US2052787A

US2052787A - Method of forming arch supports

Info

Publication number: US2052787A
Application number: US14003A
Authority: US
Inventors: Emanuel J Milner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1935-04-01
Filing date: 1935-04-01
Publication date: 1936-09-01
Anticipated expiration: 1953-09-01

Description

Sept. I E. J. MILNER 2,052,787

METHOD OF FORMING ARCH SUPPORTS Filed April 1, 1955 w; 6" Emanuel eIMz'Zner iwm Patented Sept. 1, 1936 STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

.This invention relates to a method for making arch supports to be worn in a shoe, and is particularly adapted for making arch supports for use under the instep.

One of the objects of this invention is to provideasimple method for producing an arch support which Will have the proper thickness at dif ferent points located with respect to anatomical points of the arch of the foot, so that when in 101188 the arch support will give an efiicient and satisfactory support for the foot in walking.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple method whereby an impression from the arch of the foot may be taken on a plastic ma- 15 terial to give it the form and thickness at different points related to the anatomy of the foot,

PM and to provide a simple method for producing an arch support which will have the same form and thickness at these different points, so that go the arch support will become substantially a repli'ca'of 'the impressed plastic material or matrix. In the practice of the invention a blank'of compressible material such as rubber, is formed, which is slightly thicker at points corresponding 25 .to the anatomical points of the arch of the foot, which are used in the practice of the method; and one of the objects of the invention is to provide'a simple method for reducing the dimensions of the blank atdifferent points on its area to en- 30' T1 able it to correspond with, and to constitute substantially a replica of the matrix.

=Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel steps and 35' -combination of steps, all of which cooperate to produce an eificient method of forming an arch supportf preferred'embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the lo -broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

"In the drawing: "Figure l isa'perspective of a foot-form, which it is'preferable 'to' employ in the practice of the 45' method, and this view illustrates a chart composed of intersecting'lines on the inner face of the foot-form. V Fig. 2 is a transverse substantially vertical sectionptaken through the foot-form with a matrix 5(Fwithin the'sama'being impressed by the foot within the form, a portion of the outline of the foot being indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a plan showing the under side and outline of a matrix after being impressed in the *foot-form. 1 7

(01. 12146) Fig. 4 is a plan showing the outline and under l w face of a blank corresponding to the matrix, and which is to have its thickness reduced'at different points corresponding to the intersection points of the lines of the chart.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3, with portions of the matrix broken away and illustrating a step in the method of measuring the thickness of the matrix at a point corresponding to a predetermined anatomical point 01' 1 the arch of the foot.

Fig. 6 is a section through a portion of the blank broken away and illustrating the use of pins inserted in the blank for facilitating the reduction of the blank to the proper thickness at sions of the shoe in which the arch support is to be worn. In other words, the interior of the foot-form is a replica .of the interior of the shoe in the vicinity of the arch and at the heel. The. interior of the form is provided with means for establishing points indicating the location of cor- 1 responding pred'eterminedpoints on the plantar surface of the foot, that is'to say, on the bottom surface of the arch of the foot, and the points shown on the form occur below critical anatomical points in the arch of the foot that is to make "use of the arch support in a shoe. A pad of plastic material is then placed in the foot-form and laid over the chart or indicated points in the vicinity of the arch, and the patient then places his foot in the foot-form and places part of his weight on the foot, and whilethis is being done, the orthopedic specialist who is making the arch support, observes the position of the bones of the arch. When the arch has been flexed to the fullest extent that it should be flexed, the pressure on the foot is stopped. The indicated points on the foot-formare in this way transferred to the pad of plastic material as indicated points which correspond to the points on the foot-form. In this way a matrix is produced, which has the proper thickness at the different indicated points. This matrix is then cut'into from its edge up to :the indicated points to expose sections of the material. This enables the thicknessof the matrix 70.130 formed of rubber or similar resilient material.

Mtotheras the lines of the chart 6:. These lines 3| is then cut .down at all the indicated points to a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the matrix at each of these points. In this way an arch support is formed, which is a substantial,

replica of the impressed matrix.

Referring more particularly tothe parts, I indicates a foot-form which is made out of any suitable rigid material, but preferably of glass, said foot-form having a sole 2 corresponding to the sole of the shoe and having substantially the same dimensions and last. Toward the rear the foot-form is provided with an upwardly projectin'gflan'ge or counter 3, and this side wall or countefis extended along, the sides of the sole toward the front where it dies out at the points 4 and 5 into the sole. The cross-section of the for mis illustrated in- Fig. 2 and is such that the inner face of'the" foot-form corresponds in form and dimensions'tothat of the shoe in which the arch-support is to 'be worn. On the inner face of the 'foot form I provide means' located :at a

plurality of spaced predetermined points corresponding to critical points in the arch' of the foot, for impressinga plastic material to indicate the location of these points upon it. This is preferably accomplished by forming a'chart 6 on the inner face of the form, said chart being composed of a plurality of lines such as the straight line land the curved lines 8 and 9. All of the lines composing the

charthave intersection points

20,2I, 22, 23, 24 and 25, (see Fig. 1).

