US2097759A - Corrective sole - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 2, 1937.

E. EHRLICH CORRECTIVE SOLE Filed NOV. 24, 1934 IIIIIA m EDWARD EHRLJGH BY 2 Md? ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 2, 193 7- UNITED STATES CORRECTIVE SOLE Edward Ehrlich, Amsterdam, Netherlands Application November 24, 1934, Serial No. 754,563

In Great Britain November 30, 1933 2 Claims.

It is known that the so-called orthopaedic foot wear is intended to prevent deformation of the foot by providing a fitting that conforms with the natural outline of the foot more. closely and individually or to correct the dislocations of the bones of the foot by a built-in spring that serves to reinforce the shank of the footwear and by enlarged stiifenera, Furthermore, there exist footwear and shoe insertions of orthopaedic design of various kinds that serve to lift and to raise the deformed lowered or dropped bones and arches of the foot by auxiliary supporting attachments arranged under the longitudinal and transverse arches either built'in the shoe or simply put in loose.

Such footwear, shoe insertions or the like intended exclusively tosupport only partially allow for the peculiarities of load-distribution and static condition of the foot without considering at all the mechanism of motion and the dynamic qualities of the foot. The differently arranged auxiliary supporting attachments which areto provide an orthopaedic support to the structure The existing orthopaedic arrangements and attachments even are acting as a hindrance to motion as they cause unrequlred displacements of forces within the foot by their braking actions which are objectionable or harmful to the foot and, being transmitted to the leather upper of the footwear, ruin or detrimentally affect the footwear prematurely by continuous repulsive or recoiling action.

Such footwear, shoe insertions or the like do not provide on this account for the complicated peculiarities of the various and different types of feet when in motion (for instance, a dropped or lowered foot with a multiple broken axis of movement or a hollow foot with tendency to alternating distortion and tilting of the ankles) as regards the mechanical co-ordination of the 55 muscular system and of foot motion just as the individual conditions of shifting the weight of the body from the big toe of one foot to the heel of the other foot.

In accordance with the present invention 1 5 provide, not for supporting purposes but for of the foot throughout undergo the fundamental dynamically influencing the foot, footwear of any kind, shoe insertions or the like which have upon or under the treading base for the foot two or more fixed or movable inclined lever acting planes (like guiding fins) which are arranged in opposition one against the other, and slope towards each other and to the fulcrum or treading base whilst being separated by a groove which proximate direction from heel to ball.

By this arrangement an orthopaedic acting compulsory or enforced compensation of the abmay be enlarged and which extends in the apnormal walking conditions is achieved by means of coupling the middlefoot and forefoot, which are guided from' the heelbone according totthe peculiarities of the load and the physical forces acting on the different types of normal, weak, fiat, hollow and other feet, Consequently the centre of gravity of the load will actually be located in a correct static balance but there result upon the foot, multiple and (in respect to the changing static and dynamic requirements of rest and motion) variable lever acting effects which automatically neutralize the braking action and forces in the different portions of the foot which decrease the efliciency of the foot action, thereby forcing the foot to step and to shift in such manher that its interlocking chain of dynamic functions and its moving conditions resulting out of their totality are approximately substituting those of a normal acting foot.

This unhindered sequence, of the dynamic functions of the foot and of the eonnectedparts realizes a practical effect by increasing the emciency as well as in the elimination of the objectionable tensions and distortions on the leather upper of the footwear and on the welted,v glued and other connections with the treading sole.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in whichz- Figure 1 isa plan of the treading sole for the right foot of footwear or the likeintended for a lowered or'dropped foot.

Figure 2 is a cross-section .on the line lI1I of 'Figure 1 showing the position of the forefoot.

Figure 3 is a cross-section on the line LII-III of Figure 1 showing the position of the middlefoot.

Figure 4 is a cross-section on the line IVIV of Figure 1 showing the position of the heel part.

Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 showin the same mannerthe abnormal walking will be corrected in such 7 acting foot. The line t-m also partly forms the demarcation or groove between the inclined lever acting planes b-fic (heel lever) and d-e-lc-n (forefoot .lever) which slope down to this demarcation on the sides of which they are arranged in opposition to each other, both in the longitudinal and transverse directions. In this manner the lever/acting planes or plane portions partly individually and partly in cooperation participate in the reversing action which is to guide the foot. Atthe depression a the big toe joint rests on a dished bearing area- Out of this depression a the groove 11 cd leads to another depression g. At b-c the heel lever is inclined upwardly from the fulcrum or base to H and then is inclined downwardly to the heel bearing 1 from where the heel re'st slantingly curved, extends to 9 (Figure 4). From point 9 approximately, the horizontal or dished fulcrum begins to rise to d-e and is sloping down from h in the manner that the heads of the outer metatarsal bones, independent-from an underpropping of known kind of the thirdmetatarsal bone are effectively influenced by a cam lever action. The'elevation h is sloping down on its fore edge to the bearing of the phalanges.

Out of the Figures 1 to 4 follows that the forefoot is situated in an inclined position. h-a (Figure 2) and onthe other hand the heel part is brought in the inclined position fg (Figure 4), thus. is posed in opposition to the forefoot. With regard to line II.III[ (Figure 3) heel part and forefoot just as well are in an axially turned position enabling a limited propeller-like movement in the horizontal and .vertical directions.

7 When in motion 1. e. during walking or running, the treading sole exercises multiple rotating and lever acting effects upon the foot to which the same in its different joint articulations immediately is reacting like a coupled swinging bar. The

' portion circumferenced by bco-ed p participates hereby in substantial and effective manner by forming a fixed pulley-like notch in the transverse direction combined with a double armed lever, over which attachment the foot not only will be twisted and heaved, but over which the weight of the body is shifted when in motion from point'g to a and when at rest from a toy without any possibility of sliding forward in-the footwear. The more the abnormal walking conditions deviate from thevnormal, the more the 212 is balanced and compensated to direction as a pulley-like notch in combination with a double lever). shifting the weight of the body when in motion from f to h eventually when at rest from h to f.

In the Figures 5 to 8 the invention is demon- According to a feature of the invention the dynamically compensating effect upon the foot may be obtained by a suitably formed treading base in footwear, shoe insertions or the like intended for all types of feet, that the groove nc-d-g (Figure 1) between the opposed inclined lever acting planes, passing over inelastic or fixed arrangement and in. gradual transition in these planes is enlarged in a manner, that its extension and enlargement is forming an integrating constituent and an efiective working element of the treading base for the required compulsory compensation.

The formation of the inclined lever acting planes and the other arrangement may be achieved in, any suitable manner under or upon the treadingbase for the foot, for example by using in the manufacture lasts which are formed in such way that the counter-relief of the sole shows in negative manner the characteristic features of this invention or by moulding the treading base in plastic or elastic material, for in-,

stance, rubber, resin substances or the like by press process.

The formation of the treading base further may be achieved as an expedient by working in suitable material or filling pieces as for instance leather, wooden or cork compounds, rubber, felt,

or the like, or by carving the required arrangements in the inner sole as well as using sepa= rately manufactured loose arch supports, shoe insertions or the like, preparatively worked or fluished according to the nature of the invention.

In the drawing and in the specification the inclined lever acting planes are indicated and referred to as planes. It is, however, in the nature of the invention that these inclined planes as well as the other parts of the treading base for the foot may be shaped in a'curved or dished manner which is in accordance with the anatomic formation of the foot. The aforesaid inclined lever acting planes, depressions or the like which are provided at the treading base of the footwear may in some instances be concealed or covered, for example by a layer of suitable material, so that ordinarily the formation of the treading base or sole of the shoe is not visible. The covering layer, however, is such that it permits of the inclined'lever acting planes, depressions or the like What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. A corrective sole for insertion in shoes characterized by opposed inclined lever-acting planes sole, said planes being formed by elevated portions tapering in thickness from the opposite edges of said sole and meeting only in the shank thereof in a line which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the sole.

2. A corrective sole for insertion in shoes characterized by opposed inclined lever-acting planes on its foot-supporting surface located in front of and in the rear of the shank portion of the sole, said planes being formed by elevated portions tapering in thickness from the opposite edges of said sole and substantially meeting in the shank thereof alone in a practically straight line which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the sole.

becoming eflective'when foot pressure is applied under the weight of the body.

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