US1512715A - Arch support - Google Patents

Description

oct. 21 1925.4. 1,512,715

W. N. SECHLER' ARCH SUPPORT 'Filed June 22. 1923 llas Patented @et 2l, 1924i.

. g ,sian- WILLIAM NYE SECHLER, OF FORT SCOTT, KANSAS.

ARCH SUPPORT.

Application 'led ,Tune 22, 1923. Serial No. 647,022.

Be it known that I, 1l/*ILLIAM NYE SECHLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Fort Scott, in the county 5 of Bourbon, in the State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Arch Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to flexible arch supports for the shanks of shoes, and amongv its especial merits over prior devices of this nature are its greater flexibility and lack of interference with the freedom of the foot movements, the feature of unilateral rigidity for the support of the arch at the same time being preserved.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specication, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur,

'Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a shoe, taken on the line 1:*1 of Figure 2, and showing the attached arch support as it appears when viewed from the top;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same, taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional View, taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a plan view of an alternate form of arch support embodyingvthis in vention;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same, taken on the line 35 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 4.

Referring to the preferred form of this invention, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, a shoe 1, having uppers 2, insole 3, outsole 4, and heel 5, contains within its shank 67 between the insole 3 and the outsole 4. the support 7 consisting of intermediate links 8, a heel link 9, and a fore link 10, the said links 8, 9, and 10 being curved to conform to the shape of the arch. Heel link 9 and fore link 10 have holes 11, which register with holes 12 in the outsole 4. Rivets 13 pass through the holes 11 and 12 and secure links 9 and 10 to the inner side of outsole 4, the heads 14 of the rivets preferably being against the outsole, while the flattened ends 15 abut against the links 9 and 10.

Links 8, 9, and 10, of plates 16, preferably of sheet metal, having fore edges 17, terminated by perpendicular side edges 18, which are joined to the converging edges 19 terminated at their opposite ends by the rear edge 20, thus forminga tapered tongue 2l at the rear of each of the plate links8, 9, and 10. Ribs 22 rise perpendicularly from the plate' links 8 and 9 at their fore edges 17, and slots 23 separate the intermediate part of each of the ribs 22 from its plate 16, only the end portions 24 of the ribs 22 being joined to the plates 16.

The tapered tongue 21 of fore link 10 fits intothe slot 23 of the adjoining intermediate link 8, the tongue 21 ofthe said link 8 fitting into the slot 23 of the next link 8, and so on, according to the number of intermediate links 8 used in the particular support, the tongue of the last intermediate link 8 fitting into the slot 23 of the heel link 9.

l/Jhen the wearer of the shoe is in a standing posture, the shoe is in the position shown in full lines in Figure 2, and thev bottom sides 25 of they inserted tongues 21 do notyabut squarely against the top surfaces 26 of the plates 16, but are slightly inclined thereto, the weight of the body bearing chiefly on the heel 5 and only slightly on the arch and the ball of the foot. If now, as in walking, one foot be lifted from the floor, and the body thrown forward, with its entire weight on the other foot, the heel 5 of the other foot is raised, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, and the normal tendency is to straighten out the concavity of the shank of the shoe and of the arch support, but this tendency is checked after a slight yield, by the opposing action due to the bottom sides 25 of the tongues 21 having been brought squarely against the top surfaces 26 of the plates 16. In this position, the weight of the entire body bears on the arch and the ball of the foot. The arch of the foot is, however, firmly supported when the'heel is raised, as well as more yieldingly when the heel is on the licor, because of the slot-and-tongue connection forming a: hinge, which permits free movement to increase the concavity of the arch, but limits the eX- tent to which the concavity of the arch may be reduced. The tapered edges 19 permit lateral angular movement of the links 8, 9, and 10 with reference to one another, this movement occurring when the support is in the position shown in full lines in Figure 2, as well as when the support is taut,

c sults in greater at opposite ends, in which lit the tongues 30 ot the heel link 3l and tore link 3Q, having holes 33 for the receptionV o1 rivets with whichthey may be secured tothe outsole ot the shoe. Link 28 is strengthened by ribs Vand has a central depressed portion 35 on which rest the tongues 30 passing through 'the slots 36.

rillie Vtore links l0 andV 32 of both :terms respectively are preferably concave on their top sides, so that they will lit the sole at the ball ofthe foot. Y c

lt has been determined by experience that the use of one intermediate link or more between the heel link and the fore link retlexibility and greatly facilitates the accommodation of the support to the movements of the toot. Y Having thus described this invention, l hereby reserve the benefit oli all changes in form, arrangement, order, or use otparts, as it is evident that many minor changes may be made therein Without departing 'from the'spirit oli-this invention. or the sco-pe ot the following claims.

l. claim: Y l. ln an arch support the combination i cfa plurality of links, the said links being joined lto permit free movementin one d1- rectionand to restrict the Vextent of movei ment in the opposite direction, the joint between the `links providing a wedging action in one direction ot movement thereof.

2. ln an arch support the combination of a pair of plates, a recess and the other 'of said plates having a tongue tapered in its width and (zo-operating with the said recess for limiting movement of the tongue in the recess. Y

3. ln an arch support the combination of a pair of links, one ot said links having a tongue, and the other of said links being formed of a plate having ra` rib, and-a slot at the junction o1a said plate with said rib, the said slot cooperating with the said tongue. v

fl. The combination of a shoe 4and an arch support, the said arch support having a tore link, a heel link, and an intermedia-te link, the said tore and heel links being riveted to the outsole ot' the shoe and a sliding vconnection between the links including a slotted `rib carried by two of the links and a tongue carried by the other link and intennediate link. v

5. 'ln an arch support, the combination ol a plurality oloosely connected links,`the outer end links being anchored within a shoe, 'the connection between the links-im `and y freely extending into the slot, the

tongue being 'ot tapering formation tolimit movement thereof into the rib slot.

ln testimony whereof l hereunto' atlix my si, ,'nature.l Y i l/TJLLIAM NYE SECl-ILER.

one of said plates having f'

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