US1984989A - Pedal attachment for dancing - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 1s, 1934. G, B, REED 1,984,989

PEDAL ATTACHMENT FOR DANCING AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 17, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l @eoel- Reed,

PEDAL ATTACHMENT FOR DANCING AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 17, 1929 2 sheets-sheet 2 Ellllllllll I 'eofye eed] y ,mf f

Patented Dec- 18, 1934 l UNITED dSTATES PATENT OFFICE PEDL ATTACHJWENT FOR. VDANCING AND THE LIKE This invention relates to floor contacting devices for use with footwear used for purposes of amusement, exercise and public exhibition, etc., and has for its object the provision 'of such de-v vices as enable the wearer to indulge in novel movements, such as cannot be obtained with devices of this class heretofore known.

More specifically, Athe invention resides in the provision of floor contacting means of markedly differential frictional characteristics ,so arranged to be alternately available at the will of the wearer.` l

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is an underneath view of a shoe equipped with a preferred form of means embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal cross sectional view of the lower portion of the shoe shown in Fig. 1, in one positioning thereof.

Figure 3 is 'a transverse section of the same shoe on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2, in another positioning thereof.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal central sectional view of a shoe embodying another modification of my'4 Figure 14 is a central longitudinal sectional` view of another modication of my invention.

Figure 15 is an underneath view of the modication shown in Fig. 14.

In dancing of the type of which ballet dancing and barefoot dancing are examples, any sliding action of the foot, while any great portion of the weight of the dancer is upon it, is virtually impossible due to the clinging characterof the ballet slipper or the bare feet resnectively, such dancingbeing limited to walking, running andj jumping motions, posturing and the like. In the case of common ballroom dancing with the relatively hard and smooth leather soled shoes or dancing pumps commonly used, a certain degree of sliding'motion may be obtained if a suloiently smooth oor and oor contacting shoe sur- Afaces are used. On the other hand, if the floor and shoe surfaces are such as to permit sliding, they will also provide but little traction'for the purpose of propulsion, and certainly both traction andsliding cannot be provided in marked degree by any single combination of floor and shoe surfaces. For this reason, unless the dancer runs a considerable distance in order to acquire speed, but very little sliding is possible, other than certain dragging motions of a foot upon which the dancer is placing but little weight.

In the case of skating, a sliding or gliding motion of great freedom is obtained, and also considerable traction under the control of the skater, but both the gliding and the traction have limitations as to direction. For instance, in the case of ice skates, free gliding is largely limited to the projected paths of the skate blades, while in roller skates the gliding motion is limited toA the projected paths of the rollers. Furthermore, iny both ice skates and roller skates, the tractive or propulsive effect is largely limited to directions oblique to the paths of said blades or rollers respectively. For these reasons the attainment of any but quite limited motions or evolutions in skating requires great skill and practice, and is especially diilicult in the case of couples performing face to face in close juxtaposition. Y By novel means, which I will hereinafter describe, I attain gliding of greater freedom rthan that commonly attained in ballroom dancing, this gliding being moreover not restricted to certainv paths or directions as in skating, and I further provide traction greater than in equivalent ballroom dancing, yet less limited in direction than that provided by skates. y

Referring now to the drawings, in Fig. 1, I show the floor contacting portions of a shoe em- -bodying a preferred form of my invention., The

In my preferred form, the first named portions leather sole and heel, the frictional material may be attached thereto by any suitable means, as cement, and the anti-frictional material may be fastened to said leatherA by any suitable means as the screws 24.

Figs. 2 and 3 show sections of the same shoe, and indicate that the anti-frictional surfaces 22 and 23 preferably project slightly beyond the general depth of the frictional surfaces 20 and 21. It is thus clear that if the shoe be held substantially level upon a suitably smooth floor surface, as 25, only the anti-frictional meanswill be in contact with said floor.

