US774380A - Shoe-polisher. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904.

No. 774,380. F. A. CUTTER.

SHOE POLISHER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1903.

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PATENT OFFICE.

SHOE-POLISHER.

SBECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,380, dated November 8, 1904.

Application filed 'iprii 29,1903. Serial No. 154,843. (No model.) I

:0 fI/ZZ It'll/1171b it "may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. CUTTER, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Shoe-Polisher, of which the following is a specification.

. My invention relates to improvements in gloss-producing devices for boots and shoes to be used in place of the ordinary paste or liquid blackings and polishes, as hereinafter set forth; and the objects of my improve ment are, first, to furnish a reliable and efficient substitute for the well-known forms of boot and shoe polish which is compact, not liable to soil promiscuously objects with which it happens to come in contact, convenient, and unaffected to any appreciable extent or to an extent that is detrimental by changes in ten'iperature; second, to provide such a substitute which not only does away with the small brush or sponge commonly employed to apply the polish in the first instance, but may also supplant the large brush used with some polishes to produce the shiny effect, and, third, to provide a material or article possessing the foregoing advantages in a practicable, economical, and serviceable form.

A preferred method and means of carrying out my invention is set forth below, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a polisher comprising a long strip of properly-treated fabric and another strip of moisture or grease proof paper wound upon and securedto a block; Fig. 2, an end view of the same; Fig. 3, a cross-section on lines a 0, Fig. 1; Fig. 4:, a side view of a device similar to the one shown in Fig. 1, except that a plurality of strips of fabric and paper are used, the same being applied only to three of the four edges of the block; Fig. 5, a plan view of a simple form of the device, the same consisting merely of a strip of fabric, one-half being treated with polishing material; and Fig. 6, an end View of a modification which includes a loose shineproducing cloth.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

By preference a strip or piece of fabric or other absorbent substance is used as a base and saturated with a suitable liquid polish or smeared or coated with a suitable paste polish, which in either case is permitted to dry into or on said base in such a manner that there shall be a thin layer or coating at the surface on one or both sides. The liquid or paste polish used must beofsuch nature and composition that it will under ordinary conditions remain substantially dry after application to the base, but adapted to be softened by, the application of moisture, the wellknown Trilby polish being an example of a suitable liquid polish. Now by rubbing the prepared side of the material or article thus made over a boot or shoe, moistening the treated surface with saliva or otherwise, if necessary, the polish contained therein and thereon is transferred to the surface of said boot or shoe. I find in many instances sufficient polish may be transferred from'the polisher to the shoe without either being moistened to produce the desired polish.

By absorbent substance any substance is meant that has a surface structure to which a limited quantity of polish can be successfully applied in the manner and for the purpose above described.

Suitable russet or tan and other polishes, including that which is commonly known as blacking, can be used in producing the improved material or article. Some of these polishes may require no subsequent rubbing to produce the shiny effect after being applied to the footwear, and with such the part about to be described is not required; but ordinarily it is necessary or desirable to rub the boot or shoe after the polish has been applied to cause it to shine, provision for which can be made by leaving a portion or portions of the base free from polish, as an end or the side opposite that which is treated with polish. Thus after transferring the polish from the treated surface of the base to the footwear said base is turned to bring anon-treated part into service and rubbed briskly over the boot or shoe until the proper shiny effect is produced. A strip of fabric is shown in Fig. 5 which is divided into a polish-treated part a and a nontreated sliinenoducing part I). It is plain, of course, that no provision for shining with. the polish-applying material or article need be made from necessity, although preferred, as a separate cloth or brush can be used in the absence of any such provision. In practice it is desirable rather than treat a single base or strip with sufiicient polish for a number of shines to provide for the desired number by arranging a plurality of such strips or lengths of strips in layers held together in any suitable and well-known manner and generally mounted on a more or less inflexible support, either with or without the untreated shine-producing part, each of which is good for one or more shines and is torn or pulled off and thrown away after being used up. Sheets or strips of moisture and grease proof paper may be inserted between the layers which form the pad just described and one placed over the bottom or outside for the purpose of isolating the polish-treated material and protecting adjacent objects, the bottom or outside length being removed when it is desired to use the article. 4

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the polisher is shown as made up of a support or block 0, having long strips of polish-treated material a and moisture and grease proof paperd wound around the edges thereof and held in place by means of staples driven through said strips into the ends of said block, shine-producing pieces 7), of felt or other suitable material, being glued or otherwise fastened to the sides of the block. Pieces bare shown on both sides of the block 0, but only one need be provided, and, as hereinbefore noted, such pieces may be dispensed with entirely. Any other suitable means may be substituted for the staples to fasten the strips a and (Z to the block. In operation the polisher is held by the sides, and the reach of the part of the strip a which has been exposed by first tearing off the contiguous outer strip of paper is rubbed over the shoe, after which the device is turned so as to apply one of the pieces 6 to the shoe. After the supply of polishing material has been exhausted from the exposed surfaces of the strip a such parts of said strip are torn or cut off with the contiguous portions of the paper strip (Z, so as to expose fresh reaches of the strip a for use.

The polisher shown in Fig. 4 comprises the same members as have already been described, only instead of using single strips of polishtreated material and paper a plurality of shorter strips are employed, and these do not extend over the upper edge of the block. The shine-producing piece I) in this case may be affixed to the top of the block instead of the sides, if desired.

In order to prevent the soiling of the hands, especially with the form of polisher shown in the first three figures, a shine-producing piece 7) of suflicientlength to wrap about the block and attached strips may be provided, as shown in Fig. 6. The piece 6 has one end firmly attached to one side of the block 0, which latter in this case may be a little wider than the strip a and is long enough to be wrapped entirely around the outside of the rest of the device, but can be turned back for the purpose of exposing either one of the outer lengths or reaches of polish-treated material. After the polish has been applied to the shoe the piece L is rearranged, so as to be conveniently used as a shine-producer.

In place of the body or block 0, which is preferably of wood, any suitable support may be provided for the polish-treated material.

Polishers without the paper (Z may be made up in a similar manner to that illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As anew article of manufacture, a glossproducing device consisting of a suitable base of comparatively thin flexible material partially treated with a limited amount of normally dry polish adapted to be transferred therefrom to footwear by the process of rubbing, another portion of said base being left untreated and adapted by frictional contact with the footwear to produce a shiny effect after the polish has been applied.

2. A shoe-polisher comprising detachable layers of polish-treated strips adapted to blacken or polish footwear, and asupport for such strips.

8. A shoe-polisher comprising a support, detachable layers of polish treated strips adapted to blacken or polish footwear, and alternate detachable layers of moisture or grease proof paper, both kinds of layers being initially attached to said support.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK A. CUTTER.

Witnesses:

S. TAFT, DEXTER E. TILLEY.

ICC

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