US2048795A - Last - Google Patents

Description

Patented July 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFl CE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to lasts.

The usual form of last, upon which the spring heel type of shoe is built, has an undersurface which when laid upon a fiat surface will contact with said fiat surface at substantially two points, that is, a point on the heel and a point adjacent the center of the fore part of the last so that when this last is placed upon the surface it will continue to rock for a short period and shoes built upon such lasts will not give the proper balance to the foot since such shoe when placed upon a flat surface will also tend to rock in a manner similar to the last.

In normal action the human foot is presented -to the ground by contacting at the outer border of the heel, the same serving as the first shock absorber. The body weight is then carried forwardly along the outer border of the'foot through the small outer arch to the base of the fifth toe and then inwardly across the ball of the foot to 2 the base of the first or large toe, thus forming three points of weight-bearing pressure, namely,

the heel, the base of the fifth toe, and the base of the first toe. At this point the foot has completely absorbed the shock and the toes are readiness for the act of carrying the body forward for the next step. However, when the foot is at rest and the body in a standing position, the inner .ankle articulation will in the majority of cases roll in, causing an inward pronation at the inner ankle and foot joint and if not corrected will eventually break down the inner longitudinal arch through constant strain at that point since nature has not given the proper protection to overcome the cruel punishment to the foot caused by contacting with hard unyielding pavements. To overcome this condition the shoe manufacturers and others have used wedges and foot appliances to lift the weight away from the inside longitudinal arch but by so doing they have transferred this weight to the outside, giving relief only at the inner longitudinal arch but causing strain to the outside of the arch because the balance of the heel and the shoe is not made to accommodate extreme outward pressure and after a few weeks of service the entire shoe shows an outward run-down appearance.

In the full square-breasted heel the normal action as the foot contacts with the ground is destroyed by reason of the fact that the heel is elevated just as much at the outer border as it is at the inner border. Furthermore, in these types of shoes in which the sole and heel are of separate construction there is an elevated space at the arch that does not touch the ground from the outer corner of the breast of the heel to the base of the fifth toe so that the natural Weight distribution from these two points is destroyed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a last for building shoes which will have the combined qualities of the spring and breast heel so that the foot will be maintained in a perfect balance when applied to a flat surface.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a last for building a shoe in which the last has a slightly convex outside arch portion and a concave inner longitudinal arch terminating at the rear in a breast face of the heel with the breast face decreasing in height from the inner longitudinal arch to a point adjacent the convex outside portion of the arch with the heel adjacent the outside being in substantially the same plane with the convex portion of the arch and with a point in the under-surface of the last 20 which is adjacent the base of the first toe of the foot so that when shoes are made from such lasts the foot will be normally supported along the outside to the base of the fifth toe and at the base of the first toe, the undersurface of the last simulating in effect the natural application of the foot to a flat surface.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a last for the manufacture of a shoe which will have a combination spring and breast 3o heel for supporting the foot normally on a flat surface wherein the contacting points of the heel, the outside portion of the foot at the arch, and at the base of the fifth toe will be in substantially the same plane as will he points a-djacent the base of the first toe, the last in this instance containing a drop face at the breast of the heel which decreases in height from the inner longitudinal concaved arch to a point adjacent a medial line running through the sole of the last and where the arch portion at the outside is convexed, the convexed portion of the arch of the last being in substantially a plane which passes through the lowermost part of the heel, through points on the fore portion of the last which are adjacent the base of the fifth toe and also the base of the first toe.

invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed 'descrip- 50 tion, in view of the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification; nevertheless, it is to be understood that the invention is not -con fined to the disclosure, being susceptible of such changes and modifications as define no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a last constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal inside view in elevation of the last,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2,"

Figure 4 is a fragmentary transverse section taken along the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken along the.

line 5-5 of Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a transverse section taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 2, and j j Figure 7 is a fragmentary. longitudinal outside view of the last.

Referring more particularly to the drawing it will be seen that the last is of the block type although the last may be of "the hinge' o'r any other type and is composed of a heel portion If), a shank portion H and a fore portion 12. The last is also provided with a removable instep portion l3 of the well known type. r

The heel portion ID is provided with a heel seat plate l4 having the usual insole tack aper-' ture 15. This plate has its sides andrear edges conforming'to the periphery of the heel;

The forward edge l6 of the plate terminates caved as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 and represents the arch of a normal foot. This concave portion extends inwardly from the inner side face of the last to pointsalong a medial line and terminates at the drop face I! at the rear and'at the base 2| of the first toe in the fore part. r

