707,899. Shoe insoles. BRITISH UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CO., Ltd. (United Shoe Machinery Corporation). April 15, 1952 [April 13, 1951], No. 8600/51. Class 17(1) [Also in Group VIII] A combined presser and feed foot 106, Fig. 5, consisting of two elements 112, 118 which are actuated by continuously operating, means under the control of a single treadle is employed for both pressing a fplded ribbed strip coated with a pressureresponsive cement intermittently against an insole to attach it thereto and also to feed the combined strip and insole through the machine during the attaching operation. The rate of feed of the work may be varied by the operator in accordance with the shape, size, thickness and material of the insole by regulating the operating pressure on a treadle 180 (not shown), attached to the lower end of a rod 175, Figs. 18, 23, but the pressing movement of the foot 106 is uniform or subject only to variation in thickness of insole. Strip material is fed from a supply reel through folding mechanism which forms a sewing rib therein and the point of attachment of the folded strip to the insole is arranged to commence on one side at the heel breast line, then to pass round the toe to the other side of the heel breast line, where it may be severed by a knife operated automatically or otherwise. The insole, on a work support 190, Figs. 1, 2, 5, is positioned in relation to strip-feeding mechanism by a heel end gauge 338, Figs. 1, 2, 18, normally in an inoperative out-of-the-way position, and a side gauge 340, Fig. 5, the gauge 338 being moved automatically out of its operative position before the pressing means operates on the work. The insole being operated on is held by the operator on the freely rotatable work support 190, Figs. 1, 2, 5, and is usually guided manually by the operator during the attaching operation. The feed of the presser and feed foot 106 may be stopped by releasing the pressure on the treadle 180, the pressing movement, however, continuing. The insole may be caused, by a friction device 224, Fig. 2, acting on the work-support through an adjustable spring 232, to drag behind the feeding movement of the foot 106 so that extra material is applied to the insole which is thereby prevented from curling after the strip has been attached. In addition to this friction device 224, an overfeed device may be provided to cause an excess amount of strip to be applied, for example, when working on very thin insoles or on thick insoles of resilient material such as rubber. The illustrative form of machine described is used to apply single tape of ribbed strip of duck to the insole. The tape C, Fig. 29, 37, which has been coated, at least on one side, with pressure-responsive adhesive is drawn between a knurled roll 742, Fig. 29, which is driven from motor 716, and a flanged roll 756, at a rate somewhat in excess of that of the strip-attaching means, from a supply reel 762 to ribbed-strip forming means mounted on a horizontal plate 712. These comprise a folder 782 similar to that described in Specification 642,964, which folds the strip into a two-ply rib with a marginal extension on one limb. Spring- pressed rolls 786, 788, Fig. 35, apply pressure to the folded part of the tape which then passes to a finger 814, Fig. 35, which separates the two parts of the tape and presses the lower part of the rib against the plate 712. The rolls 742, 756 next press the tape to the form shown in Fig. 37.. If a double-tape-ribbed strip is to be formed, the folded tape passes through a U-shaped guide 840, Fig. 29, on an arm 842 which may carry a spindle 845 on which another supply reel of tape may be mounted. The folded tape passes to a guide 284, Figs. 1, 2, 5, and to the presser and feed foot 106. A screw 864, Fig. 29, is adjustably carried by a block 866 in a guideway 868 in a block 846, relatively to a screw 848 on which a rod 838 is pivoted, and the angular position of the rod 838, which controls the operation of the strip-forming means, is adjusted so as to stop automatically, by a spring- pressed arm 894 which rests lightly at one side of the supply reel 762, to operate a micro-switch 852 to stop the operation of the machine before the supply of unfolded tape has been used up. The attachment of a new length of tape, e.g. by splicing the two ends together by a length of adhesivecoated gauze 910 carried in a container 906, is thus facilitated. The strip S after its formation is guided to an insole on the work support 190, by substantially stationary forward and rearward guides 284, 286, Figs. 2, 5, respectively, with inverted T-shaped guideways. These are rendered movable, if a greater amount of strip is desired than is provided in the normal operation of the machine by the combined feed and presser foot 106, by moving links 316, 328, Fig. 2, and a screw 330 on link 328 into a position in which a toggle formed by an arm 310 and links 316, 328 is broken, to swing an arm 298 and the guides 284, 286 carried thereon, up and down with a slight forward and backward movement in time relation to the feeding movement of the foot 106, both being produced by the same driving mechanism but in opposite directions. In operation, an insole is placed, heel first, from the front of the machine, against the heel end gauge 338 with the right hand side of the insole on the work support 190, which has been adjusted vertically in accordance with the insole thickness and is set against the side gauge 340, which has been pre-set to engage the shank portion. The leading end of the formed ribbed strip S will underlie the presser and feed foot 106 and the cut off end of the tape from the previous operation will be located substantially at the heelbreast line. Depression of treadle 180 causes a lever 168, Fig. 1, to swing, to operate eccentrics 86, 88 and start the foot 106 to move. It also causes the heel end gauge 338 to rise to an upper position where it is locked out of the way of the strip S. The two elements 112, 118 of the foot 106 first apply pressure to the opposite side flanges of the strip S and then feed the combined strip and insole rearwardly of the work support. Each element 112, 118 can yield independently of the other against spring pressure to permit small amounts of variation in thickness of material, and the rate of feed of the strip and insole is dependent on the extent of depression of the treadle 180 in accordance with working conditions, e.g. around the toe end it is slowed, but the pressing stroke of the foot 106 is substantially uniform in length. The eccentrics 86, 88 mentioned above are angularly adjustable ona continuously driven shaft 72, Figs. 1, 2, 5, 18, to vary the time of pressing movement of the foot 106 relatively to its feeding movement and control respectively through similar means the operation of the elements 112 and 118. The lower portions of U-shaped fingers 440, 442, Figs. 1, 2, engage and ride upon the top of the rib R of the strip during its attachment to the insole and, as they drop from the rib on the starting side of rib at heel breast line, they are moved out of parallel to close a micro-switch 492, Fig. 1, to cause the lower portion 175 of the two part rod 174, 175 of the treadle 180 to be disconnected through a solenoid 500, Figs. 1, 23, and permit the upper portion of the rod to rise into an inoperative position to stop the operation of the presser and feed foot 106. When the strip has been applied to the margin of the insole it is pulled rearwardly on the work support 190 by the operator until an arm 624, Figs. 1, 2, of a lever 612 engages a stop screw 630 which measures the length of the strip which has been pressed against the insole and moves the insole rearwardly into alignment with a knife 552. This action also applies tension to the rib B and raises it from the work support. The measuring operation also raises rear end of a lever 606, Fig. 2, to raise arm 596, Fig. 1, to unlock knife bar 554 and allow the knife to be operated when a treadle 568 is depressed. A plate 676 on the lever 674 engages a hook 394 on rod 392 to unlock the heel end gauge and permit it to descend for the next insole. The rearward pull on the insole also causes the finger 442 to drop off the rib at the starting point of the insole and, by opening a micro-switch, to cause a latch 544, Fig. 23, to latch the knife bar 534 when the operator next depresses the treadle 180. If an automatic cutting-off knife is provided, the act of measuring the length of ribbed strip last operated upon by the presser and feed foot 106 elevates a lever 596, Fig. 22, pivoted on knife bar 554 to close a micro-switch 678 and cause the knife 552 to cut off the strip at the correct location. The micro-switch is opened by rod 698 on knife bar 554 to return the knife-operating mechanism to inoperative position. Specification 558,641 also is referred to.