918,414. Shoe makingm achines; nailing. BRITISH UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CO. Ltd. (United Shoe Machinery Corporation). April 17, 1959, No. 11776/59. Classes 17 (1) and 89 (3). A machine for securing the heel end of an outsole to the bottom of a shoe has a support for the shoe and shoe position means which when the shoe is correctly positioned actuate microswitches controlling the operation of the machine. The operations which are performed on the heel consist of pricking the bottom and heel end of the outsole and securing them by subsequently driving fasteners into them. The shoe on its last is placed on a work-support 10, Fig. 4, and is engaged at the heelward end by a pair of rollers 52, Fig. 10, on spring-biased arms 48, 50 which are moved apart at their roller ends by the positioning of the shoe such that a micro-switch 78 in the circuit of the machine is closed when the shoe is correctly positioned lengthwise. Simultaneously the shoe is positioned laterally by being turned to engage along its forward right or left-hand edge, depending on whether it is a left or right shoe, one of a pair of feelers 82, 84, Fig. 1, which thereupon actuates a further micro-switch 100, 102 in the machine circuit thereby completing the circuit to cause the machine to automatically operate on the shoe. A solenoid is thereby operated which releases a catch 202 enabling a spring 196 to exert through a rod 186 and link 182 a preliminary clamping pressure by the hold-down 40 on the work, Figs. 7, 8. A further solenoid 140, Fig. 6, is also energized which actuates a clutch to cause a revolution of the main drive-shaft 114 carrying cams 110, 112 which reciprocate a carrier 144 and a driven unit 104, Fig. 4, through a pricking stroke during which the drivers pass through holes in the work-support 10 and prick the heel end of the outsole. Thereafter the drivers are withdrawn. During the upward movement of the carrier 144 a final clamping pressure is exerted on the hold-down by the compression of a spring 244 by a bracket 206 secured to the carrier 144, the compressive effect of which is transmitted through rod and linkage 186, 254 to the hold-down 40, Figs. 7, 8. A pawl-and-ratchet 268, 272 maintains this final clamping pressure when the drivers and carrier 144 are lowered. During this return stroke of the carrier and drivers a cam 324 moves a lever 328 which rotates a shaft 344 to which is secured an arm 348 carrying a loader block 106, Figs. 1 and 3. The loader block 106 which will already have been supplied with a load of fasteners during the previous cycle of the machine is moved to a position beneath the support 10 and in register with the drivers. The carrier 144 and drivers 104 are now raised again by the cams 110, 112 and in doing so the fasteners are carried upwardly out of the block 106 and are driven into the pricked holes in the work. The drivers and carrier are now lowered and a drop 366 on the cam 324 permits the loader block to swing back into its loader receiving position. The return of the loader block 106 causes a latch 428, Fig. 18, to be tripped by the arm 348 thereby permitting a pin 360, connected to a lever 436 and urged upwardly by a spring 454 coupled to a lever 446 and biasing lever 436 through a rod 444, to lock the loader block in register with a distributer 374. Simultaneously a rod 424, Figs. 18, 19, is withdrawn by the downward movement of the end of lever 436 which thereupon releases a shutter 372, Fig. 20, in the distributer which is urged by a spring-loaded lever 480 into its release position, the lever 480 also operating a compressed air valve 498 which promptly forces the fasteners released from a block 416, Fig. 20, through tubes 402 into the loader block 106. The effect of the spring 454 on lever 446 is transmitted to cause withdrawal of a trip rod 516 which releases a clutch pin to couple the drive to a shaft 550. The shaft 550 on its initial rotation resets the shutter 372 and partially resets latch 428 whereby rod 424 is permitted to rise and lock the shutter in position. A cam on the shaft 550 also causes intermittent rotation of a pair of rollers 576, 578, Fig. 13, feeding fastener material from a reel 566, Fig. 2, into a hole 414 in the block 416 whereafter the block is rotated by pawl-andratchet mechanism coupled by an eccentric to the shaft 550 to shear off the length of material in the hole and to present the vent hole in the block 416 for the material to be fed into, Fig. 17. Associated with the fastener-forming device is a counting device comprising a ratchet bar 670, Fig. 19, which is lowered one tooth on the formation of each fastener so that when the required number of fasteners have been completed the end of the bar 670 trips a catch permitting the rod 516 to withdraw the clutch pin, thereby stopping the operation of the fastenerforming device. Simultaneously an arm 513 is depressed by the bar 670 which also releases a catch and permits the latch 428 to resume its initial position. The bar 670 is returned to its uppermost position by a spring 672 when a pawl 686 actuated from the rod 516 is retracted to release it.