US1942001A - Shoe - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 2, 1934. C F ROHN ET AL 1,942,001

SHOE

Filed June 19, 1935 INVENTOR.

Cfimn/ BY. 6 Q.W W,MWW

ATTORNEY.

Fatentedl Jan. 2, 193% LEMZAPM SHQIE Chester F. Rolm, Whitefish Bay, and Franklyn iii. Rohn, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application June 19, 1933. Serial No. 676,478

8 Claims.

This invention relates'generally to improvements in the art of manufacturing footwear, and relates more specifically to improvements in the construction of cushioned shoes especially of the Goodyear welt type.

An object of the invention is'to provide an improved cushioned shoe structure which is simple in construction, and which is moreover durable and comfortable in use.

It has heretofore been proposed as shown and described in patent No. 1,919,862, granted July 25, 1933, to provide a cushioned shoe structure wherein a pad of cushioning material such as sponge rubber of substantially uniform thickness, is disposed within the entire area bounded by the inseam ridge of a Goodyear welt type of shoe, and an auxiliary cushion which is separated from the heel portion of the main pad by a flexible drum, is interposed between this drum and the heel seat, being disposed within a circular opening in the heel portion of the outer sole. While this prior structure accomplishes all of its intended objects and has proven highly successful in commercial use, its manufacture presents some undesirable problems, and the perforation of the outer sole for the reception of the auxiliary cushion may in some cases prove objectionable due to possible entry of moisture to the cushion chamber or space through the opening in the outer sole.

It is therefore a more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved cushioned shoe, which is similar in action to this prior structure, but wherein necessity of recessing or of perforating the outer sole for the reception of the auxiliary cushion, is entirely avoided, thereby not only eliminating the difficulties in manufacture but also the structural objections existing in the previous construction referred to as well as in prior shoes of the same general type.

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved cushioned heel construction for Goodyear welt shoes or the like, wherein the heel bone of the wearer is most effectively cushioned, and in which the use of nails or the like may be entirely avoided if so desired.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide a durable cushioned heel structure of such improved construction that the shoes to which it is applied will retain their intended shape without depreciating in cushioning efiect.

Still another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved cushioned shoe built up of a minimum number of relatively simple parts, thus permitting the manufacture and sale of the improved structure at minimum cost.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of an embodiment of the several features constituting the present improve ment, and of the mode of constructing one type of shoe built in accordance with the invention, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through one of the improved cushioned shoes, showing the details of the interior construction thereof;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the shoe partly assembled, the view being taken along the surface 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 3 is another bottom view of the shoe in more completely assembled condition, the view being taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the heel portion of the shoe, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. i

While the invention has been specifically shown and described herein as being applied to a Goodyear welt type of shoe for men, it is not intended to thereby unnecessarily restrict the scope since 5 some of the novel features are obviously more generally applicable to footwear of other classes. Referring to the drawing, the improved Goodyear welt type of shoe structure comprises in general an upper 8 having the usual lining 9 and counter 10 forming a part thereof; an insole 11 having a continuous and integral downwardly projecting inseam ridge 12; a welt 13 extending entirely around the lower part of the upper 8 and around the insole 11; a resilient cushion pad 14 substantially filling the recess or cavity in the lower portion of the insole 11 formed by the uninterrupted inseam ridge 12; an outsole 15 extending throughout the entire area beneath the insole 11, welt 13 and pad 14; and a heel structure composed of a heel base 16 and a lower heel 17 attached in superimposed relationship to each other and to the rear portion of the outsole 15.

The upper 8 including the lining 9 and counter 10, is firmly attached to the inseam ridge 12 of the insole 11, and to the welt 13, by means of inseam stitching 18 of well-known form extending entirely around the shoe. The main resilient pad 14 may be formed of any suitable springy or resilient material such as sponge rubber, and this 110 pad may be composed of one or of several pieces of such thickness that they will substantially fill the cavity formed by the inseam ridge 12 without undesirable projection of the pad below the ridge after assembly of the shoe. The insole 11 may be provided with one or more vent holes 19 as shown in Fig. 1, in order to permit breathing of the pad 14 and thus permit most effective expansion and contraction of the sponge rubber.

