Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention is directed to improvements in foot-
wear and is more particularly directed towards improvements in inexpensive
sandal type foot-wear including a sole member and a transverse strap to
attach the sole to the wearer's foot.
-~ In known sandals of the type in which a strap e~tends trans-
versely of the sole in the area of the ball of the foot of the ssndal
wearer and surrounds the foot, the sandal often falls to remain in proper
~osit;on on the wearer's foot.
It is therefore the main object of the invention to so design
A 10 the strap that the sole will stay in proper position on the wearer's foot,
the strap having an aperture positioned to receive the head of the first -
metatarsal bore of the wearer's foot. -
It is another ob~ect of the invention to provide qimple
means to removably attach the strap to the sole and keep it in proper
position relative to the 901e.
Another object of the invention is to provide simple means
to attach the outer ends of the strap together in adjusted position to
fit different foot sizes.
Another ob~ect of the invention i8 the provision o~ a strap
having two symmetrically disposed apertures as above mentioned, ~hereby
the same sandal can be used on the right- or the left-hand foot.
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The foregoing and other important ob~ects of the invention ~ ;
will become more apparent during the following by referring to the drawings,
wherein: ~;
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sandal of the present in~ention;
Figure 2 is a cross-section view3 taken along line 2-2 of Figure l; --
Figure 3 is a schematic view o~ an apparatus for making the sole o
the sandal shown in Figure 2,
Figure 4 is a plan view of the strap used in the sandal o~ Figure l;
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Figure 5 illustrates how the ~trap of Figure 4 operates.
The sole of the sandal of the inve~tion is indicated at
201 and comprises a bottom layer 203~of synthetic thermoplastic
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material, such as, for example~ polystyrene or polyurethane in foam
condition and a top or covering layer 205 of ribrou9 material, such as, for
e~ample, crepe paper. The crepe paper 205 serveæ to provide sof`t and
absorbent contact with the sandal wearer~ foot and also serves to retain
the 3hape of the sole 201.
Polystyrene or polyurethane are relatively rigid or brittle,
and may crack or break during use. The crepe paper layer 205 on the other
hand is flexible and, attached to the thermoplastic layer, holds it
together if it does break. For this reason~ a thi~er thermoplastic
layer 203 can be used in the laminated sole than the thickness of the
thermoplastic layer used in a single layer sole.
The fibrous layer 205 can be attached to the thermoplastic
layer 203 by adhesive or any other suitable means. A preferred manner,
howeYer~ o~ attaching the layer 205 to la~er 203 is shown in Figure 3.
A sheet 211, Or thermoplastic material~ is fed from a supply source (not
shown) along with a layer 213 Or ribr~8 material, such as crepe paper,
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from its supply roll 215, to a nip 217 formed between a pair Or pressure
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roll~ 219, 221. The top roll 219 i8 heated to slightly soften the top
surface 223 Or the sheet 211 and the crepe layer 213 is mechanically bonded
~ 20 to the soMened surface 223 of the thermoplastic sheet 211 under
;~ pressure. The laminated sheet 225 80 formed then pa~ses through a blanking
die 227 whi¢h stamps out the ~oles 201.
` The sole 201 can be provided with one or more break-away
; ~ portions 229, 231 at each of the toe and heel ends 233, 235 respectively
- of the sole, if deslred. These break-away portion~ permit the lengt~
o~ the 801e to be ~hortened to mo~e comfortably accommodate sm~-ler feet.
Each break-Awsy portion 229, 231 is defined by a cur~ed score line 237
e~ttending between edges 239, 241 of the sole. Each score line 237
passes through the crepe paper layer 205 and penetrates into the thermo_
plastic layer 203. This permits the break-away portions to be easily `~
broken and removed from the sole, if desired. The score lines 237 are
formed ~hen stamping out the soles in the blar~ing die 227.
The sole 201 is provided with a pair of ~paced-apart ~lot~
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243, 245 located inwardly of the sole edges 239, 241 and in the region
247 where the ball of the wearer's foot would rest. An adJustable str~p
251 is threaded down through one slot 21~3, across the bottom of the
sole and up through the other slot 245 to be used to fasten the sandal
to a wearer's foot. The distance between slots 243, 245 is made ~u~sta~-
tially equal to the width of the smallest foot to be accommodated ~hile the
sole is made as wide a the largest foot to be accommodated.
Strap 251, a~ shown in Figure 4, is constructed to mini~ze
the pos~bllity of having the sandal slip off the foot. To this end, the
main body portlon 253 of the strap has an elongated, large aperture 255
at each end forming two spaced-apart bands 257, 259 whlch e~tena away ~rom
body l~ortion 253. The bands 257, 259 at each e~l merge into ~ro~ect~g
tongues 261, 263. One tongue 261 has slanted teeth 265 formed in its
sides,which teeth 265 cooperate with the sides 267, 269 Of a ~lot 271
... .
in the other tongue 263 to tle the strap togsther. In tying the sandal
on the wearer's foot a~ shown in Figure 5, one side of the strap passe~
over the head "Al~ of the f~rst metatarsal bone in the wearer~s foot. Thi~
hesd nAn pro~ects or bulges out ~rom the side of the foot. The apertures
.: 255 are made wide enough so that the bsllds 257, 259 pass over the side
... .
20 of the ~earer's ~oot on either side of head nAn with the head pro~ecting
out through the aperture 255 on that side. The bands 257, 259, acting
on either side of the head nAn, reduce the possibility o~ the sandal ~;
slipping relatlve to the foot.
Putting an aperture 255 on each slde of the ~trap 251,
permits the same strap to be used on either ~oot. The apertures 255
are elongated sufficiently to receive the head of the metatsrsal bone
Or large or small feet. The apertures 255 ~1180 provide the strap witi
- flexibility.
To prevent the strap 251 from slipping in slots ~43, 245
30 relative to the sole, the strap 251 can be provided with spaced-apart
shoulders 275, 277 on each ~ide 279, 281 of the main body portio~ 253.
The distance between shoulders 275, 277 on each side i8 equal to, or
slightly greater, than the distance between 310ts 243, 24~ plU8 t~ice t~e
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' sole thicknessO Also, the distance between the shoulders at each
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,~ end of the main body portion is slightly greater than the length
of the slots 243, 245. Thus, after the strap has been threaded
through the slots, the shoulders abut the top surface of the sole
; at each slot lock~ng the strap in place. The strap can be readil~
- deformed to initially pass it through the slots.
- Strap 251 can be closed by suitable means other than
the teeth and slot described.
The sole 201 preferably has a neutral shape to be wcrn
on either the left or the right foot. As noted ab3ve, the same
strap 251 can be used on either foot. If it is desired to have
toothed tongues 261 directed to the outside of the foot, one
of the straps 251 is reversed and turned end to end relative to
the other strap before insertion into slots 243, 245 of the sole
201.
- It should be noted that apertures 255 extend inwardly
right up to slots 243, 245 to receive the head of the first
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metatarsal bone of even feet not wider than the distance between
slots 243, 245. Main body portion 253 is substantially straight
and the two elongated tongues 261, 263 make substantially ea,ual
obtuse angles with a common side of main body portion 253. Thus,
when the strap i~ attached around the wearer's foot with the
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tongues in overlapped and aligned condition, the bands 257, 259
are caused to conform to the wearer's foot.
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