US3121965A - Boot for iron - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 25, 1964 M. M. MCBRIDE 3,121,965

BOOT FOR IRON Filed July 13, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. MCB/Zd Feb. 25, 1964 i M. M. MCBRIDE 3,121,965

BOOT FOR IRON Filed July 13, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

[Ia/y fiil'fc Bride; Y

United States Patent 3,121,965 B001 FOR IRON Mary M. McBride, 4142 Archer Ave., Chicago 32, Ill. Filed July 13, 1962, Ser. No. 202557 7 Claims. (CI. 38?7) This invention relates to a boot for an iron and, more particularly, to a boot for a steam iron.

The danger of scorching, searing or burning cloth being ironed is ever present when the metal sole plate of an iron is in direct contact with the cloth. If the contact between the cloth and iron is unduly prolonged, through inadvertence or otherwise, the cloth may be burned, seared, scorched or the like. In addition, an undesirable sheen or shine often results from direct contact of the metal sole plate of the iron with dress fabrics such as silk, nylon, rayon and the like during even ordinary ironing operations.

Steam irons, aside from presenting these problems, also have another desirable tendency. That is to discharge foreign matter with the steam, this foreign matter staining or otherwise ntarring the appearance of the fabric being ironed. The foreign matter is generally decomposition products of the water employed to make the steam, but it may also be rust flakes and the like from the iron.

In the past, pressing cloths have been employed to reduce these hazards. However, this technique is particularly cumbersome since the pressing cloth must be moved independently of the iron. As a result boots for irons have been suggested. In all instances these boots have been shaped to substantially contfomn to the sole plate of the iron. These boots have been an improvement over pressing cloths; however, it has been found that these boots sulfer from at least three disadvantages. In the first place they have a very short life, as they tend to wear out at their front end where the toe of the sole plate of the iron is positioned. This is the result of excessive heat being generated in the toe of the iron and the continual rubbing of the toe of the iron against the boot.

Secondly, with the use of cloth boots the iron must be lifted, rather than glided from one area to another. With these known boots, as they conform substantially to the sole plate of the iron, there is only afforded an ironing area as large as the sole plate of the iron. This therefore necessitates frequent movement of the iron.

Thirdly, those boots known in the art are not reversible end-to-end and/or inside-out. Lacking this versatility, these boots are prone to wear out in a short time.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a boot for an iron which overcomes or alleviates the disadvantages of the boots discussed hereinabove.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hoot for an iron which is durable and affords an ironing area larger than the sole plate of the iron.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a boot for an iron which may readily be removed from the iron and reversed end-toend and/or inside-out, if desired.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a steam iron boot which may be readily and inexpensively constructed.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, taken with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understoodfiby reference to the folice lowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an iron having thereon a boot embodying the features of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the iron and boot illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a modified boot embodying the features of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is an end view of the boot shown in [FIG- URE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a view from the inside of the boot of the end shown in vFIGURE 4.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGURES l and 2, the boot of the present invention is indicated generally by reference number 10. It is illustrated as it would appear on an iron .12, in this instance a steam iron though it will be understood that the boot it} may be used on any type of iron.

The boo-t it? has a body member -14 made of a single piece of cloth material, such as cotton drill, a drill with a silicon coating or the like. This cloth material is sub stantially heat resistant, but will allow heat to pass therethrough onto the garment being ironed.

The body member 14 has V-shaped slots (not shown) at each end along the longitudinal axis thereof. Opposite legs of these slots are sewn together to form seams 16. The stitching for the seams 16 is not visible as it is on the interior of the boot 10 as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. The interior portions of the legs of these slots are not sewn together so that Vertically extending ope-nings 18 are formed at each end of the boot 10. In this manner the boot 10 has formed therein a relatively large central opening [into which the lower half of the iron 12, including its sole plate 20, may be placed as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. To hold the boot it) on the iron 12, and to permit its removal therefrom with ease, a holding member 22, in this instance a band of elastic material, is secured to the periphery of the central opening out the boot 10. The elastic band 22 is held in place by stitching or any other suitable means. It will be understood that the holding means may be a drawstring arrangement, a resilient spring or the like positioned about the periphery of the central opening of the boot 10.

