Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 20th July, 1896-Accepted, 14th Nov.. 1896
We, WILLIAM GORDON, and CHARLES ELLSWORTH GORDON, Gentlemen, of
162 Summer Street, in the City of Boston, County of Suffolk, and Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, United States of America, 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 :-
This invention relates to transversely divided lasts, and has for its object to
provide a last of simple construction adapted to be lengthened to operatively fill a
boot or shoe, and shortened to permit the ready removal of the last. The invention
consists in the improvements which we will now proceed to describe and claim.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,―
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of a last embodying our invention, the
last being extended and in its operative form.
Figure 2 represents a similar view, showing the last shortened.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings-
a represents the fore-part section, and the heel section of a transversely divided
last. The section a has a flat inclined guiding face a' extending from the rear
portion of the shank surface of the last upward and forward, and terininating back
of the instep portion a 3, the latter extending above the face a' and having an
inclined inner face a 4. The heel section b has an inclined face 61 formed to bear on
the guiding face a', and a face b2 which is movable toward and from the face a 4.
The sections a and b are provided with interlocking guides or coupling members
which permanently connect the sections, keeping the faces a' b' in contact with
each other, and permitting a limited movement of one section on the other, said
members as here shown, comprising a plate c rigidly secured to the fore-part
section and projecting above the face a¹ and entering a slot formed for its reception
in the heel section, and pins el c' affixed to the heel section and extending through
the slot therein and through slots c2 c2 formed in the plate c, said slots beiug
parallel with the face a', so that they permit movement of the pins and of the heel
section in a direction parallel with said face.
The inclination of the faces a' and 6' is such that a movement of one section on
the other is substantially lengthwise of the last and causes a quick adjustment of
the length of the last without any considerable vertical displacement of the heel
section; hence in moving the heel section forward it recedes directly from the
counter of the boot or shoe without moving upwardly while in contact therewith.
The boot or shine therefore offers no resistance to the shortening movement of the
last, as it would in a last the heel section of which has a movement which is

page_text: substantially vertical or approximately at right angles with the length of the last.
The last is provided with an opening extending downwardly from the top of the
last behind the instep, its walls including portions of both sections of the last and
being arranged so that when the last is lengthened a locking device inserted in
said opening will positively engage both sections and prevent forward movement of
the heel section. We employ a bolt f as the locking device, said bolt being
movable in an opening the upper portion g of which is formed in the heel section,
while the lower portion g' is formed in the plate e, said portions coinciding when
the heel section is at the rear extreme of its movement and permitting the bolt fto
he projected by a spring f1 into the portion g'. The bolt f extends upwardly to
the top of the last, so that it can be manipulated from that point without requiring
the displacement of the upper of the boot or shoe to permit access to the locking
device.
It will be seen that the faces a' a 4 of the fore-part section form a recess which
receives the forward part of the heel section, and permits the substantially
longitudinal movement of the heel-section, the fore-part section containing in itself
a complete support for the instep portion of the upper, so that the heel section is
free to move forward when unlocked, the heel section being supported in its
extended position wholly by the bolt, so that when it is unlocked it yields to and is
displaced by the pressure of the boot or shoe upon it, and does not require to bo
displaced by the operator.
The rear end of the fore-part section presents an angular recess into which the
angular end of the heel section projects, the form of the sections being such that
when the last is extended and in its operative adjustment, there is practically no
break in its continuity, the only opening between the two sections being the narrow
space between the faces u 4 and 62, which is too small to permit the upper to sink
into it.
The instep-portion a 3 may be made in a separate piece, detachably connected
with the fore-part section, like an ordinary last-block.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
a limited
A transversely divided last composed of a fore-part section having a guiding
face extending approximately lengthwise of the last, and an instep portion above
said face; a heel section having a bottom face movable on the said guiding face,
said faces being arranged so that movements of the heel section on the guiding face
of the fore-part section are substantially lengthwise of the last, whereby the beel
section is enabled to be displaced automatically by the pressure of the boot or shoe
upon it interlocking guides or coupling members on the two sections having
provisions for permanently connecting the sections and for permitting
length-adjusting movement of one on the other, the last having an opening
extending to the top of the heel section, the walls of said opening including
portions of both sectious; and a locking device movable in said opening and
adapted to positively engage the two sections therein to hold the last in its
extended adjustment, the heel section being supported in its extended position
wholly by said locking device, so that the withdrawal of the latter releases the
heel section and permits it to yield to the pressure of the boot or shoe upon it.
Dated this 8th day of July 1906
WILLIAM GORDON.
CHARLES ELLSWORTH GORDON.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.