US2078626A - Shoe heel - Google Patents

Description

P. s. BAUER SHOE HEEL April 27, 1937.

Filed Dec.-3, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 1 April 27, 1937. RSBAUER if -2,078,626

SHOE HEEL Fild Dec. '3, 1934 s sheets-sheep 2 I "Inn P. S. BAUER SHOE HEEL April 27, 1937.

Filed Dec. 3, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I Invenibr;

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Patented Apr. 27, 1937 UNITED STAT PATENT OFFICE 14 Claims.

This invention relates to shoe heels and while it is especially adapted for golfers shoes it may also be used on baseball and other athletic shoes.

According to the generally approved form in the swing of a golf club,- a right-handed player shifts his weight to his right foot, bends his left knee, twists his body and throws his right hip as far back as possible in the wind-up to obtain the greatest depth to his swing; and then makes the downstroke in the reverse of the foregoing movements with the head of his club traveling as near as possible in the so-called groove of the wind-up. When the right hip is thrown backward the weight on the right foot is shifted to the heel and to the outside rear of the heel with the inside of the toe more or less raised. During both the wind-up and the downstroke of the swing the players head is held in an anchored position with his eyes on the ball. It

is essential to the perfection of the swing that the weight of the player be properly balanced during these movements. If the player is wearing a shoe with an ordinary heel his right foot will rock on the sharp outer edge of the heel with more or less instability, depending upon the skill and experience of the player. It is recognized that professionals and other ex perienced players, and also many young players, are able to shift their weight during the windup and downstroke of the swing as above described with an even and stable rolling movement of the right foot and heel, but with most players the tendency is to rock instead of roll on the sharp edge of the heel with the result that the depth of their swing is correspondingly lessened. Furthermore, the sharp edge of the heel will sink into the turf of a golf course and tend to throw the player off balance and interfere with his swing both in the wind-up and the downstroke.

' It is an object of my invention to enable the player to roll his weight from the flat foot positionatstance onto the outer side rear of his right heel in the wind-up of the swing to obtain the greatest possible depth, and then to roll his weight back again on the downstroke of the swing and provide throughout the swing'a substantial support for the weight of the player.

Another object is to form a solid substantial 0 support for the wearer in walking and one which will yield when the weight of the wearer is shifted to the outer side rear of his heel during the wind-up of the swing .of a club and return to normal position on the downstroke of the Another object is to provide a heel with a yieldable projection at the bottom on its outer side rear to form a substantial support for the player during the swing of his club and enable the player to shift his weight with a rolling action as distinguished from a rocking action on his heel.

And a further object is to aid the downstroke of the swing by accelerating the kick-oif, which is the initial part of the downstroke.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated selected embodiments of the invention for the purposes of this application and referring thereto Fig. 1 illustrates the position of a golf player at the wind-up of the swing and shows my in vention embodied in the heel of his right shoe;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a shoe showing the invention;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the spring plate;

Fig. 4 is a side view and Fig. 5 is a back view of a shoe embodying the invention;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 1-! of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a back view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the shoe tilted and the projection on the heel bent;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 7 but showing a rubber insert instead of the spring plate;

Fig. 11 is a side view of a shoe showing another embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 12 is a bottom plan view and Fig. 13 is a rear view ofthe heel portion of the shoe shown in Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a rubber heel having the side projection;

Fig. 15 is a transverse sectional view of the heel portion of a shoe showing a heel similar to that of Figs. 11-1 l but made up of a plurality of lifts; and

Figs. 16 and 17 show other forms of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will be noted that when a golf player reaches the end of the wind-up of the swing his body will be slightly twisted, his right hip will be thrown back considerably, his weight will be supported principally on the outer side rear of his right heel, his left heel will be raised, his left knee will be bent, and his body will be steadied by holding the toe of his left foot on the ground. My invention enables the player to assume this position by a smooth, easy and confident movement with his right heel always supported firmly and substantially to move with a rolling action to and from extreme positions.

