US3308562A - Sanitary shoe cover of the type having a conductive sole - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1967 H. zlMMoN l y 3,308,562

SANITARY SHOE COVER OF THE TYPE HAVING A CONDUCTIVE SOLE Filed June 22, 1964 3 7 INVENTOR H HOLD Z//l/l/i//O/V @YM/Mraz@ A rfa/mns vvertically above the sole.

United States E"Patent 3,308,562 SANITARY SHOE COVER F THE TYPE HAVING A CONDUCTIVE SOLE Harold Zimmon, 829 Edgewood Road, Redwood City, Calif. 94062 Filed June 22, 1964, Ser. No. 376,999 2 Claims. (Cl. 367.1)

This invention relates to an improved sanitary shoe cover of the type having a conductive sole. The use of such shoe covers in surgical operating rooms and in chemical works is by now Well known, a particularly good one being described in the patent application by Saron A. Pen-ce, Ser. No. 827,992, filed July 15, 1959. The present invention relates to improvements in this Pence shoe cover.

Typically, these shoe covers have a sole of cloth-reinforced elastomer containing graphite so that the sole is conductive; the walls and portions which cover the shoe have typically been made of strong cloth that is sewn to the sole and overlaps enough to protect the shoe from bodyruids and other staining agents. The covers can be used, washed, re-used, rewashed and use-d again for many cycles, their life largely being limited by wear. An important aspect of Wear has been the stitching which joined the canvas or fabric top to the conductive rubber n sole. In early designs the stitching was located in accordance with ease of manufacture and simplicity, and the result was that the user Walked directly on the stitching. Whether the stitching was ordinary thread or special thread, it soon wore out, and the shoe cover had to be discarded.

This wear problem was apparently solved by the provision of a welting that protected the stit-ching, the welting being stitched to the sole and the top being stitched to the welting. This construction located the stitching where it could not be directly walked on. However, this welting projected out laterally all around the foot, as a flat rim surrounding the shoe sole and imparting a peculiar appearance to the wearer, like a `web foot. More significantly, this outward projection of the welting has been found to constitute a safety hazard, because the surgeons and nurses tended to step on their own or anothers welting, with resultant tripping, stumbling and other awkwardness. Of course, awkwardness cannot be tolerated in laboratories or in surgical operating rooms, where these shoes are commonly used, for the slightest unsureness of hand and the slightest unbalance or slipping may cause serious injury to the patient or even to the other doctors and nurses present.

Consequently, it is an object of this present invention to provide a novel shoe cover that has a connective rubber sole and in which long wear is obtained by a novel structure which is not conducive to awkwardness and is not a safety hazard. An intermediate welting between the shoe cover and the sole is so arranged that it raises the stitching for the sole away from the plane of the sole and holds it The structure of this invention provides the user with a more dressy appearance while at the same time accomplishing the far more important effect of safety.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred form thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspe-ctive of a sanitary shoe cover with conductive sole embodying the principles of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective showing an initial stitching of the welt to itself.

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the Welt stitched to the sole.

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FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the shoe upper stitched to the welting subsequent to the step of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged View of a portion of. the completed connection between the sole, the welting and the cover or top.

FIG. 6 is a view in rear elevation of the shoe cover.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view in elevation Iand in section taken along the line 7-7 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 1 shows ashoe cover 10 embodying the principles of the invention and having a conductive rubber sole 11 with a conductive rubber strip ortongue 12 extending from the heel 13 of the sole 11 up inside thecover 10 and beyondit and ready to be tu-cked inside the users shoe for grounding the users body to the conductive rubber sole 11. A shoe-encasingtextile sidewall 14 is provided by a single piece with overlap, and awelting 15 connects thesidewall 14 to the sole 11. A pair of ties 16, 17 enable the user to tighten thecover 10 on his shoe after inserting the shoe in thecover 10.

The conductive sole 11 is cut out to shape from sheets of cloth-reinforced conductive rubber; it may simply be a long oval. The strip ortongue 12 may he integral with it, but preferably is a separate rectangular strip with its end 18 folded over and placed against the heel 13 of the sole 11 and then stitched to it at the same time that thewelting 15 is stitched to the sole 11 and by the same stitch.

Thewelting 15 is a very important part of the invention. It comprises textile fabric, such as a canvas duck, having au elastomer (synthetic rubber) filling or coating; it could be called a rubberized cloth. It is important to note that plastic welting strips do not work; they do not have the desired stiffness and hence tend to sag into the webfootlike projections which caused the problems already mentioned. Nor do ordinary cloth welting strips work satisfactorily. The stiffness of the rubberizedcloth welting 15 used in this invention enables it to retain it-s initiallyimparted vertical attitude when properly sewn into place. The important thing is that it does not sag and fall down and form a horizontal extension of the foot.

Thiswelting 15 is a single strip and the first step in making the assembly is to -turn it over at afold 20 along oneedge 21 and stitch to itself by stitches 22 (FIG. 2) to provide extra stiffness at the fold 2d, which now becomes the edge of the welting and also makes it easier to handle later.

