US2742969A

US2742969A - Racing horse shoe

Info

Publication number: US2742969A
Application number: US419343A
Authority: US
Inventors: John W Burton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-03-29
Filing date: 1954-03-29
Publication date: 1956-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 1973-04-24

Description

April 24, 1955 J. w. BURTON 2,742,969

RAC ING HORSE SHOE] Filed March 29, 1954 I N V EN TOR. J g 111v L/ .5112 TON ATTORNEY:

United States Patent 2,742,969 RACING HORSE srron John W. Burton, Tujunga, Calif. Application March 29, 1954, SerialNo. 419,343 Claims. Cl. 168-44 This invention relates to horseshoes and particularly to shoes for racing horses. vention is to provide a shoe which, while affording maxi mum traction, through penetration of the track surface by the shoe, will maintain the heel portion of the horses hoof at maximum elevation while tilting the toe portion downwardly. This attitude of ground contact is beneficial and desirable in that it tends to facilitate the attainment of higher speed with less efforton the part of the horse.

A further object is to provide a shoe which combines the foregoing functional advantages in an extremelylightweight structure; minimum weight beinganother'essential requirement of a racing shoe.

A further object is to provide such a racing shoe which can be fabricated relatively inexpensively.

A further object is to provide such a shoe which supports the hoof at the periphery thereof and relieves sole pressure (pressure against the inner area of the hood).

Other objects will become apparent in the ensuing specifications and appended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an inverted plan view of a racing shoe, particularly adaptable for dirt tracks, embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the same taken transversely through the middle of one side arm of the shoe as indicated by line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view through the heel tip of an arm of the shoe taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view showing a modified form of the invention, especially adapted for use as a training plate.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, I have shown in Figs. l-S, as an example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, a racing shoe suitable for dirt tracks, of somewhat elongated proportions; and in Fig. 6 I have shown a shoe better adapted for use as a training plate, and of somewhat modified proportions.

Referring first to Fig. 1, my improved racing shoe comprises generally a thin web 10 as the inward part of the shoe and a rim 11 projecting downwardly from the periphery of web 11), both the web and the rim extending continuously from one heel extremity (tip) 12 to the other.

The shoe includes a toe area 13, two lateral areas 14 and two heel areas 15.

In cross section, web 10 is quite thin and projects ra- (ll-ally inwardly from the upper extremity of rim 11, lying substantially in a common plane but having an upper face 16 which is slightly frusto-conical, having a slight downward slope from the outer margin to the inner margin thereof as best illustrated in Fig. 4. The slight downward and inward slope of upper face 16 provides a concavity which relieves sole pressure (pressure of the shoe against the under-surface of the horses hoof, except at the periphcry of the hoof).

Flange 11 has an underface (land) 17 which, at any The general object of the in- 2,742,969 Patented Apr. 24,1956

2 vertical section of the shoe, is substantially parallel tothe general plane of flange 10.

'The invention is characterized particularly by the following proportioning of web 10 and rim 11 from the toe to the heel of the shoe: (1) the width of land 17 increases progressively from a minimum width at 17a at the toe of the shoe to maximum width at 17b at heel tips 12; (2) the depth of rim 11 decreases progressively from maximum depth at the toe of the shoe to minimum depth at the heel tips 12; (3) the width ofweb 10 decreases progressively from the toe of the shoeto the heel areas 15, where the extremities of the webare cut away on a bias, as atlS, to leave the extremities of rim 11 projecting to constitute the heel tips 12; (4) theouter peripheral face 19 of rim 11 is beveled downwardly and inwardly at side and heel areas 14 and as shown in Figs. *4 and S, but is vertical at the toe area, 13, as shown at 19a in Fig.3; Q

The inner lateral face 20 of rim 11 is beveled downwardly and outwardly, so that in cross-section the rim .11 may be in the form of a wedge which is truncated to provide the generally fiat lower face 17. i i

