US2600819A

US2600819A - Shoe heel

Info

Publication number: US2600819A
Application number: US125674A
Authority: US
Inventors: William J Walsh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-11-05
Filing date: 1949-11-05
Publication date: 1952-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 1969-06-17

Description

W. J. WALSH June 17, 1952 SHOE HEEL Filed Nov. .5, 1949 43 Z6. /A/l/E/vro Patented June 17, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE HEEL William J. Walsh, Lemay, Mo.

Application November 5, 1949, Serial No. 125,674 12 claims. (o1. ers-34) The present invention relates to a shoe heel construction, and particularly to a shoe heel that can be made by molding a plastic material.

Heretofore plastic heels have been made, but there have always been problems of constructing them so that they could be nailed to the shoe, especially without changing conventional wood heel nailing machines; and there have been problems of providing for attaching of a top lift to the heel. These various problems have all involved those of molding, for any plastic heel must be capable of being molded.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a heel that can be molded, and yet which has adequate means for attachment between the heel and the shoe, and between the top lift and the heel. Especially is it an object to provide such a heel that can be nailed to a shoe by a conventional nailing machine, that can receive and hold the usual drive screw; and that can tightly but releasably hold a top lift. Specically it is an object to provide such a heel with a flexible tongue engageable to hold a top lift securely but releasably, and especially to provide such a tongue formed as an integral part of the molded heel. Another feature is the arrangement of this tongue from the plastic material itself rather than as an insert.

Another object is to provide a heel that can be molded from plastic material, and which is' light in Weight with no sacrifice of strength. In particular, it is an object to provide such a heel in which a plurality of spaced walls form an area to receive the nails, and at the same time minimize the weight of the heel.

In another sense, it is an object to provide a heel and top lift combination of novel character, wherein the top lift can be removably attached to the molded heel and is held securely in the heel by a yieldable tongue formed as an integral part of the heel. And it is an object to provide a top lift capable of operating in this shoe.

Other objects include the methods of molding the heel to accomplish the previously recited objectives.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of the completed heel;

Figure 2 is a vertical lengthwise section on the line 2--2 of Figure l, through the heel;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a lengthwise vertical section taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a transverse horizontal section on the line 5--5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is another transverse horizontal section on the line 6--6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a top view of a top lift for use with the heel;

Figure 8 is a lengthwise secti-on similaito Figure 2 but showing the top lift in place; and

Figure 9 is a lengthwise vertical section through the top lift, taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 7.

The heel, generally designated Iii, has a heel seat portion l l that is properly concave to receive the bottom of the heel part of a shoe. It also has a bottom l2 to which a top litt i3 is attached. The heel illustrated is a French style approximately 2|-8 in size, but it will beI entirely evident that the present invention may be used with other styles and sizes of heels.

The heel l0 has a forward slot-like opening l5 that extends from the top to the bottom, the slot defining the forward wall i6 oi the heel. 1n the preferred construction, the wall i@ is provided with a backwardly projecting lip il with an arcuate upper surface. Back of the opening I5, there is an integral area I8 that extends al most to the bottom I2 of the heel, and which area has a plurality of vertical slots i9. As indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 4, these vertical slots I 9 will extend down varying distances where the side walls of the heel converge downwardly, and the slots should not extend through the side walls. Also the slots, for purposes of strength, should not extend to forward and backward limits of the area IS, so that the effect is that there are forward and backward walls 20 and 2i, at the ends the slots.

Back of the area lll, there is a vertical slot 23 that extends from top to bottom of the heel, and merges with the slot i5 below the area Behind the slot 23, there is a wall 25 that extends from top to bottom of the heel, and back of the wall 25 there is a slot 2% also preferably extending through the top of the heel, and necessarily opening through the bottom of the heel for a purpose to appear.

The wall 25 extends across the heel and from the top to the bottom thereof. At its bottom edge, it preferably has a forwardly projecting lip 21. There are two vertical slots 2B and 2d extending upwardly from the bottom E2 of heel, to a point somewhat below the top. These two slots sepa-rate a tongue 3Q from the rest of the wall 25, which tongue is integral with the rest of the wall at its upper end., but which extends downwardly to provide a flexible com nector means having the lip 2 at its bottom edge. By virtue of the

slots

28 and 29, the two open- 3

ings

23 and 26 merge at the bottom, with the tongue 30 in the space. The tongue 30 can be displaced backwardly from its illustrated position until stopped by the back wall 32 of the heel.

The part of the heel back of the opening 26 and extending to the back wall 32 has a plurality of more or less arcuate vertical slot openings 33 extending downwardly from the top, but they should not penetrate the side and back wall 32. The openings `33 may be separated if desired, by such as the wall 34, this -wall providing additional strength.

