USRE17243E - Apparatus por supporting arches - Google Patents

Description

, March 26, 1929. J, M, Hlss Re. 17,243

APPARATU$ FOR SUPPORTING ARGHES Original Filed May 14, 11923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 "WW JGHN M.H|SS

March 26, 1929. M, H1 Re. 17,243

APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING ARCHES in l Filed y 14. 1925 '5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 Wm JOHN M.H|$S

March 26, 1929. J. M. HISS Re. 17,243

APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING ARCHES ori inal FiledMay 14, 1923 :5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ammo/M1307, JOHN M.H|S$

mumm Reissued Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES I Rama PATENT OFFICE.-

J'OHN HISS, F COLUMBUS, OHIO APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING ARCHES.

Original No. 1,484,785, dated February 26, 1924, Serial No. 638,838, filed May 14, 1923. Application for I reissue filed February 16, 1926. Serial No. 88,707.

' My invention relates to an apparatus for supporting arches of the foot and has particularly to do with the provisionof a novel means for supporting different parts of a fallen arch to varying degrees and gradually elevating the arch'to its former height, although it is e ually well adapted to the correct support 0 the arches of any foot.

In the prior art, it has been customary to provide variously shaped arch supports of both stiff and semi-rigid material and in some cases the-support itself'has been made adjustable. These efforts in the past have apparently failed because, for one reason, they have failed to provide a firm walkingsurface to the external tarsal arch which naturally touches and bears weight along 1ts entire length. Another reason is that these efprovisi'onofa support 0 forts have attempted'to support the arches by applying pressure directly to the internal tarsal arch and thus really causing atrophy of the'very important foot muscles comprisin' this internal arch.

y invention contemplates the methodof firmly supporting the external tarsal arch'of the foot and then initially or gradually adjusting the means for fitting such arch sup port to only indirectly support the internal tarsal arch leaving that arch free for flexion. The result sought is accomplished by means of animproved simple, substantial and compact structure which comprises a shank adapted to be incorporated withtheshoeto insure proper firm support for the external archof the foot and at the same time to provide only indirect support for the internal arch of the foot.

One of theobjects of m invention is the such shape and material that it will furnish stiffening to the external-lateral portion of the shank of the shoe, thereby affording a rigid support for the outer longitudinal arch.

Another object of my invention is the rovision of means adapted to be inserte or placed in the'shoe and which means when connected to the shoe will be eifective to fiex- .ibly and indirectly support the inner loni foot, and which means may ,be-adjusted to fl i y ppor internal arches of varying heights,

Another object of my invention contemplates the, revision of a splint for the tarsal bones'of the arch, in combination with the firm support for the outer longitudinal arch and the flexible indirect support for the in Her longitudinal arch. The result of this combination is that the various means will be efi'ective .to grasp the instep of the foot, thereby holding the tarsal bones together.

A further object of my invention has to do'with the provision of means for adjusting' the inner shank of thevshoe to fit. any height .of arch and permit gradual adjustment of such shank in order to elevate a fallen foot arch.

A further object of my inventionhas to do with the provision of means. for massaging the foot muscles with every step. In this case the outer, part of the outer longitudinal arch is firmly supported-while the inner part of the arch is only more or less indirectly sup ported in orderto permitfree play and exercilse of the muscles of the inner part of the arc A still further object of my invention has to do with the provision of flexible means designed to extend under the ball of the foot,

and to give a spring step and aid locomotion 7 without undue weight being thrown on the ,ball of the foot; and further, to provide means just back of said first named means site -of inflammation, pain-and callus in case of broken, weak or fallen arches.

Various other features of my invention will be apparent as this description progresses and will be brought out in the claims append- .ed thereto. The various objects of my invention arepreferably obtained by the structure illustrated in the accompan mg drawdesignate corresponding parts:

a In said drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of my arch support appliance showing the referred form of the shank, means for permittin the adjust ing' of the inner arch' of theshoe, and the 'ings; wherein like characters; 0 reference I forward projecting tongues for supporting the ball of the foot.

Figure 2 is a side elevatlon of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1 and showing the preferred shape of such structure.

Figure 4 is a detail vie w ota modified form of arch support it being similar to the structure shown in Figures 1 to 4 but without the ball support extensions.

Figure 5 is an enlarged longltudinal section taken on line 77 of Figure 9 and showing themanner of applylng the ad ustable arch support between the inner and outer soles of a shoe. I

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail View of the locking means of Figure 5 and showing the manner of adjustably looking the arch support in any desiredposition.

