US2918058A

US2918058A - Hammer toe pad

Info

Publication number: US2918058A
Application number: US699340A
Authority: US
Inventors: Milton R Levitt
Original assignee: Scholl Manufacturing Co Inc
Current assignee: Scholl Manufacturing Co Inc
Priority date: 1957-11-27
Filing date: 1957-11-27
Publication date: 1959-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 1976-12-22

Description

Dec 22 M. R. LEVITT HAMMER TOE PAD Filed NOV. 2'7, 1957 far = 1i R TOE PAD Application November 27, 1957, Serial No. 699,340

8 Claims. (Cl. 12S-S1) This invention relates to improvements in a hammer toe pad, and more particularly to a foot corrective pad highly desirable for the treatment for a hammer toe or a similar affliction, although the pad may have other and various uses and purposes as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

Quite frequently, a hammer toe or similar ahiotion develops a painful corn or the like on the high point of the toe and a painful callus or the like may be developed underneath the anterior end of the toe by virtue of the unnatural contact of the toe with the floor or a shoe in view of the bend of the toe. lt is not only desirable to remove pressure from and alleviate the painful afliiction developed on the toe, but it is also desirable to encourage the toe to straighten and this should be done in a gentle and yet reasonably firm manner.

Heretofore, many and various types of foot corrective pads for the alleviation of hammer toes and associated afflictions have been developed, but in many cases they were attached to the foot by adhesive means which results in uncomfortable binding upon the toe and possible skin irritation. Other forms of pads have been subject to a shifting of position during use which also results in painful aggravation of the hammer toe. Furthermore, pads for this particular alictiou as developed heretofore were objectionably expensive and in some cases short lived.

With the foregoing in mind, there is an important object to the instant invention to provide a foot corrective pad highly desirable for the alleviation of a hammer toe and associated afflictions, which pad is extremely simple and economical in construction and particularly long lived.

Also an object of this invention is the provision of a foot corrective pad suitable for the alleviation of a hammer toe, and which pad is of uniform character so that there can be no mistake made in the application of the pad, since either end of the pad may be placed toward the end of the toe.

Still another object of the instant invention is the provision of a hammer toe corrective pad or the like which is provided with a toe receiving aperture enabling the pad to readily slip over the toe into operative position, and the structure of the pad maintains that position against slippage during long use of the pad.

It is also a feature of this invention to provide a foot corrective pad highly suitable for a hammer toe or the like, which pad embodies a full size body lamination, thickened on opposite sides thereof and adjacent the opposite ends thereof, the central region of the body portion being of normal thickness.

A further object of theinstant invention resides in the provision of a hammer toe pad comprising a full size body part having an aperture in the intermediate region thereof for the reception of the aficted toe, there being an added thickness of material on one side of the body part and adjacent one end thereof, and an added thickness of material on the opposite side of the body part adjacent the opposite end thereof, leaving the region of the body part where the aperture is located of its normal thickness.

While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from the following disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan View of the human foot illustrating a foot corrective pad embodying principles of the instant invention in operative position thereon:

Fig. 2 is a greatly enlarged top plan view of the foot corrective pad itself, removed from the foot;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the corrective pad itself taken substantially as indicated by line III-III of Fig. looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view similar in character to Fig. 2, but showing the pad made of different material.

As shown in the drawings:

In the drawings, there is shown a diagrammatic View of the human foot in Fig. l to which the illustrated embodiment of the instant invention, generally indicated by numeral 2, is shown attached in operative position over a hammer toe which, in the illustrated instance, is the second toe of the foot. It will be noted that a portion of the pad overlies the hammer toe behind the high part thereof on which a corn is frequently developed, and the pad also underlies the anterior end of the toe to alleviate any aihiction or uncomfortableness by virtue of the unnatural contact of the end of the toe at that point. Conjointly, the two portions of the pad tend to aid the toe in straightening to normal position.

As seen best in Figs. 2 and 3 the pad is of generally elongated shape having straight side edges and outwardly arcuate end edges. The pad may be formed of a single piece of material, that is molded to the desired shape, but in the illustrated instance the pad is of laminated structure and comprises a main body piece or lamination 3 having a relatively large toe receiving aperture 4 in the intermediate region thereof. This body portion of the pad may be made of any suitable material, and in the instance of Figs. 2 and 3 I have shown the pad as made of a foam material, such as foam latex, or a chemical foam such as polyurethane foam or polyvinyl chloride foam. Preferably the foam material has intercommunieating cells therethrough whereby any slight pressure on the pad by an article of footwear causes the foam to breathe or pass air through it. With foam material, it is desirable that one surface of the material be covered with a slick smooth thin sheet, such as a plastic film, or a slick surfaced fabric, such covering being indicated at 5 in the drawings. Also preferably, such a cover is provided with numerous perforations in the event foam material is utilized. Such foam material provides adequate cushioning, is highly resilient, possesses excellent restorative characteristics and permits laundering when necessary.

