US1054934A

US1054934A - Bunion-protector.

Info

Publication number: US1054934A
Application number: US70102512A
Authority: US
Inventors: Quincy E Packard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1912-06-01
Filing date: 1912-06-01
Publication date: 1913-03-04
Anticipated expiration: 1930-03-04

Description

Q. E. PACKARD.

BUNION PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEl, 1912.

1,054,934, Patented 'Mar. 4, 1913.

W/T/YESSE C(ILUMKIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

QUINCY E. PACKARD, F MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

BUNION-PROTECTOR.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, QUINCY EDWARD PACKARD, of the city of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bunion- Protectors; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates particularly to protectors formed of substantially rigid material and which conform to the contour of the swelled great toe joint and are held in place between the boot and foot of the wearer.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a bunion-protector which can be accurately positioned and positively held in place while the wearers foot is being inserted into the boot and furthermore is firmly maintained in proper position by the act of fastening the boot or shoe.

A further object is to so form the protector as to permit it to very readily adjust itself snugly on the enlarged joint and to follow the movement of the wearers foot while walking, etc, without buckling and still maintain the rigidity of the protector.

For full comprehension, however, of my invention reference must be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan View of the bunion pro-- tector applied, the foot being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a view of the underside .of the foot with the protector in place; Fig.

3 is an enlarged bottom View of the protector; and Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating the longitudinal collapsing of the protector.

The protector consists of a 'concavo-convex shell of substantially rigid material and adapted to clasp the side of the foot, covering the enlarged joint of the great toe and protecting the same from the boot or shoe of the wearer.

Referring now to the drawings Z2 indicates the portion of the shell which is adapted to fit over the swelled joint and is provided with a central aperture 0 to accommodate the latter, the aperture being surrounded Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 1, 1912.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

Serial No. 701,025.

on the inside of the shell with padding d. The shell is ventilated by perforations e.

Extending from the upper part of the portion 6 is a preferably integral lateral extension f which, when the protector is in place, lies flat over the top of the foot and extends to approximately the longitudinal center line of the latter.

As seen in the drawings a portion 9 of the protector is located beneath the foot and in the preferred embodiment of my invention there is a substantially V-shaped piece cut away near the middle of this bottom portion, forming a transverse cut it, the corners of which are rounded off. The inner end of the cut It may approach close to the central aperture of the protector. By means of this transverse cut the protector is permitted to collapse longitudinally without buckling so as to snugly follow the contour of the swelled joint and move with the foot as in walking, the cut it taking up the movement of the protector and obviating the buckling effect and the consequent discomfort to the wearer. While the rounded corners of the cut it facilitate the collapsing of the protector it is to be understood that it is not necessary that they should be so formed.

As I prefer to form the protector the top extension f lies diagonally from the portion 6 of the shell to a point over the instep of the wearers foot, at which point the said extension can be readily taken hold of to adjust the position of the protector and also to maintain such position while the boot is being placed on the foot. "When on the foot, the boot firmly holds the extension and thereby secures the protector in place, the act of fastening the boot binding the exten sion and further securing the protector.

The edges of the protector are skived to avoid any discomfort to the wearer and to facilitate the overlapping of the bottom portions of the shell when the latter collapses.

WVhat I claim is as follows:

A bunion protector consisting of a substantially rigid single piece shell formed with a central opening and shaped to clasp the side of the foot and curve over the top of the latter, the bot-tom of such shell eX- tending beneath the foot and having a transverse V-shaped cut-away portion eX- tending and tapering to a point close to but separated from the central aperture, and the curved over portion of the shell having a narrow offset extension extending diagonally rearward across the instep to the longitudinal center line of the foot.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

QUINCY E. PACKARD.

Vitnesses OWEN N. EVANS, JAMES O. GRASEIL Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G."