CA2059635C - Shoe construction having improved back part fit - Google Patents
Shoe construction having improved back part fit Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2059635C CA2059635C CA002059635A CA2059635A CA2059635C CA 2059635 C CA2059635 C CA 2059635C CA 002059635 A CA002059635 A CA 002059635A CA 2059635 A CA2059635 A CA 2059635A CA 2059635 C CA2059635 C CA 2059635C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- shoe
- foot
- backpart
- heel
- cavity
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
- A43B23/28—Devices to put in shoes in order to prevent slipping at the heel or to prevent abrading the stockings
Landscapes
- Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
Abstract
A means which functions to improve the fit of shoes is described whereby the shoe is urged forward on the foot to minimize slippage of the backpart of the shoe relative to the heel of the wearer's foot.
Description
-1- 2~5~635 SHOE CONSTRUCTION HAVING IMPROVED BACKPART FIT
Background of the Invention Many of today's footwear products do not continually af-ford proper backpart fit of the shoe relative to the heel of the wearer's foot. This is particularly true for shoes having relatively long topline openings and inadequate means of ad-justing the dimensions of those openings or the inside girth of the shoes. Examples of such conventional shoe styles in-clude women's pumps and flat or 'skimmer' styles as well as casual slip-on designs such as loafers, espadrilles, and the like.
The problem of improper backpart fit stems from the ten-dency of shoes to stretch with wear, thereby allowing the foot to move forward in the shoe to such an extent that the heel loses contact with the back part of the shoe, resulting in looseness and slippage during use.
To date, the attempts to minimize this problem, which have been less than completely successful, have included back straps with elastic elements therein, counter and other insert-able spacers or shims to tighten the fit, as well as the wide-ly accepted but improper practice of fitting and selling shoes that are too snug girthwise and/or widthwise for the feet on which they are to be worn. Such fitting techniques often lead to serious consequences including foot discomfort and eventual health problems.
One such technique is disclosed in Borbach patent CH-A--187,678 which discloses a shoe having a stretchable material located at both the toe and heel portions of the shoe. The purpose of such shoe construction is to prevent friction be-tween the foot at the toe and heel portion of the foot and the shoe in those regions. Borbach's design pushes the foot out of contact with the heel thus resulting in a poor fitting shoe.
St.3~'~"~ ~ ~'~E .'~a-=.~.~ a -2- 2o5s~35 It is an objeFt of the present invention to provide im-proved means to continually and gently urge shoe continually forwards on the foot so that the backpart of the shoe will tend to stay in contact with the heel of the foot throughout the stride cycle and throughout the useful life of the shoe.
Summary of the Invention The present invention is directed to a substantially con-cealed elastic means by which the shoe is continually urged gently forward on the foot so that the backpart of the shoe re-mains in comfortable and in substantially constant contact with the heel of the wearer's foot. One such elastically stretchable means comprises an elastically stretchable lining element disposed in the shoe cavity. The elastic fneans may either be permanently attached and an integral part of the shoe or it may be constructed so as to be removable and replaceable.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference will be made to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawing's Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe within which principles of the present invention may be employed;
Figure 2 is a side elevational sectional view of the shoe of Fig. 1;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe of Fig. 1, taken along the line 3-3 thereof;
Describtion of the Preferred Embodiments Many popular shoe styles experience problems with the fit of the backpart of the shoe against the wearer's foot. This is particularly the case with styles having relatively long wJ c i f ~~~ .,'.1~'9~~~
2 0 5 9 ~ 3 5 PCT/US90/04220 topline openings and short vamps, with little or no means of topline length or shoe girth adjustment, as in women's pumps, skimmers, flats, and many other conventional slip-on styles including loafers, espadrilles, and the like.
Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 through 3 show one of these styles, a misses' skimmer, also often referred to as a 'flat' or 'flattie' style, having this style's typical long topline opening and short vamp, and embodying principles of the present invention. It is understood that the present in-vention may be used with other styles of shoes and that it is being described with respect to a skimmer for ease of refer-ence only.
As best shown in Figs. 1-3, the shoe 20 of the present in-vention comprises an upper 22 having a topline 24, topline stitching 26, vamp 28, backpart 32 and unitsole 30.
