GB2440442A

GB2440442A - A device to mount on the heel of a shoe to increase surface area and spread weight

Info

Publication number: GB2440442A
Application number: GB0714273A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alison Kerry Stevenson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-07-24
Filing date: 2007-07-23
Publication date: 2008-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 2027-07-23
Also published as: GB0614659D0; GB2440442B; GB0714273D0

Abstract

A device 1 to mount on the heel of a, possibly high-heeled, shoe comprising a base piece 5 connected to a tubular piece 7 with a bore 9 to receive the heel of the shoe. The bore 9 of the tubular piece 7 may have a circular or semicircular 'D' transverse cross section. The base piece 5 extends radially outwards from the tubular heel piece 7 in an oblong, elliptical, scalloped or flower shape; and the tubular piece may also extend radially over the base piece to provide reinforcement. The two pieces may be connected by a snap fit system, by lugs 14 or by a boss on the base piece which the tubular piece receives. The base piece may be formed from a resiliently deformable material, eg plastics, may have a friction coefficient greater than that of the tubular piece, and may be formed with concentric arcuate strips 21 for gripping.

Description

I

A SHOE HEEL DEViCE The present invention relates to a shoe heel device and particularly but not exclusively relates to a shoe heel device for use with high heeled shoes.

High heeled shoes typically comprise a heel that tapers inwardly from the sole of the shoe to the bottom of the heel such that the bottom of the heel has a relatively small surface area. This small surface area can cause the heel to sink into soft ground, or to damage a surface such as a wooden floor for example. Prior devices have been proposed, but these are typically uneconomic to manufacture, and/or fragile and/or provide insufficient grip on slippery surfaces.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a device for mounting on the heel of a shoe, the device comprising a base piece connected to a tubular heel piece, the tubular heel piece being provided with a bore in which the heel of the shoe is received in use of the device so that the device is mounted on the shoe, the base piece flaring radially outwardly from the tubular heel piece so as to have a greater surface area than the heel of the shoe.

Preferably the base piece is connected to the tubular heel piece using a snap fit connection.

Preferably the base piece is formed from a resiliently deformable material. Preferably the base piece is formed from a material having a friction coefficient greater than that of the tubular heel piece.

The bore in the tubular heel piece may be of circular transverse cross section. In an alternative embodiment the tubular heel piece is of D' shaped transverse cross section.

Preferably the base of the tubular heel piece also flares radially outwardly so as to extend over at least part of the base piece so as to provide reinforcement for the base piece.

Preferably the radially outwardly flared part of the tubular heel piece is formed with lugs, the lugs being received in corresponding apertures formed in the base piece, the lugs and apertures comprising the connection between the base piece and the tubular heel piece.

Preferably the base piece comprises a boss that is received in the lower end of the bore of the tubular heel piece.

Preferably the underside of the base piece, that is, the other side of the base piece to the tubular heel piece, is formed with a plurality of gripping formations.

Preferably the gripping formations comprise a plurality of arcuate strips.

Preferably the arcuate strips are arranged in a concentric formation so as to arc about the axis of the device.

Other aspects of the present invention may include any combination of the features or limitations referred to herein.

The present invention may be carried into practice in various ways, but embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a device in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the device of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional side view of the device taken on line A-A of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a view of the underside of the device of Figures 1 to 3.

Referring to the Figures, a shoe heel device 1 comprises a tubular heel piece 3 and a circular base piece 5 connected together using, in this example, a snap fit connection. The tubular heel piece 3 is formed from any suitable relatively strong material such as, for example, a plastics material. The base piece 5 is made from a resiliently deformable material such as rubber, for example, having a relatively high coefficient of friction. The base piece 5 could be any desired shape including, for example, oblong, elliptical, scalloped or in the shape of a flower tread, ie having petals, when viewed in plan.

