AU783673B2

AU783673B2 - An item of footwear

Info

Publication number: AU783673B2
Application number: AU46122/01A
Authority: AU
Inventors: John Morton Calderwood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-06-05
Filing date: 2001-05-18
Publication date: 2005-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 2021-05-18
Also published as: AU4612201A

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: AN ITEM OF FOOTWEAR Applicant: JOHN MORTON CALDERWOOD The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: -2- AN ITEM OF FOOTWEAR Technical Field The present invention relates to an item of footwear, and more particularly to an item of footwear such as a thong.

S.Background Art One of the most popular forms of footwear in countries with warm climates is 25 the thong. Thongs are easy to take on and off and are relatively inexpensive to manufacture. However, it has been suggested that the wearing of thongs can lead to problems with the gait of the wearer. This appears to be a particular concern with regard to young children.

It is believed that the problems associated with the wearing of thongs arise because of the thong's tendency to twist during use relative to the longitudinal axis of the foot.

-3- This results in foot and thong sole alignment problems. To counter this problem, some wearers tend to grip the sole of the thong to an inappropriate level or alternatively try to twist their foot so as to reposition it centrally on the sole of the thong. This would be all to no avail given that the harness appears to fit their foot. Consequently, the foot will never fit centrally on the sole due to the way the harness is currently being manufactured.

The present invention seeks to address the aforementioned problems.

The discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like is included in this specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all of these matters formed part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of 15 each claim of this application.

Summary of Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an item of footwear including a sole, a single toe piece only and a support harness S. arranged to extend generally over the top of a foot, said support harness including an inner strap part and an outer strap part, each of said toe piece, said inner strap part and said outer strap part having an end arranged to be secured to said sole, said inner and outer strap parts being joined together along a mid- 25 point line so that said inner and outer strap parts are of substantially equal length, said toe piece including a portion which in use is positioned between the big toe of the wearer and an adjacent toe and wherein said toe piece is connected at a first end portion to the support harness so that in use the toe piece is positioned off-set from the mid-point line.

Preferably, the second end of the toe piece is connected to the sole at a position offset from the central longitudinal axis of the sole.

3 continued Preferably, the second end of the toe piece is connected to the sole at a position offset from the central longitudinal axis of the sole.

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-4- Preferably, the toe piece is connected to the support harness and connected to the sole so that the toe piece is offset from the central longitudinal axis of the sole in a direction towards the big toe.

In accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the support harness may be formed from a single piece of suitable material or multiple pieces thereof connected together.

The first end of the support harness is located adjacent an inner side of the sole. The first end of the support harness is preferably connected to the sole at an angle of approximately 450 to the central longitudinal axis of the sole. The second end of the support harness is preferably connected to the sole substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the sole and adjacent an outer side of the sole.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a pair of footwear including a right foot item of footwear and a left foot item of footwear, each item of footwear being in accordance with a first aspect of the invention.

Brief Description of Drawings iii Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a right foot thong in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

ioe Figure 2 is a top plan view of a right foot thong as it would appear in use in 30 accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a toe piece for a left foot in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Figure 1 illustrates a thong 10, having a sole 15, a support harness 20 and a toe piece 25. The longitudinal central axis of the sole 15 is shown on Figure 1 as line X X. The support harness 20 includes two straps 20a, 20b joined at a mid-point line. The mid-point line is shown as line Y Y. The longitudinal central axis substantially corresponds to the longitudinal central axis of the wearer's foot. The support harness 20 has a first end 22 which is secured to the sole 15 adjacent the inner side 30 of the sole 15. In a preferred form, the first end 22 of the support harness 20 is connected to the sole 15 at an angle a of approximately 450.

The second end 24 of the support harness 20 is preferably secured to the sole substantially parallel to the longitudinal central axis of the thong The toe piece 25 is connected to the sole 15 and support harness 20 so that it is substantially offset from the longitudinal central axis of the sole 15. In order to achieve this configuration, the toe piece 25 is connected at a first end portion to the support harness 20 at a position offset from the longitudinal central axis of the thong 10. The second end portion 25b of the toe piece 25 is connected to the sole 15 at a position also offset from the longitudinal central axis of the sole 15. The toe piece 25 is offset from the central axis in a direction towards the inner side 30 of the sole 15 of the thong 10. In other words, the toe piece 25 is offset in a direction towards the wearer's big toe.

