U.S. patent number 3,845,576 [Application Number 05/434,267] was granted by the patent office on 1974-11-05 for protective device for safety shoes.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Safety, Inc.. Invention is credited to Raymond J. Howland, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,845,576 |
Howland, Jr. |
November 5, 1974 |
PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR SAFETY SHOES
Abstract
A protective device for use in safety footwear which comprises a
unitary sole-protecting portion and a toe-protecting portion
secured along at least one side of the sole-protecting portion, and
adapted to be formed into one or multiple layers of an open-ended
arch as a toe-protecting portion.
Inventors: |
Howland, Jr.; Raymond J.
(Windham, NH) |
Assignee: |
Safety, Inc. (Boston,
MA)
|
Family
ID: |
23723532 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/434,267 |
Filed: |
January 17, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/77R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B
7/32 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43B
7/32 (20060101); A43c 013/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;36/72R,72A,72B,72C,77R,7.5,7.6,7.7 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lawson; Patrick D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Crowley; Richard P.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A protective device for insertion and use in safety footwear,
which device comprises in combination:
a unitary one piece of hard stiff sheet material comprising a
sole-protecting portion and a toe-protecting portion,
i. the toe-protecting portion characterized by open front and rear
ends, and comprising at least one integrally joined extending
element along one edge of the sole-protecting portion, the
toe-protecting element having at least one foot-contoured outer
edge adjacent to an outer foot-contoured edge of the
sole-protecting portion, and formed into an integral toe-protecting
arch extending across the sole-protecting portion,
ii. the sole-protecting portion having at least one complimentary
shaped outer edge with the said outer edge of the toe-protecting
element, and
iii. means to join the outer edge of the toe-protecting element to
the complimentary outer edge of the sole-protecting portion,
thereby forming a protective device having a unitary
sole-protecting portion and a unitary toe-protecting portion
characterized by open front and rear ends.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the toe-protecting portion is
joined at one side only to the sole-protecting portion, the
toe-protecting portion secured at its outer edge to the outer
opposite edge of the sole-protecting portion to form a protective
device characterized by a single uniform layer of material forming
both the toe-protecting portion and the sole-protecting
portion.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the sole-protecting portion
extends to cover all or substantially all of the sole of the
wearer.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein the sole-protecting portion
extends from the toe of the wearer backward to a position such that
the wearer may flex his foot without interference by the
sole-protecting portion.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the toe-protecting portion
comprises two toe-protecting elements substantially equally shaped
in dimension, each element positioned at opposite edges of the
sole-protecting portion and integrally joined therewith, the
elements contoured at their respective outer edges to fit the
respective opposite outer edge of the foot-contoured portion of the
sole-protecting portion, and means to join together the respective
outer edges of the toe-protecting elements to the respective
complimentary outer edges of the sole-protecting portion to form a
toe-protecting portion open at the front and rear, the
toe-protecting portion forming an overlapping double-layer
toe-protecting arch with the protective device characterized by a
single thickness for the sole-protecting portion.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the toe-protecting portion
comprises a toe-protecting element which is integrally joined to
the front edge of the sole-protecting portion, the toe-protecting
element integrally joined to the sole-protecting portion at either
side thereof, and characterized by a crescent-like space
therebetween which provides, on forming, the front open space of
the toe-protecting arch, the opposite outer edges of the
toe-protecting element having a contour approximately that of each
side of the toe-protecting portion, the toe-protecting element bent
backward so as to place the outer edges of the toe-protecting
element adjacent the respective outer edges of the sole-protecting
element, and means to join each of the outer edges of the
toe-protecting element to the outer edges of the sole-protecting
portion.
7. The device of claim 6 which includes the toe-protecting element
comprising two toe-protecting elements of substantially equally
shaped dimensions, each element integrally joined to the
sole-protecting portion on the opposite sides thereof, and formed
over or under the sole-protecting element to form a double-layer
arch, the second and third toe-protecting elements adapted to be
formed into a double-layer arch either before or after the
formation of a single-layer arch by the first toe-protecting
element, thereby providing a three-layer arch with a single-layer
sole-protecting portion.
