Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6532686
-
Patent Number
6,532,686
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, July 10, 200122 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, March 18, 200321 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Howrey Simon Arnold & White, LLP
- Bell; Michael J.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 036 71 R
- 036 9 R
- 036 72 R
- 036 9 A
- 036 138
- 012 142 G
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A continuous form disposable shoe cover, separably linked to at least one other shoe cover or a shoe cover lineal, and the production process of the shoe cover and associated lineal. The shoe cover has a securing portion for securing the shoe cover to a shoe upon insertion of the shoe into the shoe cover. The continuous form disposable shoe cover also includes a guide portion. The guide portion is manipulated to place the shoe cover in a receiving position to receive a shoe. The shoe cover may also be used with an automatic shoe cover application device, where the guide portion functions to facilitate the conveyance of the shoe cover and associated lineal through the device.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Protective disposable garments such as gowns, drapes, caps and shoe covers have been used for many years to minimize contamination in “cleanrooms” such as laboratories and medical operating rooms. Disposable shoe covers, in particular, are of great importance in these environments, as shoes are in constant contact with the “clean” area. In settings such as these, the shoe covers serve to protect the sterile atmosphere from dust and any other contaminates human traffic may introduce.
Shoe covers also serve to protect the wearer from hazards already present in these environments. The shoe covers prevent the wearer from being exposed to hazards such as electricity, chemicals, metals, microbiological agents, disease and tools. It is thus desirable to design a disposable shoe cover that prevents the transmission of contaminates to and from a shoe.
The use of disposable shoe covers is not limited to the aforementioned environments. Each environment requires a shoe cover made of a material having specific characteristics. As a result, disposable shoe covers may need to be fabricated from a wide array of materials including polyethylene or polypropylene sheet materials, non-woven fabrics or other disposable materials. It is therefore also desirable to design a disposable shoe cover that can be manufactured out of varied materials. Furthermore, the assortment of shoe shapes and sizes necessitate disposable shoe covers of various shapes and sizes.
Finally, it is necessary to design a disposable shoe cover that can be applied onto the wearer's shoe without the handling of the disposable shoe cover itself. If not, the purpose of maintaining a sterile preparation routine before entering to the cleanroom area may be defeated. Manual handling of the shoe covers may spoil the sanitary nature of the shoe covers. Most disposable shoe covers available today require manual application.
Nonetheless, attempts to address this concern have been made. An example of an automated shoe cover application device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,939 which discloses an operation wherein the wearer's shoe is wrapped in heat-shrinkable material upon the insertion of the wearer's foot into a shrink-wrap device. While this type of device may do away with the need to manually handle the shoe cover during is application upon a shoe, it is not adaptable to be used with a wide range of disposable shoe covers made of the varying materials needed for various types of sanitary environments.
Additionally, such a device is expensive, complicated and could be dangerous. A heat-shrinking operation, such as the one disclosed in the aforementioned patent, requires multiple motors, a heating unit, heating elements, a blower and extensive wiring and electrical controllers. These elements are not only expensive but also form an intricate system that is difficult to maintain and repair. Furthermore, such an extensive electrical heating system increases the risk of injury to the user who must set his or her foot into the device to have it shrink-wrapped.
As described above, many approaches for covering a shoe and applying shoe covers to a wearer's shoe have been proposed. Yet, there remains a need for a simple, inexpensive and safe shoe cover that may be applied to a wearer's shoe without the handling of the shoe cover itself. Further, there is a need for such a shoe cover design that is also capable of production out of varied materials, and of various shapes and sizes so as to be adaptable for use in a variety of sterile environments. Moreover, there is a need for a simple and efficient production process for manufacturing such a continuous form disposable shoe cover and associated lineal of shoe covers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follow, an in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the apparatus particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodies and broadly described, the invention consists of a continuous form disposable shoe cover that is separably linked to at least one other shoe cover or a shoe cover lineal. The shoe cover includes a securing portion to secure the shoe cover to a shoe upon the insertion of the shoe into the shoe cover. There is also a guide portion that is manipulated to place the shoe cover in a receiving position to receive a shoe.
The shoe cover may also be used with an automatic shoe cover application device. Within an automatic shoe cover application device, the guide portion functions to facilitate the conveyance of the shoe cover and associated lineal through the device.
