US2070858A - Apparatus for disinfecting shoes and the like - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 16, 1937. L. A. DES JARDINS El AL APPARATUS FOR DISINFECTING SHOES AND THE LIKE Filed June 24, 1955 a U a a an PM E 1R Z 6 r 2 .4 M? w 5 w 4 0 z V I J F 5 9 9 m a a m v w w w n M 4 m w w w a I W. w WW W a 3 w 4 0, w 2 1 m fl 8 w 1 1 Q Patented Feb. 16, 1937 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR DISINFECTING SHOES AND THE LIKE Application June 24, 1935, Serial No. 28,150

2 Claims.

This invention relates to heating devices adapted for insertion into shoes and the like for disinfecting the same. The invention includes a process of disinfecting shoes and the like by heat treatment.

More specifically, this invention relates to a device for insertion into shoes to heat the same and kill germs therein.

It is known that contaminated feet can readily deposit germs such as, for example, trichophyton, which causes ringworm of the feet; streptococci, which causes streptococcic infection of the blood; staphylacocci, which causes pus infection; and bacteria featidum, which causes a condition of foot odor, into shoes.

The human foot cannot easily become infected unless there is some abrasion of the skin present, through which these germs can gain entrance. From time to time as slight abrasions are formed in the skin of the toes, and in the presence of any of the aforementioned germs, infection takes place. The use of the heating device of this invention as a shoe sterilizer can prevent this infection.

The most common and the most tenacious infection in the skin of the foot is that of ringworm. A popular method of treatment to cure this infection consists in the exfoliation of the skin of the foot so that the spores in the skin will be thrown off with the discarded skin. In exfoliating, the skin carries these spores which are deposited in the shoes, most commonly in the insoles and the sides of the forepart of the shoes, where they remain until they can reinfect the foot when new abrasions of the skin occur.

It has been found by dermatologists that these spores actually have lived in a culture for 433 days on dry paper, and could be developed after that time. This proves that a drying of the shoes alone is not sufiicient.

I-leretofore, there have been two ways of preventing reinfection by shoes of contaminated feet after curing the same. The first way has been to discard the shoes after the feet have been cured. The second method consists of the use of various disinfectants in the shoes. However, disinfectants have strong odors and cannot be used in sufiicient proportions to kill the spores without actually soaking the shoes in the disinfectant. It is obvious, of course, that the shoes cannot be soaked in a disinfectant without injuring the shoes.

We have therefore now provided a sterilizing apparatus for temporary insertion into shoes to heat the same at a constant temperature within defined limits, and we have found that this heat treatment positively kills germs commonly causing foot infection. The use of this apparatus therefore prevents the necessity for discarding infected shoes and also affords a prophylactic measure for shoe sterilization before contamination of the foot occurs.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a sterilizing device for shoes and the like adapted to kill germs by radiation of heat.

Another object of this invention is to provide a heating element for insertion into shoes.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a method of heat-treating shoes for disinfecting the same.

A further object of this invention is to sterilize shoes without the aid of disinfectants.

Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed ,description of the annexed sheet of drawings,

which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 is an isometric View showing the manner in which a pair of sterilizing devices of thisinvention are inserted into a pair of shoes.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional View, with parts in elevation, taken in a horizontal plane across the sterilizing device of this invention.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional View taken substantially along the line IIL-III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional View taken substantially along the line IV-IV of Figure 2.

As shown on the drawing. In Figure 1, the reference numerals l indicate generally the sterilizing devices of this invention inserted into a pair of shoes II. The devices are connected through ordinary lamp cord wires l2 joined together as at l3, to a plug I 4 for insertion into an electric socket.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the sterilizing or heating device l0 comprises a metal container having a tapered portion H3 at one end thereof and a raised portion H at the other end thereof. The container 15 is closed by a cap I8 at the end I! thereof. The cap or cover 18 may have flanges i9 formed around its periphery adapted to slide over the portion ll of the container and be held thereon in frictional engagement. It is obvious that the cover 18 may be brazed or soldered to the container if desired, or it may be held thereon by means of screws extending through the flanges l9 and the container walls.

A heating element 20 is inserted in the container l5 and comprises a plurality of mica sheets 2| held together by eyelets 22 to form a rigid support for a nichrome resistance Wire 23 which is wound therearound, as shown in Figure 2. It is obvious that means other than mica may be used as the support for the resistance wire 23.

A pair of eyelets 22 are secured to the mica sheets 2| near the end thereof, as shown in Figure 2, and have metal plates 24 secured thereunder. The conductors 25 and 26 of the cord l2 are secured to the metal plates 24 by soldering, as at 21 and 28. One of the plates 24 is connected through a wire 29 to a binding post 30 of a bimetal thermostat device 3|.

