US2814132A - Shoe construction - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 26, 1957 J. MONTOSCURO SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 29. 1953 26 awe 94 1%]? IN V EN TOR. 1 08C ZlJO United States Patent 2,814,132 Patented Nov. 26, 1957 ice SHOE CONSTRUCTION Joseph Montoscuro, Chicago, Ill.

Application October 29, 1953, Serial No. 389,003

3 Claims. (Cl. 36-37) This-invention relates to shoe structures for mens, womens, and childrens shoes, and more particularly relates .to an improvement in insole and shank constructions to make. it possible for a person to walk straight without overrunning the heels, and particularly in womens high-heeled shoes to prevent the heel from becoming misaligned because of the slight support provided by the usual shoeconstructions.

The invention has among its objects the production of a shoe construction for mens, womens, and childrens shoes in combination with the conventional heel and sole which maybe incorporated in shoes as they are originally manufactured or shoes already in use, and in which a custom shoe operation by a shoe repairman, the improvement may be applied to the original shoe construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved insole construction for mens, womens, and childrens shoes which may be applied to existing shoes by the wearer without requiring the services of a skilled shoe repairman.

Another object of the invention is to provide an insole construction for new and used shoes for relieving the shocks to the human system incident to walking on the sidewalks, and particularly to insole constructions for boots and shoes for use in diminishing such shocks either in walking or standing over long periods of time at ones occupation.

Still another object of the invention is the production of an insole construction and shoe constructions for minimizing and relieving the shocks to the heels, feet, and other parts of the human body.

Still another object of the invention is the production of an insole for boot and shoe constructions which may be readily applied to the boots and shoes for the purpose of minimizing any shocks or fatigue in walking or standing, which is long-lasting, and wherein the resiliency may be adjusted to conform to the weight of the person wearing the shoes or the particular needs of the person.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved shoe construction, particularly for certain types of womens shoes, which will assist in maintaining the shoe in place on the wearers foot in walking and will also prevent ankles from becoming turned over.

Still another object of the invention, particularly with respect to womens high-heeled shoes, is to prevent chafing across the back of the heel by the straps.

A further object of the invention is the production of a shoe construction for incorporation with footwear in which the device is unaffected by the elements.

Still another object of the invention is the production of an insole construction and footwear incorporating the device which is durable, efficient, economical, requiring a minimum of parts, and wherein the serviceability is not decreased over a period of usage.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosure'herein given.

Applicantis aware that there have been'many inventions in the past and also that there are devices on the market for the purpose of relieving shocks to the foot and particularly-to the heel. Although applicants device is incorporated for use with shoes having leather, composition, or rubber heels in which the composition or rubber heel is primarily for decreasing the shock to the wearer, nevertheless, because of its wear, this utility of the composition or rubber heel decreases with wear until the heel becomes run over or worn out. With applicants device, resiliency is maintained throughout the use of the shoe regardless of the amount of wear; and, because of an improved construction for-womens shoes, particularly in the arch and heel construction, the tendency for the heels to turn over is prevented, and-there is improvement in the wearers ability to walk properly. Although resilient members, in the past, have been provided between the portions of the heel pad and the heel construction, the present device is not unsightly and, in normal use, is unseeen. The type of spring used in such that, when collapsed, the thickness thereof is substantially one coil and the conical spiral spring selected corresponds to the amount of resiliency required for the walking characteristics of the wearer, and permits the shoe to be normally positioned with each step taken. Applicants construction may be readily applied to any style of boot or shoe whether mens, women's, or childrens without altering substantially the outside appearance thereof, and is equal 1y adaptable for either fancy, dress, or work boots and shoes.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an insole construction incorporting the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section, taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1, illustrating the construction for providing resiliency to the insole of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention, adaptable for womens shoes, illustrating an improved insole construction for use with new or used shoes;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation in section, taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3, illustrating the heel insert and resilient construction of the insole.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is illustrated an insole construction 10 which in the fabrication of new shoes may be applied thereto, or also may be applied to new and used shoes to improve. the walking characteristics of the person by preventing turning over of the heels, especially in womens high-heeledfshoes, and the running over of the lifts of the heel whether leather, composition, or rubber. The insole 10 includes a heel portion 1-1 provided with a hole 12 to receive a conical spiral spring 13. The number of coils and the. compression may be varied, depending upon the characteristics of the wearer, though, for normal use, a spring which may be readily compressed by ones hand is sufficient. .A head pad 14 has a semicircular pad 15 which is cemented about the periphery of the pad to the bottom of the heel pad providing a semicircular pocket-like means, leaving at the:diameter of the pad an opening 16 in which the upper coil 17 of the spring 13 may be inserted to retain. the coil in place as it is assembled. The front end of the heel pad 14 is formed with. two tapered tabs 18,,which are complementally formed to be inserted within the slots -19. of the insole. The slots 19.are. formed. as illustrated in Fig. 2 to receive these tapered tabs 18, and the forward bottom edge 20 of the heel pad is also suitably skived to reduce the thickness so that, whenv assembled, the heel pad appears as a continuation 'of an insole The size of the J spring is also such that, when compressed, the spring is retained within the hole 12 since the coils of the spring nest.

