US3117385A

US3117385A - Shoe accessory

Info

Publication number: US3117385A
Application number: US235314A
Authority: US
Inventors: Anthony J Evans
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-11-05
Filing date: 1962-11-05
Publication date: 1964-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 1981-01-14

Description

Jan- 14, 4 A. J. EVANS 3,117,385

SHOE ACCESSORY Filed Nov. 5, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ANTHONY J. EVANSE BY Mfg,

ATTORNEY A. J. EVANS SHOE ACCESSORY Jan. 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 5, 1962 FIG.5

FIG.6

INVENTOR ANTHONY J. EVANS BY m 5 ATTORNEY 3,117,335 SHSE ACCESSORY Anthony .3. Evans, Box 14, Wendell Depot, Mass. Filed Nov. 5, E562, dear. No. 235,314 3 (Ilaims. (Cl. 36-41) This invention relates to an accessory for a shoe, and the principal object of the invention resides in the provision of an attachment to a shoe or the like footwear, said attachment being adapted to be placed in the shoe on the sock liner or inner sole and facilitates the placement of the foot into the shoe acting in the nature of a permanent shoehorn; and the provision of such a device which includes a gauge located at the heel end of the device only, so that when the accessory is placed in the shoe, it needs only to be positioned by having said gauge contact the inside of the counter of the shoe, i.e., at the heel thereof so that the device is now correctly positioned and may be cemented in position as for instance by a pressuresensitive adhesive already located on the device for attachment at one end thereof to the shank of the shoe.

Other objects of the invention include the provision of a special new and improved plastic backing member which causes the device to slip much more easily into the shoe in the general use thereof, and several different modifications of the device.

This invention represents an improvement over my United States Patent No. 3,014,288, dated December 26, 1961, and copending patent application Serial No. 186,033, filed April 9, 1962, now Patent No. 3,097,438, granted July 16, 1963.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a shoe with the form of the novel accessory applied thereto and showing the use of the device;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the attachment, parts being broken away;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of a modification, one of the parts being shown folded back in order to show the construction;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a still further modification, parts being broken away;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modified device; and

FIG. 6 is an edge view thereof showing the same in the condition of use.

Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown represented by the reference numeral 10 a conventional shoe of any description. This shoe has the usual shank, toe, heel, outsole, counter, etc., and this shoe may be of any well known construction such as Goodyear welt, stitchdown, moccasin type, etc.

The accessory in the present case as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a heel pad generally indicated at 12. This heel pad has a terminal forward edge portion at 14 and extends rearwardly terminating in a tab 16. The heel pad is preferably made of three layers, one of which is at the upper or inner surface which is preferably flocked or has a soft leather finish, as indicated at 15. The outer layer 18 is a ribbed plastic construction which provides for a greatly improved slipping action between this area and the inside surface of the counter, this being indicated by the reference numeral 20. The central or middle layer is of leather or any suitable plastic and is indicated at 16.

The main body of the accessory is indicated by the reference numeral 22 and this is a member which extends from the shank at 24 (see FIG. 1) to the extreme end of the heel at the counter as indicated by the

reference numeral

26, 26 indicating the same location in FIGS.

3,117,335 Patented Jan. 14, l ri i 1 and 2. At its forward end at the under side thereof it is provided with a cementitious area 28 which has the usual covering member to be peeled off and the cementitious area applied by pressing in the area of the shank of the shoe.

However, the important and novel feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the tab 16 is cemented over a major portion thereof to the top surface of the main body portion 22 but leaves a free portion thereof between the line 26 and the sewed portion in FIG. 2 which is indicated by the reference numeral 229. This free element is shown in FIG. 1 and is indicated by the reference numeral 3% and it is the gauge by which the entire accessory is correctly positioned within the shoe prior to being cementitiously attached thereto as described.

In the use of this gauge, the tab 16 is bent up and the main body portion 22 is arranged in the shoe with the edge 26 contacting the rear portion or counter of the shoe at the rear of the heel. The edge 26 of the body portion 22 is cut out along a curve as clearly shown in FIG. 2 in order to conform to the usual counter shape.

When the device has thus been positioned, it is then and then only cemented by pressing down in the region 28 onto the shank of the shoe at 24, leaving the tab extending upwardly and the edge or point 26 contacting the inside of the counter as described. The main body portion of the device is of course otherwise free of the shoe throughout except in the cementitious area at 28, and the accessory is used as indicated in FIG. 1. That is, the tab 18 is brought up by the fingers of course bringing with it the main body portion 22 of the device; the foot is inserted and the foot merely pressed down, the tab 16 acting in the nature of a shoehorn.

The tab 18 can be attached to the main body portion 22 in a variety of different ways. Since this main body portion is substantially the same in all modifications, it has been indicated by the reference numeral 22. in FIGS. 3 and 4 also. However in FIG. 3, the tab is indicated by the reference numeral 32. It may be of the same flocked construction on one side and a plastic construction on the other side as heretofore, but it is considerably shorter and is reduced in width as is indicated at 34, being thrust through a slot 36 cut in the main body portion 22 along the line 38. The extending tab portion 40 can then be cemented, stitched, or both, as shown, and a heel pad 42 can then be adhesively secured over the portion at 4% concealing the same. This also leaves a gauge 44 free of the tab and this is exactly like that at 26 and 3% having the same size and shape and used for the same purpose.

