US1117629A - Toe-molding machine. - Google Patents

Description

A. BATES.

TOE MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001". 19, 1912 1,1 17,629. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

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A. BATES.

TOE MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 00110, 1912.

1,1 17,629. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

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ARTHUR BATES, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SI-IOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TOE-MOLDING- MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR Barns, a subject of the King of England, residing at Leicester, Leicestershire, England, have invented certain Improvements in Toe-Mold ing Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like refer ence characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps and it has for its general object to improve such machines whereby they may perform better work and be more readily adaptable to different sizes and styles of shoes than has been the case heretofore.

In machines of the type above referred to as heretofore constructed the toe of the shoe to be blocked or molded, is pressed between a male mold and a cooperating female mold which are shaped in accordance with the portion of the shoe to be treated and which are preferably heated.

It is an object of the present invention to improve this pressing operation by causing the molds to perform a wiping as well as a pressing function.

To this end a feature of the invention is the provision in a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatory to lasting the said toes of means that, during the relative movement of approach between the male and female molds to exert pressure upon. the toe, permits a relative transverse movement of the molds which transverse movement combined with the movement of approach effects a wiping of the upper over the male mold in the direction of the toe. By this transverse movement the acting surfaces of the molds slide one in relation to the other and thus exert a wiping oneration upon the material placed between them. in a convenient construction according to this feature of the invention one of the moles movably mounted upon the part that supports it. and there are yielding means that tend to maintain it slightly out of register with its cooperating mold. With such a construction, during the relative movement of approach of the molds the marginal part of the female mold first contacts with the material near the high peak of the toe and then moves over it with a wiping action toward the edge of the point Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 19, 1912.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914;.

Serial No. 726,728.

of the toe as the approach of the molds continues. Owing to the fact that the molds are somewhat concave and convex respectively in form the area of the female mold that is in sliding contact with the material gradually increases and just prior to the completion of the pressing movement substantially the whole surface of the mold is effecting a wiping action on the material. If desired, both molds, instead of one only, may be movably mounted upon their supports and in such case each mold would be provided with the yielding means aforesaid which would permit them to move in opposite directions to perform their wiping function.

Another object of the present invention is to provide improved means for supporting the upper and its associated parts while one end of the shoe is being molded; and accordingly another feature of the invention consists in the provision in a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatory to lasting the said toes and having male and female molds that exert pressure on the toe. of a gage device that is adapted to locate the heel end of the work with relation to the molds.

Conveniently, the said device may have provision for any or all of the following adjustments:viz. an adjustment toward and from the molds to accommodate it to uppers of different sizes; an adjustment laterally of the shoe to suit right and left uppers or for uppers of different styles of shoes; and an adjustment vertically of the shoe to deal with uppers of shoes in which the spring varies from the normal. In conjunction with any or all of these adjustments, gage marks or stops or similar means may be used to indicate or determine the amount of adjustment that is required for uppers of shoes of difierent styles or sizes. The gage device may also be provided with an edge gage to determine the extent to which it shall project into the upper.

The invention will now be described as embodied in two constructions, the one for use in molding the toe of an upper before it has been placed upon a last and the other for use in molding the toe after the upper has been placed upon and pulled over the last in the usual manner but before lasting takes place, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to either of these the illustrated embodiments of the invention and will then be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure l is a broken side elevation partly in section of a mold ing machine embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a view of a portion of the gage device illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 2 is a section through the connection between the outermold and its holding block; and Fig. 3 is a view .similar to Fig. 1 showing a second construction.

Projecting from the base 1 of the machine there is a bracket 2 having a vertical recess in which is placed for reciprocating movement'one end of a work support at. The lower end of the work support is connected to a powerful toggle mechanism in the base of the machine which in turn is connected to a treadle 5 so that the operator on depressing the treadle may actuate the toggle mechanism to raise the work support toward the head of the machine. The connection between the lower end of the work support and the said toggle mechanism is such that the work support may be revolved in its recess in the bracket so as to vary its position laterally with relation to the machine. The head of the machine is curved so as to pro ject overthe work support and carries directly above the work support a vertically adjustable spindle 8 having its lower end screw threaded and supplied with a small hand wheel 9 by which the vertical position of the spindle may be adjusted. So far the parts described are common to both constructions.

