US1573124A - Manufacture of shoes - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 16 1926. 1,573,124

F. RICKS MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed Oct. 51, 1922 Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED RICKS, 9F LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY GOR- IPORATION, OE PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEl/V JERSEY.

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES.

Application filed @ctober 31, l.922.- Serial No. 598,218.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED Rrons, a subject of the King of England, residing at Leicester, Leicestershire, England, have invented certain Improvements in the Manufacture of Shoes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes, and more particularly to the shaping of the heel end portion of upper materials including a heel stiffener or counter.

In order that the upper materials shall properly conform to the wearers foot and shall hold their shape during the wear of the shoe, it is necessary that the heel stiffener be positioned correctly in relation to the upper (using the term upper in its more limited sense) and to the form over which the upper is shaped, and particularly that the ends or wings of the stiffener be properly positioned before they are fixed in relation to other parts of the shoe. There is a tendency, however, in the preliminary stages of shaping the heel end portion of the upper materials over a form, to. displace the wings of the stiffener by tipping the stiffener about the convex rear end face of the form. In the more customary methodsof making shoes such a difficulty can be overcome by pulling up andfastening the stiffener wings as a part of the side lasting operation, or by the use of a previously molded stiffener, provided for example with an inturned heel seat flange, whereby the tendency for displacement of the wings is minimized.

In that method of making shoes which includes as a step prior to the side lasting operation the molding of the heel end portion of the upper materials, (usually termed heel seat molding), for example by the application of heavy conforming pressure to the materials before they are mounted on the last, it is of course impractical subse quently to pull up-the stiffener wings, since this would effect a relative displacement of the molded'parts. On the other hand, the use in heel seat molding of a previously molded stiffener has usually been considered undesirable, both on account of the extra expense of producing the stiffener and because of difficulties in presenting and properly positioning the work in the heel seat molding machine. 'lheunmolded stiffener, however, as it is bent about the inner mold, presents a substantially cylindrical inner face to theapproximately spherical, or at all events sharply curved, rear end of the mold, and no little care is required to position and control the stiffener in such manner as to prevent it from tipping as the molds close upon the work, as well as to avoid the danger that portions of the stiffener that standaway from the convex end face of the inner mold may be nipped between parts of the outer mold as they embrace the work. These diffioulties cannot be satisfactorily avoided by rolling the stiffener, in accordance with a well known practice, to give it a heightwise curvature which is uniform throughout, since this either imparts to that portion of the stiffener which is to hug the rear end face of the last a curve which is not the right one, and may therefore improperly position the stiffener as a whole, or impresses upon the sides or wings of the stiffener a curvature which has to be blocked away by the molds and is apt to causeimproper relative positioning of the stifi'ener wings and the upper upon the inner mold before the molds grasp the work. While it such difficulties by shaping or molding a portion only of the stiffener, of sufficient 6X- tent to insure against tipping of the stiffener with consequent displacement of its wings in shaping the upper over a form, while leaving the remainder of the stiffener to be shaped or molded simultaneously with the upper. It is contemplated that the purposes of the invention will be satisfied by molding that portion of the stiffener which is located at the extreme rear end of the shoe in substantial conformity to the heightwise curvature of the rear end face of the form over which the upper is shaped, and it may be also to the contour of a small area of the for the heel seat molding operation, to confine the molding of the stiffener to that portion which is located at the rear end face of the form over which the upper is shaped. This minimizes also the possibility of undersirable results due to lack of proper coordination between the molded portion of the stiffener and the corresponding portion of the upper shaping form, while at the same time insuringthe true seating of the stiffener on the form without any tendency to tip and displace its wings. g

It is also an important characteristic of a well made shoe that the. top edge of the heel stiffener shall lie close to the sides of the wearers foot, and the pull on the stiffener wings which it is customary to give in the'side lasting operation contributes materially to this result. Such pull on the wings in ordinary shoe making methods is more or less ineffective, however, as far as any real forward drafting or stretching of the sides of the stiffener is concerned, by reason of the fact that the top portions of the stiffener are tightly confined between the upper and the lining as a result of the pulling- -over operation. Moreover, where side grippers have been used in heel seat molding as hereinabove set forth, any fore-draw that such grippers have acts in common upon the upper, the stiffener and the lining to the detriment of such effective drafting of the stiffener as to insure that its top edge shall closely hug the wearers foot. It is a. further object of the present invention to secure improved results by applying a tensioning or stretching pull to the sides of the stiffener independently of-the upper before the shoe parts are locked together in the molding operation. By such a pull the stretch may be taken out of the stiffener material, at least in large measure, thereby contributing to durability and permanence of shape inthe wear of the shoe. In ac cordance with the practice herein illustrated the stiffener is stretched about an inner form and molding pressure is then applied at the rear end face of the form to mold the rear end of the stifiener as and for the larly explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows an unshaped heel stifiener blank;

