Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
20~6S9
090/09113 PCT/~lS90/008t7
ADJUSTABLE GIRTH SHOE CONSTRUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In order for a shoe to fit properly, it should not only be
of the correct length, but also the correct inside width and
girth dimensions that substantially continually match those of
the foot therein. As used herein, girth is defined as the
transverse circumference around the foot, typically measured at
the ball, waist and instep thereof, and is also used to de-
scribe the effective inside circumference of the shoe in the
same regions. In conventional footwear, such proper fit is
approached only by offering a full range of some nine or more
successively graduated width increments for each size in
length. However, even with such full width ranges, some means
of further girth adjustment is still needed to accommodate dif-
ferences between left and right foot girths as well as those
caused by diurnal and other girth variations experienced by the
foot, which variations, primarily due to fluid accumulation in
the foot, usually amount to up one and one half or even two
full width sizes in range. Despite this well known informa-
tion, the economics of mass production and distribution have
brought about the widespread practice o~ limiting most shoe of-
ferings to a single width for each size in length, resulting in
only an approximate and usually poor fit in most cases, often
resulting in serious foot disorders over time.
For these reasons, there has been a continuing need for a
practical and economical shoe construction affording width and
girth adjustment through means that are relatively concealed to
allow such adjustability to be applied to a wide variety of
shoe styles including those with conventional bottoms and at-
tachment of uppers thereto.
Adjustable girth footwear is not new. Much prior art has
employed visible means of girth adjustment including laces,
straps, and the like, most of which are rarely adaptable to
20~659
WO90/09113 PCltUS90/00817
girth adjustment at the ball of the foot, where such adjustment
is most needed. Moreover, these means are not even present in
styles having typically no such girth adjustment means, such as
loafers, women's dress shoes of various heel heights, and many
other casual and boot styles; in addition, there are well-de-
fined needs for footwear having means of girth adjustment that
are automatic, not only to prevent improper manual adjustment,
but to provide such adjustment to those who might otherwise
have difficulty with other manual means, as for example, young
children, the handicapped, and the elderly.
Adjustable girth footwear are also disclosed in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 3,404,468, 3,541,708, and 3,686,777 granted this inventor.
None of these proved marketable for several reasons: the latter
patents were too complex to be able to be produced competitive-
ly, and were prone to malfunction as a result of dirt entrapm-
ent in the mechanism, while he embodiments of '468 suffered
from similar problems, as well as durability and appearance com-
pared to conventional shoes, and finally, the last three fig-
ures of '468 (ll through 13) failed to give sufficient girth
adjustment to be worth consideration. However, despite their
many shortcomings, they did serve to suggest the merit of the
considerable added R&D that has led finally to the present in-
vention.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,442,031 and 3,922,800 disclose shoes in
which the girth is adjusted by raising at least part of the top
surface of the insole, thereby not only changing the shoe's
girth but the elevation of a foot in the shoe as well. Since,
as a practical matter, such adjustment would usually take place
in the forepart of the shoe to preserve a comfortable fit in
the counter and backpart, there results an imbalanced adjust-
ment that can change the effective 'tread' of the shoe, i.e.
