel, or part thereof, produced by practising the method.

In the prior art, it hasbeen common practice tomake heels of superposed lifts of leather, leatherboard or the like, which are compressed into the general configuration of finished heels, but which, after being attached to the shoe, are subsequently trimmed or cut to final formand then sub- One of the objects of this invention, therefore, is to provide a' methodof making compressed heels whereby theheels' are, after compression, of final size and form and are provided with lateral surfaces of such modified and improved character as to be particularlyadapted for subsequentfinishing operations, either before orafter attachinent to the shoe, and without the necessity of further trimming or otherwise removing or altering the. character of the compressed lateral surfaces. A heel surface having the beneficial characteristics named may be described as having been evenly condensed by the compression there- I operations.

of, to-di'stinguish it from the tougher surface which the present commercial heel blank has after compression.

. imotherobject'o'fthe present invention is to provide an improved method of making heels, or parts thereof, of leatherboard, or other of the cheaper grades of heel-stock, which causes the lateral surface'of the heel or part tl'iereof, to undergo a change and to be so modified that it acquires, to an appreciable depth, new and desirable charactcristies and qualities that facilitate the subsequent finishing operations and eontribute to a durable andsuperior finish.

l-n "practising the method forming a feature of the present invention, a rough heel.

is firstsharved, trimmed or otherwise formed into definite shape. This shaped heel, which is 'sliglitly larger than thefinished'ar-ticle, n'iay then be moulded or compressed to the final-size and -'fOI'111-lt'*lS to have, when incorporatediin the shoe. Heels thus made are adapted to be finished without altering their size or form and are provided with a hard and smooth lateral surface particularly adapted for subsequent finishing hen using the cheaper heelstoclrmaterials, especially leatheiboard, the initial t'rimming step, opens the pores of the lateral surface and it has been discov" ered that the character 'of this surface is modified and improved :by filling it 'withh sizing material, preferably deferring the application of the heavy pressure until the portant in making complete unitary heels that are 'to "be finally finished before attachment to the shoe and which 'iare employed iii-connection with short soles, for

the reason that the resulting ilater-al surface is such-that' itinay bereadily worked upon with tools such asare 'used *to out the usual1 randing and to ;produce the beading or key-wheel marking. Without this treatment, the use of leatherboard for baselifts of heels is impractical, since the composition is such that in cutting the randing, the surface is liable to flake off or tear out, thus impairing the smoothness of the subsequent finish and spoiling the heels. The sizing, however, pentrates into the pores that are opened up by the previous trimming operation and after compression, a firm, hard and smooth outer lateral surface of appreciable depth is formed, in which a clean-cut, durable randing, and sharp and permanent key-wheel marking or beading may be produced.

The claims of the present application are directed broadly to the method just described, which produces a heel of final size and form that may later be finished without altering its size and form. Claims defining and protecting a heel finally finished off the shoe and the method of making the same, will be found in a companion application Ser. No. 213,682, filed of even date herewith, which illustrates and describes such a heel and method.

The present method may be practised in connection with heel-stock material of any character, but is particularly adapted to be employed in the manufacture of heels composed of leatherboard or other of the cheaper and analogous compositions of leather or paper. The term leatherboard, therefore, is used in a generic sense to include any suitable heel-stock material.

The term lift is also used in inclusive sense to define any blank or layer of material that is adapted for use in the formation of heel-piles from which heels are ultimately produced, irrespective of the particular shape of the blanks or the nature of the material of which they are composed.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the invention comprises both the novel method hereinafter described in detail, and the novel article which results from practising the method, as defined by the appended claims.

The particular steps employed in preparing the novel article of manufacture and their preferred sequence, as well as the preferred form of the article, will now be explained in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rough heelpile built up of superposed lifts off polygonal form: Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a preliminarily shaped or trimmed heel of definite form; and Fig. 3 is a similar view of a shaped heel in position in a mould and about to be compressed to final size and form. the lateral surface of which may have been previously filled or sized, although not necessarily so.

In accordance with the preferred method of practising the invention, rough heel piles of superposed lifts of leatherboard are built up and temporarily secured together in any well-known manner. Figure 1 represents a rough heel-pile thus formed of polygonal lifts, although lifts of any shape may, of course, be employed.