The chief elements of the first construction'are a female or outer mold, a male or inner mold to cotiperate therewith and a gage device. The work support dis bored at its upper end to receive a rod carrying the male-mold 10 which is adapted to be inserted into the inside of the toe of the upper and is shaped in this instance between the shape of the toe of a right shoe and the toe of a left shoe. Should, however, it be deemed desirable the male mold might be shaped to fit the toe-of a right shoe and a separate mold be shaped for a left shoe, the two being adapted to be interchanged in any convenient manner upon the top of the worksupport. The female mold is a block shaped'at its under side to correspond to the spindle 8 which is mounted in the head of,

the machine. In a boss 22 projecting from the rear portion of the carrier 1s a sprlngpressed plunger 24- whose forward end acts upon a portion of the rear end of the hold- 1 ing block 18 thus tending to force the latter in a forward direction or toward the heel end of the shoe.

The gage device will now be described. Below the male mold 10 there is projecting from the work support 4: a bracket 25 in a recess in which a short stud 26 is adapted to rotate. The top of this stud projects beyond the surface of the bracket and is provided with lugs 27 which carry between them a horizontal pivot pin 28 upon which is pivoted a cylindrical slide bar 29. vA gage carrier 30 encircles the slide bar and is provided with a key adapted to slide in akeyway 32- in the slide bar so that the gage carrier is permitted longitudinal movement upon the slide bar but is prevented from rotational movement. The under surface of the slide bar 29 is provided with rack teeth 33 adapted to engage with the teeth of a pinion mounted in the gage carrier upon a spindle 3'1 provided with a small hand wheel 35 at its outer end. Conveniently the gage marks may be provided upon the slide bar to indicate the different sizes of uppers so that by turning the hand wheel the carrier may be quickly and accurately adjusted to the position requisite for any particular size that it is wished to operate upon. .The upper portion of the gage carrier. 30 is pro vided with an edge gage 36 for the lower edge of the counter of the upper and with an upwardly projecting horn or counter gage 38 adapted to be inserted inside the heel endof the upper. This horn may be made removable in order that another horn of different curvature may be provided according to the curvature of the counter upon the upper which is to be worked upon and it may be held in position by means of a screw having at its outer end a thumb nut. At the outer end of the aforementioned bracket 25 there is provided a recess in which is slidable a circular shank 4:0 that carries at its upper end a curved plate 42 provided with a series of holes 43 in which limit stops 44 may be placed, the distance of the plate from the bracket being adjusted by moving the shank 40in its recess and gripping it in adjusted position by means of a set screw 45. The cylindrical slide bar 29 rests upon the curved plate l2 and consequently when the plate is adjusted in relation to the bracket the slide bar is also adjusted about its horizontal pivot pin 28 this adjustment being provided to accommodate uppers having variations in spring. In order to accommodate the varying swings of right and left shoes the slide bar 29 with its pivot pin 28 and the stud 26 which carries it is rotated in the recess in the bracket 25. the amount of rotation being limited by the limit stops l l inserted in the curved plate. It will thus be seen that the slide bar 29 and with it the gages 36, 38 may be adjusted in two directions at right angles to each other while the gages may be adjusted by sliding their carrier 30 upon the slide bar in a direction at right angles to each of the other two.

The operation of the machine is as follows :The upper which is to have its toe molded has assembled with it besides the upper material, the toe stiffener and the lining. The stock is first placed in correct position with its toe end upon the male mold 10 and its heel end dropped over the counter gage 38 until it rests upon the edge gage 36 and then the carrier 30 is adjusted to correct position; or if desired, the gages may be adjusted to correct position before the upper is placed in the machine. Having correctly positioned the stock the treadle 5 is depressed and the work support carrying the male mold 1O commences to rise toward the female mold 15. As it rises the portion of the female mold which shapes the point of the toe is the first to come into contact with the upper upon the male mold. Continued ascent of the male mold consequently rocks the holding block 18 of the female mold along the curved guideway. so that as the ascent proceeds there is not only a downward pressing movement but also a sliding movement toward the point of the toe which tends to wipe the material forward as well as downward. In this manner the material forming the toe is smoothly and accurately positioned before the pressure which does the actual molding is applied, so that all un sightly creases are removed and the toe as finally molded is smooth. The wiping action of the mold is greatest on the point of the toe and decreases more and more from that point so that the last portion of the female mold which comes into contact with the toe cap has no appreciable wiping action upon it. To facilitate the plaiting of the overlapping margin of the upper during the lasting process the molds may be made with a corrugated portion adjacent to the lower margin of the upper. By mounting the female mold upon the curved guideway it has not only a wiping action upon the toe but can the more easily accommodate itself to suit variations in the thickness of the materials forming the toe.

