Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates to protective boots for use,
for example, in the construction industry.
Various types of protective boots are known. One
type has a steel toe to which is hinged a metatarsal shield
protecting the me~atarsal region of the foot. The free
edge of the shield is not supported, and a blow to the metatar-
sal shield may be transmitted to the foot. In order to take
up some of the shock, this type of boot is rnade of a relatively
stiff material which le~ds to considerable weax discomfort,
particularly in the crouched or s~uat position. In another
type of boot, the ~^7hole of the upper above the metatarsus is
riqid. This protects the foot, but a hard edge i5 formed at
the boundary between the rigid and soft port~ons of the upper,
which comes up against the instep when the wearer flexes his
foot, particularly when in a crouched- or salta-t-position.
This can be auite painful over a period of time.
Canadian Datent No. 607,95~, issued November 1, 1960,
discloses the use of a brace ~or the metatarsal guard, provided
across the instep of the boot. The brace, however, is supported
directly on the upDer and thus suffers from the same disadvan-
tage as the boot having the rigid upper. In the crouched Dosi-
tion, the brace forms a hard edge acting on the instep/ leading
to considerable wearer discomfort. Also, the brace terminates
at the sides of the boot, and the free ends are only joined by
the rubber sole. Repeated shocks weaken the sole and, in the
case of a severe blow, the sides of ~race may have a tendency
to spring apart, possibly causing injury to the foot. The se
paration of the shield from the u~per alone is insufficient to
allow adequate flexibility for the wearer to ensure a crouched
position in comfort owing to the presence of the brace, -~hich
remains in a fixed position relative to the upper.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a protec~
/ `!,
s~
tive boot comprising a sole and an upper of flexible material
allowing flexing of the boot, particularlv when the wearer is
in a ~rouched position, a rigid shield hinged to the toe of the
boot and extending over the metatarsal region, and a stirrup
member having an arch portion and a base portion integral there-
with, said arch portion extendins over the upper in spaced re-
lationship therewith and supporting said shield, and said hase
~ortion being anchored to the sole and extending across the
boot under the foot of the wearer, whereby said stirrup trans-
fers shocks received by the shield to the ground via said baseportion, and said upper can flex freely under said arch portion.
The resence of a stirrup with an integral base portion
ensures that shocks are satisfactorily transmitted to the ground
without the risk of collapse and without weakening the sole,
which does not have to take up any transverse forces. The
shock is also distributed over the whole of the integral base
portion. In addition, the spacing of the arch portion of the
stirrup abo~e the upper allows complete freedom of movement of
the instep under the arch portion. As a result, the wearer
can comfortably assume a crouched position without the discom-
fort of his insteps coming up against a hard edge. The upper
can flex under the arch as if the stirrup were not present. The
boot is effectivelv as comfortable as an ordinary unprotected,
soft boot, and the wearer may remain in a crouched position for
longer periods of time without discomfort.
Preferably, the stirrup is arranged to incline for-
wards as the foot is flexed to move it farther from the instep
of the foot.
Conveniently, the stirrup is made of steel and the
boot of rubber, although other convenient materials may be em-
~loyed.
The invention will now be described in more detail,
-- 2
by way of example only, with reference ~o the acco~anving
drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a side view of a protective boot accord-
ing to the invention;
Figure 2 is a view, si.~ilar to Figure 1, showing part
of the boot in a flexed position; and
Figure 3 is a cross section along the lines A-A of
gure 1.
The protective boot has a rubber sole 1 molded to a
soft rubber up~er 2 lined with fabric. mh~ boot has a leg
portion 3, although this is not necessary. A conventional steel
protective toe portion ~ is incorporated in the boot~
A saddle-shaped, rigid metatarsal shield 5 extends
over the metatarsal and instep regions of the bsot. The front
portion of the shield 5 is flexible and molded onto the toe
portion so as to provide a hinge for the shield 5, which
thus acts in the r;lanner of a rigid flap placed over the uppPr
oE the boot. I'he front portion of the shield is also resilient
so as to hias the shield 5 into position over the upper 2.
~3 The shield 5 consists of an outer laver 6 of Eabric-
lined soft rubber, knurled on the outside. Beneath the soft
layer 6is areinforcinq Iaver 7 of hard rubber, thickened at
the sides and also lined inside with cloth. IE desiredl a
Eurther steel reinforcing layer 8 may be added. The shield 5
is then quite rigid and well able -to withstand blows Erom
falling objects and the like.
A steel stirrup 9 has an integral base portion 10
molded into the rubber sole 1 so as toextend under the wearer's
foot an~ an arch portion 11, coated with rubber or plastic,
extending over the upper 2 and separated fro~ it by a yap 1~.
The base portion 10 distributes forces applied to the arch 11
Erom the shield 5 to the ground.
~ 3 --
4~'~
In the normal position, shown in Figure 1, the arch
portion 1 is inclined forwards and supports the free end of th~
hinged shield 5. The base portion 10 of the stirrup 9 is lo-
cated in the instep region of the boot so that, as the sole is
flexed, as show in in Figure 2, it inclines forwards still fur-
ther, thus increasing the amount o room available for the
instep of the foot. The arch portion 11 slides under the shield
5, keeping the shield well clear of the upper 2. mhe boot can
thus flex as effectively as if the shield 5 were not present,
and the wearer is not aware of the presence of the shield 5,
even when adoptin~ a crouched or squat position.
The shield 5 can be made of any suitable material,
such as steel, plastic, or hard rubber.
The stirrup 9 need not be mo]ded into the sole,
provided the base portion 10 extends under the foot. For exam-
ple, it ma~ be located between the rubber sole 1 and an insole
of the boot. It ~iill still ensure that blows to the metatarsal
shield are transmitted to the ground and distributed over the
length of the base portion 10/ without danger to the wearex's
foot.
This embodiment oE the invention has been described
with reference to a rubber boot, although the invention is of
course applicable to boots made of other materials, such as
leather. The boot can be of the lace~up kind, and the shield
may be a separate member fastened to a hinge flap on the toe
portion by means of studs. Suitable boots of this type are,
fox example, Model Nos. 229, 209, 431 and 282~ made by Kaufman
Footwear Inc.