A resilient metallic shank stiffener 20 may also be provided directly beneath the shank portion of the main cushion pad 14, and beneath the rear end of this shank stiffener 20 and the heel portion of the shoe, is located an insert 21 formed of leather, fibre-board or the like. The insert 21 has a central generally circular opening 22 therein, and this opening is substantially filled by an auxiliary pad 23 formed of cushioning material such as sponge rubber. The circular cushion pad 23 is adapted to lie flat against the upper surface of the heel portion of the outsole 15 as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and may be of greater thickness than the insert 21 so as to become partially embedded in the heel portion of the main cushion pad 14 and to slightly elevate the insole 11 at the heel bone seat in the completed shoe structure. The auxiliary pad 23 while being formed independently of the main pad 14, coacts directly with the heel portion of the latter, and the spacing insert 21 which serves to retain the pad 23 in proper position-extends laterally and rearwardly beneath the heel portions of the inseam ridges 12 and welt 13, and forwardly to approximately the front edge of the heel.

The outsole 15 is preferably formed of a single piece of sole leather or other wear resisting sheet material having substantially uniform thickness throughout its area, and preferably has no openings or recesses therein aside from those formed by stitching to be subsequently described. The heel base 16 may'likewise be formed of leather or other suitable sheet material, and coacts at its top directly with and may be cemented to the heel portion of the outsole 15, while the lower face thereof has a thin binder 24 of relatively soft and porous material permanently attached thereto as by cementing or otherwise. The binder 24, heel base 16, outsole 15 and insert 21 are firmly attached to the welt 13 by means of stitching 25 as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, and this stitching 25 extends entirely around the sole of the shoe and may in some cases be carried inwardly along the front of the heel up to the metal shank stiffener 20, but not necessarily so. The lower heel 1'? may be constructed of any suitable material such as rubber or leather or other wear resisting and supporting material, and is finally and firmly attached to the binder 24 by means of cement; and the binder 24 functions to provide a perfect and durable union between the united parts by virtue of its porosity and resultant adaptability to absorb and retain the adhesive material.

In manufacturing shoes in accordance withthe present improved method, the upper 8, lining 9, insole 11 and welt 13 are first assembled and united by means of the inseam stitching 18, after which the main cushion pad 14 may be inserted and attached as by cementing within the lower cavity formed by the inseam ridge 12 of the insole. The insert 21 and auxiliary cushion 23 may be then applied and cemented in place after the shank stiffener 20, if used, has been positioned properly upon the lower face of the pad 14. The