the relationship of the height of the wearer's heel to that of
the ball. Moreover since proper adjustment of girth normally
reflects the usual girth difference between left and right
foot, another result would often be to have a person's feet at
20486~9
~9OJ09ll3 PCT/US90/00817
essentially different heights above the walking surface, which
could over time result in serious orthopedic problems.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 490,998; 2,691,227 and 3,436,842, while ap-
parently having some similarity to this invention are actually
quite different in function, provide a measure of girth adjust-
ment only when the shoe is unweighted while the present inven-
tion provides girth adjustment in both unweighted and weight-
bearing conditions, the latter being considered as far more im-
portant as the discomfort and trauma experienced with ill-fit-
ting shoes occurs mainly under weight-bearing conditions. Fur-
thermore, the latter two patents disclose no means to prevent
entrapment of dirt and pebbles within the described structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,270 uses deformable sponges that are
secured to the inside of a boot primarily to facilitate inser-
tion and removal of the foot without the use of a zipper or oth-
er enlarging means. However, the heat and pressure build-up
experienced with such inserts, particularly those worn over the
foot in the ball area, has precluded their use in conventional
dress and casual footwear.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,531 describes a shoe with a partial
elastic slipper sock surrounding the forepart of the foot and
fastened to the bottom assembly, free of attachment to the
upper. While this structure may limit tongue misalignment in
use, it affords no substantial girth adjustment as the narrower
foot in such a shoe would typically experience looseness and
resultant buckling when weight bearing during the stride cycle
over the sensitive top area of the ball of the foot, where the
foot flexes in motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,762 discloses use of viscous flowable
materials within closures, primarily for use in alpine ski
boots having rigid soles, and as described, is not applicable
to conventional footwear which optimally requires girth adjust-
ability at the ball of the foot, where the MP (metatarsal/pha-
- o aO~8fi~S 9
lange) joints flex during the gait cycle. This, and similar
approaches using air, gels, gas, plastic foam, and other
mechanical means, while useful in rigid-soled footwear
particularly when used rearward of the ball have generally been
precluded from use at or over the ball, primarily for comfort and
foot health considerations in this relatively sensitive and
critical fitting area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has as its principal object the
construction of a shoe containing a substantially concealed girth
adjustment means for use with a wide variety of shoe styles,
including those having conventional bottom elements.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is
provided a shoe having a toe portion, a ball portion, a
midportion, and a heel portion comprising an at least partly
deformable upper which is attached to a sole, said upper and sole
forming a cavity into which a foot can be placed, and an
adjustable inner assembly attached to said upper, said inner
assembly having a resiliently deformable portion which acts
together with the said at least partly deformable upper to adjust
the girth of the shoe in response to a force exerted thereon so
as to fit feet of differing widths and girths.
In one embodiment, the inner assembly includes relatively
non-stretchable lining elements around the sides of the foot,
attached to a panel of stretchable material under the foot, with
a floating insole between the foot and the panel.
In another embodiment, the functions of the inner assembly
elements are essentially reversed, with the stretchable material
being located along the sides of the shoe and the nonstretchable
material comprising the bottom panel.
20486~9
~90/09113 PCT/US90/00817
In a further embodiment, not shown in the drawings, a
stretchable liner assembly extends fully around the sides and
under the bottom of the foot. Such a construction is particu-
larly suitable for footwear of the so-called 'tubular' construc-
tion.
In other embodiments, the girth adjustment means include
an inner assembly having relatively non-stretchable upper liner
elements attached to similarly non-stretchable bottom panel and
insole elements, with both preferable attached to a transverse-
ly adjustable frame assembly. The frame assembly preferably,
but not necessarily, is interconnected by hinge-like bridging
portions, and has attached thereto any of the various adjust-
ment means including springs, other elastic materials, cables,
cams and the like. Transverse motion in the frame assembly re-
sults in a rolling adjustment to the side margins of the liner
elements and consequent effective girth dimensional change of
the inner liner assembly. In all these latter embodiments, the
insole portion of the unweighted inner assembly is at least par-
tially suspended within the shoe, with deformation of the upper
occurring only at such times as the shoe becomes weightbearing.
At all other times, the upper will retain the original lasted
contours of the shoe, irrespective of the girth of the foot
therein.
In still other embodiments, particularly those designed
for use in lower cost footwear, the concealed girth adjustment
means comprises stretchable lining elements, partially attached
directly to the uppers in such a fashion as to allow the uppers
to assume, when needed, somewhat different transverse contours
as compared to those of the inside stretchable adjustable sur-
face of the lining elements as they adjust to conform and ad-
just girthwise to the contours and dimensions of a foot there-
in. These latter embodiments are preferably used in conjunc-
tion with the simple and conventional fixed attachment of upper
and lining elements to bottom elements along their mutually
adjacent marginal edges.
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WO ~/09113 PCT/US90/00817
--6--
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of
the present invention, reference should be made to the follow-
ng detailed description taken in connection with the accompany-
lng drawlngs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure l, is a side-elevational cross-sectional view of a
shoe embodying the principles of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the shoe
of Fig. l taken along line 2-2 in the latter, with the shoe off
the foot.
Figure 3 is a view of the embodiment of Fig. 2, shown as
if the shoe is on the foot, and at least partly weight-bearing.
Figure 4 is a side-elevational cross-sectional view of an-
other embodiment of a shoe incorporating principles of the pre-
sent invention.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe of Fig. 4,
taken along the line 5-5 in the latter, when off the foot.
Figure 6 is a view of the embodiment of Fig. 5, taken with
the shoe on the foot and at least partially weight-bearing.