This preliminarily formed rough heel pile is then trimmed or formed in any suitable manner to a definite and regular shape that corresponds to the shape of the heel when finished but which is slightly larger in dimensions in order that it may be subsequently consolidated and compressed in a suitable mould. The trimming operation is preferably performed in a machine similar to that set forth in Letters Patent No. 1,102,310 granted July 7, 1914, to the present applicant, by means of which the heel-pile is shaved or cut off to a definite shape by a series of rapidly rotating knives. Any suitable mode of definitely shaping the rough heel-pile, however, may be employed. Fig. Qrepresentsashaped heel that has been cut from the rough heel-pile illustrated in Fig. 1.

If deemed desirable, the lateral surface of the shaped heel is then filled with a suitable sizing material, andv at this stage of the process, the shaped heel is particularly adapted to receive the sizing, since its lateral surface is somewhat roughened and the pores opened up as a result of the previous trimming or shaving operation. The sizing material, therefore, penetrates the surface of the heel to an appreciable extent and also serves to raise or turn out the exposed fibers.

Assuming that the lateral surface of the shaped heel has been treated in the general manner referred to, the sizing is preferably permitted to dry, to a greater or less extent,

after which the shaped and sized heel is placed into a suitable mould or compressor, as illustrated in Fig. 3, preferably such as set forth in Letters Patent No. 1,334,478, dated March 23, 1920, to the present applicant. The heel is then moulded or C(llll? pressed under heavy pressure to its final size and form, during which operation the heel as a whole is condensed and consolidated, while the outer fibres that have been raised by the sizing material are turned in and forced into the lateral surface of the heel. which is thus compacted and rendered particularly hard and smooth.

The sizing treatment and subsequent compression results in effecting a change in the characteristics and properties of the lateral surface of the heel, which render it especially adapted to take the subsequent finishin operations, and in case of the production or complete unitary heels that are adapted to be finished off the shoe and to be subsequently attached thereto in connection with a short sole, the properties of the lateral surface of the heel are such as to permit of clean-cut and smooth ra-nd-ing outs, and dis tinct and permanent key-wheel marking or beading.

Heels that are made in accordance with the process above described are of final shape and size and require nofu-ither trimming or alteration after being attached to the shoe, as is common practice. Thus, the improved and beneficial qualities of the lateral surface of the heel are retained and contribute to a complete heel of superior finish and durability. Heels manufactured in accordance with this process, obviously, require the usual subsequent finishing operations that are common in the art, but by reason of the fact that the heel is finally shaped and definitely formed to final size and that the lateral surface is improved" and modified, only light scoi-iring operations are necessary, which are insufficient to remove and cut beneath the modified lateral surface of the heel, so that the benefits of the sizing and subsequent compression are not sacrificed by removal, as has heretofore been common practice.

In the above process, the step of trimming or shaping, the rough heel-pile is of special importance, for the reason that the shaped heel is adapted to closely fit within the mould of the heel compressor throughout its entire surface, whereby the pressure to which it is subjected is uniformly distributed throughout the heel, thus re sulting in a more uniformly consolidated product. lilo-reover, the trimming operation, roughens the lateral surface and opens the pores of the heel so that the penetration of the sizing material, when used, is facilitated and rendered particularly effective.

The sizing or filling step is advantageous in. that it contributes to the improved and modified characteristics and properties 1 of the lateral heel surface, which materially aidin finishing the heels, and which are particularly important in unitary heels that are completely finished off the shoe. This step of sizing, however, may be dispensed with in some cases without detracting from the advantages of heels that are made to final size and form, so that no further trimming of the heel is necessary after attachment to the shoe. Moreover, heels so made, while being uniformly and densely consolidated, are also provided with lateral surfaces that are materially harder, firmer, and better adapted to take the finishing operations than heels that are trimmed after attachment to the shoe.

In describing the trimming of the heel to definite shape and its compression to final size and form, the specification obviously refers to the lateral surface of the heel, inasmuch as the heel is subsequently breasted during the customary finishing operation.

it is, of course, apparent that the invention, broadly considered, is not restricted to the building of completed heels, but is novel article has been set forth as including a predetermined sequence of steps, those skilled in the art will readily understand that omissions and variations of some of the steps may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention and, therefore, it is desired that only such limitations shall be imposed as are indicated in the appended I claims.