Figure 7 is a detail plan view of the lock plate utilized for locking the arch support in any given position.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic slde elevation of a shoe provided with the arch support appliance but showing the shoe in nitial or nonadjusted position.

Figure 9 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a bottom plan vlew of the structure shown in Figure 8 but depict ng the shoe as bent inwardly; and also showing the arch support appliance locked in this in- 'ner adjusted position.

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view of a cross section of the instep of the foot taken through-the transverse tarsal arch; and also showing the manner of supporting the transverse arch, the external arch and the lnternal arch.

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing the raised inner arch of theshoe after it has been locked in adjusted position.

In the drawings, the arch support a'ppli ance is shown as comprising a simple and compact shank of preferably integral struc= ture it being designated .1 and including a narrow shank piece 2, a heel plate 3; a transverse portion 4 and anterior extensionsb.

The arch support appliance is preferably made of spring steel and may be of a uniform thickness; or itmay be tapered toward its inner edge as best illustrated in Figure The shank part 2 of the appliance is approxn mately of the general shape of the shank of the shoe, and is so designed that, when placed in a shoe, it will be effective to directly support the outer longitudinal arch of the foot, and only indirectly support the internal arch because the proximate outer arch is directly supported. The base or heel 3 of the support is preferably provided wlth an aperture 6 for convenience in lasting the shoe, providing a space for tacks.

Toward the forward part of the support the shank 2 gradually widens into the transverse portion 4, the latter being designed to fit just behind the tread of the sole of the shoe.

The vamp spring extensions 5 lie in the general longitudinal direction of the shoe, and may be of any desired number, being preferably made of the same material as the other part of the support, namely a thin piece of spring steel. 1

l/Vhen the support-1 is placed between the inner and outer soles of a shoe, as best shown in Figures 5 and 6, the transverse portion 4 ture 12, and a bushing 13, which bushing is 1 adapted to receive and support a suitable set screw 14, said set screw adapted to pass through the slot 7 in the support 1 and enter and cooperate with the threaded aperture 10.

Inorder to secure the support 1 to the sole of the shoe it is provided with a series of holes 15 that are preferably arranged as shown in Figures 1 and 10 so as to secure the heel and transverse portion 4 of the support preferably to the inner sole of the shoe. As the heel 3 and transverse portion 4 are secured to the sole of the shoe it will be obvious that whenever the sole of the shoe is pressed or bent inwardly, as shown in Figure 10, the set screw 14, if loosened, will have its position changed in the slot 7 of the support 1, the internal portion of the shank 16 of the shoe may In Figs. 8 and9 the support 1 is shown in its normal non-adjusted position with relation to the sole of the shoe. In this position the set screw 14 is in the forward end. of the slot 7,

the inner part of the shank of the shoe remainlng in its normal posltion. In Figures 10 and 12 the sole of the shoe has been-bent inwardly until the set screw 14 is located adjacent the rear or opposite end of the slot 7. When the set screw has been moved to this last described position the internal portion of shank 16 of the shoe is raised to its maximum vertical position; In any position the shank piece 2 of the appliance will be eflective to firmly support the inner longitudinal arch of the foot while the internal portion of shank 16 of the shoe may be iixedin one position to flexibly but indirectly support the inner I011- through the holes 15 in the support.

gitudinal arch of a normal foot or it may be gradually adjusted to fit and build up the internal longitudinal arch when it is broken down.

In attaching the arch support appliance to j a shoe, the appliance is preferably placed adjacent the outer sole 11 of the shoe, as best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and positioned transversely and longitudinally relative to the gen eral contour of the shoe. The support 1 is then preferably secured to the inner sole of the shoe by suitable fastening means inserted The outer sole 11 is then provided with a suitable set screw 14 adapted to register with the up.-.

per end of the slot 7 when the shank of the shoe is in its normal position, the inner sole 8 of the shoe being provided with a lock plate 9, riveted thereto and designed to register with the set screw 14 and slot 7. The position of the part 1 is adjusted by first loosening the screw 14 and then bending, straightening or twisting the shank as a whole and finally securing the part lin the changed position by tightening up said screw 14. In said operation the slot 7 permits the necessary move ment of the part 1 in respect of the screw 14.

