US3077886A

US3077886A - Shoe sole construction

Info

Publication number: US3077886A
Application number: US83027A
Authority: US
Inventors: Pirhonen Eino
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-01-16
Filing date: 1961-01-16
Publication date: 1963-02-19
Anticipated expiration: 1980-02-19

Description

Feb. 19, 1963 E. PIRHONEN 3,077,886

SHOE SOLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1961 FIG. 5 A 6 JNVENToR. E//VO P/RHO/VE/V AT TORNEYS Unitje States My invention relates primarily to a new and improved construction for shoes of all types; in particular, my invention is concerned with novel means for affording support to a shoe without inhibiting the normal movements of each part of the foot.

It has been found that the lateral midfoot portion of the foot tends to become misaligned longitudinally due to fatigue, imbalance, proration of the foot during walking and other causes. The result often is a lowering of the midfoot arch and flattening of the lower surface of the foot. Such a condition produces fatigue in the ligaments and tendons of the foot and leg, ultimately resulting in the functional failure of the elements themselves or serious injury thereto. It is also apparent that such consequences ruin the shape of the shoe prematurely, thereby adding to the expense of buying shoes.

Accordingly it is an object of my invention lto provide an improved shoe.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved shoe construction adapted to prevent premature failure or stretching of a shoe.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for imparting extra strength to a shoe in those areas requiring added support without sacrificing the iiexibility necessary and desirable in other areas of the shoe.

Another object of my invention is to provide a shoe having an insole characterized by gradations of stiffness and adapted to provide support where support is needed and flexibility where flexibility is needed.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a novel sole construction for a shoe characterized by simplicity in design, ease of manufacture and economical in cost, wherein the insole, the upper body member and outsole are joined in a new and novel manner.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a shoe, novel means for distributing the weight in the shoe in accordance with correct orthopedic techniques without adding greatly to the cost of the shoe and without affecting other properties of the shoe.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved shoe having superior structural characteristics and having means for providing ventilation therein without appreciable loss `of strength.

I shall not here attempt to set forth and indicate all of the various objects and advantages incident to my invention, but other objects and advantages will be referred to in or else Will become apparent from that which follows.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing by way of example a preferred embodiment oi' the inventive idea wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

In the drawings forming part of this application:

FIGURE l is a longitudinal elevational view, partially in section, through a shoe illustrating an embodiment of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view taken substantially on the line 2 2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the support insole removed from the shoe;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section view taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 1; and

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FIGURE 6 is a vertical section view taken on the line 6 6 of FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail my invention, designated in its entirety by the reference character A, consists of a shoe body 10 characterized by a foot engaging upper body member 12, an insole 14, a conventional outsolel and heel 13. v

It can be appreciated that thus far a somewhat conventional shoe has been described; that is to say, a shoe having an outsole and heel, an insole, and an upper. Conventional shoe construction, as explained, is easily worn out and loses its support strength quickly because the

soles

14 and 16 are more or less uniform in transverse cross section and thus have the same degree of flexibility from one end to the other. Rapid deterioration occurs because of the nature of the loads imposed on the shoe during walking or running. It is well known that the weight of a person is progressively transmitted from the heel to the toe in walking, causing the weight to roll medially inward from the outer longitudinal arch to the region of the great toe. This weight shift imparts downward pressures to the region of the arch where it must be resisted by the shoe( In meeting this problem, I have provided a new and different type of support member or insole 14 extending from the toe longitudinally to the heel, as shown by the dotted ilines in FIGURE 1.

Support insole 14 is preferably made of a sheet of uniform thickness plastic material, either of the thermoplastic or thermosetting type; it may also be fabricated of a combination material such as vinyl-to-metal laminates or it may be fashioned of metal alone. The important consideration is that t-he support insole 14 exhibits different degrees of stiffness (or conversely, flexibility) from the toe end 22 thereof to the heel end 24 thereof. My invention contemplates a gradation of decreased ileidbility in the following manner: From the toe end 22 to a point slightly therebeyond (as illustrated by line B-B in FIG- URES 2 and 3), sole 14 is totally iniiexible, from this point to point C-C sole 14 is very exible, from point C-C to point D-D sole 14 is less exible than from point B-B to point C-C, and from point D-D to point E-E the sole 14 approximates the hardness or inflexibility of the toe section.

As shown in FIGURE 5, a built up arch side wall 2S, which is inexible, is provided, for supporting the inner arch of the wearer, as part of the support sole 14. The support sole 14 may be perforated, as at 26, to provide ventilation. Securing of the support sole 14 within the bottom of the shoe may be accomplished by means of egs or projections 28, formed as part of sole 14 and secured in holes formed in the `outer sole 16.

The ylower inner edge 13 of the upper shoe body l12 is formed with a series of holes through which the pegs 28 extend, the pegs being anchored in the outsole 16. Thus, with such construction the upper shoe 12, the support sole 14 and the outsole 16 are all held together with a single gluing and pressing operation with the pegs extending through the holes of the upper, the insole 14 and outersole 16.

