US3013184A - Hospital booties - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 12, 1961 R. H. ADAMS HOSPITAL BOOTIES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1959 INVENTOR PAL/w H Imus ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1961 Filed May 5, 1959 R. H. ADAMS 3,013,1Q4 HOSPITAL BOOTIES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 PALPH A1 40/1445 ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1961 Filed May 5, 1959 R. H. ADAMS HOSPITAL BOOTIES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR P41. PH A. ADA-Ms ATTORNEY United States atent O Corporation, Wolfeboro, N.H., a corporation of New Hampshire Filed May 5, 1959, Ser. No. 811,055 5 Claims. (Cl. 3172) This invention relates to hospital booties designed to be worn over the shoes and socks of hospital personnel.

Continuing Vigilance must be exercised by hospital administrators and hospital surgeons, physicians, nurses and attendants to prevent the spread of infection within the hospital; and which may otherwise endanger the health and normal recovery of patients whose sickness or injuries have left them in a constitutionally weakened condition and unable to resist infection attack. Even though floors, walls and equipment may be kept as clean and infectionfree as good housekeeping practice permits, with visitors quarantined to limited public areas, the shoes and socks of doctors and nurses may present a serious source for the spread of infection when they attend the seriously ill and constitutionally weakened patients, if adequate measures are not taken to isolate this source of infection.

The problem of controlling the spread of infection stemming from the feet and footwear of doctors and nurses is aggravated by the total impracticality of requiring doctors and nurses to remove their normal footwear, sterilize their feet, and re-app-ly sterilized footwear before attending each constitutionally weakened patient.

This invention is directed to a practical solution for the control of staff-spread infection stemming from the shoes and socks of doctors and nurses and other specialized personnel, whose duties bring them into the frequent presence of constitutionally weakened patients brought into the operating pavilion or confined in rooms or wards for the seriously sick. In accordance with this invention, a lightweight bootie is provided which can be quickly and conveniently drawn over the shoe and sock of hospital personnel to provide a sterile insulating shield in which the shoe and sock of the wearer is fully encased and confined, and to thereby isolate any infection or germs which may be associated with the wearers shoes, socks and feet. These hospital booties are designed and adapted to withstand repeated sterilization treatments without substantial deterioration, and may be handled and sterilized in the same manner and in the same washing and sterilizing equipment as used by the hospital to sterilize hospital sheetings, linens, towels, hospital gowns and like textile supplies.

These improved hospital booties are admirably adapted for convenient and rapid application over the shoes and socks of doctors, surgeons, nurses and attendants as they enter the anteroorn of the operating pavilion, examination room or ward where the seriously sick are brought or confined. These improved booties can be readily removed from the wearers feet after leaving the presence of the constitutionally weakened patient, and placed in the soiled laundry bag or basket and then washed and sterilized in the laundry room of the hospital in the same manner as sheets, pillow cases, gowns and other hospital linens. The convenience of application and removal of these hospital booties to and from the shoes, encourages doctors and nurses to use them.

The sole section of this bootie which supports the shoe of the wearer, is formed from relatively flexible and wear resistant material of high electrical conductivity. The bootie upper is formed from a relatively wear resistant and sterilizable material, such as strong cotton cloth, which extends above the sock line of the wearer, and is designed to completely enclose the shoed foot and sock of the wearer to provide an infection isolating protective shield. A strip of flexible material of high electrical conductivity is directly connected to the sole section and extends above the sock line of the wearer, so that when the bootie has been fully applied to the wearers foot, the upper end of the conductive strip makes positive conductive contact with the bare skin of the wearers leg. The person wearing these booties is thus fully grounded to the hospital floor or any other surface on which the bootie may be placed and which may be electrically charged. These booties are also provided with a toe guard formed from flexible and wear resistant material of high electrical conductivity which is directly secured to the conducting sole section to thereby ground the bootie when the toe thereof is placed in contact with an electrically charged object. These booties are therefore particularly adapted to be used and worn by operating surgeons, attendant nurses and anesthetists in the operating pavilion whose atmosphere is often charged with explosive gases.