I provide a projection I on the heel 2 of the shoe to form a rolling support for the player in going through the movements of the swing. As I have stated, the weight of the player is shifted to the outer side rear of the right heel during the swing and consequently I provide this projection at the outer side rear of the heel of the right shoe, which is where the outer side merges with the back of the heel. The length and width of this projection may be varied to suit different conditions but it should always be sufficient to provide a rolling support for the player during the wind-up and during the downstroke of the swing. I have found it a desirable form of the invention to extend the projection to the forward edge 3 (Fig. 2) of the heel but it may be tapered off at the forward portion or terminated back of the forward edge of the heel if desired.

In the preferred form of my invention, Figs. 4 and 5, the projection I is provided on the bottom lift 5 of the heel and a spring metal plate 6 is interposed between the bottom lift and the next above lift I. This plate 6 may conform to the shape of the bottom lift as shown in Fig. 3 or it may be in the form of a section 8 as shown in Fig. 6, shaped and sized to correspond with the projection I and as much of'the adjacent part of the bottom lift as may be necessary for secure fastening. The metal plate in the full form of Fig. 3 or in the sectional form of Fig. 6 is secured in the heel and the heel is secured to the sole 9 of the shoe in any suitable manner in accordance with the usual practice of shoe manufacture. For this purpose I have shown nails II] passing through the heel, including the plate, solely for the purpose of indicating some fastening means. The. plate should be provided with suitably disposed openings II to receive the fastening devices. The usual spikes I2 may be secured in the bottom lift according to wellknown practice.

The projection I extends sufficiently beyond the body of the heel to bend under the weight of the player as he shifts his weight to the right side rear of the heel in the wind-up of the swing, as shown in Fig. 8. This projection with the part of the lower lift adjacent thereto, and including the spring plate, constitutes a rolling support of substantial area for the player and enables him to effect this shift of weight without being thrown off balance. The heel moves with a rolling action and the projection provides a substantial area of contact with the. ground. Since the weight of the player is shifted to the right side of the heel and to the rear thereof the bottom lift of the heel and the metal plate will bend over a substantial area where the projection I joins the body of the bottom lift. This provides a substantial foundation for the player to support his weight and enables the movement to be made to the full depth of the wind-up and in the kick-off and first part of the downstroke without disturbing the balance of the player and in a smooth, even, continuous movement.

I also prefer to provide the heel with a recess I 3 opposite the projection in the lift immediately above-the metal plate. I also prefer to fill this recess with soft rubber I4 or other yielding material to prevent it from filling up with dirt. The recess and the soft filling enable the lower lift and metal plate to bend more easily and over a.

greater area as indicated in Fig. 8. Instead of recessing the lift I of the heel, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, 7 and 8, I may substitute a lift 1' which is reduced in size, and insert a rubber filler I5 alongside the lift I to fill out its size and correspond with the next above lift, and in this form of the invention I may dispense with the metal plate, Fig. 10.

In the forms of the invention heretofore described, I have made that portion of the heel flexible which supports the weight of the player in reaching the extreme. depth of the swing, that is to say, the right side rear of the heel. I make it flexible so that it will yield to the movement and weight of the player and provide a substantial support for the player over a comusual kind. The smooth rolling action enables the player to make this movement and extend his right hip back farther to get greaterdepth to his swing than would be possible if he were wearing an ordinary heel, and the ease of the movement enables it to be performed without affecting his balance as would be likely to happen if he were wearing an ordinary heel.

While I prefer the flexible form of heel heretofore described, it is possible to obtain some of the advantages of my invention by the forms illustrated in Figs. 11-15. Referring thereto Figs. ll-14 show rubber heels I6 having the projection I! as previously described. The projection portion of the heel I 6 is cut away orrecessed at I8 on its lower face and at its outer edge to provide some rolling actionwhen theweight of the player is shifted to the outside rear of his heel. Fig. 15 shows a leather heel I9 made like the rubber heel I6 of Fig. 13.. While the forms of the invention shown in Figs. 11-15 are desirable because they give a substantial support to the wearer in walking and also in shifting his weight and position during the swing, they do not afford the flexibility of the preferred forms of the invention shown in Figs. l-lG. However, they may be useful for some purposes where flexibility is not important. 1

The heel may be made of solid rubber with a projection I without the metal plate 6, recess I 3 or filler, as shown in Fig. 1'7, or it can be made of rubber lifts with a metal plate 6, recess I3' and filler, similar to Fig. 5.

The inner side of the heel may be cut away as at 20, Fig. 16, to compensate, in part at least, for the added weight of the projection and plate. This will also provide for a rolling action on the inner side of the heel duringthe'downstroke and as the weight of the player is shifted accordingly.

The invention enables an ordinary player to which is referred to as the kick-off and aids the player in performing that part of the swing. Leather heels with spikes are considered to be the most desirable and serviceable heels for golf and some other forms of athletic shoes but the invention is not restricted to leather heels and may be embodied with heels of other materials which are adapted for the purpose. The invention may be embodied in complete shoes or in heels sold separately, like rubber heels, to be fastened to shoes. I have described the invention as if it were embodied in the heel of the right shoe worn by a right-handed player and it will be readily understood that for a left-handed player the invention should be embodied in the outer side rear of the heel of the left shoe.

I have shown the parts in forms which I now consider desirable but it may be found desirable to vary the form, construction and arrangement of parts to adapt the invention to shoes of different kinds and for different sports, and I reserve the right to make all such changes as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe heel having a yielding projection extending the full length of the outer side and part of the rear thereof to aid in supporting the wearer and in preserving his balance when the weight of the wearer is shifted onto that part of the heel.

2. A shoe heel having a laterally extending yielding projection extending the full length of the outer side and part of the rear thereof to aid in supporting the wearer and in preserving his balance when the Weight of the wearer is shifted onto that part of the heel.

3. A shoe heel having a yielding projection extending from the bottom part and extending the full length of the outer side and part of the rear thereof to aid in supporting the wearer and in preserving his balance when the weight of the wearer is shifted onto that part of the heel.

4. A shoe heel comprising a bottom lift and a yielding projection extending the full length of the outer side and part of the rear of said bottom lift to aid in supporting the wearer and in preserving his balance when the weight of the wearer is shifted onto that part of the heel.

5. A shoe heel having a bottom lift, a projection at the outer side rear of said bottom lift, and

a yielding plate secured in the heel above said projection.

6. A shoe heel having a bottom lift and a recess above said bottom lift extending the full length of the outer side and part of the rear of the heel, and a projection on the bottom lift opposite said recess.

'7. A shoe heel having a bottom lift and a recess above said bottom lift extending the full length of the outer side and part of the rear of the heel, and a yielding projection on said bottom lift opposite said recess.

8. A shoe heel having a bottom lift and a yielding projection on said bottom lift at the outer side rear thereof, and a spring metal plate secured in the heel above said projection.

9. A shoe heel having a bottom lift and a yielding projection on said bottom lift at the outer side rear thereof, and a spring metal plate secured in the heel above said projection, said heel being recessed above said plate opposite said projection.

10. A shoe heel having a bottom lift, a yielding projection on said bottom lift extending the full length of the outer side and part of the rear thereof, and a yielding cushion above said bottom lift and opposite said projection.

11. A shoe heel having a bottom lift and a yielding projection on said bottom lift extending the full length of the outer side and part of the rear thereof, said heel being recessed above the bottom lift opposite said projection, and a cushion filler in said recess.

12. A shoe heel having a bottom lift and a recess above thebottom lift extending along a part of the outer side and a part of the back of the heel, a projection on the outer side and rear of the bottom lift opposite said recess, and a rubber cushion in said recess.

13. A shoe heel having a lateral yielding projection extending the full length of the outer side and part of the rear thereof and having its inner side edge cut away.

14. A shoe heel of standard shape being fiat on the bottom and having a lateral projection extending the full length of the outer side and part of the rear thereof, said projection being cut away on its bottom at its outer edge.

PERRY S. BAUER.

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