The toe 24 of the iron '12 extends through one of the vertically extending slots .18 in the boot 1!). This serves to position the iron 12 properly :within the boot 10 for reasons more apparent hereinafter and also prevents the toe 2.4 of the iron 12 from continually poking the boot 10. The latter has been found to be a cause of excessive wear and ultimate rupture to heretofore known iron boots, particularly since the toe of the iron is so pointed and the hottest point on the iron sole plate 20.

The vertically extending openings 18 in the boot 10 alleviate these problems. Stitching 26 about the periphcry of the openings 18 prevents their becoming enlarged upon use and is also sufiiciently large and thick enough to prevent the toe 26 of the iron I12 from resting or sliding on the garment being ironed. The openings 18 are preferably about one inch long and afford the further advantage of exposing the hot-test part of the iron 12, namely, the toe 24, to the atmosphere whereby its temper-attire is kept at a minimum.

As seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the boot 10 is substantially larger than the sole plate 14 of the iron 12. This allows room within the boot It for the heel of the iron 12 to be swung in an are about the toe 20* of the iron 12. Sufficient freedom is allowed in the boot 1! such that this are may preferably be in the range of about two to five inches in length. This freedom affords a larger ironing or pressing area without having to lift the iron 12.

Since the boot 10 has slots 18 at both ends, the boot 10 may be removed and the iron inserted into the boot in the reverse direction so as to utilize the other end of the boot 10, i.e., end-to-end reversal. Furthermore, the entire boot 10 may be turned inside-out and the interior of the boot 10 used as the exterior. This is inside-out reversal. Both types of reversibility offered by the boot 10 afford means by which the life of the boot 10 may be significantly lengthened.

Referring now to FIGURES 3-5, there is illustrated a modified boot embodying the features of the present invention and indicated generally by reference numeral 39. The boot has a main body member 32 made of a single piece of cloth material, such as cotton drill, drill with a silicon coating or the like. This main body member 32 is similar to the body member 1% discussed hereinbefore and therefore has V-shaped slots (not shown) at each end along the longitudinal axis thereof. In this embodiment however reinforcing members 34 are employed at each end of the boot 39. The reinforcing members 34 are single U-shaped pieces of cloth having legs 35. The cloth employed for the reinforcing members 34 is the same as or similar to the material used for the main body member 32. The reinforcing member 34 is placed over one of the slots in such a manner that it overlies and corresponds substantially to the V-shaped slot in the main body 32. The reinforcing member 34 and the main body member 32 are then attached along the entire periphery of the reinforcing member 34 by stitching 36. The inwardly extending portion of the legs 35 of the reinforcing member 34 are then sewn together to form seams 38. The stitching for the seam 38 is not visible in these drawings.

The innermost portions of the legs 35 are not sewn together so that a vertically extending opening 40 is formed at the end of the boot 30. The periphery of the opening 40 is formed by a continuous seam between the reinforcing member 34 and the main body member 32 as a result of stitching 36. This seam is bound around the periphery of the opening 40 by stitching 42 (FIGURE 5) and then folded back and secured by additional stitching (not shown) to the reinforcing member 34. In this manner the toe of an iron extending through the opening 40 will be lifted off the garment being ironed for the reasons given hereinbefore in discussing the boot 10. It will be understood that the other reinforcing member 34 is attached to the main body member 32 at the other V-shaped slot in the same manner.

In addition, the boot 3% has a peripheral border member 44 secured to the main body 32 by stitching 46. The peripheral border member 44 forms a large central opening 48 into which an iron may be placed in the same manner discussed hereinbefore with respect to the boot 10. As the peripheral border member 44 will be subjected to less heat and to little or no stress it may be made of ordinary cotton or the like. This reduces the overall cost of the boot 30.

To hold the boot 30 on the iron, and to permit it to be removed therefrom with ease, a holding member 50, such as a band of elastic, as illustrated, is secured to the peripheral border member 44 about the central opening 48. In this instance the elastic band 50 is sewn to the border member 44. It will be understood that the holding means may be a drawstring arrangement, a resilient spring or the like positioned about the periphery of the central opening 43 of boot 30, but the elastic band 50 is preferred as it is the least expensive means to accomplish the desired result.

