US2984021A - Shoe heel, particularly for ladies' shoes - Google Patents

Description

May 16, 1961` s. 51cm.

SHOE HEEL PARTICULARLY FOR LADIES' SHOES Filed Oct. 9. 195? INVENToR, Se/of lc y Patented May 16, ,1961

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Uatl f This invention relates to shoe heels and concerns particularly high heels for ladies shoes, and it also relates to a method of making shoe heels.

High heels for ladies shoes are generally made of wood. The heel is completed by a so-called bottom lift made of leather, rubber or the like. The bottom lift is ordinarily secured in its position by nailing or screwing. Since such bottom lifts usually wear quickly, replacements have to be made frequently. This means that nails have repeatedly to be driven into the wooden heel, and this, in turn, means that the heel, the body of which has a small cross section, tends to split.

Many suggestions and attempts have been made to overcome the referred to drawback, but none of the attempts made so far met with success.

The primary object of the present invention is therefore to improve shoe heels and to do away with the existing inadequacies.

More specific objects of the invention center about a shoe heel which will be strong and durable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and economical process for the manufacture of my shoe heel.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing objects and such further objects as will be apparent from the following description, my invention consists in a shoe heel, the elements thereof, the relation of these elements one to the other, and the steps of the method of making the shoe heel, as will be described hereinafter in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims.

The specification is accompanied by a drawing i which:

Fig. e1 shows fa heel prior to its completion according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows the same heel in completed condition;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, taken inthe plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectioned elevation of a modified heel of the invention; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectioned elevations of two more modifications of a heel embodying features of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, and initially to Figs. 1 to 3, a wooden heel generally designated 10 consists of a longitudinal section 12 and a longitudinal section 14, the latter being reduced in cross section with respect to the former. The space around the section 14, which corresponds to the reduction in cross section, will according to my invention be filled with a self-setting plastic. Fig. 2 shows the completed heel. From Fig. 3 it will be clear that an annular sleeve 16 has been laid around the heel section 14, the sleeve being of such thickness as will ensure an even outer wall over the whole height of the heel 10. Thus, the inwardly directed step at 18 (see Fig. 1), when viewed from the outer surface of the section 12, no longer exists, and there is evenness around the entire heel. The length of 2 the sleevel 16 is greater than the greatest width of the heel section 14 and of the sleeve 16 perpendicular to the length thereof. According to the invention, the sleeve 16 is applied, for instance, by wrapping a tape of appropriate thickness' around the heelsection 1'4. The tape consists, for

instance, of glass fibers impregnated by a self-setting PlSC.;

The present invention further provides that the heel as shown in Fig. 1 be placed into' -a suitably shaped mold. The mold is provided with a cavity which will allow the space formed by the step 18 to be filled with a plastic material so that such material may set in the mold and form the sleeve 16. The plastic material used for molding the sleeve 16 is again of the self-setting kind. For` reinforcing purposes, I incorporate glass bers in the plastics used.

Good results have been `achieved with various epoxy' resins which are widely known as being self-hardening and have found wide-spread use due to their excellent adhesion, durability, and chemical resistance. 'Ihe epoxy resins used were produced by reacting epichlorhydrin-f with dihydric phenols, glycols, and glycerine, respec-A tively. Polymers of different molecular weight haveU been used. Epoxy resins are available in tape form.

Instead of glass fibers, wire nets, textiles and other suitable materials may be used both as tapelike carriers: and as a ller.

The wooden heel of Fig. 4 consists of a section 20 and? a section 22. In the case of this heel construction, the) section 22 is reduced in cross section with respect to then section 20 to a much greater extent as is shown in Fig.. l. The section 22 appears reduced almost to the mini-- mum cross section required to hold a bottom lift (noti shown). The reduction in cross section is shown to bei provided in about the middle of the height of the heel.A The section 22 is surrounded by a tightly fitting tube 24'- which is driven into the section 20. The annular sleeve 26 which has its outer surface even or flush with the outer surface of the heel section 20 is :again formed either by wrapping a tape of the kind described with reference to the heel of Figs. 1 to 3 around the projecting portion of tube 24 or by molding it onto the projecting tube portion.

In the modiiication shown in Fig. 5, the heel consists of a wooden blank 28 and a sleeve or covering 30 of a self-setting plastic. The sleeve 30 is formed by wrapping a tape of the referred to kind around the blank 28 or by molding.

The heel of Fig. 6 is similar to that of Fig. 5, except that the blank 28 is provided with .a reinforcing pin or dowel 32 made, for instance, of metal, wood. Such pin or dowel may be replaced by a tubular formation, a spring, or other suitable reinforcing means. The sleeve 30' is formed as has been described hereinbefore.

In the case of the constructions shown in Figs. 5 and 6, I prefer to mold the sleeve 28 and 2S', respectively. These sleeves, due lto their shapes, are more easily molded than built up by wrapping impregnated tape around the blanks.

It will be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in a few forms only, many changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe heel, particularly for ladies shoes, including a Wooden blank provided, intermediate its ends, with an inwardly directed step defining a portion of the blank of reduced cross section between said step vand one of said ends, and a sleeve disposed around said reduced i blank portion and being of such thickness as to form a smooth outer surface with the rest of the heel surface, said sleeve including a continuous length of glass ber tape Wound about the reduced blank portion in a plurality of superimposed layers, and a self-set plastic material in and between said layers.

2. A shoe heel, particularly for ladies shoes, including a wooden blank provided, intermediate its ends, .with an inwardly directed step defining a portion of the blank of reduced cross section between said step and one of 10 said ends, and a sleeve molded onto and around said reduced blank portion and being of such thickness as to form a smooth outer surface with the rest of the heel surface, said sleeve including a self-set plastic material.

r "v rg References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Tuford Apr. 4, 1916 Miller Dec. 2, 1930 Berenstein July 12. 1932 Lyness Sept. 9, 1941 Rule Sept. 16, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Sweden May 14, 1940 Great Britain Nov. 4, 1946 France Sept. 20,V v1956 France Dec. 13, 1956 France Mar. 14. 1957

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