Longitudinally expandable shoe

#1. Field of the Invention

#The field of the present invention relates to a longitudinally expandable shoe.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

#My invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

#FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the longitudinally expandable shoe, according to my invention;

#FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the shoe of FIG. 1; and

#Referring now to the drawing, a longitudinally expandable shoe 10 includes a heel assembly 12 joined to a longitudinal sole assembly 14; the heel and sole assemblies have sets of flexible platelike portions 16 which may, for example, consist of hard leather, respectively, and which may be interleaved with one another. Joining means are provided for fastening the heel and sole assemblies at a selectable spacing to one another, and height adjutable arch support means 18 may be joined with one end thereof to one of the heel and sole assemblies 12 or 14 for supporting the foot of a wearer. An upper has a front portion 22, and a ear portion 24 which may be attached to the sole and heel assemblies 14 and 12, respectively, and the upper rear portion 24 has a counter 20. Elastic joining means 26, for example in the form of a rubber band, are provided for joining the upper front portion 22 to the upper rear portion 24. The upper front portion 22 preferably includes a lace assembly 28. At least one of the sets of heel and sole assembly flexible platelike portions 16 is formed with a plurality of co-extensive longitudinal slots 30, and the other of the sets is formed with a plurality of holes 32 aligned substantially at right angles to the plate portion planes. The joining means includes a fastener means 34 which may be passed through the slots 30 and the holes 32. Each of the sets of flexible platelike portions 16 include outwardly facing first and second portions, and a first metal plate 36, and a second metal plate 38 may be joined to the first and second platelike portions 16, respectively; at least one of the metal plates 36 and 38 is formed with a longitudinal slit 44, and the other of the metal plates 36 and 38 is formed with a threaded opening 46; a threaded bolt 48 may be screwed into the opening 46 and passed through the slit 44. The arch support means 18 has a portion 50 facing away from the foot, and is formed with a recess 52 for receiving the bolt 48; one end of the bolt 48 is freely rotatable in the recess 52, and a nut 54 can be screwed onto the other bolt end, so that the arch support means 18 is movable in directions towards and away from the other of the metal plates 36 and 38 in dependence of the direction of rotation of the bolt 48, the nut 54 serving to hold the bolt 48 is a selected position. A leaf spring 56 or the like is attached to the other of the heel and sole assemblies 12 or 14 for clamping the other end of the arch support means 18 thereto.

#The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the present invention; since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not intended to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and descried, the appended claims encompassing any suitable modifications and equivalents of the present invention. Accordingly, without further analysis, what is claimed is: