April 20, 1954
`
`Filed Feb., 13, 195
`
`
`
`J. C. DOUGHTY
`,
`FOOTWEAR OF THE SLIPPER-SOCK TYPE
`
`2,675,631
`
`2 Sheets-Sheet l
`
`Skechers EX1053-p.1
`Skechers v Nike
`
`

`

`April 20, 1954
`
`J. C. DOUGHTY
`FOOTWEAR OF THE SLIPPER-SOCK TYPE
`
`2,675,631
`
`Filed Feb, 3, 1951
`
`
`
`2 Sheets-Sheet 2
`
`sts 33
`
`BY
`
`INVENTOR
`
`chic car buy/ty
`Avowe
`
`Skechers EX1053-p.2
`Skechers v Nike
`
`

`

`Patented Apr. 20, 1954
`
`2,675,631
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE
`
`2,675,631
`FOOTWEAR ARTICLE OF THE
`SPPERSOCK TYPE .
`.
`. .
`John Carr Doughty, Leicester, England
`Application February 13, 1951, Serial No. 210,701
`(C. 36-9)
`2 Claims.
`
`2
`instance the latter, when worn out, can be de
`tached and replaced by a new one, thereby pro
`longing the useful life of the foot bottom or Sole
`section. In short, the idea is to permit of ready
`separation of the joined parts of the foot where
`it is desired to wash, clean or replace one part
`without the other. The knitted instep portion
`may even be detachably joined to a medicated
`sole or pad, in which eventuality the sole or pad
`can be readily detached, recharged with medi
`cative substances and subsequently re-attached
`-without the knitted instep portion being in
`pregnated with or otherwise fouled by such sub
`Stances.
`. .
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`Specific examples of the invention will now be
`described with reference to the accompanying
`drawings, wherein,
`Figure 1 is a general perspective view of a
`leather-soled sock made in accordance With the
`20
`invention,
`.
`Figure 2 is a perspective view of the foot bottom
`or sole section of the said article per se,
`Figure 3 illustrates alternative means for join
`ing together the knitted instep portion and the
`foot bottom or sole section, and
`Figure 4 illustrates a fashioned knitted blank
`comprising an instep portion, an ankle section
`and a toe tab, the blank being shown as it ap
`pears when laid out flat.
`.
`.
`.
`-
`Ilike parts are designated by similar reference
`characters throughout the drawingS.
`Referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that the
`leather-Soled sock therein depicted comprises a
`separately made foot bottom or sole Section
`which is joined to a knitted instep portion 2 in
`such a way as to be readily detachable therefrom.
`The foot bottom or sole section is made up of a
`relatively thin leather sole 3, a comparatively
`narrow strip 4 of leather which is seamed at 5
`around the periphery of the forepart and waist
`portions of the said sole, and an appropriately
`shaped heel portion 6 of leather which is similarly
`secured by the same seam 5 to the periphery of
`the remaining heel seat portion of the Sole 3.
`The rear ends Act of the strip 4 and the front, ends
`6a of the heel portion are overlapped as shown
`more clearly in Figure 2 and are secured together
`by short vertical rows of stitching. The strip 4
`extends upwards from the sole 3 proper in the
`form of a wall, the front rounded portion 4b
`thereof constituting the lower part of the toe
`pouch or pocket of the completed article. The
`heel portion 6 entirely forms the sides of the heel
`pocket. If desired, a piece of felt or equivalent
`material cut to the same shape as the Sole 3 and
`
`1
`This invention relates to articles for wear, and
`has reference particularly to such articles of the
`kind wherein a portion thereof consists of knitted
`fabric and is joined to a separately made portion
`of the article.
`According to this invention there is provided an
`article for wear of the kind referred to, charac
`terized in that the separately made portion of the
`article is joined to the knitted portion in such a
`way as to be readily detachable therefrom.
`An important aspect of the invention is that
`the knitted portion is so made as to be adapted to
`preclude the possibility of damage to the edges
`thereof as and when, and after, the separately
`made portion is detached from the article, after
`wear. Thus, the idea is to provide on the knitted
`portion permanently sound and un-ruptured
`edges which will permit of the join between the
`said knitted portion and the separately produced
`portion being neatly and expeditiously re-made,
`as Occasion demands.
`It is principally the intention to apply the in
`vention to articles of footwear such, for example,
`as leather-soled hose and so-called slipper-Socks.
`In this connection, then, a feature of the inven
`tion consists of an article of footwear comprising
`a separately made foot bottom or sole section
`which is joined to a knitted instep portion in such
`a way as to be readily detachable therefrom.
`The entire foot of an article of footwear may,
`however, be separately made and detachably
`joined to a knitted ankle or leg portion.
`An advantage arising from the invention is that
`the knitted instep portion can, where appropriate,
`be readily detached from the foot bottom or sole
`section for washing, and thereafter as readily and
`neatly reattached either to the same, or to a fresh
`foot bottom or sole section. This applies more
`particularly to cases where the foot bottom or sole
`section is made of a material which cannot be
`40
`washed like knitted fabric or might deteriorate or
`become otherwise spoiled by wetting. Or, in a
`case where the knitted instep portion is an ex
`pensively produced component as compared with
`45
`the foot bottom or sole section, the latter can,
`when worn out, be easily detached and replaced
`by a new section. Such may be...done, for in
`stance, where the knitted instep portion is elab
`orately patterned or ornamented to a customer's
`individual requirements or taste. In this way
`50
`the effective life of the instep portion can be ap
`preciably extended. Similar remarks apply to
`the case where, as may be, the foot bottom or sole
`section is an expensively produced component as
`compared with the knitted instep portion in which
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`adapted to present a soft surface providing con
`fort to the wearer may be stuck to the top surface
`of the sole as indicated at 8 in Figure 2. The
`complete foot bottom or sole section f fabricated
`as described is, therefore, in the nature of a caV
`ity sole within which the wearer's foot Snugly fits.
`In this particular example, the knitted instep
`portion 2 constitutes a part of a fashioned knitted
`blank of the form shown in Figure 4. As Will
`be seen, the instep portion 2 is knitted in One piece
`with a ribbed ankle section 9, and, from the lower
`end of this section, the blank is first narrowed,
`then merges into a section to having parallel Side