The ease and facility with which these improved hospital booties may be washed and sterilized insures a clean and electrically conductive undersurface for the sole section, so that the wearers leg is reliably grounded through the conductive sole section. In hospital footwear heretofore commonly worn in operating pavilions, it has been found in as many as one third of the cases tested, that the grounding ability of the footwear is ineffective, either due to the fact that insulating grime has. been permitted to collect on the underface of the sole as a result of the difliculty and inconvenience of cleaning such footwear, or because such footwear is not designed to positively maintain grounding contact with the wearers leg.

Hospital booties made in accordance with this invention may be formed from relatively inexpensive material and from relatively few parts, may be manufactured by the employment of relatively few and quickly executed operations, by mass production methods and at relatively low cost. These improved hospital booties may be shipped and stored in relatively limited space, are light in weight, and can be repeatedly worn, washed and sterilized many hundreds of times before they are worn out.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds.

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hospital bootie made in accordance with this invention;

FIGS. 2 and 2A are plan views of the paired side sections which when assembled together form the upper part of the bootie;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bootie sole;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the two sections which form' the toe guard for the bootie;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the bootie as the same would appear prior to its application to the foot and leg of the wearer;

FIG. 6 is another rear elevational view of the bootie as it would appear after the upper part thereof has been wrapped around the leg of the wearer;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross section of the heel part of the bootie as the same would appear when viewed along line 77 of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 8 is a transverse section taken across the toe por tion of the bootie as the same would appear when viewed along line 88 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is another transverse section taken across the instep part of the bootie as the same would appear when viewed along line 9-9 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the toe part of the bootie as the same would appear when viewed along line 1010 of FIGS. 1 and 8;

FIG. 11 is aperspective view of the bootie in the process of being applied over the shoe of the wearer;

' FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the bootie as applied to the shoe of the wearer and showing the upper part of 'part of the bootie at a further stage of application to the leg of the wearer;

FIG. 15 is a perspective View similar to that shown in FIG. 14 showing the upper part of the'bootie as it would appear when substantially fully wrapped around the leg of the wearer, but prior to tieing of the tie bands thereof; and

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the bootie as completely applied to the foot and leg of the wearer and as worn by the wearer.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings and specification;

Hospital booties constructed in accordance with this invention are formed from relatively few parts which can be readily assembled by stitching operations and manufactured at relatively low cost. The sole member or section 1 of the bootie as shown in FIG. 3 is composed of relatively flexible, tough and wear resistant sheet material characterized by high electrical conductivity. The sole section 1 can be made of such material as natural or synthetic rubber of high electrical conductivity and which is vulcanized orotherwise treated to withstand repeated washings and autoclave sterilizations without deterioration. sole section 1 is formed may be strengthened and reinforced by a tough and heat resistant textile fabric embedded therein. g

The sole section 1 may have an over-all thickness in the order of one-sixty-fourth to one-eighth of an inch, and is shaped to the approximate contour of the bottom face of the wearers shoe S which is to rest on the inside face of the sole section, and is made of sufiicient oversize to permit convenient and ready insertion of the wearers shoe into the bootie without being clumsy or excessively oversized when worn. The sole section 1 is also sized to provide a sufiicient welting margin 1 to permit adequate stitching securement' of the upper part of the bootie there-f.

to. r g

The upper part of the bootie is formed from a pair of half sections and 5' which are shaped substantially as,

stand repeated washings and autoclave sterilizations without deterioration.

The complementary side sections'S-S have a height sufiicient to extend from the sole sectionl to which they The flexible rubber composition from which the 1, around the side of the toe portion and side portion of the sole section and substantially around the heel portion to a point b of the sole section 1 as shown in FIG. 3. The complementary bottom margin 8' of the companion side section 5 is also designed to be secured to the opposite weltingmargin 1' of the sole section 1 and has a length a too which approximately corresponds to the marginal distance; between the point a and the point e of the sole section 1 as shown in FIG. 3. It will be noted that the length of, the bottom rim portion 8 of the side section 5 as measured by the distance between its extremities a to b, is slightly greater than the marginal length 8' of the companion side section 5' as measured by the distance between its terminal ends a and 0. Thus, when the upper part of the bootie is assembled from the side sections 5 and 5', the'vertical rear margin 6 of the side section 5 will overlap the vertical margin 6 of the companion side section 5 as shown in FIG. 5.