The tubular heel piece 3 comprises a cylindrical tube 7 formed with a through bore 9. The outside of the lowermost part of the tube 7 comprises a radially outwardly flared portion 11 that extends over the top of the base piece 5. The underside of the outwardly flared portion 11 is provided with four downwardly projecting tugs 12 that are equispaced about the axis of the tube 7. Each lug 12 comprises a stern 13 and a larger diameter head 14. The underside of the outer margin of the outwardly flared portion 11 comprises a downwardly directed outer wall 15.

The bore 9 in this example is of cylindrical transverse cross section, although other shapes of cross section, such as a D' shaped transverse cross section, can alternatively be provided if desired. The lower end of the bore 9 comprises a radially inwardly directed lip 17 that defines a central circular aperture at the base of the bore 9.

The base piece 5 comprises a circular disc. The underside of the disc is formed with a plurality of gripping portions which comprise a combination of concentric circular strips 21, and a plurality of arcuate strips 23 that protrude from the underside of the base piece 5. The disc is also formed with four equispaced apertures dimensioned to receive the lugs 12 from the tubular heel piece 3. The diameter of the apertures is substantially equal to the diameter of the stem 13 of each lug 12.

The top side of the disc comprises an inner, cylindrical boss 25 dimensioned to be received in the central circular aperture at the base of the tube 7. The boss 25 is formed with a recess 26.

The outer margin of the top side of the disc is thinner than the remainder of the disc so as to define a locating wall 27 that abuts the outer wall 15 of the tubular heel piece 3.

The device is assembled by locating the radially outer wall 15 of the tubular heel piece 3 against the locating wall 27 of the base piece 5. The lugs 12 are pressed into the apertures 25 on the base piece 5 so that the head 14 of each lug 12 deforms the respective aperture 25, each aperture 25 then returning to it's original size when the head 14 of the lug 12 has passed through the aperture 25. The head 14 of each lug 12 then engages the underside of the material around each aperture 25 to connect the base piece 5 to the tubular heel piece 3. This constitutes a snap fit connection.

In use of the device 1, a shoe heel is inserted into the bore 9 of the tube 7 so that the device 1 is retained on the shoe heel. The larger diameter base piece 5 then resists the shoe heel sinking into soft ground.

and the resiliently deformable material of the base piece 5 resists the shoe heel scratching or otherwise damaging flooring. Such a resiliently deformable material also provides good grip when the device 1 is used on a slippery surface. The appreciation that a two piece device comprising a base piece manufactured from a different material to the tubular heel piece enables manufacturing costs to be kept to a minimum whilst providing the advantageous properties of the device of increased grip on slippery surfaces, niinimising damage to flooring, and providing a device that is strong enough not to break during normal use.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A device for mounting on the heel of a shoe, the device comprising a base piece connected to a tubular heel piece, the tubular heel piece being provided with a bore in which the heel of the shoe is received in use of the device so that the device is mounted on the shoe, the base piece flaring radially outwardly from the tubular heel piece so as to have a greater surface area than the heel of the shoe.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the base piece is connected to the tubular heel piece using a snap fit connection.

3. The device of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the base piece is formed from a resiliently deformable material.

4. The device of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the base piece is formed from a material having a friction coefficient greater than that of the tubular heel piece.

5. The device of any one of the preceding claims wherein the bore in the tubular heel piece is of circular transverse cross section.

6. The device of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the tubular heel piece is of D' shaped transverse cross section.

7. The device of any one of the preceding claims wherein the base of the tubular heel piece also flares radially outwardly so as to extend over at least part of the base piece so as to provide reinforcement for the base piece.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the radially outwardly flared part of the tubular heel piece is formed with lugs, the lugs being received in corresponding apertures formed in the base piece, the lugs and apertures comprising the connection between the base piece and the tubular heel piece.

9. The device of any one of the preceding claims wherein the base piece comprises a boss that is received in the lower end of the bore of the tubular heel piece.

10. The device of any one of the preceding claims wherein the underside of the base piece, that is, the other side of the base piece to the tubular heel piece, is formed with a plurality of gripping formations.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the gripping formations comprise a plurality of arcuate strips.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the arcuate strips are arranged in a concentric formation so as to arc about the axis of the device.

13. A device substantially as described herein and as shown in the accompanying drawings.