The vamp-spring extensions 5 project forward in the vamp of the shoe, and are preferably located between the inner sole 8 and the outer sole 11. I

\Vhen the foot is placed in the shoe the shank 2 of" the support, because directly belowthe outer longitudinal arch, will firmly support that arch at all times. If the inner longitudinal. archis low the support can be permanently fixed in one position so that the inner shank 16 of the-shoe is only slightly elevated, but if the arch is broken and re quires gradual raising, or, if the arch is heturally high,'the adjustment feature may be utilized to gradually raisethe inner shank of the shoe as the arch is gradually raised to its 3 normal position, or the adjustment may be made at once so that the inner shank may be raised to flexibly support the naturally high arch. Such adjustment and the effect thereof. are best illustrated in Figure 11, which shows a cross section of the instep of the foot through the transverse tarsal arch, made up of cuboid (CUB) external cuneiform (EC) middle cuneiform (MG) and internal cuneiform (IO) bones. The inner longitudinal arch is designated ILA. in this figure, and the outer longitudinal arch is designated ELA. The inner shank 16 of the shoe is shown in 'the normal lower position in broken lines and in raised, extreme flexibly supporting position,- insolid lines. It will be noted that the shank 2 of the appliance will always firmly support the external longitudinal arch re-.

gardless of the position of the shank 16 and it will also be noted that when the flexible inner shank 16 is raised by the adjustment of the support this shank will be eifective to flexibly or indirectly support the internal lateral arch. By adjustment of the shank, the upper or fallen arch. As the shank piece 16 is flexible no harm can result to the muscles'in the internal lateral arch.

The operation ofthe extensions 5, are-such that, in ordinary walking, as when the weight is thrown on the ball of the foot, the v vamp-spring extensions are brought into action and, as the step is completed by torsal fiexion 01E the ball ofthe foot, stress is put upon the vamp-spring. The tension thus.

produced in the vamp-spring prevents extreme bending of the vamp of the shoe, and gives the; body a forward spring motion instead of allowing the forward motion and the stress to be felt in and cause a strain on the ball of the foot. By thus minimizing the pressure due to weight and locomotion, the pain from broken arches and inflamed tissues in the ball of the foot may be relieved and a ultimately eliminated.

In the modified form of my appliance, as shown in Fig. 4, the device may be used solely as a shank piece comprising the transverse portion 4, shank 2 and heel 3. It will be obvious that in using the shank piece as just described. it will be effective to firmly support the longitudinal external arch and flexibly support the corresponding internal arch, while-the vamp extensions, when used alone, will be effective to encourage a spring for ward in walking without undue Weight on the ball of the foot.

' It will be seen that I have provided a novel and decidedly simple method and m'eans for supporting arches'of the foot, the same being effective to firmly support those arches of the foot. that naturally bear the weight and indirectly and yieldingly support and permit exercise of sue arches as are intended to be naturally muscular and resilient.

It will also be seen that I have provided a method and appartus for binding, or to prevent from spreading, the tarsal bones of the transverse arch. Furthermore, it will be noted that I have provided means for encouraging a spring forward in walking .without imposing undue weight on the ball of the foot, that portion being. the most frequent site of inflammation, pain and calluses in cases of weak, broken or fallen arches.

The forms and dimensions of the parts can be changed without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

WVhat I claim is: W

1. A shoe having a shank reinforcing element permanently incorporated with the shoe, said reinforcing element including a shank portion of relatively rigid material and extending only beneath the outer longitudinal arch of the foot to support said arch and avoid support of the'inner longitudinal arch, and a. rear portion extending over the heel of the shoe.

2. In combination with a shoe, a reinforcing element comprising a shank portion mounted to extend only beneath the outer longitudinal arch of the foot, and avoiding direct support of the inner longitudinal arch, a rear portion extending back over the heel of the shoe, a transverse portion extending across the forward end of the shank of the shoe, and means for fixing the inner portion of the shank of the shoe in different adjusted positions. I

3. In combination with a shoe, a reinforcing element comprising a shank portion mounted to extend only beneath the outer longitudinal arch of the foot and avoiding direct support of the inner longitudinal arch, a rear portion extending back over the heel of the shoe, and means for fixing the inner portion of the shank of adjusted positions. 4. .In combination With a shoe, an element reinforcing the outer portion of the shank of the shoe, mounted to extend principally beneath the outer longitudinal arch of the foot to support said arch and avoid support of the inner side of the instep of the foot, a rear portion extending back over the heel of the shoe, and a transverse portion extending across the shoe in a position near the junction of the shank portion and forepart of the shoe.

5. A shoe having a reinforcing element permanently incorporated With the shoe, said reinforcing element including a portion to reinforce the outer portion of the shank-of the shoe and mounted to extend principally bethe shoe in different neath the outer longitudinal arch of the footto support that arch and avoid supporting theinner side of the instep of the foot.

- JOHN HISS.

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