The bootie is also preferably provided with a toe guard formed of two sections 2 and 2' patterned substantially as shown in FIG. 4. The toe sections 2 and 2' are composed offlexible and relatively tough and wear resistant .material of high electrical conductivity, and characterized by the ability to withstand repeated washings and autoclave sterilizations without deterioration. The toe guard sections 22 can be made of the same material from which the sole section 1 is formed, such as natural or synthetic rubber reinforced by a textile fabric embedded therein, and suitably vulcanized or otherwise treated to provide the above characteristics, and may have a thickness in the order of one sixty-fourth to one-sixteenth of an inch. The toe guard forming sections 2--2' are each provided with outer marginal edges 3 designed to be stitched to the toe portion of the sole section 1 and to gether extend between the points d-d of the toe rim of thesole section, as indicated in FIG. 3. The toe guard sections 22. also present complementary longitudinal edges 4-4' designed to be inturned and stitched together in overlapped relation, and inner margins 3 designed to be stitched to the toe portions of the side sections 5-5, V

I bottom edge 8 of the side section 5' and which is designed to be secured in direct contact with the adjacent heel portion of the sole section 1. This secur'ement may be aifected by bending the 'endextension 10' into generally U-shaped'form as shown in FIG. 7 and securing the same in direct contact with the marginal welt portion 1' of the sole section by the welt stitching as shown in FIG. '7.

The upper end of the grounding strip 10 extends'to or beyond the upper inwardly folded flap portion 7' of a the sidesection 5' so that the upper terminal end thereof are. attached to a point well above'the sock line K of the sock worn by the wearer as shown in FIGS. lZ'and 13. The upper edge of both side sections 5 and 5 each have an inturned reinforcing flap portion 7 and 7f which provides a finished top edge for the bootie, and vertical rear edges 66" which may be selvedged to prevent raveling. The side sections 5 and 5' are also provided with curvilinear instep edges 9 and 9 designed to be inturned and stitched together as shown in FIGJ9. The lower marginal i edge '8 of the sidesection 5 is designed to be outturned and stitched to the W'elting margin 1' ofthe sole section 1 g will make direct conducting contact with the bare skin of the wearers leg L. To further insure such grounding contact, the-upper end portionof the. grounding strip 10 may have a terminal contact pad 25 of relativelyhigh electrical conductivity stitched directly thereto as shown in FIGS. l'and 2A. To further insure adequate grounding of the wearersleg to the conductive sole section 1 a and the hospital floor, a leg embracing grounding strip 12 may be secured by paired stitching 13 to the inside face of the upper inturned flap. portions 7 and 7of the side sections 5 and 5', and which may be applied thereto when the instep margins 9 and 9' of the side sections 5 and 5' have been stitched together. It will be noted that oncfend of the leg embracing grounding strip 12 is overlapped by and fixed to the upper end portion 10" of the grounded s'ole section 1.. Where. theleg embracing grounding strip 12 is used, the upper grounding patch 25 may be eliminated if desired.

The vertically extending grounding strip 10, the leg encircling grounding strip 12 and/ or the grounding patch 25, are formed from a flexible material designed to withstand repeated washings and autoclave sterilizations and characterized by high electrical conductivity, and may be composed of a material such as electrical conductive natural or synthetic rubber reinforcing by a suitable fabric embedded therein. The vertical grounding strap 10 and the associated leg encircling grounding strap 12, may measure in the order of one-fourth to one inch in width, with a preferred width of approximately one-half inch, and may be made in the order of one sixty-fourth to one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness, and together provide a continuous conductor between the bare leg L of the wearer and the sole section 1 as grounded to the hospital floor.

