US3038184A - Shoe tree having longitudinally adjustable parts including cone sections alined by the shoes - Google Patents

Description

June 12, 1962 W. J. FITZPATRICK SHOE TREE HAVING LONGITUDINALLY ADJUSTABLE PARTS INCLUDING CONE SECTIONS ALINED BY THE SHOES Filed Aug. 15, 1957 [320823202 W ZZ azm IEazpawww,

United States Patent SHOE TREE HAVING LONGITUDINALLY AD- JUSTABLE PARTS INCLUDING CONE SEC- TIONS ALINED BY THE SHOES William J. Fitzpatrick, South Weymouth, Mass, assignor to George E. Belcher Company, Stoughton, Mass., a corporation Filed Aug. 15, 1957, Ser. No. 678,372 4 Claims. (Cl. 12117.4)

V This invention relates to shoes trees and to members for interconnecting the fore and heel parts thereof.

The type of shoe tree that may be adjusted to fit a range of shoe sizes has obvious advantages. A preferred type of such trees has its fore and heel parts mutually engaged, in its shortened position, along a transverse plane inclined through the cone or vamp supporting area. One disadvantageous feature of this type of tree, particularly objectionable in display use, is that, in extended positions, a visible ridge in the vamp of the shoe is developed by outlines one end of the shoe tree parts.

The principal objective of the invention is to provide a shoe tree of the preferred type in which objectionable ridging is avoided.

In accordance with the invention, that objective is attained by providing a shoe tree having fore and heel parts whose proximate upper portions outline the vamp supporting cone when their proximate faces are in predetermined position relative to each other, and means connecting said parts. The connecting means is an element threaded into one part through its face and provided with a head having a slot entrant of a vertical slot in the proximate face of the other part. A pin carried by the slotted tree part extends transversely through the slot thereof and the slot of the head and the head slot and the pin are so dimensioned as to enable the shoe tree parts to be swung and moved vertically relative to each other to bring the upper edges of the cone defining portions into position to support the vamp without forming visible ridges therein regardless of the extent to which the length of said shoe tree has been varied by the turning of the connecting element relative to the part in which it is threaded.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention from which these and other of its objectives, novel features, and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a shoe tree in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly sectioned side view thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a similar view illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

In accordance with the invention, a shoe tree has a fore part -5 and a heel part 6 having complemental proximate faces 7 and 8, respectively, dividing the shoe tree through its cone or vamp supporting zone 9, see FIG. 2.

The face 8 of the fore part 5 has a vertical slot 10 formed therein to receive the head 11 of the element 12 threaded into the heel part 6 through the face 7 thereof. A pin 13, carried by the fore part5 and extending through the slot 10, also passes through an aperture in the head 11. This aperture is dimensioned to enable the parts to swing and to move vertically relative to one another as the length of the shoe tree is increased by the turning of the element 12 relative to the heel part 6. This adjustment, effected as the shoe is treed, as for display purposes, carries the portions of the shoe tree parts that outline the vamp supporting cone to be positioned automatically by the shoe so as to avoid vamp ridging.

As shown in FIG. 2, the head apertures may be in the form of a vertical slot 14 or, as shown in FIG. 3, the

3,038,184 Patented June 12, 1962 2 aperture may be L-shaped, as indicated at 15 in FIG. 3, with one part extending vertically and the other part extending approximately in parallel with the axes of the element 12.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that shoe trees and the connecting elements therefor are Well adapted to meet the indicated objectives without affecting production costs.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shoe tree comprising fore and heel parts Whose proximate upper portions outline the vamp supporting cone when their proximate faces are in a first position relative to each other, and means connecting said parts, said means including an element threaded into one part through its face and provided with a head having a slot, said other part having a vertical slot in its face into which said head extends, and a pin carried by said slotted part extending transversely through the slot thereof and the slot of the head, said head-slot and said pin dimensioned relative to each other to enable said parts to be swung and moved vertically relative to each other to bring the upper edges of said portions into cone outlining relation regardless of the extent to which the length of said shoe tree has been varied by the turning of said element relative to the part in which it is threaded.

2. A shoe tree comprising fore and heel parts whose proximate upper portions establish the vamp supporting cone when their proximate faces are approximately in mutual contact, and means connecting said parts, said means including an element threaded into one part through its face and provided with a head having a slot, said other part having a vertical slot in its face into which said head extends, and a pin carried by said slotted part extending transversely through the slot thereof and the slot of the head, said head slot and said pin dimensioned relative to each other to enable said par-ts to be swung and moved vertically relative to each other to bring the upper edges of said portions into cone outlining relation, thereby to avoid ridging the vamp regardless of the extent to which the length of said shoe tree has been lengthened by the turning of said element relative to the part in which it is threaded.

3. A shoe tree comprising fore and heel parts whose proximate upper portions outline the vamp supporting cone when their proximate faces are in a proximate position relative to each other, and means connecting said parts, said means including an element threaded into one part through its face and provided with a head having a slot, said other part having a vertical slot in its face into which said head extends, and a pin carried by said slotted part extending transversely through the slot thereof and the slot of the head, said head slot freely receiving said pin and being of substantial length and vertically disposed in said head receiving slot to enable said parts to be swung and moved vertically relative to each other to bring the upper edges of said portions into cone outlining relation regardless of the extent to which the length of said shoe tree has been varied by the turning of said element relative to the part in which it is threaded.

4. A shoe tree comprising fore and heel parts whose proximate upper portions outline the vamp supporting cone when their proximate faces are in proximate position relative to each other, and means connecting said parts, said means including an element threaded into one part through its face and provided with a head having a slot, said other part having a vertical slot in its face into which said head extends, and a pin carried by said slotted part extending transversely through the slot thereof and the slot of the head, the said head slot freely receiving said pin and being L-shaped to enable said parts to be swung and moved vertically relative to each other to bring the upper edges of said portions into cone outlining relation regardless of the extent to which the length of said shoe tree has been varied by the turning of said element relative .to the part in which it is threaded;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,793,946 McEwan Feb. 24, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany July 17, 1933

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