8. The device of claim 6 wherein the sheet material comprises a
thermo-formed rigid plastic material.
9. A shoe into which has been inserted the protective device of
claim 1.
10. A protective device for use in safety-type footwear, which
device comprises in combination: a sole-protecting portion and a
toe-protecting portion,
i. the sole-protecting portion formed of a unitary integral
single-thickness sheet material, and
ii. the toe-protecting portion characterized by an open front and
rear arch element, the arch composed of multiple layers of an
adjacent, overlapping, arch-formed sheet material from which the
sole-protecting portion has been formed, each of the arch-formed
sheet materials integral with and along one foot-contoured outer
edge of the sheet material, and
iii. means to secure the opposite foot-contoured outer edges of the
arch material to the respective edges of the sole-protecting
portion to form a multiple layer, toe-protecting portion.
11. The device of claim 8 wherein the sheet material comprises a
hard stiff plastic material.
12. The device of claim 8 wherein the sole-protecting portion
extends less than the full length of the sole of the footwear in
which the device is inserted.
13. The device of claim 8 wherein the sheet material comprises
steel and means to secure comprises a weld seam along the
respective foot-contoured edges.
14. A shoe into which has been inserted the protective device of
claim 8.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Safety-type footwear of the protective type is often employed to
protect the foot of the wearer from crushing weights or penetration
of the footwear by sharp objects, such as nails. Protective
footwear, although customarily worn by policemen, firemen, miners,
construction workers or others working in industry, may also be
usefully employed to prevent or minimize foot injuries to children
or others. Protective footwear may be designed to protect the toes
of the wearer, the metatarsal arch, the sole of the wearer and
combinations thereof.
Protective footwear is typically fabricated by inserting in the
footwear a protective device which has been formed by stamping a
sheet material, such as stamping sheet steel in a die press, to
blank out flat material, and, thereafter, forming the blank into
the protective device to be inserted into the footwear. Typically,
the blank so prepared is of uniform thickness, the thickness of the
material governed by the extent of protection desired. The sheet
material thickness is often limited by the need of the wearer of
the protective footwear, such as, for example, the requirement of
the wearer to flex the sole of the shoe where sole-protective
devices are used, and the bulkiness of any protecting arch designed
to protect the toe or metatarsal arch of the foot. A protective
element for safety shoes which provides an open-toe protective arch
open at the front or rear and a sole-protecting portion designed to
underlie the sole of the wearer of the footwear is described in
U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,007, patented Nov. 12, 1968, which is
incorporated by reference herein.
The protective element described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,007, while
satisfactory in providing a toe-protecting arch and a
sole-protecting portion, has certain apparent disadvantages, both
in use and in the method of manufacture. For example, the
protective element requires the formation of a blank having equal
wing-type portions which must be jointed together, such as by
welding, along a straight-line portion to form the sole-protecting
portion of the element. This technique, therefore, requires a seam
along the sole-protecting portion with careful alignment of the
two-wing portions during manufacture, together with the inherent
weakness of the portions so joined when struck by a very sharp
object along the seam line, together also with the expense of
joining the wining portion along a long seam line, particularly
where the sole-protecting portion extends substantially through the
entire sole layer. More particularly, the blank must be formed of
uniform material, and, thus, the arch-protecting portion and the
sole-protecting portion are of substantially uniform and equal
thickness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
My invention relates to a protective device for footwear and to a
method of manufacturing the same, which device provides ease in
manufacture and flexibility in the amount and type of protection
given to a wearer of footwear containing such devices. In
particular, my protective device for safety shoes consists of a
sheet material, typically a hard, stiff sheet material, such as
sheet steel, formed to provide a protecting-arch portion open in
the front and rear thereof and a unitary integral sole-protecting
portion which is designed to underlie all or a part of the wearer's
foot. The sole-protecting portion, together with the
arch-protecting portion, provides additional safety to the wearer,
and has advantages in providing flexibility in the amount of
protection and the ease of manufacture thereof.