The support harness 20 may be made from a single piece of suitable material or 30 alternatively may be formed from a number of pieces of material joined *°Oo

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-6together. The toe piece 25 would typically be made from a single piece of material. The toe piece 25 may be secured to the support strap by stitching.

The offset arrangement of the toe piece 25 makes the thong 10 much easier to wear and therefore more comfortable. This is due to the fact that it effectively creates a thong 10 with straps 20a, 20b of "different lengths". That is, the straps 20a, 20b are of "different lengths" if measured from the point of intersection of the first end portion 25a of the toe piece 25 and the front edge of the straps 20a, 20b to their respective ends 22, 24. This accommodates approximately 70% of the population which have a foot shape which would be better suited to a thong with uneven strap lengths. Uneven strap lengths effectively prevent the foot and sole alignment problems experienced with prior art thongs. This is due to the fact that the gap between the large toe and an adjacent toe is off set from the central longitudinal axis of the foot, leaving a 15 larger expanse of foot for the strap 20b to cover on the outside edge of the wearer's foot, than the inside edge.

Although the present embodiment provides a thong with straps 20a, 20b of eeeee effective "different lengths" as measured from the point 25a to their respective ends, the true length of each strap 20a, 20b as measured from line y-y to their respective ends is equal. This feature is important to simplify the manufacturing process and to ensure that the line Y-Y will sit centrally on top of the wearer's foot.

25 The angled arrangement of the first end 22 of the support harness 20 is advantageous because the portion of the support harness 20 adjacent the first end 22 is more able to contour and support the arch of the foot. Thus, the inside strap 20b acts as a "floating bridge". This "floating bridge", because of the nature of the material of the support harness 20, will adjust its shape to suit the foot shape of the wearer and will sink into the sole 15 of the thong Accordingly, the need to contour the sole 15 of the thong is removed.

-7- The offset arrangement of the toe piece 25 in combination with the angled connection of the first end 22 of the support harness 20 to the sole significantly reduces the tendency of the thong to twist relative to the wearer's foot and makes the thong 10 more comfortable. Accordingly, the user no longer has to grip the thong to the same degree in order to maintain it in position on the foot. This means that there is less muscle tension within the foot and leg thus increasing the comfort of the wearer.

Although the longitudinal central axis of the sole 15 and the mid point line of the support harness 20 are in alignment in the preferred embodiment, there may be other arrangements wherein they are offset from one another. In such other arrangements the toe piece would be offset at least from the mid-point line.

Figure 2 illustrates a thong 100 with a toe piece 125 in accordance with a 15 second embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 illustrates the appearance of the thong 100 when in use, whilst Figure 3 illustrates the configuration of the toe :i piece 125 during a stage in its manufacture.

•The thong 100 includes a support harness 120 including an inner strap 120a and an outer strap 120b. The inner and outer straps 120a, 120b are intended to restrain the inner and outer sides of a person's foot respectively. The inner and outer straps 120a, 120b overlap and are joined centrally about a mid-point line Y-Y. Mid-point line Y-Y extends along the central longitudinal axis X-X of the sole 115 of the thong 100.

.:O.li The support harness 120 has respective first and second ends 122, 124. As best illustrated in Figure 2, the first and second ends 122, 124 of the support harness 120 are connected to the sole 115 substantially parallel to the axis X-X of the thong 100. Alternatively, the first and second ends 122, 124 of the support harness 120 could be attached to the sole 115 in the manner previously described in relation to the first embodiment of the invention.

-8- As shown in Figure 3, the toe piece 125 of the second embodiment of the invention is constructed differently to the toe piece 25 of the first embodiment.

