US1966179A - Heel protector and grip - Google Patents

Description

July 10, 1934. E LESCH PROTECTOR AND GRIP Filed NOV. 2l. 1951 SW1/koi E D14/Fino LfscH (um m11 Patented `luly l0, 1934.

UNTED STATES PAUlElWl" OFFICE 6 Claims.

My invention is a means to prevent the rear portion of a shoe from slipping or sliding upon and down on the heel of the foot, and is more particularly applicable to so called low-cut shoes, known also as pumps, or Oxford style shoes; and my device consists substantially in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth and pointed out more particularly in the claims.

An object of my invention is to provide a heel grip which may be embodied and incorporated in the shoe when manufactured, or be pasted, sewed or otherwise attached within the shoe as and when required.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide a heel grip which prevents the counter of the shoe from slipping or sliding up and down 0n the heel of the foot, the term counter meaning the inner surface of the side walls of the portion of the shoe which receives the heel of the foot.

It is an important object to provide a device of this class which functions without any noticeable binding or discomfort, and by elimi- F nating the usual sliding of the heel up and down in the shoe prevent undue wear on the stocking or sock and likewise prevent the forming of blisters such as are often experienced by wearers of low-cut shoes.

It is a further object to thus grip and prevent the heel of the foot from sliding in the shoe in such a manner as to avoid any tendency t0 crowd the foot forward in the shoe.

It is also an object to provide a grip of this class having a grip proper and a base to increase the attaching area of the grip and thus have ample pasted or sewed contact to secure the device rmly in place and at the same time provide a gripping. means which may be installed either on the shoe lining, under the lining, or with the grip proper protruding through an open-ing in the lining, the outwardly extending base portion being disposed under the lining.

It is a further object to provide a ilexible grip and base and a neck exibly connecting said grip and base, by which arrangement the base may be installed to underlap the shoe lining, the grip protruding through an opening in the lining which conforms in size and shape to the neck, the outer edges of the grip overlapping the edges of the opening in the lining.

A further object is to provide a grip and base portion with a neck flexibly connecting same, thus enabling the grip to yield angularly and thus compensate for the irregularities of the particular foot of the wearer, and to also-thus ilexibly support the grip in a compensating manner to permit the immediate adaptation of the grip to a desirable working position.

It is also an object to provide the invention in certain forms with a flexible grip and yieldable base portion of smaller contour than the grip, and a neck flexibly connecting same to the grip, said base portion may be readily compressed and forced through an opening in the shoe lining corresponding in size to said neck.

The above and other objects are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a developed View of the invention as singly constructed;

Fig. 2 is a developed view of the invention as dually constructed;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken in the proximity of line 3 3, of Fig. 2, and of line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken in the proximity of line 4 4, of Fig. 2 and of line 4--4, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a developed view illustrating a modied form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken in the proximity of line 6-6, of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional View as seen from the front of a shoe, and illustrates the singly constructed form of the invention as applied under the shoe lining;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to Fig. '7, but illustrates the device as installed with the grip proper extending through a suitably shaped opening in the shoe lining, the base portion of the device underlapping the lining, and grip proper overlapping the edges oi the opening.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional plan view of a shoe Within which the invention as dually constructed is applied to the exposed surface of the 95 lining, said View being taken through the grips proper; and,

Fig. 10 is a somewhat perspective fragmentary view showing the interior of a shoe with the device diagrammatically indicated as singly constructed and applied.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different views. Referring to Fig. 1, the number 1 designates the grip and the numeral 2, designates the base there- 105 of. Fig. 2 illustrates the device as dually constructed with the pair of grips 3 respectively mounted on a corresponding pair of dually constructed andI symmetrically arranged bases 4, saidA bases being united byA a narrow flexible con- 1.10

necting strip 5 which determines the spacing of the grips when installed as shown in Fig. 9.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the upper portions 6 of the grips l and 3 slope toward the bases 2 and 4, respectively, said grips forming bodies which gradually protrude at the upper portions while the lower edges 7 of same have a somewhat abrupt corner-like formation by which arrangement, the foot may be readily slipped into the shoe over the gradually beveled upper portion 6 of the grips and thus be smoothly slid into engagement with same, but when the movement of the foot is reversed in relation to the shoe as when the shoe tends to slip casually downwardly on the heel of the foot, the lower edges 7 being more abruptly formed tend to catch in the depressed portion of the heel of the wearer at a point just below the ankle joint and just ahead of the Tendo Achilles. It will be thus understood, that by the special manner of constructing the grip as illustrated in Fig. 3, the grip embraces the foot in a pawl-like manner which tends constantly to invite the heel of the wearers foot into the shoe and resists the tendency of the foot to move casually therefrom. It will thus be understood that the grip by this action wedges itself into relation with the foot.

It is understood that the devices as singly constructed may be located in the shoe where required, and that the device as dually constructed may be located at the proper height in the shoe, the location of the grips being otherwise determined by the connecting strip 5 which is of suitable length to properly control the spacing of the grips symmetrically with the heel portion of the shoe when installed as indicated in Fig. 9. Said connecting strip as well as the bases 2 and 4 are constructed of flexible material such as rubber, leather, or suede and are sufhciently thin to make their presence negligible in the shoe and are of what may be termed paper thickness. The strip 5 is also comparatively narrow and is located at proper height to clear the heel of the wearer at the extreme rearward and upper edge of the shoe, and to also clear the more expanded lower and rearward part of the wearers heel, by which arrangement it will be understood that said strip efficiently connects and accurately spaces the grips 3 in such a manner as to avoid crowding the foot forward in the shoe, as in instances where gripping action is attempted at the extreme rearward surface of the wearers heel.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be noted that the grips are oval-shaped in horizontal cross section, by which a smooth comfortable grip surface is provided for contact with the foot.