An embodiment of the present invention also entails a production process from which the shoe cover is produced. The production process includes a step for attaching the securing member to the shoe cover and a step for forming the guide portion of the shoe cover. The process further includes a step for rendering the shoe cover separably linked from at least one other shoe cover or a lineal of shoe covers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a continuous form disposable shoe cover that may be applied to a user's shoe with the manual handing of the shoe cover.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe cover design that is simple, inexpensive and safe to use.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a shoe cover design that may be manufactured out of varied materials and in various shapes and sizes so as to be adaptable for use in a broad range of sterile environments.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a simple and efficient production process for the manufacture of the continuous form disposable shoe cover of the present invention.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. It is understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of a continuous form disposable shoe cover and shoe cover lineal of the present invention.
FIG. 2
is a top view of a layout of a continuous form disposable shoe cover prior to the production process.
FIG. 3
is a side view of a continuous form disposable shoe cover and shoe cover lineal according to FIG.
1
.
FIG. 4
shows the components constituting the production process of a continues type disposable shoe cover according to FIG.
1
.
FIG. 5
is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a shoe cover application device for use with the continuous form disposable shoe cover and shoe cover lineal according to FIG.
1
.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIGS. 1-3
show the preferred embodiment of a continuous form disposable shoe cover. Particularly, in
FIG. 1
there is provided a lineal
100
of disposable continuous-type shoe covers
200
. Preferably, the shoe covers
200
are components of a shoe cover lineal
100
and designed for use in an automated shoe cover application device
500
, as exemplified in FIG.
5
.
In the preferred embodiment, the shoe covers
200
, as part of lineal
100
, are drawn out of a package or storage bin
400
(also shown in FIG.
5
). The shoe covers
200
are then conveyed through device
500
along guide members
510
, and held open at holding members
520
in a receiving position awaiting the insertion of a user's shoe. As the user inserts his or her foot into receiving shoe cover, the receiving shoe cover is separated from the device
500
and the lineal
100
whereby the subsequent shoe cover
200
in the lineal
100
is drawn onto holding members The detailed description of device
500
and its operation is described in related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/901,148, filed herewith.
Although the preferred embodiment is described above, it is understood by those skilled in the art that the shoe covers
200
may be guided through the device
500
individually and not as part of a lineal. Additionally, each shoe cover
200
may be interlocked with the following shoe cover so that the shoe covers
200
may be uninterruptedly drawn out of storage bin
400
without the shoe covers
200
being connected to one another. Furthermore, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the shoe cover
200
of the present invention need not be used within a device
500
. The shoe cover may be applied manually, where the shoe covers
200
are part of lineal
100
, or interlocked to be uninterruptedly drawn out of storage bin
400
.
In the preferred embodiment of
FIG. 1
, the lineal
100
comprises a plurality of shoe covers
200
separably linked to one another at perforated portions
260
. The shoe covers
200
generally include a toe portion
210
, a heel portion
220
and side walls
230
. The side walls
230
are united along longitudinal edge
280
by the folding of a flat sheet of shoe cover material
101
, as will be described with reference to
FIGS. 2-4
, or may be formed by bonding two separate pieces of shoe cover material
101
to form longitudinal edge
280
. The shoe cover
200
also has a securing portion
240
for securing the shoe cover
200
about the shoe once the shoe has been inserted into the receiving shoe cover
200
. Additionally, the shoe cover
200
comprises a guide portion
250
.
Referring particularly to the preferred embodiment, the guide portions
250
are formed as tubes along the top longitudinal edges of side walls
230
. The guide portions
250
perform at least two functions. The guide portions
250
, when used with a device
500
, facilitate the guiding of the shoe cover
200
through a device
500
. The guide portions
250
also may be manipulated by either a device
500
or manually to define an opening
205
in the shoe cover
200
for receiving a user's shoe. It is to be understood, therefore, by one skilled in the art, that the shape and contour of the guide portions
250
need only be suitable to guide the shoe covers
200
through the device
500
or to be manipulated to define an opening
205
in the shoe covers
200
.
FIG. 1
also shows the securing portions
240
of the preferred embodiment. The securing portions
240
are preferably disposed below the guide portions
250
along the top longitudinal edge of side walls
230
. The securing portions
240
also are preferably elastic bands attached to the side walls
230
of the shoe cover
200
. The elastic bands of the preferred embodiment are naturally biased to contract around a shoe inserted into the shoe cover
200
. The elastic bands may be attached using any method known in the art such as ultrasonic stitching or adhesive bonding.
As described above, the shoe cover
200
of the preferred embodiment includes a toe portion
210
and a heel portion
220
. As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, both the toe portion
210
and the heel portion
220
are formed by separating the side walls
230
from the guide portions
250
along cut lines
270
. In addition to forming the toe portion
210
and heel portion
220
, cut lines
270
minimize the tension put on the side walls
230
and the guide portion
250
during the insertion of a shoe into shoe cover
200
.
