Shoe construction

A shoe of the moccasin type having a crush- and deformation-resistant toe, the shoe including a shoe upper, and a sole part, and characterized by a premolded box toe stiffener for stiffening the toe region of the upper, the stiffener being of heat-formable material and flexible but resiliently stable character, the stiffener comprising an upstanding flange of curved configuration for lying against and providing securement to the corresponding interior surface of the upper within the toe region thereof, a principal tab extending rearwardly from the bottom edge of the flange for securement to the sole part, the flange having a front, outer surface coated with a heat-activated adhesive for adhesive securement to said interior surface, the flange having a rear, inner surface and directed toward the interior of the shoe;

• (i) said box toe stiffener including side tabs extending rearwardly from the bottom edge of the flange at opposite sides of the principal tab for securement also to the sole part;
• (ii) said box toe stiffener being formed from a flat blank of resilient formable sheet material, the blank having a substantially rectilinear forward edge, a forward portion of substantial width for defining and forming said flange, a central rearwardly extending portion of reduced width for defining and forming said principal tab;
• (iii) said flat blank having ear-like enlarged regions at opposite sides of the forward portion extending rearwardly for part of the rearward length of the rearwardly extending portion for defining and forming the side tabs, the principal tab being centrally located between the side tabs, and
• (iv) said side tabs being directed toward the principal tab in converging relation, but separated therefrom by rearwardly opening narrow recesses, the side and principal tabs being coplanar, the box toe stiffener including regions of reduced material thickness at opposite side edges of the flange.