The outside longitudinal arch l8 is slightly convex but not 'sulficiently to cause it to extend beyond a plane which passes-through the'lowermost point of the heel plate and a point adjacent the base of the first toe so thatsuch points will be in substantially the same plane and will contact with a fiat surface when the last is applied thereto. The slightly convex portion l8 at the outside longitudinal arch represents a normal position of the foot at the outside so that part of the foot when applied to a fiat surface will rest upon such surface. i r

As shown moreparticularly in Figs. 4 and 5 it will be seen that the inside longitudinal arch from the central portion-is curved outwardly towards the fore portion and the heel portion and the concavity gradually decreases as shownv at ZG inFigA. j I I 1 r The undersurface of the fore: portion of the last is inclined upwardly from the flat surface as shownat 25in Fig.2 and is inclined laterally toward the outside portion as shown at 26 in Fig.

- 6. Frornapoint,indicatedat .21 in Fig. 6 the undersurface is curved slightly upwardly, as shown at 28;: The point 21 on the underface of the fore portion of the last is adapted to contact with the flat surface represented by the numeral 30 and is adjacent the base of the first toe. Thus it will be seen that when the last is applied to the at a point located substantially between the base of the first and fifth toe on the undersurface of the fore portion of the last so that such a last 15 will rock and a shoe constructed on the last will have the same defect. In the present instance, however, a shoe constructed on the last described herein will remain in fiat contact with the surface and thus will be retained against rocking.

A shoe constructed onthis type of last overcomes many dis-advantages of the square-breasted heel and the spring heel since it forms a combination of the best qualities of both due to the fact that'the square-breasted heel supports the foot adjacent the innerlongitudinal arch while the outside longitudinal arch of the foo-t is supported along the lines of the spring heel because the outside portion of the foot is normally supported in a line with the heel at the outside and 30 also in line with the base of the fifth toe and also in the same plane with the base of the first toe. The combination heel thus formed on the type of last described herein does not disturb the heel fiexion along the outside border of the shoe 35" since it will allow the entire outer border of the foot to rest naturally along the ground surface from the heel to the base of the fifth toe.

The heel allows the shank portion of the sole to be stitched as high up under the inner arch as the maker considers necessary without changing the balance of the heel itself. The combination further permits the inside borderof the heel to be twisted or wedged to balance the inside front part of the heel of the foot without changing the tread-of the shoe along the outside border or the tread of the sole along the inside border.

I claim 1. A last having fore, shank and heel portions, the undersurface of the shank at the outer side of the arch being in substantially the same plane of the heel, the inner longitudinal arch being concaved and terminating at the rear in a breast face of the heel, said breast face being gradually reduced in height from the inner side to a point where the undersurface of the shank merges into the plane of the heel.

2. A last having fore, shank and heel portions, the undersurface of the shank at the outside of the arch being in substantially the same plane with the heel, the inner longitudinal arch being concaved and terminating at the rear in a drop face at the breast of the heel, said drop face being gradually reduced in height as it approaches a medial line running longitudinally of the under- 5 surface.

3. A last having fore, shank and heel portions, the undersurface of the shank adjacent the outside being slightly convexed and merging in the same plane with the undersurface of the heel'adjacent the outside, a drop face being provided at points where the heel joins the inner longitudinal arch, said'drop face being gradually reduced in height from the inside of the shank to the'convex portion of said shank, the inner longitudinal arch being concaved, said concave portion extending to the convex portion and terminating at the rear in the drop face.

4. A last having fore, shank and heel portions, the undersurface of the shank at the outer side of the arch being in substantially the same plane of the heel, the inner longitudinal arch being concaved, the heel portion having a drop face which is gradually reduced in height from the inner longitudinal arch to a point approximately midway of the breast of the heel where it merges into the. plane of the outside of the arch, the undersurface of the forepart being cut away to provide a surface which is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the shank with the portion of the surface adjacent the base of the large toe being in the plane of the outside arch and the heel.

5. A last having fore, shank and heel portions, the undersurface of the shank at the outer side of the arch being in substantially the same plane of the heel, a drop face being provided at points where the heel joins the inner longitudinal arch, said drop face being gradually reduced in height to a point adjacent a medial line of the last, the underface of the fore portion being cut away on an upward incline leaving the base of the big toe in a plane with the outside arch and the heel portion.

6. A last having fore, shank and heel portions, the undersurface of the shank at the outside of the arch, the section of the undersurface of the heel and a section of the undersurface of the fore portion being in substantially the same plane so that when the last is placed upon a flat surface said last will be balanced against rocking movement, the heel at the breast having a drop face which gradually decreases in height from the inside longitudinal arch to a point adjacent the center of the breast.

HAROLD CHASE KIMBALL.

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