US1209661A - Shoe-stiffener. - Google Patents

Description

H. H. BECKWITH.

SHOE STIFFENER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1915.

IN\/E NTEJ HAH R J-LEIEBKWITH ATP: H N EYE,

MOE.

sHoE-sTIFFEiiEn.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, HARRY H. BEGKWITH, a' citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Stiifeners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to stifieners for boots and shoes, of the type in which, though relatively stiff and resilient, the blanks may be softened so that when assembled with the remainder of the upper, they may be molded to the shape of the last end, and permitted to set or harden so as to form a box or counter for the toe or heel portion of the shoe.

' According to the present invention, I mploy as a base or foundation a body of fibrous material such as wool felt, or its equivalent, which may be readily saturated or impregnated with the stiffening compound. This latter compound consists ofsome substance or combination of substances which will soften at moderate heat, and which will quickly harden on cooling. I

may employ Montan wax and refinedasphalt, as-pointed out in my Letters Patent No. 1,124,835, dated January 12, 1914, or I may employ any other asphaltum or hydrocarbon blended with a resinous body and having a softening point which will permit the impregnated body to become soft and resinous substance; Any suitable "pressing" easily molded at low temperature-say from to- 200j F. After the sheet is imp'reg-,

nated with the stiffening compound and has cooled and hardened, it iscut into blanks of the desired shapes or sizes, and one or more edgesthereof are skived, according to the use to which the blank is to be put. This skiving tends to disintegrate the impregnating compound to some extent and to produce a fine'dust therefrom which collects on the surfaces of the blank, and also tends to leave the skived edgesmore or less rough. Then,

for the purpose of" compacting the blanks,

rescaling the fibers thereof and imparting.

an exterior finish, I subject the blanks to a further operation. That is to say, I subject them to heat and pressure, and preferably apply a finishing coating of any suitable and heatingapparatus may, be employed for the purpose. I'have found that desirable results maybe secured by passing the blanks between Pressure rolls, of which one Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 19116..

Application-filed July 28, 1915. Serial No. 42,330.

is provided with a shoe or covering of more or less yielding material. One or both of these rolls may be heated. The resinous dered, and the blanks are ready for shipment and use.

On the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 shows a box toe blank embodying the invention. Fig. 2 shows conventionally pressure rolls such as may be employed in the final treatment of the blanks.

I have selected for illustration a box toe blank 3, having the skived edges 4, but the blank, if desired, may be formed for use as .1 a counter.

After the blank has been preliminarily formed as herein previously described, it

may be passed-between the pressure rolls which are conventionally shown in Fig. 2. The upper roll is shown as having a core 6 and a shoe or covering 5 of some suitable cushioning or yielding material, such for example as felt, which during its use hecomes more or less impregnated with the coating compound. This .roll may be internally heated, if desired, but I find that sufficient heat is imparted thereto from the roll 7. This latter roll is metallic and is chambered to permit the circulation of steam or hot water therethrough, so as to raise its temperature high enough to soften or partially soften the blanks passing between the'rolls. The rolls may be driven by any suitable means either at the same 01' at different peripheral speeds, and they are preferably adjusted toward each other to impart the desired pressure to the faces of the blanks. By any suitable means, as by manual application from time to time, the coating compound of carnauba' wax and paraflin wax, or of Montan wax, is applied to the cushioned roll, and, by contact of the .rolls, is spread evenly on the peripheries of .resealed, as it were, and are coated with a thin layerof the resinous'compound. Preferably, though not necessarily, the skived faces or edges of the blanks are presented to the metallic roll, as the blanks are passed through the rolls, the cushion shoe of the upper roll yielding to pefmit the passage of the thicker portion of the blank.

As a result of the process or method of treatment. herein outlined, I provide as a new article of manufacture a blank of the character described, which is compacted by pressure, and which, if desired, has an additional coating of resinous material, which is more or less absorbed by the fibrous body of the blank.

Having thus explained my new article of manufacture, and a way of making the same, without attempting to describe all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, what I claim is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a shoe stiffener, co'nsisting of a skived blank of fibrous material containing a stiffening compound adapted to be softened by moderate heat, said blank including its skived portion being compacted by pressure applied subsequently to the skiving of the blank.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a shoe stiffener consisting of a skived-edge blank formed of fibrous material impregnated with a stiflening compound adapted to be softened by moderate heat, said blank having on its body and skived portions an additional coating of stiffening material adapted to be softened by heat.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a shoe stifl'ener, consisting of a skived edge blank of fibrous material containing a stiflening compound adapted to be softened by moderate heat, said blank including its skived edge being compacted and having a surface coating of stifi'ening material additional to said stiflening compound adapted to be softened by heat. y

4. The herein described process which consists in impregnating a fibrous body with a stiffening compound adapted to be soft-.

ened by moderate heat, cutting a shoe stiffener blank from said body, and then compacting such blank under conditions of heat and pressure.

5. The herein described process which consists in skiving a shoe stifiener blank of fibrous material saturated with a stiffening compound adapted to be softened under moderate heat, and then subjecting the skived blank to heat and pressure to compact the same.

6. The herein described process which consists in skiving 'a shoe stiffener blank.

of fibrous'material saturated with a stiffening compound adapted to be softened under moderate heat, subjecting said blank to heat and pressure, and simultaneously. applying a stiffening compound to the surface of said blank.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HARRY H. BEOKWITH.

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