US684557A - Removable elastic heel-pad. - Google Patents

Description

No. 684,557. Pat ented Oct. 15, mm.

' .N. STALKER.

REMOVABLE ELASTIC HEEL .PAD.

(Application filed Feb. 25, 1901.)

(No Model.)

NEIL STALKER, OF VEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

REMGVABLE ELASTIC HEEL=PAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,557, dated October 15, 1901.

Application filed February 25,1901. Serial No. 48,638. (No model.)

To alt who/1t may concern:

Be it known that I, NEIL STALKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at West I-Iartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Removable Elastic Heel-Pads, of which the following is a specification.

The invent-ion relates to those pads which are inserted between the heels of horseshoes beneath the frogs to prevent slipping on wet and icy pavements and to relieve the heels and tendons from concussion.

The object of this invention is to provide a very simple and durable heel-pad which is so constructed that it may be easily and quickly placed in or removed from position, but which cannot accidentally become displaced and which protects the frog and heel, thus absorbing all shock and relieving the heel and the tendons of all vibration and eliminating all pressure from corns or other tender spots and also obviating the necessity of a bar-shoe for the purpose of holding the 1100f spread. This pad has a yielding body shaped to fit between the heels of a shoe, which body on one side is roughened to prevent slipping and on the other side is hollowed out to fit the frog. A steel spring passes through and holds the elastic body extended. The ends of this spring, which project in front of the body, are shaped to bear against the inside edges of the legs of the shoe at about its widest part, so as to prevent the pad from being driven backwardly between the heels of the shoe when in use and to extend between the top of the shoe and the bottom of the hoof to prevent the pad from dropping out of position.

Of the accompanyingdrawings, whichillustrate an embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 shows a view of the bottom face of a horseshoe with one of the removable elastic pads in position. Fig. 2 shows a view of the top of one of the pads removed from the shoe. Fig. 3 shows a transverse section taken on the plane indicated by the dotted line 30 30 of Fig. 1 with the flanges extending above the shoe, and Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal sec tion 011 the plane indicated by the dotted line 40 40 of Fig. 1.

The pad may be used with any ordinary form of horseshoe. The body 1 of the pad that is illustrated in the drawings is preferably formed of rubber, but may of course be formed of anyothersuitableyieldingmaterial. This bodyis shaped to fit between the legs 2 of the shoe, with the back end about flush with the heels The lower surface of the body is ribbed or otherwise roughened to afford a good foothold upon wet and icy pavements. In the upper part of the body is a recess 4, shaped to receive the frog. Extending through the body from the front to the back and across the back is a steel-wire spring 5. The ends 6 of this spring, which extend in front of the body, are preferably flattened, and wound about the flattened ends of the spring are pieces of sheet-steel. These sheetsteel pieces, which might of course be formed integral with the ends of the spring, have vertically-extending portions 7, which are adapted to bear against the inside edges of the legs of the shoe and have outwardly=extending flanges 8 arranged to be inserted between the top of the shoe and the bottom of the hoof. The ends of the spring, with these steel pieces, are so formed that when the pad is put in position for use they will spring outwardly against the inner edges of the legs of the shoe at about the widest part, so that as the pad tends to work backwardly between the converging heels of the shoe not only the body, but the spring, will necessarily become compressed and cause a tight bite of the pad against the inside edges of the legs of the shoe. With this construction it is impossible to drive the pad out from between the heels of the shoe, for not only has the rubber body to be compressed, but the steel spring has to be sprung. The outwardly-extending flanges prevent the pad from accidentally being drawn or knocked down from the hoof.

The pad is placed in position when the ends of the spring are forced together, so that the flanges may be passed between the legs of the shoe. Then when the spring is released the flanges project outwardly between the top of the shoe and the bottom of the hoof. In order to remove the pad, it is necessary to use a screw-driver or a similar tool and Wedge one end of the spring away from the inside of the leg sufficiently to draw the flange past 'the frog and heel from all concussion.

are relieved from jar.

This pad affords a sufficient foothold to prevent the hoof from slipping on wet or icy pavements, and thus obviates the necessity for the attachment of metal calks at the heel of the shoe, which eliminates the liability of the horse calking itself when standing.

Thispad also removes the necessity for the employment of bar-shoes, for the yielding body as it becomes driven back in use prevents the heels from contracting, and at the same time the outward thrust of the spring that passes through the body conduees toward producing the same effect. The pad may be removed at any time by proper manipulation for the purpose of cleaning the hoof, so that it will not become foul and hard.

I claim as my invention 1. A removable elastic heel-padeonsisting of a yielding body, shaped to fit between the heels of a horseshoe, and an outwardly-thrusting spring embedded within the body and the legs of the shoe and also to extend above the shoe between the top of the shoe and the bot-tom of the hoof, substantially as specified. 3. A removable elastic heel-pad consisting of a yielding body, shaped to fit between the heels of a horseshoe and having its lower surface roughened and its upper surface recessed to receive the frog, and an outwardly-thrusting spring extending through the body from the front to the back and across the back and having its front-ends provided with flanges that are adapted to engage the shoe so as to prevent the pad from dropping down and from being Worked backward between the heels of the shoe, substantially as specified.

NEIL STALKER. Witnesses:

H. R. WILLIAMs, V R. I-IoLooMB.

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