However, if, as shown in Fig. 4, the shoe be tilted as in the act of taking a forward step, then will the frictional surface 20 be brought into contact with the floor. Moreover, as will be /clearly seen by referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, in this embodiment of my invention, by tilting the shoe either laterally or rearwardly, as in the act of stepping respectively sideways or backwards, the frictional sur'faces will be similarly brought to bear against the floor.

The floor surface may be any one or more of a variety of substances such as the common waxed and polished ballroom floor, polished steel or other metal, tile, marble, special compositions, linoleum, ice or any surface desired for dancing or exercise. The floor surface may, moreover, be either lubricated or unlubricated, and for use with certain embodiments of my invention later described, may be of distinctly frictional character, such as concrete.

The anti-frictional floor contacting parts of the shoe may be any one or more of a number 'of substances best suited to the type of oor upon which the invention is used, and the dancing or other motion desired; among the anti-frictional means usable being polished steel or other metal,

polished Wood, oil-impregnated Wood, lubricant compositions4 and the like, and rollers or balls.

'Ihe frictional iioor contacting parts of the shoe may similarly be of varied character, such as rubber, or rubber substitutes, compositions containing resins or other frictional matter, abra-4 sives, spikes or serrations and the like.

I have found that upon atypical waxed and polished wooden dancing floor, as an anti-frictional floor contacting shoe surface, polished stainless steel is satisfactory, having only from 'one-half to one-third the co-eflicient of friction of the common leather sole upon said floor, under pressures similar to the treading weight thereon of a wearer. As frictional means upon a similar floor, I have found that a common grade of rubberhas upwards of twice the coefllcient of friction of a common leather sole. It will thus be readily understood that with a shoe treading surface of the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4,'a distinctly novel and varied form of motion may be obtained at .the will of the wearer, stepping or thrusting being possible inany direction rapidly and with marked security, by merely inlclining the foot in that direction, yet sliding being as readily obtainable in any`direction, by rest- A ing the weight squarely upon one or more of 'the anti-frictional tread portions.

For use upon ice or the like I contemplate a treading surface as shown in Fig. 5, the antifrictional'portions 26 and 27 being'of steel or other suitable metal, and the. frictional portions 28 and 29 being of coarseabrasive or spikes or serrations as shown. 'I'he anti-frictional portion of my floor-contactmg means is not necessarily limited. t9 il' surface 1,984,989 1 in the commonly understood sense of the term.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I show an elevation, some parts in section, and an underneath view respectively, of a shoe, the anti-frictional means of which consists of roller casters 32. These casters are free to turn about their pivots 33 so that gliding action upon the rollers 34 is possible in any direction when the foot of the wearer is held substantially level, this gliding motion being entirely different from the limited paths of roller skates. Instead of casters, metal balls may be used as shown in Fig. 8, these balls carrying the wearers weight through anti-frictional ball seating blocks 36 of oil-impregnated woodor the like. In this case, as in the case of the casters, the oor 37 may be of quite frictional character greater than the seating blocks 36 in order to more readily induce the balls 35 to turn. A variety of other anti-frictional means may be devised, all within the scope' of my invention.

It is to be understood that the exact construction of my preferred form is not to be construed a limitation of my invention. For instance, instead of a leather-soled shoe, I show in Fig. 9 a shoe of the type commonly known as a sneaker,

the entire sole and heel of which is of rubber, thus.

providing the frictional surfaces without further adaptation or attachment, while the anti-frictional surfaces 3l may be of sheet metal readily clinched into said rubber sole as shown at 31'.

The invention further is not limited to an actual shoe, the frictional and anti-frictional means bing, if desired, attachable to or'detachable from an ordinary shoe. As an illustration of one such embodiment of my invention, I show in Fig. 10'

a detachable over-shoe having similar iioor contacting means to those hereinbefore described.`

vsurrounding the anti-frictional portion is largelyI to prevent the falling of one unskilled in the use` ofthe shoe, through accidental slipping of the foot as is likely to occur upon skates.

