US1541320A - Shoe and heel therefor - Google Patents

Description

June 9, 1925. 1,541,320

F. R. BRIGGS ET AL SHOE AND HEEL THEREFOR Filed July 19, 1922 Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES I assess PATENT series.

FRANK R. BRIGGS AND GEORGE T. MGLEOD, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, AS- SIGNORS TO THOMAS G. PLANT COMPANY, OF ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, A COB.-

IPORATION OF MASSACEIUSET S.

SHOE AND HEEL THEREFOR.

Application fi1ed.Ju1y 19,

T 0 all whom it'ma y concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK R. Bnrees and GEORGE T. MoLEoD, citizens of the United States, and residents of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Shoes and Heels Therefor, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

Our present invention relates to shoes, and more particularly to an improved shoe structure having a novel form of heel construction.

In the art of manufacturing boots and shoes it is very desirable to provide astructure which will incorporate in a shoe an arch supporting feature, and heretofore this has been attempted by making individual and specially formed shank stiffeners, arch supports, orthopedic heels of varying shapes and thicknesses and the like. Thus for example oddly shaped heels having an extended portion at the inside of the shoe have been made, and suchheels having greater thickness at the inner or arch part of each shoe have been tried, in order to supply an arch supporting or orthopedic feature to the shoe itself. Such prior devices, however, have been unsatisfactory, and ungainly in appearance, as well as expensive, distorting the shoe, or distorting the heel, either by excessive length at one side or excessive thickness, produce an ill-shapen and undesirable appearing shoe.

In our present invention we have obviated the difficulties above briefly outlined and have provided a shoe structure with an arch supporting feature enabling the shoe and the heel to be of normal size, attractive design, uniform thickness and extent, utilizing a straight or curved heel breast as desired, and yet to produce an arch supporting effect by varying the resiliency afforded by the heel structure.

We have devised a shoe with a resilient heel wherein the outer edge portion of the heel, i. e., the right hand portion for the heel on the right shoe and the left hand portion for the heel on the left shoe, is of greater, or double, resiliency than the inner and forward portion. This feature produces important results in that the 1922. Serial No. 576,105.

greater resilient portion is usually the first to take the jar of landing on each step during walking and thus provides resiliency where it is needed, whereas the other portion of the heel can be made to give a rigid supporting feature by being of less resiliency. In other words, the greatest yield is desired at the outer and rear section of the heel whereas the greatest compression is desired at the inner and forward section of the heel. Our invention accomplishes this result. Thus we so form our present improved shoe and heel that the outside portion will be of greater resiliency than the inner side of the heel, viz: that part next the greater curve of the arch in the shoe, which may be partially non-resilient or of less resiliency compared with the outer portion of the heel. This construction allows the foot of the wearer, and each foot, during walking, to effect an automatic or self-seating pressure upon the shoe heel, giving an arch supporting result along the lesser resilient portion of the heel and side, while affording greater, or even double, resiliency on the outer edge where the jar of walking is felt. Thus we secure the effect of an orthopedic heel having greater thickness or greater length, without, however, distorting either side, length, or appearance of the shoe and heel, and therefore combining these advantages in a desirable way with an attractive appearance and economy of construction. By making our heel of uniform and standard size, it may be readily applied, and the shoe built without special operations, machines or hand appliances.

Furthermore, an important feature consists in the economy of material used, as well as in the utilization of present standard methods of boot and shoe manufacture in applying the heel thereto.

In carrying out our invention we may form a heel partly of one thickness of resilient material, such as rubber or rubber composition, and partly of another thickness, or partly of non-elastic material, relatively with the resilient'portion. ,Thus we may form our shoe and heel with a rubber and fiber section, preferably building and molding the heel with these varying substances, so that a complete heel is supplied for the heel attaching operation in building the sh L me-wood, or hard vul an zed;

relatively non-elastic section or portion of the heel. Preferably, also this non-elastic portionwill be covered by a resilient toplift, or may be covered by a portion of the resilient section of the heel, making the same integral, either method and article being feasible in carrying out our invention, and both being included in the broader of the claims herein. Where a separate toplift is used, the same can be renewed and repaired by the simple addition of such cushioning layer,'and thusthe "life o'f the heel and the usefulness of the shoe can be prolonged without requiring the necessity of removing the entire heel.

Further objects and advantages of our present invention will be more fully pointed out and claimed.

