US3184865A

US3184865A - Molded composite heel and removable tap

Info

Publication number: US3184865A
Application number: US258687A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fernando M Ronci
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-02-15
Filing date: 1963-02-15
Publication date: 1965-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 1982-05-25

Description

May 25, 1965 Filed Feb. 15 1963 F. M. RONCI MOLDED COMPOSITE HEEL AND REMOVABLE TAP 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

FERNANDO M. RONCI ATTORNEY y 1965 F. M. RONCI 3,184,865

MOLDED COMPOSITE HEEL AND REMQVABLE TAP Filed Feb. 15, 1965 .2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR FERNANDO M. RONCI ATTORZY United States Patent Fernando M. Ronci, Providence, RI. (2 Atlantic Blvd Centredale, RI.) Filed Feb. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 258,687 2 Claims. (Cl. 36-44) My present invention relates to the shoe making art and more particularly to a novel construction of a reinforced adjustable composite heel and tap therefore.

The present application constitutes an improvement over my patent entitled Reinforced Composite Heel and Removable Tap, No. 3,048,932 issued August 14, 1962.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable, reinforced construction for a composite heel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a reinforced composite heel having a replaceable plastic tap.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a reinforced composite heel having a novel molding method for adjusting the angle of the heel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel reinforcing core which is embedded in the heel during the molding operation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a composite reinforced heel which is simple in construction and is easy and economical to manufacture and assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a womans high heel and tap embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section thereof.

FIG. 3 is ahenlarged section taken 'on lone 3-3 on FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 on FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 55 on FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 on FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the various elements of the heel of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation, partially diagrammatic showing the angular adjustment of the heel.

In my patent above referred to, I have disclosed a method of making a composite heel of vinyl plastic material with a separate reinforcing core inserted after the heel is completed. However, this patent does not deal with another problem in the manufacture of such heel. Each shoe manufacturer makes his own design of shoes and the various lasts are not uniform. The heels are supplied by a heel manufacturer and in order to ensure the proper vertical positioning of the heel beneath the shoe, the top portion of the heel must be angularly adjusted to the particular model shoe. Since large quantities are involved, most heel manufacturers build separate molds for each style of shoe. Where it is desirable to supply a particular heel to several manufacturers, the top portion must be varied to fit the shoes of the several manufacturers. The present invention is designed to provide an angular adjustment which can easily be made in the mold so that the same mold can be used for providing heels with varying angles in the top portion.

Composite heels are also plagued with a problem of separation. All types of devices, such as shown in my above-mentioned patent, and different grooves have been used to insure the unity of the parts. The present in- Ice vention provides not only an adjustment, but also a novel method of molding the parts so that a single unitary structure results including the embedment of the reinforcing core.

Referring to FIG. 1, the womans heel comprises a broad top portion 10 which is angularly disposed to the body of the shoe. Furthermore the portion 10 is usually concave as shown in FIG. 3. The broad top heel seat portion 10 tapers sharply inwardly and downwardly at 11 to an extremely narrow portion 12. It is this narrow portion 12 which requires reinforcement. The tap 13 may be of any desired type but is preferably made of a plastic material and is adapted to be molded on a core for retaining it in the heel a will hereinafter be described. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the heel is a single unitary construction except for the tap 13 which is of course replaceable. However, the heel of the present invention is actually molded in separate parts as is illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 8 inclusive.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 7 inclusive, the intermediate narrow portion of the heel 12 is provided with the reinforcing core 14 illustrated in FIG. 7. The rein-forcing core; 14 comprises a hardened steel tube having a wide gap 15 pinched together at 16 at a point spaced slightly above the bottom end. The pinching at the point 16 provides an area of smaller diameter than the gapped portions above and below it. This is necessary because of the shape of the narrow portion 12. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the heel narrows down to a maximum narrow portion at the point where section 55 is taken. By pinching the tube 14 at this point 16 the heel can be narrowed down Without exposing the tube and allow for sufficient coverage by the plastic material. The portion 12 is first molded with the tube embedded therein as illustrated in FIG. 2. The plastic material enters the open gap 15 in the tube and fills the tube with the plastic material as can be readily seen in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5. The upper end of the portion 12 is flattened as at 17 and extending from the flattened portion 17 is a rectangular block portion 18. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the tube 14 extends upwardly into the block 18. In holding the tube properly in the mold, the fingers are preferably rectangular in shape and extend inwardly from both sides to form openings 19 in the block portion 18. These openings are formed by the withdrawal of the fingers that hold the tube 14 in the mold. However, they have an important function in the subsequent assembly of the heel. The rear wall of the rectangular portion 18 is preferably formed at an outwardly extending angle to form an undercut wall portion 26 as can be seen in FIGS. 2, 7, and 8.

During the molding of the intermediate portion 20, the reinforcing core 14 is also held in place at its bottom end by a pin in the mold extending into the core 14 beyond the pinched portion 16. When this pin is withdrawn a narrow passageway remains which permits the insertion of the removable tap. As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 7 the tap 13 is preferably molded on to a short supporting shank 21 which may be fiuted or roughened on the exterior and which fits tightly within the lower end of the reinforcing core 14 as shown in FIG. 2. Some of the plastic material flows into the reinforcing core 14 at its lower end, so that the shank 21 is actually squeezed against the plastic material coating the inner surface of the tube 14. This frictional engagement retains the tap 13 in position but it can be withdrawn and replaced whenever necessary.

