ements relating to Lasts for noes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 5th Dec., 1896
ements
relating to Lasts for
noes.
I, WALTER FIRMAN, of 30, Moor Road, Rushden, R.S.O., in the County of
Northampton, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to lasts for boots and shoes and has for its object to
construct a last which can be very easily inserted or withdrawn from a boot or
shoe and at the same time is strong and durable.
According to my invention I make the last in two parts a fore or toe piece and
a heel piece which are connected by an approximately flat lock hinge secured to
their undersides. The front part of the heel piece is cut away so that a triangular
space is formed between the two parts of the last, the heel can therefore be bent
towards the toe piece and in this position the last can be very readily inserted or
withdrawn from the boot or shoe. When the last is in position a wedge is placed
between the two parts thereof thereby preventing the heel piece from coming
forward and the last falling out of the boot. A spring catch is preferably provided
to maintain the wedge in place and a suitable guide or guides is or are arranged to
ensure the wedge taking up its correct position.
It will be understood that the lock hinge is constructed so as to allow the heel
piece to bend towards the toe piece in one direction only and that it prevents any
movement of the beel in the other direction which would bring the undersides or
soles of said pieces in contact. The iron hinge plate is preferably arranged to
cover the whole of the underside of the heel so that said piece is protected from.
any nails which may be forced through the heel of the boot or shoe.
I prefer to make the socket upon which the last is supported integral with the
fore part of the hinge as by this means its solidity is increased and the firm support
of the last ensured.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.
I, WALTER FIRMAN, of 30, Moor Road, Rushden, R.S:O., in the County of
Northampton, 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 lasts for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes and
consists in the novel construction whereby the removal or introduction of the last
is facilitated.
A last constructed according to the said invention is divided at the rear of the

page_text: waist of the last on a line at, or substantially at, right angles to the sole of the
last. The detached heel portion is connected to the main portion of the last by
means of a hinge the movement of which in one direction is limited to ensure
that the heel shall not move beyond the proper position and which has attached
to, or formed in one piece with, it a socket for fitting on to the last jack or
support; a portion of the heel part of the last is cut away to permit of its being
turned in towards the main part of the last and a wedge or other device is provided
for holding the beel portion in its working or normal position.
To enable the said invention to be fully understood it is described with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a last constructed according to the invention:
Figure 2 is a plan view of the rear part of the same; and,
Figure 3 is an underside view of the said part:
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 Figure 2; and,
Figure 5 is a side view of the part shewn in Figure 2 with the wedge removed:
Figure 6 is a side view of the retaining wedge detached:
Figure 7 is a rear view of the same; and,
Figure 8 is a front view:
Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 5 but shewing the heel piece turned against
the main part of the last:
Figure 10 is a longitudinal section of a part of a last illustrating a modified
construction:
Figure 11 is an underside view of the same; and,
Figure 12 is a view of the hinge fitting detached:
Figure 13 is a longitudinal section illustrating another modification of the
invention; and,
Figure 14 is a horizontal section on the line 14-14 Figure 13:
Figure 15 is a section on the line 15-15 Figure 13:
Figures 16 and 17 are respectively a side view and a face view of the wedge'
used with the last shewn in Figures 13 and 14.
Similar letters of reference indicate similar or corresponding parts in the several
figures.
a is the fore part of the last and b is the heel part, e is the hinge for connecting
the two parts a, b together, d is the socket for the jack or support, which socket is
formed upon or attached to the hinge, and d is the device for retaining the said
parts in position for use.
is
In the arrangement of the invention shewn in Figures 1 to 9 the hinge
arranged upon the surface of the last and the dents of the hinge through which
the knuckle pin passes are made square as shewn at e, Figures 1, 4, 5 and 9, so as
to prevent the leaves of the hinge from moving beyond the position in which the
two parts of the last are in their proper relative positions for use. In this arrange-
ment also the device d', for retaining the two parts a, b of the last in their proper
position for work, is in the form of a wedge having on one face a guide rib f
designed to enter a corresponding groove g in the heel part and on the other face
a spring catch h which when the wedge is in position engages with a recess i in
the fore part a of the last, as clearly shewn in Figure 4. "The said wedge is also
represented as provided on one face with a metal plate, Figures 6 and 8, which
is bent up at one end to form an eye k for the attachment of a hook or the like for
pulling out the wedge. It will be understood that after the wedge has been pulled
out the heel part of the last can be turned down against the fore part as shewn in
Figure 9.
The socket d which fits on to the top of the last support is, as shown in Figures 3
and 4, in the form of a round tube, which is fixed to the leaf of the hinge attached
to the fore part a of the last and inserted in a correspondingly shaped hole formed
in the said fore part as will be clearly understood by reference to Figure 4.
In the modification of the invention shewn in Figures 10 and 11 the hinge has
its two leaves fixed to the opposing surfaces of the parts a and b the knuckle pin

page_text: of the said hinge being below the surface of the last, as shewn in Figure 10, so
that the two parts a and b will abut at 1 and serve, in lieu of the square ended
dents of the hinge, to prevent the two parts from moving beyond the normal
position. In this modification the socket d is cast in one piece with one of the
hinged leaves and is represented as being of an oblong shape in section instead of
circular.
m, m are pins or projections formed integral with the hinge and inserted into
corresponding recesses in the parts a and b to give great rigidity and strength.
The device d' for retaining the two parts a and b of the last in their proper
positions for work is in the form of a hinged strut which, when the heel piece b is to
be turned against the part a, is turned back against the part 6 in a manner which
will be readily understood by reference to Figure 10.
When the invention is to be applied to what is known as a finishing last the
hinge fitting c is advantageously made of a double flat plate the uniting portion
of which is the socket d, the plates being inserted into saw cuts formed in the last
and being rigidly fixed in the part a by a pin n and pivotally connected to the
part 6 by a pin n' as will be clearly understood by reference to Figures 13 to 15.
In this modification a holding device of a form similar to that shewn in Figure 1
is employed slots o, o being formed to pass over, the hinge fitting, as shewn in
Figures 16 and 17.
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. A boot last wherein the heel portion is divided from the fore portion on a
line at or near the back of the waist the two parts being connected by a hinge
which will allow the heel part to be turned down against the fore part but will
not allow the said heel part to move relatively with the fore part beyond the
position which the two parts occupy when in use, the said two parts being held
in this position by a wedge or locking device, substantially as described.
2. In a last wherein the heel portion is separated from the main portion of the
last on a line at the rear of the waist and which two parts are connected together
by a hinge fitting having formed upon or attaching to that leaf of the hinge which
is fixed to the fore part of the last, a socket for fitting the last support,
substantially as described.
Dated the 4th day of November 1896.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.