US2076978A - Detachable heel protector for shoes - Google Patents

Description

April 13,1937. w H, BUTLER AL 2,076,978

DETACHABLE HEEL PROTECTOR FOR SHOES Filed July 7, 1956 A f Z0 Z9 Qwuwvbcws Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED sTAi-Es ztiaa s PATENT ()FFIC William H. Butler, Forest Gate, London, and David S. Cooper, Manor Park, London, England Application July 7, 1936, Serial No. 89,436 In Great Britain October 1'7, 1935- 5 Claims This invention relates to shoes and particularly to detachable heel pads or lifts adapted to be applied to the heels of boots or shoes to thereby protect the heel.

The general object of the invention is to provide a heel pad, lift or protector which may be readily applied to the heels of boots or shoes, or readily removed therefrom, if necessary.

Another object is toprovide a device of this character which. includes a metallic: keeper plate adapted to be held: to the heel of the shoe by a screw or like instrumentality and a rubber or composition. protectoror'lift: which is adapted to be readily engaged with or: disengaged from. the metallic: plate but. which,. when in. engagement; is held firmly and. rigidly in. place until manu-- ally disengaged.

A further. object: is' to provide a. construction of this character in: which the composition or rubber lift or protector is provided withv a pairof embedded spring tongues and the metallic plate is-provided with slots through which the spring: tongues: may pass and with which. the tongues interlock to hold the lift or protector in place. 7

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

In, the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view throughla shoe heeLthe keeper plate and a detachable lift. constructed in accordance with our' invention;

Figure ZIiS a section: on the line 2-2' of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the detachable Figure 4 is an underside plan view of the keeper plate;

Figure 5 is a section through the-protector or lift showing a modification of the attaching clip;

Figure 6 is a sectional view as in Figure 1 but showing the protector or lift in position as it is being applied.

Referring to the drawing, l0 designates a light metallic keeper plate which may be cast or stamped and which is formed with a rounded outor peripheral edge H and a straight breast edge l2. This plate on its inside face is provided with the upstanding prongs l3 and between these prongs with a countersunk aperture M for the reception of a screw it which, as shown in Figure 1, holds the plate upon the heel A.

The plate In is provided on each side of the aperture l4 and equi-distantly therefrom with the laterally and upwardly inclined slots It, the

inside face of the plate at the outer corner of each slot being slightly recessed at ll, the recess preferably extending downward; and. laterally and then upward,v as shown in Figure l. The keeper plate also upon: its lower face is formed with a 5 tapered recess l8 extending inward from: the breast edge l2, the roof of this recess being. inclined downward and away from the heel edge, as shown in. Figure 2.

In Figure 1=,. the lift, protector or pad lit, which may be. formed of rubber or composition or any material suitable for the purpose, is shown as having embedded: therein a clip, this; clip being as'wide' as the: length of the slots l6 and being of metal. The clipis designated 20. and the extremities of. this clip in Figure 1- are bent overupon themselves;. as at it, and then extended upward and laterally at 22 to form spring tongues, the extremities of: these tongues being angularly flanged or bent to form the lips 23. These 0 tongues 22. areadapted to be forced through the slotsltfiandi thelips or hook-like. portions 23 will engage within the recesses H, as shownin Figure 1, to thus interlock with the plate t0 and hold the pad: or protector l9 firmly in place. 25

The body 28: of the clip is preferably provided with apertures 24 through which thefmaterial of the pad or protector [9 passes to thus firmly engage. the embedded clip' with the material of the lift or. pad: Ill; In- Figure fig we have illustrated a modification of the spring. clip inwhich the body 20 is embedded and: provided with the aperture 24; as previously described, but in this case, the extremities of the body 20 are extended directly upward and laterally and not rebent, as at 21- in Figure I, the extremitiesof the portions 22* being bent to form small hooks 23 as previously described, In this modification the resilient tongues 22 engage within the inclined slot l6 in precisely the same manner as heretofore described; and the hooks-23 will engage in the recesses- H as-heretofore described;

In the use=of this device, themetallic plate- II] is. secured to the heel A by means of the screw I5 and then the resilient tongues of the clip are retracted and inserted into and pushed up through the slots I 6 until the hooked extremities 23 or 23 engage within the recesses ll, the outer ends of these resilient tongues snapping into the recesses ll, thereby firmly securing the pad, lift or protector l9 in place.

