Removable top lift

April 16, 1935.

R. P. GRANT

REMOVABLE TOP LIFT

Filed Jan. 21, 1933

1,998,012

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Patented Apr. 16, 1935

1,998,012

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1,998,012

REMOVABLE TOP LIFT

Reuben P. Grant, Concord, N. H., assignor to Beckwith Manufacturing Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts

Application January 21, 1933, Serial No. 652,801

Claims. (Cl. 36—36)

This invention, relates to a shoe heel having a removable top lift and to a device by which the top lift can. be removably fastened; to the body of the heel. It is well-known that most people tend ® to· wear the heels of their-shoes unevenly, that is, the wear at one side is more rapid than at the other so that there is a tendency on the part of the heels to “run over”. When a heel, has; thus worn down unevenly- for even a short distance, ¹⁰ the foot is thrown out of balance every time the heel contacts with the ground or floor on which the wearer: of the shoe·¹ is walking, or standing. This is; specially true of: heels; having top lifts of relatively small area, as for example· most of' the ¹⁵ comparatively high heels; on ladies’ shoes.. Th. such cases, a small amount of running, over of the heel; results in a serious angle of tilt on the part of the shoe itself, since the slanting; worn Surface, of the- top-lift cannot oppose the tendency of the ²⁰ foot to tilt the shoe, which tendency is responsible in the first place for the running over of the heel. Such uneven wear should be corrected: before: it has; gone-far,-: but; as this;ordinarily entails-a. trip to the shoe repairer, it is usually neglected until ²⁵ the sole has .worn through or until·, the tilt of; the. heel has become very-pronounced. It is an object of the present invention to: provide· a· shoe: with an easilyremovable- top; lift on: the heel so that it can be replaced by spare top lifts which may ³⁰ be sold with the shoe if desired and maybe readily installed in place by the user. · Hence; replacement can bemade-as-frequently-as required ordesired by simply-removing: the old or worn top lift and replacing-it with: a newone.

³⁵ In. carrying out the invention; I provide- interengaging fastening members: on the body of: the heel and on the top. lift,, these members: being arrangedtopermit the top lift to be slid into place against the top; face of the: heel, body; a spring ⁴⁰ latch being provided to hold the top-lift in its correct position when it has been moved into registry with the heel body. Provision is- also- made for the insertion of a simple tool to release the locking latch and to- permit the top-lift to be slid in the reverse direction to clear the heffi body; For a more, complete understanding of- the invention reference may be made to the disclosure thereof in. the- following description of an email bodiment thereof, and on the drawing, of which,—

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shoe containing an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section on the line 55 2—2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3; is a section on the line 3—3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a top lift for a heel, showing one of the fastening members secured thereto.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a heel body, showing a cooperating fastening member secured thereto.

Figure 6 is an elevation of a tool for releasing the fastening device to permit removal of a toplift.

In the manufacture of women’s shoes, the heels often consist of a one-piece body member of wood, hollow metal, or other suitable material. The top of this-heel body is customarily faced with a ¹leather top-lift secured to the heel body by means of nails, or other equivalent fastening element. In the following description of a shoe containing an embodiment of the invention, the shoe is supposed to be in the usual upside down ²⁰position for manufacture. Figure d illustrates a woman’s shoe Iff having a heel consisting of a heel body II and a top life 12. Instead of the usual nails for fastening the top-lift on the heel body, a fastening device is employed, according 2a to the invention, which normally secures the ton-lift in its proper place but. which can be manipulated to release the top-lift for replacement. This- fastening device may consist primarily of two cooperating members; an anchor ³°: plate 15 and a coupling plate 161 One of these nlates is secured to the heel body, the other being seemed to the top-lift. As shown, the anchor plate is the one which is secured to the heel body, as illustrated in Figure 5. The heel body 11 is ^3S: preferably provided with a recess 17 in its upper face, this recess being of sufficient area to receive the anchor plate or the coupling plate and being of a depth substantially equal to the combined thicknesses of the anchor and coupling ⁴⁰plates so that when these plates are in face to face engagement, the surrounding face portions of the heel body and top-lift will engage each other closely. Figure 5 illustrates the anchor plate 15 as secured in the recess 17, the forward endof -the ‘ta plate 15 being just inside of the forward face or breast of the heel body. The plate I# may be secured: to the heel body as by a screw 2 ff and a pair of nails 21. The portion of the anchorplate 15 which is forward of the nails 21 is later- 50 ally cut away as at 22 forming a tongue 23 of reduced width, this tongue terminating in an upstanding end edge portion 25 which may be centrally notched as at 26. At the rear end of the plate 15 a stop 27 is provided which, as shown, ⁵->

1,898,012 may consist of a turned-up end portion of the plate. As indicated in Figure 3 the anchor plate 15 may be of substantial thickness, in which case the tongue portion 23 is preferably thinner so as to be stiffly resilient. The side edges 30 of the anchor plate are free, that is, spaced from the bottom surface of the recess 11, so as to act as guide rails for the coupling plate 16. To this end, the anchor plate i 5 may be laterally undercut at 3 i, as shown in Figure 2, or the bottom of the recess f 7 may be locally cut away beneath the side edges 30 of the plate so as to allow clearance underneath these side edges for a purpose hereinafter set forth.

The coupling plate 16 is shown in Figure 4 as secured to the bottom face of the top lift as by a suitable number of rivets 35. The coupling plate is provided with suitable retaining elements by which it is secured to the anchor plate when the top lift is in position. These retaining elements may be in the form of side edge portions 36 of the plate 16 which are bent back so as to hook under portions of the anchor plate 15 as shown in Figure 2. The side edge portions 30 of the anchor plate are preferably left free and clear of the bottom surface of the recess 17 so as to provide clearance for the hooks or flanges 36 of the coupling plate 16. The parts are so arranged that when the top lift is slid rearwardly on the upper face of the heel body, the flanges 36 may engage under the free edges 30 of the anchor plate so that the top lift is held against the heel body as it is slid rearwardly. The anchoring plate is located so that when the rear end edge of the coupling plate engages the upturned end portion 27 of the anchor plate, the top lift is in proper registry with the heel body. The length of the coupling plate is preferably equal to the distance between the upturned end portion 25 of the tongue 23 and the upturned rear end edge 27 of the anchor plate. The lateral cut-outs 22 in the anchor plate 15 permit the flanges 36 of the coupling plate to pass the upturned end portion 25 of the tongue 23. In order to permit the central portion of the coupling plate 16 to pass the upturned flange 25 of the tongue, the tongue itself must be sprung downwardly so that the flanges 36 may engage under the free edges 30. When the coupling plate is moved all the way in so that it engages the stop 27, the end flange 25 springs up and thus acts as a locking latch to prevent reverse sliding movement by the coupling plate 16 away from the stop 27. The top lift is thus held firmly in place on the heel body. When it is desired to remove the top lift for replacement, a pointed tool 40 may be inserted in the notch 26, the forward edge of the plate 16 being centrally bevelled as at 41 to receive the point of the tool 40. Insertion of such a tool of suitable diameter wedges the tongue 23 downwardly a sufficient distance to move the flange 25 clear of the forward edge of the plate 16. The top lift may then be moved forwardly until the lateral flanges 36 are clear of the free edges 30 of the anchor plate. The top lift is then separate from the heel body.

It is evident that many variations and changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention herein shown and described by way of example and not limitation, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.