U.S. patent application number 13/021472 was filed with the patent office on 2011-08-25 for apparatus and method for strobel high-heel shoes.
Invention is credited to Alex DelCielo.
Application Number | 20110203135 13/021472 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48430967 |
Filed Date | 2011-08-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110203135 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DelCielo; Alex |
August 25, 2011 |
Apparatus and Method for Strobel high-heel shoes
Abstract
A shoe and a process for fabricating high-heeled shoes or pumps
incorporates Strobel technology having an upper outer material with
a lower end region of the outer material located in a lower upper
end region, an upper lining material, which is arranged on the
inner side of the upper outer material, incorporates a functional
layer and has a lower end region of the lining material, the end
region of the lining material having a lining edge that is not
covered by the upper outer material, and a connecting band,
resulting in a comfortable high-heeled shoe that can be worn all
day and reduces foot stress over conventional high-heeled
shoes.
Inventors: |
DelCielo; Alex; (Howard
Beach, NY) |
Family ID: |
48430967 |
Appl. No.: |
13/021472 |
Filed: |
February 4, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61306626 |
Feb 22, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
36/47 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 9/02 20130101; A43B
21/00 20130101; A43B 23/022 20130101; A43B 23/0245 20130101; A43B
23/025 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/47 |
International
Class: |
A43B 23/02 20060101
A43B023/02; A43B 23/07 20060101 A43B023/07 |
Claims
1. A shoe upper, having: an upper outer material with a lower end
region of the outer material located in a lower upper end region,
an upper lining material, which is arranged on the inner side of
the upper outer material, incorporates a functional layer and has a
lower end region of the lining material, the end region of the
lining material having a lining edge that is not covered by the
upper outer material, and a connecting band, which extends around
the periphery of the upper end region and is joined on a first
longitudinal side to the end region of the outer material but not
to the end region of the lining material, and is joined on a second
longitudinal side to the end region of the lining material but not
to the end region of the outer material, band wherein at points of
curvature of the lower periphery of the upper end region the
connecting band extends in an arc corresponding to the local radius
of curvature, with the two longitudinal sides of the connecting
band having different degrees of curvature band, in such a way
that, for an arc sector lying in the respective curvature, with a
predetermined unitary sector angle, the arc lengths of the two
longitudinal connecting band sides belonging to this arc sector
differ from each other the more, the greater the curvature of the
respective arc sector is, the arc length of the first longitudinal
side of the connecting band being longer than the arc length of the
second longitudinal side of the connecting band at points with
convex curvature of the lower periphery of the upper end region,
corresponding to the differing curvatures and arc lengths of the
outer material end and the lining material end region.
2. The shoe upper as claimed in claim 1, in which the arc length of
the second longitudinal side of the connecting band is longer than
the arc length of the first longitudinal side of the connecting
band at points of the upper end region periphery with a concave
curvature.
3. The shoe upper as claimed in claim 1, in which the lining edge
that is not covered by upper outer material is formed by an
overhang of the end region of the lining material with respect to
the end region of the outer material.
4. The shoe upper as claimed in claim 1, with a substantially rigid
connecting band, in which the differences in arc length of the two
longitudinal sides of the connecting band, which are dependent on
the respective arc curvature, are incorporated correspondingly into
the band at the production stage.
5. The shoe upper as claimed in claim 4, with a punched connecting
band.
6. The shoe upper as claimed in claim 4, with an injection-molded
connecting band.
7. The shoe upper as claimed in claim 1, with an elastic connecting
band, which is joined on its first longitudinal side to the outer
material end region while being subjected to longitudinal tensile
pre-stress.
8. The shoe upper as claimed in claim 1, with a deformable
connecting band, which is joined on its first longitudinal side to
the outer material end region while being subjected to longitudinal
tensile pre-stress leading to plastic deformation.
9. The shoe upper as claimed in claim 1, in which the connecting
band is joined on its second longitudinal side to the lining
material end region while being subjected to longitudinal tensile
pre-stress.
10. The shoe upper as claimed in claim 1, in which the first
longitudinal side of the connecting band is sewn to the end region
of the outer material.