My protective device provides many advantages in protection,
manufacture and use. For example, the use of a unitary
sole-protecting portion in my device provides for the advantage of
greater strength in the unitary material, while it avoids the time
and difficulty associated with the welding or joining composite
sheet material together along a seam line in the sole-protecting
portion as in the Peterson patent. The elimination of a seam line
in the sole-protecting portion not only provides the greater
strength, but avoids any discomfort to the wearer from a seam
therein, such as a welding bead, or the improper joining of such
composite materials together.
Furthermore, my protective device permits the open arch-forming
portion to be formed in a simple and efficient manner from an
integeral blank material, and in certain embodiments described
permits enhanced strength of the arch-forming portion from an
integral uniform thickness blank material. In my device, the use of
only one adjoining edge minimizes the possibility of failure of the
device when the arch-protecting portion is struck by a crushing
blow. For example, only one edge of each arch-protecting portion
needs be joined to the opposite edge which is integrally joined to
the sole-protecting portion. In addition, the multiple two or three
arch-protecting portions in my blank material permit an overlapping
and strong multiple layer effect in the open-arch portion. In the
simplest embodiments of the multiple layer effect, a single
material may be employed where minimal protection is desired, such
as in children's shoes, or a multiple layer effect used where
enhanced protection is desired, such as in heavy industrial-type
safety footwear. In my device, a great portion of the strength for
protection purposes is related to the structural configuration of
the blank, whether a single or multiple layer at the
arch-protecting portion, in combination with the integral
sole-protecting portion, rather than in the past, relying on the
particular construction of the shoe in which the protective device
is used.
By the term "sole-protecting portion" as used herein, it is meant
the protection of all or any part of the sole of the foot of the
wearer in which my protective device is to be inserted and used.
Where flexibility of the sole of the safety shoe is an important
consideration, then the sole-protecting portion of my device may
then only cover a selected portion of the sole of the shoe, such as
a portion extending less than the instep, so that flexibility of
the wearer's sole is maintained. Where the soleprotecting portion
only partially protects the entire sole, then it may be composed of
a thicker material to provide additional protection if desired in
comparison to a sole-protecting portion which extends to cover all
or substantially all of the sole, wherein thinner material must be
used to maintain sole flexibility for the user.
By the term "toe-protecting portion" as used herein, it is meant
the protection of the toes or the matatarsal arch, or both, of the
foot of the wearer in which the protective device is to be inserted
and used. The arch-protecting portion is open at the front and rear
end thereof, and may be formed of a single layer of the blank
material or multiple, adjacent, overlapping layers of the blank
material where enhanced protection is desired of the
arch-protecting portion, but thinner material in a single layer is
required for flexibility in the sole-protecting portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, several embodiments of my invention
are illustrated by way of examples.
FIG. 1 is a representation of a blank formed of a bendable sheet
material which may, in one embodiment, be formed into my protective
device.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the blank of FIG. 1 along the
line of 2--2 of FIG. 1 when formed into a protective device of my
invention.
FIG. 3 is another embodiment of a blank which may be formed into a
protective device of my invention having a multiple layer
toe-protecting portion.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line 4--4 of FIG. 1
showing the blank as formed into a protective device.
FIG. 5 is a blank of another embodiment of my invention.
FIG. 6 is a top elevation view of the blank of FIG. 5 as formed
into a protective device of my invention.
FIG. 7 is a blank of another embodiment of my invention which
combines the structural features of the preceding embodiments.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along the line 8--8 of FIG. 7
showing a multiple layer construction into a protective device of
the blank of FIG. 7.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment wherein a flat stamped
sheet material 10, such as of 0.010 spring-tempered stainless
steel, is formed comprising a sole-protecting element 12 which
extends in this illustration to cover only a portion of the sole of
the wearer; for example, extended as shown to just before the
instep of the wearer, and an open arch toe-protecting element 14.
