US1241832A - Arch-support. - Google Patents

Description

C. H. DRUCKENMILLER.

ARCH SUPPORT.

APPucMwu HLED N0v.29. 1916.

Patented Oct.

wuento'c GED i Z162;

CHARLES H. DRUGKENMILLER, 0F CLARENDON, VIRGINIA.

ARCH-SU'PPOET.

Specification of Letters ratcnt.

Patented o a 2, 1917.

Application filed November 29, 1918. Serial No. 134,096.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. DRUCKEN- MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clarendon, in the county of Alexandria and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Arch-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to arch supports and is designed to provide an elastic suport for the arch portion only of the foot.

ile the present embodiment of the invention, as shown in the accompanying drawing, is that of an insole, the invention may be built directly in a shoe.

In carrying out the present invention, I employ an elastic tube as the arch supporting element. This tube is wound at one end into circular form having any desired number of coils, the other end portion of the tube extending rearwardly in a straight line from the coiled portion at one side thereof. The coiled portion is designed to be located immediately in rear of the ball of the foot,

7 foot, where while the rear end of the tube terminates substantially at the front of the heel of the y the entire support is located beneath the arch of the foot, and the weight of the user which comes on the heel and ball of the foot does not also come'upon the improved arch support. Inthe drawing, Figure 1 is an edge elevation of an arch support constructed in accordance with the present inventiop and shown in its operative relation to a foot and shoe, the latter members being shown in dotted lines Fig. 2 1s a plan view of the arch support of the present invention embodied in the form of an insole. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3-43 of Fig. 2.

'Fig. 4 is a detail view of the elastic tube removed from between the top and bottom plies of the insole.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view,on the line 55 of Fig. 2, showing a slight modification.

ention involves the use of a to her tube,

such for instance, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing, wherein it will be seen that one end portion 1 of the tube is wound in a flat circular coil, while the other end portion 2 extends in a straight line substantially tangentially with res ect to the next adjacent coil of the tube. he ends of the tube may be open or closed, as desired. Gobd results have been obtained with both ends of the tube open.

The tube in the form shown in Fig. 4 is inserted between the u per and'low'er lies 3 and 4 of an insole of usual form. hese plies are secured together in an suitable manner, for instance by ineans o stitchin 5 extending around the entire peri hery o the insole. It is unnecessary to ave the insole the full length of the shoe, it bein sufficient to have it extend from the bee to about the ball of the foot, so that it may be eflectuallv held in place by theheeland ball of'the foot. The coil 1 18 located substantiall midway between the op osite longitudina edges of the insole and disposed slightliy in rear of the front edge thereof so as to ie adjacent but immediately in rear of the ball of the foot, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, while the part 2 of the coil extends alongside the inner edge of the insole and terminates ad'acent and slightly in front of the heel. he elastic tube may be held in place in any suitable manner, preferably by a row of stitching 6 extendin around the coiled portion of the tube an a further row of stitching 7 extending along the inner side of the straight part 2 of the tube and thence across the rear end of the tube, as at 8. The stitching 6, 7 and 8, and that portion of the stitching 5 which runs alongside of the ,tube portion 2, produce pockets within which the tubin is confined, it of course bein understoo that the stitching extends entirely through the upper and lower plies of the insole but not through the tube, except where the circular row of stitching 6 asses across the forward end portion of t e part 2 of the tube. A suitable fastenin such for instance as stitches 9, shown in igs. 2 and 3, or a rivet 10, as shown in Fig. 5, may be located at the center of the coil 1 so as to complete the circular pocket for containing the coiled portion 1 of the tube.

If desired, the heel portions of the insole may be secured together by an eyelet 11, as shown in Fig.

In practice, the device is inserted in a shoe, as shown in Fig. 1, with the heel portion of the insole lying in the heel of the shoe and the elastic tube lying across the arch of the shoe, whereby the heel of the wearer rests upon the heel of the insole while the ball of the foot of the wearer rests on the forward portion of the insole in front of the coiled portion of the elastic tube,