Referringzto the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention,

*Fig. 1 illustrates a plan View of our improved heel;

Fig. '2 *is a eross sectional view dine 22 .otfFig. 1;

Fig. 3 {is a similar cross-sectional view with the relatively non-resilient section removed; and

{Fig '4- is a cross-sectional view illustrating-the s'hoe heel in layers with a renewable mph-ft;

Fig. 5 being a view on a reduced scale ot'our improved shoe withthe'heel attached.

"We may inake'ourimproved heel of suiticient size for the entire heel structure. of the shoe, or we may make the same -to be applied-to a shoe on'the usual heel base, the latter-being s'howninFigL5. In either event the advantages oit-ourinvention are obtained and varying resiliency in the heel and the orthopedic leature in-the'shoe are secured.

Asshown inthedrawings, our improved heel-comprises a resilient portion,-illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, as comprising the outer section of 'the completed heel l, and the tread surfaceortoplift portion 2, the latter extending entirely .acrossthe width of the heel, and taking the .place of "the toplitt. WVhenmade of rubber or rubbercompound, this portion of th'e heel-ispreferably molded with a recess or groove 3, and preferably with'a beveled "face4;,'to which is applied the relatively non-resilientport-ion. 5. The latter isof suitable 'size'and form to fit in the recess and preferably also is'applied thereto while the portions 1 and 2 of greater resiliency are still in [plastic or tacky condition, so that the non-resilient member 5 willadhere thereto. It'is teasible to utilize on the the member 5 as a loose part of the mold if desired, and thus complete the melding ot the heel at one operation. This nonresilient section 5 being of leather, fiber, vulcanized rubber or the wood or other --rlatively hard substances, and 'being positioned on the inside of the shoe, produces an arch supporting effect of an orthopedic heel or shoe, as above briefly explained by decreasing the resiliency of the entire .heel. Furthermore, the protecting layer of the resilient portion :2 protects this entire nonresilient portion 5, and thus the full effect of the ordinary rubber or rubber-compound toplift is obtained. It will be appreciated thatour improved heels will be made right and left for application to the corresponding shoes of a pair, and'ofsuitable size-and in desired design, presenting the exterior appearance of finished heel structures, without distortions of thickness, length er the like.

In Fig. 4 we have illustrated the formation of our heel wherein *the non-resilient part '5 is built up in a laminated 'heel,the resilient portionof the heelcomprising-two or more layers or sections 6, 6, and ;a full toplil't layer 7, the latter being of several layers if desired. In this form of our improved heel,the toplift layer? canbe renewed at any time without unduly disturbingthe portions 5*and-6, and thus facilitates repairing of the shoe at minimum expense and long usefulness in the heel.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the shoe 10 may have a. usual heel base 12, to -which our improved 'heel isapp'lied. "In this-shoe-the inside edge 'is consideredas in view, thatis, this shoe being-theright shoe ofa pair. Therefore the non-resilient section5 and the portion'EZ or separate'topliftlayer 7 appears. In the act of walking the wearer willobtain the benefit of an arch supporting and an orthopedic feature along the inneredge of the arch of each feet, through the noncompressibility of the layer '5 relatively with the outer portion of the heel, asabove-ex- .plained.

'Our improved form of heel can be attached by any desired means, or by the 'usualheel nailing operation, preferably the 11011-16Slll611t portion 5-being of a substance readily penetrable by shoe nails. Further more, the nail retaining Washers can be molded 'in this heel if desired. Thus we obtaiirthe advantages of a molda'bleas-well as freenailingreSilient shoe heel, and with the non-resilient portion givinga greater tenacity to the heel attaching nails, eliminating the dangero'f the heel being torn oti-a diii iculty wit-h present all-rubber *heels.

ur improved. shoe andnovel heel can be manufactured without unusual expense, extramachines, or diliiculthand operations, and thus can be economically hiade by present modern shoe factory labor and .vorking conditions, and minimum expense for work and material.

@ur invention is further described and defined in the 't'orm of claims as follows: 1 1. An improved arch-supporting boot 101' methods,

shoe, having a heel structure formed With a portion being on the inside edge of the shoe, relatively resilient section on the outer edge in combination with a resilient toplift cover- 10 of the heel, and a relatively non-resilient ing both said portions.

section on the inner edge of. each heel, in In testimony whereof, We have signed our combination With a resilient toplift section. names to this specification.

2. An improved heel for boots and shoes, having a resilient cushioning portion, and FRANK R. BRIGGS. a non-resilient portion, said non-resilient GEORGE T. MoLEOD.

Images