In order that the machine may be adapted to operate upon toes of varying thicknesses without liability of damaging or breaking the machine parts or without the relative positions of the male and female molds having been previously adjusted there may he means provided to permit the work support to yield under the action of the toggle whenever a predetermined pres sure is reached.

It is sometimes of advantage to mold an upper after it has been pulled over on its last preparatory to lasting and accordingly :1 construction of the invention will now be described suitable for molding the toe after the pulling-over operation has taken place. The work support 4 is mounted on the frame of the machine as in the former con struction. Upon the top end oftheworksupport there is pivoted a lug 50 which carries at its top end a female mold 52 adapted to receive a shoe in inverted position with its tread face upward. The lower end of the lug has projecting inward a shoulder 54 which is pressed upward by a spring pressed plunger mounted in an aperture in a projection 56 on the inside of the work support. Bv these means the mold 52- is tilted slightlv toward the heel of the shoe so that when the shoe is laidin the mold the top forward edge of the mold will contact with the toe while the rest of the mold will be clear. It will be noted that in this construction the male mold is formed by the toe of the last. In the head of the machine abo e the female mold there is mounted as in the former construction a. vertically adjustable spindle 8 whose lower end is adapted to contact with the tread face of the last, which in this instance corresponds with the male mold 10 of Fig. 1. By these means the upper limit to which the shoe and conseuuentlv the female mold will rise under action of the toggle mechanism is defined. W'hen the treadle is depressed the toggle mechanism raises the work support until the tread face of the shoe strikes the end of the spindle 8 that is located directly over the pivot 58 of the female mold. As the work support continues to rise the toe of the last is gradually forced into the female mold and the latter is gradually rocked inward from its first position so that during the continued rising of the work support there is not onlv an upward pressing movement of the female mold but also the before mentioned sliding movement toward the point of the toe which tends to wipe the material at the toe upward (that is to sav toward the tread face of the last) as well as forward. As in the former construction the wiping action of the mold is greatest upon the point of the toe and decreases more and more from that point so that the last portion of the female mold which comes into contact with the toe cap has no appreciable wiping action upon it.

Since in this construction there is a last inside the material being operated upon there is no necessity for the gages for the back and lower end of the upper such as are provided in the former construction. In stead, therefore, of a gage carrier the slide bar 29 mentioned in connection with the de scription of the former construction of gage device is pro vided with a carrier tSU movable upon the slide bar as is the said gage carrier but provided on its upper surface with an arm 62 projecting upward into proximity with the back end of the counter. Upon this arm there is located a V-shaped heel rest 6% which is adapted to support the heel. end of the last while the toe end is supported by the female mold. The heel rest will, of course, be adjusted toward and from the female mold along the slide bar as were the gages in the former construction. The slide bar itself has the same adjustments as before;

Should it be desired to embody the invention in a power operated machine instead of a manually operated machine it would be convenient to do so in a machine of the type described and illustrated in the specification of prior United States Letters l-atent No. 1,02 ,567 granted June i, 1912, since this machine is provided with a turret tool holder in which it would be convenient to fix the upper mold in a manner in which any other tool would be inserted in the turret; It is to be understood. however, that the invention is not limited to embodiment in the types of machines mentioned nor to the constructions described since the details might be considerably varied both in construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for molding the toes of hoot and shoe vamps preparatory to lasting the said toes, inner and outer molds, means for supporting the molds, operating means for effecting relative approach of the molds, and means that, during the relative movement of approach between the molds to exert pressure on the toe, permits a relative transverse movement of the molds which transverse movement combined with the movement of approach effects a wiping of the upper over the innermold in the direction of the toe.

2. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatory to lasting the said toes, male and female molds and sustaining means therefor including a support on which the female mold is mov ably mounted, operating means for effecting relative movements of approach of the molds, and yielding means tending to main tain said movably mounted mold slightly out of register with the other mold, the arrangement being such that as the molds approach. one another the marginal part of the female mold first contacts near the higher peak of the toe and'then moves with a wiping action over the material of the upper as the approach of the molds con tinues.