Upper 22 is lasted over insole 33, cut from a suitable in-sole material such as TexonR T-480, a man-made cellulose fiber insole material, manufactured by the Texon Materials U.S.A., of Westfield, MA, and supported by the felt or composi-tion filler element 34. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, lin-ing element 36 is disposed within the shoe cavity defined by upper and unitsole. As used herein the shoe cavity includes a substantially completely enclosed cavity as in a loafer, as well as a relatively open cavity as found in strap sandals and other styling variations. Lining element 36 is shown at zero tension by the solid lines 36', and under tension against the forepart of the foot by the broken line 36". As shown, lining element 36 is attached to the upper by the topline stitching 26 in the midpart and forepart of the topline and to the quar-ter lining 38 by a stitched seam 44. Quarterlining 38 is in turn attached to upper 22 by topline stitching 26 and to heel tuck 42 by cement lasting thereunder. Preferably, a conven-tional counter 40 is inserted between upper 22 and quarterlin-ing 38, and cement lasted over insole 33, to provide proper support for backpart 32 and regions adjacent thereto. As best W0 91/01661 ' PCT/US90/04220 ~'~59fi~~ _ 4 -sltdi~rY " i'fz'~ Pig. 3, lining element 36 contacts but is not fasten-ed to upper 22 or insole 33 in the toe of the shoe, and is free to move elastically at least at a right angle to this section of the shoe, i.e. lengthwise along the interior of shoe 20. While the lining element 36 is shown in a tubular configuration as would be afforded by the tubular knit ap-proach used in hosiery manufacture, the use of flat knit or woven spandex materials, cut and seamed to provide the same enclosure and function is an appropriate alternative equiva-lent.
In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1-3, the shoe becomes gently and continually urged forward on the foot by the elasticized lining element 36 thereby minimizing or eliminating the space between the heel of the foot and the backpart of the shoe to minimize slippage therebetween, with such urging operating most effectively whenever the shoe and foot therein are out of weightbearing contact with the ground.
Lining element 36 is preferably constructed of an elastic-ally lengthwise stretchable material. For example, it may be constructed of a tubular LycraR knit spandex material simi-lar to stretch socks such as the Gold Toe SuppHoseR products made by the Cluett Hosiery Corporation of New York, NY, and similar elastically stretchable hosiery products. Lining ele-ment 36 may also be made of or include spandex elements of flat knit fabrics similar to those used by the Isotoner Corpo-ration of New York, NY, for their stretchable house slippers, in which the same effect is achieved by suitably cutting and stitching the lining parts so they will smoothly and comforta-bly surround the foot. Alternatively, lining element 36 may also be of woven construction preferably that used in the Span-duraR line, produced by H.L. Warshow & Sons, Inc. of New York, NY. TransknitR fabrics and CoolmaxR fabrics distri-buted by the Starensier Corp. of Newburyport, MA may also be used. In any case, the lining 36 as shown should be made of materials and possibly reinforcements thereof that will allow the lining element to last for the useful life of the shoe.
. .~ 2059fi35 .
,:, - 5 - _ .
,Alternatively, lining 36 could be a complete sock bottom, as in the PedsR brand of low profile stretch socks made by Peds Products, of Villa Rica, GA, or the like, which could be removably attached to the shoe by concealed snaps, touch fas-tener hook/loop tape or other means. In such an embodiment, the fastener would be located inside the shoe just forward of the foremast portion of the topline 24 and/or near the back-part of the shoe. Such lining elements could be easily re-moved for cleaning, replacement or other reasons.
It is, however, presently preferred to use a permanently fastened lining element, since such an element will be appreci-ably superior in look and function as compared to its remova-ble counterparts. .
/,.
..
:.
~
J
W ~ ~ ~~Yra~wY.-~ _ _ While the use of toe element 46 is a wprkable alternat-ive, the stretchable means shown Figs. 1 through 3 is present-ly preferred. The spring rate of the elastic lining element operates over much longer lengthwise dimensions than those of the compressible toe elements, and thus can be engineered to exert a gentler and more uniform pressure on the toes of the wearer's foot than can be attained with the toe element.
It should be understood that the aforementioned design represents just one application and that many other styles of shoes and combinations of materials are possible under the teachings of the present invention.
:_ t~ a ~~ ~ ~;' f.
Background of the Invention Many of today's footwear products do not continually af-ford proper backpart fit of the shoe relative to the heel of the wearer's foot. This is particularly true for shoes having relatively long topline openings and inadequate means of ad-justing the dimensions of those openings or the inside girth of the shoes. Examples of such conventional shoe styles in-clude women's pumps and flat or 'skimmer' styles as well as casual slip-on designs such as loafers, espadrilles, and the like.
The problem of improper backpart fit stems from the ten-dency of shoes to stretch with wear, thereby allowing the foot to move forward in the shoe to such an extent that the heel loses contact with the back part of the shoe, resulting in looseness and slippage during use.
To date, the attempts to minimize this problem, which have been less than completely successful, have included back straps with elastic elements therein, counter and other insert-able spacers or shims to tighten the fit, as well as the wide-ly accepted but improper practice of fitting and selling shoes that are too snug girthwise and/or widthwise for the feet on which they are to be worn. Such fitting techniques often lead to serious consequences including foot discomfort and eventual health problems.
