US1165789A - Welt-beating machine. - Google Patents

Description

A. F. LITTLEFIELD.

WELT BEATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 3. 1912.

1,165,?89, Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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A. F. LITTLEFIELD.

WELT BEATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 3, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

A. F. UTTLEFiELD.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

AS SIGJXFQ Pt T 8 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY GOLIPANY, OF PATER-SUN, I-EE'W .il. COEPORA'ZIGN OF NEW JERSEY.

WELT-BEATING MACHINE.

Application filed. September 13, 1812.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AUGUSTINE F. LIT- rLnrmLI), a. citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Weltlieating Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a. full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to welt beating machines.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, in the manufacture of Goodyear shoes, the welt, after being attached to the upper and insole, is subjected to a beating operation to cause the welt to lie flat in sul stantially the plane of the insole. The inner and outer edges of the welt are equal in length before the welt is attached to the shoe, and in order to cause the welt to lie flat in the plane of the insole itis necessary to stretch the outer edge of the welt at 'convexly curved portions of the shoe, particularly at the toe. In order to stretch the outer edge of the welt it is often found necessary to subject the welt at curved portions of the shoe several times to the action of the welt heating element, and in order to permit the outer edge of the welt to stretch more readily it has been the practice to cut transverse slashes partially through the welt on its under side. These slashes necessarily weaken the welt.

The primary object of the present inventionis to produce a welt beating machine by which the welt may be beaten out in substantially the plane of the throughout its length in a rapid and efficient manner without cutting slashes at any point therein or otherwise weakening the welt.

ll ith the above object in view a feature of the invention contemplates the provision in a welt beating machine having a welt support of a heater for engaging and heat ing out the Welt having welt beating faces of different characters for beating out different portions of the welt, and arranged for actuation to bring said welt beating insole I Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 718,285.

faces alternatively into operative position with relation to the welt support.

In the best form of the invention which has yet been devised the machine is provided with a beater consisting of a vibratory welt beating hammer having welt heating faces of different characters on its welt engaging end. and arranged to rotate on an axis substantially perpendicular to the surface of the welt support to place any one of the welt beating faces of the hammer in operative position.

Further features of the invention consist of certain constructions, arrangements, and combinations of parts, the advantages of which will be obvious to one skilled in the art from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention in the best form at present known to the inventor Figure l is a view in side elevation of a welt beating machine embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine; Fig 2 is a detail plan view of the forward portion of the machine below the hammer lever; Fig. 3 is a. detail sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1. looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional. view taken on the line i t of Fig. l; and Fig. 5 is a detail underside plan view of the hammer and certain parts adjacent thereto.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is provided with a heater consisting of a vibratory han'nner indicated at 1 fo engaging and beating out the welt. This hammer mounted in the forward extremity of an oscillatory hammer lever 2, the movements of which cause the hammer to vibrate or recipro "ate and beat the welt on the welt support. The hammer lever 2 is pivoted on a. shaft 8 mounted in the frame of the ma.- chine and oscillated by an eccentric mechanism connected with its rear end. The rear end of the hammer lever is forked and receives within the fork a block carried by an eccentric 5 upon the main shaft 6 of the machine. The forked end of the hammer lever is made adjustable to take up rear by providing a bolt 8 by means of which the twoends of the fork may be drawn toward each other and secured by nuts on said bolt.

Another bolt 9 is provided by means of which the two forks may be separated, if desired.

A work support 10 is provided, the forward end of which is shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the welt of a welted shoe, and to support the welt on its upper surface. The work support 1s secured by screws 11 to the forward end of.

a lever 12 pivoted at 13, which lever is actuated to impart lateral movements to the work support in a manner and for a purpose hereinafter set forth.

