US2195817A - Knee shoe - Google Patents

Description

April 2, 1940.

J. JOHNSON KNEE SHOE Filed June 10, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENT OR. claw c/nsow, BY M ATTORNEY.

J. JOHNSON April 2, 1940.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 KNEE SHOE Filed June 10, 1938 1N VENTOR.

m m 0 m n a Z Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNEE SHOE- 7 Jacob Johnson, Newark, N. J.

Application Junelll, 1938, Serial No. 212,955

g a a 3 Claims. This invention relates, generally, to improvements in cushioning kneeling supports; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to

novel knee shoes or pads adapted to cushion and support the knees of the user when occupying a kneeling position, but in such manner as to permit free mobility of the legs for moving and shifting about without necessity of rising from such kneeling'position.

This invention has for an object to provide a novel construction of kneeshoe or pad, to be furnished in pairs so as to provide ashoe'or pad for each knee of the user; said shoes or pads being so constructed and shaped as not only to provide soft cushioning supports for the knees of the user, when the latter Works in a kneeling position, but also being adapted for easy sliding propulsion over the surface knelt upon under the users leg movements but without necessity for employment of any fixed attachment to the users legs, thus permitting the user, while remaining in kneeling position, to quickly and easily shift about over the surfaces knelt upon, as occasion may require.

The invention, thus generally characterized, provides novel independently mobile knee cush ioning supports for [each knee adapted to serve the user when Working upon floor and like surfaces in a kneeling position; the novel knee shoes or pads areof especial advantage to floorscrapers, painters, scrub-women and all others performing WOlk which requires them to operate in a kneeling position, and to shift about over the surface kneltupon.

ther objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from. the following detailed description of the same.

Illustrative embodiments .of the invention are shown in theaccompanying drawings, in:which Fig. 1 is a pictorial view of a worker utilizing the novel knee shoes or pads made according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a plan View of one'of the novel knee shoes or pads; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same; Fig.4 is a rear end elevation of the samei" Fig. 5 is a'longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on line 55 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the same, taken on line S t in Fig. 2. Y a 1 Fig. '7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of knee shoe or pad structure: according to this invention.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, eachknee shoe or pad comprises a frame member lb of substantially rigid material, preferably made of metal in the form of an upstanding Wall of suitable height. This frame member at its front or toe 6 portion is of semicircular fornnthe rearwardly extending sides 1 l of which are convergingly dispo sed to join the preferably straight transverse rear end portion l2.. The upper marginal part v of said end portion i2 is cutaway to provide a 10 curvilinearly shaped indentation l3 intermediate the extremities thereof. Integral with the bottom marginal portions of said framemember ill, and disposed in suitably spaced apart relation therearound to project interiorly thereof in the 1 plane of its bottom edges, area series of apertured ears or lugs It. Securedtothe underside of said frame member ii) is a sole plate i5, the same being securely fastened in assembled relation to the frame member by fastening devices 20 extending downwardly through the apertured' ears or lugs i l into the body of said sole plate. Said fastening devices, as shown, comprise nails it, but it will be obvious that any other suitable type of fastening device may be optionally em-. 25 ployed. The sole plate l5 may be made of any suitable material, but is preferably made of stilf' leather or similar material.

The assembled frame member and sole plate provide an upwardly open socketed or chambered base, in the socket or chamber of which is disposed the knee cushioning means of the structure. In a preferred form thereof, said knee cushioning means comprises an upstanding substantially U-shaped rearwardly open marginal 35 cushion member H, which extends around the toe and side portions of the frame member Ml contiguous to the inner face of the walls of the latter, with the respective extremities l8 thereof terminating at the transverse rear end portion E2 of the frame member, so as to provide a rearwardly open gap therein. Said marginal cushion member i! is formed to provide an upper portion of rounded shape in cross section, and disposed to project well above the plane of the top edges 45 of said frame member ID. Said marginal cushion member l i may be made of any suitable material calculated to provide comparatively soft and resilient characteristics. For example, said marginal cushion member i! may comprise a 56 felt body of suitable thickness and doubled transversely to form the desired top portion of rounded cross-sectional shape. The. bottom portions of the felt body thus-formed areinserted Within the frame member H1 so as to abut the inner sides I! thereof and so as to rest upon the bottom of the socketed base formed by said assembled frame member l and sole plate I5. When thus assembled, said felt body is suitably secured against displacement, as, e. g., by gluing the same to the surfaces of the frame member and sole plate which it abuts.

Said knee cushioning means further comprises a bottom cushion member l9, which is of a peripheral shape to conform to the interior space within and defined by said marginal cushion member l'l. Said bottom cushion member is of suitable thickness, and is disposed so that its main forward portion lies fiat within the socketed base and upon the sole plate l5. The rearward narrowed end portion of said bottom cushion member is of a length in excess of the length of the chamber provided by the socketed base, so that its rear extremity 20 may be down-folded into an angular relation to the main forward portion and thereupon pushed into said chamber to lie in abutting contiguous relation to the interior face of the rear end wall I2 of the framemember 10. By such disposition and arrangement of the rearward end portion of said bottom cushion member, the same is provided with a transverse upstanding rounded cross-rib 2i which projects above the indented top margin of the rear end wall [2 of said frame member ii) and above the top surface plane of the fiat lying main forward portion of said bottom cushion member. Said bottom cushion member may be made of any suitable material calculated to provide comparatively soft and resilient characteristics. Preferably the bottom cushion member is made of sponge rubber of suitable thickness. Said bottom cushion member is suitably secured against displacement from operative assembled relation, as e. g. by gluing the same in place.