In order to detach the member I9 from the plate ill, a small screw driver or other suitable implement of this character is inserted into the tapered recess l8 between the plate and the element l9 and may be used to pry the member l9 away from the plate so that one of the resilient tongues of the clip is free from its engaging recess, as shown in Figure 6, whereupon the pad or protector I9 is readily removed. The pad or protector I!) may be readily engaged with the plate ID by forcing one of the tongues up through one of the slots until it snaps into place, then forcing the pad against the plate ID, which will cause the other resilient tongue to be forced inward into the corresponding slot I6 and eventually snapped into place, or a screw driver may be inserted between the member l9 and the plate to force this last named tongue into position within the corresponding slot l6 and then the member [9 be forced upward into place.

It will be seen that the advantages of this construction are many. Once the metallic plate is fastened to the shoe, it is obvious that from time to time worn pads or lifts l9 can be readily removed and new pads or lifts put in place thereof, and if the pads are worn down and it is impossible to immediately replace the pad with a new one, then the metallic plate will protect the main heel piece until a new pad can be put in place. It is obvious also that the pads of a pair of shoes may be reversed from time to time, thus preventing an unequal wearing down and keeping the uppers in better shape. The plates may be readily fitted to new shoes or to old shoes and obviously may be applied to shoes having heels of any cross-sectional area or height. Spare pads can be readily carried so that at any time the pads may be renewed. The combination of the metal plate and the rubber or composition pad l9 will give a distinctive finish to a shoe and the pads may be made in various colors to harmonize with the colors of the uppers or be of a different color therefrom. While we have illustrated certain details of construction and arrangement of parts, we wish it understood that we are not limited to the exact construction shown except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:--

1. A detachable heel protector for shoes, including a metallic keeper plate having a central countersunk aperture through which a screw may be passed to hold the plate in place upon the shoe, the keeper plate being formed with a pair of upwardly and laterally inclined slots, the outer edge of each slot on the inner face of the keeper plate opening into a downwardly and outwardly inclined recess, and a heel lift having a pair of laterally inclined tongues embedded therein and projecting beyond the inner surface of the lift, said tongues being resilient and being urged by said resilience away from each other, the extremities of the tongues being formed with hooks detachably engaged in said recesses.

2. A detachable heel protector for shoes, including a metallic keeper plate having a central countersunk aperture through which a screw may be passed to hold the plate in place upon the shoe, the keeper plate being formed with a pair of upwardly and laterally inclined slots, the outer edge of each slot on the inner face of the keeper plate opening into a downwardly and outwardly inclined recess, and a heel lift having a metallic clip embedded therein, the extremities of the clip being bent to extend beyond the inner surface of the lift to form resilient tongues, the tongues being urged outward by their resilience and having hook-shaped extremities detachably engaged within the recesses of the inner face of the plate.

3. A detachable heel protector for shoes, including a metallic keeper plate having a central countersunk aperture through which a screw may be passed to hold the plate in place upon the shoe, the keeper plate being formed with a pair of upwardly and laterally inclined slots, the outer edge of each slot on the inner face of the keeper plate opening into a downwardly and outwardly inclined recess, and a heel lift having a metallic clip embed therein, the clip consisting of a strip of metal extending transversely across the lift, then rebent upon itself at its ends and then extended upward and laterally beyond the inner face of the lift to form tongues, said tongues being resiliently urged away from each other, the extremities of the tongues being formed with hooks inserted into and detachably engaged with said recesses in the keeper plate.

l. A detachable heel protector for shoes, including a metallic keeper plate having a central countersunk aperture through which a screw may be passed to hold the plate in place upon the shoe, the keeper plate being formed with a pair of upwardly and laterally inclined slots, the outer edge of each slot on the inner face of the keeper plate 1' opening into a downwardly and outwardly inclined recess, and a heel lift having a pair of laterally inclined tongues embedded therein and,

projecting beyond the inner surface of the lift, said tongues being resilient and being urged by said resilience away from each other, the extremities of the tongues being formed with hooks detachably engaged in said recesses, the keeper plate having on its lower face a recess extending inward from the edge of the plate whereby to permit an implement to be inserted between the lift and the plate and disengage the plate and lift.

5. A detachable heel protector for shoes, including a metallic keeper plate having means whereby it may be held in place upon the heel of a shoe, the keeper plate being formed with a pair of upwardly and laterally inclined slots, the outer edge of each slot on the inner face of the plate opening into a downwardly and outwardly inclined recess, and a heel lift having a pair of laterally inclined tongues embedded therein and projecting beyond the inner surface of the lift, said tongues being resilient and being urged by said resilience away from each other, the extremities of the tongues being formed with hooks detachably engaged in said recess.

WILLIAM H. BUTLER. DAVID S. COOPER.

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