In the present invention the hammer is provic ed with welt beating faces of different characters for operating on the welt, and is arranged so that these welt beating faces may be brought alternatively into position to engage the welt. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the hammer is provided with a welt beating face 15 which is smooth and slightly convex, and extends substantially parallel with the upper surface of the work support. The welt beating face 15 is designed particularly for use in operating on portions of the welt extending along comparatively straight portions of the shoe, and operates in the usual manner to beat the welt out flat in the plane of the insole. In addition to the welt beating face 15, the hammer 1 is provided with a second welt beating face 16, of different character from the face 15. In the construction illustrated, the face 16 of the hammer is provided with a series of wedge-shaped blunt faced axially parallel ridges 18 rising from the plain surface of said face. he ridges 18 are arranged so that when the welt beating face 16 on the hammer is brought into operating position with relation to the welt on the welt support, the ridges will engage the welt transversely with their wider or diverging ends nearer to the outer edge of the welt. To this end, in the structure illustrated, the ridges are formed so that they extend outwarclly from the central portion of the hammer, and are disposed with their tapering or converging ends nearer the circumference of the hammer. The welt beating face 16 is designed particularly for operating on the welt at convexly curved portions of the shoe, such as the toe. These ridges, when the face 16 of the hammer is brought into engagement with the welt, distort and re shape the substance of the welt to form a series of furrows in the lower face thereof, the welt being thereby stretched in a direction transversely to the ridges.

The hammer 1 is illustrated in the drawings with the welt beating face 15 thereof located in operating position over the work support, and with thewelt beating face 16 placed to the rear of the work support, out. of operating position. In order that either of the welt beating faces of the hammer may be placed in operating position with relation to the welt, the hammer is rotatably mounted in the hammer lever 2. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the construction employed for rotatably supporting the hammer in the hammer lever is as follows: The hammer is secured in any suitable manner to the lower end of a cylindrical rod or shaft 19 which is rotatably mounted in a sleeve 20 carried by the hammer lever. The shaft 19 is formed with a flange or collar 21 which abuts against the lower end of the sleeve 20, and the upper end of the shaft is threaded to receive a nut 22 which engages the upper end of the sleeve. The rod 19 is thus heldfroni longitudinal movement. with relation to the sleeve 20, but is permitted to rotate freely in the sleeve. In order to permit the hammer to yield when brought into engagement with the welt on the welt support, the sleeve 20 is mounted to slide in an outer sleeve which is threaded into the bore 24: formed in the forward end of the hammer lever 2, the lower end of the sleeve 20 being formed with a shoulder 25 which engages and is guided by the adjacent wall of the bore in the hammcr lever. A coiled spring 26 surrounds the sleeve 20, and is seated at one end in a bore 27 in the sleeve 23, and at the other end engages the shoulder 25 on the sleeve 20. The downward movement of the sleeve 20 and the hammer with relation to the sleeve 23 and the hammer leveris limited by an adjustable split stop collar 28 threaded. on the upper end of the sleeve 20 and clamped in adjusted position thereon by a clamping screw 29. A washer 30, of felt or other fibrous material, is interposed between the collar and the upper end of the sleeve 23, to act as a cushion between the collar and the sleeve. The sleeve 20 is held from turning movement in the hammer lever by means of a key indicated at 31 secured to the lower end of the sleeve 20, the outer portion of which key operates in a suitable keyway 32 formed in the adjacent wall of the hammer lever. The key 31 is secured to the sleeve 20 by means of a pin 33 projecting inwardly from the key, which is driven into a bore 3% in the sleeve, the inner portion of the key being seated in a groove in the sleeve when the pin has'loeen driven home. The sleeve 23 is held in adjusted position in the ham.-

vmer lever by a lock nut 35. The position of the hammer in the hammer lever may be adjusted to suit welts of varying thicknesses without varying the tension of the spring, by adjusting the sleeve 23. The tension of the spring may be varied without changing the. position of the hammer in the hammer lever by suitable adjustments of the sleeve 23 and the stop collar 28. Adjustment of the stop collar 28 alone varies both the position of the hammer in the hammer lever and the tension of the spring. It is to be noted particularly that the manner in which the hammer is supported in the hammer lever permits the hammer to be freely rotated on an axis substantially parallel with its direction of reciprocat-ory movement, and that the spring 26 is so placed that it does not interfere in the slightest degree with the free rotary movement of the hammer.

