Casual type shoe with heelsupporting wedge

Claim 1

IN A SHOE OF THAT KIND WHICH COMPRISES AN OUTER SOLE OF ELASTOMERIC MATERIAL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT TREAD SURFACE, DEVOID OF EXTERNAL HEEL, A FLEXIBLE INSOLE, AN UPPER HAVING A LOWER MARGINAL PORTION WHICH IS PERMANENTLY BONDED TO THE OUTER SOLE, AND A FOOT-SUPPORTING WEDGE ELEMENT INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE REAR PORTION OF THE OUTER SOLE AND THE REAR PORTION OF THE INNER SOLE, THE WEDGE ELEMENT TAPERING IN THICKNESS FORWARDLY FROM ITS EXTREME REAR END AND TERMINATING IN A FEATHER EDGE ADJACENT TO THE BALL PORTION OF THE SHOE, THE INNER SOLE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SUPERPOSED PLIES, ONE OF WHICH IS OF FOAM ELASTOMER AND THE LOWER OF WHICH IS PERMANENTLY BONDED TO THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE THICKER END PORTION OF THE WEDGE ELEMENT; CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE WEDGE ELEMENT IS HOMOGENEOUS; SUBSTANTIALLY NON-RESILIENT; AND OF A MATERIAL WHICH IS SUFFICIENTLY PLASTIC, WHEN THE SHOE IS NEW, AUTOMATICALLY TO YIELD TO THE DOWNWARD PRESSURE OF THE WEARER''S FOOT AND TO CONFORM ITSELF TO THE CONTOUR OF THE UNDERSURFACE OF THE WEARER''S FOOT SO AS TO BECOME A MATRIX FOR THE LATTER, BUT BEING INSUFFICIENTLY RESILIENT TO RESUME ITS INITIAL SHAPE WHEN THE PRESSURE IS RELIEVED, THE WEDGE ELEMENT BEING SLIGHTLY ABSORBENT OF WATER AND OF SUCH MECHANICAL STRENGTH AS TO WITHSTAND THE STRESSES TO WHICH IT MAY BE SUBJECTED DURING WEAR OR WHEN EXPOSED TO CONVENTIONAL LAUNDRY TREATMENT.