The upper portions of the side sections and 5' of the assembled bootie are designed to be wrapped around the wearers leg and the grounding pad 25 and/or the leg encircling grounding strip 12 held in conducting contact with the bare skin of the wearers leg L by means of a' pair of tie bands 14 and 15, which are formed from a tough and wear resistant material such as woven textile fabric presenting nonraveling edges. The tie band 14 has an end portion 14' thereof secured as by box stitching 14" to the upper rear corner of the side section 5 and adjacent the top margin 7 and the rear margin 6 thereof as shown in FIG. 2; and the similar tie band 15 has an end portion 15' thereof secured by box stitching 15" to the upper rear corner of the complementary side section 5' adjacent the upper margin 7' and the rear margin 6' thereof as shown in FIG. 2A. The tie bands 14 and 15 are of sufl'icient length so that they can be Wrapped around the 7 leg L of the wearer as shown in FIG. 15, and conveniently tied as shown in FIG. 16. The tie bands 14 and 15 as thus secured, serve to maintain the upper end of the vertical grounding strip and/or the grounding patch 25 and/or the leg encircling grounding strip 12 in positive con-ducting contact with the bare leg of the wearer when the bootie is in wearing position.

In assembling the bootie from the sections shown in FIGS. 2, 2A, 3 and 4, the inner margins 3' of the toe guard sections 2 and 2' may be first secured as by stitching 16 across the toe portion of the respective side sections 5 and 5' as shown in FIG. 1. The marginal instep portions 9 and 9' of the side sections 55', and the corresponding longitudinal margins 44 of the toe guard sections 2 and 2', are then stitched together as by stitching 17 to provide a seaming bead positioned internally of the bootie as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and providing a finished and longitudinally extending external instep seam as shown in FIGS. 11-16. The end portion 14' of the tie band 14 and the end portion of the tie band 15 may then be secured by box stitching 14" and 15" to the upper rear corners of the respective side sections 5 and 5'.

The leg encircling grounding strip 12 may then be secured by paired line stitches 13 to the inside faces of the inturned flap portion 7 and 7' of both side sections 5 and 5', with the stitching emerging through the outer face of the side sections 5 and 5'. The grounding strip 19 may then be secured as by paired stitches 11 to the inside face of the side section 5' adjacent the inside face of the vertical margin 6 thereof, with the lower 'end extension 10 of the strip projecting beyond the lower marginal edge portion 8 of the side section 5; and with the upper end portion 10" of the vertical grounding strip 10 overlapping and stitched to the grounding pad 25 and/ or the leg encircling grounding strip 12, as shown in FIG. 2A. As a further step in the assembly of the upper part of the bootie, the lower rear corner of the side section 5 is placed in overlapped relation to the'exteriorface of the lower rear corner of the side section 5', and the 6 overlapped portions then secured together by box stitching 18 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The side sections 5-5, toe sections 22, the leg embracing grounding strip 12, the vertically extending grounding strip 10, and the tie bands 14 and 15 as thus assembled, provide the completed upper part of the bootie. By the use of a suitable supporting and clamping jig, the upper part of the bootie as thus assembled may then be secured as a unit to the welting margin 1' of the sole section 1 by placing the marginal edge portions 8 and 3 of the side sections 5 and 5' and the marginal edge portions 3 of the toe guard sections 2 and 2, in overlapped relation to the upper face of the welting margin 1' of the sole section. A welting strip 20, folded into U-shaped form, is then telescoped over the welting margin 1 of the sole section and over the adjacent out-turned bottom margins S and 8' of the side sections 5 and 5' and the bottom margins 3 of the toe sections 2 and 2', and these parts securely stitched together by welt stitching 21 as shown in FIGS. 1, 8, 9 and 10.