The lower end of the key 3]. projects downwardly beyond the lower end of the sleeve 20, and is arranged for engagement bv shoulders 36 and 37 formed on the flange 21 of the shaft 19 which supports the hammer, the said key acting as a stop to limit the rotary movement of the hammer. The shoulders 36 and 37 are arranged so that when one of said shoulders is in engagement with the key 31 the hammer may be rotated through half a revolution before the other shoulder is engaged by the key, and the relative positions of the key and shoulders are such that when either of said shoulders is in engagement with the key the corresponding face of the hammer will be located in proper operating position over the welt support. When the face 15 of the hammer is in operating position, the shoulder 36 is in engagement with the kev 31. When it is desired to bring the welt beating face 16 of the hammer into operating position with relation to the welt, the hammer is rotated to the right (Figs. 4 and 5) until the shoulder 37 engages the key 31. The hammer will then have made substantially half a revolution, and the welt beating face 16 will have been brought into correct operating position over the welt support.

In order to place either of the welt beating faces of the hammer in operating position with relation to the welt, mechanism is pro-- vided for rotating the hammer, said mechanism being arranged to be controlled by the operator, so that either of the welt beating faces of the hammer may be placed in operating position as desired. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the mechanism for rotating the hammer comprises a flexible strap 38 which passes about a cylindrical portion of the shaft 19 below the flange 21, and is secured to said shaft by means of a screw 39. The inner end of thestrap 38 is connected with the end of a coiled spring 40 mounted in a bore in. the hammer lever. the other end of said spring being secured to a pin all mounted in the hammer lever. The strap 38, after passing from the spring 40 about the shaft 19, extends rearwardly through a slot in the shaft 3, over a guide pulley 1%, and is connected at its extremity with a lever 45. The lever 45 is pivoted on a screw 46 secured to the machine frame, and is connected with a foot treadle (not shown) by means of a treadle rod 47. A tension. spring 48 is connected at one end with the lever 45 and at the other to a fixed point on the machine frame, and normally holds the lever 1-5 in the position ilhistrated in Fig. 1, a stop screw 50 secured to the lever and arranged to engage the frame of the machine limiting the upward movement of the said lever. The downward movement of the lever is limited by second stop screw The spring it normally holds the hanr mer lever in a position such that the shoulder 36 engages the key 31, and the welt beating face 15 of the hammer is in operating position over the welt support.

As previously stated, the welt beating face 15 is designed particularly to operate upon comparatively straight portions of the welt.

in the operation of beating out the welt the portion of the welt adjacent the heel seat is first placed on the welt support. When the operator arrives at a portion of the welt the outer edge of which must be stretched in order to cause the welt to lie flat in the plane of the insole, the treadle is depressed, thereby rotating the hammer and bringing the face 16 thereof into operating position with relation to the welt. The ridges 18 on this portion of the hammer will then engage the welt transversely, and the portion of the welt engaged thereby will be stretched in the direction of the length of the welt. On

.account of the arrangement of the ridges with the wider portions thereof nearer the center of the hammer when the face 16 of the hammer is brought into operating position the ridges will engage the welt with their wider portions nearer the outer edge of the welt. The stretching action of the ridges therefore is greatest near the outer edge of the welt, and decreases toward the inner edge of the welt. When it is again desired to bring the smooth face 15 of the hammer into position to engage the welt, the treadle is released and the hammer is restored to its initial position by the action of the spring 40.

The work support 10 is arranged to vi-- brate in a plane substantially parallel with the work supporting surface thereof and in the general direction of the line of feed to work the forward end of the work support in closer to the inseam of the shoe. As stated above, the work support is socured to the forward end of a lever 12 which is pivoted at 13. The pivot pin upon which the lever is pivoted is shouldered as illustrated in F 1, and the lower end of the pin is seated in a bore in an angular bracket 5 1 adjustably mounted on a plate secured to the frame of the machine. The bracket 54 is provided with a horizontal groore which receives a rib 56 on the plate 55, and the bracket is clamped on the plate by means of a clamping screw 57 which passes through the bracket and the plate and is screwed into the frame, a washer 58 being interposed between the head of the screw and the bracket. The perforation in the bracket 54 through which the screw 57 passes is considerably larger than the shank of the clamping screw, as shown in Fig. 1, to permit a forward and rearward adjustment of the bracket 54 on the plate 55. By the provision for forward and rearward adjustment of the bracket 5f, the lever 12 which carries 7 the work support may be moved forwardly and rearwardly to bring the work support into proper relation to the hammer 1. The plate 55 is secured to the frame of the machine by the screw 57 and by a second screw 59.