One such technique is disclosed in Borbach patent CH-A--187,678 which discloses a shoe having a stretchable material located at both the toe and heel portions of the shoe. The purpose of such shoe construction is to prevent friction be-tween the foot at the toe and heel portion of the foot and the shoe in those regions. Borbach's design pushes the foot out of contact with the heel thus resulting in a poor fitting shoe.
St.3~'~"~ ~ ~'~E .'~a-=.~.~ a -2- 2o5s~35 It is an objeFt of the present invention to provide im-proved means to continually and gently urge shoe continually forwards on the foot so that the backpart of the shoe will tend to stay in contact with the heel of the foot throughout the stride cycle and throughout the useful life of the shoe.
Summary of the Invention The present invention is directed to a substantially con-cealed elastic means by which the shoe is continually urged gently forward on the foot so that the backpart of the shoe re-mains in comfortable and in substantially constant contact with the heel of the wearer's foot. One such elastically stretchable means comprises an elastically stretchable lining element disposed in the shoe cavity. The elastic fneans may either be permanently attached and an integral part of the shoe or it may be constructed so as to be removable and replaceable.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference will be made to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawing's Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe within which principles of the present invention may be employed;
Figure 2 is a side elevational sectional view of the shoe of Fig. 1;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe of Fig. 1, taken along the line 3-3 thereof;
Describtion of the Preferred Embodiments Many popular shoe styles experience problems with the fit of the backpart of the shoe against the wearer's foot. This is particularly the case with styles having relatively long wJ c i f ~~~ .,'.1~'9~~~
2 0 5 9 ~ 3 5 PCT/US90/04220 topline openings and short vamps, with little or no means of topline length or shoe girth adjustment, as in women's pumps, skimmers, flats, and many other conventional slip-on styles including loafers, espadrilles, and the like.
Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 through 3 show one of these styles, a misses' skimmer, also often referred to as a 'flat' or 'flattie' style, having this style's typical long topline opening and short vamp, and embodying principles of the present invention. It is understood that the present in-vention may be used with other styles of shoes and that it is being described with respect to a skimmer for ease of refer-ence only.
As best shown in Figs. 1-3, the shoe 20 of the present in-vention comprises an upper 22 having a topline 24, topline stitching 26, vamp 28, backpart 32 and unitsole 30.
Upper 22 is lasted over insole 33, cut from a suitable in-sole material such as TexonR T-480, a man-made cellulose fiber insole material, manufactured by the Texon Materials U.S.A., of Westfield, MA, and supported by the felt or composi-tion filler element 34. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, lin-ing element 36 is disposed within the shoe cavity defined by upper and unitsole. As used herein the shoe cavity includes a substantially completely enclosed cavity as in a loafer, as well as a relatively open cavity as found in strap sandals and other styling variations. Lining element 36 is shown at zero tension by the solid lines 36', and under tension against the forepart of the foot by the broken line 36". As shown, lining element 36 is attached to the upper by the topline stitching 26 in the midpart and forepart of the topline and to the quar-ter lining 38 by a stitched seam 44. Quarterlining 38 is in turn attached to upper 22 by topline stitching 26 and to heel tuck 42 by cement lasting thereunder. Preferably, a conven-tional counter 40 is inserted between upper 22 and quarterlin-ing 38, and cement lasted over insole 33, to provide proper support for backpart 32 and regions adjacent thereto. As best W0 91/01661 ' PCT/US90/04220 ~'~59fi~~ _ 4 -sltdi~rY " i'fz'~ Pig. 3, lining element 36 contacts but is not fasten-ed to upper 22 or insole 33 in the toe of the shoe, and is free to move elastically at least at a right angle to this section of the shoe, i.e. lengthwise along the interior of shoe 20. While the lining element 36 is shown in a tubular configuration as would be afforded by the tubular knit ap-proach used in hosiery manufacture, the use of flat knit or woven spandex materials, cut and seamed to provide the same enclosure and function is an appropriate alternative equiva-lent.
In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1-3, the shoe becomes gently and continually urged forward on the foot by the elasticized lining element 36 thereby minimizing or eliminating the space between the heel of the foot and the backpart of the shoe to minimize slippage therebetween, with such urging operating most effectively whenever the shoe and foot therein are out of weightbearing contact with the ground.
