US1364775A - Last - Google Patents

Description

1. M. MADIGAN;

LAST.

APPLICAHON FILED MAY 3. 1919.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

in R

specification.

UNITED STATES JOHN M. MADIGAN, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

Application filed May a. 1919. Serial No. 294,446.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN M. MADIoAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Haverhill, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented Improvements in Lasts, of which the following is a This invention more particularly relates to certain improvements in two section lasts of the type shown in Patent #1114901 issued to F. W. Millay and myself, jointly, in which the last is shortened by pressing the fore part section toward the rear and top of the heel-part section, so that the heel portion of the shoe will be pushed away from the heel section, permitting the shoe to be more easily removed. While this an rangement makes the removal of the shoe less difficult, yet substantial distortion of the shoe is necessary, to permit the heel part to be freed from the heel end of the last. This action causes an objectionable strain on, or stretching of the upper and outward bending of the sole, and, with a heavy shoe, it is difficult to bend the heel part away from the last sufiiciently to free it.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a form of last which may be substantially shortened by pressing the fore part toward the heel part, so as to carry the heel part of the shoe away from the heel end of the last, and in which the heel part of the shoe may then be freed from the last without substantial strain on the up per or outward bending of the shank por* tion of the sole.

A further object is to provide a form of last of the above described, in which pressure on the shank portion, when the last is supported at its ends, will be successfully resisted.

I accomplish these objects by providing a form of last which may be shortened by a sliding movement of the fore part on the heel part toward the rear end of the last, and in which the fore part may then be swung so as to swing the heel part of the shoe substantially free of the last and by providing a form of last constructed as hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 3 is a sectional view at line;33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view at a similar point.

As shown in the drawing, the last comprises a heel section a and a toe-section I), said sections being divided on a common plane which extends from near the middle of the shank portion at the bottom obliquely toward the top of the last and toward its rear end. The face to thus formed on the heel section terminates at at, slightly below the middle of the last, and the face w on the fore-part is substantially shorter, terminating at a substantial distance from the point 00, in the normal position of the parts.

Said heel and toe sections are provided with oppositely disposed end faces, y and a, respectively, arranged to extend convergently from the top, the face y, on the heel part, meeting the face to thereon at w, and the face a, on the fore-part, meeting the face w at 01:, obtuse angles being formed at both meeting points.

The abutting end portions of the sections are longitudinally slotted, at the middle line thereof, to receive a stiff metal plate 0,

of approximately circular form, said plate being rigidly fixed in the heel section by a pair of metal pins d and having a slot therein, a portion 0 of which extends parallel to the face w, and another portion 0 of which extends obliquely to the portion 0 toward the top, in a short are having the point 00 as a center. The fore-part section has a rigid metal pin e therein which ex tends through said slot 0, 0 The plate 6 is also provided with a slot 0 in which a coiled spring 7 is located, and sockets, a, b are formed in the sections a and 6, respectively, to receive the end portions of said spring, the socket I) being somewhat elongated in an up and down direction, for reasons hereafter explained. A metal washer g is held in the front end of the spring slot 0 against which the end of the spring, in the socket b, bears.

The plate 0 is formed to provide a shoulder 0* and a rigid metal pin it is fixed in the fore-part section in position to engage said shoulder in the normal position of the last sections.

In Fig. 1, the last is illustrated as in posiand the sections in normal position. As constructed, the face w, of the fore-part section, is adapted to slide on the corre sponding face to of the heel-part section, to shorten the last, this shortening movement being against the action of the spring f which normally acts to hold the sections in normal position, the pin a, by engaging the plate 0 at the end of the slot 0', acting to limit the action of the spring at this point.

In shortening the last, to remove the shoe, the operator presses downwardly and rearwardly on the fore-part section causing the same to slide in this direction, so that the heel part of the shoe is carried away from the heel end of the last, as indicated in the full line position of Fig. 2. By this movement, the front end of the heel-part section is, in effect, pushed into the shank portion of the shoe, or into the space which is usually left between the shank; of the shoe and shank portion of the last, at which point the shoe does not hug the last closely. This shortening movement of the fore-part section carries the pin 6 from one end to the other of the slot portion 0, and also compresses the spring f, and, as the motion of the fore part is both lateral and longitudinal, and as the spring 7 is held against lateral move ment by the sides of the slot 0 in the plate 0, it will slide on the bottom of the socket b, to the opposite end thereof, as indicated in Fig. 2. lVhen the corner, 9;, at the rear end of the fore-part engages the heel-part shoulder at w, the pin 6 will have been carried opposite the slot portion 0 so that the downward pressure on the fore part will cause the same to swing down about the point w, as a center, the pin 6 being carried into the slot-portion 0 by this movement, and the surface 2 being swung close to the surface 3 as indicated by the dotted line position of Fig. 2. This downward swinging movement of the fore-part, about the point at as a center, causes the heel part of the shoe to be swung up, or away from the last bottom, this movement being substantially increased by the fact that the shank end portion of the last-heel-part section will act, to an extent, as a pivot for the shoe bottom, so that its heel end will be lifted as the toe end is lowered, as indicated by the dotted line position of the shoe in Fig. 2.

The shoe is, by this time, so nearly free of the heel end of the last, that it may be entirely freed therefrom by a slight upward or outward bending, so that the fore part of the shoe may then be withdrawn from the last. The operation of removing the shoe from the last may thus be easily performed without injurious strainon the shoe.

It will be observed, in this connection, that the shortening motion necessarily precedes the swinging motion, and that both motions are produced by the downward and rearward pressure on the last fore-part, so that the operation may be quickly performed.

