GB2371465A - Shoe tree - Google Patents

Description

Shoe tree The invention relates to a shoe tree with a shoe-shaping body and a stretching element to stretch the shoe-shaping body in a shoe. In a widely used structural form, shoe trees consist of a shoe-shaping body, which is stretched inside a shoe by means of a stretching element, in order to keep the shoe in shape when not in use or to prevent excessive residual deformation. Depending on the application, the shoe-shaping body can be a suitably shaped component, which is pressed by the stretching element for example into the foot portion of a shoe. For boots, structural forms are known in which two shoe-shaping bodies in the form of boot leg shapers are pushed apart inside the leg of a boot by the stretching element. The stretching element may be formed as a lever component, for example in the form of an elbow lever, or elastically sprung as a spring element.

Different material properties are required for the said two basic elements of a shoe tree. Whereas the shoe-shaping body must essentially retain its shape rigidly, the tightening element is correspondingly required to have high bearing strength or elasticity. Wood or plastic are customarily used for the shoe-shaping body, while the tightening element is usually made from springy metal or springy plastic. The different material properties entail design measures for the connection of the two parts to one another. For qualitatively highgrade products it is preferable to use wood, especially also because of the moisture present in the body of the shoe. The aim of the present invention is to develop further a shoe tree of the type described, so as to simplify the connection between the shoe-shaping body and the stretching element. According to the present invention there is provided a shoe tree with a shoe-shaping body and a stretching element to stretch the shoe-shaping body in a shoe, wherein a plastic connector is provided to connect the stretching element to the shoe-shaping body. According to the invention it is proposed to provide a plastic connector to join the stretching element to the shoe-shaping body. Such a plastic connector can be made cheaply and in large quantities, in particular by injection moulding. The material properties of the plastic can be adapted in wide ranges in such manner that any desired pair of materials for the shoeshaping body on the one hand and the stretching element on the other hand can be joined to one another. Such plastic connectors can also be mass produced cheaply, stored appropriately, and used universally in various series of shoe trees, for example with plastic shaping bodies or wooden ones.

In an advantageous embodiment, the plastic connector has a basic body with a shaft. At one end of the shaft at least one detent tongue is provided, by means of which the plastic connector is secured. Thanks to this, the plastic connector can in a simple way be inserted manually or by mechanical means through a connector hole or receiving aperture, and secured by the detent tongue. For this purpose it is advantageous to provide on the shaft of the basic body two detent tongues positioned on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis of the shaft, thanks to the approximately symmetrical arrangement of which, any tilting of the shaft during insertion is avoided. The shaft itself is appropriately of tubular form, to receive a locking pin for the detent tongue (s). When the basic body has been positioned, the locking pin is introduced into the tubular shaft of the basic body such that it fits at the back of one detent tongue or between two detent tongues. In this way the locking pin prevents any spring-back of the detent tongue and therefore any unforeseen detachment of the connection between the stretching element and the shoe-shaping body. To simplify the assembly process, in the area of the detent tongue the basic body has an assembly ramp such that the detent tongue springs into place automatically without anything else having to be done when it is inserted into the basic body.

In an appropriate further development, the shoe-shaping body is made of plastic and the plastic connector or its shaft are made as one piece with the shoe-shaping body. This further reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the assembly process when the shoe-shaping body is connected to the stretching element. In a further appropriate variant, in particular when different materials are provided for the shoe-shaping body and the plastic connector, the shoe-shaping body has a connection hole to receive the plastic connector. In this case the plastic connector is passed with its shaft through the connection hole so that the shoe-shaping body and the stretching element are locked together by means of the plastic connector. In this variant the respective material properties of the shoe-shaping body and the plastic connector can be precisely adapted to suit the requirements of each, independently of one another.

In an advantageous embodiment a flat contact disc, in particular a disc made preferably as one piece with the basic body of the plastic connector, is provided for contact against the shoe-shaping body. Thanks to the flat shape of the contact disc, uniform force transfer to the shoe-shaping body is ensured so that for the latter too, a material such as wood or a brittle plastic can be chosen. For this purpose it is appropriate for the connection hole in the shoeshaping body to be provided with a recess to receive the contact disc. In that way the contact disc is recessed relative to the outer contour of the shaping body, as a result of which no corresponding impressions are produced in the material of the shoe. It is advantageous for the shoe-shaping body to be made from wood, since on the one hand this retains its shape well and on the other hand it has a moisture-regulating effect.

In an embodiment of the shoe tree designed as a boot tree for a boot leg, in which the shoeshaping body is formed as a boot leg shaper, the stretching force of the stretching element acts essentially transversely to the longitudinal axis of the boot leg. In such a structure the connection of the stretching element to the shoe-shaping body can be designed such that the plastic connectors are essentially free from stretching forces and only have a fixing function.

