US2342882A - Platform sole structure for footwear - Google Patents

Description

Feb; 29, 1944.. J. MELTZER 2,342,882

PLATFORM SOLE STRUCTURE FOR FOOTWEAR Filed Feb. 23, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 r." s Ra i;

lNVENTbR Jae/l Melly er BY l I ATToRNYs Feb. 29, 1944. J MELTZ'ER PLATFORM SOLE STRUCTURE FOR FOOTWEAR 2 Sheets-sheaf 2 FiledFe b. 23, 194:

INVENTCRY Jae/Z jlleli A TORNE a;

Patented F eb. 29, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT oF icE PLATFORM SOLE STRUCTURE FOR v FOOTWEAR Jack Meltzer, New York, N. Y. Application February 23, 1943, Serial No. 476,834

5 Claims.

My present invention'relates generally to footwear and has particular reference to an improved platform sole structure. v

It is a general object of my invention to provide an article of footwear whose structural nature is of such a character that it can be manufactured without necessitating the use of a last or any other special machinery or devices and without requiring any turning procedure or otherdifficult steps ordinarily calling for specialized, skill. The present improved structure is characterized by its simplicity, and may be manufactured and assembled by a series of simple procedural steps which even the most unskilled person is able to perform without difiiculty. I

In addition to the great saving in time; cost, and labor which is thus achieved, the present invention has numerous other advantages. Itmay be employed toproduce footwear with a relatively durable outer sole .for street wear, or to produce footwear of the soft-sole variety for indoor use. It permits the employment of any selected type or style of upper. It affords the possibility of using an outer heel of conventional type, or a self-contained padded heel, or no heel.

at all. It produces an article of footwear which is unusually attractive in appearance, and lends it-- self readily to innumerable variations in the selection of the color, nature and texture of the materials employed.

One of the main features of an article of footwear constructed in accordance with the present invention, whether it be a sandal, outdoor shoe, slipper, mule, or any other item, lies in the fact that the sole structure presents a soft and com- No sock lining of any kind is required, the upper surface of the present sole structure bein complete in itself, of attractive and finished appearance, and devoid of any free edge portions which might mar its attractiveness, come loose, or otherwise impair its finished workmanlike character. These advantages are not sacrificed by the addition of a heel, nor by the use of an outer relatively tough sole of leather or the like,

.35 fortable upper surface to the foot of the wearer.

consists essentially of two opposed'sections which are separately manufactured by simple and inexpensive stitching operations, and which are assembled by the expedient of merely interlacing them. More particularly, the sole structure comprises a bottom section havinga marginal flange extending upwards, an opposedtop section of corresponding size and contour having a marginal flange extending downwards, a filler fully occupying the space between the sections, and a lacing inter-engaging the flanges to hold their edges in abutment and to retain thefe'ntire assembly together as a finished unit. v

In carrying out my invention, each" section preferably comprises an initial fiat flexible blank of sheet material which defines the base of said section, and a tape or equivalent strip having its inner edge stitched to the edge of the base. and

in the employment of a tape which is longitudinally non-stretchable, whereby the resultant flange is self-retained in upright position at the front and rear regions of the section, The necessity for any lasting or other artificially-induced shaping is thus completely dispensed with. I achieve the foregoing general objects and advantages, and such other objects and advantages as may hereinafter be pointed out, in the manner illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawings in which: L. v.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the method of producing the bottom one of the present platform sections;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the section complete;

Figure 3 is a view similar ing, the nature of the ing the top section;

Figure l is a detailed cross-sectional View taken substantially along the line 3-4 of Figure 3; Figure 5 is an exploded view showing the sections of Figure 2 and Figure 3 brought into opposed relationship with certain illustrative filler pieces between them; w

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the resultant article for footwear in process ofbeinglcompleteto Figure 1 illustratprocedure involved informly assembled;

produce two initially flat flexible blanks of sheet-v material 29 and 2| (see Figures 1 and 3) Substantially conforming in outline to each other and'to the shape of a foot. Each of these blanks is formed of leather, cloth, or any other selected fiexibile material. blanks I stitch a non-stretchable tape which extends around the entire periphery and which is relatively stiff transversely so as to define an upstanding marginal flange. In Figure 1 this tape is designated by the reference numeral 22, and in Figure 3 by the reference numeral 23. This 'tape'may be composed of any desired material, such as a braid of fabric, a strip of leather, or the like, the edges being of finished character either by virtue of an inherent selvage, by doubling the material upon itself, or by employing a material such as leather whose free edge is adequately smooth and finished by itself.

