Instep-support or arch-prop.

Application filed May 27,1901. Serial No. 62,078. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, James W. Arrowsmith, a citizen of the United States, residing at Morristown, in the county of Morris and State of 5 New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Instep-Supports or Arch-Props; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othto ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to provide an instep-support or arch-prop which will be more elastic and comfortable for the foot, to enable the lateral upturned elastic tongues to be of one piece with the body portion, to 20 provide for strengthening or stiffening the body portion by a brace on the under side, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the 25 working parts.

The invention consists in the improved instep-support or arch-prop andin the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set 30 forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several 35 figures, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved support. Fig. 2 is a plan. Fig. 3 is a perspective view looking nearly endwise of the support. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section showing a reinforcing-brace standing 40 away from the body portion, and Fig. 5 is a cross-section showing a brace in close contact with the body portion.

In said drawings, a indicates the body portion of my improved support, which is formed 45 out of sheet metal, preferably German silver, of a proper degree of stiffness. Said body portion comprises a plate of an irregularlyoblong shape, having one end b' rounded at the edge and slightly concaved at its upper 5 0 side to afford a seat for the heel of the wearer’s foot, while the opposite end b³ is cut on a transverse line and adapted to lie just back of the ball of the foot. Intermediate the said ends of the plate its middle part is bent or curved upward, as at c, to form an arch con- 55 forming more or less closely to the normal arch of a foot at the instep. Said plates, it will be understood, are made in rights and lefts, according to the two feet of a person, and the inner margin of each plate or margin 60 adapted to lie next the other foot when the plate is in use has along the middle arched part of the plate a series of slits e, extending transversely inward from the edge of the plate and forming tongues d, which are then 65 curved or bent upward out of their normal plane. The side or margin of the plate thus Blitted as described is curved or rounded outward between its ends, and thus the tongues d formed are of different lengths, the middle 70 ones being longer than the end ones. In bending or curving up the tongues d the middle longer ones are deflected the most, those on each side being bent less and less as they are farther from the middle ones until the 75 end short tongues are scarcely changed from the plane of the plate. As the tongues d are bent upward they separate at their edges, so that freedom of independent flexing is permitted and an elasticity or springiness se- 80 cured which is especially adapted to the purpose of comfortably supporting the foot. It will be understood that the tongues d press against and support the inner upper part of the arch or instep at the inner side of the 85 foot for the following reason: When in the breaking down of the arch of a foot the astragalus bone forces itself between the os calcis and the scaphoid, the resistance offered by the cuboid causes both the astragalus and 90 the scaphoid to project outward as well as downward. It is therefore necessary in all cases, especially those of long standing, to apply not only a support from underneath, but also a pressure from the side to supple- 95 ment the relaxed tension of the ligaments that have become stretched, and, furthermore, as the projection of the bones mentioned is not always equal in extent it is desirable to have a support that will present a vary- 1 ?o ing pressure at different points, as needed. This is accomplished by my series of tongues,

717,523 which, can flex or bend independently to meet requirements. Moreover, the slits e in the side of the body portion or plate permit and facilitate an upbending of that edge or mar5 gin of the plate to fit the foot, so that the mechanical construction is much more easily effected.

To the under surface of the body portion or plate a I fasten a reinforcing-strip/, disio posed longitudinally of the body-plate and overlapping at its edge the inner ends of the slits e, separating the tongues d, or at least the inner ends of the middle or longer slits, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. This strip f is 15 riveted to the body-plate a in any suitable manner, as indicated at /', and may either lie flat against the body-plate a, as shown in Fig. 5, or it may be separated therefrom at its middle, as at g' in Fig. 4, to secure a de20 sired degree of elasticity. This reinforcingstrip enables the body-plate to be made light enough so it can be bent or peened by the orthopedist into proper shape to exactly fit the individual patient and yet not break 25 transversely across because of the slits e. If no reinforcing-plate were employed, the plate a would have to be so thick and heavy to resist breaking across from the slits e that it would'lose its elasticity and be unyielding to 30 the action of the foot. By my strip/at the bases of the tongues I prevent the slits between said tongues from extending or cracking further under the action of a foot upon the prop, and still I do not sacrifice elasticity.