However, the distribution of surfaces `of Fig. 1 is only one of innumerable variations which may be devised for varied forms of steps, Figs. 11, 12 and 13 showing underneath views of three forms productive of widely different results yet all having the common broad characteristics of my invention. The oor contacting means may further not be divided according to the commonv subdivisions of half-sole and heel, Figs. 14 and 15 tively, of a shoe in which the central portion, occupied by the non-oor contacting arch in common shoes, is utilized as a portion of my invention.

It is to be. further understood that either the frictional or the anti-frictional floor contacting` surfaces of the various forms 'of my invention may be either substantially flat or curved in various elevations thereof without affecting th'e spirit of my invention. In any event, I have found it desirable when using substantially flat anti-frictional metal surfaces to round all breaks in convshowing a section and underneath view, respectinuity of said surfaces as the edge 39 iFlg. 2, l

- in order both the more' easily to ride over minor fioorobstructions'such'as the edges of the boards and the like, and to not mar said floor by scraping when slightly inclining the foot.

Having now described my invention, what I desire to claim as new and useful, is:

l. A pedal attachment forexecuting various intricate movements in dancing or the like, having afloor contacting area divided into surfaces exhibiting widely different frictional characteristics with respect to the floor upon which it is used, a portion of said surfaces having relatively low frictional characteristics and being arranged inwardly of said area and permitting free gliding movement over the floor when the foot of the wearer is in normal position, and other portions of said surfaces having markedly higher frictionalv characteristics and being arranged in positions including the extreme front and sides where they can be brought into play upon tilting the foot in forward or lateral directions from the normal position.

2. A pedal attachment for use in dancing or the like, comprising a i'ioor contacting area having portions arranged substantially on the median line of both the sole and heel portions thereof having a frictional characteristic approximating that of polished metal and portions nanaing said4 medially arranged portions having the irictional characteristics of rubber or the like.

3. vAs an article of` manufacture, a shoe device having a substantially centrally located antifrictional supporting means giving the wearer a stable base and `being of a character adapted to providef-ree gliding movement in any direction irrespective of the orientation of the shoe when it is' in normal upright position, and other suphaving'a substantially centrally locatedsmooth supporting surface, giving the wearer a stable base and being of a character adapted to provide free gliding movement in any direction irrespective of the orientation of the shoe `when it is in normal upright position, and another supporting surface permanently upwardly oifset from the plane of the supporting face of the first mentioned supporting surface, said 4second surface being of' substantial width flanking said first mentioned surface at least at the front and sides and of a relatively high frictlonal character to provide a relatively sharp braking effect to a gliding movement and a relatively rm hold for starting and accelerating gliding movement in directions irrespective of the orientation of the shoe when the shoe is tilted from the normal upright position.

5. As an article of manufacture, a shoe device having substantially centrally located rotative supporting means arranged to give the wearer a stable base and adapted to provide free gliding movement in any direction irrespective of the orientation of the shoe when it is in normal upright position, and other supporting means permanently upwardly oiiset from the plane of the supporting face of said rotative supporting means, said second means being of substantial width anking said first mentioned means and of a frictional character to provide a relatively sharp braking effect to a gliding movement and a relatively iirm hold for starting and accelerating a gliding movement in directions irrespective of the orientation of the shoe when the shoe is tilted from the normal upright position.

6. As an article of manufacture, a shoe device having a. substantially centrally located smooth metal supporting surface giving the wearer a stable base and adapted to provide free gliding movement in any direction irrespective of the orientation of the shoe when it is in normal upright position, and other supporting means comprising a toothed gripping surface permanently upwardly oilset from the plane of the smooth metal supporting face and flanking said first mentioned supporting face at least at thesides thereof and providing a relatively sharp braking effect to the gliding movement and a. relatively rm hold for starting and accelerating a gliding movement in directions irrespective of the orientation of the shoe when the shoe is tilted from the normal upright position. A

` GEORGE B. REED.

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