US1444677A - Heel - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 6, 1923. 1,444,677..

G. ,F. FISCHER.

T HEEL. FILE? NOV. 22. 1920.

WITNESSES INVENTOR v I WWRNEYS Patented Feb. 65, i923}.

l lFlED stares arisen GEORGE F. FISCHER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

HEEL.

Application filed November 22, 1920. Serial No. 425,612.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE F. FISCHER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, county of Monroe, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to boots and shoes, and more particularly to the heels thereof, and has for its object to provide animproved and novel construction in which the heel is provided with a tread block adjustable to fixed positions outwardly of the'heel to compensate for wear and to protect the heel itself against contact with the surface being walked upon. Other objects of my invention will appear from the description hereinafter set forth and the features of novelty thereof will be pointed out in the appended claims. I

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a specific embodiment of my in vention without defining its limits, Figure 1 is a bottom view of a shoe showing my improved heel; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective view "of the heel itself, and Fig. 4c is a perspective view of the tread block and socket member.

The heel itself may be of any suitable construction and of any suitable material such as leather, wood, fibre, celluloid, etc. or said heel. may be made of a suitable metal, preferably aluminum, and, as shown, comprises a main section or heel shell 5 which is formed with an inwardly extending recess 6, preferably of a diameter to include the major portion of the main section 5. If the material of which the heel shell 5 is made is incapable of being threaded or diflicult to thread, the recess 6 may be provided with a metallic lining 7, constructed of drawn steel or spring brass, preferably in the form of an inverted cup, which has its peripheral edge flared outwardly as indicated at 7* andin engagement through out with the peripheral edge ofthe recess 6 as shown in 2, the bottom 7* of this lining 7 lying in surface engagement with the inner end of said recess 6, and. thus, in addition to its other functions, serving as a reinforcement not only for the peripheral side wall of said recess but also for the bottom thereof. If the latter extends completely through the heel section 5 as it may, the bottom 7* serves to'close said recess, the lining 7 in any, case acting as a rein= paper, rubber, Y

forcement for the heel. Furthermore, the metallic lining may serve as a medium whereby the heel section 5 is secured to the shoe; that is to say, by passing fastening devices such as screws 8 through the bottom 7 and into the sole of the shoe, the lining 7 isfastened in place and by the action of its peripheral flare 7 is caused to draw the heel section firmly against the shoe sole. If the recess 5 includes a bottom as in the illustration, said screws or other fastening devices will pass also through said heel bottom. The metallic lining 7, generally speaking, is screw-threaded wherebythe recess 6 becomes an internally screw-threaded recess as shown in Figs. 2 and 3; if the material of which the heel shell is made is metal, the latter itself is screw-threaded interiorly of the recess 6, in which case, the lining 7 is omitted. The tread section of the heel comprises a tread block 9 constructed of rubber, wood, fibre, paper, and leather or a combination of these materials and combined with a socket member which, as shown in Figs. 1 andd, may take the form of a cap 10 of metal extending over the inner end face of said tread block and having a peripheral screw-threaded flange projecting over the periphery of said tread block The said peripheral flange-is of restricted-dimensmns with respect to, the tread block 9 so that the major portion of said. tread block projects outwardly beyond'the cap, as shown in Fig. 4.

The tread block 9 may be secured in the cap 10 in any convenient manner; for instance, if the tread block 9 isconstructed of rubber, bolts and nuts 11 may be utilized for this purpose, the nuts in such case being embedded in the rubber and thebolts passing through suitable apertures into connection. with. said nuts, as shown in Fig. 2. If, on the other hand,'the tread block 9 is made of leather or other material, screws 11 or equivalent fasteningdevices may be used to secure said tread block 9and socket member together. The tread block 9 with its socket member 10 is of a relatively large diameter corresponding to that of the recess 6 and is arranged to screw into said reccss as shown in Fig. 2, recesses 12 being provided, if desired, in said tread block for the accommodation of a suitable implement or tool whereby manipulation of the tread block is facilitated.

