Cushion cupped-heel insole

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Patented June 26, 1945

2,379,366

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,379,366

CUSHION CUPPED-HEEL INSOLE

Henry G. Lumbard, Auburn, Maine

Application October 20,1943, Serial No. 50.6,999

Claim. (Cl. 36—37)

This invention consists in a new and improved insole and more especially a cushion cupped-heel insole providing a heel-seat shaped to receive and support the wearer’s heel in a predetermined position and in a concave recess or socket. The invention contemplates a new and improved insole construction adapted to be permanently built into the shoe at the time of its manufacture thereby producing a superior and more substantial product.

The weight of the body is placed first and primarily on the heel in walking and the support given the heel in the shoe largely determines not only the wearer’s comfort but also the correct or incorrect nature of his stride and posture. To give such proper support the heel-seat should be adapted not only to receive and support the heel in a well fitting and socket-like seat but should furthermore so support the heel as to correct any posture fault peculiar to the wearer. Having all these requirements in mind, my invention contemplates the employment in an insole of a rand strip so shaped and located as to give the required heel support and constituting an integral component, all as hereinafter described.

In its preferred form, my improved insole includes in its structure an underlying or supporting ply of fibrous material having a flexible forepart and a relatively stiff heel portion. A rand strip is located on and along the margin of this ply and united thereto, being so shaped and arranged as to give the required support to the heel either at one side thereof or substantially around the heel in position providing a heel fitting socket. The invention furthermore contemplates a fabricated covering layer for the rand and heel seat and this layer is preferably in the nature of a cushion constructed of ground cork composition or other suitable resilient material adapted to provide a cushion-like seat. Such material not only forms a soft and comfortable support for the heel, but furthermore automatically shapes itself deeply and closely to the heel at each step taken in wear. An object of the invention is the production of a new and improved cushion cupped insole of the nature above and hereinafter described.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein—

Mg. 1 is a perspective view of the cushion ply for an insole,

Fig. 2 illustrates a rand strip employed in my improved composite insole.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an insole with the rand being applied thereto,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the parts shown in Figs. 1-3 combined into a composite cushion cupped insole,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of insole.

io In the drawing, 10 indicates an insole blank of fibrous material having a flexible forepart II intermittently slashed at 12 and having a relatively stiff heel portion and toe part 13. My invention herein primarily concerns the heel por15 lion of the insole and, in proceeding with the construction of a proper support for the heel, I form a rand strip 14 of leather or other flexible and relatively incompressible material. The strip is run through a skiving machine wherein one mar20 ginal portion is skived off so that the rand tapers from one margin of full and substantial thickness to a feather edge at the other margin 15. The feather edge margin is then slotted or pinked therealong at 16 in the manner permitting free 25 curvature of the rand around the heel end of the insole, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

The next step in the process of construction consists in applying a desired length of the rand strip to a marginal part of the heel-seat portion 30 j 0 of the insole. The rand is preferably cemented to the insole and, in preparing for this step, the rand strip is cement-coated at one face and allowed to dry. The rand is thereafter applied to the heel-seat portion of the insole blank 10 in the 35 manner illustrated in Fig. 3 wherein one end of the cement-coated face is pressed into contact with the insole at 18 and the rand is made to follow along the margin of the insole in face to face contact therewith, the rand tapering down40 wardly from the margin toward the center of the insole. As illustrated in Figs. 1-4, the rand strip is placed around the heel end and along both sides thereof in U-shaped configuration whereby forming a relatively high support at the margin and 48 providing a concave socket-like interior portion.

As illustrated in Figs. 1-4, the insole 10 together with the rand 14 are covered with the cushion ply § which preferably is of fabricated ground cork construction producing a soft and cushion-like SO support. The cover S is cemented in face to face contact with the combined rand and insole blank and the relatively high marginal rand support permits depression of the inner portion of the cushion layer to form a cushion cupped-heel gg socket at 20. It will be apparent that the socket

3,378,366 is constructed to conform to the shape of a heel and that the cushion-like layer · together with the rand provide for substantially a ball and socket joint fitting of the heel in the socket, especially since the texture of the layer I permits it to conform and shape itself to the heel during use. It will furthermore be understood that the shape, thickness, taper and length of the rand used can be modified as desired to form a socket of the required configuration.

My invention contemplates not only an improved cushion cupped-heel insole of the above described nature and construction but also one in which the heel portion is particularly adaptable to numerous individual variations, to correct faulty posture ills and give proper heel support to heels differing widely in abnormalities and correction requirements. For example, in Fig. S I have illustrated the rand 3· as applied to a side and rear portion only of the heel-seat part of an insole 32. The rand is notched or slotted at 34 and is skived and applied as above described in connection with the rand (4.

Posture ills vary in numerous and marked degree and require like treatments which include the supporting of the heel at the inside or outside and at different elevations to provide correct heel posture and support. As illustrated in Fig. 5 the rand is placed on the outside of the insole to give higher support to the covering layer 33 thereover. Such construction provides a heel socket support in which the outer side of the heel is so elevated as to tip the heel inwardly to correct faulty posture outwardly. It will be apparent that my novel insole construction permits not only placing of the rand in proper location to correct a particular ill but the rand can be made in any desired thickness or in a taper or shape to suit each particular case.

As a final step in producing my improved product, as above described, the composite insole, including the insole layer II or 32, rand 14 or 33 and the covering layer 3 or 33, is placed In a molding machine or press where the heel portion is cupped as shown at St in Fig. 4. The product as thus completed is ready for use in the construction of shoes. It is especially pointed out that the permanent incorporating of the heel supporting structure in the insole together with the permanent placing of the insole in the shoe at the time of the manufacture of the shoe produces a superior product of the nature described.

It will be appreciated that by the present invention I have made available a new and improved insole which may be entirely prepared in the sole or stock fitting department and come to the lasting room complete and ready for incorporation in the shoe. It may be embodied in shoes of the welt, McKay, Compo or Littleway types or in fact, in any shoe that employs an insole.