The boot 30 is employed in the same manner discussed hereinabove with respect to the boot 10. Likewise the main body member 32 is large enough to permit the heel of the iron to swing in an are preferably in the range of about two to five inches so as to provide a larger ironing area. The principal advantage of the boot 30 is that it is made more durable by the particular manner in which the reinforcing members 34 are employed.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the boots It} and 30 are symmetrically constructed whereby end-to-end and/ or inside-out reversibility is enhanced.

While the embodiments described herein are at present considered to be preferred, it is understood that various modifications and improvements may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and improvements as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is desired to be claimed and secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A boot for an iron having a metal sole plate with a toe, said boot comprising a cloth body member having a central opening through which said sole plate may be placed into said cloth body member, said cloth body member having holding means attached thereto which secures said body member to said iron, said body member having a preformed, reinforced opening through which said toe of said iron extends when said iron is being used.

2. The boot of claim 1 wherein said body member has a first and second end, said first end having said preformed, reinforced opening therein, said second end having another preformed, rcinforced opening therein, said body member being large enough to receive said sole plate when said toe is in either of said preformed, reinforced openings.

3. A boot for an iron having a metal sole plate with a toe, said boot comprising a cloth body member having a central opening through which said sole plate may be placed into said cloth body member, said cloth body member having holding means attached thereto which secures said body member to said iron, said body member having a first opening through which said toe of said iron extends when said iron is being used, said first opening having a stitched peripheral border, said stitched border being thick enough to prevent the toe of said iron from resting on material being ironed.

4. The boot of claim 3 wherein said body member has a first and second end, said first end having said first opening therein, said second end having a second opening with a stitched peripheral border therein, said body member being large enough to receive said sole plate when said toe is in either of said first and second openings.

5. A boot for an iron having a metal sole plate with a toe, said boot comprising a cloth main body member having a central opening through which said sole plate may be placed into said main body member, said main body member having holding means attached thereto which secures said body member to said iron, said main body member having a first opening through which said toe of said iron extends when said iron is being used, a cloth reinforcing member secured to said main body member about said first opening, said reinforcing member and main body member forming a seam about the periphery of said first opening, stitching binding said seam to form a binder which prevents the toe of said iron from resting on the material being ironed.

6. The boot of claim 5 wherein said main body member has a first and second end, said first end having said first opening therein, said second end having a second opening and a second cloth reinforcing member secured to said main body member about said second opening, said second reinforcing member and main body member forming a second seam about the periphery of said second opening, stitching binding said other seam to form another binder, said main body member being large enough to receive said sole plate when said toe is in either of said first and second openings.

7. A boot for an iron having a metal sole plate with a toe, said boot comprising a cloth main body member having a central opening through which said sole plate may be placed into said main body member, said main body member having holding means attached thereto which secures said body member to said iron, said main body member comprising a single piece of cloth having two longitudinally extending slots at opposite ends thereof, U-shaped reinforcing members attached to said main body member in coinciding relationship with said slots, said U-shaped reinforcing members having legs which are sewn together for a portion thereof to form vertically extending openings at each end of said main body memher, said openings having a peripheral seam formed by i References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Beck Oct. 19, 1937 Weldon Nov. 17, 1953 Drummond May 1, 1956 Rogers July 4, 1961

Claims (1)

1. A BOOT FOR AN IRON HAVING A METAL SOLE PLATE WITH A TOE, SAID BOOT COMPRISING A CLOTH BODY MEMBER HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID SOLE PLATE MAY BE PLACED INTO SAID CLOTH BODY MEMBER, SAID CLOTH BODY MEMBER HAVING HOLDING MEANS ATTACHED THERETO WHICH SECURES SAID BODY MEMBER TO SAID IRON, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING A PREFORMED, REINFORCED OPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID TOE OF SAID IRON EXTENDS WHEN SAID IRON IS BEING USED.

Images