Turning now to the production process of the shoe covers
200
and the shoe cover lineal
100
.
FIG. 4
illustrates the aforementioned preferred production process, while
FIGS. 2 and 3
show the shoe cover prior to and after the production process, respectively.
The production process begins with a supply of shoe cover material
101
provided to the production line. The shoe cover material
101
may be made of, depending on the desired use of the shoe cover
200
, single or multi-layered fabrics, made of or coated with fluid resistant or impervious materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene or other materials known in the art for the manufacture of shoe covers. The shoe cover material
101
may also include low or high friction strips along the length of the shoe cover material
101
to reduce static electricity discharge or to prevent slipping.
As shown in preferred embodiment of
FIG. 4
, the disposable shoe cover material
101
maybe wound on a roll
110
to be supplied to the production line. The shoe cover material
101
may also be provided to the production process in individual sheets the length of the shoe cover
200
. The disposable shoe cover material
101
is then fed into the production process along a plane parallel to the ground by a feeding device
112
. The feeding device may be a motor or any other suitable device. Roller
115
is mounted on a mobile arm
114
and extends along the entire width of the shoe cover material
101
. Mobile arm
114
keeps roller
115
in contact with the surface of the shoe cover material
101
keeping the shoe cover material
101
stretched as it is fed into the production process. The shoe cover material
101
is also aligned to proceed through the production process as it is passed through a pair of alignment drums
116
.
The production process also includes an affixing element
117
, for affixing the securing portion
240
on the shoe cover material
101
. The affixing element is provided downstream of alignment drums
116
. Beyond the adhesive sprayer
117
, the securing portions
240
are supplied to the production process by first passing through stretching drums
118
.
The affixing element
117
may be an adhesive sprayer provided upstream of the stretching drums
118
for spraying adhesive onto the shoe cover material
101
. In this embodiment, the securing portions
240
are stretched by stretching drum
118
and set on the adhesive sprayed upon the shoe cover material
101
. The affixing element
117
may also be an ultrasonic stitching device disposed downstream from securing portion drums
118
used to ultrasonically stitch the stretched securing portions
240
to the shoe cover material
101
. It should be noted, if a non-elastic securing member
240
is preferred, such a drawstring, velcro, or the like, stretching drums may not be necessary.
The production process of the preferred embodiment also includes a folding area
119
where the shoe cover
200
is folded into its useable form.
FIG. 2
illustrates the layout for the folding of the shoe cover
200
during the production process. Specifically,
FIG. 2
shows the shoe cover material
101
as it arrives at folding area
119
. Folding area
119
comprises a folding guide (not shown) fashioned to fold the shoe cover material
101
at the desired folding as represented in the layout of FIG.
2
. Specifically, the shoe cover
200
of the preferred embodiment is folded so that each longitudinal edge
300
is folded inward and set along each fold line
330
. As this fold is made, alignment line
310
matches up with alignment line
320
.
The production process continues with the folded shoe cover material
101
passing through heated adhesion drums
120
. Adhesion drums
120
are fabricated with spaced heating elements (not shown). The heating elements heat-press or hot melt each longitudinal edge
300
to each fold line
330
and each alignment line
310
each alignment line
320
. After the folding process is completed, guide portions
250
are formed as tubes or pipes between the hot melt line
290
(shown in
FIG. 3
) and the new longitudinal edge
296
of the shoe cover
200
. From this folding process, the securing portion
240
is also encased in a tube-like formation between hot melt lines
290
and
292
.
The folded shoe cover material
101
of the preferred embodiment, is then provided to cutting drums
121
. Cutting drums
121
have spaced cutting members (not shown) to cut the pair of cut lines
270
into the shoe cover material. As seen in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the cut lines
270
are cut to only a fraction of the length of the shoe cover
200
.
The shoe cover material
101
is subsequently fed into a central folding zone
122
wherein the shoe cover material
101
is folded along symmetry axis
350
. Upon passing through the central folding zone
122
, the shoe cover material
101
is preferably oriented so that it is conveyed through the remainder of the production process in a plane perpendicular to the ground.
In the preferred embodiment, the shoe cover material
101
is then delivered to a pair of perforation drums
123
. The perforation drums
123
each carry a pair of circumferentially-spaced heating elements
125
and a perforating device
124
between the heating elements
125
. As the shoe cover material
101
is fed through the perforation drums
123
, the perforation drums
123
rotate about a vertical axis along the surface of the shoe cover material
101
. The heating elements heat press or hot melt the ends
294
of the shoe covers
200
to form the toe portion
210
and heel portion
220
of the shoe cover
200
. Additionally, the perforating device
124
rotates with perforation drums
123
to perforate the shoe cover material
101
at equal intervals (preferably once per full rotation) between the heel portion
220
of a first shoe cover
200
and the toe portion
210
of the subsequent shoe cover
200
. Therefore, the circumference of the perforation drums is preferably equal to the length of each individual disposable shoe cover
200
. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the perforation step of the production process of the present invention may not be necessary if the shoe covers
200
are produced individually and not as part of a lineal
100
.
Once the shoe cover lineal
100
has been perforated, a pair of turnstile devices
125
transversely folds the shoe cover lineal
100
along the perforated edges
260
of each shoe cover
200
. The shoe covers
200
are then stacked at stacking area
130
and placed into storage bin
400
ready for use. Additionally, a counter
128
and cutting member
129
are preferably provided to cut the shoe cover lineal
100
once a desired number of shoe covers
200
have been stacked at stacking area
130
. Once again, if each shoe cover
200
is being produced individually and not as part of a lineal
100
, cutting member
129
is not needed.
The preferred embodiment has been described above. However, it is to be understood that various modifications and additional features are available to one of ordinary skill in the art.
It should also be understood that various changes and substitutes and alterations could be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
Claims
- 1. A lineal of shoe covers for use in a shoe cover application device comprising:a plurality of shoe covers; wherein each of said shoe covers comprises a securing portion, said securing portion securable to a shoe inserted into said shoe cover, and a guide portion, said guide portion having a cavity for facilitating the conveyance of said lineal through the device.
- 2. The lineal of shoe covers of claim 1 wherein said lineal separates into said plurality of shoe covers.
- 3. The lineal of shoe covers of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of shoe covers are constructed from disposable materials.
- 4. The lineal of shoe covers of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of shoe covers further comprises:a heel portion; a toe portion; and a pair of side walls; wherein said heel portion, said toe portion and said side walls define an opening for receiving a shoe upon the separation of said side walls from one another.
- 5. The lineal of shoe covers of claim 4, wherein said guide portion is configured to separate said side walls from one another to facilitate insertion of the shoe.
- 6. The lineal of shoe covers of claim 4, wherein said securing portion comprises an elastic member attached to each of said plurality of shoe covers, said elastic member biased to constrict each shoe cover about a shoe when a shoe is inserted into said opening in the shoe cover and the shoe cover is separated from said lineal of shoe covers.
- 7. A method for manufacturing a continuous type shoe cover comprising the steps of:feeding a lineal of shoe cover material through a production line; partitioning said lineal of shoe cover material at selected intervals to form a plurality of shoe covers; attaching a securing portion to each of said shoe covers; forming a guide portion having a cavity on each of said shoe covers; and packaging said shoe covers in a package; wherein each of said shoe covers is separably linked to at least one other of said shoe covers in said package.
- 8. The method of claim 7 wherein said partitioning step comprises perforating said lineal of shoe cover material at selected intervals to form a plurality of separably linked shoe covers.
- 9. The method of claim 7 wherein said securing portion is an elastic member.
- 10. The method of claim 7 wherein the cavity of said guide portion is formed by folding over each longitudinal edge of said lineal and securing the longitudinal edges to a surface of said lineal.
- 11. A method for manufacturing a continuous type shoe cover comprising the steps of:feeding a lineal of shoe cover material through a production line; attaching a securing portion along the length of said lineal of shoe cover material; forming a guide portion having a cavity along the length of said lineal of shoe cover material; partitioning said lineal of shoe cover material at selected intervals to form a plurality of shoe covers; and packaging said shoe covers in a package; wherein each of said shoe covers is separably linked to at least one other of said shoe covers in said package.
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein said partitioning step comprises perforating said lineal of shoe cover material at selected intervals to form a plurality of separably linked shoe covers.
- 13. The method of claim 11 wherein said securing portion is an elastic member.
- 14. The method of claim 11 wherein the cavity of said guide portion is formed by folding over each longitudinal edge of said lineal and securing the longitudinal edges to a surface of said lineal.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2000/02030 |
Jul 2000 |
TM |
|
US Referenced Citations (42)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2619998 |
Mar 1987 |
FR |
2 610 568 |
Oct 1987 |
FR |
9955183 |
Apr 1999 |
WO |