Figure 7 is a side-elevational cross-sectional view of an
alternative version of a shoe embodying the principles of the
current invention.
Figure 8 is a side-elevational cross-sectional view of
another preferred embodiment of the shoe incorporating princi-
ples of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe of Fig. 8
taken along line the line 9-9 thereof and showing the shoe as
it would appear off the foot.
20~86~9
~90/09113 PCT/US90/00817
Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe of Fig. 8
taken along the line lO-10 thereof, and showing the shoe as it
would appear when on a wearer's at least partially weight-bear-
ing foot.
Figure 11 is a plan view of the insole assembly of Fig. 9,
including a transversely deformable frame, insole and socklin-
ing cover for same, as well as typical widthwise adjusting mech-
anism for deforming said frame.
Figure 12 is a side-elevational, cross-sectional view of
still another version of a shoe with a deformable frame embody-
ing principles of the present invention.
Figure 13 is a cut-away plan view of the insole assembly
of the shoe of Fig. 12.
Figure 14 is a side-elevational cross-sectional of another
preferred embodiment of the shoe incorporating principles of
the present invention.
Figure 15 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the shoe
of Fig. 14, taken along the line 15-15 in the latter, and show-
ing the section as it would appear, on a foot of a lesser girth
in the girth range accommodated by this shoe.
Fig. 16 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the shoe
of Fig. 14, taken along the line 16-16 thereof, and showing the
section as it would appear, on a foot of the greatest girth ac-
commodated by this shoe.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the d~awings, the adjustable girth shoe con-
struction of the present invention will be described with refer-
ence to the well known 'loafer' design. It should, however, be
understood that this is being done for ease of reference and
that the invention is not limited to any one style of shoe, but
WO ~/09113 2 0 ~ 8 6 ~ ~ PCT/US90/00817
rather is applicable to most other types of footwear including
other styles of shoes, boots, sneakers and slippers. In the
various embodiments described hereinafter, like reference numer-
als refer to like memberc which function in the same or similar
manner.
Referring to Figs. 1-3, there is shown one embodiment of
the present invention. Shoe 20 comprises a typical flexible
upper 22, preferably composed of leather, including vamp 24 and
plug 26 joined together by a suitable means such as stitching
so as to form a seam 28 extending around the forepart of the
shoe. The back portion of the shoe has the usual counter pock-
et or back tab 30 over vamp 24, a collar or cuff 32 preferably
stitched to cover the adjacent top edges of tab 30, upper 22
and liner 46. Shoe 20 also includes a typical conventional
sole assembly 34 having a heel 42 instep 43, waist 49, ball 45
and toe 47. Sole assembly 34 in this embodiment is composed of
a conventional rubber unitsole 36 preferably cut from a so-call-
ed "blocker", and a rubber midsole 38, attached on its bottom
surface to the top surface of unitsole 36 by adhesive cement,
or other suitable attachment means. Midsole 38 is joined, pre-
ferably by stitching about its periphery to the bottom portion
of vamp 24. Shoe 20 also contains an adjustable inner assembly
48 comprising a liner 46 and a socklining 50. In this embodi-
ment, liner 46 is composed of a non-stretchable material, pre-
ferably CambrelleR, a non-woven nylon fabric supplied by the
Faytex Corp. of Braintree, MA, but any other suitable substan-
tially non-stretchable material may also be used. Liner 46 is
attached at its uppermost margin to the matching edge margins
of vamp 24, and lies otherwise free of vamp 24, except at the
heel end where it has been optionally included in the handsewn
backpart seam 31 fastening tab 30 and top and bottom sections
of vamp 24 together. The elasticized socklining 50 is fastened
by stitching within its bottom surface to liner 46 and together
liner 46 and socklining 50 form the inner assembly 48 which sur-
rounds the sides and bottom of the foot. Socklining 50 is pre-
ferably constructed of a stretch-knit fabric of the type known
204~6~9
~ ~/09113 PCT/US90/00817
_g_
generally as spandex, although any other suitable elastic sheet
material may be employed. Optionally, but preferably, an in-
sole 44 lies loosely above the lower marginal edges of liner 46
and socklining 50. It protects socklining 50 and its sewn seam
connection to liner 46 from undue wear, and the foot from feel-
ing said sewn seam. Insole 44 preferably extends the length of
the shoe interior, and is of a pattern matching the bottom of
the maximum width last acceptable by the shoe; i.e., the last
on which the shoe was made. In addition, insole 44, is unat-
tached to the inner assembly 48 and is easily removable for
cleaning and removal of any foreign matter that may have accumu-
lated inside the shoe.