Accordingly, the plastic connectors are exposed to very little loading and this contributes towards prolonging the life of the boot tree. For this case it is appropriate to provide two boot leg shapers that can be pushed apart, with the stretching element itself located between the two boot leg shapers. This prevents the stretching element from resting directly against any part of the boot with the risk of producing undesired deformations.

Advantageously, the stretching element is formed as an elastically resilient plastic spring, which also enables complex shapes to be mass produced cheaply. In an appropriate embodiment the stretching element is formed as a curved spring, in particular in the shape of a closed ring. By choosing the shape of the ring appropriately, for example as an oval, the spring forces can be distributed over the longitudinal axis of the boot tree and transferred evenly to the boot leg shapers. Moreover, this avoids any canting such as tilting movement of the two shoe-shaping bodies towards one another. In an advantageous further development, a release device is provided for the stretched shoeshaping body or bodies. When taking out the shoe tree, this enables the stretching to be eased so that the shoe tree can be removed with little effort. Especially when the shoe tree is gripped by its stretching element, this ensures that the plastic connector is only subjected to small loads. When the stretching element is formed with curved springs in the shape of a closed ring, the release device is appropriately formed as a push-rod by means of which the ring can be expanded transversely to the clamping direction. This expansion of the ring draws it in along the stretching direction transverse to the expansion, as a result of which the shoe tree can be released in a simple way. To ensure at least approximately flat force transfer and to avoid any canting or tilting, the stretching element is attached to a shoe-shaping body with at least two plastic connectors. In an advantageous embodiment the basic body of the plastic connector is fonned as a separate component. Here, the stretching element has a receiving aperture with a detent lip.

The basic body is inserted through the connection hole in the shoe-shaping body and through the said receiving aperture in the stretching element, so that the detent tongues engage behind an associated detent lip in the receiving aperture. By forming this as a separate component, it can be mass produced cost-effectively for various application purposes. In an alternative embodiment, especially when the stretching element is formed as an elastically resilient plastic spring, the basic body is formed as one piece with the stretching element and in this case the shaft with the detent tongues is inserted through the connection hole into the shoe-shaping body. Here, the connection hole itself can have a corresponding detent lip. It can also be appropriate to provide there a corresponding separate contact disc with a detent lip. Thanks to the one-piece construction, the number of components and so too therefore the production and assembly costs are reduced. A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below, with reference to the drawing which shows: Fig. 1: Schematically represented boot with a boot leg tree inserted, Fig. 2: Enlarged detail view of the boot tree in the area of a plastic connector, shown in cross-section along the line II-II in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 : The arrangement of Fig. 2, shown in a view along the line in-in in Fig. 1 4D Fig. 1 represents schematically a shoe 17 formed as a boot 14, in whose boot leg 16 is inserted a boot tree 1. Two shoe-shaping bodies 2 are formed as boot leg shapers 15 and are pushed apart by a stretching element 3 so that they rest under pressure against the insides of the boot leg 16. When the shoe 17 is formed for example as an ordinary shoe, the shoeshaping body 2 can also be provided in a foot portion 26 to stretch it by means of a stretching element 3. The stretching element 3 may be a metallic spiral spring, an elbow lever structure or suchlike, and in the embodiment illustrated, is formed as a pair of plastic springs 18. The two plastic springs 18 may have any suitable shape desired and, in the embodiment illustrated, are in the form of approximately semicircular curved springs 19 which, together with two middle portions 29, form a one-piece closed oval ring 22. At the upper end 32 of the ring 22 is arranged a hollow pulling handle 27, through which a pressure rod 21 passes and is attached in the area of the lower end 33 of the lower curved spring 19. At its opposite end the pressure rod 21 has a pressing handle 28, whereby a release device 20 is formed. By grasping the pulling handle 27 with the fingers of one hand and exerting a simultaneous counterpressure with the ball of the thumb of the same hand upon the pressing handle 28, the ring 22 is expanded in the direction of the push-rod 21, drawing the two middle portions 29 of the ring 22 closer to one another against the stretching direction 23 approximately perpendicular to the boot leg axis as indicated by the two-way arrow 23. This moves the boot leg shapers 15 clear of the insides of the boot leg, enabling the shoe tree 1 to be removed. The two boot leg shapers 15 are shaped as half-shells and each is attached to the ring 22 by means of two plastic connectors 4. In the embodiment shown, the two boot leg shapers 15 are made of wood, but it may also be appropriate to make them from plastic or other suitable materials. Each boot leg shaper 15 has two connection holes 5, each hole being enlarged on the outside by a recess 13. Matching the position of the connection holes 5, in each case a receiving aperture 24 is provided in the ring 22. In each case, a basic body 6 of a plastic connector 4 is inserted with its shaft 7 from outside through the connection hole 5 and the associated receiving aperture 24. The basic body 6 has on the outside a flat contact disc 12, which is sunk in the recess 13 relative to the outer contour of the boot leg shaper 15.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing details of the arrangement of Fig. 1 in the area of a plastic connector 4. The plastic connector 4 comprises a basic body 6 formed as a separate individual component and having a contact disc 12 formed on it as one piece, which rests in the recess 13 against the boot leg shaper 15. The shaft 7 inserted through the connection hole 5 is hollow and, at its end opposite the contact disc, has two detent tongues 8 opposite one another relative to a longitudinal axis 9 of the shaft 7. On the middle portion 29 of the ring 22 (Fig. 1), a receiving sleeve 30 is formed as one piece with the receiving aperture 24. The detent tongues 8 are inserted into the receiving aperture 24 in each case along an assembly ramp 11, and engage behind a detent lip 25. The receiving sleeve 30 also serves as a spacer for the middle portion 29 relative to the boot leg shaper 15. A locking pin 10 can be inserted into the tubular shaft 7 in the direction of the arrow 31.

