US2683316A - Ballet slipper - Google Patents

Description

July 13 1954 L. R. G. REKER ETAL 2,683,316v

BALLET SLIPPER Filed Feb. 14, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l July 13, 1954 L, R G, .REKER mL 2,683,316

BALLET SLIPPER July 13, 1954 L. R. G. REKER ETAL BALLET SLIPPER 3'Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 14, 1951 INVENTORS flax/fnl. BEA/:aN CLA/efr Loa/s A?. G. /FEHEA l ATroRNEYs Patented July 13, 1954 BALLET SLIPPER `Louis R. G. Reker, Evergreen Park, and Clara Edith Deitch and Haskell Benson, Chicago, Ill.

Application February 14, 1951, Serial No. 210,914

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to slippers or shoes and more particularly to an improved slipper of the ballet style which is suitable for manufacture from flexible materials such as leather,

slipper which may be readily manufactured from only two pieces of material utilizing only an ordinary sewing machine and conventional fabric cutting means, one piece forming the relatively stiff sole and the other the soft, flexible upper of the slipper.

Another object is to provide a slipper which may be formed simply by folding and stitching two fiat pieces into a nished three dimensional shape, without need for matching several small pieces or deforming pieces by coincident bending in two directions.

Other objects and advantages of the slipper of this invention will present themselves to those familiar with the art on reading the following specification in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the slipper of y this invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the slipper at an intermediate stage in the manufacture thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a top view of theblank from which the upper is formed;

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the toe portion of the slipper at an intermediate stage in its manufacture;

Fig. '7 is a bottom view of the toe portion of the slipper at an intermediate stage in its manufacture subsequent to that shown in Fig. 6.

Theslipper l0 of this invention comprises a sheet of flexible material II which is folded and sewn to form the upper, and a piece of more durable material I2, which is stitched onto the .bottom of the piece II to form the sole.

The finished slipper I0 is shown in Figs. 1-3 of the drawings, Fig. 4 illustrating an intermediate step.

The procedure in constructing the` slipper I0 is best illustrat'edin Fig. 5 where the vpiece I l, from which the upper is formed is shown in the first stage of fabrication. In the figures, such as Figs. 4, 5 and 6, wherever a prime mark is applied to a stitch line numeral, it indicates the position such stitch line will occupy when applied.

1 The novel construction of the slipper I0 may be best understood by simultaneous reference to Fig. 5 and the other figures, where like parts have been given like numbers, and by consideration of the operational steps in the fabrication of the slipper.

The rst step is to cut the piece I I to the shape shown in the left hand side of Fig. 5 from fabric or soft leather. The next step is to lay the two tapes I3 which form the straps or ties in the positions shown, guiding the ends of the tapes I3 through a pair of holes I4 which are cut near the rear of the piece II. The margins of the blank are then folded inwardly along the dot-dash line indicated at I5 to cover the tapes I3 and said folded margins are then stitched along the lines indicated at I6 and Iii' to form shirr tubes around the top of the slipper I0 as shown in the right hand side of Fig. 5. It will be noted that the forward ends of the stitching I6 intersect the ends of the tapes I3, thereby securing the tape ends against withdrawal from the shirr tube. This'procedure eliminates the need for havingy to iish the draw tapes through the shirr tubes as would otherwise be necessary.

The next step is to fold the two halves of the .piece il along the longitudinal center line, with the surface which is to be the outside of the finished slipper on the inside (Fig. 4), and stitch the upper toe portions together along the line indicated at Il, the stitching in this step terminating at the matching notches I8 to be later extended to the shirr tube stitching |16 as indicated at 3l and described subsequently. The slipper now appears as shown in Fig. 4, except that the folds at dot-dash lines 23 and 2l have not yet been made.

The slipper is then turned right side out and the two tabs 20, between communicating triangular cut-outs 2i and 22, cut-out 2l, having forward edges 26 and continuing as a slit having edges 26o to the forward end of the upper,

round out the toe portion of the slipper to its nished shape causing fold lines to be partially formed in the material at the lines indicated by the letter f and numeral 21 as shown in Fig. 6.

The next step is to nish the toe by drawing the front end of portion 25 rearwardly over the stitched tabs .20 to the .position `shown in Figs. 1 and l7 and tuo-king in the front vedges 26 of the cut-out, with the edges 26a extending transversely across the sole, to completely form the fold lines 2'! and applying the stitch lines 28 at the positions shown in Figs. 5 and 6 whereby the several portions of the slipper al1 coincide as shown in Fig. '7, the stitching along the stitch line 28 (Fig. 7) serving to 4hold the iront end portion of the slipper. Thestitching :along line 28 extends through the base piece .l.|.. The two corners indicated at a in Fig. 5 lie adjacent to the points indicated vat b after the fold and stitching 28 has been made.

The toe is now substantially completed and thesole I2 may be stitched in place by'ordinary stitching through the upper -II and the Vsole I2.

The 4position of the sole on the blank `is illustrated by'dot-dash lines in Fig. 5, and 'it `will be noted that the front end ofthe sole i2 covers the folded back toe portion 25 of the upper 'H (Fig. 3). The last step is to turn the -slipper wrong side out again 'and stitch the Aheel end and the top of the toe portion as indicated at '30 Yand 31 respectively. Reversing lthe 'slipper again completes its fabrication.