Next (FIG. 3), thewelting 15 is stitched to the conductive rubber sole 11 bystitches 23, which directly overlie the rst line ofstitching 22 for the sake of both appearance and structural rigidity. Thewelting strip 15 is brought up in the back at 24 and 25 -on both sides (see FIG. 6), so that it overlaps, While raising itself up above the heel level 13 at this point, securing it both to the sole 11 and to theconductive rubber strip 12 and securing thestrip 12 to the sole 11 at this point.

Thetextile portion 14 is cut out in a blank from a single piece of cloth, and preferably afabric welting 25 is sewn to the top edge thereof by astitch 26. Then theportion 14 is placed around the sole-welting assembly so that theportion 14 overlaps on the front, and itslower margin 27 is then sewn to thewelting 15 adjacent theedge 28 by a second line ofstitching 29, which is spaced about one-half inch from thelower line 22, 23, this being most of the width of thewelting 15. Then thecover portion 14 is folded over as in FIG. 5.

The finished structure provides a pleasing appearance aud structural rigidity, and it raises thesole seam 23 andwelt seam 22 away from the floor. The overlap of theportion 14 at the front acts to fully encase a shoe, so that the dropping of body fluids onto the shoe is intercepted by theshoe cover 10.

Preferably, the ties 16, 17 are sewn to the opposite sides of thetextile portion 14 either before or after theportion 14 is stitched to thewelting 15.

In use, the person puts the cover on his shoe while the ties 16, 17 are loose, there being plenty of slack for this, and then he takes the long free strip ortongue 12 and tucks it down inside his sock. This gets direct contact with the skin and acts to ground his body to the conductive sole 11 and thence to the floor. With this on, the ties 16, 17 are then tied with a simple bowknot, thereby both securing the article to the shoe and ensuring coverage of the shoe by the fabric.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely dilering embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

I claim:

1. A sanitary shoe cover comprising a normally flat sole having a peripheral edge bent vertically upward, a textile cover portion for enclosing the upper portion of a shoe, having a reversely, inwardly bent bottom edge, a welting of textile fabric lled with a filler to import bodily stiffness thereto while leaving a measure of ilexibility, said welting having one edge hemmed with a first line of stitching to form a hem to receive said ller and being sewn adjacent said hemmed edge to said peripheral edge of said sole along a horizontal second line of stitching which substantially overlies said first line of stitching and being sewn adjacent its other edge to said bottom edge of said cover portion along a horizontal third line of stitching, said cover portion having an outer periphery spaced outwardly beyond said peripheral edge of said sole and of said welting, said welting extending vertically all around said sole between said peripheral edgefof said sole and said bottom edge of said cover portion.

2. A method of making a sanitary shoe cover of the type having a sole and a textile cover portion for enclosing the upper portion of a shoe, comprising the steps of hernming one edge of a welting strip of textile fabric filled with a ller to impart bodily stiffness thereto while leaving a measure of flexibility, sewing said hernmed edge of said welting strip to the peripheral edge of said sole, and sewing the other edge of said welting strip t-o said cover portion with said cover portion extending under said sole and directed inwardly toward the center of said sole, and then erecting said cover by pulling said cover portion outwardly and upwardly to vertical position, bending said peripheral edge of said sole upward relative to said sole, bending the bottom edge of said cover portion reversely inward, and erecting said welting strip with said first mentioned edge downward and said welting strip vertically upward, said cover portion being the peripherally outermost portion of said cover.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,550,334 4/1951 Dahlhouser 36--9 2,958,012 lil/1960 Melman et al. 36-7.1 X 3,013,184 12/1961 Adams 317-2 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL BERNSTEIN, Examiner.

I. SlLVERMAN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A SANITARY SHOE COVER COMPRISING A NORMALLY FLAT SOLE HAVING A PERIPHERAL EDGE BENT VERTICALLY UPWARD, A TEXTILE COVER PORTION FOR ENCLOSING THE UPPER PORTION OF A SHOE, HAVING A REVERSELY, INWARDLY BENT BOTTOM EDGE, A WELTING OF TEXTILE FABRIC FILLED WITH A FILLER TO IMPORT BODILY STIFFNESS THERETO WHILE LEAVING A MEASURE OF FLEXIBILITY, SAID WELTING HAVING ONE EDGE HEMMED WITH A FIRST LINE OF STITCHING TO FORM A HEM TO RECEIVE SAID FILLER AND BEING SEWN ADJACENT SAID HEMMED EDGE TO SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID SOLE ALONG A HORIZONTAL SECOND LINE OF STITCHING WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY OVERLIES SAID FIRST LINE OF STITCHING AND BEING SEWN ADJACENT ITS OTHER EDGE TO SAID BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID COVER PORTION ALONG A HORIZONTAL THIRD LINE OF STITCHING, SAID COVER PORTION HAVING AN OUTER PERIPHERY SPACED OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID SOLE AND OF SAID WELTING, SAID WELTING EXTENDING VERTICALLY ALL AROUND SAID SOLE BETWEEN SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID SOLE AND SAID BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID COVER PORTION.

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