Description
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This non-provisional patent application claims a priority
benefit to U.S. Provisional application No. 61/301,626 entitled
"Apparatus and Method for Strobel high-heel shoes" filed in the
United States Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 4, 2010 by a
common Inventor to this instant application, Alex DelCielo. Further
the above named Provisional Application in its entirety is hereby
incorporated by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0004] This invention relates to the construction of pumps or
high-heeled shoes using Strobel technology.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] New, useful and aesthetically pleasing materials are
constantly being sought out, discovered and applied to footwear.
Although Strobel technology has been known for use on other foot
wear such as flats, it has not been previously used in the
construction of pumps or high-heeled shoes. Strobel technology has
very desirable qualities for application in pumps such as comfort,
reduced foot stress, reduced impact forces and shock
absorption.
[0006] Thus there is a need for high-heeled shoes having Strobel
technology incorporated into the construction thereof.
[0007] Such a product and or method of producing such product is
heretofore unknown to the Inventor. In general this new product and
method have the potential for creating unique foot wear with
extremely comfortable shoes, which absorb unwanted and detrimental
walking or running impacts to a consumer's joints or skeletal
structure. Ambulatory health and safety are increased with a more
an attractive, comfortable, and longer wearable shoe.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] High-heeled shoes are famous for their looks but also for
their discomfort. A new type of construction using Strobel
techniques renders a more comfortable shoe.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
[0009] The primary purpose of this invention is to fabricate a
unique high-heel shoe incorporating Strobel technology.
[0010] Accordingly, several objects and advantages of our invention
are:
[0011] (a) to integrate Strobel technology into high-heeled
shoes;
[0012] (b) to provide a higher degree of comfort than previously
known in high-heeled shoes;
[0013] (c) to provide a high-heel shoe that is wearable for many
hours of the day in comfort;
[0014] (d) to provide shoe with impact absorption characteristics
to lessen joint stress when ambulating;
[0015] (e) to provide a new shoe sole design that is aesthetically
pleasing in fashion; and
[0016] (f) to provide a foot wear product that has a significantly
lower import US Tariff Schedule than conventional foot wear.
[0017] Further objects and advantages of my invention will become
apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIGS. 1-37 are various photographs showing the method and
construction techniques of a Strobel high-heeled shoe.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] While the present invention has been illustrated and
described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, various
modifications will be apparent to and might readily be made by
those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and
spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is not intended
that the scope of the claims appended hereto be limited to the
description as set forth herein, but, rather, that the claims be
broadly construed.
[0020] The high-heeled shoe, or a shoe whose heel is higher than
the toe, is a matter of contentious and heated discussion. Shoes in
general have typically served as markers of gender, class, race,
and ethnicity--and both the foot and the shoe have been imbued with
powerful phallic and fertility symbols as evidenced in the
contemporary practice of tying shoes to a newlywed couple's car. No
other shoe, however, has gestured toward leisure, sexuality, and
sophistication as much as the high-heeled shoe. Fraught with
contradiction, heels paradoxically inhibit movement in order to
increase it, at least in appearance. Standing in heels, a woman
presents herself already half-walking while at the same time
reducing the length of her step, fostering the illusion of speed
while suggesting the promise of an immanent fall. The higher and
more unstable the heel, the more clearly these contradictions are
expressed (Kunzle 2004). Doctors and scholars alike have argued
about the physical and cultural effect, both positive and negative,
that heels have had not only on women, but on society as a
whole.
Precursors to the High-Heeled Shoe
[0021] Most of the lower class in ancient Egypt walked barefoot,
but figures on murals dating from 3500 B.C. depict an early version
of shoes worn mostly by the higher classes. These were leather
pieces held together with lacing that was often arranged to look
like the symbol of "Ankh," which represents life. But there are
also some depictions of both upper-class males and females wearing
heels, probably for ceremonial purposes. Egyptian butchers also
wore heels, to help them walk above the blood of dead beasts. In
ancient Greece and Rome, platform sandals called kothorni, later
known as buskins in the Renaissance, were shoes with high wood or
cork soles that were popular particularly among actors who would
wear shoes of different heights to indicated varying social status
or importance of characters. In ancient Rome, sex trade was not
illegal and female prostitutes were readily identified by their
high heels (Wilson 2005).