Referring to Figure 1, I preferably start the stitching operation at'the midportion 24 of the base 2|], and it will be observed that the inner edge 25 is secured by stitches 2% to the margin of the base 20, the tape 22 extending around-the entire periphery. By virtue of the longitudinalhonstretchabilityof the tape, it automatically as- "sumes an upright position at the front 'and'rear regions, as indicated at the right in Figure Land when the parts have been completely connected 'thetape is turned into the position shown in Figure 2'so that theedges of the base 20 form an integral marginal flange which lies on the inside of the tape and is thus completely concealed.

The tape 22 is preferably provided with a series -of spaced perforations ZLfor a purposepres- -ently to be described, but the perforations is not absolutely essential.

the preformationof The resultant section shown in Figure 21s intended to serve as the bottom section of a-platform sole structure of the present character,-and

this section is in an inverted position'as viewed in Figure 2. When the parts are to beassembled, and in the finished article of footwear, this bottom section assumes the position shownmost clearly at the lower end of Figure 5, the marginal flange and tape extending in an upward-direction. It will be observed that the tape is of uniform height throughout its extent. This is preferable for the bottom section of the structure, but not absolutely essential, as will be pointed out hereinafter.

The braid or tape 23 (Figure 3) is stitched to the base 21 in a similar manner, the inner edge 28 being secured by a row of stitching 29 to the margin of the base blank 29. Here too, the lon- 'gitudinal non-stretchability of the tape 23 brings about an automatic disposition of the flange in a self-retaining upright position at the front and rear region of the resultant section, and when the tape has been fully applied, it is turned down fas shown at the upper end of Figure 5, to, provide 'a flanged top section which is complementary with respect to the bottom section. In the finished structure, it'will be observed that the edge To the edge of each of these the course of its manufacture. assume any desired shape or style, and in the of the base 2! forms an integral marginal flange which lies on the inside of the tape and is thus completely concealed. The tape 28 is also preferably provided with spaced perforations 30.

It will be observed that the attachment of the tape 23 is commenced at a midportion of the base 2|, as in the case of the section shown in Figure 1. It is of advantage that the joint, in each case, be disposed along the inner edge of the resultant sole structure, i. e., along the left edge of the right shoe, and along the right edge of the left shoe.

I have illustrati'vely shown the manner in which an upper is associated with the top section during The upper may accompanying drawings I have shown, merely by way of example, an upper which consists of the two crossing strips 3! and 32 arranged at the forward portion of thestructure. These strips are secured to the corresponding 'edge'porti'ons of the base 2| by ordinary stitching. This attachrnent may be accomplished as a preliminary step, or it may be accomplished "(as illustratively shown in the present drawings) "by the same row of stitching 29 by means of whichthe tape '23 is secured to the peripheral edge of 'theblank 2|. In either case, the resultant top section (see the upper part of Figure 5) hasthe'lower'edge of the uper (3|; 32) engaged beneath the. flange defined by the braid or tape 23.