In the modification of FIG. 4, the heel tab is indicated at 46 and it again is shorter than the one shown in FIG. 2. In this case it is secured adhesively and may also be stitched if desired to the heel pad only at 48, in which case the conjoined heel pad 43 and tab 46 can then be adhesively secured to the main body portion 22. In this case however the body portion 22 is cut along the line 50 and a portion of the heel tab 48 which is indicated at 52 and which is not secured in any way to the tab 46 then becomes the gauge equivalent to that at 44 and 35 It should be realized that in FIG. 3 the bottom of the device is viewed and in FIG. 4 the top of the device is viewed, the cementitious area in FIG. 4 being underneath the main body portion 22 as indicated by the dotted line 54.

The material used in the present case may be of any convenient or suitable description and if necessary the parts can be skived where desired in order to form smooth connections which will not cause discomfort to the foot.

The important thing is that in all cases there is provided by this invention a positive gauge by which the

tab

16, 32 or 46 is correctly located relative to the counter, heel and upper prior to the securement of the accessory to the sock liner or insoie in the shank portion at 24, and this gauge is provided as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by the member 30, the member 4 in FIG. 3, and the member 52 in FIG. 4.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 there is shown a different form of the invention wherein there is no heel pad. The main part of the device is shown at 56 and is substantially the same as before, i.e., like the member 22. The tab 58 is secured as by sewing 60 but in this case the tab lies over he body 56, not in extension thereof as in FIG. 2. The accessory is inserted in the shoe in the same manner however and has the portion to the left of the stitching as the gauge as before, this being indicated at 62, and in use the tab is pulled up manually as in FIG. 6 to be used to assist in placing the foot in the shoe. Otherwise the tab may be the same as before but preferably takes a single laminated form of ribbed plastic.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not Wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but What I claim is:

1. An attachment for a shoe having a heel, insole, counter, shank, and upper, said attachment comprising a flat main body portion conforming in general to the shape of the insole of the shoe from the counter to the shank, said body portion terminating at the heel in a rounded edge conforming to the junction between the counter and the heel portion of the shoe, said body portion being secured only at the shank end portion thereof to the insole of the shoe leaving the remainder of the attachment free of the insole, a tab secured to said flat main body portion and extending in general conformance thereto from said rounded edge inwardly over the flat main body portion for a part only of the length thereof, and means securing said tab along a line transverse of the main fiat body portion and adjacent to but spaced from said rounded end edge whereby said tab may be raised from the fiat main body portion to be used to assist placement of the foot in the shoe, that portion of the Hat main body portion between the line of attachment of the tab to the flat main body portion and said rounded end edge forming a gauge by which the attachment is positioned within the shoe by contacting the rounded end edge with the counter at the junction of the counter and the heel of the shoe.

2. The attachment for a shoe as recited in claim 1 wherein said tab comprises a single lamination of plastic material.

3. The attachment for a shoe as recited in claim 1 wherein said tab comprises a single lamination of plastic material, said plastic material being ribbed in a direction at right angles to the line of attachment of the tab to the fiat main body portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 764,635 Scisrn July 12, 1904 769,766 Palmer Sept. 13, 1904 1,530,583 Trimbur Mar. 24, 1925 1,782,620 Jones Nov. 25, 1930 2,118,019 Benjafield May 17, 1938 2,446,777 Menenlio Aug. 10, 1948 3,014,288 Evans et al Dec. 26, 1961 3,050,878 Goeckner et al Aug. 28, 1962

Claims

1. AN ATTACHMENT FOR A SHOE HAVING A HEEL, INSOLE, COUNTER, SHANK, AND UPPER, SAID ATTACHMENT COMPRISING A FLAT MAIN BODY PORTION CONFORMING IN GENERAL TO THE SHAPE OF THE INSOLE OF THE SHOE FROM THE COUNTER TO THE SHANK, SAID BODY PORTION TERMINATING AT THE HEEL IN A ROUNDED EDGE CONFORMING TO THE JUNCTION BETWEEN THE COUNTER AND THE HEEL PORTION OF THE SHOE, SAID BODY PORTION BEING SECURED ONLY AT THE SHANK END PORTION THEREOF TO THE INSOLE OF THE SHOE LEAVING THE REMAINDER OF THE ATTACHMENT FREE OF THE INSOLE, A TAB SECURED TO SAID FLAT MAIN BODY PORTION AND EXTENDING IN GENERAL CONFORMANCE THERETO FROM SAID ROUNDED EDGE INWARDLY OVER THE FLAT MAIN BODY PORTION FOR A PART ONLY OF THE LENGTH THEREOF, AND MEANS SECURING SAID TAB ALONG A LINE TRANSVERSE OF THE MAIN FLAT BODY PORTION AND ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED FROM SAID ROUNDED END EDGE WHEREBY SAID TAB MAY BE RAISED FROM THE FLAT MAIN BODY PORTION TO BE USED TO ASSIST PLACEMENT OF THE FOOT IN THE SHOE, THAT PORTION OF THE FLAT MAIN BODY PORTION BETWEEN THE LINE OF ATTACHMENT OF THE TAB TO THE FLAT MAIN BODY PORTION AND SAID ROUNDED END EDGE FORMING A GAUGE BY WHICH THE ATTACHMENT IS POSITIONED WITHIN THE SHOE BY CONTACTING THE ROUNDED END EDGE WITH THE COUNTER AT THE JUNCTION OF THE COUNTER AND THE HEEL OF THE SHOE.