US2579953A - Adjustable shoe gripper - Google Patents

Description

1951 v N. M. MORRIS 2, ,9 3

ADJUSTABLE SHOE GRIPPER Filed Feb. 15, 1951 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 25, 1951 sure PAT EZNT 2,579,953 I ADJUSTABLE SHOE GRiPPER Naomi MMmis, Cleveland, "ohm n ucaneh FeBr'uai-y 13, 1951, Serial=No.--210;687

-1 This i'nvention relates gripper, :or more particul-arly, to an *anti-slip attacliment fo"r shoes.

'By -'wa-y of 'b'ackground it may be noted tha Walking u on 'a slld wy r iy surface iS always dangerous, and serious irijiiry to personsslipping and "falling on such a surf-ace is quite common. This is true even where rubber 'o'vershoes h'aving a cleated or roughenedunderside are used :since thesole' of the overshoe is nowr a configuration 'or'material that'willena'ble it togrip the ic'y surfac'eand' prevent slipping.

Accordingly, .the broad object of the present inventionistbpravitie an attachment to a shoe, that will dig into and efiectively grip the icy surface in such a manner as "to eliminate any "possibility "of the -'-we'a'rers slipping and 'falling upon the ice.

Another important object is to provide an attachment of the type stated which can be secured to -th'ei1nderside of a slioe'with speed ande'ase.

"sti'u andtner 'dbjectis 'tbprovide an attachment as described which'will be adjustable'to fit 'shbesbf'aiiywidthor'lngth. I

Ytaiititlierbbjectdsto provide an attachment as described 'novelly formed t'o result in a iparti'cularly effective gripping action, through the provision of 'griipp'ingfbajr'si'iiten'ding along opposite :sides of the device in converging relation, and equipped with pointed-bins, nails-or: cleats, these 'cdo'p'ratin'g with "a 'ci'r'cmar centrally "disposed heel plate underlying the heel of the shoe and equipped similarly with nails or cleats.

Still another object is to provide an attachment of the character described which will be ruggedly formed of metal material, which will have few parts simply arranged, and which will be nevertheless capable of being manufactured in a manner whereby it will be light and, to all intents and purposes, invisible when worn.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of to an adjustable shoe construction and combinations of parts, hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the attachment.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view.

Fig.' 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one of the gripping bars.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the adjustable connections.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the device includes an elongated center bar I, adapted to extend longitudinally and centrally of the sole of a wearer's shoe, not shown. The center bar I rea'r end .of' -the center bar, the recess :2 havmg fdrined in its bott'dm' surfacea longitudinal series off'tlir'ea'ded openings 3. H

' Ill trlridialie its 'op'positei'end's, l'thefcfit'er bar I is integrallyfdimd with a CTOSS piece 4, fdis- .posedjat right anglesto the center bar, the cross pieces having, one "endportionextended: laterally asubstantialdistance, so 'a's'to 't' minate'barely short or one Side nfthe'sol'e bf 'th'e wearers "Shoe.

Said-laterally extended end portion of theic'r'oss "pieces isintegranyro'rmed with'aharciiategrip ping member '5, the integral connection of the gripping member 5to "the'cross piece "4 bei'n'gdisposed intermediate opposite ends of the gripping member 5, but closer to the rear :end thereof.

The other endof 'the 'crosspiece i is'e'xtended :onl'y ashort distance'beyondthe center'barl, and is"fo'r'rn'ed with a longitudinal 'Irecess 6 like the recess 2, therecess *6 having.'alongitudinal 'series of threaded openings 1. I

iReceived inthe recess i6 'is ohe'e'nd'of acon- 'ncting i bar 8, "having 'at op'posit'e ends pairs of openings receiving screws "'9 "and i 0 "respectively. The screws 9 are threadable into any adjacent pair of openings 1, while the screws Ill are threaded into threaded openings formed in an inwardly extended lateral projection [2 formed upon the intermediate portion of a gripping member [3.

As will be seen, the gripping member I3 is capable of being adjusted laterally toward or away from its cooperating gripping member 5, so as to adjust the device to the width of the particular shoe.

It may be noted that the front portions of the members I, 5, and I3 all extend forwardly in converging relationship, in general correspondence to the generally tapered tip construction of a shoe. In this way, the sole of the shoe will be effectively equipped with gripping means, that will extend from the front of said sole to a location close to the heel of the shoe, along opposite side edges of the sole.

To hold the front end portion of the device in proper position upon the underside of .a shoe, I provide rings I4 welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the respective gripping members 5 and I 3, intermediate opposite ends of the gripping members, the rings respectively accommodating strap sections l5 and IE capable of being adjustably connected after being extended over the upper of the shoe.

Received in the recess 2 of the center bar I is a connecting bar l1, having screws at opposite ends threaded into any selected openings 3, for the purpose of adjusting the device as to length, the screws at the other end of the connecting bar being received in threaded openings formed in a forwardly extended projection 18 integral with a circular heel piece l9 adapted to underlie the heel of the wearers shoe.

At its rear end the heel piece is provided with an upwardly extended ring 20 welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the heel piece, this having secured thereto oppositely extending strap sections 2| that are capable of being adjustably secured after being extended around the top part of the Wearers shoe, or around the wearers ankle, as the case may be.

On the underside of the heel piece I9, as well as on the undersides of the gripping members and I3, there are provided a plurality of downwardly extending pointed cleats, burrs, or nails, integrally secured in place and adapted to dig into the snowy or icy surface for the purpose of preventing slipping. These extend over the full area of the heel piece, as readily seen from Fig. 2,

and are extended longitudinally of the gripping members for the full lengths thereof.

I believe it will be sufficiently apparent as not to require special illustration that the cross bar 4 and the center bar I can as well be provided throughout their lengths with cleats 23, if so desired.

Of importance is the fact that the gripping members, center bar, cross bar, heel piece, and connecting bars are all disposed with their top surfaces co-planar, so as to provide a plane surface upon the entire attachment, whereby it will be capable of being fitted snugly to the underside of the wearers shoe and will be invisible to all intents and purposes when being worn, with the exception of course of the straps.

What is claimed is:

An anti-slip attachment for shoes comprising an elongated flat center bar adapted to extend substantially longitudinally and centrally of and 4 underlie the sole of a shoe, said center bar having a longitudinal recess in its rear end, a cross piece rigid with the medial portion of the center bar and having a longitudinal recess in one end thereof, a gripping member proportioned to underlie one side of a shoe sole, a connecting bar secured at one end to said gripping member, the connecting bar extending into the recess of the cross piece at its other end, means for attaching said last-named end of the connecting bar in'selected positions of adjustment longitudinally of the cross bar, for adjustment of the gripping member toward and away from the center bar, a second gripping member rigid with the opposite end of the cross bar and adapted to underlie the opposite side portion of a shoe, a heel piece spaced rearwardly from the center bar, a connecting bar secured at opposite ends to the heel piece and in the centerbar recess respectively, the connection of the connecting bar last-named to the center bar being adjustable longitudinally of the center bar,- and means on the undersides of the heel piece and the respective gripping members adapted to grip an icy surface or the like, said means comprising a plurality of spaced depending pointed cleats, said gripping members and heel piece having means for attachment to a shoe.

NAOMI M. MORRIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 318,366 Fitch May 19, 1885 366,977 Page July 19, 1887 958,984 Waldstein May 24, 1910 2,189,884 Dow Feb. 13, 1940 2,313,099 Smith Mar. 9, 1943 2,361,972 Smith Nov. '7, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,674/ Great Britain's---" May 30, 1891

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