US2009684A - Adjustable shoe - Google Patents

Description

July 30, 1935.

J. M. AFFRQNTE ADJUSTABLE 'SHOE Filed May 4, 1954 Patented July 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8. Claims.

invention relates; to: certain new and useimprovements. in. shoes, particularly of the sandaltype.

The main objects; are to. provide means wherethe length. size. of the shoe may be easily varied. also to provide. a novel adjustable shank stiffienersoconstructed; that. the tendency of the shank; tcr break down under the weight of the wearer isv effectively resisted;

Qther advantages will be: apparent firom a reading: of, the; following specification and an examination of. the: accompanying. drawing: in which I have shown my invention in one preferrect form.

In the drawing.

Fig; 1 is a; perspective view ofimproved shoe;

2- is a relatively enlarged side elevation partly in section;

Fig. 3 is. an exploded view showing certain details in perspective;

Fig.4 isa plan viewof certain details.v

I represents, the heel proper of a shoe. 2 represents. the quarter or heel portion. 3 represents;- the vamp or toe portion. t represents the shank portion. Secured within the shank between the insole and the outsole thereof is a metal strip 5 which forms part of my novel shank stifiener. Any suitable means such as a rivet may be employed to secure this strip 5 within the shoe shank. The rear end; of this strip projects beyond the rear end of the shank. and is provided with a. plurality of holes 5-. The cooperating part of: the shank stiffener comprises, in its. preferred form, a sleeve 6 within which the rear end of the strip. 5 snugly telescopes. The part 6- preferably has. laterally projecting ears 56' with a screw hole in each car. There is also a screw hole in the rear end of said sleeve. 49 'i-t are screws by which. the part 6 may be anchored to the heel 5. In the part 6 there is a screw passage in the mid portion for receiving an adjusting screw 8. The part 6 is so mounted or shimmed on the heel that its forward end is elevated somewhat (see Fig. 2) to afford a clearance pocket or recess to receive the rear end of the outsole portion of the shank. 9 is what I may term an insole piece for the heel. This is suitably fitted to the inside of the quarter with its forward edge spaced above the part 6 sufliciently to afford the clearance pocket or recess for the rear end of the insole portion of the shank. This piece may be held in place by the heads of the screws 1-1. These parts may be properly skived so that the upper surfaces of the heel insole and: the shank insole will be pract-ically flush. I U= is a sock lining for the inside or the heel portion. H is a small flap the sock lining l ii which, inthefinished shoe asdelivered to the dealer, is preferably left loose to give access to the adjusting screw 8-; This screw- 8 isof a size to approximately fillthe particular hole 5 that may be lined up therewith. The usual sock lining (not shown)- may be provided theshank and toe portion of the shoe. Now, assuming the shoe as delivered to the dealer is found tobe a-littletooshort ora little too long for a prospective customer. In that event, the dealer has but to remove the screw- 8, shift the parts so as toleng-thenor shorten the degree to which the part 5 will overlap the heel longitudinally; reapply the screw," and, finally, cement down the flap. The spacing of the holes 5' is preferably such as to permit the length size variation toconform; to the commercialsize variations. Ordinarily, three holes 5' will be found toafiorda,- suffici'entl'ywide variation in length size to accommodate most feet of a given width size. Itsometimes; happens that one person will have one foot longer than the other. By my invention, the dealer is not obliged to' split, two pair of" shoes of different sizes to accommodate such a customer; but may adjust either one of a'pai-r of my shoes to take care of this variation. By this invention, a dealer is not required to purchase and carry as large" a stock as when stocking up: with shoes of the conventional sizes. By my invention, the rear end of the shank stiifener extends well" back of the center of the heel and provides a' long bearing, the effect of which is to successfully resist. the tendency of the shank to break down with the weight of the wearer.

I have shown and described my invention in y ne preferred fo m, being, aware hat various' changes may be'mad'e' in design and construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, the variation in length size adjustment is effected by varying the degree to which the part 5 overlaps the breast of the heel. The employment of a piece such as the sleeve 6 furnishes one a simple and efficient means to that end, but this particular means is not essential so long as some means is provided to hold the projecting end of the piece 5 securely to the heel in different degrees of overlap and also provided a proper clearance pocket or recess is present at the front of the heel to receive the end of the shank including the terminal portions of the insole and outsole which sheath the shank stiffener in various positions of longitudinal adjustment of the piece 5 with respect to the heel.