- As shown in Fig. 2, the tread block 9 projects beyond the lower surface of he heel and provides a t d which is of approxh mately the same dimensions as the customary heel and thus atl'oz": .-lir1r support when the shoe is worn, in contradistiuction to devices in the nature of studs located at spaced intervals upon the heel. As the tread block 9 gradually worn down, the same may be adjusted to a new operative position by simply rotating said tread block in a direction to cause the co-o1erating screw-threads of the'lining 7 and the socket men'iber 10 to move said tread block outwardly relatively to the recess 6. Because of the positive connection between the tread block and the heel through the medium of the aforesaid screw-threads, each adjustment of said tread block is a fixed adjustment in which the block occupies a position stationary with respect to the main section 5 and yet is easily "manipulated to bring it toxa new position when this is required. Because of the relatively small size of the flange of the cap 10, a large range of adjustment is provided and the greater portion of the tread block 9 is capable of being utilized, that is to say, effective adjustment of the tread block may be had until the flange of the cap 10 begins to project out- Waij'dly beyond the lining T. When this happens, the tread block may be completely unscrewed from the recess and a new one substituted which itself is capable of the adjustment so far described or as pre ferred, a new tread block 9 may be fastened in the cap 10 so that it does not become necessary to discard the socket member each time a new tread block is required. With the arrangement set fortluthe heel, or rather the main section or heel shell 5 thereof, is protected from. contact with the street or other surface being walked upon and thus maintains its original. shape and height while the possibility of its becoming worn down or crooked is effectually eliminated. At the same time, the heel block, particu larly when constructed of resilient material. provides a cushion tread corresponding to that of the customary rubber heels and at the same time, because of ts relati ely large size corresponding, approx ate y, to the dimensions of the net heel, provides firm-and secure tread :si which squarely meets face being wad upon and prey lar distortion of the shoe in V0 Alli}; frolic. which a turned ankle or other injury might result.

in order to fully appreciate and. understand the importance of the improvement well as the novelty of the subject matter described and illustrated in this present application for Letters Patent, it is neces sary, first of all, to center attention upon the materials from which the heel-shells are to ho s were, 0 .n

the rear wall of the heel shell thin-as was necessary, the same becomes somewhat unstable.

Now in order to overcome this defect, a means had to be devised for overcoming it. To this end the lining or cup was conceived and adapted for the purpose of stabilizing the hee shell. This being done, another difficulty presented itself; owing to the thinness of the rear section of the heel shell, the usual fastening agents such as nails or adhesive glues could not be successfully employed, so after a great deal of experiment ing, the lining or cups were so shaped as to serve both as a stabilizing means for the heel shell, and as a fastening agent whereby the heel shell is secured to the sole of a boot or shoe. In the manufacture of the heel shells, especially when rubber, both hard or soft, fibre, pressed paper, celluloid org-uttw percha is used, this material is placed into moulds along with the lining or cups whether the latter are plain or threaded, and both are pressed and moulded together, so that upon leaving the moulds, they are a finished article of commerce, ready for use upon boots or shoes without further labor.

The device may be easily applied to existing heels, is simple inv construction and application and provides an ellicie'nt arrangement whereby the original construc tion of the heel is preserved and the life thereof is materially prolonged.

Various changes in the specific form shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

1 claim: heel shell proieter to include sale shell, screw vlded with r. v the major po 1 r threaded lining 111 said .GCGSS, screwthreaded, tively siiallow cap arra ed to fit said lining, a tcead block of correspondingly large diameter fixed in cap and projecting beyond the same in an axial direction, said cap being arranged to be screwed outwardlyrelatively to said recess, whereby said tread block is adjustable to fixed positions to compensate for wear.

2. In a shoe, a heel comprising a heel shell provided with a recess, a cup-shaped screw threaded lining in said recess having a peripheral flare in engagement with the peripheral edge at said recess, fastening; de with said lining wherehy said tread block 10 vlces passing through the bottom of said achustable outwardly to compensate tor hnnw Whereb said er1 )heral flare 1s Wear.

drawn against said peripheral edge to se- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set cure said lining in place and. to draw the my hand.

heel shell firmly against the sole of the shoe GEORGE F. FISCHER. and a tread block externally screw-threaded Vitnesses:

throughout only a part of its periphery and A. F. M. DAVIs,

arranged in screw-threaded engagement F LOYD S. FISCHER.

Images