GB950261A - Improvements in or relating to shoes and instep guards therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

950,261. Protective footwear. J. P. HINDLEY. (F. B. Griswold). Sept. 29, 1962, No. 37001/62. Heading A3B. A safety boot has an instep guard in the form of articulated arched rigid strips in edgewise overlapping relationship. The articulated assembly 11 is enclosed in a leather case 9 with a foam rubber backing (not shown) and may be attached to the boot 1 as shown in Fig. 1 or may be incorporated in the tongue of the boot. Each strip 23 (Fig. 5) may be made of metal and has a raised portion 25 and a lower portion 27 connected by a shoulder 29. The edge 33 of the portion 25 is turned down and the edge 35 of the portion 27 is turned up so that when the strips are assembled by rivets 41 (Fig. 7) both surfaces have no sharp edges. The normal position of the strips is shown in Fig. 9 and excessive flexing is prevented in one direction (i.e. straightening out and forming gaps between the strips) by the portions 33 and 35 engaging with each other, and in the other direction (increasing the curvature) by the portions 31 engaging the shoulders 29. In the first embodiment as shown in Figs. 1, 7 the lower strips 43 are longer than the others and extend down to the sole, but in the second embodiment i.e. when the articulated assembly is incorporated in the tongue (not shown) the strips are of similar lengths.