Although a preferred construction of this form of insole is preferrably formed from leather, it is to be understood that it may be suitably formed from plastic material or combinations of thin sheets of leather and foam rubber, or felt constructions to provide a soft innersole construction to absorb the shocks encountered in walking.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, there is illustrated another embodiment of the insole construction and one which is particularly adapted for custom repair of womens shoes to particularly prevent the heel of high-heeled shoes from turning in or out because of the improper stride of the wearer in walking. An insole 21 is similarly provided with a heel portion 11 as the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 with a hole 12 for the reception of a conical spring 13. In this embodiment, it is preferred that the spring shall be reversed as shown in Fig. 4 from the position of the spring as shown in Fig. 2. A transverse pad 15' extends across the heel pad 14 as shown in Fig. 3, and is suitably adhered at each end to the heel pad 14'. A large coil 22 of the spring 13 is slid through the opening 23 provided by the transverse pad 15'.

A heel plate 25 formed of suitable ferrous metal, preferably a high carbon steel, although other suitable nonferrous material such as brass may be used, the type of material depending upon the weight placed on the shoe. It is preferred, however, to use a heat-treated, thin steel heel plate. The heel plate 25 is complementally formed to the shape of the heel portion and shank portion of the insole, and is provided with countersunk holes 26 for the application of suitable securing means 27 and 28. The securing means 27 may be in the form of a wood screw whereas the securing means 28 is a countersunk machine screw and special nut 28. The heel plate 25 is provided with slots 29 conforming to the slots 19 of Fig. l. The slots 29 receive the metal tabs 30, which extend through slots 31 in the heel pad 14', Fig. 3, and the ends of the tabs are turned over at 32 and crimped to affix the tabs to the heel pad. The heel pad is also skived at the bottom front edge to permit the heel pad, when assembled, to be substantially a continuation of the insole. The metal tabs 30 perform the same function as the tapered tabs 18 but the metal permits of greater flexing and longer wear than the integrally formed tabs of leather. The inner ends 33 of the tabs are also more firmly latched than the inner ends 18' of the tabs of the embodiment of Fig. 2, since the heel plate 25 is firmly affixed to the insole when the insole is assembled in a shoe construction. Although this construction is primarily adapted for custom remodeling, it is equally adaptable as a replaceable insole without being afiixed and placed within the shoe by the securing means 27 and 28. The heel pad and insole of this embodiment, likewise, may be fabricated from other material than leather, such as plastic or combinations of plastic and leather with sponge rubber or felt inserts for both the innersole and the heel pad.

A shoe utilizing the construction of Figs. 1 through 4, when worn, remains correctly positioned on the wears foot and does not tend to flop or clatter as the wearer walks, particularly womens shoes. The shoes are always correctly positioned so that there is no tendency for the wearer to walk incorrectly with the shoes to cause the heel to turn inwardly or outwardly, depending upon the walking characteristics of the person wearing the shoes. Therefore, the shoes utilizing the construction of Figs. 1 through 4 serve as corrective shoes to aid the wearer in walking and standing correctly. In this manner, the wearer is less fatigued and there is less damage to the shoes, especially those of the high-heeled type, that it is necessary to discard them after a slight usage whereas normally shoes should last until it is necessary to have them resoled or become scuffed and badly worn. The improved construction permits the heel lifts to be worn off, preferably on the rear edge, than to have the improper wear on the right or left edges since the construction permits the wearer to walk properly.

It is thus evident that there has been described a simple insole construction and embodiments thereof for assembly in shoes as well as a construction for use in custom-rebuilt shoes or shoes as originally fabricated, which are simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and easy to assemble either by the wearer or a shoe repairman.

It is also evident that the devices and constructions of this invention may be worn with shoes having either leather or composition lifts or rubber heels. The use of rubber heels with this type of device would be optional with the wearer since they will not interfere with the correct operation of the construction. The device, although preferably made to overcome the running over of womens high heels, is equally applicable for mens or boys shoes wherein excessive wear is caused by the improper walking habits of a person. It is also of particular value where a person must stand for long periods of time in one place, and where the workshoes or boots are heavy and may have steel plates or cleats applied to the heels or to under surfaces thereof. A construction has also been disclosed wherein the coil spring may be readily replaced when the resilience thereof has been destroyed or where it is desired to have a spring of different compression, depending upon the weight of the person. For ordinary usage, however, the spring need not be compressed to any greater extent than the usual rubber heel is deformed to obtain the same degree of resistance to shock when in use by the wearer.

A construction has also been disclosed wherein after the shoes have been worn out, the spring may be removed and replaced; and, if the resiliency of the spring has become impaired, a new one may be replaced or the old one deformed to restore its resiliency.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, or uses mentioned.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, an insole for a shoe, said insole including a heel portion provided with a hole for the reception of a conically formed spring within the thickness of the insole at the heel portion, a heel pad hingedly mounted at the shank portion of the insole and complementally formed with the heel portion of the insole, and means formed on the heel pad for operatively afiixing the coiled spring to the heel pad to permit the coiled spring to extend within the hole provided in the insole.

2. An an article of manufacture, an insole for a shoe, said insole including a heel portion provided with a hole for the reception of a conically formed spring within the thickness of the insole at the heel portion, a heel pad hingedly mounted at the shank portion of the insole and complementally formed with the heel portion of the insole, means formed on the heel pad for operatively aflixing the coiled spring to the heel pad to permit the coiled spring to extend within the hole provided in the insole, said heel pad skived at its inner edge contiguous to the shank portion of the insole and provided with laterally spaced tapered tabs, and said insole provided with slots complementally formed to the tapered tabs for operatively receiving the tabs for hingedly mounting the heel pad to the insole.

3. As an article of manufacture, an insole construction comprising a heel portion and a shank portion, said heel portion being provided with a hole, a heel plate provided with a hole complementally formed to the hole of the insole, means for afiixing the heel plate to the heel and shank portion of the insole, a heel pad comprising means for operatively mounting a spring between the bottom of the heel pad to extend within the aforesaid holes, said heel pad being skived at its inner shank end, a plurality of metal tabs for hingedly mounting the heel pad to the 5 heel plate, each of said metal tabs extending through the skived portion of the heel pad at one end and aflixed thereto, and the opposite ends of the tab complementally formed for operatively mounting within slots formed at the shank portion of the heel plate. 10

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 211,178 Pease Ian. 7, 1879 15 6 Barber Nov. 22, Thompson Aug. 25, Foster Oct. 13, Geiger May 30, Capata June 11, White July 11, Hiss Feb. 26, Butzen Feb. 4, Weinberg May 20, Nabokin May 9, Everston Sept. 20, Ciaio Dec. 14,

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