Havingthus described the novel features of the heel, or part thereof, of the present invention and the perferred method by which it may be prepared, that which is claimed as new, is y y l. 'lllremethod of making heels which are adapted to be subsequently finished without altering their size or form, which comprises building a rough heel-pile of superposed lifts, trimming the rough heel-pile to definite shape, and While the shaped heel is off the shoe moulding it under heavy pressure to its final size and form.

The method of making heels which comprises building a rough heel-pile of superposed leather-board lifts, trimming the heel-pile to definite shape, sizing the surface of the shaped heel and compressing the shaped and sized heel into finalform.

3. The method of producing a hard,firm and smooth surface upon a heel or heel lift of leatherboard which includes filling the pores of the surface with sizing which penetrates therein and raises the fibres, and then turning in the fibres and consolidating the surface by moulding under heavy pressure.

4:. The method of making heels which are adapted to be subsequently finished without altering their size or form, which comprises building a rough heel-pile of superposed leatherboard lifts, trimming the rough heel pile to definite shape, filling the surface of the shaped heel with a sizing ma terial which penetrates into the pores and raises the fibres, and subsequently compacting the shaped heel to its final form and size and at the same time turning in the fibres and hardening the surfaces of the heel by moulding it under heavy pressure.

5. The method of operating upon one or more heel lifts of leatherboard to produce a lift or heel of final size and form, which includes trimming the heel lift or lifts to definite shape, filling the surface of the shaped heel lift or lifts with sizing and then moulding or compressing the heel lift or lifts into final size and for1n,whereby the characteristics and qualities of the surface thereof are materially modified and particularly adapted to take subsequent finishing operations.

6. The steps in themethod of making compressed heels of superposed leatherboard lifts which include sizing or filling the lateral surface of the heel and then compressing or moulding the heel to final size and form.

7. The steps in the method of making compressed heels from rough heel-piles of superposed leatherboard lifts which include trimming the heel-pile to definite shape, filling the surface of the shaped heel with sizing, and compressing or moulding it into final form.

8. The method of making heels which includes the following steps :building a heel-pile of superposed lifts, trimming the heel-pile to definite shape, filling the surface of the heel with sizing, and compressing the heel by moulding under heavy pressure.

9 A heel of superposed lifts having its surface filled with sizing material and compressed to its final size and form so that after attachment to a shoe, it may be finished without altering its size and form.

10. A compressed heel, as an article of manufacture adapted to be subsequently attached to a shoe, comprising a pile of superposed lifts eon'ipressed under heavy pressure to the final size and form which it is to have in the completed shoe and provided with an evenly condensed and smooth lateral surface.

11. A compressed heel of the size and form which it is to have in the completed shoe comprising superposed leatherboard lifts and having a hard and smooth lateral surface filled with sizing material and formed by the compression of the heel to its final size and form.

12. The steps in the method of making a compressed heel of superposed lifts, the base lift of which is composed of leatherboard, which comprises filling the lateral surface of the leatherboard base lift with sizing material and then compressing the heel to its final form and size.

13. An article of manufacture comprising a heel lift of leatherboard having a hard and smooth lateral surface filled with sizing material and formed by the compression of the lift to its final size and form.

14. The method of making compressed heels which comprises building a heel of super iosed lifts, sizing or filling the lateral surface of the heel, and subsequently compressing the heel under heavy pressure applied upon all of its exterior surfaces.

15. The method of making compressed heels which are adapted to be subsequently finished without altering their size and form, which comprises trimming the lateral surface of a rough heel to definite shape, and while the shaped heel is off the shoe compressing it to final size and form in a. mould by pressure applied directly upon all of its exterior surfaces.

16. A heel of superposed lifts and of final form ready to be attached to a shoe, the lateral surface of which is smoothed and evenly condensed by compression thereof.

17. A compressed heel of final size and form provided with a smooth and even surface formed by an outer, integral layer of appreciable depth having characteristics and qualities differing from the underlying body material and enabling said surface to be finally finished Without altering the size and form of the heel by trimming.

18. An article of manufacture comprising a heel lift of leatherboard having an evenly condensed and smooth lateral surface formed by the compression of the lift to its final size and form.

ERASTUS E. WVINKLEY.

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