U.S. patent number 3,889,400 [Application Number 05/504,568] was granted by the patent office on 1975-06-17 for shoe attachment for operating organ pedals.
Invention is credited to Mary T. Atzinger.
United States Patent |
3,889,400 |
Atzinger |
June 17, 1975 |
Shoe attachment for operating organ pedals
Abstract
Block-like members adapted to be attached to the soles of shoes
of children and adults of short stature for purposes of lengthening
the effective use of their legs to enable them to reach the lower
pedals of an organ and actuate the same, said members having means
by which they may be detachably secured to the soles of shoes of
the person wearing the same and having portions thereof engaging
certain elements of the shoes to accurately position the members
against accidental removal from the shoes or displacement from the
operative position thereof upon the shoes during the use of said
members incident to operating the pedals of an organ.
Inventors: |
Atzinger; Mary T. (Lancaster,
PA) |
Family
ID: |
24006826 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/504,568 |
Filed: |
September 9, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/7.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B
7/38 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43B
7/38 (20060101); A43B 7/00 (20060101); A43B
003/12 () |
Field of
Search: |
;36/2.5R,2.5AN,7.5,7.8 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Guest; Alfred R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Just; C. Hercus
Claims
I claim:
1. A non-walking attachment for shoes for use by children and
adults of short stature to lengthen the effective length of their
legs to enable them to reach the lower pedals of an organ and
actuate the same, said attachment means comprising a substantially
non-compressible block-like member of material lighter in weight
than leather and of substantially uniform and appreciable thickness
much greater than the thickness of the sole of a shoe to which it
is attached and in plan view being substantially as wide as the
sole of the shoe of the wearer and only as long as the sole of such
shoe from the front tip thereof to the forward face of the heel and
substantially complementary to the shape of the sole and instep
portion of the shoe to which it is to be attached, the forward end
of said block-like member also being rounded to correspond to the
rounded forward end of the sole of the shoe to which the attachment
is to be connected and the sides and ends of said member tapering
inward and downward from the upper surface thereof to provide a
lower surface adapted to engage individual pedals of an organ
without interference with adjacent pedals while the wider and
longer upper surface of said block-like member affords firm flat
abutment with the shoe of the wearer, thereby to resist twisting
movement of said member laterally sidewise relative to such shoe
while operating the pedals of an organ, the rearward upper end of
said member also being adapted to abut at least part of the forward
face of the heel of such shoe to resist rearward movement of said
member relative to said shoe, band-like attaching means connected
to the forward portion of said member and adapted to extend over
the toe of the shoe of the wearer, and additional attaching means
adjacent the rear end of said member adapted to engage the rear and
instep portions of such shoe to attach said member to such shoe and
maintain the rear end of the attachment against said forward face
of the heel of the shoe of the wearer.
2. The attachment for shoes according to claim 1 in which said
block-like member is formed from porous material of substantially
less weight than leather so as to render the same light in weight,
said member being covered by finishing sheet-like material which is
aesthetically attractive.
3. The attachment for shoes according to claim 1 in which said
band-like attaching means and additional attaching means comprise
strap-like members extending through slots formed transversely
through the upper portion of said block-like members closely below
the upper surface of said members and respectively spaced a limited
distance inwardly from the forward and rearward ends of said member
and said additional attaching means which is engageable with the
rear portion of a shoe comprises a loop extending upward and
rearward to engage the heel of the shoe of the wearer and having
connected respectively to opposite sides thereof separate
strap-like members which are adapted to extend across the upper
instep portion of said shoe and be tied to maintain the rear
portion of the loop of said additional attaching means adjacent the
upper portion of the heel of the body of the shoe to which the
attachment is to be connected and thereby insure maintenance of the
rearward end of said blocklike member against the forward face of
the heel of the shoe to which said member is to be connected.
4. The attachment for shoes according to claim 3 in which the
cross-sectional dimensions of said slots are closely complementary
to the width and thickness of said straps to effect accurate
positioning of said straps therein and facilitate the positioning
of said member upon the sole of the shoe of the wearer.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various types of attachments for shoes have been devised heretofore
either for purposes of lengthening the service life of the sole of
shoes or protecting the same against undue wear when traversing
surfaces such as muddy roads or paths and the like. In regard to
such devices however, the attachments comprise supplementary soles
having a thickness somewhat similar to the thickness of the soles
of shoes to which they are attached. A typical example of a device
of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,051,448, to
Rasmussen, dated Jan. 28, 1913.
