US2347166A - Jointed shoe sole - Google Patents

Description

Patented Apr. '25, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFic-E 2,347,166 JOINTED SHOE sons Julius Baer, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Application July 5, 1943, Serial No. 493,529

(c1. afs-s3) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to the construction of a sole of a shoe. On account of the present industrial requirements, restrictions have been placed on the use of materials ordinarily used for shoe soles, as a consequence of which it is necessary to make shoe soles of other materials, and for this purpose wood is a convenient and available material. But, oi course, wood has the objection of rigidity if constructed of the thickness usually employed in shoe soles.

It has been suggested heretofore to overcome the objection of rigidity in using wood for shoe soles, by employing one or more joints in the construction of the sole, that enable the sole to flex at one or more lines or axes extending transversely to the sole. Many specic constructions have been Isuggested to be employed in the manufacture of such a joint, but many of them require the use of some metal parts in their construction; and, furthermore, they are generally constructed so that the sections of the sole that are jointed together, cannot be readily separated without the use of special tools.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a shoe sole having a transverse joint, or joints, so constructed as to adapt the sole to be constructed of a rigid material such as wood, or similar material. y

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe sole adapted to be constructed of wood, or similar material, and having a joint constructed so as to enable the parts to be readily separated at the joint, thereby enabling a worn toe portion of a shoe sole to be discarded, and a new toe portion attached in place, without necessitating the employment of special tools for this purpose.

Another object of the invention is to produce a sole particularly adapted to be constructed of a rigid material such as wood, and having a joint permitting a limited amount of flexing of the sole in walking, and in which all the parts at the joint can be constructed of the same material Y Fig. l is a plan view and partial section illuse.

trating the shoe sole embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken about on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and further illustrating details of the construction illustrated in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an edge view showing the edge of one of the articulated portions of the shoe sole illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a similar edge View of the articulated edge of the other articulated part of the shoe which, in the present instance, is the heel portion.

Before proceeding to a more detailed description of the invention, it should be stated that in the present ISpecification and drawing, I have described and illustrated a shoe sole having a sin,- gle joint, but in practice if desired, two or more such joints may be employed. n

In practicing the invention I provide al Sole l which, in the present instance, is composed of two portions including a heel portion la and a toe portion lb. These two portions la and lb are articulated or jointed together by means of a joint 2. The joint 2 is formed by providing one of the meeting edges of these two parts la and lb with a concave socket. In the present instance, I provide the rear edge of the toe section lb with a concave socket 3 which is a cylindrical face having its axis at the point 4, but this face 3 is not continuous but is broken through by means of a tongue 5 that is disposed at about the medial horizontal plane of the toe section ib, and which projects toward the heel section la. s This tongue 5 may be made integral with the toe piece Ib, or it may be made if desired, as a separate part mortised at its root into the part Ib, asV will be readily understood by wood-workers.

The adjacent face or forward edge of the heel,

portion la, is formed with a convex face 6, which also has its axis at the point 4 as indicated in Fig. 2, so that this forward edge of the part Vla can socket itself and t nicely into the socket 3.

The forward portion of the heel portion,V la is formed with a. transversely extending socket in the form of a bore l, which also has its axis at the point 4, and the tongue 5 is provided at its outer portion with a bolster or tenon 8 which is in the form of a cylindrical pin that ts neatly so as to socket itself in the bore l. While this tenori 8 may if desired, be formed as an integral part of the tongue 5, in the present instance this tenon is made of a separate piece of wood with the grain running longitudinally of the tenon. Likewise, the grain in the tongue 5 preferably extends in the direction in which the tonguel extends, that is to say, in a front and rear-direction with respect to the Shoe sole. If the tenon 8 is constructed as a separate piece, it should be provided with a slot on one side to fit closely asV a'socket on the end portion of the tongue, and maybe secured to the same by glue, or other means.

The outer `wall of the cylindrical socket l, that is to say, the wall 9 that is disposed adjacent to the socket 3, is formed with a slot ill that extends transversely to the sole, and this slot has a 'width that is slightly greater than the thickness of the tongue 5, so that a slight clearance space or Vlost motion space Il is formed in the joint nearthe root of the tongue 5. The edges of this vslot .Y act as Stops to limit the exing movement in both directions.