The thermostat device 3| comprises an elongated metal container or casing 32. The binding post 30 of the thermostat device 3| is connected with a bimetallic arm 33 (Figures 3 and 4) but is insu1ated from the container 32, as shown in Figure 4, by insulation strips34 and 35. The binding post 33 may conveniently be secured on the container 32 in insulated relation thereto and in electrical contact with the bimetal arm 33 by means of eyelets or rivets 36 which extend through an opening in the top of the container in spaced relationfrom the container walls but which clamp the insulation strips 34 and 35 against the top container wall to securely hold the binding post 30' and the bimetallic arm on and in the housing respectively, in insulated relation thereto.

A contact point 31 is threaded through the housing 32 and is adapted to contact the bimetallic arm 33, as shown in Figure 4. This contact point may be manually set by threading the same a desired distance into the container 32. The container 32 can conveniently be soldered onto a pair of eyelets 22 extending through the mica sheet, as shown at 38 and 39.

Current from the cord I2 flows into the contact members 24 through the conductors 25 and 25. Current from the conductor 25 flows through the wire 29 and binding post 30 into the bimetallic arm 33. Current from the other conductor 26 flows through the contact member 24 into the return wire 49 of the heating coil 23. This wire is shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 and preferably extends between the mica plates or sheets 2! in insulated relation from the wire 23 wound around the sheet. The container 32 is in contact with the wire 23, and when the bimetallic arm 33 contacts the point 31, the current flows through the wire. However, when the heat generated within the sterilizing device exceeds a desired range, the bimetal arm is expanded away from the contact 31 and the flow of current is broken. The thermostat device 3| may be set to maintain any desired temperature, but we have found that temperatures of 132 degrees F. are sufficient to kill the germs causing the most common infections of the feet, such as trichophyton, streptococci, staphylococci and bacteria featidum.

The cord l2 extends through the cover N3 of the device in an insulated nipple 4| of the usual construction. A coiled wire 42 is disposed over the nipple 4| to prevent a breaking of the wire, and as is customary, the cord I2 is knotted as at 43 inside the container to permit a pulling of the cord against the nipple 4| without breaking the contacts 21 and 28.

The heating element 23 is preferably encased over the wrapping 44 around the end of the heating element as at 41 (Figures 2 and 3) and over the top of the heating element as at 48. This asbestos wrapping is desirable to insulate the heating element 20 from its metal container and at the same time to equalize the heating of the entire container, thereby preventing overheating at some points which might be detrimental to the shoes being treated.

The top layer 48 of the outer asbestos wrapping extends over the thermostat device 3| as shown at 49. Therefore, as soon as the temperature within the container I5 exceeds a predetermined point, the bimetallic arm 33 springs away from the contact point 31 and the electrical contact is broken until the temperature withinthe container [5 falls below the desired range. In this manner, the sterilizing devices of this invention may be inserted into shoes when the owner of the shoes retires at night, and the sterilization treatment will continue intermittently all night without damaging the shoes because of excess heat. However, all of the germs causing the common foot contaminations will have been killed and the owner of the shoes can immediately again wear the same free from noxious odors ordinarily caused by disinfectants.

From the above description, it should be understood that we have provided sterilizing devices for insertion into shoes to kill germs causing foot contamination. These devices may be used singly or in pairs, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, are simple in operation and emciently radiate heat through all parts of the shoes without damaging or burning the same. The amount of heat radiation desired can be readily regulated by a thermostat device incorporated in the sterilizer. It should also be understood that we have provided a method for sterilizing shoes by heat treatment. We have found that germs causing common foot disorders are killed at temperatures of from 126 to 136 degrees F., preferably 132 degrees F., and have provided a method for killing these germs at this temperature by a uniform dry heat. The heat treatment need only be applied for two hours.

We are aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and We, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than is necessitated by the prior art.

We claim as our invention:

1. A shoe sterilizer comprising an elongated metal container having a tapered portion at one end thereof for insertion into the toes of shoes, a thickened portion at the other end of said container, a cover disposed over the end of said thickened portion for closing said container, mica sheets having nichrome wires wound around them for forming a heating element in said container, a thermostat casing secured on said mica sheets in electrical circuit with the heating element wires, a bimetallic arm in said casing in insulated relation therefrom, a contact point threaded through said thermostat casing for contacting said bimetallic arm, and means for connecting said bimetallic arm with an electrical conductor whereby an electrical circuit may flow through said nichrome wires when said bimetallic arm contacts said contact point.

2. A sterilizer adapted for loosely inserting into an article of wearing apparel and comprising an elongated metallic container presenting relative- 1y large upper and lower flat radiating surfaces, said container having one end tapered, a strip of insulating material having its periphery substantially conforming with the interior periphery of the container, a heating element surrounding said strip, a thermostat casing supported on said strip and electric-ally connected to one end of the heating element, a temperature responsive bimetallic arm insulatingly supported in said casing and adapted to cooperate with said casing to open and close an electrical circuit through the arm and easing, means for connecting said arm and other end of the heating element to an electrical circuit, and an insulating lining disposed between the heating element and thermostat casing and the container.

LEONARD A. DES JARDINS.

FRED R. FLEMING.

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