Improvements in Display Forms for Shoes and Boots.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb. 1897-Accepted, 27th Mar., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Display Forms for Shoes and Boots.
1, DE WITT CLINTON SEE, residing at Park Avenue, Mechanicsville in the
County of Saratoga and State of New York, United States of America, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in display forms designed for use in shoes
of all kinds to hold the shoe distended and present an attractive neat appearance,
and the object that I have in view is to provide a simple and inexpensive contrivance
which can readily be fitted in or removed from the shoe and which will hold itself
against slipping or displacement while in the shoe.
A further object of my invention is to provide means for holding the upper part
of a high cut lady's shoe in upright position, which upper holding means can be
turned or folded down against the holding spring for the form when it is desired to
use the form in low shoes, or said holding means can be used in an upright position
to sustain a price card or label.
With these ends in view, the first part of my invention consists of a form
provided with a spring attached at one end to the form and arranged longitudinally
along the bottom part thereof, whereby the spring operates to engage with the
inner side of the shoe-sole when the form is inserted in the shoe and said spring
tends to press the form upwardly against the vamp and instep of the shoe so as to
hold the leather distended and present a neat appearance. In the practical
embodiment of my invention, I provide the longitudinal holding spring with a
spur or tooth which takes or embeds itself in the shoe-sole, and the free end of the
spring is formed with a finger piece for easily depressing or raising the spring as
required in adjusting the form in, or removing it from, the shoe.
My invention further consists in a hollow form having yieldable or movable
sides which may be compressed or expanded a limited distance, combined with a
distending spring situated within the rear open end of the yieldable form and
operating to normally press the sides thereof away from each other. This spring
is, preferably, bent from wire with duplex coils, the ends of the wire being attached
to the sides of the form, and the middle looped part of the wire extending above
the form to provide an upright shank which, when the form is fitted in a high cut
lady's shoe, lies or fits in the extended part of the shoe upper, to hold the upper in
place.
My invention further consists in the novel combination of devices, and
construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described
and claimed.
To enable others to understand my invention I have illustrated the preferred
embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this
specification, and in which,-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved display form.
Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the form.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through my display form. showing the

page_text: Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawing, referring to which,-
A designates my display form for use in shoes of all kinds. The body, a, of the
form is preferably made hollow and of sheet metal to give to the sides of the form
a certain limited amount of movement or play which permits the forms to be com-
pressed somewhat, by hand, when it is to be placed in the shoe and allows it to
expand when fitted in the shoe so that the form fits snugly in the shoe and serves
to hold the same distended. In making the hollow shell or body of the form A from
sheet metal, the pieces are cut and bent to the proper form, assembled together in
proper relation, and united the one to the other, by soldering or otherwise, to
produce a form of suitable shape and dimensions, but I would have it understood
that I do not strictly limit myself to the employment of sheet metal in the
manufacture of my shoe form as other materials may be used in making the form.
It is evident that the form may be made in a single piece of metal by stamping or
pressing the same in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art.
B is the longitudinal holding spring which preferably consists of a single piece
of metal, forming a spring of the kind known as a "leaf spring." This spring B
has one end, (its front end) rigidly fastened in a suitable way to the toe end of the
form A, and the spring B extends longitudinally and centrally along the bottom of
the hollow body or shell of the form. By arranging the spring under the form and
having the spring project below the body at one or more points throughout its
length, the spring is made to press against the shoe-sole when the form is thrust
into the shoe, so that the re-action and pressure of the spring against the body tends
to force the form against the leather of the vamp and instep and thus keep the
shoe extended to present a neat and attractive appearance. The free rear end of this
longitudinal spring is, at a point in rear of the form, bent and curved upwardly to
form a finger piece or loop 6 which may be easily grasped by the hand to lift the
spring or to press the spur or tooth b' of the spring into the shoe-sule. This spur
or tooth is produced on the lower side or face of the spring B, and at an
intermediate point of its length, preferably by punching or striking out the metal
and turning it down to project below the spring. Said spur or tooth is forced,
after the form has been properly and snugly inserted into the shoe, into the sole
by pressing down on the finger piece of the spring B, and the tooth and spring
thus serves to hold the form positively in place within the shoe, so that the form
will not slip back out of place.