' The combination of increasing width and decreasing depth of rim 11 from toe to heel has the following advantages: thetoe portion "or the rim 11 is relatively deep and thin, with its lower face 17a constituting practically a knife edge for penetration of the track surface to maximum depthwith maximum ease, therebyproviding maximum traction at the toe of the shoe. The relatively broad land faces 17b of the heelareas 15 of theshoeprovide maximum penetration resisting support, whereby the heel areas 15 tend to ride high, tending to elevate the heel portion ofthe horses hoof, and to tilt the toe portion of the hoof downwardly. This facilitates the attainment of greater speed with less effort. Only a slight downward tilt is provided for, however, since the decreasing thickness of the rim 11 toward the heel tips 12 establishes a rearward convergence between the land 17 and the upper face 16, and actually, the plane of the web 14, which corresponds to the plane of the bottom of the horses hoof when the shoe is attached, will tend to assume substantially a level position when the shoe is in penetrating en gagement with a level track suface under the dead weight of a horses quarter centered above the shoe. A further advantage of the variable penetration by. rim 11 resides in increased ability to pivot at the toe area of the shoe, with the resistance to side slip gradually diminishing toward the heel.

An overall advantage resides in the combination of maximum traction in the toe area where it is most advantageous, combined with heel lift, in a shoe having a cross section of substantially constant area throughout its arcuate extent. In this respect, the greater depth of rim 11 in the toe area 13 balances the greater width of rim 11 at the heel tips 12; and vice versa, the maximum thinness of rim 11 at the toe area balances the minimum depth of rim 11 at the heel area. Thus it is possible to fabricate the shoe from a length of material originally having substantially uniform cross section along its length. During the fabricating process, the cross sectional shape is varied without substantially varying the cross sectional area. It is therefore possible, by using a pair of geared rolls having peripheral grooves of varying cross-sectional contour corresponding to the varying cross sectional contour of the upper and lower faces of the shoe respectively, to roll a heat softened rod from a uniform cross sectional shape to the progressively varying cross sectional shape of the shoe, to thereafter sever said rod into sections each having therein, in linear succession, the various crosssectional contours of the shoe beginning with one heel tip 12 and extending to the other tip 12; and thereafter to reheat such section and bend it into the bowed form of the shoe. For accuracy in obtaining uniformity in the final @Fig: 6 illustrates a. slight modification of the invention,

in a training plate of more nearly circular shape and shorter than the shoe of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 also illustrates that in a training plate, the width of the bottom face 17' of rim 11' may be slightly wider than the toe area 13, and thewidth of web 10 in the toe area may be correspondingly slightly less. The proportions in the heel extremities are substantially the same as in Fig. 1. This slightly broader face is better forrunning on turf where the shoe is to be used as a training plate; whereas the shoe of Fig. 1

1, with its rim 11 of more nearly knife edge form in the toe area 13, is moreadaptable for dirt tracks.

, In attaching a shoe to the horses hoof, horseshoe nails are driven through apertures 21 and through the marginal areasof the hoof, in a conventional manner. ,Rim 11 is of greater height than base width (width where it joins web 10) in the toe area, and of greater width than height at the heel tips.

' The vertical forward face 19a at the toe of the shoe increases the dig. or penetration of the toe area into I the track, since it lessens the inclination of this forward face toward the horizontal when the horses hoof and the shoe are tilted forwardly, with the heel lifted (a common attitude when the shoe makes initial contact with the track surface during a running operation). This feaure eliminates eighty-five percent of the slippage experienced in ,the use ofeonventional racing shoes on dirt tracks.

Iclaim:

1. In a shoe for racing horses, having heel tips and a toearea, comprising: athin web lying generally in a horizontal plane when the shoe is in a rest position in full contact with the ground; and a rim, said rim projecting downwardly from the periphery of said web throughout the circumferential extent thereof in said rest position, the depth of said downward projection below the underface of said web decreasing progressively from said toe area to said heel tips and said rim having as its underface, a ground-engaging land which varies in width progressively and gradually throughout the arcuate extent of the shoe, from minimum width at said toe area to maximum width at said heel extremities.

2. A shoe as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid rim is of substantially knife edge section at said toe area.

3. A shoe as defined in claim 1, wherein said rim is of greater height than base width at said toe area and is of greater width than height at the heel tips.

4. A shoe as defined in claim 1, wherein said rim is of substantially knife edge section and of greater height than base width at said toe area and has a height only slightly greater than the thickness of said web at said heel tips.

5. A shoe as defined in clairnl, wherein the forward face of the toe portion of said rim is disposed at right angles to the general plane of said web.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 225,260 Williams Mar. 9, 1880 FOREIGN PATENTS 391,960 France Sept. 11, 1908