[0022] Chopines, or platform shoes, were created in Turkey in the
1400s, and were popular throughout Europe until the mid-1600s
During the Middle Ages, both men and women would wear pattens, or
wooden soles, that were clearly a precursor the high heel. Pattens
would attach to fragile and expensive shoes to keep them out of the
mud and other street "debris" when walking outdoors (Swann 1984).
In the 1400s, chopines, or platform shoes, were created in Turkey
and were popular throughout Europe until the mid-1600s. Chopines
could be seven to eight or even 30 inches high, requiring women to
use canes or servants to help them walk. Like pattens, chopines
were overshoes, but unlike the pattens, chopines were worn almost
exclusively by women (Rexford 2000). They were usually designed
with cork or wood stacked as the heel.
[0023] The Venetians made the chopine into a status symbol
revealing wealth and social standing for women, and tourists to
Venice often remarked humorously on the outrageously high chopines.
One visitor noted that they were "invented by husbands who hoped
the cumbersome movement [that] entailed would make illicit liaisons
difficult" (McDowell 1989). Already we can see issues of domination
and submission being associated with shoes much like the lotus
shoes of China. Indeed, Chinese concubines and Turkish odalisques
wore high shoes, prompting scholars to speculate if heels were used
not only for aesthetic reasons but also to prevent women from
escaping the harem (Kunzle 2004).
[0024] Shoes were beginning to be made in two pieces during the
1500s, with a flexible upper attached to a heavier, stiffer sole
(Swann 1984). This new two-part shoe led to the heel as an actual
part of the shoe rather than just an attachable overshoe.
[0025] Raised heels are sometimes claimed to have been a response
to the problem of the rider's foot slipping forward in stirrups
while riding. The "rider's heel," approximately 11/2 inch (4 cm)
high, appeared around 1500. The leading edge was canted forward to
help grip the stirrup, and the trailing edge was canted forward to
prevent the elongated heel from catching on underbrush or rock
while backing up, such as in on-foot combat. These features are
evident today in riding boots, notably cowboy boots.
[0026] The simple riding heel gave way to a more stylized heel over
its first three decades. Beginning with the French, heel heights
among men crept up, often becoming higher and thinner, until they
were no longer useful while riding, but were relegated to
"court-pony" wear. By the late 1600s, men's heels were commonly
between three and four inches in height.
[0027] However, high heels may have been worn by women just as
early or earlier, both as a fashion statement and to increase short
stature. At least as early as 1533, the diminutive Italian wife of
Henry II King of France, Queen Catherine de' Medici, commissioned a
cobbler to fashion her a pair of heels, both for fashion, and to
suggest greater height. They were an adaptation of chopines and
pattens (elevated wooden soles with both heel and toe raised, not
unlike modern platform shoes or dogs and sabots), intended to
protect the feet of the wearer from dirt and mud; but unlike
chopines, the heel was higher than the toe and the "platform" was
made to bend in the middle with the foot. That raised shoes had
already been worn as a fashion statement in Italy, at least, is
suggested by sumptuary laws in Venice that banned the wearing of
chopine-style platform shoes as early as the 1430s.
[0028] High-heeled shoes quickly caught on with the
fashion-conscious men and women of the French court, and spread to
pockets of nobility in other countries. The term "well-heeled"
became synonymous with opulent wealth. Both men and women continued
wearing heels as a matter of noble fashion throughout the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. When the French Revolution
drew near, in the late 1700s, the practice of wearing heels fell
into decline in France due to its associations with wealth and
aristocracy. Throughout most of the 1800s, flat shoes and sandals
were usual for both sexes, but the heel resurfaced in fashion
during the late 1800s, almost exclusively among women.
[0029] Throughout the last 60 years high-heels have fallen in and
out of favor several times, most notably in the late 90s, when
lower heels and even flats predominated. Lower heels were preferred
during the late 60s and early 70s as well, but higher heels
returned in the late 80s and early 90s. The shape of the
fashionable heel has also changed from block (70s) to tapered
(90s), and stiletto (50s, 80s, and post-2000).
