US3261115A

US3261115A - Heel lift fastener

Info

Publication number: US3261115A
Application number: US511145A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gerard M Manze
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-12-02
Filing date: 1965-12-02
Publication date: 1966-07-19
Anticipated expiration: 1983-07-19

Description

July 19, 1966 MANZE 3,261,115

HEEL LIFT FASTENER Filed Dec. 2, 1965 4 m 47 2336 34 4 46 BY F/G.2 F/G.6 W

ATTORNEYS.

INVENTOR.

652/125 M M/Wzz United States Patent 3,261,115 HEEL LIFT FASTENER Gerard M. Manze, 721 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE., Atlanta, Ga. Filed Dec. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 511,145 3 Claims. (Cl. 36-34) This invention relates to heel lift fasteners or dowels that are used to secure a lift to the heel of a ladys shoe.

Ladies shoes are normally formed with an elevated heel port-ion under which lies a normally tapered heel forming a substantially vertical opening for receiving a dowel or heel lift fastener to which is secured a heel lift or wearing tip. Heel lift fasteners presently in use are molded heel lifts of plastic or other similar resilient materials in which the replacement of the heel lift entails the removing and discarding of the previously used heel lift fastener and substituting of a new one.

It is an object of the instant invention to provide a heel lift fastener whereby a Worn heel lift may be removed and replaced.

Another object of the instant invention is the provision of a heel lift fastener having a flat plate which may be supported by the lowermost portion of the heel and which carries a plurality of perpendicularly extending prongs for impaling a heel lift thereon.

A still further object of the instant invention is to provide a heel lift fastener having a substantially circular plate which may be supported by the underside of the heel and which carries a plurality of downwardly extending prongs adjacent the circumference thereof for impaling a heel lift, the circular plate acting to preclude deformation of the heel lift during use.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a heel lift fastener which may be inexpensively manufact-ured.

Other objects and advantages of the instant invention, as Well as the invention itself, reside in the combinations of elements, arrangements of parts and features of construction and operation, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinatfer and disclosed in the accompanying drawing wherein there are shown preferred embodiments of this inventive concept.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a ladys high heeled shoe illustrating in dashed lines the shank of the heel lift fastener of the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of one form of heel lift fastener of the instant invention;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the heel lift fastener of FIGURE 2 taken substantially along line 33 thereof as viewed in the direction of the arrows and illustrating the knurls facilitating the securement of the lift fastener in the heel of a ladys shoe;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom view of the heel lift fastener of FIGURE 2 as may be seen from along line 44 thereof viewing in the direction of the arrows illustrating a plurality of spaced apart prongs for receiving a heel lift or wearing tip;

FIGURE 5 is a modified form of the shank of the heel lift fastener of FIGURE 2 illustrating a plurality of knurls extending substantially throughout the length of the shank;

FIGURE 6 is a partial side elevational view of another form of heel lift fastener of the instant invention illustrat ing another form of securing means for receiving a heel lift;

FIGURE 7 is a bottom view of the heel lift fastener of FIGURE 6 and may be seen from along line 7-7 viewing in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 8 is a bottom view of still another form of heel lift fastener illustrating another type of connecting means for receiving a heel lift.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein like reference characters designate like elements throughout the several views thereof, there is indicated generally at 10 a ladys high heel shoe generally coventional configuration having a sole 12, a toe portion 14, a foot receiving opening 16, a heel portion 18 under which is positioned a heel 20 forming an opening of predetermined size into which may be secured a heel lift fastener of the instant invention. As will be more fully explained hereinafter, a heel lift 22 is secured to the base of a heel lift fastener positioned in the opening of heel 20 providing a wearing surface therefor.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, there is indicated generally at 24 a heel lift fastener of the instant invention having a substantially straight cylindrical shank 26 forming a sharpened point 28 at one end thereof with a plurality of outwardly extending knurls 30 on the outer surface of shank 26 and longitudinally extending along a small portion, as shown in FIGURE 2, or throughout substantially the entire length of shank 26, as shown in FIGURE 5.

