US2299305A - Platform shoe - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 20, 1942. F. clAlo PLATFORM SHOE Filed July 9, 1941 INVENTOR.

Patented` Oct. 20, 1942 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLATFORM snor. Frank ciaio, onronn, Long Island, N. Y.

Application July 9, 1941, Serial No. 401,569

(o1. sis-z) 3 Claims.

'Ihis invention relates to the shoe art and deals more specifically with that class of shoes having a so called platform sole construction,

In platform sole constructions of the prior art, there have been two distinct drawbacks, which have retarded the salability, usefulness and comfort of the same. One of these `drawbacks obtains in the platform sole, where the platform is made of a hard rigid material, such' as Wood, ground cork bound with an adhesive, sheet cork, or leather, either in blank form or ground and bound together by an adhesive. Platforms of these types render the shoe too heavy on the wearers foot, and also entirely too rigid or inflexible during walking. To overcome these disadvantages, platforms have been made o f Various types of material which are lighter in weight, and more iexible. The most widely used material in this category has been felt or other fibrous materials molded and sewed into the desired shape. This class of platform sole also leaves much to be desired. The softness of the felt and similar materials renders this construction unsuitable from the standpoint of durability, neatness and fit. f

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a platform shoe construction in which standard sole leather may be employed.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a platform shoe which is free of all the aforementioned drawbacks, and which is as light in weight, as neat and durable and generally as satisfactory as any standard shoe construction employing a single sole.

Further it is an object of this invention to provide a platform shoe having all the advantageous features set forth in the next preceding paragraph, with theadditiona1 advantage of a sec- Ytion of soft yieldable material inserted in the tread surface of the outsole or th'e insole, to soften` the tread and cushion the wearers foot during Walking. v

And finally, it is an object of this invention v generally to improve the artv of platform shoes and to render the same more sigh'tly,comfortable, durable and simple and cheap to construct.

' These and other objects of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description taken in conjunc- Figure 3 is a cross section of a shoe embodying a modified form of the invention.

Figure 4 is a cross section of a shoe embodying k another modification.

Figure 5 is a plan view, partly in perspective of a sole blank, showing several operations in its preparation for attachment to the shoe.

Referring in detail to the drawing the shoe I0, having the usual upper II of any suitable style and the heel l2 is provided with an insole I3 to which the upper is lasted in a manner well understood in the art. The essence of this invention resides in the outsole construction, which will now be described in detail.

Referring specifically to Figure 5 the blank of leather 20 in the usual sole shape and having the desired thickness is skived along the marginal edge 2I-22 to facilitate the attachment of th'e sole to the upper and insole. The usual gouged out section 23 to make room for the shank stiffener is provided and the heel breast cover 24 is split away as sh'own. This sole blank 20 is now split in its forepart from the point Arat the toe rearwardly to the point B at the shank section, thus separating the tread portion of the sole for the full width thereof into an outsole blank or section 30 and a midsole or platform blank or section 25, which are held together at the section of the blank indicated by the reference letter B. Ihe desired thickness of the platform sole 25 with respect to the thickness of the outsole 30 may be varied, Within the limits of the overall thickness of the outsole 2l), merely by suitably adjusting the splitting operation.

Also it will be understood that if it is desired that the midsole section 25 be of slightly smaller contour than the outsole section 30, as is often done in platform shoes, the said section 25 may be channeled to remove a small rand from the edge thereof, and this should preferably be done before the splitting operation. After this channelling operation the marginal edge of 25 will lie within the marginal edge of 30 thus leaving a I narrow shoulder 21,

The marginal edge portion of section 25 is covered with a binding 26 of any desired material, preferably of the upper leather used in the shoe, or of any other suitable material and of any desired color which will enhance the appearance of the shoe. As seen more clearly in Figure 5, the binding 26 runs from the point 26 forwardly around the margin of 25 to the point 26h.

Having split the platform 25 from the outsole su, and bound the edge of 25 with the binding material 26, the two parts are no'w joined together obvious attendant advantages.

by cementing or otherwise. Rubber cement or latex has been ioundmost suitable for this purpose.- Y

When the cement has dried the outsole is attached to the insole by cementing, or in any other manner now common in the shoe art.

Finally the heel is attached and breasted, and the remaining necessary finishing operations carried out. y

Referring now in detail to Figure 3) a modified form of the invention is disclosed. The construction of this modification follows that of thev one already described with lthe exception that an insert 40 of crepe rubber or any other suitable resilient material is inserted in the tread surface of the outsole member 30, and is cemented in lace. p In order to fix the insert 40 in place, the outsole member 30, after the aforesaid splitting operation, has its central tread portion cut out, leaving a retaining or supporting rand which surrounds the insert 40, which insert is held in place by its adherence to the member as well as by.

the bevelled walls of the rand formed in 30. (Seev Figure 3.)

Similarly, a spongel rubber insert 50, or indeed an insert of any. suitable soft and resilient material may be inserted in the tread surface of the midsole or lplatform, as sh'own particularly in Figure 4. By virtue of this construction, the

insert -or pad 50 gives thewearer a soft and resilient supporting surface for the foot with all the this construction, the platform section 25 is cut out to receive the pad 50 instead of the outsole section as described above in connection with Figure 3. Obviously, when the sections 25 and 30 are. cemented together as explained above in connection with Figures 1, 2 and 5, the pad 50 will be locked in place. v l

It will be understood that many ch'anges in ther 'herein disclosed invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. The int vention is therefore not to be limited to any spe- To accomplish ciiic details of construction except as denned in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I desire to' ciali?s and secure vby Letters Patent of the United Sta LIn a, shoe of the class described having an upper. an insole and a heel, and a unitary sole member split in the forward portion thereof for the full width' thereof from the toe to the forward part of the shank to provide a platform section andan outsole section. said platform section having a covering over the edge thereof to give the appearance of a separate and independ- `ent part from said outsole section, said platform at its forepart for the full width thereof from the toe to the forward part of the shank to form a platform section and an outsole section, a binding on `the marginal edge of said platform section, said platform and outsole sections being attached together and being integral with the rear portion of said member, said platform section having an opening therethrough, and a resilient pad positioned in said opening and lying between said insole and said outsole section.

3. In a shoe of the class described having an upper, an insole, and a heel, a unitary sole member split inthe forward portion thereof for the full width thereof from the toe to the forward part of the shank to provide `a platform section and an outsole section, said pla'tform section having a covering over the edge thereof to give the-

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