Fig. 2 illustrates the stretching of the stiffener and the molding of its intermediate or rear end portion;

Fig. 3 shows the stiffener as thus stretched and partially molded;

Fig. 4 shows the stiffener assembled with an upper and illustrates the use of the previ ously molded portion of the stiffener to position it in relation to a form over which the upper is molded; and

Fig. 5 shows the heel end portion of the upper materials, including the heel stiffener, in molded condition before they are mounted on a last for further manufacturing opera tions.

The. preliminary melding of that portion of the stiffener which is to conform to the contour of the rear end face of the form, and if desired also the, stretching of the stiffener, may be effected by the use of any suit-able apparatus, for example such as illustrated in Fig. 2, which shows a portion of a machine which forms the subject-matter of another application, Serial No. 598,219

filed on Oct. 31, 1922. For the purposes inv View, a. stiffei'ier blank, such for example as illustrated in Fig. l, is placed about an inner form or mold 2 the lower or rear end of which is shaped in accordance with the .heightwise curvature of the rear end face of the form over which the upper materials, including the stiffener, are to be molded, and preferably also in accordance with the transverse contour of the rear end face of the upper molding form, at least over a smalljarca at opposite side s'of the vertical medium plane of the form. Above the portion which is contoured in this manner the stiffener molding form 2 is so shaped as not to impart any molded shape to the stiffener. (lo-operating with the form 2 is an outer form or matrix comprising a block l having therein a shallow cavity presenting a complement-a1 contour to the molding face of the form 2. Adjacent to the form 2 is a. gage plate 6 which is spaced from the form a distance corresponding to the width of that portion of the margin of the stiffener which is to be turned in to pro duce the molded seat flange in the molding of the'upper materials. The form 2 is mounted upon a vertically movable plunger 8, and at each side of the plunger is mounted a pair of gripper jaws 10 which are closed upon the ends or wings of the stiff ener as the plunger is depressed, through the action of the mechanism shown and described in detail in the co-pending application. a

It will be understood thatthe operator positions a stiffener blank about the mold 2 while the mold is in an upraised position and presents the ends of the stiffener between the gripper jaws with the bottom edge of the stiffener in engagement with the plate 6. He then depresses the plunger 8, Whereby the jaws 10 are closed upon the stiffener ends and through continued movement of the plunger a lengthwise pull is applied by the gripper jaws to stretch the opposite side portions of the stiffener and to draw the stiffener about the end face of the form. As the stiffener material is thus pulled and held in tensioned condition, the form 2 arrives in position to press and mold the rear end por tion of the stiffener between the lower contoured end face of the form and the cooperating molding face of the plate 4. The pull thus applied to the stiffener ends may serve to take the stretch out of the stiffener material, at least in large measure, and thereby contribute effectively to durability and permanence of shape in the finished shoe, particularly in respect to the conformity of the top edge portion of the stiffener to the opposite sides of the wearers foot.

A stiffener a prepared as above set forth is shown in Fig. 3. In the use of such a stiffener in the practice of heel seat molding, as herein illustrated, the stiffener is positioned between the upper .7) and the lining 0 of assembled upper materials, and the heel end portion of. the materials, including the stiffener, is then positioned about the inner form 12 of a heel seat molding machine, as illustrated in Fig. 4, so that the molded rear end portion of the stiffener substantially fits the corresponding end face of the form and thus assists in determining the proper position of the materials. Outer molds or forms i i are then closed on the materials about the inner form, and the marginal portion of the materials, including the stiffener, is bent inwardly and pressed upon the bottom face of the form by wiper members 16 to produce a molded heel seat flange. It will be understood that since the rear end portion of the stiffener has been previously molded to conform to the rear end face of the inner form or mold, the stiffener maintains its predetermined relation to the inner form without danger of tipping in response to the pressure of the outer members 14 as they close about the inner form. Assurance is thereby afforded that the ends or wings of the stiffener will remain in position to present above the bottom face of the inner form material to provide the proper width of marginal flange at the opposite sides of the heel seat.