Fig. 2 shows shoe 20 with socklining 50 unstressed and in-
sole 44 in suspension. In this condition, socklining 50 is at
its minimum width, and consequently holds the bottom margins of
liner 46 at their closest proximity to each other. In this no-
load condition, the contours of upper 22 tend to remain substan-
tially as they were when on the last on which the shoe was
made. On the other hand, when the shoe is on the foot and also
weight-bearing as shown in Fig. 3, socklining 50 stretches to
allow liner 46 to exactly fit the foot, particularly in the
important fitting region between and including ball, waist and
instep. As the inner assembly 48 increases to adapt itself to
the girth of the foot, it becomes primarily responsible for the
fit of the shoe on that foot. Moreover, when the shoe is
weight-bearing as shown in Fig. 3 the sides of the upper 22
deform by a slight outward bulging as the inner assembly 48 and
insole 44 move downwards under foot pressure, with the extent
of such deformation being relative to the girth of the foot
therein and limited to the greatest girth said shoe is designed
to accommodate.
Figs. 4-7 show an embodiment similar to that shown in Fig.
1-3, except that here the action has been essentially reversed,
in that the stretch material surrounds the sides and optionally
also the top of the foot, while the non-stretch elements are
20~86S9
WO ~/09113 PCT/US90/00817
--10--
underfoot. Thus Fig. 4 shows a simulated moccasin construction
with upper 22 lasted over a permanent fixed insole 58, of Tex-
onR, or similar conventional insole material with an inner
assembly 56 comprising a spandex or similar stretch liner 51 at-
tached, preferably by stitching, to a non-stretch socklining 44
of CambrelleR or the like, which supports a non-stretchable
insole 44. Fig. 4-6 show this embodiment in a simulated mocca-
sin construction, wherein seam 28 is a simulated seam, heat-
formed in the one piece vamp 22 that now includes plug portion
26 therein. Such construction of seams or pleats can be carri-
ed out with equipment supplied by the Geo. Knight Co. of Brock-
ton, MA, and others. As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the simu-
lated seam 28 is stitched to liner 51 under essentially zero
tension and in a non-extended condition. Fig. 6 shows the seam
28 and liner 51 to which it is sewn now in an expanded condi-
tion as would occur in a load-bearing condition with a relative-
ly wide foot in the shoe. In addition, the upper 22 is deform-
ed along its sides as shown in Fig. 3, as well as along the now
expanded simulated seam 28. Fig. 5 shows the shoe off the
foot, with the inner assembly 56 under zero or minimal tension.
It should be understood that the simulated seam may be used to-
gether with the aforementioned girth adjustable inner assembly
or alone to effect girth adjustment or left out as shown in
Fig. 7, in which all girth adjustment results from the elastici-
ty of the vamp lining assembly, together with the accompanying
vamp side deformation previously described.
Figs. 8-11 describe another embodiment of this invention.
In this embodiment the inner assembly comprises liner 46, sock-
lining 50, and the frame assembly 60. Fig. 8 shows a side view
of the shoe, with the non-stretch CambrelleR not only used in
liner 46 but in socklining 50 as well, which is in turn support-
ed by a nonstretchable insole 62 and filler block 68, with up-
per 22 having been lasted over permanent conventional insole
70. As best seen in Fig. 11, the frame assembly 60 comprises
an articulated frame 61 which forms the base of the means for
girth adjustment. Frame 61 is made of a suitable material such
20486~9
~90/09113 PCT/US90/00817
--11--
as plastic, preferably extruded polypropylene of about 0.03" to
about 0.04" thickness, notched at 69 to allow the narrow bridg-
ing areas resulting from such notching to act as hinges to al-
low the frame to deform or distort transversely against tension
supplied by a preferably stainless steel spring 72 attached
thereto by means of fasteners 70 and 71, all of which comprise
the frame assembly. Optionally, the bridging area can be omit-
ted and the frame segmented with spaces therebetween and/or sub-
stantially shortened or limited in number. Spring 72 is option-
ally also attached to socklining supporting insole 62 and fill-
er block 68 at a central position by fastener 74, to help keep
frame deformation transversely in balance. Socklining 50 is
provided with an extending peripheral margin, which is wrapped
over the underlying frame 61, and joined to the underside there-
of by a suitable means such as adhesive cement or a radiation
bonding means. Then, with the upper 22 on a last, and a tempo-
rarily jig holdinq the frame in its outermost position, the lin-
er 46 is preferably cement lasted to the bottom side of the
socklining 50 so as to attach it to the frame assembly, and the
jig removed. As shown the liner 46 is also attached to the up-
per 22 by a suitable means such as stitching or a cement adhe-
sive. The upper 22 is then lasted in a conventional manner
over a conventional insole 70 and, finally, the bottom edges
are roughed and attached to the unit sole preferably using an
adhesive, as shown, with all the usual other sole assembly op-
tions available if desired. Fig. 9 shows the shoe construction
of Fig. 8 in a non-loadbearing condition, while Fig. 10 shows
the same shoe in a loadbearing condition, as it would appear on
a foot of somewhat less than the maximum girth said shoe is de-
signed to accommodate.