`edges if and finally terminates in a substantially
`semi-circular toe tab 2.
`As previously mentioned, an important and, it
`is believed, novel aspect of the invention resides
`in so making the knitted instep portion of the
`footwear as to prevent damage to the edges there
`of during and after detachment therefrom of the
`foot bottom or sole section. For this purpose the
`knitted fabric of the said instep portion may, aS
`clearly shown in Figure 4 be entirely selvedged
`around its periphery by suitably fashioning the
`25
`Wales of the knitted fabric suchWise as to Secure
`the fabric against edge-rupture or laddering and
`at the same time present a neat and strong edge
`on the instep portion to and from which can be
`attached, and thereafter safely detached and sub
`30
`sequently neatly re-attached, the foot bottom or
`sole section. With regard to the fashioning of
`the wales a few of the marginal Wales such as 3
`adjoining the peripheral edges of the instep por
`tion 2 may advantageously extend, as illustrated
`in Figure 1, parallel to the Said edges and hence
`also to the adjoining edges of the conplementary
`foot bottom or sole section f. In fact, in Figure
`4 the marginal wales 3 are shown extending
`parallel to and right around the perimeter of the
`shaped instep portion 2 and the integral toe tab
`2. The marginal Wales thus correspond to
`the edge contour of the instep portion, thereby
`resulting in an attractive wale contour having the
`advantage of imparting to the complete article a
`novel and appealing finish. An additional ad
`Vantage of Such a Wale contour is that in an arti
`cle Such as that shown in Figure 1, the change in
`material from, say, knitted wool to the leather is
`made to appear less abrupt. The invention there
`fore includes, as a feature, a component in the
`form of a fashioned knitted blank constituting or
`including an instep portion (of an article of foot
`Wear) having rupture or ladder-proof selvedges.
`The aforementioned change from knitted fab
`5 5
`ric to another material can in actual fact be made
`less abrupt (apart from merely appearing so) by
`thickening the selvedged edges of the instep por
`tion, e. g. by the incorporation in one or more of
`the marginal Wales of a splicing thread. In this
`60
`case, the thickness of the completed article from
`the foot bottom or sole section to the instep por
`tion is reduced in stages, viz. first from the com
`paratively thick material of the foot, bottom or sole
`Section to the Spliced and thickened selvedge of
`the instep portion and then from this selvedge to
`the relatively thinner main area of the instep
`portion. It is convenient to mention here that,
`merely for the purpose of illustration, the instep
`portion 2 shown in Figure 1 is patterned, whereas
`the instep portion of Figure 4 is depicted as being
`plain aS, of course, it may be.
`It is preferred to attach together the separable
`parts of the improved article of footwear by any
`conventional method of stitching, sewing, or
`75
`
`4
`seaming. In this connection it is possible to en
`ploy for the stitching, sewing or seaming Opera
`tion either an ordinary yarn or thread or a Spe
`cial thread soluble in water or a chemical solvent.
`In the example illustrated in Figure i, the foot
`bottom or sole section f is joined both to the knit
`ted instep portion 2 and the integral toe tab 2
`by a woollen yarn 4 which is inserted by, say, a
`bodkin or a needle, in the form of fancy blanket
`or like stitches such as 5. To assist the inser
`tion of the joining yarn 4, the foot bottom or
`sole section may be formed therearound with a
`series of uniformly spaced plain holes f6 (Figure
`1). Alternatively, these holes 6 may be eyeletted
`as shown at 7 in Figure 2.
`Figure 3 shows a further method of joining to
`gether the separable parts, that is by means of a
`lacing thong or thread 8 which is laced through
`the holes 6 and, if desired, also holes such as 9
`formed in the knitted instep portion and toe tab.
`The invention, however, is by no means limited
`in these respects as the separable parts of the
`article may be attached together by any other
`suitable means. For instance, sliding-clasp fas
`teners or press-stud, hook and eye or like fasten
`ings comprising complementarily engageable ele
`ments provided on the respective parts may be
`employed for this purpose.
`Instead of the knitted fabric of the instep
`portion being selvedged around its periphery by
`suitably fashioning the wales of the fabric as
`hereinbefore described, the edges of the said
`fabric may alternatively, and for the same pur
`pose, be sealed, e.g. either by an edging Sean Or
`by bonding, binding or massing together the
`fibres or threads at the edges by heat treat
`ment or the application thereto of any Suitable
`chemical, adhesive, plastic or the like.
`It is, of course, also within the broad Scope of
`the invention to make the instep portion of a
`locked-stitch or ladderproof knitted fabric which
`can be cut to shape without the risk of Subse
`quent fabric rupture.
`Again, the foot bottom or sole section may be
`made of felt, woven fabric, moulded material,
`such as rubber or plastic, or any appropriate
`combinations of such materials. Or even a sole
`made from rope or string may be detachably
`joined to a knitted instep portion.
`The instep portion, instead of being combined
`with ankle section as hereinbefore described may,
`if desired, be combined with a leg. The ankle
`section or the leg may be knitted either in one
`piece with, or separably from, the instep por
`tion. Accordingly, the invention is generally
`applicable to knitted footwear of all types, e. g.
`hose, golf hose, three-quarter hose, half-hose and
`socks. It is, however, also applicable to any ap
`propriate class of footwear having a foot of a
`composite character comprising separately made
`instep and foot bottom or sole portions. To
`quote a further example the invention would in
`clude within its scope such an article of footwear
`specially designed for wear within a sea boot,
`wellington or similar boot, or in conjunction with
`any boot, shoe or footwear when for reasons of
`special wear or comfort or other attribute, a sepa
`rately made and detachable sole is desired to be
`allied to a knitted instep.
`For the sake of convenience, the foregoing de
`scription has been principally confined to articles
`of footwear, although it is to be clearly under
`stood that there is no limitation of the invention
`in this respect, as it may also be applied to any
`other appropriate articles for wear. Thus, for
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`

