US2575752A

US2575752A - Antisplash shoe heel

Info

Publication number: US2575752A
Application number: US195525A
Authority: US
Inventors: William H Dotzenroth
Original assignee: United States Rubber Co
Current assignee: Uniroyal Inc
Priority date: 1950-10-12
Filing date: 1950-11-14
Publication date: 1951-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 1968-11-20

Description

Nov. 20, 1951 w. H. DOTZENROTH 2,575,752

ANTISPLASH SHOE HEEL Filed Nov. 14, 1950 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 20, 1951 ANTISPLASH SHOE HEEL William H. Dotzenroth, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, assignor to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 14, 1950, Serial No. 195,525 In Canada October 12, 1950 3 Claims. (01. 36-70) This invention relates to an improved shoe heel which is provided with a tread adapted to prevent or reduce the splashing of the backs of the legs with ground water.

In most cases, the backs of the legs are splashed by throwing the water or slush from the heel of one foot to back of the leg of the other foot. Prior heels have been devised to reduce the amount of splash. Some of which attempt to drain the Water from the heel before it can be thrown over to the other leg and others attempt to hold the water on the heel to prevent it from being thrown. The use of either method above failed to control all of the water picked up from the ground and some of such prior heel constructions were provided with objectionable fragile overhanging projections for draining off the water, and other types were provided with poor wearing sponge rubber portions for absorbing the water.

In accordance with the present invention, improved results are obtained by employing a novel durable tread surface comprising a combination of ridges and grooves, which first drains off the major portion of the water and retains any residue.

This invention is described in further detail in reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a womans overshoe provided with a shoe heel embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the tread surface of the shoe shown in Fig. 1; and

Fi 3 is an enlarged view of the tread surface of the shoe heel.

The womens overshoe lil as shown in Fig. 1 is for the right foot, and it is provided with a heel II having a tread surface I2, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The tread surface I2 is preferably made of a yieldable elastomer, such as vulcanized rubber composition of high abrasion resistance. Such material is preferably harder than normal for overshoe treads. The surface I2 is provided with transverse ridges I3, which are separated by transverse depressions I4 extending parallel therewith. The slopes of the ridges converge to relatively sharp apices I5. Converging diagonal grooves l6 cut the ridges I3 to a depth below the valleys or depressions I4. The inside corner of the heel tread, that is the corner which falls on the same side of the foot as the big toe, is depressed to a depth below the depth of the grooves IE to form a recess II into which the converging ends of the grooves l6 terminate. The converging ends of the grooves I6 are sufficiently close to each other to permit any water in the adjacent grooves to collect on the drip points I8 of divides therebetween. As shown in the drawings the divides are wedged shaped and come to a point, but such divides may be slightly truncated, so as to form blunt drip points and thereby permit the converging ends of the grooves IE to be slightly separated. Other drip points I9 are formed on each side of the group of grooves IS.

The heel II is believed to operate as follows to prevent the ground water thereon from being thrown to the back of the leg of the opposite foot. As the tread surface l2 of the heel II comes down on a wet hard surface the ridges I3 are sufficiently high to prevent the entire tread surface from coming in contact with the hard surface. When the heel is raised from the surface, the ridges prevent the formation of a vacuum between the tread surface I2 and the ground surface, and the water is free to run down the ridges to the relatively sharp apices I5. The water is thereby drained off onto the ground surface, or the water thereon, as the tread surface I 2 leaves the ground surface. Some of the remaining water on the tread surface I2 runs down the grooves I6, which are then pointed downwardly towards the inside corner of the heel II which points towards the ground after the wearers foot has been elevated. The water collects on the drip points I8 of the divides, and to some extent on the outer points l9 and runs off onto the ground. Any water not thus drained away from the tread surface I2 is held in the depressions of the tread surface including the valleys I 4, the grooves I6, and the recess. H at the converging ends thereof.

The preferred form of this invention has been described herein more or less in detail, but it will be understood that changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit of this invention and it is intended to cover such changes in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An anti-splash heel having a tread surface comprising transverse ridges, and converging grooves extending through said ridges at an angle thereto and towards the inside corner of the heel.

2. An anti-splash heel according to claim 1 where said grooves extend into said tread surface to a depth below the base of said ridges and the converging ends of the grooves terminate in a recess at the inside corner of said heel.

3. An anti-splash heel having a tread surface comprising transverse ridges, converging grooves extending through said ridges at an angle thereto and towards the inside corner of the heel, said inside corner having a recess therein, said grooves terminating at the inner edge of said recess, and having relatively narrow drip points formed on either side of the converging ends of said grooves.

WILLIAM H. DOTZENROTH.

No references cited.