Another type of device adapted to be attached to the soles of shoes
comprises various types of exercising devices which are used by the
wearer to preform certain excercises of the feet for various health
purposes. Typical examples of this type of device are shown in U.S.
Pat. No. 337,146, to Gluecksmann, dated Mar. 2, 1886, and U.S. Pat.
No. 3,472,508, to Baker et al., dated Oct. 14, 1969. However, the
structure of such devices does not readily adapt the same for the
same use as the present invention and even if attached to shoes for
purposes of attempting to operate the pedals of an organ, it does
not appear that the prior art devices would be capable of achieving
the intended results of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide
preferably a pair of similar attachments which are block-like in
nature and preferably lightweight, said attachments including means
by which they quickly and effectively may be attached to the soles
of shoes of children or adults of short stature, said attachements
also including means to accurately position the same relative to
the soles and lower instep portions of the shoes so as to prevent
longitudinal movement of the attachments relative to the shoe when
in use incident to operating the pedals of conventional type
arranged in the lower portion of an organ, usually adjacent the
floor surface upon which the organ is supported.
Another object of the invention is to provide said attachment with
a shape that is less than the total length of the shoes to which
the same are attached, said attachments preferably being as long as
the sole and lower instep surface of the shoe but ending adjacent
the forward end of the heel of the shoe, the rearward end of the
attachement preferably abutting the forward face of the heel of the
shoe and thereby preventing rearward longitudinal movement of the
attachement relative to the shoe while in use incident to engaging
the aforementioned pedals of an organ.
A further object of the invention relative to providing lightweight
thereof is to form the attachment preferably from cellular type
material, certain synthetic resins, natural cork, or similar
lightweight materials which preferably are readily capable of
having openings formed therethrough to receive securing straps or
other similar members by which the attachments are secured to both
the forward and rearward portions of conventional shoes.
Still another object of the invention is to form said attachments,
in plan view, to be similar to the shape of the sole of a shoe to
which they are to be attached, including providing said attachments
with rounded forward ends corresponding to the rounded toe portions
of shoes, whereby the use of such attachments will tend to provide
the development of a natural habit to engage the lower pedals of an
organ whereby, when the natural growth of a child's leg renders the
use of the attachments no longer necessary, the natural
manipulation of the leg under such circumstances will not have to
be changed incident to accommodating the person to the engagement
of the lower organ pedals only by their shoes without the
attachments being secured thereto.
Details of the foregoing objects and of the invention, as well as
other objects thereof, are set forth in the following specification
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprising a part
thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the lower portion
of an organ and illustrating the conventional organ pedals thereof
and also illustrating exemplary legs of a child engaging the
various pedals of said organ with the aid of attachements secured
to the child's shoes in accordance with the principals of the
present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation illustrating a conventional
shoe and an attachment which embodies the principles of the present
invention connected to the shoe in preferred manner.
FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the connected shoe and attachment as
illustrated in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the attachment per se.
FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional elevation of the principal portion
of the attachment shown in FIG. 4 as seen on the line 5--5
thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated the lower portion of the
console of an organ 10 and a number of operating pedals 12 disposed
in the lower portion of the console forwardly of the seat 14. For
purposes of illustrating the purpose of the present invention,
there also is shown in fragmentary manner the lower portions of the
legs 16 of a child or youth while seated upon the seat 14.
Conventional shoes 18 are worn by the child or youth.
The present invention comprises block-like attachments 20 of
appreciable thickness as can be seen from FIGS. 1-3, wherein the
same are at least several times thicker than the vertical dimension
of the forward portion of the shoe 18 and a minimum of at least
11/2 inches. Said attachments 20 preferably are of relatively light
weight and may be formed from suitable configurations of foam like
or porous synthetic resins of various types, cork, or other similar
lightweight material having reasonable resistance to tendencies to
compress the same, whereby pressure exerted by the attachements 20,
such as upon the organ pedals 12, will not tend to appreciably
indent or distort the shape of the attachments 20. Referring to
FIG. 5, it will be seen that the lightweight porous or other type
of material 22 is shown in cross section in exemplary manner. For
purposes of enhancing the aesthetic appearance of the attachments
20 however, it is preferred that the block of material 22 be
provided with a completely enclosing covering 24 which may be
attached by cement or other appropriate means to all surfaces of
the block of material 22. The covering 24 may comprise sheet like
synthetic resins such as the type used in upholstery furniture,
table tops or otherwise. Likewise, if desired, the covering may be
formed from natural leather of any desired color.