The body part 3 may be provided at one end thereof with a lamination 7 that may be of the same material as the body part, and this lamination is disposed on theV upper face of the body part and to one end of the aperture 4 as the structure is viewed in Fig. 3. Another lamination 8 of similar shape and size and the lamination 7 is preferably attached to the underface of the body part and adjacent the opposite end to the outside of the aperture 4. Thus, the body part is rendered thicker on a suitable cementitious substance is satisfactory for that purpose.

The end laminations 7 and S each preferably has an arcuate concave inner edge as indicated at 9, to more evenly distribute pressure from an article of footwear and body weight.

It is a simple expedient to place the pad in operative position upon a hammer toe or the like, by inserting the toe through the aperture 4 and drawing the pad rearwardly until the upper lamination 7 is behind a corn or a similar afiiiction that may occur on the high part of the toe. It makes no difference which end of the pad is pulled over the top of the toe since the pad is uniform in shape at both ends. Thus, there can be no mistake made in afiixing the pad. The lamination S or thicker forward portion of the pad will then underlie the outer end of the toe and alleviate any aiiction in that region and render the toe more comfortable even though there is no affliction, since the pad will absorb the effeet of the unnatural pressure contact of the toe by virtue of its bent condition. Since the laminate portion 7 of the pad over the top of the toe distributes pressure from an article of footwear or the like over healthy tissue to the rear of the toe, and since the thickened portion 8 at the front of the pad underlies the forward end of the toe, and gives that forward end an elevation above adjacent toes, there is a distinct urging of the toe by the pad to straighten and assume a parallel relationship with adjacent toes.

It will be noted that the corrective pad is extremely simple in construction, economical to manufacture and use, and so constructed that it maintains its useful position on the toe against unintentional shifting.

In Fig. 4, I have illustrated the same pad construction, except in this instance the body part 3 and the

laminations

7 and 8 are made of cushioning material of the character of felt or some equivalent fabric. The construction is the same as that above described, with the exception that in this instance the laminations are preferably secured to the body part of the pad by lines of stitching and 11, the stitching preferably not extending centrally across the pad at the edges 9 of the

laminations

7 and 8, in order to eliminate any line of stiffness or rigidity transversely of the pad. The structure of Fig. 4 functions the same as the structure previously described although it may not possibly be laundered as well as the structure of Figs. 2 and 3.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a simple and economical form of hammer toe pad having a toe receiving aperture and being thicker on opposite sides and opposite ends, the structure being such that it is virtually impossible to make any error in affxing the pad to a toe, because it makes no difference which end of the pad is first applied.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

l. A hammer toe pad including a full size body part of cushioning material having a toe receiving aperture in an intermediate part thereof, a partial lamination secured to said body part over one face thereof and to one side of said aperture, and a second partial lamination secured to said body part over the opposite face thereof and to the opposite side of said aperture.

2. A hammer toe pad including a full size body part of cushioning material having a toe receiving aperture in an intermediate part thereof, a partial lamination secured to said body part over one face thereof and to one side of said aperture, and a second partial lamination secured to said body part over the opposite face thereof and to the opposite side of said aperture, said partial laminations also being of cushioning material.

3. A hammer toe pad including a full size body partY of cushioning material having-a toe receiving aperture in an intermediate part thereof, a partial lamination secured to said body part over one face thereof and to one side of said aperture, and a second partial lamination secured to said body part over the opposite face thereof and to the opposite side of said aperture, said partial laminations being of substantially the same thickness as said body part.

4. A hammer toe pad including a full size body part of cushioning material having a toe receiving aperture in an intermediate part thereof, a partial lamination secured to said body part over one face thereof and to one side of said aperture, and a second partial lamination secured to said body part over the opposite face thereof.

and to the opposite side of said aperture, said partial laminations being of the same material as said body part.

5. A hammer toe pad including a full size body part of cushioning material having a toe receiving aperture in an intermediate part thereof, a partial lamination secured to said body part over one face thereof and to one side of said aperture, a second partial lamination secured to said body part over the opposite face thereof and4 to the opposite side of said aperture, said body part having straight side edges and rounded end edges, and each said partial lamination having the same contour as said body part but terminating in an arcuate concave edge adjacent said aperture.

6. A hammer toe pad including a body part of cushioning material of uniform thickness, said body part having a toe receiving aperture therein, an extra thickness of material on said body part adjacent an end thereof, and an extra thickness of material adjacent the opposite end of said body part and on the opposite side thereof.

7. A hammer toe pad including a body part of cushioning material, said body part having a toe receiving aperture therein, and said body part being thicker on one side only of the median plane therethrough adjacent one end of the body part and thicker on the opposite side only of said plane adjacent the other end thereof.

8. A hammer toe pad including a body part of cushioning material of uniform thickness, said body part having a toe receiving aperture therein, an extra thickness of material on said body part adjacent an end thereof, and an extra thickness of material adjacent the opposite end of said body part and on the opposite side thereof, said body part and said extra thicknesses being of foam material having intercommunicating cells therein.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 958,199 Ward May 17, 1910 2,069,034 Hicks Ian. 26, 1937 2,539,115 Brachman Ian. 23, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,094,029 France Dec. 1, 1954