Shoe printing process and apparatus
OwnerBart I. Naveinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The process for applying print matter to a flexible portion of a shoe, the process comprising providing a mandrel having a contact element provided with a substantially flat surface adapted to underlie and support the flexible portion under tension, positioning the shoe on the mandrel with the portion contacting under tension the surface and lying substantially flat thereon, and applying printing ink to the outer surface of the tensioned portion to leave printed matter thereon.
Claims18
The process for applying print matter to a flexible portion of a shoe upper, said flexible portion having inner and outer surfaces, said process comprising providing mandrel means having first contact means provided with substantially flat surface means adapted to underlie and support said flexible portion under tension, said mandrel means having second contact means spaced from and, in operative position, being substantially fixed with respect to said first contact means and adapted to contact an interior portion of said shoe lying generally opposite said flexible portion, positioning said shoe on said mandrel means with said flexible portion tensioned over said flat surface means and lying substantially flat thereon, and with said second contact means contacting said interior portion of said shoe under pressure to maintain said flexible portion under tension, and applying printing ink to said outer surface of said tensioned flexible portion to leave printed matter thereon.
Apparatus for printing on a flexible portion of a shoe upper, comprising base means, mandrel means on said base means having body means insertable at least partially into a shoe cavity, first contact means on said body means provided with substantially flat surface means for supporting said flexible portion of said shoe upper which forms at least a portion of said cavity, second contact means on said body means spaced from and adapted to be, in its operative position, substantially fixed with respect to said first contact means and adapted to contact a portion of said shoe spaced from said flexible portion thereof, said first and second contact means adapted to forcibly deform said shoe upper by applying expansive forces to interior portions thereof to place said flexible portion in a tensioned, substantially planar condition substantially contiguous said flat surface means, and printing means on said base means, said printing means and mandrel means being mounted on said base means in a manner to allow relative movement therebetween to bring said printing means into and out of engagement with said flexible portion supported in printing position on said mandrel means.
The process for applying print matter by means of a substantially planar, screen printing means to the outer surface of a flexible portion of a shoe upper, comprising, supporting said shoe in a position for printing, said supporting including contacting the inner surface of said flexible portion with a substantially flat first surface portion of a mandrel means, contacting a generally opposed inner portion of said shoe with a second surface portion of said mandrel means, said first and second surface portions being substantially fixed with respect to each other such as to apply expansive forces to said flexible portion and said opposed inner portion, said contacting generating a tensioning force on said shoe upper causing said flexible portion to assume a substantially flat configuration substantially against and conforming to said substantially flat surface portion of said mandrel means, and brining said printing means into printing contact with said outer surface of said flexible portion to apply print matter thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.