outsole 15 may next be applied to the welt 13 at the forward portion of the shoe and sewed firmly in place by means of short stitching 25, the rear or heel portion of the outsole 15 coacting with the insert 21 and temporarily lying loosely thereagainst. The heel base 16 and binder 24 are subsequently applied to the lower surface of the heel portion of the outsole l5 and permanently attached thereto by longer stitching 25 passing through the heel base 16, outsole l5, insert 21 and welt 13, and extending around the heel portion of the shoe up to the short stitching 25 at the front of the shoe. If so desired, this long stitching 25 may also be carried inwardly at the front of the heel up to the shank stiffener 20, if used, or it may be carried entirely across the heel front if no stiffener 20 is employed. To complete the shoe assemblage, the lower heel 1'1 is finally glued or cemented to the binder 24, thus providing a neat appearing and durable final structure which is entirely devoid of nails or other metallic fasteners.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention, besides providing a strong and durable shoe structure which is devoid of nails, also provides a moisture-proof construction having ample cushioning effect throughout the entire bearing area of the wearers foot. The single cushion provided by the pad 14 alone at the forward portion of the shoe is sufiicient, and the heel bone is additionally cushioned by the auxiliary pad 23 which may be applied without perforating or otherwise weakening the heel portion of the outer sole 15. The insert 21 not only provides a spacer for accommodating the auxiliary pad 23, but may be formed of relatively stiffer material than ordinary sole leather, such as fibre-board, thus adding to the support of the heel portion of the shoe and assisting in maintaining this portion of the shoe in proper shape. The cementing and stitching of the heel base 16, outsole 15 and insert 21 to each other and to the welt, besides eliminating necessity of utilizing objectionable nails, also effectively confines the cushion pads 14, 23 within the inseam ridge 12 at the heel of the shoe without distorting this ridge by causing cushioning material to extend thereunder. Although the spacing insert 21 projects outwardly to a sumcient extent to prevent direct coaction between the outsole 15 and the welt 13 at the heel, and is also visible in the completed structure, this difference in appearance over that of the usual unyielding Goodyear welt type of shoe is not in fact objectionable but adds a touch of refinement and 13g individuality to the improved shoe structure. The improved structure by virtue of the simplicity of the parts and the elimination of holes in the outsole 15, may be readily manufactured with ordinary shoe factory equipment, and has proven 35 highly satisfactory in actual commercial use.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction and to the precise mode of assembly herein shown and described, for various modifi- 0 cations within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a shoe, the combination with an insole having an inseam ridge, a welt and an outsole, of a sponge rubber cushion pad coacting directly with the heel portion of the insole within the inseam ridge, a relatively stiff insert coacting with the heel portion of the welt and with the lower face of said pad and having an opening therein, and an auxiliary cushioning pad disposed within said opening and coacting directly with the lower face of said first-mentioned pad, said auxiliary pad and said insert coacting with the plane upper face of the heel p rtion of the outsole and the outer edge portion of said insert being interposed between the inseam ridge and the outsole at the heel of the shoe.

2. In a shoe, the combination with an insole having an inseam ridge, a welt and an outsole, of a pair of superimposed cushion pads between the lower face of the insole and the upper face of the outsole at the heel portion of the shoe, a spacing insert disposed between the heel portion of the welt and the adjacent portion of the outsole and extending inwardly under the inseam ridge to confine the lower of said pads in place, and a heel base coacting with the heel portion of the outsole beneath said pads, said base, outsole and insert all being sewed to said welt.

3. In a shoe, the combination with an insole having an inseam ridge, a welt and an outsole, of superimposed independent cushion pads interposed between the lower face of the insole entirely within the inseam ridge and the upper face of the outsole at the heel portion of the shoe, and a relatively stifi spacing insert embracing the lower of said pads and extending therefrom beneath the upper pad and the inseam ridge and welt, said outsole and said insert being attached to said welt by common stitching.

4. In a shoe, an insole having a flexible heel portion, a main cushion pad secured to said heel portion, an insert extending beneath said main cushion and having an opening therein, an auxiliary cushion pad within said opening, an outsole coacting with said auxiliary cushion, a heel base sewed to said outsole and to said insert, and a lower heel cemented to said heel base.

5. In a shoe, an insole having a flexible heel portion, a main cushion pad beneath said heel portion, an insert having an opening beneath said main pad, an outsole coacting with the lower face of said insert, and an auxiliary cushion pad of greater thickness than said insert disposed within said opening.

6. In a shoe, an insole having a flexible heel portion surrounded by an inseam ridge, a main cushion pad beneath said heel portion and within said inseam ridge, an insert extending beneath said inseam ridge and having an opening beneath said main pad, an outsole coacting with the lower face of said insert, and an auxiliary cushion pad of greater thickness than said insert resting upon said outsole and confined within said opening.

7. In a shoe, an insole having a heel portion and an inseam ridge extending around the same, a welt sewed to said inseam ridge, a main cushion pad beneath said heel portion and within said inseam ridge, a stiif insert coacting with said welt and with said main cushion and having an opening therein, an outsole coacting with the under face of said insert and extending beneath said opening, and an auxiliary cushion pad disposed within said opening and coacting directly with the lower face of said main pad.

8. In a shoe, an insole having a heel portion and an inseam ridge extending around the same, a welt sewed to said inseam ridge, a main cushion pad beneath said heel portion and within said inseam ridge, a stifi insert coacting with said welt and with said main cushion and having an opening therein, an outsole coacting with the CHESTER F. ROI-IN. FRANKLYN A. ROHN.

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