Figs. 12 and 13 show a further embodiment of the inven-
tion, which functions as that in Figs. 8-11, except that the
adjustment means shown in Figs. 12-13 includes a cam 78, manual-
ly rotationally adjustable from inside of the shoe for adjust-
ing the tension of the spring 87, the back end of which leads
through cam follower 82 and is attached to insole 44 at fasten-
2~48659
WO ~/09113 PCT/US90/00817
-12-
ing point 43. Cables from the forward end of the spring will
cause the girth of the lining assembly and thereby the shoe to
self-adjust to fit feet of differing girths, while turning cam
78 by screw 76 causes the cam follower 82 to move according to
the varying radius of cam groove 80 to adjust the effective ten-
sion exerted by spring 87. The cam follower 82 also engages a
longitudinally oriented metal plate fastened to the underside
of the insole to limit the cam follower to longitudinal move-
ment. Optionally, and as shown, this plate could be designed
to extend to grommet 74 and thereby stiffen the insole between
follower 82 and grommet 74 to prevent longitudinal buckling of
insole 44 during girth ad~ustment.
If the spring is eliminated from the above assembly, and
the cables extend from the grommet directly along dashed line
88, and through cam follower 82 to end fastening point 83, the
adjustment becomes completely manual, with the manual adjust-
ment of the cam determining the distance between opposing side
segments of frame 61. Alternatively, but not shown, transverse
spring 72, shown in Figure 11, could be included in this embodi-
ment, to allow automatic girth adjustment together with manual
adjustment. Optionally, a similar adjustment spring and/or cam
could be placed in the waist area to eliminate the cables.
Figs. 14 through 16 show a still further embodiment of the
invention, which functions in a manner similar to those of the
previous embodiments but with some differences in construction
designed to allow this embodiment to be produced at somewhat
lower cost for use when the cost factor is a critical and deter-
mining issue. Fig. 1~ shows shoe 90, typically but not limited
to a moccasin loafer style of tubular construction, having an
upper 92 of leather or other suitable upper material, compris-
ing a plug or tip 94, preferably attached by handsewn overlap
seam 96 to vamp 100, vamp lining 98 and optional plug lining
98a. The linings are constructed of a suitable material which
is stretchable girthwise such as spandex, or other like materi-
als, particularly the heavier and more durable SpanduraR pro-
20486~9
~90/09113 PCT/US90/00817
-13-
ducts distributed by H.L. Warshow & Sons, Inc. of New York, NY.
The linings 98 and optional 98a are preferably firmly fastened
to upper 92 at a number of locations in the shoe. As shown,
fastening occurs at plug stitching 91, optional plug lining
stitching 91a, cuff stitching 91b, kicker handsewn seam 91c,
and also, where lining 98 is fastened, together with vamp 100
to midsole 102 by the conventional LittlewayR stitching 106.
Unitsole 104 is attached to midsole 102 by the customary adhe-
sive cement, with both midsole 102 and unitsole 104 composed of
the conventional sheet or molded materials used for such mem-
bers such as leather, plastic or rubber. Finally, a sock 106
is removably inserted into shoe 90, to improve the comfort and
durability of the final product.