whereby the insole is held in lace, without other fastening devices, and t e elastic arch support is thereby maintained in proper relation to the foot and supports the arch n a natural and effective manner. The coiled portion of the tube presents the necessary supporting area to the foot immediately in rear of the ball thereof, while the substantially straight or tangential portion 2 of the tube extends .rearwardly beneath the higher portion of the arch of the foot at the inner side thereof, whereby the present support is disposed in proper relation to t e arch of the foot so as to support the same at the places where the support is required. Inasmuch as the arch of the foot lnclines transversel downward from the inner to the outer side of the foot, it is unnecessa to provide other tube portions alongside of the tube portion 2, as it has been found that the single tube portion 2 is an efi'ectivearch su port at this point, and any additional tube sections alongside of the part 2 are uncomfortable and undesirable.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that the insole does not constitute the arch support, but is used merely as a carrier or holder for the elastic support formed by the tube. The pressure-of the ball of the foot and the heel of the foot does not come upon the elastic arch support, but does come upon the retaining flaps formed by the front and rear portions of the insole, whereby the arch support is'eifectually held in place.

Air pressure is not relied upon to form the elastic support, as it is merely the elasticity of the tubeitself which gives the necessary elasticity to the support. I,

The deviceas positioned in Fi 2 of the drawing is for the right foot. y inverting the device it can be used for the left foot. r In other words,-it is not necessary, to

make the device in rights and lofts, as either side of the device maybe used as the upper side, ahd consequently any one of the devices may be used for either foot. However, from a commercial standpoint, it may be found desirable to give one side of the device such a finish as will insure an eflicient frictional engagement with the bottom of the shoe, while the top surface may be given a smooth and soft finish so as to be comfortable to the foot 'of the wearer,

. tic tubing disposed in a flat co As best shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawing, it will be seen that the tubing projects equally at opposite sides of a central plane extending longitudinally through the device, which also permits of the device bein used either side up.

Iiy employing tubing of different diameters and different thicknesses. the degree of elasticity may be varied to suit different requirements.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. An elastic arch support comprising elastic tubing disposed in a flat coil, the length of the device being such that the front portion of the coil will lie adjacent and in rear of the ball of the foot, and the rear portion will lie in front of the heel of the foot.

2. An elastic arch support com rising elasand a portion extending rearwardly from the coil, the length of the device be such that the front po ion of the coil w' lie adjacent and in rear 0 the ball of the foot, and the rear portion will lie adjacent and in front of the heel of the foot, substantially as andfor 'tic tubing disposed in a. flat co' and a. portion extending rearwardly from the ,coil, "the length of the device be' such that the front portion of the coil lie adjacent and in rear of the ball of the foot, and the rear portion will lie adjacent and in front of the heel of the foot, a flap secured to the a forward end of the elastic arch and adapted to lie beneath the ball of the foot, and another flap extending from the rear end ofthe arch support to he beneath the heel of the foot.

5. An elastic arch sup tic tubin disposed to cm a pad and having a tu portion extending rearwardly from thepad at one edge thereof, the length of the elastic arch being such that the or ward portion thereof terminates adjacent but short of the ball of the foot and the rear end terminates short of and adjacent the heel of the feet, a flap secured to the forward end of the elastic arch and adapted to lie beneath the ball of the foot, and another flap extending from the rear end of the arch support to lie beneath the heel of the foot.

ort comprising elas- 6. An arch support comprising an insole including upper and lower plies, and elastic tubing disposed between the plies and coiled to form a pad lying adjacent and in rear of the ball portion of the sole, the rear portion of the pad terminating short of the heel portion of the insole.

7. An arch support comprising an insole, and elastic tubing included in the insole and disposed to form a pad located adjacent and in rear of the ball portion of the insole, there being a tube portion extending rearwardly from the pad and terminating short of the heel of the insole.

8. An arch support comprising an insole having top and bottom plies, an elastic tubing disposed between the plies and coiled to form a pad lying adjacent the ball portion of the insole, there being a tube portion extending rearwardly from the pad along the shank of the insole and edit! copies of this patent may be obtained for five cent! each, by addressing the "Commissioner cent the inner edge thereof, said tube portion terminatingzshort of the heel portion of the insole.

9. An arch support comprising an insole including upper and lower plies, elastic tubing disposed between the plies and wound to form a fiat coil disposed adjacent and 1n rear of the ball portion of the insole, there being a tube portion extendin rearwardly from the coil and along the s ank of the insole adjacent the inner edge thereof, said tube portion terminating short of the heel portion of the insole, and stitching extending through the plies of the insole and following the configuration of the tubing and forming a pocket in which the tubing is contained.

GHABLES H. DRUOKENMILLER.

Witnesses:

E. W. SHEPARD, A. A. Eon.

of Patentl,

Washington, D. 0."

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