The function of the pin it in engaging the shoulder 0 is to increase the rigidity of the last when supported at the heel and toe portions and downward. pressure is applied to the middle portion thereof, as in the beating out process. lVhile the pin 6, by engaging the plate a at the end of the slot portion 0', has a similar effect, its location with relation to the last bottom is such that its effectiveness in this respect is substantially less than that of the pin it, which engages the plate at a point near the top of the last, and rigidly resists any strain of the character referred to, and overcomes a weakness in this respect to which hinged lasts of many other types are frequently subject.

The purpose of the washer g in the socket Z) is to provide an even bearing for the spring and reduce the frictional engagement thereof with the bottom of the socket during the relative transverse movement thereofz.

I claim:

1. A last transversely divided to form fore part and heel part sections, said fore part section being arranged to slide toward the heel end and top of the heel part section, to shorten the last, and being movable to swing relatively to the heel section, when in shortened position, in a direction to disengage the heel end of a shoe thereon from the heel end of the last.

2. A last transversely divided to form fore part and heel part sections, said fore part section being arranged to slide toward the heel end and top of the heel part sectlon, to shorten the last, and being movable to swing relatively to the heel section, when in shortened position, in a direction to disengage the heel end of a shoe thereon from the heel end of the last, and means to hold said sections against relative swinging movement, except in the shortened position thereof.

3. A last transversely divided into fore part and heel part sections, to provide normally engaging surfaces disposed in a common plane, and extending from the last bottom, in the shank portion, obliquely toward the rear end and top, and terminating at a substantial distance from the top, and oppositely disposed end faces extending convergently from the top and intersecting said engaging surfaces at normally separated points, to permit relative sliding movement of said sections on said engaging surfaces, and swinging movement thereof when in shortened position, and means connecting said sections arranged to permit said shortening and swinging movements, successively.

4. A last transversely divided into fore part and heel part sections, to provide normally engaging surfaces disposed in a common plane extending from the last bottom, in the shank portion, obliquely toward the rear end and top, and terminating at a substantial distance from the top, and oppositely disposed end faces extending convergently from the top and intersecting said engaging surfaces at normally separated points, to permit relative sliding movement of said sections on said engaging surfaces to shorten the last, and swinging movement thereof when in shortened position, and means connecting said plates arranged to permit said sliding movement when said normally engaged surfaces are in engagement, and to prevent relative swinging movement thereof, except when in a shortened osition.

5. last transversely divided into fore part and heel part sections, to provide normally engaging surfaces disposed in acommon plane extending from the last bottom, in the shank portion, obliquely toward the rear end and top, and terminating at a substantial distance from the top, and oppositely disposed end faces extending convergently from the top and intersecting said engaging surfaces at normally separated points, to permit relative sllding movement of said sections on said engaging surfaces to shorten the last and swinging movement thereof, when in shortened position, a rigid plate fixed in one of said sections and extending into the other section, and a pm fixed in the latter section, said plate having a slot therein to receive said pin, said slot extending in a direction parallel to said common plane and being offset at its upper end to permit swinging movement of the pin relative to the first named sectlon.

6. A last transversely divided into fore part and heel part sections, to provide normally engaging surfaces disposed in a common plane extending from the last bottom, in the shank portion, obliquely toward the rear end and top, and terminating at a substantial distance from the top, and oppositely disposed end faces extending convergently from the top and intersectlng said engaging surfaces, at normally separated points, to permit relative sliding movement of said sections on said engaging surfaces, to shorten the last, and swinging movement thereof when in shortened position, means to connect said sections permitting successive shortening and swinging movements thereof, and a spring interposed between said sections and actuated to oppose the shortening movement thereof.

7. A last transversely divided into fore part and heel part sections, to provide normally engaging surfaces disposed in a com mon plane extending from the last bottom, in the shank portion, obliquely toward the rear end and top, and terminating at a substantlal distance from the top, and oppositely disposed end faces extending convergently from the top and intersecting said engaging surfaces at normally separated points, to permit relative sliding movement of said sections on said engaging surfaces, to shorten the last, and swinging movement thereof, when in shortened position, means to connect said sections permitting successive shortening and swinging movements thereof, and a coiled compression spring mounted in one of said sections and extending to engage the other section, to oppose the shortening movement of said sections, the engaged portions of one of said sections being constructed to permit lateral movement thereof with relation to said spring.

8. A last transversely divided into fore part and heel part sections, to provide normally engaging surfaces, disposed in a common plane, extending from the last bottom, in the shank portion, obliquely toward the rear end and the top, and terminating at a substantial distance from the top, and oppositely disposed end faces extending convergently from the top and intersecting said engaging surfaces at normally separated points, to permit relative sliding movement of said sections on said engaging surfaces, and swinging movement thereof when the inner ends of said converging surfaces are engaged, and connecting means for said sections includingapin and slot connection arranged to permit relative sliding movement of said sections when said normall engaged surfaces are engaged and swinging movement thereof when the inner ends of said converging faces are engaged.

9. A last transversely divided into fore part and heel part sections, to provide nor; mally engaging surfaces, disposed in a common plane, extending from the last bottom, in the shank portion, obliquely toward the rear end and the top, and terminating at a substantial distance from the top, and oppositely disposed end faces extending convergently from the top and intersecting said engaging surfaces at normally separated points, to permit relative sliding movement of said sections on said engaging surfaces to shorten the last and swinging movement thereof when in shortened position, a rigid plate fixed in one of said sections and extending into the other section, two pins fixed in the latter section, said plate having a slot to receive one of said pins extending to permit said relative shortening and swinging movements, and having a shoulder arranged to engage the other of said pins when in normal position, to resist transverse strain on the last.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

' JOHN M. MADIGAN.

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