Toe piece 125 is formed as an extension of the outer strap 120b and includes a first part 125a and a second part 125b. The first part 125a has a length L and extends between the end of the outer strap 120b and an anchor hole 150 in the sole 115 of the thong 100. The second part 125b of the toe piece 125 extends between the anchor hole 150 and the end of the outer strap 120b.

Figure 3 illustrates the positioning of the second part 125b of the toe piece 125 prior to it being moved into its finished position. When in its finished position, the second part 125b of the toe piece 125 is located behind and in substantial alignment with the first part 125a and with an end portion of the inner strap 120a located there between. The three layers of material, that is the first part 125a, end portion of the inner strap 120a and second part 125b of the toe piece are then stitched together in the area marked generally as K in Figure 3.

In one arrangement, the outer strap 120b and the first part 125a of the toe piece 125 are made from a single length of material. In another arrangement the outer strap 120b, first part 125a and the second part 125b of the toe piece 125 are made from a single length of continuous material. Alternatively, the first and second parts 125a, 125b of the toe piece 125 could be made from a single length or separate lengths of material. The first and second parts 125a, 125b of the toe piece 125 may be made of a material which is softer than the material of *"the inner and outer strap 120a, 120b to increase the wearer's comfort.

••°oo The thong 100 with toe piece 125 provides an off-set toe piece arrangement in accordance with that described in relation to the first embodiment of the invention. The toe piece 125 is connected to the sole and when in use connected to the harness 120 so that it is offset from the mid point line Y-Y of the harness 120 and the longitudinal central axis X-X of the sole 115.

Accordingly, the thong 100 offers all of the advantages described in relation to the thong 10 shown in Figure 1. Additionally, the joint in the straps 120a, 120b is along the line Y-Y which is advantageous for current manufacturing purposes.

-9- The present invention may also be applied to footwear having an ankle strap to further secure the footwear to the wearer's foot.

The embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention are envisaged.

Claims

1. An item of footwear including a sole, a single toe piece only and a support harness arranged to extend generally over the top of a foot, said support harness including an inner strap part and an outer strap part, each of said toe piece, said inner strap part and said outer strap part having an end arranged to be secured to said sole, said inner and outer strap parts being joined together along a mid-point line so that said inner and outer strap parts are of substantially equal length, said toe piece including a portion which in use is positioned between the big toe of the wearer and an adjacent toe and wherein said toe piece is connected at a first end portion to the support harness so that in use the toe piece is positioned off-set from the mid-point line.

2. An item of footwear according to claim 1 wherein said end of the toe piece is connected to the sole at a position off-set from a central longitudinal axis of the sole.

S3. An item of footwear according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the toe piece includes a first part and a second part, the first part extending between the support harness and the sole and the second part extending between the sole and the support harness.

4. An item of footwear according to claim 3 wherein said first and second parts of the toe piece are in substantial alignment and an end portion of the 25 inner strap part is located there between.

An item of footwear according to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the first and second parts of the toe piece are made of a different material to said support harness.

6. An item of footwear according to claim 4 wherein the outer strap part and the first part of the toe piece are made from a continuous length of material. -11

7. An item of footwear according to claim 4 wherein the outer strap part and the first and second parts of the toe piece are made from a continuous length of material.

8. An item of footwear according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said toe piece is off-set from the mid-point line in a direction towards the big toe.

9. An item of footwear according to any one of claims 2 to 8 wherein the mid-point line corresponds with the central longitudinal axis of the sole.

An item of footwear according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the support harness is formed from a single piece of suitable material or multiple pieces thereof connected together.

11. An item of footwear according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the end of the inner strap part of the support harness is connected to the sole at an angle of approximately 450 to a central longitudinal axis of the sole.

12. An item of footwear according to claim 11 wherein the end of the outer strap part of the support harness is connected to the sole substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the sole.

13. A pair of footwear including a right foot item of footwear and a left foot item of footwear, each item of footwear being in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

14. An item of footwear substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED: 29 July 2005 o PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK For and on behalf of :o -35 JOHN MORTON CALDERWOOD eo0