In order to prevent the lever 12 from being displaced with relation to its pivot, a bracket 59 is secured to the side of the bracket 54:, and is provided with a recessed upwgufdly projecting portion which embraces the lever 19, the faces of the recess being arranged to engage machined surfaces formed on the lever. The lever 12 is vibrated on the pivot pin 53 to impart vibratory movements to the work support 10 by a. rotary cam disk 60 which engages a roll 61 mounted on the rear end of the lever 12, the roll 61 being held in engagement with the exterior of the cam disk by a coiled spring 62 attached at one extremity to the lever 12 and at the other to a fixed point on the frame of the machine. The cam disk ('30 is secured to a worm wheel 63 rotatably mounted on a stud 6st projecting rearwin'dly from the frame of the machine, and the worm wheel (33 is rotated by a worm 65 mounted on the shaft (5 of the machine and meshing with the worm wheel. By this construction, when the shaft 6 is rotated to impart vibratory movements to the hammer lever, the work support is vibrated back and forth in the general direction of the line of feed, and this vibratory movement of the work support acts to work the forward end of the support in close to the inseam of the shoe, thereby enabling the inner portion of the welt to be beaten out in a more satisfactory manner. The mechanism for vibrating the work support is preferably constructed and arranged to impart one vibration to the lever 12 and to the work support for substan tially every four vibrations of the hammer. The ratio ofnumber of vibrations imparted to the work support to the number of vib z tions of the hammer may, however, be varied as desired by varying the construction of the cam disk or of the mechanism for rotating the cam disk.

\Vhile in the illustrated embodiment of the invention the welt beating hammer has been illustrated and described as provided with only two welt beating faces of different characters, it will be readily seen that the hammer might be provided with three or more welt beating faces differing in character, and the hammer might be actuated to bring any one of these faces into operating position as desired.

It is to be understood that except as delined in the claims the invention is not limited to the particular construction or arrangement of parts of theillustrated embodiment, but may be embodied in other forms without departing from the invention.

Having explained the nature and, object of the invention, and having described a machine embodying the, same in its preferred form, what is claimed is p 1. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a support for the welt of a lasted shoe, and welt beating means having welt beating faces of different characters and arranged. for actuation to bring said welt beating faces alternatively into operating position with relationto the welt support.

L. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a welt support, a welt beater having welt beating faces of different characters, and means under the control of the opeartor to actuate said beater to bringthe" welt beating faces thereof alternatively into operating position with relation to the welt support.

3. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a support for the Welt of a lasted shoe, a welt beating hammer having welt beating faces of different characters and arranged for actuation to bring the welt beating faces thereof alternatively into operating position with relation to the welt support, and means to operate the hammer to engage and beat out the welt.

i. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, asupport for the welt of a lasted shoe, a reciprocatory welt beating hammerhaving welt beating faces of different characters and arranged to rotate to bring the welt beating faces thereof alternatively into operating position with relation to the welt support, and means to reciprocate the hammer.

5. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a support for the welt of a lasted shoe shaped to enter the crease between the upper and welt and permit the welt to be fed thereover during the operation of the machine, a welt beater having a welt beatingface formed with a series of wedge-shaped ridges, said heater being arranged for actuation to bring said welt heating face into engagement with the welt on the support with the ridges extending transversely of the welt and disposed with their diverging ends nearer the outer edge of the welt, and means for actuating the welt beater to deliver a series of blows in rapid succession on the welt.

6. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a welt support, a welt beating hammer, a. hammer lever in which the hammer is supported, means for yieldingly and rotatably supporting the hammer in the hammer lever comprising a sleeve slidingly mounted in the hammer lever, a coil spring surrounding and engaging said sleeve to cushion the movement thereof, and a shaft rotatably mounted in said sleeve upon which said hammer is carried.