The foregoing arrangement provides an opening 35 in the bottom I2, that has forward and rearward lips I1 and 21, the rearward lip 21 being on the flexible spring-like tongue 30. 'A top lift I3 has a plug 40 on it, engageable in the recess 25. This plug 4I) is preferably generally arcuate on its front and rear edges at 4I and 42 corresponding to the arcuate upper surfaces of the lips I1 and 21, and in anyk event overhangs so as to interengage over'the lipsv I1 and 21. The rounded edge- 42 is flanked by two projecting abutments 43 and 44, themselves somewhat rounded on their upper corners. In the preferred construction, the plug 40 is integrally molded with the top lift, as from a plastic substance that is somewhat yieldable to -have exibility when the shoe is used.. Y Y

It will be seen that the heel can bemolded in a two-part mold. The openings I5, I9, 23,26, and 33 can all be formed by blades attached to the top mold piece. These blades also will form the lips I1 and 21. The mold bottom piece can have a plug that extends upwardly in the bottom I2 inside of the lips I1 and 21, and also to form in whole or in part the top lift plug recess 35 within said lips, and two pins that form the

slots

28 and 29 separating oif the tongue 30. These various molded parts can be strong, owing to their being blade-like, whereas in former plastic heels the upper area has been formed with a plurality of holes, by pins, that are comparatively delicate.

The heel is nailed to a shoe by conventional nailing machine practice. Usually ve nails are used, entering at about the points a, b, c, d, and e into the upper surface of the heels, usually at an angle. The slots I9 and 33 are narrower than the nails, and will hold any nails driven into I them. The walls adjacent the slots and dividing them, as well as the walls 2D, 2l and 35, are of thin enough section that, when made of conventional thermoplastic or like material, they can be penetrated by the nails freely when the nailing machine is operated. The drive screw when used usually will enter about at the point s, and usually enters at an angle.

The top lift I3 can be snapped into position. The forward part 4I of its plug is engaged over the lip I1 and is laterally held against the side walls, here shown with two

shoulders

46 and 41. Then the rear rounded part 42 is pressed upward with the shoulders 43 and 44 resting in the bottoms of the

slots

28 and 29, and back against the back wall 32. This latter action deects the tongue until the top lift is seated, at which time the lip 21 will snap back under the rear overhang 42 on the top lift plug 40. The top lift will hold securely in use, but may be pried olf for replacement by slipping a tool under its back edge, the rounded under part of the overhang of the plug displacing the tongue 30 backward until the plug is free of the lip 21. Thus the walking load on the top lift is all actually taken 4 against fixed walls of the heel, so that in the preferred construction the tongue 3D is required to act only as a latch.

What is claimed is:

1. A heel construction comprising a heelshaped piece, having an area to receive fastenings driven thereinto, said area comprising a plurality of relatively narrow vertical walls and a plurality of relatively narrow slots between the walls coextensive with substantially thev entire fastening area, that render the area capable of being penetratable by the fastenings, the walls and slots being generally arcuate to conform to the shape of the heel, said arcuate walls and slots being in at least two groups, there being a wall that extends generally radially of the heel between the said groups.

2. A heel construction comprising a heelshaped piece having outside walls and a plurality of vertical walls within the outside walls with openings between said walls, one of said walls extending downwardly to adjacent the bottom of the piece, lthe bottom of the piece having an opening therein, the said one of the walls being separate from the outside walls at its lower portion to provide a tongue yieldable toward the outside walls.

3. A heel construction comprising a heelshaped piece of plastic material having outside walls and a recess in the bottom part thereof, a ilexible tongue integral with the heel at one end and having its free end extending adjacent said recess, the free end of the tongue being separate from the side walls and being yieldable, whereby it may permit enlargement of the recess.

4. A heel construction comprising a heelshaped piece of plastic material having outside walls and a recess in the bottom part thereof, a flexible tongue having an integral connection with the heel at one end and having its free end extending adjacent said recess, the free end of the tongue being separate from the side walls and being yieldable, whereby it may permit enlargement of the recess, the tongue being opposite a wall of said recess, and the said wall and the bottom of the tongue having projecting lips.

5. A heel construction comprising a heelshaped piece of plastic material having outside walls and a recess in the bottom part thereof, a exible tongue having an integral connection with the heel at one end and having its free end extending adjacent said recess, the free end of the tongue being separate from the side walls and being yieldable, whereby it may permit enlargement of the recess, the tongue being opposite a wall of said recess, and the said wall and the bottom of the tongue having projecting lips, the lip on the tongue sloping downwardly and toward the other lip on its upper surface, and a top lift having a plug engageable in said recess, which plug is undercut to engage said lips and has the undercut engageable with the lips of the tongue sloping downwardly and forwardly whereby the top lift will be held securely but removably on the heel.