The end extension 10' of the vertical grounding strip 16 is also wrapped around the welting margin 1 at the heel end of the sole section 1, and the welt stitching 21 continued to secure the adjacent overlapped margins 8 and 8' at the heel end of the side sections 5 and 5' and the end extension 1% of the grounding strip 19, in unitary assembly to the heel end of the sole section 1, as shown in FIG. 7. It will thus be noted that the welt stitching 21 extends completely around the welting margin 1 of the sole section 1, so that the entire bottom end of the previously assembled top part of the bootie is secured to the sole section 1, and is surrounded by the welting strip 20. It will also be noted by referring to FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 that the U-shaped welting strip 20 provides an upper flange portion 2%)" which overlaps the outturned margins 8 and 8' of the side Sections 5 and 5; as well as the margins 3 of the toe sections 2 and 2 and the end extension 10 of the vertical grounding strip 1:). The U-shaped welt-ing strip also presents a lower flange portion 20" which overlies the outside face of the welting margin 1' of the sole section 1, and also overlies the ter-' minal extension 10 of the vertical welting strip 10'.

The U-shaped welting strip 20 is composed of a highly flexible, tough and wear resistant material of good electrical conductive properties, and which will withstand repeated washings and autoclave sterilizations without deterioration. The U-shaped welting strip 20 having the above characteristics may be composed of natural or synthetic rubber, reinforced by embedded textile fabric, and may be in the order of one-sixtyfourth to one-eighth of an inch in thickness, and prior to shaping into U-shaped form, may be approximately one-half to three-quarters of an inch in width.

The entire bootie as thus assembled, is highly flexible and light in weight, and is composed of materials which will withstand repeated washings and the high temperatures of numerous autoclave sterilizations without substantial deterioration over extended periods of use. It has been found that booties constructed in accordance with this invention will withstand over two hunderd washings and high temperature steam sterilization treatments without substantial deterioration. When soiled or no longer sterile, they may be placed in a laundry bag or basket as normally used for soiled laundry, washed, laundered and sterilized by autoclave treatment as a group, and in the same manner as sheets, pillow cases, gowns and other hospital linens, and when fully cleaned and sterilized, may be handled in the hospital in the same manner as cleaned and sterilized sheetings and other hos-- around the leg of the wear and tied in position in a few seconds of time and with a minimum of inconvenience.-

In applying the bootie over the shoe and sock of the wearers foot, the toe portion of the wearers shoe is first inserted through the open heel end of the upper part of the bootie and then pushed into the instep section thereof as shown in FIG. 11, until the sole of the wearers shoe seats squarely on the inside face of the sole section 1 thereof. Where long socks or stockings are worn, the sock or stocking is downfolded so that the leg encircling grounding band 12 will be positioned above the sock line K. v

The vertical margin 6' of the side section is then wrapped laterally around the adjacent side of the wearers foot and leg, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, so that the upper end of the vertical grounding strip 10 or its grounding pad 25 and/or the leg encircling grounding strip 12, is in direct contact wtih the bare skin of the wearers leg. The vertical margin 6 of the companion side section 5 is then folded around the wearers leg in. the opposite direction, as indicated in FIGS. 13 and 14, until the wearers foot and leg are completely encased and sealed within the wrapped side sections 5 and 5 as shown in FIG. 15. When this is accomplished, the vertical grounding strip 10 and/or the leg encircling grounding strip 12 will have at least some part thereof in direct contact with the bare skin of the wearers leg. The tie bands 14 and 15 are then wrapped around the wrapped upper portions of the side sections 5 and 5, and tied together in a bow knot adjacent the front of the leg as shown in FIG. 16.

When these sterilized booties are applied over the shoes and socks of the wearer, the shoes, socks and lower part of the wearers legs are completely encased and sealed within the sterile booties in a manner to fully isolate germs and contagion, which inexorably surof the bootie is wrapped around and tied to the wearers leg L by the tie bands 14 and 15, positive contact of these conductor strips with the bare skin of the wearer is assured.

--Due to the ease and facility with which these hos; pital booties may be washed and sterilized, the underface of the sole section 1 and the underface of the welting strip 20 can be maintained in clean, sterile and in highly conductive condition when in contact with the a hospital floor, thereby avoiding the difficulties encountered with hospital footwear heretofore used and intended to be conductive, but found to be rendered substantially non-conductive by foreign matter vwhich clings to the soles thereof. I g

These improved bootiesare so constructed; as to insure constant grounding of the wearer to the building floor, or to any object with which the sole section 1. or toe sections 2-2 of the worn bootie may be. placed in contact, thereby preventing the possibilities of explosions or fire resulting from sparks or electrical charges, and which conditions are particularly eminent in the gaseous atmosphere of the operating pavilion, and which have resulted from footwear heretofore 'worn'by" hospitalpersonnel.