In the simplest embodiment of the; invention, the top andbottom "sections "thus formed are brought together with-the flanges directed toward each other, and aifiller is introduced between the sections tofully and snugly occupy the enclosed space. Thisfiller'may be composed of any desired material,and'while? it may consist of one piece, it preferably comprises superposed elements including at leastone atthe; top which is relatively soft and at least one. atthe bottom which is relatively stiff. In Figures 5-7 I have illustratively shown a filler'consisting merely of two superposed elements '33 and 134, each being made of soft matted material, the; element .33 being adapted tofit snugly into'the confines of the top section, the element 34 being adapted to fit upon choice. Atypica1xlace"35is shown inFig- 'ure 6, extendinginsimplemanner from one to the other of 't'heperforations 21 aiidftfl. .It is most convenient to employ a needle or. threading element38 for this purposabut it is notnecessary that the needle be curved-.as'lshownin Figure 6, since the flanges'of the vtwo sections are easily'manipulableby hand to permit the desired interlacing to be effected. Anordinary lace having a rigid tip at its end, suchcas. is .used in an ordinary shoe-lace, may also beus'ed.

The lacing operation may becompleted in any desired manner, and I prefer. toextend the lacing through a few additional turnsand then topcut it off close, whereby the ends lie invisibly within the confines of the structure.

Certainof the-advantages of thepresent invention are most clearly illustrated in Figure 7.

' It will be observed thatthe structure has a smooth is applied to this filler.

structure is staunch and firm, attractive in appearance, and provided with an upper surface whichzissoft and comfortable. The attractiveness of.the item is not marred by thelacing,

and,.;quite "to the contrary, the lacing imparts an ornamental eflect of unique and pleasing character. -The ornamental appearanc may be one hanced by properly selecting the material of which thebase blanks and tape are made, and by choosinglalacing of.harmonious type and color. Heavy colored cord, a leather. thon-g,,or any of a variety of other interesting materials may be employedfor thispurpose.

a Moreover, the invention lends itself readily. to numerous variations by virtue of th different modes, of, lacing which may be employed. For example, in- Figure 8, the upper and lower flanges 3Land 38. are secured in abutting relationship bytwo- sets'of laces 39 and 40 threaded through the flanges in such a way that a series of crosses results... In Figure 9, laces 4| and 42 are used to provide a slightly different'design of successive V-shapes. In Figure 10, laces 43 and 44 are employed to produce a zig-zag effect. One or more laces may be employed for this purpose, and a large number of differentbrnamentaleme bellishments may be achieved. In each case,'the lacing holds the top and bottom sections secure,- ly together, with the filler .fully occupying the space between thesesections, thus uniting the parts into a single structure. 3

In Figure '11 I have illustrated the adaptability of the present invention to the use (if desired) of an outer heel 45. When such a heel is to be employed, it is applied to the outside of the bottom section prior to the assembly of the parts as shown in Figure 5. A filler element 45 is inserted into the section, and a shank stiffener 41 In the illustrated embodiment, the shank stiffener 4'! has a portion extending forwardly'to reinforce the shank portion of the resultant shoe, andI have also indicated the manner in which a conventional steel reinforcement or arch-supporting element 48 may be carried on. the under-side. of the stiffener 41, if desired. The heel 45 issecured in position by means of nails or equivalent fastening elements 49 which are driven downwardly through the stiffener 4'! and the filler 46 into the heel 45. When thisbottom section is brought together with a top section (within which a filler is accommodated, such as the filler 33 of Figure the shank stifiener 41 is completely concealed and embedded within the resultant filler, and in thefinished shoe the upper surface of the platform sole structure is justas soft and comfortable as it would be without the presence of the outer heel 45. It will beobserved that the outer appearance of the device is thus entirely unaffected by the presence of the heel, that the heel is'not precariously glued on but firmly held in place by nails or the like, that there is no nail cover needed,

and that the heel of the'wearer rests upon a soft which shows how the heelof the wearer may be elevated-without providing anflouter heel as shown inFigure 11.

flange 52 securedtoit by stitching 53, the'flange 52 being of uniform height throughout itsextent, this bottom section being thus substantially.

the same as that, which is shown in Figure 2 and at the lower end of Figure 5. The upper section, however, consists of a base 54 to which a flange-55 is secured by means of stitching 56, the flange 55 being of increased height at the rear end of the structure and diminishing in heightgradually toward the front. These two sections are brought together, as before, so that the flanges have their edges'in abutment, as indicated in Figure 12, and a lacing 51 extends-all around the structure to hold the parts together.

