US2161188A - Shoe and shank stiffener therefor - Google Patents

Description

June 5, 1939 K w. H, NlcKERsoN 2,161,188

SHOE AND SHANK STIFFENER THEREFOR Filed Aug. 4, 1937 ff' fg/@m Y ZZ/ml /Zamm @Lt nm. fw

Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES v 2,161,188 SHOE AND SHANK STIFFENEB., THEREFQR William H. Nickerson, Newton Senter; Mass'.

Application, August 4,

8 Claims.

This invention relates tov shoe manufacture and is particularly concerned with shoes having stilieners or arch supporters in the shank portion of their bottoms. Its object is to: provide a means by which a better anchorage may be obtained for the cementsfand adhesives which, in some v makes of shoe, are appliedv between the shank stiffener andthe inner or outer sole, and by which to eliminate or minimi-ze squeaking when the shoe is ilexed with movements of the wearers foot-in walking. These objects are accomplished by providing metallic shank stiffeners, arch supports,

and the like, which mayotherwise be of standard materials, dimensions and shape, or of any other suitable shapes, with a multiplicity of small low protuberances on at least one surface, and in at least the mid portion of the length of such surface, which protuberances are adapted to bear on their summits against the adjacent surfaces of'one of the' soles (outer sole orr innersole) of the shoe; in providing a network of shallow channels between and aroundsuch protuberances adapted to receive and conne cement; and in effecting such an engagement between the sotreated side of the 'stiffener or support in the adjacent surfacel of a shoe sole, as to expel the cement wholly or in largemeasure from between the protuberancesand the adjacent sole, causing the protuberances to emerge from the cement covering and forming narrow flexible ridges of cement adhering to the shoe sole surface -and 0ccupying the channels between the protuberances. The invention consists in a shoe having a shank stifener or arch supportof the character indicated; the combination between such a stiiener, the adjacent shoe sole and interposed ridges of cement; the new shank stiffener constituting a part of such a combination; and the method of combining the stifener and sole in a shoe in such manner as to achieve the desired objects.

The drawing furnished herewith shows an i1- lustrative embodiment of the invention and the parts thereof.

Fig. 1 is a side view ofv a shoe, partly broken away to show its bottom in longitudinal section,

, 'containing the shankconstruction of this invention;

Fig. V2 is aside elevation of the shank stiffener shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an under plan view of the same shank stiffener;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of another type of shank stiffener, which is also sometimes called van arch support, embodying the invention; Y

Fig. 5'is a longitudinal. section of a fragment of 1937.",A Seria-1;. Noa, 157333.71

(Cl. 12i-14r2)f .they shank portion of. thefshoe bottom. shown on, an

enlargedi scale; with exaggeration of the width and depth of the; channels between the surface protuberances. of the stiifener to illustrate in principle the manner in which contactl between the,A stiiener` and. sole is. limited and cement. is disposed in. interlocking. engagement` with the protuberances;

Fig. 6; is. aA cross section through the shank portionl of the shoe.' bottom. on the line 6.-6, of Fig. 5 andv shown` on the. same exaggerated scale.

Like reference characters designate' the same parts. wherever theyA occur in. all' the figures.

The shoe here illustrated. has an innersole a, arr outer sole b and a shank stiffener c placed between: the| inner and. outer soles andmade fast to the former at one .or both ends by. a. tack or tacksdJ d', or othersui'tabl'e-v fastening means, such: asintegral? prongs.. etc. Y

The shank stiffener' c is given a longitudinally curved? or arched shape corresponding to that of thel shoe with which it is designed to be used, and itis transversely curved with a trough-likeformation makes iteonvex on' one side and concave on the other. Such transverse curvature' exists i-n4 varying degrees in thema-jor part of the length of the-stiiener but diminishes and disappears at andlneartheextremities Such stiffeners arecustomarilycut from 'at ship orI sheet steel andy brought into nnalformby4 pressing and bending between suitable dies.

