US1994154A

US1994154A - Rubber footwear

Info

Publication number: US1994154A
Application number: US663715A
Authority: US
Inventors: Nelson E Tousley
Original assignee: Hood Rubber Co
Current assignee: Hood Rubber Co
Priority date: 1933-03-31
Filing date: 1933-03-31
Publication date: 1935-03-12
Anticipated expiration: 1952-03-12

Description

March l2, 1935. N. E. ToUsLEY RUBBER FOOTWEAR Filed March s1; 1935 @E uw E Patented Mar. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES RUBBER FOOTWEAR Nelson E. Tousley, Waban, Mass., assigner to Hood Rubber Company, Inc., Watertown, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application March 31, 1933, Serial No. 663,715

1 Claim.

This invention relates to rubber footwear, and especially to rubber boots or shoes which are used where oil or other rubber-swelling substance is likely to contact the surface thereof.

In such places as garages and oil service stations rubber boots have been found desirable to wear by attendants for their protection against oil, water, grease and other substances encountered in those places, but, as constructed heretofore, rubber boots have not been wholly satisfactory for this purpose because of the fact that when such substances as oil or gasoline come in contact with the rubber surface of the boot the rubber is caused to swell and become soft and weakened in strength, whereupon it is not in a condition to resist permanent distortion under iiexure or to provide the wear ordinarily expected of the boo-t, and objectionable permanent distortion rendering the boot uncomfortable tothe wearer, and sometimes premature failure, result.

The chief objects of this invention are to provide for effectively resisting such distorting and weakening effects resulting from the swelling of the rubber of footwear in contact with rubberswelling substances, to provide such protection without materially detracting from the flexibility or neat appearance of the footwear, and to provide for economy and convenience in the manufacture of the same.

These and further objects will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a boot embodying the invention in its preferred form.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary sections taken along the same line as that of Fig. 2, but showing modified constructions.

Referring to the drawing, a rubber boot having the usual lining 11 is, according to the invention, provided with a piece of fabric 12, which may be of fibrous material, preferably square-Woven and of strong warp and weft strands, adhered to the outer surface of the rubber and covering the front foot portion of the boot Where the boot is most likely to come into contact with oil or other rubber-swelling substance, and where flexture and abrasive wear are most severe.

The fabric 12 is preferably embedded in the surface of the rubber as illustrated in Fig. 2, and desirably so that the rubber extends into the interstices of the fabric and is securely interlocked therewith. This lessens the likelihood of separation of the fabric from the rubber when the adhesion is lessened by the action of oil, the fabric having a grip on the rubber by the interlocking engagement.

While the fabric does not prevent contact of the o-il with the rubber it serves to guard the surface of the rubber from abrasion, which is important when the rubber is swoolen and softened by the oil, and objectionable swelling and softening of the rubber at its surface are apparently lessened, especially as the fabric restricts swelling of the rubber in the direction along the surface and thereby curtails warping of the boot wall and softening of the rubber at its surface with the result of lessening its vulnerability to abrasive wear. Also, besides retaining the surface rubber against swelling, the fabric servesas a-net-like reinforcement restraining particles of the rubber from being separated from the rubber body, and further, the fabric resists permanent distortion of the softened rubber under the severe flexure of portions of the fore part of the boot in use.

In order to avoid excessive localized iiexure at the upper margin of the fabric, the fabric is preferably scalloped or serrated at this margin as shown at 13.

The desired firm embedding of the fabric in the surface of the rubber may be effected by molding, preferably by assembling the boot parts, including the rubber 10 and the fabric 12, upon an expansible last, and by means of fluid pressure within the last, distending the latter and forcing the boot against the surface of an enclosing heated mold to mold and vulcanize the boot.

In some cases it may be desirable to anchor the margins of the fabric more securely than simply by surface embedding, and this may be effected as shown at 14 and l5 of the modifications of Figs. 3 and 4, by embedding the fabric margins entirely within the body of the rubber where it is unlikely to be loosened or separated from the rubber by the action of a rubber-softening substance. The likelihood of peeling of the fabric at its margins is thus minimized and the ability of the fabric to resist swelling of the rubber and objectionable distortion of the boot is increased.

By the above-described constructions, the rubber surface of the boot is protected as described, and the adequate flexibility and the neat appearance of the boot are preserved.

I claim:

A rubber boot for use in contact with a rubberswelling substance, said boot comprising a rub-4 ber body of substantial thickness and a swell-resisting element of fabric embedded in the outer surface of the body and extending from the sole margin of the boot at the toe tol the region of the ankle portion and terminating there in a serrated margin, the rubber body extending into the interstices of the fabric, whereby distortion .of the rubber at its outer surface under the action of the rubber-swelling substance is resisted.

NELSON E. TOUSLEY.