In the construction set forth in the drawings, I have shown my invention as embodied permanently in a shoe; but it is, of course, entirely possible to make my new support sole 14 separate and distinct from the shoe. In this form my sole can be inserted into a shoe on top of a conventional insole and worn and' subsequently removed. By providing a graduated degree of flexibility in my sole according to the flow of weight from heel to toe, a less fatiguing and longer wearing shoe and/or sole is attained and improved foot comfort is possible.

lt is also possible to vary the degree of exibility according to individual needs. For example, the toe portion between point 22 and point B--B may be made slightly flexible rather than totally inexible, varying degrces of stiiness may be imparted to the other areas of inner support sole 14 in line with `the particular demands of the user. A conventional insole may be positioned between the support sole 14 and the outer sole 16.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a shoe, an outer sole, an upper body, a one-piece insole extending from the toe to the heel of said shoe, said insole being generally uniform in thickness and having a foot supporting upper surface parallel to the other sole of said shoe, the outer sole of said shoe having a plurality of peg receiving apertures arranged in a closely spaced manner throughout the length and width thereof, a plurality of pegs formed integral with said insole and extending therefrom in locking communication with the apertures in said outer sole, said insole being graduated in its degree of flexibility fiom its toe end to its heel end whereby to lessen the fatigue of the wearer and increase the life of said shoe without the addition of ller material between said insole and said outer sole, said insole being made of a sheet of uniform thickness plastic material formed so as to exhibit total inflexibility in the area adjacent the heel and toe of said shoe, said insole exhibiting relatively total exibility in the area immediately adjacent the said area of total inexibility and extending therefrom toward the heel to a positionsin substantially lateral register with area supporting the ball of the foot, said insole exhibiting flexibility of a degree of flexibility intermediate said total inilexibility and said total iiexibility in the area adjacent said area or" intlexibility and extending therefrom towards the heel of said shoe, said insole exhibiting relatively total inflexibility in the area of said shoe supporting the heel of the foot, said last mentioned area of total infiexibility being in communication with said area of intermediate flexibility.

2. The shoe construction described in claim l wherein an inexible arch side wall is formed integral with said insole.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D, 139,580 Diamant Nov. 28, 1944 1,775,957 Hassink Sept. 16, 1930 1,934,591 Churchill Nov. 7, 1933 1,976,389 Everston Oct. 9, 1934 2,427,986 Whitman Sept. 23, 1947 2,441,891 Lucey May 18, 1948 2,710,462 Swadburgh June 14, 1955 2,917,844 Scholl Dec. 22, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 835,859 Germany Apr. 7, 1952

Claims

1. IN A SHOE, AN OUTER SOLE, AN UPPER BODY, A ONE-PIECE INSOLE EXTENDING FROM THE TOE TO THE HEEL OF SAID SHOE, SAID INSOLE BEING GENERALLY UNIFORM IN THICKNESS AND HAVING A FOOT SUPPORTING UPPER SURFACE PARALLEL TO THE OTHER SOLE OF SAID SHOE, THE OUTER SOLE OF SAID SHOE HAVING A PLURALITY OF PEG RECEIVING APERTURES ARRANGED IN A CLOSELY SPACED MANNER THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH AND WIDTH THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF PEGS FORMED INTEGRAL WITH SAID INSOLE AND EXTENDING THEREFROM IN LOCKING COMMUNICATION WITH THE APERTURES IN SAID OUTER SOLE, SAID INSOLE BEING GRADUATED IN ITS DEGREE OF FLEXIBILITY FROM ITS TOE END TO ITS HEEL END WHEREBY TO LESSEN THE FATIGUE OF THE WEARER AND INCREASE THE LIFE OF SAID SHOE WITHOUT THE ADDITION OF FILLER MATERIAL BETWEEN SAID INSOLE AND SAID OUTER SOLE, SAID INSOLE BEING MADE OF A SHEET OF UNIFORM THICKNESS PLASTIC MATERIAL FORMED SO AS TO EXHIBIT TOTAL INFLEXIBILITY IN THE AREA ADJACENT THE HEEL AND TOE OF SAID SHOE, SAID INSOLE EXHIBITING RELATIVELY TOTAL FLEXIBILITY IN THE AREA IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THE SAID AREA OF TOTAL INFLEXIBILITY AND EXTENDING THEREFROM TOWARD THE HEEL TO A POSITION IN SUBSTANTIALLY LATERAL REGISTER WITH AREA SUPPORTING THE BALL OF THE FOOT, SAID INSOLE EXHIBITING FLEXIBILITY OF A DEGREE OF FLEXIBILITY INTERMEDIATE SAID TOTAL INFLEXIBILITY AND SAID TOTAL FLEXIBILITY IN THE AREA ADJACENT SAID AREA OF INFLEXIBILITY AND EXTENDING THEREFROM TOWARDS THE HEEL OF SAID SHOE, SAID INSOLE EXHIBITING RELATIVELY TOTAL INFLEXIBILITY IN THE AREA OF SAID SHOE SUPPORTING THE HEEL OF THE FOOT, SAID LAST MENTIONED AREA OF TOTAL INFLEXIBILITY BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID AREA OF INTERMEDIATE FLEXIBILITY.