US3022577A

US3022577A - Shoe-fit checking device

Info

Publication number: US3022577A
Application number: US62204A
Authority: US
Inventors: Milton M Rockmore
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-10-13
Filing date: 1960-10-13
Publication date: 1962-02-27
Anticipated expiration: 1979-02-27

Description

United States Patent @i' 3,022,577 SHQE-FIT CHECKING DEVICE Milton M. Roclnnore, 102 Brookby Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. Filed Oct. 13, 1960. Ser. No. 62,204 3 Claims. (Cl. 33-3) This invention relates to a device for use in connection with the fitting of shoes, especially childrens shoes, and more particularly to a device for determining whether the proper shoe size has been selected for the person who is to wear the shoes.

It is general practice when buying shoes, to have the feet measured by a suitable measuring device and a pair of shoes chosen on the basis of the size indicated by the measuring device. Whether the shoes selected actually fit, however, is ordinarily not definitely determinable. This question is sometimes resolved by walking in the shoes to judge their comfort, or by pressing on the out side of the shoe to feel for the position of the foot in the shoe. In the case of small children incapable of judging whether the shoe size is proper, the first of the above methods cannot be used, and unless the person fitting the shoes is experienced, the second method is unreliable.

In the past, many shoe stores were equipped with X- ray machines which permitted the position or" the foot in the shoe to be observed. However, nowadays the use of such devices is considered to be undesirable.

It is the general object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a device for visually demonstrating in a perfectly safe manner whether or not the shoes selected properly fit the person who is to wear the shoes.

It is another object to provide a device which not only checks whether the length and width dimensions of the shoe are proper, but also checks the measurement from the heel to the ball of the foot.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device whereby the suitability of the shape of the last for the particular shoe-wearer can be appraised.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a shoe-fit checking device which can be readily used with success by inexperienced persons, and which can be manufactured inexpensively.

It is a particular feature of the invention to provide a device which may be readily preserved by the seller of the shoes, or by the purchaser, for re-checking the suitability of a particular pair of shoes after the expiration of a time period during which the wearers feet may have grown larger. With this objective in view, the invention aims to provide a shoe-fit checking instrument whose manufacture is so simple and inexpensive that a separate device may be furnished with each shoe made or sold, the device conforming in size and peripheral contour to the insole of that particular shoe. Thus, by reverting to this device from time to time after a pair of shoes has been purchased and worn, the suitability of the shoes for the wearer can be re-appraised with ease and reliability.

To carry out these objectives, the present invention employs a device comprising a foot-supporting member having a peripheral contour accurately corresponding to the contour of the insole of a particular shoe, and an upstanding wall surrounding this foot-supporting member and conforming to the peripheral contour thereof. When the fit of the particular shoe to which the device corresponds is to be checked, the foot is placed upon the footsupporting member within the confines of the upstanding wall. This gives a visible demonstration of exactly how the foot is positioned, when inside the shoe, with relation to the walls of the shoe.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

3,622,57 Patented Feb. 27, 1962 In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device; and

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are views similar to FIG. 2 showing alternative embodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 13 of the drawings, a piece of sheet material 10, which may for example be plastic or paper, is shown having a central region 11. The central region 11 has a peripheral contour corresponding to the contour of the insole of a particular shoe. Surrounding the central region 11 is an upstanding wall 12 which is preferably continuous and projects out of the plane of the sheet 10. It will be seen that the wall 12 follows the peripheral contour of the region 11 and together with that region presents a facsimile of the inside of a shoe.

in order that the device correspond accurately with a certain size shoe made on a particular last, it is contemplated that the insole used in a shoe of that size will be employed as a template informing the wall 12 on the sheet 10. The wall 12 and region 11 will then correspond in length, width, and peripheral contour with any shoe made on. that last. Since these devices can be massproduced readily, as by vacuum drawing or embossing, it is entirely feasible and economically possible for a shoe manufacturer to pack two of them, one allocated to the left shoe and the other to the right, in every box of new shoes. Then, at the time that purchase of a particular pair of shoes is being considered, the devices may be placed side by side on the floor and the person for whom the shoes are being purchased may step onto the regions 11 within the confines of the wall 12. The purchaser and the shoe store salesman are thereby given a visual indication of the actual orientation of the feet in the shoes.

It will be apparent that the invention is particularly applicable to childrens shoes, and that the parents visual inspection of the childs foot when placed within the fit-checking device affords an excellent opportunity to judge the suitability of that particular size or last for that particular foot, without reliance upon the childs expression of opinion on the subject or upon a sales persons persuasion.

T he device is made of any suitable durable and formretaining material. it has been found that plastic materials in sheet form are eminently satisfactory since they are inexpensive, light in weight,'readily deformable during manufacture (by vacuum forming or other appropriate shaping procedures), durable, sanitary, and comfortable and form-retaining. t is preferred that a degree of elasticity be present and that the walls 12 be yieldable under pressure. Such pressure may under certain circumstances indicate that a Wrong shoe size has been chosen. Inspection of the device while the child is standin g in it will thus readily reveal whether the shoe size and last are proper. Furthermore, although FIG. 2 shows the walls 12 arranged perpendicular to the plane of the sheet 10, it may sometimes be advantageous to position them obliquely so that they diverge outwardly from the sheet 19.

FIG. 2 shows a device according to the present invention which might be produced by a vacuum drawing process from an initially flat sheet of thermoplastic material. in such a case, the wall 12 is integral with the footsupporting region 11 and the remainder of the sheet 10'. FIG. 4 shows a device fabricated from a sheet 16a which has been embossed to form a more gently rounded upstanding wall 1211 surrounding a foot-supporting region 11a. It may be desirable under certain circumstances to produce the device in this manner.

In FIG. 5, the wall 12b is an element independent of 3 the sheet 19!) which may be secured to the sheet by a suitable adhesive. 1

In FIG. 6, a device according to this invention has been produced by providing a block of suitable material 14,

e.g., plastic or leather, with a hollow 15 whose peripheral contour conforms to the contour of a'particular shoe insole. The base of the hollow'15 forms a foot-supporting surface 110 and the sidewalls 12c are analogous to the

walls

12, 12a, .and 12b in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5.

The usefulness of the device for advertising purposes will be readily appreciated. It may 'bear the name or trademark of the manufacturer, or the name and address of the shoe store, and other indicia and embellishment as may be desired. A place may be reserved for imprinting the date of purchase, for example, and if the device is delivered to the purchaser of the shoes it may be reused at time intervals to re-check the tit and suitability as hereinbefore described. If the device, or perhaps a duplicate set, is retained by the shoe store, it maybe ferred forms only-and by way of example but it will be apparent that many variations may be made which will still be comprised within the spirit of the invention. It is understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific embodiment except insofar as such limitations are expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe-fit checking device comprising a hat sheet of thin springy material adapted to be placed upon a flat foot-supporting surface or iioor, said sheet being provided with an upstanding deflectable wall of similar material disposed aiong a line defining the outline of a foot of predetermined size and shape, said sheet having its marginal region extending outwardly from said wall to sustain the latter in the desired outline-defining disposition, the deflection of said wall serving as an aid in indicating the extent to which a foot inserted within the confines of said wall is larger than or deviates from said predetermined foot outline. V 7

2. A shoe-fit checking device as defined in claim 1, in which the upstandingwall is formed as an integral part of said sheet. a

3. A shoe-fit checking device as defined in claim 1, in which the sheet includes a foot-supporting area lying within the confines of said wall, the wall being formed as an integral part of said sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,464,571 Gardner Mar. 15, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 721,563 Great Britain Jan. 5, 1955 519,013 Belgian Apr. 30, 1953