For purposes of conveniently and readily as well as effectively
securing the attachments 20 to the shoes 18, relatively simple
means are employed such as a forward strap 26 which, preferably,
may be a strip of material having limited elasticity. A loop of
said material is formed and has a portion extending through a slot
28 which projects through the upper forward portion of the
attachment 20 as well illustrated in FIGS. 2-5. The loop of the
forward strap 26 extends over the toe portion 30 of the shoe 18.
Another slot 32 similar to slot 28 is formed in the upper rearward
portion of the attachment 20 for purposes of a rearward band or
strap 32, which preferably is formed in a loop and may have limited
elasticity, has a portion extending through the slot 32. The upper
portion of the strap or band 32 preferably extends around the upper
portion of the heel 34 of the body of the shoe 18. Other attaching
means for straps 26 and 32 may be used.
The width and height of slots 28 and 32 are closely complementary
to the width and thickness of the straps which extend therethrough
and thus, afford accurate positioning of the straps with the
attachment 20, as well as facilitating the positioning of the
attachment accurately upon the sole of a shoe.
The attachments 20 are positioned against the lower surface of the
sole 36 of the shoe 18 and the rearward portions of the attachments
20 underlie the lower instep portion 38 of the shoe 18, the
rearward end 40 of the attachment 20 abutting the forward face 42
of the heel 44 of the shoe 18. Such contact is essential to prevent
rearward movement of the attachment 20 relative to the shoe 18
incident to operating the pedals 12 of the organ. Further, the
strap or band 32 will serve to prevent any appreciable forward
movement of the attachments 20 relative to the shoes 18 and to
insure such function of the strap or band 32, the same is provided
with a pair of flexible ribbon-like members 46 which respectively
are attached at one end to the opposite side portions of the
rearward strap or band 32. The members 46, for example, may
comprise woven-shoelace material of adequate width and when said
members extend across the upper instep portion of the shoe 18 and
are tied in a bow, the effective connection of the attachments 20
to the shoes 18 have been completed.
Particularly from FIG. 4, it will be seen that the forward end 48
of the attachment 20 preferably is rounded and, in plan view,
closely resembles the shape of the forward end of the sole 36 of
the shoe 18. Further, the width of the member 20 also preferably is
substantially equal to that of the sole 36 of the shoe 18, whereby
the attachment 20 comprises a reasonably accurate downwardly
extending projection of the sole 36 and the light weight of the
attachment 20 imposes no unnatural burden upon the manipulation of
the legs of the person upon whose shoes the attachments 20 are
connected. Also due to the similarity of the shape of the
attachments 20 to the soles 36 and, in general, the plan view of
the shoes 18, when the legs 16 of a child, for example, grow and
become sufficiently long that the use of the attachment 20 no
longer is necessary, when the attachments are discarded, habits of
the leg manipulations which have become natural when wearing the
attachments 20 will not have to be changed for purposes of
continued manipulation of the pedals 12 of the organ 10 after the
attachments have been discarded. To further enhance this objective,
it will be seen from FIGS. 2-5 that the sides and ends of the
attachments 20 are tapered downward and inward to a limited extent,
whereby the lower surface resembles the area of shoes which
normally engage the organ pedals.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention
provides a pair of attachments respectively shaped for left and
right shoes and adapted to be quickly and effectively connected to
conventional shoes of children or adults of short stature whose
legs do not have adequate length to conveniently manipulate the
pedals 12 of an organ 10. The lightweight nature of the attachments
20 imposes no muscular hardships upon the user of the same and the
similar shape of the attachments in plan view to that of the lower
portions of the shoes to which they are attached develops habits in
the use thereof to engage the lower pedals of an organ, which
habits will not have to be changed uner circumstances where the
attachments can be discarded due to increased length in the legs of
organ operator. Further, the attachments 20 may be formed from
relatively inexpensive material and when the attachments are
finished by appropriate covering material of an aesthetic nature,
they present an attractive appearance which is appealing to the
user.
Further, the means by which the attachments are accurately
positioned upon the lower surface of the forward and midportions of
the soles of a shoe are simple yet effective to prevent any of
longitudinal or transverse movements of the attachments relative to
the lower surface of the shoes to which they are attached.
While the invention has been described and illustrated in its
several preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the
invention is not to be limited to the precise details herein
illustrated and described since the same may be carried out in
other ways falling within the scope of the invention as illustrated
and described.
* * * * *