US1435677A - Wood heel - Google Patents

Description

R. A. WENTWORTH.

WOOD HEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22,192].

1,435,67 failfimfid Nov. 14, 1922.,

Fatentecl Nov. 14, 1922.

entree stares PATENT ()FFH'CCE.

RALPH ARNOLD WENTWORTH, OF VERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOH TO SLIPPER CITY WOOD HEEL COMPANY, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

woo]: HEEL.

Application filed July 22 heels, in which the heel is of considerable height and has a relatively large base portion and small tread face, with a relatively narrow intermediate waist portion, substantially smallerv in cross sectional areathan said face.

Heels of this character are made so thatv the grain of the wood extends transversely ofthe height, so that the waist portion is a point of great weakness, and-much difficulty is encountered by. the breaking off of the tread portion at or adjacent the middle of the waist portion. a

In attempting to strengthen the heel at this point several expedients have been employe the most common being to insert a wood 11 dowel from the middle of the tread face, or face to which the top lift is attached and to extend the same into the base portion. This method is unsatisfactory, for the several reasons. The. dowel is liable to become loose in the hole which is bored to receive it, on account of shrinkage of the wood, and it is practically impossible to use glue effectively in connectin the dowel to the heel, so as to avoid this difiiculty, as the dowel must fit tightly in the hole which is bored therefor, and the glue in the hole or on the dowel is scraped oli in forcing the dowel into the heel. Consequently, in case the heel becomes broken at the waist, either the tread portion will come off from the dowel, or it will twist about thereon. Moreover, to be effective in preventing breakage in the first instance, the tread portion must be rigidly held with relation to the base portion, which the wooden'dowel fails to do. Another method, is to pass a long metal screw thru the heel from either end, in the same location as the dowel. This arrangement, while more eifective, in some respects, than the wooden dowel, is objectionable on account of the extra expense of placing it in position, and on account of the fact that it is customary to pass a brass screw 1921. Serial No. 486,664.

thru the middle portion of the leather top lift into the heel, for the purpose of attach ing the lift more securely, andthis screw is I liable to be inserted in such a position as to encounter the strengthening screw.

The object of my invention is to provide a strengthening means for a wood heel which will efi'ectively prevent breakin off and removal ofthe tread portion of t e heel, and will also prevent this portion from twisting out of position, if, for any reason, the waistportion becomes cracked, so that relative movement of the two portions might otherwise be permitted. r T accomplish this object by so arranging a pair-of metal pins within the heehthat they extend from points at each'side of the middle offlthe tread face end of the heel convergently to points within the base portion, in which they are securely fixed.

For a more complete understanding of my invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a wood heel which embodies my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof, at the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof from the I tread face end.

Fig. i'is a cross section at line l-4 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, the heel, which is shown is illustrative of any well known form of French heel made of wood, having a base portion a, a relatively narrow waist portion a and a tread face end a to which the usual leather lift 6 is attached by marginal slugs and a centrally located screw 0. As is the case with all such heels, the sides thereof extend convergently from each end to said waist portion.

According to my invention, in the manufacture of the heel, two holes are bored therein from the tread face a from points equidistant from and at each side of the point of said face which may be considered approximately its middle point, and into which the brass screw 0 is usually inserted, said holes being extended convergently in a plane which is parallel to portions of the'heel vergence of the holes is approximately the same, and corresponds approximately to the taper of the tread-end portion of the heel. It is also such that theholes do not intersect at their inner ends, but terminate in the base portion, at a substantial distance from the base surface of the heel.

A round steel pin d, of uniform diameter thruout its length, is then forced into each of said holes, the diameter of which is slightly less than that of the pins which are forced therein, so that the frictional engagement with the wood is sufficient to retain the pins in place. They are of the same length as the holes so that, when in position, they will touch the bottoms thereof, at their inner ends and be flush with the surface of, at their outer ends.

The insertion of the metal pins is, obviously, performed previous to the attachment of the top lift, and they are so located that they will not interfere with the insertion of the lift attaching screw 0.

With the above described construction the combined action of the two metal pins is to hold the tread end portion of the heel much more rigidly with relation to the base portion than it would he held by a single pin or dowel, so that, in case thewaist portion of the heel is subjected to a severe strain, the strain will be successfully resisted in most instances. In case, however, the heel should become cracked across the waist portion, the tread-end-portion'will not only be held against turning by the two pins (2, but it will be held against separation from the base portion of the heel, by reason of the diver ently disposed position of the pins, even if the frictional engagement of the tread end portion with the pins were not sufiicient to hold it in place, as it cannot possibly slide ofi from both pins at once, under these conditions. This is highly important, for the reason that the outer portion of the holes are likely to be slightly enlarged by the pins, as they are forced inward, so that their frictional engagement with the heel is likely to be less with the tread end portion than with the base portion. In factthe frictional engagement of the inner end portions of the pins with the heel will be much greater than with the other portions, as the inner ends of the holes will, not only, not be enlarged to the same extent as the outer portions will be enlarged by the driving of the metal pins, but also, in practice, the extreme inner end portions of the holes Will be slightly tapered, so that when the pins, which are cut square at their ends, are forced into these portions, the frictional engagement at these points will 'be much greater than at other points, with the result that the pins will be firmly frictionally attached to the base portion of the heel. It will thus be seen that tread-end-portion of the heel will be firmly held in position by the pins, if the 'heel should become cracked at the waist even if the pins fit the tread-end-portions somewhat loosely. Also, if, for any reason, the frictional engagement of the pins with the base portion should become impaired, at the most, only a slight displacement of the tread end would be permitted, by reason of the convergence of the pins, which cannot be. simultaneously withdrawn from the base portion, while held in the tread portion, and independent removal of the pins will be prevented, in any event, by the top lift.

I claim 1. A wood heel of the type described, having a pair of dowels therein convergently extended from the tread face end of the heel, at points at opposite sides of the middle of said face, into the base portion of the heel.

2. A wood heel, of the type described, having a pair of dowels therein convergently extended from the tread face end of the heel at points at opposite sides of, and equidistant from the middle of said face, into the base portion of the heel.

3. A wood heel having a relatively narrow I waist portion, and a pair of dowels tightly fitted therein throughout their entire lengths, said dowels being disposed in a plane parallel to portions of the heel breast tread-face end having a metal attachin pin extending therethrough into the bee between the adjacent ends of the dowels.

In testimony whereof, I have lsigned my name to this specificatio RALPH ARNOLD WENTWORTH.

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