`5
`instance, also included within the scope of the
`invention is a glove or mitten of which, say, the
`hand portion is made Separately from, and de
`tachably joined to, a knitted wrist portion. Or
`a separately made palm portion of a glove or
`mitten may be detachably joined to a comple
`mentary knitted portion covering the back of the
`hand.
`What I claim then is:
`1. In a footwear article of the slipper-sock type,
`a fashioned peripherally. Selvedged knitted mem
`ber, said member including a shaped instep por
`tion, a ribbed ankle section knitted in one piece
`with said instep portion at one end thereof,
`and a toe tab knitted in One piece with said in
`Step portion at the opposite end of the instep
`portion, Said ankle Section, instep portion and toe
`tab terminating in a regular circumferential,
`lower continuous perimeter, a plurality of the
`marginal Wales of the knitted member extend
`ing parallel to and around the perimeter of the
`instep portion and toe tab to prevent damage to
`the perimeter by strengthening the perimeter, a
`Sole member, an upstanding wall extending
`around the forepart and Waist of the Sole men
`ber, a heel pocket on said sole member, means
`Securing said upstanding wall and heel pocket to
`the Sole member, further means securing the up
`Standing Wall to the heel pocket, and additional
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`2,875,681
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`means detachably connecting the edge of Said
`member to the edge of Said upstanding Wall and
`heel pocket whereby the knitted member may be
`detached from said upstanding wall and heel
`pocket.
`2. A footwear article of the slipper-sock type
`as defined in and claimed by claim 1, further
`characterized in that said additional means in
`cludes a plurality of spaced apertures provided
`in the upstanding Wall and heel pocket, and a
`lacing element adapted to be passed through the
`edge of Said knitted member and spaced aper
`tures.
`
`References Cited in the file of this patent
`UNITED STATES PATENTS
`Name
`Date
`Blum ------------- June 24, 1924
`Schnieber ---------- Aug. 23, 1927
`Knilans ------------ May 5, 1931
`Glidden ------------ Feb. 4, 1939
`McDonald --------- Mar. 16, 1943
`Arnold ------------ Feb. 13, 1951
`
`Number
`1,498,829
`1,640,255
`1,803,554
`2,147,197.
`2,314,098
`2,541,020
`
`Nunnber
`475,912
`866,772
`
`FOREIGN PATENTS
`Date
`Country
`Great Britain ------ Nov. 29, 1937
`France ------------- June 9, 1941
`
`Skechers EX1053-p.5
`Skechers v Nike
`
`