Ballet pointe shoes
View Patent ↗Disclosed herein is an improved design and construction for Ballet Pointe Shoes using a box and shank that interlock in an over-under fashion, where the shank is designed with a cavity that allows varying rigidities along its length.
1. A pointe shoe having a shell, a box, a lining that is formed on the inner surface of shell said lining having shock loading reactivity properties, and a shank; said box having an underside, a recess and an opening for receiving said shank, said shank having a front, a cavity, and a surface; said cavity of said shank configured to mate with said recess of said box;
Wherein said front of said shank passes through said opening of said box, said surface of said shank rests against said underside of said box, and said cavity of said shank engages with said recess of said box.
2. The point shoe of claim 1 , wherein said shell, is designed and configured from a single piece moulding including a platform, a surface, teeth and cavities,
Wherein said shell is formed by bending and joining by said teeth and said cavities such that said platform meets said surface.
3. The point shoe of claim 1 , wherein said shell is made of thermoplastic polyester elastomer.
4. The point shoe of claim 1 , wherein said box has a toe and a vamp,
wherein said toe is configured and designed to be substantially rigid and said vamp is configured and designed to be substantially soft.
5. The point shoe of claim 4 wherein said box increases in flexibility in a direction opposite of said toe.
6. The point shoe of claim 1 , wherein material is added to the front of said box to reduce sound.
7. The point shoe of claim 1 wherein said shank is more flexible toward one end.
8. The point shoe of claim 1 wherein said shell and said shank are comprised of materials with different densities.
9. The point shoe of claim 1 further comprising a covering and a sole.
10. A method of manufacturing a pointe shoe comprising the steps of:
(a) Providing a shell;
(b) Inserting a box into said shell;
(c) Engaging said box and a shank in an over-under fashion to interlock the box and the shank; and
(d) Adding a covering and a sole.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of adding material to the front end of the box to reduce sound.
12. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of adding a circumferential lining on the inner surface of said box, said lining having shock loading reactivity properties.
13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of forming the shell by folding a unitary moulding and joining teeth and cavities formed on matching edges of said shell.