Patents on the soles of your shoes...: 60s

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Oh Birkenstocks! (DE4235261 – 1994)

On April 21, 1994, Karl Birkenstock was awarded German patent, DE4235261, for: Footwear in form of sandals, shoes, slippers, mules, trainers or clogs - has upper consisting of interlocking strips of material with matching cut out parts and attachments, considerably widening the scope of the invention. And, according to the Figures (I do not read German…), the sandal looks very much like a modern iteration of your beloved, corky cumfy Berkies….

Oh Birkenstocks! (US3722113 – 1973)

What’s your favorite shoes? Birkenstocks are cult shoes, made in Germany, since 1774! (1774? Yes, that’s without a typo…!) This is a Birkenstock family-owned business for 230 years, toiling for perfection in the contour of soles. The first Birkenstock Patent, US3722113, was granted March 3, 1973 to Karl Birkenstock, for an Article of Footwear, which looked much like massage footwear in 1973....

An article of footwear has uppers which may [be] in form of straps, and a sole of yieldable elastomeric material which is provided at least on its upper and, according to some embodiments, on its lower surface with projections which extend substantially normal to the general plane of the respective surface. The projections may be of different length. [US3722113]