On the inside, filler elements 58 are employedpto fully occupy the space within the sections, and

additional filler material is, used in the rear region of the structure to, correspond with the-inmay be of uniform height and the varying height may be provided on the flange of the bottom section, or both flanges. may be of non-uniform height depending upon the ultimate appearance desired,

Figure 12 alSoindicatesthe manner in which an outer sole 59, of leather or, the like, may be adhesively or otherwise secured to the underside of the present structure, should such outer sole be deemed desirable to increase the wearing qualities of the bottom surface. Such outer sole may also be applied to the structure shown in Figure 11, extending either partly or wholly from the front to the rear of the heeled structure.

One of the outstanding advantages of the present invention lies in its extreme simplicity. From the foregoing description, it will be observed that there is no requirement for any lasting whatsoever, nor for any difiicult turning procedure or other specialized operations. The entire manufacture and assembly of the structure may be carried out without the necessity for any special skill in the shoe-building art. In fact, the assembly of the parts is so simple, that even the ultimate user may separate the sections and relace them together for the purpose of such replacement of the top or bottom sections as may be desired.

In general, it will be understood that the details herein described are offered merely by way of illustration, for the purpose of explaining the nature of my invention, and that changes in these details may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A platformsole structure for footwear comprising a bottom section having an upwardly extending integral marginal flange, an opposed top section of corresponding size and contour and having a downwardly extending integral marginal flange, a tape secured to the flange of each section on the outside thereof, the edges of said tapes being in abutting relation, a filler fully occupying the space between said sections, and

a lacing interengaging said tapes around the cm In Figure 12, the bottom section consists of a base 5| and an upstanding tire periphery of the structure and securing said sections together.

2. A platform sole structure for footwear comprising a bottom section having an upwardly extending integral marginal flange, an opposed top section of corresponding size and contour and having a downwardly extending integral marginal flange, each of said sections comprising an initially flat flexible blank of sheet material, a tape having its inner edge stitched to the flange of each section on the outside thereof, said tape being relatively stifi transversely and the edges of said tapes being in abutting relation, a filler fully occupying the space between said sections, and a lacing interengaging said tape around the entire periphery of the structure and securing said sections together.

3. A platform sole structure for footwear comprising a bottom section having an upwardly extending integral marginal flange, an opposed top section of corresponding size and contour and having a downwardly extendin integral marginal flange, a tape secured to the flange of each section on the outside thereof, the edges of said tapes being in abutting relation, a filler fully occupying the space between said sections, and a lacing interengaging said tapes around the entire periphery of the structure and securing said sections together, said filler being of smaller area than the bottom section disposing the tape thereof with its lower edge above'the bottom of said bottom section.

4. A platform sole structure for footwear comprising a bottom section having an upwardly extending integral marginal flange, an opposed top section of corresponding size and contour and having a downwardly extending integral marginal flange, each of said sections comprising an initially flat flexible blank of sheet material, a tape having its inner edge stitched to the flange of each section on the outside thereof, said tape being relatively stiff transversely and longitudinally nonstretchable so that it is self retained in upright position at the front and rear regions of the section, the edges of the tapes of the respective sections being in abutting relation, 8. filler fully occupying the space between said sections, and a lacing interengaging said tapes around the entire periphery of said structure and securing the sections together,

5. A platform sole structure for footwear comprising a bottom section having an upwardly extending integral marginal flange, an opposed top section of corresponding size and contour and having a downwardly extending integral marginal flange, a tape secured to the flange of each section on the outside thereof, the edges of said tapes being in abutting relation, a filler fully occupying the space between said sections, and a lacing interengagingsaid tapes around the entire periphery of the structure and securing said sections together, said filler comprising superposed elements including a relatively stiff element at the bottom of smaller area than the bottom section disposing the flange of said bottom section turned over said stiflf filler element and with the lower edge of the tape thereof above the bottom of the bottom section.

JACK MELTZE-R.

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