3. In a machine for molding the toes of boot or shoe ramps off the last preparatory to lasting the said toes, molding devices that exert pressure on the toe and a gage device constituting a permanent part of the machine and adapted to extend upwardly through the bottom of the upper into engag-ement with the rear end of the upper to locate the heel end of the work with relation to the molds, combined with means to secure adjustments of the said gage device laterally of the shoe.

4. In a machine for molding the toes of boot orshoe vamps preparatory to lasting the said. toes, molding devices that exert pressure on the toe and a gage device that is adapted to locate the heel. end of the work with relation to the molds, with means to effect an adjustment of the said device ertically with relation to the plane of the molding devices to deal with uppers of shoes in which the spring varies from the normal.

5. In a machine for molding the toesof boot or shoe vamps preparatory to lasting the said toes, the combination with operating means, of inner and outer molds of.

suitable shape and supporting means for the outer mold permitting it to turn about a center, and means for holding it yieldingly at the time it engages the work tipped out of register with the inner mold.

6. In a machine for molding the toes of boot or shoe vamps preparatory to lasting the said toes, inner and outer molds of suitable shape and supporting means for the outer mold having a slideway curved about a center above the work, a head on said mold to move in the slideway, and means acting normally to press said head toward one end of the slideway and hold the outer mold out of alinement with the inner mold.

7. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatory to lasting said toes, the combination with mold actuating means, of a work support bored at its upper end, a mold adapted to be inserted into the inside of the toe of a vamp and having a rod received in the bored portion of said support, a cooperating mold shaped at its under side to correspond to the shape of the inside mold and having a shank, a holding block in the lower side of which the shank is gripped and having upon its upper side a curved guideway, a carrier having curved tongues lying in a plane approximately parallel with the length of the shoe and upon which the guideway can slide, a boss projecting from the rear portion of the carrier and a spring pressed plunger in said boss the forward end of which acts upon a portion of the rear end of the holding block to force the latter toward the heel end of the shoe and yieldingly hold the cooperating mold slightly out of register with the inside mold when the cooperating mold first engages the vamp.

S. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatory to lasting said toes, the combination with mold actuating means, of inner and outer toe molds, a work support on which the inner mold is carried and which has a bracket, a slide bar connected to the bracket to pivot about two axes perpendicular to each other for movement in two directions, a gage carrier on the bar, and rack and pinion means to adjust the gage carrier on the bar in a third direction.

9. In a machine for molding the toes of boots and shoe vamps preparatory to lasting said toes, the combination with mold actuating means, of inner and outer toe molds, a work support on which the inner mold is carried and which has a bracket, a slide bar connected to the bracket to pivot about two axes perpendicular to each other, and a gage carrier adjustable on the bar and provided with an edge gage for the lower edge of the heel portion of the vamp and with a removable, upwardly projecting, horn adapted to be inserted inside the heel end of the upper.

10. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe Vamps preparatory to lasting axes to accommodate uppers having variations in spring, said plate being provided with a series of holes, and limit stops removably mounted in said holes for determining lateral positions of the bar about the other of its said two axes to accommodate varying swings of right and left shoes for which uppers are to be molded.

11. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatory to lasting said toes, the combination with mold actuating means, of inner and outer molds arranged to effect upon the toe of the vamp first a wiping action toward the toe end of the vamp and toward the margin thereof, and then a compression of the vamp between the molds.

12. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatory to lasting said toes, the combination with mold actuating means, of inner and outer molds arranged to effect automatically a wiping action toward the toe end of the vamp and toward its margin which action is greatest at the point of the toe and finally to efifect compression of the stock so wiped.

13. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe Vamps preparatory to lasting said toes, the combination with inner and outer molds, of supporting and actuating mechanism thereforarranged to impart relative closing movements to the molds and also relative movements by which the outer mold has a wiping action over the toe lengthwise of the shoe and toward the marginal edge of the toe prior to compression of the vamp between the molds.

14:. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe Vamps preparatory to lasting said toes, the combination with inner and outer toe molds and means for supporting and actuating the molds to apply molding pressure to a vamp toe, of means acting on one of the molds at one side of the line of pressure for normally maintaining that mold slightly out of alinement with the other mold priorto and at the instant of engagement with the toe of the vamp for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR BATES. lVitnesses:

FREDERICK WILLIAM Worm, WILLIAM THOMAS BUOKINGHAM Romans.

copies of this patent may be. obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

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