Figure 15 shows the shoe as it would appear when worn on a
foot requiring little or no girth adjustment of the shoe. The
upper 100 and linings 98 and 98a are in close contact at and
near their mutual points of attachment, allowing the sides of
the upper, and optionally the top of the upper to deform in
both height and width to accommodate the foot of the wearer.
As shown in Fig. 16, the linings 98 and 98a have been urg-
ed into full contact with the upper and plug, which exhibit es-
sentially zero deformation of contours from those of the last,
or form, on which the shoe was made. This drawing shows the
position of the members of the shoe as they would appear when
accommodating a foot having substantially the maximum girth for
which the shoe is designed to fit.
While the lining 98 and 98a are preferably composed of
elastically stretchable fabric materials optionally other mater-
ials, or mechanisms may be used to create variable and adjust-
able volumes between foot and upper, operating as girthwise ad-
justment means at least in the ball region of the shoe. These
include sealed or sealable plastic or similar bladders for con-
tainment of varying amounts of air and/or other gasses, gels,
'flo' materials or resilient plastic foams. Such foams include
20~8~59
WO ~/09113 PCT/US90/00817
-14-
the closed cell heat-moldable polyester based polyurethane
foams distributed by United Foam Products Corp. of Georgetown,
MA, and others, and are preferably of low density, i.e. 2#/cub-
ic foot or less. Alternatively, such foams can be used to con-
tribute to the elasticity of the girth adjustment means. In
such an embodiment the foam is preferably lined with a somewhat
elastic inner lining of fabric or even a flocking material.
Such linings to function properly for appreciable girthwise ad-
justability should provide at least one full standard 'width'
adjustment which means at least about l/4" of girth adjustabil-
ity at the ball, waist, and instep of the foot. To achieve
such adjustability and proper compression rate the linings
should be thicker than the l/16" and l/8" fabric-to-foam lining
materials often used in vamp linings; i.e. initially in the
about 3/8" to l/2" thickness range. Such thickness would usual-
ly cause unacceptable gaping or open space between the topline
of the shoe and the foot adjacent thereto, but this gaping ten-
dency however, can be minimized or even eliminated by proper
contouring of the thick foam, reducing the thickness at the top-
line thereof in the ball, waist, and instep areas for a better
appearance and closer fit between shoe and foot. It is a fur-
ther embodiment of the invention to provide such contouring
means for foam lining elements used in shoes.
There are a number of known approaches for the contouring
of such foam elements, including initial molding, removal of ma-
terial by skiving and the like, and re-molding of slab or sheet
foam materials. The preferred approach, however, involving the
minimum equipment cost and the maximum adaptability to the wid-
est possible range of shoe styles, involves the use of heat-
moldable foams, including those mentioned herein, which can be
permanently contoured when brought to temperatures of about 260
to 300F for about 8 to 12 minutes. This is most easily done
by providing the shoe with the aforementioned heat-moldable
knit fabric faced polyurethane foam sheet lining material, pre-
ferably of about 3/8" to l/2" initial thickness overall, later
contouring same on the otherwise finished shoe by inserting a
~ ~/09113 2 018 6 ~ 9 PCT/US90/00817
-15-
last or other form into the shoe, such last or form having the
contouring and girth dimensions of the least girth foot the
shoe is designed to accommodate. After placing the last in the
shoe, the proper heat is introduced by any of the known tech-
niques, i.e. by use of a suitable oven, and/or by heating the
lasts, as by circulating hot oil or other fluid therein. After
cooling, the less compressed areas of the foam will continue to
contribute to the girth adjustment of the shoe.
Still another optional embodiment (not shown) comprises
the use of small leaf springs, inserted between lining and up-
per in the sides of the waist area of the shoe, to facilitate
the adjustment of the girth of the shoe. Such springs, stamped
out of thin, e.g. about .OlO inches thick, flat spring shim
stock can be pre-formed or bent to hold the plug (top of the
upper) in a lower position with the sides of the upper deformed
outward from that foot,as would be required by a foot of lesser
girth. A foot of greater girth would urge the plug up, and the
sides inward to a less extreme contour, against the gentle re-
straint of the spring means.
In all the above embodiments, it should be noted that
shoes so made will automatically compensate for differences
from the norm in girth relationships between ball and instep.
This offers significant fit advantages over conventional con-
structions, particularly for styles not having conventional
girth adjustment means, e.g. loafers, boots, slip-on casuals,
and the like.