6. A heel construction comprising a heelshaped piece of plastic material having outside walls and a recess in the bottom part thereof, a ilexible tongue having an integral connection with the heel at one end and having its free end extending adjacent said recess, the free end of the tongue being separate from the side walls and being yieldable, whereby it may permit enlargementl of the recess, the tongue being opposite a wall of said recess, and the said wall and the bottom of the tongue having projecting lips, the lip on the tongue sloping downwardly and toward the other lip on its upper surface, and a top lift having a plug engageable in said recess, which plug is undercut to engage said lips and has the undercut engageable with the lips of the tongue sloping downwardly and forwardly whereby the top lift will be held securely but removably on the heel, and having means disposed laterally of the tongue and engageable with a fixed wall of said recess to hold the top lift against lateral movement when it is in place in the heel.

7. A heel construction comprising a heelshaped piece of plastic material having side walls, a top and bottom, a recess in the bottom to refceive a top lift, plug, a exible tongue having an integral connection at its upper end to the heel and having its lower free end extending into said recess, and spaced ahead of the back wall of the recess, the back wall limiting the movement of the tongue in that direction, the tongue having a forwardly extending lip, and the opposite recess wall having a backwardly extending projection.

8. A heel construction comprising a heelshaped piece of plastic material having side walls, a top and bottom, a recess in the bottom to receive a top lift plug, a exible tongue having an integral connection at its upper end to the heel and having its lower free end extending into said recess, and spaced ahead of the back wall of the recess, the back wall limiting the movement of the tongue in thatl direction, the tongue having a forwardly extending lip, and the opposite recess wall having a backwardly extending projection, the tongue comprising an integrally formed part of the heel piece, there being a wall in the heel piece extending from side to side thereof, and two slots constituting continuations of the bottom recess and extending upwardly in said wall to separate the tongue part of the wall from the rest of the wall.

9. A heel construction comprising a heel member having a recess in its end surface, a iiexible tongue having one end flxedly connected to the interior of the heel member and its free end projecting into said recess in spaced relation to the wall of the recess so that said end can flex toward said wall, said exible end having a lip projecting away from the wall, the wall being spaced from the sides of the tongue, and a connecting plug having overhanging means interengageable into said recess and over the lip of the tongue, and having lateral projections beside the overhanging means interengageable in the lateral spaces between the tongue and the Wall of lthe heel member, and engageable at their ends with the wall of the heel member that crosses behind the tongue.

10. In a heel, a heel member having a top and a bottom, a front wall, and a side and back wall connecting with the front wall, there being a first vertical opening behind the front wall extending from the top of the heel member to the bottom, an area behind said rst vertical opening extending from the top toward the bottom but terminating above the bottom, a plurality of additional vertical openings in said area to render the area readily penetratable by fastening means such as nails, a second vertical opening behind said area, extending from the top of the heel member through the bottom, said second opening connecting with the first opening below said area and providing a bottom recess in the heel, a third opening extending from the top of the heel member through the bottom, spaced back of the second opening to denne a wall between them, a pair of slots extending upwardly from the bottom providing a tongue separate from said wall at its lower end; a plurality of generally arcuate vertical openings in the heel member back of said third opening to provide a further area that is readily penetratable by fastening means such as nails; and means shaping the lower part of the tongue and the walls of the recess in the bottom of the heel member for locking interengagement with a top lift plug.

11. A shoe heel, comprising a body portion having side walls defining a recess in the bottom portion thereof; a exible tongue having an integral connection with the body portion and having a free end extending into the recess and spaced from one side wall toward which it can be flexed, the tongue containing a projection adjacent its lower end on the side opposite to said side wall; and a top lift member disposed in the recess and containing an undercut portion for engagement by the projection of the tongue to releasably maintain it in position; said one wall containing shoulder portions and the top lift member containing projection portions which abut to prevent lateral movement of the top lift member.

12. A top lift having an upper surface to fit with the bottom of a heel, a plug projecting from said upper surface, the plug having one edge portion shaped for holding interengagement with the heel, an opposite edge formed by two laterally disposed and substantially rigid abutment portions projecting away from the first-named edge portions, and an undercut portion between them, the undercut portion being disposed inwardly of the abutment portions toward the first-named edge portion.

WILLIAM J. WALSH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,065,325` Calhoun Dec. 22, 1936 2,266,575 Treece Dec. 16, 1941 2,308,103 Pearson et al. Jan. 12. 1943