Thestiffene-r is embossed ontheside which pro- Vides the transversely convex formation sov as tov make numerous' `protuberances or humps e, located near to one another, but at the same time distinctlyV spacedv apart and separated by intermediate channels ordepressions. These projections' and channels arev most practicably produced bypassing the strip or sheet stee1,rin the nal stepofrolling to; final thickness, between rollsY of which one has a suitably engraved or pitted' surface. When the stiilener blanks are Ygrooved and'roifset, the embossedy side is placed next to the concave grooving/ die, whereby in the finishedstifrener4 the`r embossments or protuberances are caused to lie on the convex side. Suchy protuberancesl lie beside one another 4throi-lghout the enti-re wid-th of the stiffener.

The outlines of the protuberances and their disposition with respect to one another may be 1 regular orirrtegular, and. their contours in profile may berour-rdedk orabrupt inY any desired measure. Those in the: specimens; from. which the; illustrations-.inthe presentdrawing; were made are-nearly flat on. the1 summitsxand: have steep declivities at their sides, such that their areas at the summit are but little, if at all, larger than at the base. They are more or less irregular and unequal in outline and dimensions, the average of their length and width dimensions being in the order of from one to three thirty-seconds of an inch. The depth of the intermediate valleys or channels is very small, being in the order of a few thousandths of an inch, which is but a small fraction, about one tenth or less, of the usual thickness of the stock from which stiffeners are made. These dimensions, however, are not limiting but illustrative, and may be considerably varied within the scope of the invention, provided the depressions are not so deep as to weaken the stiffener or requiring it to be made objectionably heavy in order to have the necessary strength, or deep enough to mold ridges of cement so thick as to be brittle when dry.

Contact between the convex side of the stiffener and the adjacent shoe sole, (in theillustrated case the outer sole), is limited to the summits of the projections.V Hence the areas of contact are small and separate from one another, but numerous. They are so narrow also that two or more points of contact are found in `nearly every transverse section of the shank. I have found in practice that with this construction there isrsubstantially complete elimination of squeaking due to rubbing of the embossed surface of the stiifener on the adjacent surface of the shoe sole with the movements of the wearers foot in walking.

When cement is used between the stiifener and sole, the latter is pressed and held against the stiffener with such force as to cause the projections to penetrate the cement coating and substantially expel cement from between their summits and the contiguous surface of the sole. When the cement occupying the channels between the projections sets or dries to solid condition it interlocks Ywith the projections and more securely retains the stiifener against displacement than is done by adhesion alone. Theinterlockingridges of cement thus formed are so low in height, due to the shallowness of the channels, that they remain flexible even when hard and dry and retain their emciency as mechanical locking projections independently of the bond due to adhesion alone, which latter may be soon broken.

VThe condition in which the cement exists, is illustrated in an exaggerated way in Figs. 5 and 6. The protuberances e bear closely against the inner surface of the outer sole, and may even indent this surface to some extent. 'I'he cement lies in the form of irregular projections j occupying the channels between the protuberances of the shank stiifener. The condition thus illustrated and described is that in the tangent Zone between the convex side of the stiffener and the adjacent surface of the outer sole. The condition of the cement at either side of this Zone is unimportant, for it is only at the Contact Zone, of course, that squeaking due to rub o f the stiffener on the outer sole can occur, and it is here that the ridges of cement perform their intended function.

The same essential invention may be embodied in shoes of all sizes and styles which have shank stiffeners, and in connection with stiffeners of other dimensions and contours,

An illustration of such another stiifener is given in Fig'. 4 of the drawing where a so called arch support 'g isv shown. ``This arch'support is applied-to the shoe 'in the same manner `as the stiffener o; Like the latter it is bowed longitudinally and is made concave-convex transversely. But it is wider and is so bulged near its forward end as to form a hump h, the hollow side of which provides a pocket in which a pad may be placed to support the metatarsal arch of the foot. The invention may likewise be embodied in shoes where the convex curvature of the stiffener is turned toward the innersole; in at stiffeners; in lso called composite Shanks composed of a leather or berboard body piece and a steel reinforcing strip, and in arch supports which are worn inside of shoes to support fallen arches of the wearers feet.