A flat circular plate 32, of larger diameter than shank 26, is perpendicularly coaxially aflixed to the other end of the shank and carries three prongs shown generally at 34 for impaling heel lift 22 thereon. Prongs 34 include a straight segment 36 perpendicularly affixed to plate 32 and extending away from and parallel to shank 26 with a three-cornered sharpened point 38 being formed on the free end thereof.

It has been found that the heel lift fastener of the instant invention is particularly advantageous since a cobbler may readily replace heel lift 22 with a piece of hard scrap leather or the like rather than having to purchase the entire fastener as is necessary in the utilization of premolded heel lifts. It will be apparent that the use of premolded lifts entails the purchase of the entire fastener which may amount to a considerable sum. Another useful feature of the heel lift fastener of the instant invention is that segments 36 perpendicularly depend from plate 32 thus substantially precluding the inadvertent bending thereof during the impaling of heel lift 22, as is common with inwardly and outwardly angled prong segments.

Referring now to FIGURES 6 and 7, another form of heel lift fastener is illustrated generally at 40 including a substantially straight cylindrical shank 42 which is broken away for purposes of illustration with the unillustrated upper end thereof being configured as shown in FIGURES 2 and 5. A fiat substantially circular plate 44 is perpendicularly secured to the lower end of shank 42 and carries a plurality of prongs shown generally at 46. Prongs 46 include a straight segment 48 perpendicularly secured to plate 44 adjacent the circumference thereof with a two-cornered point 50 being formed at the lower end thereof.

Referring now to FIGURE 8, there is shown a bottom view of another form of heel lift fastener designated generally at 52 having a cylindrical substantially straight shank 54 secured to a flat plate shown generally at 56 which includes three equally spaced apart radially extending segments 58 each of which perpendicularly carries a prong shown generally at 60 having a two-faced point 62 thereon. Although the heel lift securing means of fastener 52 is operative, it should be pointed out that the configuration of

plates

32, 44 provides a substantial advantage over the spaced apart segment configuration of plate 56. The advantage resulting from the circular nature of

plates

32, 44 is that the heel lift secured on the prongs extending from the plate will not be deformed by walking. In the utilization of the configuration shown in FIGURE 8, the heel lift will tend to deform depressing between segments 58 thus creating an uneven surface on the bottom of the lift.

It is now seen that there is herein provided an improved heel lift fastener having all of the objects and advantages of the instant invention and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

Since many embodiments may be made of the instant inventive concept, and since many modifications may be made of the embodiments hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that the foregoing is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A longitudinally extending reinforcing heel lift fastener of hard material for a relatively fragile heel comprising:

a substantially straight cylindrical shank having a sharp point at one end;

a plurality of outwardly extending knurls, on the outer surface of the shank, longitudinally extending along at least a portion thereof;

a flat plate perpendicularly aflixed to the shank at the other end thereof and extending beyond the confines of the shank; and

a plurality of prongs perpendicularly afiixed to the plate outwardly of the dimension of the shank, the prongs extending away from and parallel to the shank.

2. The heel lift fastener of claim 1 wherein the shank, ribs, plate and prongs comprise a unitary piece of material.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein the plate is of circular configuration with the prongs being positioned adjacent the circumference.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,041,744 7/1962 Brauner 3634 3,055,125 9/1962 Ronci 3634 3,119,192 1/1964 Ronci 3634 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,238,402 7/1960 France.

FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING REINFORCING HEEL LIFT FASTENER OF HARD MATERIAL FOR A RELATIVELY FRAGILE HEEL COMPRISING: A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT CYLINDRICAL SHANK HAVING A SHARP POINT AT ONE END; A PLURALITY OF OUTWARDLY EXTENDING KNURLS, ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE SHANK, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING ALONG AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF; A FLAT PLATE PERPENDICULARLY AFFIXED TO THE SHANK AT THE OTHER END THEREOF AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE CONFINES OF THE SHANK; AND A PLURALITY OF PRONGS PERPENDICULARLY AFFIXED TO THE PLATE OUTWARDLY OF THE DIMENSION OF THE SHANK, THE PRONGS EXTENDING AWAY FROM AND PARALLEL TO THE SHANK.