In constructing this joint, the axis of the joint indicated at the point 4, is preferably located about in the medial plane between the upper face I2 of the shoe sole and its lower face I3; and at the under side I may form two diverging beveled shoulders I4. This will prevent the nap of carpet, or dirt, from being pinched between these shoulders. The clearance space I I between the edges of the slot I and the tongue. 5, will permit a limited flexing movement of the toe portion Ib in walking.

At the upper l.portion'of the joint the rear and lupper Vportion of the toe portion Ibis preferably formed with a relieved edge I; in other Words, the arc or cylindrical surface 6 is substantially tangent to the upper face I2 at this point. vMy'purpose in constructing the upper side of the joint in this way, is to avoid forming shoulders on the upper side between which the through this head, of a slightly greater widthr than the tongue 5, so as to permit the edge portion I8 of the tongue l(seelig. 1) to iitinto this slot I'I when the parts are assembled; and the assembling of these parts may be accomplished by inserting the end I9 of the bolster in the mouth of the bore l, and then shifting the toe portion laterally with respect to the heel portion,v This will cause 'the bolster or tenon v8` to telescope into its socket l. This telescoping movement will continue until the inner end-oi the bolster 3 comes up against the inner face of the wall or head I6. At the other end, of the bolster the tongue 5 vand the end face of the bolster are iiushwith each other as illustrated inFig. 1. l K Y It is most advantageousrto have the parts'of this sole constructed as described, because in practice, most of the wear will occur on the toe portion I b, and when this portion becomes worn it can be readily disconnected, and a new toe portion having the same construction, substi` tuted. A y

Wooden soles constructed as described, are of course inexpensive due to the fact that they can be constructed of wood, or similar material,y and also on account of the fact that the operations necessary to formV the joint, are very simple and easily performed. l Y l This sole can be, used in the construction of other shoes if desired, `or for sport shoes or sandals, `or for any other kind of footwear.

,Inpractica if desired, the stop Wall IB can-be placed at the inner` edge of the solel instead of at the outer edge as illustrated in Fig. 1. `Furthermore, if this sole is employed with a sandal` type upper that does not provide'means for cov-V4 ering the outer end of the joint (at the edge opposite the ,wall I6), amudguard or strip of flexible material suchA as leather, can be worked along the4 edge of the sole at this point.

In adapting the sole to special requirements of any purchaser, it will be evident that if the wearer of the shoe desires a greater amount or degree of flexing at the joint, the amount of the flexing can be increasedby widening the slot II,

by cutting back its upper or lower edge.

As all of the contacting curved faces that com- 7 pose the joint, have the same axis at the point v .4 (as viewed in Fig. 2), it will be evident that this joint provides a true socket joint connection between the two parts of the sole.

v other member having a slot therein; the other of said members having a concave cylindrical face at its meeting edge operating as a socket for the said convex face, and having a tongue of less thickness than the width of said slot extending through the saidv slot into the said bore, said tongue having a cylindrical bolster at the inner end thereof, mountedl to rock on 'its axis in the said bore, said slot and said tongue cooperating to permit exing of said members at said joint to a limited degree.

2. In a shoe sole, the combination of two members having a joint connection between the same, one of said elements having a transverse meeting edge for the joint having a convex cylindrical surface with its transverse axis extending through said member, said member having a socket therein in the form of a bore disposed on the said axis, the wall of said bore on the side toward the other member having a slot therein; the other of said members having a concave cylindrical face ,I at its meeting vedge operating as a socket for the said convex face, and having a tongue of less thickness than the width of said slot extending through the said slot into the said bore, said tongue lhaving a cylindrical ybolster embedding the inner end thereof rigid with said tongue, mounted to rock on its axis in the said bore, said slot and said tongue cooperating to permit flexing of said members at said joint to a limited degree.

3. A shoe sole in accordance with claim- 1, in which the slot and the said bore extend in from a side edge of the sole, thereby enabling the said members to be jointed together by moving one of said members laterally with respect to the other with the bolster and bore in line so as to telescope with each other.

4. A shoe sole in accordance with claim 1, in which the slot in the said bore extends in from a side edge of the sole, thereby enabling `the saidl members to be secured together by moving one of said members laterally with respect to the other while telescoping the said bolster into the said bore; the said bore having an end wall adjacent one edge against which the adjacent end of the bolster may abut to operateas a stop for the lateral telescoping movement when the two members are in proper longitudinal alignment with each other. j

JULIUS BAER.

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