Lining element 36 is preferably constructed of an elastic-ally lengthwise stretchable material. For example, it may be constructed of a tubular LycraR knit spandex material simi-lar to stretch socks such as the Gold Toe SuppHoseR products made by the Cluett Hosiery Corporation of New York, NY, and similar elastically stretchable hosiery products. Lining ele-ment 36 may also be made of or include spandex elements of flat knit fabrics similar to those used by the Isotoner Corpo-ration of New York, NY, for their stretchable house slippers, in which the same effect is achieved by suitably cutting and stitching the lining parts so they will smoothly and comforta-bly surround the foot. Alternatively, lining element 36 may also be of woven construction preferably that used in the Span-duraR line, produced by H.L. Warshow & Sons, Inc. of New York, NY. TransknitR fabrics and CoolmaxR fabrics distri-buted by the Starensier Corp. of Newburyport, MA may also be used. In any case, the lining 36 as shown should be made of materials and possibly reinforcements thereof that will allow the lining element to last for the useful life of the shoe.
. .~ 2059fi35 .
,:, - 5 - _ .
,Alternatively, lining 36 could be a complete sock bottom, as in the PedsR brand of low profile stretch socks made by Peds Products, of Villa Rica, GA, or the like, which could be removably attached to the shoe by concealed snaps, touch fas-tener hook/loop tape or other means. In such an embodiment, the fastener would be located inside the shoe just forward of the foremast portion of the topline 24 and/or near the back-part of the shoe. Such lining elements could be easily re-moved for cleaning, replacement or other reasons.
It is, however, presently preferred to use a permanently fastened lining element, since such an element will be appreci-ably superior in look and function as compared to its remova-ble counterparts. .
/,.
..
:.
~
J
W ~ ~ ~~Yra~wY.-~ _ _ While the use of toe element 46 is a wprkable alternat-ive, the stretchable means shown Figs. 1 through 3 is present-ly preferred. The spring rate of the elastic lining element operates over much longer lengthwise dimensions than those of the compressible toe elements, and thus can be engineered to exert a gentler and more uniform pressure on the toes of the wearer's foot than can be attained with the toe element.
It should be understood that the aforementioned design represents just one application and that many other styles of shoes and combinations of materials are possible under the teachings of the present invention.
:_ t~ a ~~ ~ ~;' f.
Claims (4)
1. A shoe (20) comprising an upper member (22) and a bottom member (30) attached thereto and defining a show cavity for receiving a foot, said shoe having a backpart (32), toe portion and a midpart therebetween, and a means (36) for exerting constant pressure against the toe of the foot and constantly urging the shoe forward relative to the foot disposed within the shoe cavity so as to reduce slippage of the heel of the foot relative to the backpart of the shoe, said urging means being disposed within the shoe cavity and extending from the toe portion to at least the midpart of the shoe, said urging means being unattached to the upper (22) and bottom (30) members at the toe portion of the shoe and attached to the shoe at the midpart of the shoe.
2. The shoe of Claim 1, wherein the urging means (36) comprises an elastic material for at least partly enclosing a foot.
3. The shoe of Claim 2, wherein the elastic material is an elastic fabric.
4. The shoe of Claim 1, wherein the urging means (36) is further attached to the shoe at about its backpart.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US38925289A | 1989-08-02 | 1989-08-02 | |
| US389,252 | 1989-08-02 | ||
| PCT/US1990/004220 WO1991001661A1 (en) | 1989-08-02 | 1990-07-27 | Shoe construction having improved backpart fit |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2059635A1 CA2059635A1 (en) | 1991-02-03 |
| CA2059635C true CA2059635C (en) | 2000-07-18 |
Family
ID=23537481
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002059635A Expired - Fee Related CA2059635C (en) | 1989-08-02 | 1990-07-27 | Shoe construction having improved back part fit |
Country Status (6)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0485499B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JP2853329B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2059635C (en) |
| DE (1) | DE69006505T2 (en) |
| ES (1) | ES2050451T3 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1991001661A1 (en) |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CH187678A (en) * | 1936-05-13 | 1936-11-30 | Borbach Emil | Innovation in footwear. |
| DE929595C (en) * | 1952-11-28 | 1955-06-30 | Hanni Ney | Toe protectors |
-
1990
- 1990-07-27 WO PCT/US1990/004220 patent/WO1991001661A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1990-07-27 CA CA002059635A patent/CA2059635C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1990-07-27 EP EP19900912628 patent/EP0485499B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-07-27 DE DE69006505T patent/DE69006505T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1990-07-27 ES ES90912628T patent/ES2050451T3/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-07-27 JP JP2511861A patent/JP2853329B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JP2853329B2 (en) | 1999-02-03 |
| ES2050451T3 (en) | 1994-05-16 |
| JPH04507209A (en) | 1992-12-17 |
| DE69006505T2 (en) | 1994-08-25 |
| CA2059635A1 (en) | 1991-02-03 |
| WO1991001661A1 (en) | 1991-02-21 |
| EP0485499A1 (en) | 1992-05-20 |
| DE69006505D1 (en) | 1994-03-17 |
| EP0485499B1 (en) | 1994-02-02 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |