Shoe stiffener

Abstract

Heat-activating shoe stiffeners containing magnetic material by means of a high-frequency magnetic field.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Footwear frequently includes reinforcing members, e.g., counters, which stiffen heel regions. Such a member is often a thermoplastic material and is formed to the desired shape after placing the member in a shoe subassembly and heating to cause softening.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

My invention provides an improvement in a thermoplastic reinforcing member for footwear which allows the member to be heated and formed without the heating of other, possibly sensitive, shoe portions. The improvement includes magnetic material dispersed throughout the member, the material upon exposure to a high-frequency magnetic field of an induction heating coil causing the heating and softening of the member to permit its being formed into a desired shape.

In preferred embodiments the magnetic material is magnetic iron oxide powder present in the thermoplastic member amount 25 to 35 percent by weight; the member includes a coating of heat-activated adhesive; and the adhesive is activated under the conditions under which the member is softened. Because the need to consider heating characteristics is reduced, the reinforcing member can contain virtually any thermoplastic material having characteristics desired for a given application. The magnetic field frequency and time of exposure are chosen to cause the desired softening of the thermoplastic material and adhesive used. Preferred range is 1 to 10 MegaHertz; most preferred is 1 to 2 MegaHertz.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

I turn now to a description of the drawings and the structure and operation of a preferred embodiment.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe counter of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the counter of FIG. 1.

STRUCTURE

Referring to FIG. 1, flat, counter-shaped, 0.040 in. thick sheet 10 includes 0.04 in. plastic layer 12 and adhesive layers 14.

Plastic layer 12 has the following composition:

______________________________________Components Percent by Weight______________________________________High Density Polyethylene 42.5(density .958-.062)(Melt Index .25-1.25)Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Copolymer 25.0(18-20% Vinyl Acetate)(Melt Index 6-50)Magnetic Iron Oxide such as 32.5Magna float D from FooteMineral Company______________________________________

Layer 12 is formed by mixing the iron oxide powder into a liquid or semi-liquid mixture of polyethylene and the ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, forming the mixture into a sheet using conventional techniques, and finally cutting the counter to shape using conventional techniques.

Heat-activated adhesive layers 14 are deposited using conventional coating techniques.

OPERATION

A shoe upper subassembly containing (in the usual manner, sewed into U-shape) counter 10 is exposed to the high frequency magnetic field (1.2 MegaHertz) of induction heating apparatus having a U-shaped coil of 21/2" radius for insertion thereinto of the upper subassembly.

The magnetic field causes the iron oxide particles in plastic layer 12 to heat sheet 10, so that counter 10 becomes soft and can be conformed to the desired shape of heel. At the same time, the heat melts adhesive 14, so that counter 10 may be adhered to the inside of the upper and lining.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Other embodiments are within the following claims.

The stiffener may be a box toe blank.

For example, the thermoplastic material used in the reinforcing member can be any suitable material or mixture of materials; the choice will vary, depending on desired properties; e.g., degree of stiffness.

Similarly, the magnetic particle component can vary, depending on the application. Generally, the magnetic component comprises between about 15 and 25% of the reinforcing member, by weight. Iron oxide or iron may be used alone as well as together, and the particle size of both can be varied; larger particles may have a tendency to affect physical properties of the plastic more than small particles.

As examples, other suitable thermoplastic-containing reinforcing members have the following compositions:

______________________________________Components Percent by Weight______________________________________1. Surlyn 1605 80 Iron powder 10 Iron oxide 102. Surlyn 1605 72 Iron powder 20 Styrene maleic 8 anhydride copolymer (Dylark 232, Arco Chemical)3. High density 80 polyethylene (Grade LB-742, U.S. Industrial Chemical) Iron powder 204. Low density 85 polyethylene (Grade NA-226, U.S. Industrial Chemical) Iron oxide 155. Polypropylene 85 (Grade 8523, Hercules) Iron powder 156. 8 oz. napped 75 cotton flannel fabric (dry weight) impregnated to a dry weight add on of 300% with 85/15 Styrene/Butadiene: latex Iron oxide 15______________________________________

For counters, the thickness of the plastic-containing layer will normally range between about 0.020 in. and 0.060 in. The thickness of the adhesive coating will normally range between about 0.003 in. and 0.005 in.

Other embodiments within the following claims will occur to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. The method of stiffening a shoe which comprises providing a shoe stiffener comprising a mixture of plastic resin and 25% to 35% by weight magnetic material, and activating said shoe stiffener through imposition of a high frequency magnetic field provided by a coil shaped to conform to the shape of said stiffener at frequency between 1 and 10 MegaHertz.

2. The method of claim 3 in which said frequency is in the range of 1 to 2 MegaHertz.

3. The method of claim 2 in which said frequency is 1.2 MegaHertz.