To complete the heel, the lower portion 12, having been molded as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 7 is placed in a mold and the upper portion 11 is now molded to it. As can be seen in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, when the upper portion 11 is molded, the plastic material not only joins to 'tion of theparts as illustrated in FIG. 8.

mold used in molding the various portions of the heel I permits an angular movement of approximately an eigth of an inch from either side of the vertical between the the shoulders 17 and around theblock 18 of the portion 12,,but alsofiows into the openings 19, as shown in FIGS.

3 and 6 and firmly interlocks the parts beyond removability. Furthermore as can be readily seen in FIGS. 2 and 8,

the undercut rear wall 2d firmly embeds the rectangular portion 18 in the upper portion ll. so that it cannotbe forced away therefrom in use. The above construction thus provides a compos te heel which is reinforced and.

in whichthe several parts are firmly bonded to each other. If desired, the portions 11' and 12 can be simultaneously molded in a single unitary construction.

However, when it is desirable to use a single style heel ttor various types of shoes with varying lasts, an ad'- justrnen-t of the angular relationship between the heel seat portion 10 and vertical portion of the heel 12 can be made during the molding operation. This permits a run of the particular heel with one angle for one manufacturer and a varying or changing of the angle of the same heel for a second run for another manufacturer without the necessity of twoseparate molds. This is accomplished by constructing andmolding the portion 12 separately as originally illustrated and described herein and as shown in FIG. 2 and then varying the posi- The type of parts 11 and -12. This allows for an overall adjustment from thevertical of a quarter of an inch which is sufficient'to handle the different angles of lasts. As shown in broken lines in FIG. 8, the position of the-mold with relation to the lower portion 12 therein can'be varied to provide different angles to the finished heel from the same mold. The full lines indicate the heel seat portion it) atits extreme tilted angle and the broken lines indicate the heel seat portion til at its smallest tilted angle. These variations'in the mold have been made possible by the prior molding of the portion l2 with the embedded tube or reinforcing core 14. and the construction of the upper portion of the section 12 so thatit will interlock heel seats to in a different last or to go to the expense of V a second mold to make a change in the angle of the heel seat portion. a

Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1.;A molded plastic heelfor a Womans shoe comprising a heel-seat portion-having a broad .top angularly disposed to the horizontal, said heel-seatportion tapering block being encased in said heel-seat portiontto form said interlocking joint, said block having horizontal ithin the mold with the second molded area 11. Since this type of heel is usually covered with material, any

seams between the molded parts will not be visible in the final version of the shoe. a

I have thus provided a composite heel inwhich th 1 upper and lowerportions of the heel are both molded at different times but are so constructed that they will firmly interlock with each other. The lower portion of the heel is reinforced so that. it can be'rnolded extremely narrow and the tap is held therein and is replaceable.

Furthermore, the particular molding operation permits.

adjustments in the angle of the heel Seat portions so that a single/mold can be used for various lasts. This results in a considerable saving in time and money.

Productron is increased, as it is not necessary to re-grind finished openings and the material or said heel-seat tering said openings,

2. A molded plastic heel for a womans shoe comprisingy-a heel-seat portion having. a broad vtop angularly disportion enposed to the horizontal, said heel seat portiontapering downwardly to a narrow-"vertical portion, the bottom end of said vertical portion ,fiaringgoutwardly, a tubular hardened steel reinforcing. core embedded in said narrow portion and extending from said .bottomend upwardly, throughfsaid narrow portion, said corelhaving a longitudinal gap, the material of said heel entering said core through said gap, and a tap removably mountedat the bottom end of said narrow. portion, .theytop of said narrow portion having an integral rectangular block, said block having a transverse opening, said block being encased in .saidheel-seat portion andthematerial of said heel seat portion extending integrally into said transverse opening to form an interlocking joint.

References Cited by thev Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3 59 Fitzsiinmons 363 6 2,935,800 5/60 Ronci s's 42 3,048,932 8/62 Ronci r 36- 34, FOREIGN PATENTS 879,761 10/61 Great Britain'.

JORDAN, FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

DAVID, 'J. WILLIAMOWSKY, FRANK 1.. COHEN,

- Examiners.

Claims

1. A MOLDED PLASTIC HEEL FOR A WOMAN''S SHOE COMPRISING A HEEL-SEAT PORTION HAVING A BROAD TOP ANGULARLY DISPOSED TO THE HORIZONTAL, SAID HEEL-SEAT PORTION TAPERING DOWNWARDLY TO A NARROW VERTICAL PORTION, THE BOTTOM END OF SAID VERTICAL PORTION FLARING OUTWARDLY, A TUBULAR HARDENED STEEL REINFORCING CORE EMBEDDED IN SAID NARROW PORTION AND EXTENDING FROM SAID BOTTOM END UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID NARROW PORTION, SAID CORE HAVING A LONGITUDINAL GAP, THE MATERIAL OF SAID HEEL ENTERING SAID CORE THROUGH SAID GAP, AND A TAP REMOVABLY MOUNTED