[0030] Today, high-heels are typically worn by women, with heights
varying from a kitten heel of 11/2 inch (4 cm) to a stiletto heel
(or spike heel) of 4 inch (10 cm) or more. Extremely high-heeled
shoes, such as those higher than 5 inch (13 cm), are normally worn
only for aesthetic reasons and are not considered practical. Court
shoes are conservative styles and often used for work and formal
occasions, while more adventurous styles are common for evening
wear and dancing. High-heels have seen significant controversy in
the medical field lately, with many podiatrists seeing patients
whose severe foot problems have been caused almost exclusively by
high-heel wear.
[0031] Wedge heel is informally another style of the heel, where
heel is in a wedge form and continues all the way to the toe of the
shoe.
[0032] Reasons against wearing high-heels, which are almost
exclusively health and practicality reasons, include: [0033] they
can cause foot pain [0034] they can create foot deformities,
including hammertoes and bunions [0035] they can cause an unsteady
gait [0036] they can shorten the wearer's stride [0037] they can
render the wearer unable to run [0038] altered forces at the knee
caused by walking in high-heels may predispose to degenerative
changes in the knee joint [0039] See "Foot and Tendon Problems"
below for many of the medical reasons. [0040] Women who wear high
heels frequently have a higher incidence of degenerative joint
disease of the knees. This is because they cause a decrease in the
normal rotation of the foot which puts more rotation stress on the
knee
[0041] Reasons for wearing high-heels, which are almost exclusively
aesthetic, include: [0042] they change the angle of the foot with
respect to the lower leg, which accentuates the appearance of
calves [0043] they change the wearer's posture, requiring a more
upright carriage and altering the gait in what is considered a
seductive fashion [0044] they make the wearer appear taller [0045]
they make the legs appear longer [0046] they make the foot appear
smaller [0047] they make the toes appear shorter [0048] they make
the arches of the feet higher and better defined [0049] they make
the lower leg muscles more defined [0050] they make the gluteus
maximus more defined [0051] they may improve the tone of a woman's
pelvic floor.
Types of High Heels
[0052] Types of heels found on high-heeled footwear include: [0053]
cone: a round heel which is broad where it meets the sole of the
shoe and noticeably narrower at the point of contact with the
ground [0054] kitten: a short, slim heel with maximum height under
2 inches and diameter of no more than 0.4 inch at the point of
contact with the ground [0055] prism: three flat sides which form a
triangle at the point of contact with the ground [0056] spool:
broad where it meets the sole and at the point of contact with the
ground; noticeably narrower at the midpoint between the two [0057]
stiletto: a tall, slim heel with minimum height of 2 inches and
diameter of no more than 0.4 inch at the point of contact with the
ground [0058] wedge: occupies the entire space under the arch and
heel portions of the foot
Men and Heels
[0059] Although high heels originated in France as male footwear
around 1500, since the late 1700s, men's shoes have had primarily
low heels. A notable exception is cowboy boots, which continue to
sport a taller riding heel. The two-inch Cuban heel features in
many styles of men's boot, but was popularised by Beetle boots,
famously worn by the English rock group, The Beatles, which saw the
reintroduction of heels for men which some men still wear high
heels today. Winklepicker boots also usually feature a Cuban heel.
There was also a brief resurgence in higher-heeled shoes for men in
the 1970s (in Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta's character wears
a Cuban heel in the opening sequence). The singer Prince is known
to wear high heels, as well as Sir Elton John. Bands such as Motley
Crue & Sigue Sigue Sputnik predominantely wore High Heels
during the 1980's and are currently being worn by Bill Kaulitz, the
lead singer of Tokio Hotel.
