US128984A - Improvement in boots and shoes - Google Patents

Description

V. K. SPEAR.

Boots and Shoes.

No.128,984. Patentedluly16,1872.

Wltnasses, 1 Vivian K [52mm $1 53 455mg 04" @nm J UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VIVIAN K. SPEAR, OF LYNN MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOOTS AND SHOES;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 128,984, dated July 16, 1872.

Specification describing a certain Improvement in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes, invented by VIVIAN K. SPEAR, of Lynn, Essex county, Massachusetts.

It is well known that in leveling up the outer sole of a boot to form a foundation for the heel, a narrow strip of leather called the rand is employed, which is skived thin at its inner edge to conform to the convex surface of the said sole, such strip of leather being crimped into a semicircular form about the edge of the heel portion of the sole and nailed thereto preparatory to the addition of the heel.

Several difficulties have been heretofore encountered in the production and application of the rand to a boot 0r shoe. First, in many instances a thick piece of leather is necessary to overcome the curvature of the sole, and it is a difficult matter to obtain a piece of leather of the requisite thickness which shall be sufficiently fine grained and solid to be built into a heel. Second, owing to the rapidity with which boots and shoes are manufactured and the small width of the thicker portion of the leather rand, the nailing of the same to the sole is very imperfectly accomplished, and it frequently becomes misplaced and protrudes beyond the surface of the heel. Thirdly, considerable time is requisite in which to crimp in and adapt the rand to the form of the sole and nail it thereto.

It has been attempted to remedy these dif ficulties by producing a formed rand lift or heel seat of vulcanized rubber, but this' is also objectionable for the reason that the rub ber does not harmonize with the rest of the heel, will not take and retain the requisite polish, is not well adapted to receive the after treatment required to finish the shoe, and is, besides this, expensive.

My present invention avoids all these objections by producing a molded or formed rand of leather board, as part and parcel of a lift of theheel,-concave on one side to adapt itself to the convexity of the sole and flat upon The drawing accompanying this specificat1on represents in Figure 1 a perspective View,

and in Fig. 2 a section of my invention, which I term, for convenience, a rand-lift.

produce a lift, A, flat upon one side, as shown at a, and ooncave.upon the other, as shown at b, the outline or contour of such lift corresponding to that of the heel portion of the outer sole of the boot or shoe destined to receive it, the flat face of the lift being to receive the next succeeding lift of the heel and the concave portion, as before stated, to conform the convex surface of the sole.

The rand-lift above described is made of leather board, and the required shape is imparted to it by being molded or pressed by dies into shape. f

There is thus produced a rand-lift of leather board which possesses the following advantages: Being of the nature of leather it wears with the same surface and always presents the same appearance as leather, which is not the case with other substances, especially rubber. Like leather it takes a polish from blacking, whereas rubber, as is well known, is very objectionable on this account. It is very light and also strong. It is very cheap, much more so than rubber. It can be manufactured or shaped by molding very expeditiously and economically. In fine, a rand-lift is produced which, while having to all intents of leather, possesses others'which leather has not, but which are needed for the use to which the rand-lift is to be put.

The leather board can be molded like papier-mach, possesses all requisite flexibility,

leather, and it harmonizes perfectly with the remainder of the heel.

The rand-lift thus acquired and formed is to be added to the heel and made up with it, and thus constitute part of it, for, although it might be applied to the sole individually, the most economical method would be to add it to the heel as one of its lifts, for the reason fj at it could be done so without expense and JLe' applied to the sole as a part of the heel.

The cost of the rand-lift which constitutes this invention, is less than that of the present leather rand. As it is in one entire plate it In carrying my invention-into practice I M and purposes, in this connection, the qualities and yet its external appearanceis that of must of necessity be securely nailed to the sole A molded or formed rand-lift of leatherand cannot become misplaced, and by its emboard, substantially as and for the purposes ployment I economize the time required to herein described.

crimp and tack on the leather rand to the sole. W VIVIAN K. SPEAR.

itnesses:

Claim. F. CURTIS,

I claim as my invention WV. E. BOARDMAN.

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