US2736926A - Method of making a plastic boot or the like - Google Patents

Description

March 6, 1956 c. E. JOHNSON, JR., l-:TAL 2,736,926

METHOD OF MAKING A PLASTIC BOOT OR THE LIKE Filed Aprill 11, 1952 United States- Patent() NIETHOD F MAKING A PLASTIC BOOT 0R THE LIKE Clarence E. Johnson, Jr., and Bernhardt M. Pederson, Jr., Winona, Minn., assignors to Plasti Industries, Inc., Winona, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application April 11, 1952, Serial No. 281,814

2 Claims. (Cl. 18-58.7)

The present invention relates to an overshoe or boot made of plastic or rubber-like material for the protection of the shoe, foot, and ankle of the wearer, and to its method of manufacture.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a new and improved plastic overshoe or boot with increased wearability and anti-skid properties.

Another object is to provide a reinforced heel portion in the sole of the above-mentioned boot to increase the over-all life and wear resistant properties of the boot. This reinforcing is in the form of a fabric pad or mat molded into the sole of the boot during its manufacture so that the pad will lie between the upper and lower surfaces of the boot sole` Another object is to provide a frictional or non-slip bottom on the sole of the boot to substantially increase its anti-slip qualities. The bottom of the sole is made up of a collection of irregular peaks and valleys so as to provide a non-directional surface which possesses increased anti-slip characteristics.

Another object is to provide a new and improved method by which this non-directional, anti-slip sole on the boot can easily be made.

Other objects will, from time to time, appear in the specifications and drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in sections, of my new boot;

Figure 2 is a sectional view along line 2 2 of Figure 1 illustrating the upper surface of the boot sole and the reinforcing pad;

Figure 3 is a bottom view of Figure 1 illustrating the lower surface of the boot sole with its anti-slip, nondirectional surface;

gigure 4 is a sectional View along line 4-4 of Figure 2; an

Figure 5 is a view of the reinforcing pad that is molded into the sole of the boot heel as shown in Figure 4.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specifications and drawings.

The over-all boot is composed primarily of an upper portion 2 for the protection of the ankle of the wearer and a lower portion 3 to receive the foot and shoe of the wearer. The upper portion 2 is provided with an adjustable strap 4 and a buckle 5 for adjusting the strap so that the upper portion of the boot may be manifolded snugly in and around the wearer of the boot. The strap d carries a snap 6 and the buckle 5 carries a snap 7 shown in Figure l, these snaps engaging mating parts on the upper portion 2 of the boot. The snaps on the strap and their mating parts on the upper portion 2 of the boot are appropriately spaced so that the upper portion 2 of the boot may be readily taken in and let out by the use of the strap. The buckle 5 carrying snap 7 is slideable along Strap 4 so that the distance between snaps 6 and 7 on the strap may be readily adjusted to accon.- modate various sizes of ankles.

The lower portion 3 of the boot has an over-all rein- V ice forced cross section 8 as this portion will be subjected to a great deal more wear by direct contact with the shoe of the wearer than will the upper portion 2. Lower portion 3 is composed primarily of a heel-enclosing section 9, a toe section 10, and two side walls 11 and 12 joining these two sections on each side of the wearers shoe so as to form an enclosed boot. The sole 13 is provided with a thicker cross section than the upper walls of the boot, see Figure 4, to increase the life and wear resistant qualities of the lower portion of the boot.

This type of overshoe is primarily designed for use by women, and the sharp heels of the wearer have proved extremely detrimental to the heel portion of the boot. To resist these sharp heels a reinforced pad or mat 14 is molded into the heel portion of the boots sole 13 during its manufacture as described hereinbelow so that the pad 14 will lie between the upper and lov er surfaces 15 and 16 of the sole 13 so as to be embedded therein.

The lower surface 16 is provided with a non-directional conguration composed of a collection of irregular peaks and valleys so that no set pattern or established plain surface is afforded.

A bow l may be used in connection with the adjustable strap 4 for ornamental purposes only, if such a feature is desirable.

This boot is best made by a dipping process. A mold of the proper size is rst selected and prepared and then dipped in a dispersion of the plastic in a liquid state. The'mold with a layer of plastic adhering thereto is withdrawn from the liquid solution and allowed to cool until what might be termed a tacky point is reached, then the fabric reinforcement 14 is secured to the heel portion ofthe mold by the application of pressure. The mold with the reinforcing pad adhering thereto is again dipped into the dispersion of liquid plastic but this time the mold is immersed only up to the line 17 in Figure l and withdrawn after a sufficient coating of plastic has formed around the lower portion of the mold. The mold with the boot adhering thereto is allowed to dry until the lower portion again reaches the so-called tacky point whereupon an object with numerous bristles, such as a hair brush, is applied to the sole of the boot. The brush engages the sole so that each bristle becomes lightly covered with plastic on the tip thereof and because the plastic is in a tacky condition, it adheres to the bristles of the brush. Then the brush is pulled away from the sole, portions of the material adhering to and moving away with the brush and portions remaining with the sole so that a roughened nondirectional surface remains on the sole of the "boot, This procedure is repeated over the entire sole area until a non-directional, roughened surface covers the entire lower surface i6.

The boot is allowed to dry suiciently on the mold until it is ready for curing in an oven of approximately 370 Fahrenheit whereupon it is placed in such an oven to be baked for approximately a half an hour so that the complete boot is properly set and hardened and then stripped. The time of baking can obviously be varied according to the characteristics of the plastic-like material selected, and if the material does not require baking, this step may be eliminated.

hile i have illustrated and described a preferred form of my plastic boot, l do not wish to be understood to confine myself specifically thereto except as limited by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A method of forming a flexible boot of plastic-like material comprising the steps of dipping a boot mold into a liquid solution of plasticdike material to form a coating of material thereon, removing the mold and allowing the coating to dry until it becomes slightly tacky, applying the bristles of a brush-like object to the sole of the coating so that material will adhere to the bristles, and drawing the object away from the coating with portions of the plastic material adhering thereto so that a non-directional anti-slip surface of irregular peaks and valleys will be formed on the sole area.

2. The method of claim 1 characterized by and including the step of subjecting the plastic coating to an elevated temperature for a predetermined period of time to harden it.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Clark June 29, Grosky July 28, Miller Nov. 10, Murphy May 9, McCandlish Jan. 26, Demick Dec. 26,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 5,

Great Britain Mar. 25,

Images