In an appropriate further development not illustrated in detail, the basic body 6 is formed as one piece with the stretching element 3 (Fig. 1), and in this case the detent tongues 8 can engage for example with detent lips 25 of a separately formed contact disc 12. In another advantageous variant not represented in detail, the shoe-shaping body 2 is made of plastic and the plastic connector 4 or its basic body 6 is formed as one piece with the shoe-shaping body. In this variant there is no need for a contact disc 12. The other features are appropriately formed comparably to the embodiment according to Figs. 1 to 3.

Fig. 3 shows the arrangement of Fig. 2 in a different view, in which the receiving sleeve 30 is made approximately rectangular and so serves to prevent rotation of the plastic connector (Fig. 2). The locking pin 10 is cylindrical and rests on the inside between the two detent tongues 8 so that these cannot spring back and unintentional release is prevented.

Claims (23)

1. Claims 1. A shoe tree with a shoe-shaping body and a stretching element to stretch the shoe shaping body in a shoe, wherein a plastic connector is provided to connect the stretching element to the shoe-shaping body.
2. 2. A shoe tree according to Claim 1, wherein the plastic connector comprises a basic body with a shaft and on the shaft a detent tongue is provided to hold the plastic connector in place.
3. 3. A shoe tree according to Claim 2, wherein two detent tongues opposite one another relative to a longitudinal axis of the shaft are provided on the shaft.
4. 4. A shoe tree according to Claims 2 or 3, wherein the shaft is tubular and a locking pin for the detent tongues is provided for insertion into the tubular shaft.
5. 5. A shoe tree according to any of Claims 2 to 4, wherein an assembly ramp is provided on the basic body in the area of the detent tongue.
6. 6. A shoe tree according to any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the shoe-shaping body is made of plastic and the plastic connector or its shaft is made as one piece with the shoe-shaping body.
7. 7. A shoe tree according to any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the shoe-shaping body has a connection hole to receive the plastic connector.
8. 8. A shoe tree according to Claim 7, wherein a flat contact disc is provided to rest against the shoe-shaping body.
9. 9. A shoe tree according to Claim 8, wherein the flat contact disc is made as one piece with the basic body.
10. 10. A shoe tree according to Claim 8 or 9, wherein the connection hole has a recess to receive the contact disc.
11. 11. A shoe tree according to Claims 8 or 9, wherein the shoe-shaping body is made of wood.
12. 12. A shoe tree according to any of Claims 1 to 11, wherein the shoe-shaping body is a boot leg shaper for a boot leg of a boot.
13. 13. A shoe tree according to Claim 12, wherein two boot leg shapers that can be stretched apart are provided.
14. 14. A shoe tree according to any of Claims 1 to 13, wherein the stretching element consists of an elastically springy material.
15. 15. A shoe tree according to Claim 14, wherein the stretching element is a metallic or plastic spring.
16. 16. A shoe tree according to any of Claims 1 to 15 wherein the stretching element is formed as a curved spring.
17. 17. A shoe tree according to Claim 16 wherein the stretching element is formed in the shape of a closed ring.
18. 18. A shoe tree according to any of Claims 1 to 17, wherein a release device is provided to expand the ring transversely to the stretching direction.
19. 19. A shoe tree according to Claim 18, wherein the release device is in the form of a push-rod.
20. 20. A shoe tree according to any of Claims 1 to 19, wherein the stretching element is attached to a shoe-shaping body by at least two plastic connectors.
21. 21. A shoe tree according to any of Claims 7 to 20, wherein the basic body is a separate component and the stretching element comprises a receiving aperture with a detent lip for the detent tongue.
22. 22. A shoe tree according to any of Claims 7 to 19, wherein the basic body and the stretching element are formed as one piece.
23. 23. A shoe tree substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.