, After the upper materials have been thus molded at their heel end portion, they are removed from the molding machine, and the materials, shaped as illustrated in Fig. 5, are thereafter mounted upon a last preparatory to the side lasting operation and other oper ations in the manufacture of the shoe.

It will be observed that by .the use of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2 in practising the method the stretching pull of the grippers is most effective upon portions of the stiffener midway between its bottom and top edges. If it shouldbe desired to-stretch the top edge portion of the stiffener more than other portions, this could be effected by providing grippers of greater width than those illustrated and so constructed as to grip the top edge portionof the stiffener more securely than other portions with provision for the latter port-ions to slip in the aws in response to the pull applied.

While the invention is herein illustrated in connection with the practice of molding the heel. end portion of the upper materials before they are mounted upon the last, it is to be understood that the invention is not thus limited, but'is likewise applicable with important advantages to shoemaking methods where the last serves as the form over which theupper materials are shaped. It should also be understood that the term molding is used herein as meaning the operation of shaping a part by subjecting it to pressure between cooperating presser members.

Having explained the nature of the invention and set forth fully how the novel method may bepractised, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in assembling with an upper a heel stiffener having a molded contour confined to a limited area substantially midway between its opposite ends and corresponding substantially to the contour of the rear end face only of a form over which the upper is to be shaped, positioning the assembled upper and stiffener in such relation to the form that the molded intermediate portion of the stiffener substantially fits the rear end face of the form, and shaping over said form the upper and the remaining portions of the stiffener.

2. That improvement in methods of male ing shoes which consists in assembling with an upper an unflanged heel stiffener having its Wings unmolded and its rear portion shaped to conform substantially to the heightwise curvature of the rear end face only of a shoe form, positioning the assembled upper and stiflener in such relation to the form that the molded portion of the stiffener substantially fits the curvature of,

the corresponding portion of the form, and shaping over said form the upper and stiffener thus assembled and positioned.

3. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in assembling with an upper an unflanged heel stiffener having a molded contour confined to a limited area substantially midway between its opposite conform them to the contour of said. form.

and to produce an inturned heel seat flange, and thereafter removing the upper materials from the form and mountingthem upon a last for sebsequent manufacturing operations.

4. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in molding aheelstiffener to conform substantially to the con-.

tour of the rear end face only of a form over which the heel end portion of an upper is to be shaped while leaving the remainder of the stiffener unmolded, assembling the stiffener thus prepared with the upper and positioning the assembled upper and stiffener in such relation to the form that the molded portion of thestiffener substantially fits the corresponding end face of the form, and then shaping the upper and the remain-- der of the stiffener over said form.

5. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in subjecting a heel stiffener blank to molding pressure confined to a limited area substantially midway between the opposite ends of the blank to shape that portion of the blank in substantial conformity to. the contour of the rear end face only of a form' over which the upper of the shoe is to be molded, asstm bling with the upper the stiffener thus prepared and positioning the assembled upper and stiffener in such relation tothe form that the molded intermediate portion of the stiffener substantially fits the rear end face of the form, molding the upper and the remainder of the stiffener over said form, and thereafter removing the molded upper materials from the form and mounting them upon a last for subsequent; manufacturing operations. a

6. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in, stretching a heel stiflener blank by pulls applied to its, wings and molding it at its rear portion only to conform substantially to the contour ofthe heel end face of a shoe form, thereafter. assembling the stiffener with an upper and positioning the assembled upper and stiffener in such relation to the form that the molded portion of the stiffener substantially fits the corresponding end face of the form, and then shaping the upper and other portions of the stiffener over said form. r

. 7. That improvement in methods of mak 9; That improvement in methods of making heel stifi'eners which consists in tensioning a stiffener blank in the direction of its length-in such manner as to stretch portions of the blank along its top edge in greater degree than other portions.

10 A heel stiffener for use in making shoes,having a molded contour confined to a limited area substantial-1y midway between its opposite ends and corresponding substantially to the contour of the rear end face only of the form over which the upper of the shoe is to be shaped.

11. An unfla-nged heel stiffener having its wings unmolded and a portion substantially midway between its opposite ends molded to conform substantially to the heightwise curvature of the heel end face only of the form over which the upper of the shoe is to be shaped.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

-' FRED RICKS.

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