An equivalent embossed or pebbled configuration may be applied to the mid length part only of the shank stiffener instead of throughout the entire length thereof, if desired, for it is in the middle portion particularly that the need and utility of this configuration exists. By middle portion in this explanation I mean so much of the length as constitutes a major part thereof but terminates short of either or both ends as, for example, so much of the length of the stiffener as is comprised between the points 1c and Z in Fig. 2.

The shank stiffener herein described was rst disclosed in my prior application filed June 13, 1936, Serial No. 85,104, of which the present application is a continuation as to that subject matter.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The process of shoe making which comprises providing af shank stiifener having an embossed surface with shallow channels between and around the embossments, applying cement between the embossed surface of such stiffener and the surface of a sole of the shoe, and applying the sole with pressure between it and the stiffener such that the embossed projections of the latter penetrate substantially through the cement coating into contactrwith the adjacent surface of said sole, leaving ridges of cement in the channels.

2. In the manufacture of a shoe, the steps of providing a metal shank stiffener having an embossed surface with shallow channels, the depth of which is in the order of a few thousandths of an inch, between and around the protuberances of such embossed surface, laying a sole and an interposed layer of cement'against the embossed side of such stiffener so that the protuberances of the latter pass substantially through the cement layer into contact with the surface of the sole, and holding the sole and stiiener together during setting of the cement.

3. In shoe making, the steps of applying to the bottom of a lasted shoe, prior to application of the outer sole, a metal shank stiffener having an embossed surface with shallow channels between the protuberances, applying a layer of cement to the embossed surface of the stiffener, and pressing an outer sole against the cemented stiffener so that the protuberances of the latter penetrate substantially through the cement into contact with the outer sole and the cement, after drying, forms a network embracing the projections of the embossed stiffener.

4. A shoe including in its constructi-on a sole and metallic shank stiifener, said shank stiffener having its surface next to the sole formed with embossments and intermediate valleys of a depth which is but a small fraction of the thickness of the stiifener, and being in contact with the adjacent surfaoe of the sole only at the summits of vsuch embossments, and the sole having adherent ridges of cement occupying channels and embracing projections of the embossed stiiener.

5. A shoe including a sole and a metal shank stiifener or arch support, said stiffener having in its surface next to the sole a network of communicating narrow and shallow channels, and the adjacent surface of the sole having ribs of cement moldedin said channels and of" such small height as to be non-brittle and flexible.

6. A metal shank stiffener or arch support for use in shoes having in one surface a network of connected channels of narrow width and a depth which is a small fraction of the thickness of the stiifener, such channels being adapted to form a matrix for cement ridges when applied to the surface of a shoe sole against an interposed layer of cement, and the material of the stiffener between the channels providing a multiplicity of contact areas. y

7. A metal shank stiffener or arch support for use in shoes, having on one face a multiplicity of llow protuberances separated from one another by intermediate Valleys or channels, the summits of such protuberances being smooth and of nearly as large area as their bases and of such small area that a plurality of them are adapted to bear on the surface of an adjacent shoe sole both lengthwise and transversely of the stiffener.

8. A metal shank stifener or arch support for use in shoes, having on one face a multiplicity of low protuberances separated from one another by intermediate valleys or channels, the summits of such protuberances being smooth and of nearly as large area as their bases and of such small area that a plurality of them are adapted to bear on the surface of an adjacent shoe sole both lengthwise and transversely of the stiffener, such channels being adapted to receive cement when the stiffener is pressed against a cement coated shoe sole, and their depth being in the order of a few thousandths of an inch whereby the ribs of such cement molded therein'are non-brittle and iiexible after setting.

WILLIAM H. NICKERSON

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