US2487461A - Ornamental resilient spur - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 8, 1949 I R. B, MCKINNEY 2,487,461

ORNAMENTAL RESILIENT SPUR Filed NOV. 13, 1947 I N V EN TOR: 05527 5: xii-lama Ezra/ave Patented Nov. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ORNAMENTAL RESILIENT SPUR Robert B. McKinney, Desert Hot Springs, Calif. Application November 13, 1947, Serial No. 785,628

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to spurs which are attachable to foot wear for ornamental purposes or as dancing or stage equipment.

The conventional type of spurs used in riding equipment is provided with steel rowels and shanks which are dug into the flanks of horses to induce greater speed. Such use of spurs has largely been discontinued among civilized people but is becoming increasingly popular for ornamental purposes, both for street wear and as stage or dancing equipment. It is found, however, that such steel rowel equipped spurs are quite dangerous to wear particularly on the dance floor and many attempts have been made to provide a spur combination which will satisfy the demands of the styles and .which may be worn without danger of injury to others.

In view of the foregoing, it is the object of my invention to provide a spur combination which is wholly or partly made from material which is so soft and resilient that no danger of injury to the wearer or to others is possible.

It is a further object of the invention to provide, in combination therewith, sound producing elements capable of producing such jingling or tingling noises as are found desirable while the foot is moved in walking or dancing.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the combinations hereafter fully described and reference is invited to the accompanying drawings in which preferred forms of the invention are illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a riding boot showing the device in position thereon as in practice;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device as it appears when removed from the boot;

Fig. 3 illustrates a modification of the device.

As shown in Fig. 1, the device of the invention consists of a frame I having an arcuate portion 2 extending around the heel of a boot and made with a downwardly extending looped portion 3 which fits under the arch of the boot. A strap 4 is suitably attached to this frame and it extends over the instep of the boot to maintain the spur firmly in position thereon.

As shown in Fig. 1, the frame is made entirely from soft flexible material such as rubber or a suitable plastic composition. It is important to note that this frame extends, rearwardly from the heel of the boot in the form of a bar terminating in a preferably star-shaped member 5 which in appearance is similar to the rowel used in conventional metal spurs. It is essential that the frame including the member 5 is made from very light resilient material so that it will fit the boot snugly and so that the member 5 will yield when coming in contact with other objects. When so constructed, it is found that the device of the invention may be used on the stage or the dancing floor without danger of injury to anyone even when the member 5 comes so forcibly in contact with other objects as to fold the member completely agai'nstthe heel portion of the boot. It is, of course; possible to remove the spur member 5 from the shank of the frame and to hang a soft rubber rowel in the shank in the manner that rowels are conventionally supported. But as the shank would have to be thickened and slotted in order to hang the rowel therein, it would be difiicult so to shape the shank that it would be soft and resilient enough completely to yield upon contact with other objects.

But while it is essential that the device be made from very soft resilient material, as aforesaid, it may be found advisable to provide within the framing reenforcing means to the end that the frame may fit snugly around the boot and yet retain sufficient stiffness to resist any tend- I ency on the part of the frame to fold or crumple when brought into collison with other objects. Such reenforcing means is in Fig. 1 shown in the shape of a wire (or wires) 6 which is embedded in the body of the frame, but I wish it understood that a flat piece of metal or other suitable resilient material may be substituted.

It is also essential in a device of this character that means he provided for anchoring the strap 4 to the body of the frame and that such means be so constructed as not to mar the appearance of the device and not to project beyond the surface thereof. Such attaching means is, in Fig. 1, shown in the shape of a, loop 1 which extends from a plate 8 and the latter is molded or otherwise embedded into the material of the frame so that it will be held rigidly in position therein and not projected from the sides thereof.

As above stated, the style commands that'such devices be fitted with noise creating elements which may take the form of bells 9 such asshown in Fig. 1. These elements may be fastened to the frame in any suitable manner as by screws 10 and it may be found advisable, in order to provide more solid anchoring for these screws, to provide loops 1 l in the reenforcing wires through which the screws are made to extend. In mounting these bells, it will merely be required to puncture the framing material in line with these loops at each place where it is desired to mount 3 a bell but such puncturing, of course; is not necessary where no bell is required. In case a reenforcing strip is preferred, it is merely required to provide perforations through such strips for bell anchoring purposes.

A simplified form of spur is in Fig. 3 shown to comprise an arcuate frame 20, terminating in a star-shaped member 2 The parts may remain substantially as indicated in Fig. 1, except that the looped portion 3 is omitted. A strap 22 is, in this case extended through a loop 23gwhich, like the loop I ismolded into the material of the frame 20. Suitable reenforcing 24 is also provided to support bells or other noise making attachments. ,1

I claim:

1. A spur combination for foot wear comprising an arcuate frame including a rearwardly extending shank terminating in a star-shaped element, all made from a single piece nix-Softresilient material, loops forwardly extending from .g-land embedded in th l framala dnastrapc xtend- 1 1 Sa J HSJE am nt he r a.mei ositiomonthe foot wear i 1/; 1A f ur qmb n ie for foot wear comprisi ng an arcuate frame i nqluding arearwardly ext esl ngshankter ati n a a ap el 1:! man, lm s from. sin piece a s tr 'lie t etetiah eeniorc me t m edded in; said 099s,: r a d ye in rom. an emqe sl gi n t .fr me,---a dv a, strap xt ndi at 91 el g loops t 1. 9 1 th f m mm m h qq l e rqm 3. A spur combination for foot wear comprising an arcuate frame including a rearwardly extending shank terminating in a star-shaped element, all made from a single piece of soft resilient material, reenforcing wires embedded in said frame, said wires having loops formed therein, noise making members, fastening elements for said members extending through said loops, other loops forwardly extending from and embedded in the frame, and a strap extending through; said other loopszltoxmount the frame in ,1 position onthea foot wear. w

ROBERT B. MCKINNEY.

REFERENCES CITED Number Name Date 218,705 Buermann Aug. 19, 1879 1:: 19 9383 Buermann. Sept.:13; 1910 1 31651 2 -,Bannerrr -"Feb. 6;1912 zxAprt, 6;1948

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