Type having flexible base of varying thickness to form hinge means

Claim 1

A SEGMENT OF RUBBER TYPE COMPRISING A BODY OF RUBBER MATERIAL, SAID BODY COMPRISING, IN CROSS-SECTION, AN ELONGATED BASE LEG HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS AND UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES WHICH ARE SPACED APART, SAID BASE LEG HAVING A THICKNESS WHICH IS DEFINED BY SAID UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES, SAID LOWER SURFACE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT AND FLAT, A BAR PORTION UPSTANDING FROM SAID UPPER SURFACE INTERMEDIATE SAID ENDS, SAID BAR PORTION HAVING OPPOSITE SPACED APART SIDES, SAID UPPER SURFACE STARTING WITH SAID OPPOSITE ENDS, TAPERING TOWARD SAID LOWER SURFACE IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID BAR PORTION SIDES, RESPECTIVELY, AND TERMINATING ADJACENT SAID SIDES, THE LENGTH OF EACH PORTION OF THE BASE LEG BETWEEN AN END THEREOF AND SAID BAR PORTION BEING GREATER THAN THE THICKESS OF SAID BASE IN LINE WITH THE SIDES OF SAID BAR PORTION, THE PORTIONS OF SAID BASE LEG IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO SAID BAR PORTION SIDES BEING MORE FLEXIBLE THAN THE PORTIONS OUTWARDLY THEREFROM THEREBY PROVIDING HINGE-LIKE PORTIONS IN THE REGIONS WHERE THE BASE LEG ATTACHES TO SAID BAR PORTION, AN ELONGATED TOP LEG ON SAID BAR PORTION SPACED FROM AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID BASE LEG, SAID BAR PORTION EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THE LENGTH DIMENSION OF SAID BASE LEG, SAID BASE LEG HAVING A THICKNESS WHICH SUPPORTS THE WEIGHT OF ITSELF AS WELL AS SAID BAR PORTION WITHOUT DISTORTION.