I. A welt beating machine, having,- in combination, a welt support, a welt beating hammer, a hammer lev r, means for yieldingly and rotatably supporting the hammer in the hammer lever comprising a sleeve slidably mounted in the hammer lever, a lrey to prevent turning movement of the sleeve in the hammer lever, a coil spring surrounding and engaging said sleeve to cushion the movement thereof, a stop to limit the movement of said sleeve under the action of the spring, and a shaft rotatably mounted in said sleeve and held from longitudinal movement therein on which shaft said hammer is carried.

8. A velt beating machine, having, in combination, a welt support, a welt beating hammer, a hammer lever, means to yieldingl v and rotatably support the hammer on the hammer lever comprising an adj ustable sleeve mounted in a bore in the hammer lever, a second sleeve slidably mounted in said first sleeve, a key to prevent turning movement of the second sleeve with relation to the hammer lever, a coil spring surrounding the second sleeve and engaging both said sleeves for cushioning the movement of the second sleeve, an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of the second sleeve under the action of the spring, and a shaft rotatably mounted in the second sleeve but held from longitudinal movement therein, on which shaft said hammer is carried.

9. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a rotatable welt beating hammer, a rotatable shaft on which said hammer is mounted, a flexible member passing about said shaft, a tension spring connected with said member for maintaining the hammer normally in one position, and means for moving said member against the tension of the spring to rotate the shaft and the hammer, said spring acting to restore the hammer to its initial position upon the release of said means.

10. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a rotatable welt beating hammer, a flexible member connected with said hammer, and means under control of the operator to actuate said member to rotate the hammer.

11. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a rotatable welt beating hammer, a rotatable shaft on which said hammer is mounted, a flexible member passing about said shaft, a tension spring connected with shaft arran ed for rotation in. the hammer 4! lever, on which shaft the hammer is mounted, a flexible member passing about the second shaft and extending rearwardly through aslot in the first shaft, a tension spring connected with one extremity of said member for maintaining the hammer in one posi tion, a lever connected with the other extremity of said member, and means for actuating the second lever to draw the flexible member about the second shaft and thereby rotate the hammer.

13. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a welt support, a welt beating hammer having a smooth welt beating face, and a second welt beating face formed with a series of ridges, said hammer being arranged for actuation to bring the smooth face thereof into operative position, or the rigid welt beating face into operative posi tion with the ridges on the face thereof eX- tending transverse to the welt.

l l. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a welt support, a rotary welt beating hammer having welt beating faces formed thereon and arranged in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the hammer, and series of ridges formed on one of said faces extending outwardly from the axis of the hammer.

15. A welt beating machine, having in combination, a support for the welt of a lasted shoe, a beater having a welt beating face the welt engaging surface of which is interrupted by one or more blunt faced projections and means for actuating the beater to cause each of the projections to distort and reshape the substance of the welt and form an indentation therein.

16. A welt beating machine, having in combination a suwort for the welt of a lasted shoe, a welt beater having a welt beating face the welt engaging surface of which is interrupted by one or more blunt faced ribs, and means to actuate the heater to cause each of the ribs to distort and reshape the substance of the welt and form a furrow in the welt.

17. A welt beating machine, having, in combination, a welt beater, a vibratory welt support, and means for vibrating the welt support with relation to the welt beater in the general direction of the line of feed.

18. A welt beating machine, having in combination, a support for the welt of a lasted shoe, welt heating means having welt beating faces of different characters and formed with one or more ridges, and means means to actuate the Welt beating means to for actuating the beater t0 brlng said faces beat out the portion of the Welt supported alternatively into operating position.

on the Welt support. AUGUSTINE FRANK LITTLEFIELD.

1.9. A Welt beating machine, having, in Witn'es'ses': combination, a Welt support, a Welt beater NELSON XV. HOWARD,

having Welt beating faces one of which is WI'LLIAM B. KING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,165,789, granted December 28, 1915, upon the application of Augustine Frank Littlefield, of Lynn, Massachusetts,

for an improvement in Welt-Beating Machines, an error appears in the printed specification vrequiring correction as follows: Page 5, line 94, claim 13, for the Word rigid read ridged; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of February, A. D., 1916.

R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

[SEAIQM] Cl. l267.2.

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