Bootiesconstructed in accordance with this invert tion substantially contribute to the maintenance of a and its grounding patch 25 and/or its leg encircling. grounding strip 12, extend substantially above the sock line K, so that when the top portion of the upper part highly sanitary and infection-free environment in hos= pitals dedicated to the treatment of seriously sick patients,- whose weak constitutions are particularly receptive to infection. These bodies are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and can be made in relatively few sizes to accommodate the feet of all hospital personnel.

While certain novel features of this invention have been disclosed herein and are pointed dut in the claims, it will be understood that various omissions,- substitu tions, and chang'esmay be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What is claimed isi v 1. A sterilizable, infection isolating and grounded bootie designed to be Worn over theshoe of hospital personnel which includes, a sole section formed from flexible and wear resistant material of high electrical conductivity, bootie upper formed from relatively strong and flexible material whose lower margin is fixedly secured to the marginal edges of'said sole sec.- tion, said bootie upper presenting a pair of side sections designed to extend continuously over the instep and above the sock line of the wearer and having free rear edge margins providing a rear opening through which the shoed foot of the wearer may be inserted into the bootie, said side sections of the bootie upper being of sutficient width to be wrapped in opposite directions and in overlapping relation aroundthe wearers leg to thereby fully encase the wearers shoe and sock within the bootie upper, a grounding strip formed from flexible material of high electrical conductivity fixedly secured to the rear marginal edge of said sole section and to the inside face of one of said side sections adjacent the rear edge margin thereof and designed to extend above the position and in a manner to maintain the shoed foot and sock of the wearer fully encased in the bootie upper and to maintain said grounding strip in conducting contact with the bare skin of the wearers leg; the material from which said bootie is made being such as to withstand repeated laundry washings and sterilization treatment without substantial deterioration.

2. A sterilizable, infection isolating and grounded bootie designed to be worn over the shoe of hospital personnel which includes, a sole section formed from flexible and wear resistant'material of high electrical conductivity, a boo-tie upper formed from relatively strong and flexible fabric whose lower margin is fixedly secured to the marginal edges of said sole section, said bootie upper presenting a pair of side sections designed to extend continuously over the instep and above the sock line of the wearer and'h-aving free rear edge margins, providing a rear opening through which the shoed foot of the wearer may be inserted intothe bootie, said side sections of the bootie upper being of sufficient width to be wrapped in opposite directions and in overlapping relation around the wearers leg to thereby fully encase the wearers shoe and sock within the bootie upper, a

grounding strip formed from flexible material of high electrical conductivity fixedly secured to the rear. marginal edge of said sole section and'to' the inside face of one of said side sections adjacent the rear edge mar gin thereof, a leg embracing grounding strip conductiv ely secured to said first named grounding strip and to the inside face of said side sections and adjacent the'top margin thereof, and tieib'ands for securing the top portion of said bootie upper in snug leg embracing position and stand repeated washings and sterilization" treatments within arnanner to maintain the shoed foot answer of v the wearer fully encased in the bottie upper and to maintain saidi leg enrbracing grounding strip in conducting contact with-the bare skin of the wearers leg; the material from which said bootie is made 'beingsuch as to without substantial deterioration.

