Protective shoe construction

Claim 1

IN A PROTECTIVE SHOE; A SOLE, AN UPPER HAVING A TOE PORTION PERMANENTLY UNITED AT ITS EDGES TO THE SOLE AND INCLUDING A GUARD MEANS PERMANENTLY BUILT INTO THE SHOE, OF MATERIAL RELATIVELY STIFF SO AS TO TRANSMIT FORCES APPLIED DOWNWARDLY UPON IT TO THE SOLE; THE UPPER ALSO HAVING INSTEP-COVERING PORTIONS TO FIT OVER THE INSTEP OF A WEARER, THE LAST NAMED PORTIONS BEING UNITED AT THEIR EDGES TO THE SOLE AND TO THE TOE PORTION, AND EXTENDING FROM THE TOE PORTION UPWARDLY OVER THE INSTEP; AN INSTEP GUARD OF RELATIVELY RIGID MATERIAL FITTING OVER THE INSTEP PART OF THE SHOE, AT THE TOP THEREOF, HAVING ITS LOWER FORWARD END OVERLYING THE TOE PORTION TOWARD THE REAR THEREOF, THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE GUARD EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE SHOE ACROSS THE TOP OF THE TOE PORTION; AND MEANS INCLUDING A HINGE HAVING AN ELEMENT EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE PERMANENT TOE PORTION OF THE SHOE, EXTENDING IN A GENERALLY STRAIGHT LINE TRANSVERSELY OF THE SHOE AT THE BACK PART OF THE TOE PORTION, AND AT THE TOP THEREOF, AND MEANS CONNECTING THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE INSTEP GUARD TO THE SAID HINGE ELEMENT OF THE SHOE FOR SWINGING AWAY FROM THE INSTEP PORTION AND BACK OVER THE SAME, SAID MEANS ALSO PROVIDING A CLOSURE ACROSS SAID FORWARD EDGE OF THE GUARD AT THE TOP OF THE SHOE THAT PREVENTS FOREIGN OBJECTS FROM PENETRATING BENEATH THE GUARD ABOVE THE INSTEP.