Accessories
[0060] The stiletto of certain kinds of high-heels can damage some
types of floors. Such damage can be prevented by heel protectors,
also called covers, guards, or taps, which fit over the "stiletto"
tips to keep them from direct, marring contact with delicate
surfaces, such as linoleum (rotogravure) or urethane-varnished
wooden floors. Heel protectors are widely used in ballroom dancing,
as such dances are often held on wooden flooring. The bottom of
most heels usually has a plastic or metal heel tip that wears away
with use and can be easily replaced. Dress heels (high-heeled shoes
with elaborate decoration) are worn for formal occasions.
Foot and Tendon Problems
[0061] High-heeled shoes slant the foot forward and down while
bending the toes up. The more that the feet are forced into this
position, the more it may cause the Achilles tendon to shorten.
This may cause problems when the wearer chooses lower heels or
flat-soled shoes. When the foot slants forward, a much greater
weight is transferred to the ball of the foot and the toes,
increasing the likelihood of damage to the underlying soft tissue
which supports the foot. In many shoes, style dictates function,
either compressing the toes, or forcing them together, possibly
resulting in blisters, corns, hammer toes, bunions (hallux valgus),
Morton's neuroma and many other medical conditions, most of which
are permanent, and will require surgery to alleviate the pain. High
heels--because they tip the foot forward--put pressure on the lower
back through making the rump push outwards and crushing the lower
back vertebrae and contracting the muscles of the lower back.
[0062] If it is not possible to avoid high heels altogether, it is
suggested that the wearer spend at least a third of the time on
their feet in contour-supporting "flat" shoes (such as exercise
sandals), or well-cushioned "sneaker-type" shoes, saving high heels
for special occasions.
[0063] One of the most critical problems of high-heeled-shoe design
involves a properly constructed toe-box. Improper construction here
can cause the most damage to one's foot. Toe-boxes which are too
narrow force the toes to be "crammed" too close together. Ensuring
that room exists for the toes to assume a normal separation so that
high-heel wear remains an option rather than a debilitating
practice, is an important issue in improving the wearability of
women's high-heeled fashion shoes. Wide heels do not necessarily
offer more stability, and any raised heel with too much width, such
as found in "blade-" or "block-heeled" shoes, induces unhealthy
side-to-side torque to the ankles with every step, stressing them
unnecessarily, while creating additional impact on the balls of the
feet. Thus, the best design for a high-heel is one with a narrower
width, where the heel is closer to the front, more solidly under
the ankle, where the toe box provides room enough for the toes, and
where forward movement of the foot in the shoe is kept in check by
material snug across the instep, rather than by the toes being
rammed forwards and jamming together in the toe box, or crushed
into the front of the toe box.
[0064] Despite the medical issues surrounding high-heel wear, a few
podiatrists recommend well-constructed low to moderate heels for
some patients. It appears a slight elevation of the heel improves
the angle of contact between the metatarsals and the horizontal
plane, thereby more closely approximating the proper angle and
resulting in proper weight distribution of a medium-to-high-arched
foot. Other foot specialists, however, argue that any heel causes
unnecessary stresses on the various bones and joints of the
foot.
Potential Health Benefits
[0065] A recent study suggested that wearing high heels may improve
the tone of a woman's pelvic floor.
Feminist Attitudes Towards High Heels
[0066] The high heel has been a central battleground of sexual
politics ever since the emergence of the women's liberation
movement of the 1970s. Many second-wave feminists rejected what
they regarded as constricting standards of female beauty, created
for the subordination and objectifying of women and
self-perpetuated by reproductive competition and women's own
aesthetics. Some feminists argue that the high heels were designed
to make woman helpless and vulnerable, perpetuating the gender role
of males as protectors of the slowly staggering women. High heels
have also been blamed for reducing the woman into a sex object, by
sacrificing practical comfort in favor of an alleged increase in
sex appeal. Many contemporary feminists, however--particularly
those of the third wave--do not share these views. Some second wave
feminists such as Judy Grahn have tied high heels to menstruation
rituals that various cultures have used.
[0067] Strobel Slip Last--Shoe construction method which stitches a
sole shaped fabric board to the upper of the shoe that is slipped
onto a last, closing the upper with stitches around the perimeter
of the sole. The board may be varied from thin flexible materials,
thicker stable to materials, or a combination of the two stitched
together, to improve stability or flexibility.
* * * * *