The arch element 14 is integral with the sole 12, but is formable,
such as by bending, along the foot contour line 16 of the blank,
while the opposite free edge of the arch 14 is represented by an
outer foot-contoured edge 18 adapted to be joined to the opposite
outer first-contoured edge 19 of the sole 12, such as by welding or
other means. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the arch-protecting element
14 forms an arch open at the front and rear, with edge 18 welded by
a weld seam 20 to the opposite edge 19 of the sole element 12. The
blank 10 is of uniform thickness and composed of a unitary integral
material. The method of manufacture is simple in requiring only a
single short weld seam 20 or other means to join the edge 18 to the
outer edge 19 of sole 12. This construction avoids long weld seams
along the sole-protecting portion, provides strength to the
sole-protecting portion by being of integral construction and
without any seams to provide discomfort or to reduce the protection
of the sole-protecting portion.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are illustrations of a multiple layer arch in a
protective device of my invention which comprises a sheet of blank
material 30 comprising an integral unitary sole-protecting element
32, and two oppositely spaced and substantially equally shaped
arch-protecting elements 34 and 36 joined to the sole 32 along
formable lines of adjoinment 38 and 40. The arch elements have free
foot-contoured-shaped outer edges 42 and 44, and are each adapted
to be formed into a separate arch, with the edge 42 joined to 38
and 44 to be joined to 40 through weld seams 46 and 48 to form a
double-thickness layer arched toe-protecting portion. The double
layer has been shown to be joined together at each edge 42 and 44;
however, it is recognized that the overlapping arch elements 34 and
36 may be joined, such as by welding at the corners or top of the
arches or in other locations. Either arch element 34 or 36 may be
bent first and its edge joined to the sole edge, with the edge of
the other arch element secured to the outside along the line
adjoining the other arch element to the sole. This embodiment
permits a thin unitary blank material to be used as the
sole-protecting portion where flexibility is desired, such as where
the sole-protecting portion is to cover all or substantially all of
the wearer's sole, and yet provides a double layer for additional
strength to the toe-protecting portion of my protective device.
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate another embodiment of my protective device
which comprises a sheet blank material 50 containing a
sole-protecting element 52 and an arch element 54, the arch element
54 formed as a part of the blank at the toe position of the sole
element 52, and adjoining such sole element 52 along discontinuous
lines 62 and 64. The arch element is fan-like in shape, with a
contoured line 60, which forms the first open edge of the
toe-protecting portion, defining an open space between the lines 62
and 64, and has outer opposite foot-contoured edges 56 and 58
adapted to be joined to each side, respectively, of the outer
foot-contoured edge of the sole element 52. The open space forms
the open front of the arched toe-protecting portion of my device.
The arch element and edges 56, 58 and 60 are formed so that the
arch element may be bent over axially of the sole element 52 along
lines 62 and 64, and the edges 56 and 58 joined by weld seams 66
and 68 to the outer sole element edges 57 and 59 to form a
protective device. The sole-protecting portion provides strength
and protection due to its unitary property, while it is absent of
any joining seams.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a further multiple layer protective device
which combines the embodiments of FIGS. 3-6. A sheet blank material
80 comprises a sole element 82, and three arch elements 84, 86 and
88 having outer foot-contoured edges 90, 92, 94 and 96 adapted to
be joined together to the outer edge on each side of the sole
element 82, such as by weld seams 98 for edge 96, 100 for edge 90,
and 102 and 106 for edges 92 and 94. The arch elements may have
element 88 formed first or last, followed by elements 84 and 86,
and where element 88 is formed first, edges 92 and 94 need not be
secured, but the element held in position when the elements 82 and
84 are joined to edges of the sole element 82. In this embodiment,
the blank material may be formed of very thin material, since the
overlapping arch elements provide increased thickness, strength and
protection to the wearer in the toe-protection portion.
My protective device has been explained for the purposes of
illustration employing sheet steel material; however, any sheet
material including, but not limited to, thermoplastic and
thermosetting-type polymers, such as glass-fiber-reinforced or
molded or thermoformed rigid plastic, may be used. The arch
elements of my embodiments have been joined by welding and the use
of weld seams; however, any suitable means of joining may be used
to secure the arch elements in position, such as adhesives where
polymers are used, welding, ultrasonic welding techniques, sewing
and the like. For example, the overlapping wing elements may be
welded or joined by adhesive, etc. at the top of the arch or in one
or more positions, leaving the edges free.
My protective device overcomes many of the past difficulties in
protective devices, and has the advantage of providing enhanced
sole protection and increased arch protection through single or
multiple layers.
* * * * *