I claim:

1. A sandal type shoe comprising a heel portion, a metallic socket carried thereby and open at its front end, a vamp portion having a rearwardly extending shank stiffened by a metallic strip sheathed between the insole and outsole portions thereof and extending beyond the ends of said portions and slidable into said socket, said heel portion having a pocket at its forward end to telescopically receive and hide the endsof the insole and outsole portions of the shank surrounding said metallic strip, and means to lock said shank end within the heel portion in any one of a plurality of positions to permit said shoe to be varied in over-all length without removing said insole and outsole portions of the shank from said pocket and from above the heel.

2. A sandal shoe comprising a heel portion, a vamp portion having a rearwardly extending shank provided with a metallic arch supporting strip secured between the insole and outsole portions thereof and covered thereby except at its rear end, a metallic socket secured on top of the heel portion and with which the uncovered end of said strip end is telescopically adjustable, said heel portion having a forwardly facing pocket above the breast of the heel to receive the rear ends of the insole and outsole portions of the shank and to permit support thereof by the breast portion.

3. In a shoe, a vamp portion having a rearwardly extending shank portion, a metallic shank stiifener secured within the shank and projecting beyond the rear end thereof, a heel portion having a pocket at the front for telescopically receiving the end of the shank, and means for securing the projecting end of the shank stiffener to the heel portion in different positions of adjustment longitudinally thereof to permit varying the length size of said shoe, the depth of said pocket being suificient to permit said adjustment without removing said shank from said pocket and from above the heel.

4. A shoe of the sandal type comprising a heel having a pocket at its upper front portion below the seat thereof, a vamp having a rearwardly extending shank comprising an insole and an outsole secured together at their edges, the ends of said insole and outsole being adjustable to and fro in said heel pocket, a shank stiffener comprising two adjustable telescopic members, one being rigidly secured to the heel in line with said pocket, the other being rigidly secured to said shank between the insole and outsole portions thereof, and means to hold said telescopic stiffener members in different positions of longitudinal adjustment without removing the ends of said insole and outsole from said heel pocket and from above the heel.

5. A sandal type shoe comprising a heel portion, a metallic socket carried thereby and open at its front end, a vamp portion having a rearwardly extending shank stiffened by a metallic strip held between the insole and outsole portions thereof and extending rearwardly beyond the ends of said insole and outsole portion, said metallic strip being telescopically adjustable in said socket, the outsole portion of said shank overlapping the forward part of the heel, with means to lock said metallic strip in said socket in different positions of adjustment, said outsole portion of the shank overlapping the heel in all of said positions of adjustment, and means above the heel portion constituting a support for the human heel pad, said means overlapping the insole portion of said shank.

6, A sandal type shoe comprising a heel portion, a vamp portion having a rearwardly extending shank including an insole and an outsole, a metallic stiffener strip enclosed in the shank be tween the insole and the outsole and projecting rearwardly therefrom, means carried by the heel, the exposed end of said metallic stiffener strip being adjustably securable thereto in different positions longitudinally to vary the length size of the shoe, the rear end of said outsole overlapping the forward end of the heel in all different positions of adjustment, with means on the heel above the metallic stiffener strip and overstanding the insole portion of the shank to form a support for the human heel pad.

'7. An adjustable shoe comprising a heel portion, a vamp portion having a rearwardly extending arched shank including insole and outsole portions, the outsole overlapping the upper front surface of the heel, in all positions of adjustment, a metallic stiffener strip for the arched shank secured between the insole and outsole portions thereof and projecting rearwardly beyond the insole portion, means to adjustbly and firmly secure the rear portion of the stiifener strip to the heel top, to vary the length size of said shoe, with means overlying the heel top to hide said strip and to form a seat for the human heel pad.

8. A shoe composed of two parts, one part comprising a vamp and a shank, the other part comprising a heel and a quarter, a two-part-metallic shank stiffener and connector, one part of said stiffener being embedded in said shank, the other part of said stiffener being embedded in the upper part of said heel, means for rigidly securing together the two parts of said stiffener to connect the two parts of said shoe, the rear portion of said shank overlapping the breast of said heel when the two parts of said shoe are assembled together.

JOSEPH M. AFFRONTE.

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