US2220722A - Slipper - Google Patents

Description

V- 1940- J. LANGFELDER 2,220,722

SLIPPER Filed Jan. 13, 1939 Wm-PPMO; B f wen/0r I JOSE-PH LANGFELPE'K Patented Nov. 5, 1940 UNITED s o-FF-icE a SLIPPERL JosepliLangfelder, .senpuis Mo. Application January 13, 1939; Serial 'N'o. -250,-723

-1 olaim- (o1. sc -9i This invention relates to'- improvements in wearing apparel, and more particularlyto slippers that are primarily intended for use for extremely short periods, as for example for over- 5 night in a-hotel while traveling, for locker room service going to'ior from the showers, for bathing pools, and for many other purposes and places needless to enumerate, butiwhich will suggest themselves to, those skilled. in the art to 10 which-this invention: appertains.

One. of. the objects of this invention is to construct a slipper of the kind described, of some relatively; cheap but durable material, such as paper, so that if desired, the slippers may be dis- 15 carded after but a single use. I

Another object of. the invention is to form a slipper for such temporary usage, of paper throughout,'jbut of; different kinds or types of paper at various portions of the slipper, using the types of paper best suited for the purposes of those portions of the slipper, and to this end, I have so constructed the slipper, that although the upper of the same is extremely stretchable or expansible so as to easily conform to the 25 shape of the wearers foot, yet the sole piece is made of a much stiffer paper so that pebbles or minor irregularities in the floor wherein the slipper is used, will not make walking thereon uncomfortable.

30 A further object of my invention is to make a paper slipper, in which there is waterproofing of such nature that the slipper will serve for at least its temporary usage even in places which are quite wet, this Waterproofing being within the foot-engaging surfaces of the slipper so as not to contact with the foot to stain the latter or otherwise interfere with the full usability of the slipper.

An added object of this invention is to secure 40 the upper piece of the slipper to the sole piece of the same, by stitching, and whereby such stitching acts as a non-skid element on the tread surface of the slipper, the stitching being overcast or otherwise brought to overlap the side 40 edge of the slipper so as to provide the required roughness thereabout to prevent slippage, but in addition, the stitching is preferably treated with some abrasive or highly slip-resisting substance, such as powdered pine resin.

50 Other objects of the invention are to provide a paper slipper that is neat and simple in construction, extremely cheap, that is well adapted to have any advertising message imprinted or otherwise applied thereon, which will give good 55 service for temporary use, which will stack tightly and neatly, and'which will be otherwise satisfactory and efficient foruse Wherever deemedj applicable.

' li/Iany other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious'to those skilled in the art to which this invention appe'rtaina-from the disclosures herein given.

Tothis'end, my invention consists in thenovel construction,- arrangement and combination of parts herein' sh'ownand'described, and the uses mentionedtas will be more clearly pointed out in the claimthe'reunto. appended.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like'gor corresponding-1 parts throughout the views, .v

Eigurecl'isaperspective view of the improved slipper;

. Figure-2 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the same, taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and showing the upper in both its inigial fiat position and in its expanded position;

Figure 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view, taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawin wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, there is shown a paper slipper primarily adapted and intended for a single or a very limited use, and comprising a sole piece I of a general conformation approximating that of the sole of the foot, and an upper piece 2 superimposed over the toe portion of the sole piece and which, together with the latter forms a pocket for receiving the toe portion and forward portion of the foot.

The upper is made so that it will stretch and conform to the shape of the foot inserted within the slipper, and for this purpose I have found that crepe paper is ideal, care being taken that a crepe paper is used that has a high degree of expansibility.

The securement for attaching the sole and upper together is preferably stitching 3, the same being best accomplished byovercasting or binding the superimposed edges of the sole and upper along the slipper edge, and wherein the thread of the stitching will preferably project slightly, to the degree desired, and depending upon the thread gauge, beyond thetread surface of the sole piece and will thus provide sufficient roughness or ridges to act as a non-skid element for the slipper sole, to minimize slippage on wet or polished surfaces.

To further increase the non-skid feature of the slipper, the thread of the stitching may be treated with some suitable material that is highly frictional and slip-resistant, such as pine resin, for instance, this material being either applied throughout the thread, or only on the portion of the latter on the under side of the sole, as preferred, this coating being indicated at 4.

The sole of the slipper should be of sufficient stiffness to make walking comfortable, and yet not too heavy to unduly increase the cost of the article, and I have found that paper that is not stretchable or expansible is quite efficient for the purpose.

Although the slipper as hereinbefore described might well be adapted for economical and efficient service in most instances, yet I have found it advisable to make the same still more serviceable, by making the same somewhat waterproof,

so that the slipper can be worn in places that are quite wet and yet not become too soggy for its intended use.

In order to reduce the cost of making the slipper, I have incorporated the feature of waterproofing with that of reinforcement, and to that end, I make the upper piece of the slipper of a pair of like thin pieces of crepe paper, with a layer of waterproof adhesive therebetween to bond the pair of paper pieces together into substantially a single element. It is obvious that a. waterproofing of this nature, as of asphaltum or similar substance that will not interfere with the stretchability of the upper, will both waterproof the part, and act as a reinforcement therefor, and as this waterproofing substance is between the twin layers of paper, there is no possibility of staining or otherwise marring the foot or clothing.

The sole piece of the slipper is similarly constructed, of a pair of like, thin pieces of paper that are not very stretchable, with a layer of bonding waterproofing 5 between layers of the sole material. As in the construction of the upper piece, this waterproofing bonding layer is at once a waterproofing and a reinforcement, and is entirely below the foot-engaging surface of the sole member of the slipper.

When constructed, the uppers are in their flat or unstretched condition, and will appear as in full lines in Fig. 2, but may be stretched, somewhat as indicated in dotted lines in said Fig. 2, to permit the insertion of the foot of the wearer into the slipper. This construction permits easy packaging of the slippers and economical shipping and storing, as a minimum of height is taken by a large number of pairs of slippers.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, arrangement, combination and construction of parts shown, except as limited by the state of the art to which this invention appertains, and the claim hereunto appended.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An apparel slipper comprising a flexible very thin sole member laminated of a pair of opposed. paper elements with a layer of water-proofing material therebetween; and a very thin expansible upper member in the shape of a vamp portion only secured to said sole member and laminated of a pair of opposed expansible crepepaper sheets with a layer of water-proofing material therebetween.

JOSEPH LANGFELDER.

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