' 3. A, sterilizable, infection isol atingand grounded bootie designed to be worn over the shoe of hospital personnel which includes, a sole section formed from flexible and wear resistant material of high electrical conductivity, a bootie upper formed from relatively strong and flexible fabric whose lower margin is fixedly secured to the marginal edges of said sole section, said bootie upper presenting a pair of side sections designed to extend continuously over the instep and above the sock line of the wearer and having free rear edge margins providing a rear opening through which the shoed foot of the wearer may be inserted into the bootie, said side sections of the bottie upper being designed to be wrapped in opposite directions and in overlapping relation around the wearers leg to thereby fully encase the wearers shoe and sock within the bootie upper, a toe guard formed from flexible and wear resistant material of high electrical conductivity, said toe guard having the front edge thereof fixedly secured to the toe margin of said sole section and the upper edge thereof secured to the outer face of the adjacent toe portion of said bootie upper, a grounding strip formed from flexible material of high electrical conductivity fixedly secured to the rear marginal edge of said sole section and to the inside face of one of said side sections adjacent the rear edge margin thereof and designed to extend above the sock line of the wearer, and tie bands for securing the top portion of the bootie upper in snug leg embracing position and in a manner to maintain the shoed foot and sock of the wearer fully encased in the bootie upper and to maintain said grounding strip in conducting contact with the bare skin of the wearers leg; the materials from which said bootie is made being such as to withstand repeated washings and sterilization treatments without substantial deterioration.

4. A sterilizable, infection isolating and grounded bootie designed to be worn over the shoe of hospital personnel which includes, a sole section formed from flexible and wear resistant material of high electrical conductivity, a bottie upper formed from relatively strong and flexible fabric whose lower margin is fixedly secured to the marginal edges of said sole section, said bootie upper presenting a pair of side sections designed to extend continuously over the instep and above the sock line of the wearer and having free rear edge margins providing a rear opening through which the shoed foot of the wearer may be inserted into the bootie, said side sections of the bootie upper being designed to be wrapped in opposite directions and in overlapping relation around the wearers leg to thereby fully enoase the wearers shoe and sock within the bottie upper, a toe guard formed from flexible and wear resistant material of high electrical conductivity, said toe guard having the front edge thereof fixedly secured to the toe margin of said sole section and the upper edge thereof secured to the outer face of the adjacent toe portion of said bootie upper, a grounding strip formed from flexible material of high electrical conductivity fixedly secured to the rear marginal edge of said sole section and to the inside face of one of said side sections adjacent the rear edge margin thereof, a leg embracing grounding strip conductively secured to said first named grounding strip and to the inside face of said side sections and adjacent the top margin thereof, and tie bands for securing the top portion of said bootie upper in snug leg embracing position and in a manner to maintain the shoed foot of the wearer fully encased in the bootie upper and to maintain said leg embracing grounding strip in conducting contact with the bare skin of the wearers leg; the materials from which said bootie is made being such as to withstand repeated washings and sterilization treatments without substantial deterioration.

5. A sterilizable and grounded bootie designed to be worn over the shoe of hospital personnel which includes, a sole section formed from a flexible and wear resistant rubber composition of high electrical conductivity, a bootie upper formed from relatively strong textile fabric whose lower margin is fixedly secured to the marginal edges of said sole section, said bootie upper presenting a pair of side sections designed to extend over the instep and above the sock line of the wearer and having free rear edge margins providing an opening through which the shoed foot of the wearer may be inserted into the bootie, said side sections of the bootie upper being designed to be wrapped in opposite directions and in overlapping relation around the wearers leg to thereby completely enclose the wearers shoe and sock within the bootie upper, a grounding strip formed from a flexible rubber composition of high electrical conductivity fixedly secured to the rear marginal edge of said sole section and to the inside face of one of said side sections adjacent the rear edge margin thereof, a leg embracing grounding strip formed from a flexible rubber composition of high electrical conductivity which is conductively conneoted to said first named grounding strip and to the inside face of said side sections adjacent the top margin thereof; and tie bands for releasably securing the top part of said bootie upper in snug leg embracing position and in a manner to maintain said leg embracing grounding strip in conducting contact with the bare skin of the wearers leg; the materials from which said bootie is made being such as to withstand repeated washings and sterilization treatments without substantial deterioration.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,287,744 Monahan June 23, 1942 2,299,500 Sawyer Oct. 20, 1942 2,650,327 Legge Aug 25, 1953 2,712,098 Legge June 28, 1955 2,770,055 Hayden Nov. 13, 1956 2,919,503 Sholovitz i Jan. 5, 1960 2,958,012 Milman Oct, 25, 1960

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