US3032895A - Shoe construction - Google Patents

Description

y 1962 s. GOLDBERG 3,032,895

SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed NOV. 28, 1960 Z0 22 A, J F 6 4 INVENTOR.

544/051 GDADBERG United States Patent 1 Claim. (Cl. 36-2.5)

This invention relates to shoes and, more particularly, to the outer sole construction therefor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an outer sole assembly for shoes, especially womens shoes, which will eliminate the necessity for a wedge type heel without sacrificing the strength and comfort thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a supported shank type outer sole assembly for shoes which is extremely flexible, and which is sufficiently rigid between the sole and heel to support the shank area independently of the free movement of the toe portion of the shoe.

Still an additional object of the present invention is to provide shoe construction of the type described which employs lacing as a connection between the adjacent ends of a flexible outer half-sole portion and a rigid outer heel-and-shank sole portion, together with adhesive therebetween for supplying the necessary flexibility without sacrificing suificient rigidity of the shank portion.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe having a sole construction made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the sole assembly embodied in the shoe of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, an outer sole made in accordance with the present invention is shown applied to a shoe having an upper, a heel, and a wedgeless shank area.

With reference now to FIGS. 2 to 5 of the drawing, the outer sole assembly 10 is shown to include a flexible [uter half-sole 12 and a rigid outer heel-and-shank portion 14. As is clearly shown in FIG. 5 of the drawing, the adjacent ends of the outer half sole and outer heeland-shank portion are tapered and cemented together with a layer of adhesive 16 to provide a flexible joint. In addition, the overlapping portions of the half sole and heel-and-shank portion are provided with aligned perice forations through which a lacing material 18 is threaded, with the opposite ends thereof terminating on the same side of the heel-and-shank portion 14 facing the innersole of the shoe.

In assembling this outer sole assembly with the shoe 15, a rigid shank 22 is sandwiched between the outer sole assembly 10, above the outer heel-and-shank portion 14, and the innersole 20. This shank 22, which is preferably of metallic construction, provides sufficient support for the arch of the foot to span the distance between the heel and the flexible outer half sole 12. The flexible adhesive 16 and lace joint of the outer half sole and outer heel-and-shank portion accommodates constant flexing of the .half sole relative to the heel-andshank portion without damaging the bond therebetween.

It will now be recognized that this construction may be readily applied to all types of shoes, thus eliminating the necessity for the conventional wedge type heel, and providing a substantial degree of flexibility during walking, without interfering with the rigid arch support.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, which is best defined by the claim appended hereto.

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

In a shoe having an upper and a heel, a sole assembly comprising a flexible outer half-sole portion for the forepart of a shoe, a rigid outer heel-and-shank portion, an insole, and a rigid shank sandwiched between said outer sole portions and said insole; the adjacent ends of said outer half-sole portion and said rigid outer heel-andshank portion being tapered and having their tapered surfaces overlapping and confronting each other with an elastic adhesive joining the confronting tapered surfaces, said outer half-sole portion and said outer heeland-shank portion having a plurality of pairs of aligned perforations therethrough, a flexible lacing threaded through said perforations, both ends of said lacing terminating on the side of the outer sole facing the said rigid shank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,162,445 Bostock Nov. 30, 1915 2,340,828 Walsh Feb. 1, 1944 2,345,551 Audino Apr. 4, 1944 2,361,511 Stritter .Oct. 31, 1944 2,691,832 Lurie Oct. 19, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 820,127 Germany Apr. 14, 1920

Images