This hollow or shell like body, a of the form is capable of a limited compression
or expansion, especially at the rear free end of the shell, and in order to keep the
shell or body properly distended I have provided the spring C which is arranged
between the walls of the shell at or near the open rear end thereof so as to press
the sides or walls normally away from each other. The preferred construction of
this pressure or distending spring C consists of a coiled wire spring having the
extended shank c. The wire is first coiled or twisted at its middle to produce the
loop c' and its strands are then carried alongside each other, forming the shank c,
after which the strands or members of the wire are coiled two, three or more times
to produce the duplex coils, d, d, and finally the ends d', d', of the wire are attached,
by soldering or in any suitable way, to the opposing inner faces of the walls
or sides of the expansible or contractable shell or body a.
It will be noted that the duplex coils are arranged within the open rear end of
the shell or body and that the axes of said coils are substantially horizontal,
whereby the tension of the spring operates to force the walls away from each
other within the limits of the Hexure of the shell or body.
This being the construction of my display form, the operation may be briefly
described as follows:-
To use the form in a high cut lady's shoe, the shank c extends or stands upwardly
above the form, and the form is compressed somewhat in the hand and the spring B
is lifted, to enable the form to be slipped or thrust into the shoe, and when the
body is released from the hand pressure, the shell or body is expanded to fit snugly

page_text: up to and against the shoe to hold the latter distended, and the spring B is pressed.
down to force the spur or prong into the shoe-sole. The spring holds the form in
position up against the shoe, and the shank e extends into the higher part of the
shoe upper to hold the same in position, whereby the shoe is held in a properly
distended condition.
If it is desired to use the form in low cut shoes, the shank e may be turned down
and held or pressed in engagement with the upper side of the spring B, as shown
by dotted lines in Figure 4, in order that the shank e may not be exposed above
the shoe when the form is thrust into a low cut shoe and to enable the spring
shank to impart increased stiffness to the spring B. This shank c may, however,
assume its upright position when the form is used in a low cut shoe so as to project
above the shoe, and when in this condition, the shank affords a convenient means
for holding a price card or label which can be inserted and held in the loop c¹ at
the
upper end of the shank c. The operation of inserting the form in a low cut
shoe is similar to the described operation of adjusting the form in the high cut
shoe, and need not be further described.
Of course, the shoe forms may be made in different sizes and shapes to suit the
style and size of shoes in which they are to be used, and the details of construction
and the form and proportion of parts may be changed by the skilled mechanic
without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention.
I therefore hold myself at liberty to make such modifications as fairly fall within
the scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. As a new article of manufacture, a display form comprising a body, and the
elastic spring arranged longitudinally under the body and having a holding tooth
or spur at an intermediate point of its length, the front end of said spring attached
to the toe portion of the body and the rear end thereof having a finger piece
which extends beyond said body, for the purposes described, substantially as set
forth.
2. A display form comprising a yieldable or expansible shell like body open at
its rear end and a distending or pressure spring situated within the open rear end
of the body and attached to the sides or walls thereof, said spring having the
upright shank, as and for the purposes described.
3. A display form comprising a yieldable or expansible body and a pressure or
distending spring connected with said body and provided with a foldable shank,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
4. In a display form, the combination with a yieldable or expansible body, of
a spring bent from a piece of wire to produce the duplex coils and the extended
shank or arni, said coils being arranged within the open rear end of the body and
the shank or arm extending above the body, as and for the purposes described.
5. In a display form, the combination with a body, a holding spring, and a
distending spring which carries a foldable arm arranged to be reversed and bear
and press against the holding spring, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
1
A
1005
DE WITT CLINTON SEE.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.