:A pad 26 ofplastic material and having approximately the proper cross-section is then laid inthe foot-form' over the'chart 6. The patients gfoot is then placed in thefoot-form and a portion of the weight of the patient is placed on the foot so asto partially flex the arch of the foot in the foot-form. In order to relieve pressure and facilitate giving the pad. 26 the proper form, I pre- :fer' to provide the counter 3 at a plurality of points with small orifices orvents 21. These vents havea'relief effect and permit the material of the pad to intrude into them; The chart 6 includesa-line' 28 that forms an outline for-the 553;;ohart. All of the lines of the chart are indicated on the interiorof the foot-form, either by ridges or by small grooves. In the present instance I provide the inner face of the foot-form with small V-shaped grooves 29, which form ridges in the pad. After the pad 26 has been impressed, it forms a matrix 26 .(see Fig. 3), the outline of which is indicated by the line 28a corresponding to the outline'28 of the chart. In this way intersecting ridges are formed on the matrix producwh ich' indicated points correspond to similarly located intersection points on the chart.

In Fig. 4' I illustrate the underside of a blank This blank has the same outline as the matrix 26a,'l%1and it also carries a chart composed of a plurality of intersecting lines 3|, which have the same. position and relation with respect to each may be in the form of small ridges or grooves formed on the surface of the blank. The blank preferably carries a plurality of small openings or perforations 32, which are located at the intersections of the lines 31 forming the chartf on the blank.

After the matrix 26a has been produced by pressure of the foot in the foot-form, I then reduce the thickness of the blank at the difierent intersection points at the perforations 32, so that the thickness at each perforation is the same as the thickness of the corresponding intersection point of the lines on the matrix. In order to accomplish this, I prefer to cut into the matrix With a knife at different locations terminating the cut or cuts at the different intersection points of the matrix. This is illustrated at Fig. 5 where a space 33 is left after removing a thin slice of the material terminating at the point [4a, and located between the dotted lines Mb andlfic, in Fig'. 3. The removal of this small slice of material enables the thickness of the matrix at the point Ma to be measured. A plurality of pins such as the

pins

34 and 35, illustrated in Fig. 6, are provided. These pins are of different lengths, and after measuring the thickness of the matrix at the point Ma for example, a pin 34 is inserted in the perforation 32 of the blank 39, said pin having the same length of shank as the thickness of the matrix at thepoint Ma. The pins of the proper length are inserted in all of the perforations 32 with the heads 36 of the pins all located on the same side. The material on the face of the blank 30 is then removed to bring the surface down to the end of the pin at each perforation. This is illustrated in Fig. 7, Where the blank is held up against the face of a thin abrading wheel 31, such as a grinding-wheel of carborundum or other hard abrading material.

After the blank has been reduced to the proper thickness at all the indicated points or perforations 32, then the pins are removed and returned to their proper containers or boxes, and the blank is then a completed arch support; In using the arch support it should be secured in the shoe in which it is to be worn, in exactly the same position and relation to the interior of the shoe as the matrix had when it was impressed in the foot-form. In order to do this, it is merely necessary to mark two points on the sole of the shoe, to correspond with any two points on the chart 6 in the foot-form. The arch support should, of

course, be secured in this position on the interior of the shoe.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention describedherein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

1. A method of making an arch-support which consists in preparing a blank of the arch-support with a plurality of indicated points spaced apart at predetermined locations on the surface of the blank, impressing a matrixof plastic material by the instep of the patients foot within a footform having means on its interior for registering points on the bottom of the matrixthat have the same spacing and relative location as the first-named points, cutting in from the edge of the matrix to the diiferent'indicated points of the matrix to expose a section of the matrix at the said points, and measuring the thickness of the matrix on the section at the indicated points the patients foot within a foot-form having means on its interior for forming indicated points on the bottom of the matrix, said points having the same spacing and relative location as the first-named points, measuring the thickness of the matrix at the indicated points on its surface, inserting in the corresponding perforation of the blank a pin having a length substantially equal to the thickness of the matrix at each indicated point, and then reducing the thickness of the" the length of the pin inserted in that perforablank at each perforation until it substantially equals the length of the pin inserted in that perforation.

3. A method of making an arch-support, which consists in making a blank of the arch-support with a plurality of indicated points located at predetermined points spaced apart on the surface of the blank and having perforations located respectively at the said indicated points, impressing a matrix of plastic material by the instep of the patients foot within a foot.-form having means on its interior for forming indicated points on the bottom of the matrix, said points having the same spacing and relative location as the first-named points, measuring the thickness of the matrix at the indicated points on its surface, inserting in the corresponding perforation in the blank a pin having a length substantially equal to the thickness of the matrix at each indicated point, and then grinding down the thickness of the blank at each perforation until it substantially equals the length of the pin inserted in that perforation.

4. A method of making an arch-support, which consists in making a blank of the arch-support with a plurality of indicated points located at predetermined points spaced apart on the surface of the blank and having perforations located respectively at the said indicated points, impressing a matrix of plastic material by the instep of the patient's foot within a foot-form having means on its interior for forming indicated points on the bottom of the matrix, said points having the same spacing and relative location as the first-named points, measuring the thickness of the matrix at the indicated points on its surface, inserting in the corresponding perforation in the blank a headed pin having its body of a length substantially equal to the thickness of the matrix at each indicated point, and then reducing the thickness of the blank at each perforation and on the face of the blank opposite the head of the pin until it substantially equals tion.

5. The method of making an arch support, which consists in preparing an overthick blank with indicated points on its surface located to correspond with anatomical points of the arch, inserting pins of predetermined length in the blank at the indicated points, and removing the surface of the blank at the different points to give it a thickness at the pins substantially the same as the length of the pins.

6. The method of making an arch support, which consists in preparing an overthick blank, with a plurality of indicated points on its surface corresponding to critical points of the arch for which the arch supporter is being prepared, inserting pins of predetermined length at the different indicated points and removing the surface of the blank to give it substantially a thickness at each of the pins that is the same as the length of the pins.

EMANUEL J. MILNER.