US3373513A - Shoe with heel retaining device - Google Patents

Description

March 19, 1968 w. T. JEWELL SHOE WITH HEEL RETAINING DEVICE Filed Jan. 28, 1966 INVENTOR. WALLACE T. JEWELL ATTOR N EY United States Patent Ofilice 3,373,513 SHOE WITH HEEL RETAINING DEVICE Wallace T. Jewell, 3304 Mount McKinley Road, San Jose, Calif. 95127 Filed Jan. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 523,738 4 Claims. (CI. 36-80) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The heel retaining device of the present invention comprises a female member that is secured to an inner sole of a shoe, and a male member that adheres to the plantar surface of the wearers heel. By disposing the male member in interlocking engagement with the female member, the heel retaining device holds the heel of the wearer's foot at a prescribed location relative to the shoe.

The female member has a plurality of layers surrounding the receptacle in which a layer thereof is more resilient than its adjacent layer. Likewise the projection of the male member has a plurality of layers in which a layer thereof is more resilient than its adjacent layer. When the projection of the male member is received by the receptacle of the female member, more resilient layers are aligned with less resilient layers. Through this arrangement each more resilient layer flows under pressure to grip the less resilient layer aligned therewith.

The present invention relates in general to shoes, and more particularly to a shoe with a heel retaining device.

An object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement in which the wearers heel is held at a prescribed location within a shoe.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement for preventing slippage of the wearers foot within a shoe.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement for retaining the wearers heel above the heel of the shoe to prevent slippage of the wearers heel out of the shoe and to prevent slippage of the wearers foot forwardly within the shoe.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement for holding the wearers heel at a prescribed location within the shoe which enables a shoe of greater width and length to be employed, thereby allowing more room for the foot within the shoe to relieve pressure on corns, bunions and calluses.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the female member of the heel retaining device of the present invention that is secured to the inner sole of a shoe above the heel portion thereof.

FIG. la is a plan view of the male member of the heel retaining device of the present invention that adheres to the plantar surface of the wearers heel.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2a is a vertical sectional view taken along line 2a2a of FIG. la.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the female member of the heel retaining device secured to the inner sole of a shoe above the heel portion thereof.

FIG. 3a is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the male member of the heel retaining device adhering to the plantar surface of the wearers heel.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the male member of the heel retaining device adhering to the plantar surface of the wearers heel and received in looking en- 3,3 73,513 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 gagement by the female member of the heel retaining device that is secured to the inner sole of a shoe above the heel portion thereof.

Illustrated in FIGS. l-4 is the heel retaining device 10 of the present invention, which comprises a female member 15 (FIGS. 1 and 3) that is secured to an inner sole 16 of a shole 17, and a male member 20 (FIGS. 1:: and 3a) that adheres to the plantar surface of the wearers heel. By disposing the male member 20 in interlocking engagement with the female member 15 (FIG. 4), the heel retaining device 10 holds the heel of the wearers foot at a prescribed location relative to the shoe 17.

The female member 15, in the preferred embodiment, includes a plurality of layers of dissimilar material and of approximately the same thickness. For example, an upper layer 30 of the female member 15 is made from leather or fiber, and a lower layer 31 of the female member 15 is made from sponge rubber or a less dense material. The female member 15 has a configuration conforming to the contour of the heel portion of the inner sole 16 and is fixedly secured thereto by suitable means, such as glue or nails, above the heel portion of the shoe 17. It is within the contemplation of the present invention that the female member 15 be integrally formed with the shoe 17. The forward portion of the female member 15 is gradually sloped forwardly and downwardly toward the inner sole 16 so as to be comfortable to the wearer, and the upper and lower surfaces thereof are disposed in parallel, planar relation. Formed in the female member 15 is a cylindrical opening or receptacle 35 which has its axis substantially perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the female member 15 and which extends through the female member 15 with its axis generally in the upright direction.

The male member 20, in the preferred embodiment, includes a plurality of layers of dissimilar material. The uppermost layer or body 40 has a configuration similar to the shape of the female member 15 and is made of suitable adhesive material, such as adhesive felt, moleskin, et cetera, so as to adhere to the plantar surface of the heel of the wearer. It is within the contemplation of the present invention that should the user wear socks, stockings or any suitable foot covering, the body 40 would still adhere to the plantar surface of the heel of the wearer and the foot covering would then be disposed over the male member 20.

