US1378398A - Arch-support - Google Patents

Description

A. E. BLOCK.

ARCH SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.22, 191B- Patented May 17, 1921.

UNITED STA'EES PATENT oF IcE."

ALEXANDER' E. BLOCK, 0]? ST. LOUIS, -MISSO'lll'lzlill.

ARCH-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. May 1'7, 1921.

Application filed August 22, 1918. Serial No. 250,959.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXAN ER E. BLOCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Arch-Supports, of which the following is a specification, reference being-had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in arch supports and has for its object to provide a support for the treatment or relief of either of the arches of the human foot, having facilities for increasing the thickness of the support at any point beneath either arch.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a structure embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the fore-part of the same.

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view of that part of the support situate beneath the 10mgitudinal arch of the wearer.

Fig. 4 embraces a plan View and a side elevation of one of the inserts 15. v

Fig. 5 is a plan View of one of the inserts 12.

As illustrated, I employ a flexible insole 10 whose contour is indicated in Fig. 1, and whose lower face is provided with a perforate strip or fabric 11 whereon one or more of the inserts 12 (having projecting points or prongs 13-13) may be secured as shown, the bottom insert having its prongs 13-13 stuck into or through the fabric 11 to provide against displacement in use and to hold the insert in the desired position relative to the insole 10 when in use. Above such bottom insert 12, like inserts 12'may be added as shown in Figs. '1 and 3, their prongs 13-13 projecting into the body-of that one of the inserts 12 which is next beneath it; all of said inserts (12 and, 15) being constructed of perforate material.

In suitable relation to the line of anterior metatarsal arch of the wearer the strap 14 is disposed beneaththe insole 10 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to accommodate inserts 15, which are held in position and against displacement in use by the prong 16 with which each of the inserts 15 is provided, which prong 16 is pushed into or through'the material composing the body of the strap 14 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The inserts 12 and 15 will be so contoured as to meet the requirements for which they are used, and to produce the desired elevation of the insole 10 (which is made of any suitable flexible material) at the point where the arch under treatment requires support. The inserts 15 may be mounted one upon the other if desired, just as the inserts 12 are shown so mounted in Fig. 3.

The inserts 12 and 15 are capable of a Wide latitude of adjustment within the' limits of the strip 11 and strap 14,. and the prongs 13-16 may be of such length as to be forced into the inner face'of the sole of Ehe shoe by the pressure of the wearers oot.

The parts shown in the illustrative embodiment of my invention may be varied in form without departing from the spirit of my invention, which embraces broadly the holding of an insert in place beneath an insole by means carried by the insert only and adapted to secure the inserts to a perforate holding member mounted .beneath the insole; the same means being adapted to secure the inserts to each other when mounted one above the other.

The prongs 13-16 are adapted to be seated in the strips 11-14, or into the body of an insert other than the ones by which they are carried, by pressure alone.

The prongs 13-16 are of a. length greater than the thickness of either the strips 11-14 or the inserts 12-15, so as to extend entirely through either such strips or inserts, to enable the prong to project through a strip into the sole, or through an insert'into another insert, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim asnew and desire to have secured to me by the grant of Letters Patent, is-

2. In an arch support, an insole; a. perfo- 7 rable strip secured at its ends to the lower face of said insole; and a plurality of perforable inserts each having a prong adapted to be seated by pressure in another lnsert or in said strip.

3. An arch support comprising an insole;

a perforable strip secured at its ends upon the lower face of said insole; and an insert having prongs of greater length than the thickness of said strip, said prongs extendlng v through said strip and into the inner face of the sole of the shoe wherein said arch 5 support is used.

4. In an arch support, an insole; a perforable strip secured at its ends to the lower face of said insole; and a plurality of perforable inserts each having a prong of a length greater than the thickness of the inserts and I signature.

ALEXANDER E. BLOCK

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