The grips attach to the bases by necks 8, each corresponding grip, base and neck being integrally formed from one piece of material, or equivalently built up by integrally united pieces. When the installation is made as indicated in Fig. 8, openings in the shoe lining are made, the edges 9 of which conform to the shape and size of the necks 8, the bases underlapping the lining, and the edges of each grip overlapping the edges of the respective opening. This installation is preferably made by securing the bases to both the shoe proper and the shoe lining, the edges 10 of the grips being left free of the lining. In this installation, the bases are very rmly held in place, and the edges 9 of the lining around the openings in which the necks are disposed may be left rough or raw and concealed giving the interior of the shoe a pleasing appearance.

A highly important feature of flexibly mounting the grips by means of the flexible necks 8 is attached from the fact that the necks permit the grips to yield to relatively stationary working tilted positions, thus permitting the grip to compensate itself to the particular shapes of different wearers feet. As for example, the grips may shift on the neck 8 from the position indicated by dotted lines 11 to dotted lines 12 of Fig. 8.

The entire device, however, is sometimes installed under the shoe lining as indicated in Fig. 7. Installation of the device is sometimes made as indicated in Fig. 9 in which the bases are mounted on the lining, the necks 8 being free of the lining and serving as more pronounced flexible connections between the grip and the base, thus permitting a more full compensating action of the grips.

It will be observed in the different views that the edges of the grips are formed similarly to the edges of a mushroom. The surface 16 of the grips adjacent the necks 8 recede from the bases, but approach the bases at the extreme edge of the grips, the extreme edges of the grips being thus depressed to avoid catching and rolling up of the grip edge, and to thus avoid engagement with sock or stocking of the wearer when the foot is slid into the shoe, and at the same time, providing a sufficient vacancy between the outwardly extending portion of the grip and the base to permit the ready compression of any edge of the grip to yield in the act of compensating to any certain required working position.

In Figures 5 and 6, a modified form of the device is shown in which the base 13 is of smaller contour than the grip 14. This form of device permits more convenient placing of the base through the opening in the lining for the neck 15, owing to the reduced size of the base. This form of the device may be used where shoe factory or equivalent facilities for installation are limited.

The applicant is a qualified and duly registered Podiatrist of long experience and he has developed his invention after many experiments and trials over a long period of time, and has found that numerous other inventions of this class do not have the particular characteristics which are shown to be necessary in actual practice. He has found in considering and testing the application of other devices that in a vast majority of instances such devices constitute a construction of more or less random form and do not have the beneficial results from the viewpoint of an authoritative expert.

While the description and drawing illustrates in a general way certain instrumentalities which may be employed in carrying the invention into effect, it is evident that many modications may be made in the various details without departing from the scope of the appended claims, it being understood that theinvention is not restricted to the particular examples herein described.

What I claim is:

1. A foot gripping device for shoes comprising a base, a grip, and a connecting portion uniting said base and grip, whereby said device may be installed through a hole in the lining of a shoe such hole being smaller in size than the spread of said base or grip, whereby the base underlaps the lining entirely around said connecting portion and the grip overlaps the lining entirely around said connecting portion.

2. A foot grippingV ineans for shoes comprising a grip, a connecting portion formed on said grip, said connecting portion forming the inner Wall of a groove entirely around said connecting portion and a yieldable base united with said connecting portion, said base being capable of being collapsed and forced through a hole in a shoe lining, whereby said grip conceals the edge of said hole entirely around said connecting portion.

3. A foot gripping means for shoes comprising a base, a connecting portion formed on said base, said connecting portion forming the inner Wall of a groove entirely around said connecting. portion and a yieldable grip united With said connecting portion and extending beyond same entirely around said connecting portion, said` grip being capable of being collapsed and? forced through a hole in a shoe lining, said grip concealing the edge of said hole entirely around said connecting portion.

4. A grip and base connecting portion, a foot grip mounting upon and overhanging at one end of said connecting portion, and a base united with the other end of said connecting portion, said base extending outwardly therefrom and forming a groove of substantially triangular cross section with said connecting portion and the respective overhanging portion of said grip.

5. In a foot gripping device, a single piece of material comprising a iiat base, a grip ovated to correspond substantially in size and shape with one of the depressions on the side of the heel portion of the foot, being ovated on the side opposite from said base, and convexedly therefrom, to conform to and t in one of said depressions, and a flexible connecting portion uniting said base and grip, said connecting portion forming the inner wall of a groove entirely around said device, whereby said grip may flex in any direction on said connecting portion to conform to the angle of the adjacent portion of the foot.

6. In a foot gripping device, a single piece of material comprising a iiat base, a grip ovated to correspond substantially in size and shape with one of the depressions on the side of the heel portions of the foot being thus ovated on the side opposite from said base and convexedly therefrom to conform to and t in one of said depressions, and a flexible connecting portion uniting said base and` grip, said connecting portion forming the inner Wall of a groove entirely around said device, said groove being Wider at said con-f necting portion than at the edges of said grip' said connecting portion being sufficiently long to have flexibility in any direction and conform tothe angle of the adjacent portion of the foot, and the edges of said grip being sufficiently close to said base to prevent catching on the hose of the wearers foot When the shoe is placed on the foot.

EDWARD LESCH.

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