`If desired the sequence of the various `steps may vloe varied somewhat from the described procedure. For example, if the material of `the upper is quite exible the closing of the vtoe and heel by seams 38 and 3l may be laccon'iplished prior to the attachment of the sole 'to the upper. Similarly the ties or straps i3 may be attached after Vthe slipper is finished, if desired. The described procedure has iproved vto be V'extremely satisfactory, however, since it 4reduces the distortion of the material to a minimum resulting in vstronger seams and virtually no weakening of the material.

As stated lpreviously the 'slipper of this invention lis adjustable overa range of 'sizes simply Yby fitting it on the foot and pulling the ties 'I3 until a snug t is achieved. The 'reason `for 'this /is that the particular way in which the toe is folded and stitched permits the toe portion to be drawn rearwardly by the 4ties to shorten the `length of the slipper, the shortening occurring uniformly throughout the vamp rather than only in the instep opening yas is normally 'the case. To express `it another way, as the topper- `tion of the vtoe is drawn rearwardly by the action of the ties I3, the e tire slipper is'shortened because the particular folding of the material just ahead of the front end of the instep draws material from the bottom of `the toe upwardly varound 'the wearers toes at the Vfront end to shorten the sole.

The basic pattern of the two blanks H and l2 may be varied somewhat from `the shapey vshown without materially -aiieoting the way -in which the slipper -I'fi is formed. For example. instead of the cutout triangular openings 42| and 2-2 a cut Ain the shape of a doubly crossed T may be employed to form the tabs 2Q. The triangular for-m is preferred, however, since `a flatter fold results, .there lbeing no 'need to loverlap the tabs V'when Athe Vtriangles 2l and 22 are :out out.

Another modification of the :basic 'pattern -is to make the two halves of the pieces asymmetric in order to produce right and left slippers when such are desired.

Various other changes and modifications such as will present themselves to those familiar with the art may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention the scope of which is commensurate with the tollowing claims.

What isfclalimed is:

1. A slipper comprising an upper made of a exible material, a more rigid piece of material forming a sole secured to the upper, an a pair of draw tapes, said upper having a shirr tube on .each side .for one of said tapes and a cut-out .at its .front end having therein two opposed triangular tabs with apices of said tabs adjacent eachother at ithe longitudinal center line of the slipper, .said tabs being folded back one upon the other to partially form `the toe cavity oi the slipper, the portion of the upper that is in front of the tabs being stitched together vin .registering alignment and secured to `the sole portion of the upper 'at the rear toi Y'the tabs, vthe 'sole portion 'of theupper extending "forward 'beyond the rearmost point of the secured portions.

v'2. A slipper comprising an upper of flexible material, a sole of Vmore rigid material .secured to the upper, said upper 'having .a shirr tube on each side, a pair of draw tapes one received `Iin each shirr "tube, said upper having a cut-out spaced from its .front end having therein two opposed tabs with their ends adjacent each other at .the longitudinal .center line of the slppensaid 'tabs being folded 'back `upon the upper on .the 'bottom of the .slipper to ,partially "form 'the 'toe cavity of 'theslippeig the portion o'f the upper 'in iront of the tabs being folded back 'over the Atabs and extending :to the rear of 'the 'tabs where 'it is secured to the sole portion of the upper, 'the sole overlapping the rearmost Apoint o the secured 'front portion.

3, A ballet slipper or similar article constructed of a single section of material pro'iled to define "toe, quarter, and opposed `side portions surround- 'ing a central sole area, shirr 'tube 'flange portions anking the extreme edges of said .opposed .side portions and doubled over andspace-wise stitched to `their respective side portions and :having therewithinarelated one of a pair of draw tapes, said toe portion being right-for-left substantially symmetrical and stitched together irl-registering alignment to Aeach .other and 'thereby .partially forming a 'toe 'box enclosure andan intermediate tube plait overlap,.said plait overlap being superimposed over said cavity and secured at 'its .end by stitching within the 'forward portion Yof the solo area.

e. The combination set 'forth in claim i3 in 'which a 'sole panel of semi-rigid material is perimetrically stitched over said sole area .concealingthe rear terminal end of said plait overlap.

5. The combination set forth in claim 3 in which said vtube plait 'overlap comprises -a bay formation vwith opposed vtabs "secured to A'one another Pfor thereby forming 'the 'toe cavity.

"G. The Acombina'ti'on 'set forth lin claim 5 in 'which 'sa-'id tabs lare ltriangular projections having a Ltriangular space 'between them.

f7. A 'blank 1for forming acne-piece upper for a ballet slipper 1comprising 'an elongated piece of flexible material having 4an outwardly convex substantially sem'icircu'lar `4fron-t end, Ia rounded vV-'shaizied rear yend, a pair of triangular out Aout fopenings cent-rally located in said :front end, land a longitudinal slit extending inwardly from the front end through one of said openings to the other.

8. A blank for use as an upper in a slipper comprising an elongated piece of exible material having an outwardly convex rounded front end and a longitudinal slit extending inwardly from the front end, said blank having cut-out portions inwardly of the slit dening portions converging towards each other which form a pair of tabs on opposite sides thereof.

9. A blank for forming a one-piece upper for a ballet slipper comprising an elongated piece of exible material having an outwardly convex substantially semicircular front end, a rounded V-shaped rear end, a pair of cut out openings centrally located in semi-circular said front end, and a longitudinal slit extending inwardly from the front end through one of said openings to the other to dene a tab on either side of said slit.

References Cited in the file 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,872,641 Capezio Aug. 16, 1932 1,891,022 Capezio Dec. 13, 1932

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