Last with device for aperture adjustment as required and shield element for last adaptability to right and left shoes

A last or shoe tree of the type comprising a first half-last and a second half-last, a resilient element for retaining said two half-lasts at closed spaced relationship, and a mechanism for determining the aperture of the two half-lasts, the last or shoe tree being essentially characterized by providing a device including a plate connected at a first location to said first half-last and connectable to said second half-last at locations differently spaced apart from said first location, so as to cause upon operation of said mechanism, (a) the aperture of said two half-lasts only at the toes, (b) parallel aperture of the two half-lasts, and (c) aperture of the two half-lasts at the zone opposite to the toe.

This patent for industrial utility model relates to a last or shoe tree 
having a device for aperture or opening adjustment as required and shield 
element for last adaptability to right and left shoes, the combination and 
configuration of the parts thereof conferring thereto particular 
usefulness characteristics. 
As well known, conventional lasts or shoe trees comprise first and second 
half-lasts hinged at the opposite side to the toe and provided with a 
mechanism enabling the aperture or opening of the two half-lasts for 
exerting a widening pressure on the shoe. 
Owing to fixed fulcrum hinging or pivoting, such conventional lasts allow 
for widening of the two half-lasts only at the toe area, and accordingly 
cannot be used for sole and/or neck widening. 
Additionally, conventional lasts or shoe trees are of ambidexter type, that 
is usable for both right and left shoes, this involving of course an 
evident shoe deformation with all of the resulting drawbacks. 
It is the object of the present invention to provide a last or shoe tree of 
such a structure as to enable the aperture or opening of the two 
half-lasts at the tee area, parallel opening of said half-lasts, and also 
the opening of the latter at the opposite zone to the toe. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a last or shoe tree 
provided with means for allowing the adaptability thereof both to right 
shoe and left shoe so as not to cause any deformation thereof. 
These and still further objects of the invention will become apparent to 
those skilled in the art from the reading of the following description and 
claims.

Referring to the above figures, a last or shoe tree generally denoted at 1 
includes a front portion comprising two mirror-like elements 2, 2', each 
of which having an inner cavity 3 and a sloping surface 4. At said 
cavities 3 the two elements 2, 2' are interconnected by an extensible 
spring 5 arranged transversely of the axis of said last or shoe tree 1. 
A wedge element 6 is controlled move along the sloping surfaces 4 by 
screwing thereof on a threaded portion 7 of a rod 8 provided with fixed 
washer 9 cooperating with a plate 10 bearing on the rear side 11 and 11' 
of said elements 2 and 2'. 
Each side 11 and 11' is provided with a projecting bracket 12, 12' each of 
which forming with an underlying spaced apart bracket 13, 13' (of which 
only bracket 13 is shown in FIG. 2) a slit 14 for accomodating a plate 15, 
provided with a bent over portion 16, and pivoted between brackets 12' and 
13' with the aid of a pin 17. In addition to the passage hole for pin 17, 
said plate 15 has three further holes 18, 19 and 20, of which hole 20 is 
of extended development. 
The bent over portion 16 of plate 15 also has two oblong holes for 
accomodating the end of a threaded rod 23 (FIG. 2), on which a heel-shaped 
element 24 can be screwed by inner threads of through holes 25 and 26 
provided substantially transversely of said element 24. 
The rods 8 and 23 are provided with an end portion 8' and 23' 
respectively, comprising the gripping member for rotation thereof. 
Parts or elements 2 and 2' are provided with side holes 27 (FIG. 2) for the 
accomodation of small pins 28 integral with removable shaped shields 29, 
29'. Shield 29 follows the pattern of a right shoe, while shield 29' 
follows the pattern of a left shoe. 
The approach as proposed allows to adapt said last or shoe tree 1 both to 
right and left shoes by merely mounting shield 29 on element 2 in case of 
right shoe, or shield 29' on element 2' in case of left shoe, this 
resulting in the outstanding advantage of not deforming a shoe when being 
subjected to the expanding stress of elements 2 and 2', as occurs with 
conventional lasts or shoe trees. 
As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, by introducing a pin element 30 in bracket 12 
to engage the hole 18 in plate 15, screwing of wedge element 6 along 
threaded portion 7 of rod 8 would cause the widening out of the toe only 
(FIG. 3). The engagement of pin element 30 with hole 19 in plate 15 
enables the parallel opening of the two elements 2 and 2' (FIG. 4), and 
finally the engagement of pin element 30 with hole 20 in plate 15 enables 
the straddle or spreading out of elements 2 and 2' for better acting upon 
both the shoe sole and neck, and this in case by suitably adjusting the 
introduction of last or shoe tree 1 into the shoe and by interposing a 
possible shaped element (not shown) between said elements 2, 2' for 
widening out the neck only. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the shaped element 24 is applied to the last or shoe 
tree 1 in order to cause the shoe elongation upon rotation of rod 23. This 
rod 23 cooperates with threaded holes 25 or 26 and holes 21 or 22 provided 
on the bent over portion 16 of plate 15 depending on whether a woman or 
man shoe is concerned. 
Said last or shoe tree 1 is completed with holes 31 (FIG. 2) for 
application of conventional shaped elements to create slight deformations 
on the uppers at anatomic anomalies (such as corns, foot deformed fingers 
and the like).