It will be observed that the bottom cushion member, when in place, occupies a plane below the plane of the upwardly projected rounded top of the marginal cushioning member l1, thus providing a pocket or socket within which the knee of the user may be received.

The novel knee shoes or pads, characterized as above described, are used in pairs, one for each knee. In the use thereof, the user merely kneels upon the same, and in so doing the knees respectively enter the pocket or socket of the cushion structure of the respective shoes or pads, in such manner that the kneepan or patella will rest upon the main forward portion of the bottom cushion member 19, while the adjoining end of the femur and the tuberosity of the tibia will be embraced and cushioned by the upstanding marginal cushion member l'! and the cross-rib portion 2| of the bottom cushion member. The tapering portion of the tibia, below the tuberosity thereof, will extend outwardly over the cross-rib portion 2|. It will thus be seen that the knee, as bent in kneeling position, is not only resting upon the bottom cushion member, but is also snugly embraced all around the front, sides and rear portions thereof, and consequently is not only supported and cushioned in an exceedingly comfortable manner, but also so that transmission of movement to the shoes or pads in any direction, merely by movement of the users legs, is easily accomplished. The user, therefore, may slide the shoes or pads along the surface knelt upon so as to shift position as required without necessity of rising from kneeling position. Forward and sidewise movements are easily transmitted to the shoes or pads by corresponding leg movements by reason of the abutment of the forward and side portions of the bent knee against the upstanding marginal cushion member l'l, while rearward movement is transmitted by pressure of the rearward portions of the bent knee against the cross-rib portion 2! of the bottom cushion member. Owing to the structure and mode of operation described, no devices are required for aflixedly attaching the shoes or pads to the users knees. By reason of the fact that each knee is individually equipped with a shoe or pad, free and independent mobility of the users legs is possible, and consequently shifting of the users position, as required, is easily attained by mere swinging or walk-like movements of the less.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a modified form of the novel knee shoe or pad, comprising the same structure and assembly of frame-member l0 and sole plate IE, but utilizing a modified form of cushion structure. Such modified cushion structure comprises a one-piece pad body preferably formed of sponge rubber, to provide a bottom cushion section 22, surrounded at its front and sides by an upstanding marginal cushion section 23, and provided at its rear end, between the rearward ends of said marginal cushion section 23, with a transversely extending raised portion or cross-rib section 24 of less height than said marginal cushion section 23. It will be obvious that in use, such modified form of knee shoe or pad will function in the same manner and with the same advantages as already set forth with respect to the first described construction of knee shoe or pad. The knee shoe structure, especially in the above described modified form may be simplified by omitting the frame-member ID, in which case the cushion body may be cemented to the sole plate I5.

It will be understood that many changes could be made in the above described constructions, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the following claims. It is therefore intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. Strapless cushioning knee supports constituted by a pair of knee shoes, each shoe comprising a fiat rigid sole plate and a rigid upstanding peripheral frame member afiixed to said sole plate, an upstanding marginal cushioning element extending around and abutting the interior faces of the sides and front but terminating at the back wall of said frame member, said marginal cushioning element being of a height substantially exceeding the height of said frame member, said marginal cushioning element comprising a strip of soft resilient material folded lengthwise upon itself to provide a readily yieldable knee conforming rolled top edge portion freely projecting above the upper margin of said frame member, and a bottom cushion member supported by said sole plate within the confines of said marginal cushioning element.

2. Strapless cushioning knee supports constituted by a pair of knee shoes, each shoe comprising a flat rigid sole plate and a rigid upstanding peripheral frame member affixed to said sole plate, an upstanding marginal cushioning element extending around and abutting the interior faces of the sides and front but terminating at the back wall of said frame member, said marginal cushioning element being of a height substantially exceeding the height of said frame member, said marginal cushioning element comprising a strip of soft resilient material folded lengthwise upon itself to provide a readily yieldable knee conforming rolled top edge portion freely projecting above the upper margin of said frame member,

.a bottom cushion member supported by said sole plate within the confines of said marginal cushioning element, said bottom cushioning member having its rear end portion doubled back and downwardly and disposedperpendicular thereto to lie contiguous to the rear wall portion of said frame member thereby to provide a raised resilient rearward cross rib extending between the rear ends of said marginal cushioning element but of a height less than the height of the latter.

3. Strapless cushioning knee supports constituted by a pair of knee shoes, each shoe comprising a fiat rigid sole plate and a rigid upstanding U-shaped peripheral frame member including a transverse rear wall between the sides thereof, means for fastening said frame member fixedly to said sole plate, an upstanding marginal cushioning element extending around and abutting the interior faces of the sides and front but terminating at the back wall of said frame member, said marginal cushioning element comprising a strip of soft resilient material folded lengthwise upon itself to provide a readily yieldable knee conforming rolled top edge portion freely projecting above the upper margin of said frame member, a bottom cushion member supported by said sole plate Within the confines of said marginal cushioning element, said bottom cushioning member having its rear end portion doubled back and downwardly I JACOB JOHNSON.

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