Depending from the adhesive body 40 is a cylindrical projection or plug 41 for the male member 40 that has a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the cylindrical opening 35 in the female member 15 and has an axial length substantially equal to the axial length of the opening 35. The projection 41 includes a plurality of layers of dissimilar material. An upper layer 42a of the male member 20 is made of sponge rubber and a lower layer 41b is made of leather or fiber, or of a more dense material. It is to be observed that it is the lower layer of the female member 15 that is made from sponge rubber and it is the upper layer of the female member 15 that is made from leather or fiber.

In the use of the heel retaining device 10 of the present invention, the female member 15 is secured, fastened or integrally formed with the inner sole 16 of the shoe 17 above the heel portion thereof with the opening 35 disposed at a prescribed location (FIG. 3). The male member 20 is caused to adhere to the plantar surface of the heel of the wearer with the projection 41 depending therefrom (FIG. 2a). A foot covering should it be worn by the wearer will cover the male member 20. Thereupon, the wearer places her foot into the shoe 17 so as to insert the projection 41 into the opening 35 in detachable interlocking engagement.

The projection 41 is removable from the opening 35 by raising and sharply tugging the foot to remove the projection 41 from the opening 35. When the projection 41 is fully inserted Within the receptacle 35, the sponge layer 4111 of the projection 41 is aligned with the leather or fiber layer 30 of the female member 15 and the leather or fiber layer 41b of the projection 41 is aligned with the sponge layer 31 of the female member 15. In this manner, improved frictional gripping surfaces are provided for greater locking ability. In addition thereto, the body 40 of the male member 40 is in contact with the upper layer 30 of the female member 15. The body 40 is flexible so as to conform to the shape of the plantar surface of the wearers heel when adhering thereto.

From the foregoing, it is to be observed that the heel retaining device 10 of the present invention serves to hold the heel of the wearers foot at a prescribed location relative to the 'heel portion of a shoe. As a consequence thereof, heel slippage out of the shoe is reduced and foot slippage forwardly within the shoe is minimized. Further, a shoe of greater Width and longer length can be used allowing more room within the shoe to relieve pressure on corns, calluses, bunions and the like. Also, a larger shoe affords an opportunity for employing corrective devices, such as toe straighteners, bunion shields, and arch supports.

It is to be understood that modifications and variations of the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for retaining the heel of a foot within a shoe comprising a first member adapted to be secured to the shoe above the heel portion thereof, and a second member adapted to adhere to the heel of the wearers foot, one of said members being formed with a receptacle and the other of said members being formed with a projection adapted to be received by said receptacle in interlocking engagement for detachably securing said second member to said first member for holding the heel of the wearer to a prescribed location relative to the shoe,

said one member being formed with a plurality of layers surrounding said receptacle in which a layer thereof is more resilient than its adjacent layer, said projection of said other member being formed with a plurality of layers in which a layer thereof is more resilient than its adjacent layer, said first and second members being arranged for a more resilient layer of said projection to be aligned with a less resilient layer surrounding said receptacle when said projection is received by said receptacle for detachably securing said projection within said receptacle whereby each of said more resilient layers flows under pressure to grip the less resilient layer aligned therewith when said projection is received by said receptacle.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second member is formed with adhesive material on its upper face for causing said second member to detachably adhere to the plantar area of the wearers heel.

3. A device as claim in claim 1 wherein said first member has a configuration conforming to the contour of the heel portion of the shoe and said second member has a configuration conforming to the contour of said first member.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said second member is formed with adhesive material on its upper face for causing said second member to detachably adhere to the plantar area of the wearers heel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,637,122 5/1953 Baer 36-80 X 2,948,971 8/1960 Shecter et al. 362.5 2,965,982 12/1960 Saffir 362.5 3,068,592 12/1962 Antelo 3636 FOREIGN PATENTS 743,189 1/1956 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

ALFRED R. GUEST, Examiner.

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