US1680670A - Art of making boots and shoes - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 14, 1928.

A. W. DONOVAN ART OF-MAKING soo'rs AND SHOES Filed Feb. 14, 1925 (ig re'ci Zdflwwuai Z4 4 Patented Aug. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES v on 1,680,670 PATENT, OFFICE.

ALFR'ED WARREN DONOVAN, OF ROCKLAND, MASSACHUSETTS.

ART OF MAKING BOOTS AlllD SHOES.

Original application filed'November 22, 1921, Serial No. 516,978. Patent No. 1,527,540, dated February 24, 1925. Divided and this application filed February 14, 1925. Serial No. 9,317.

This invention, originally described and claimed in an application filed by me November 22, 1921, Serial Number 516,978,0f' which this application isa division, relates to the manufacture of boots and shoes made from leather and lined with cloth or the like, and it has for its object to enable shoe manufacturers to produce better fitting and better appearing shoe uppers, made fromleather or thelike, than heretofore.

Heretofore, the methods employed in as.- sembling and shaping the leather outside of the top and the cloth lining of shoe uppers did not insure a correct shape and fit so far as the proper relative positioning or fitting ofthose parts together was concerned, and as a result either the lining or the outside of the upper frequently presented a wrinkled and mis-shapen appearance in use. Moreover, the improper assembling and uniting of the leather to and cloth lining characteristic of the met iods'and means heretofore employed not only prevented proper fitting of the vamp to the top but also prevented the proper fitting of boththe lining and outside of the finished upper to the last.

' My invention aims to obviate these obj ectionable features and to make it possible to conveniently, expeditiously and correctly assemble and shape leather shoe tops having a lining so that they may be accurately fitted, one to the other. r h I To these ends the invention consists in a new method of making boot and shoe uppers.

' In the accon'ipanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine for use in making boot and shoe uppers in accordance with my new method.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the machine shown in Fig.1. 1

Figure 3 is a perspectiveview of a partially completedshoe upper.

Figure 4 shows, inside elevation the two molding .members hereinafter referred to with a partially completed shoe upper in position upon the male molding member.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlargcd'detail of the upper portion of Figure 5. r Having reference to the drawings, particularly Fig. 3, 1 represents a shoe lining, 2, the side facing strips, 3 the top facing strip and 4 the top, the. lining usually being made of textile fabric and the facing pieces and top of leather. Thev usual practice, heretofore, has

been to assemble these parts upon a flat surface such as the top of a table and to secure them together while'in this flatcondition with the result that the parts were inaccurately positioned relatively so that when the two N sides of the upper were bent around alongside of'each other as in Fig. 3, the. lining upon the inside would be buckled and wrinkled and act to so distort the top as to make it impossible to properly attach the quarter and vamp thereto.

. Consequently, either the completed upper would not properly conform to the last and would be irregular and more or less out of shape or the lining upon the inside would be wrinkled and uncomfortable to the wearer of the shoe.

In proceeding in accordance with my invention theside facing strips 2 are fastened to the lining 1 and then, the lining is bent around a V-shaped SZICldlGfOI'll] 5 with the middle, or middle seam, of said lining extending along the ridge or apex thereof as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and 6, after which said lining is smoothed out by hand strokes and pressure or otherwise so as to remove all wrinkles. The top 4 is next placed in its proper position upon the lining-while the latter remains upon form 5 and is smoothed out by hand strokesand pressure, or otherwise, said top being secured to said lining by cement applied to one or the othenror both. of said parts previous tothe application of said top to the lining, and being pressed firmly into position against the latter. 7

It is unnecessary to employ cement throughout the area of the inner side of top 4 but it is desirable that it be used near the ends of the top and particularly between the back portion of the top and the back portion of the lining to secure said parts together at that place so. thatduring subsequent handling the rear portions of said parts retain their bent shape and do not become separated or wrinkled.

After assembling the parts upon the V- shaped form 5 as above described a V-shaped iron preferably heated, is applied to the rear portion of the partly constructed upper to fit the lining and top snugly around and against the apex of form 5 and to set the adjacent cement that is between the top and lining.

The machine herein shown which may ion iio

be used in practising the above described method comprises a stand or frame 7 provided at its top with a laterally extending arm 8 made at its outer end with a socket 9 to receive the shank 10 of iron 6, said shank being secured rigidly within said socket by means of a set screw 11. Beneath the arm 8 is another laterally extending arm' 12, within which is slidably mounted the stem or shank, 13 of form 5. The lower end of stem or shank 13 is pivotally connected as at 14 to one arm ofa lever 15 fulcrumed at 16 on arm 12. The other arm of lever 15 is connected by a link 17 with a foot treadle 18 fulcrumed at 19 on standard 7. A spring 20 connected at one end to lever 18 and at its opposite end to standard 7 normally liolds foot treadle 18 elevated with form 5 at the limit of its movement away from iron 6. After the parts of the upper are assembled upon form 5 as above described, the operator depresses treadle 18 thereby lifting form 5 whose apex presses the rear portions of the upper into the fe male V-shaped iron 6 causing the latter to wipe against and fit the parts of the upper closely around the apex of form 5.

In order to heat the iron 6 I construct the latter with electric heaters 21, 21 adapted to be connected with a source of electric current by wires 22.

After permitting the form 5' to remain within the iron 6 the necessary or desired length of time, the operator removes his foot from the treadle and spring 20 restores the form 5 to its lowermost position again.

When the top and lining are removed from the machine, they are positioned'relatively and shaped practically the same, particularly at the rear of the upper, as when the shoe is completed so that in the completed shoe both the lining and outside of the top are smooth and free of wrinkles or other distortions.

The member 5 is made as a hollow casting. The outer inclined walls of which are made with air ducts or ports 23 as shown in Figures 4; and 5. At one end the interior compartment of form 5 is connected by a flexible hose 24: with the inlet of a blower or air pump 25 and when the machine is in use this air pump or blower 25 is continuously in operation and acts to exhaust the air from the interior of form 5. It will therefore be clear that when the lining is placed in position upon form 5 it is held in position thereon against accidental displacement by air pressure. As shown in Fig. 6 the V-shaped recess 26 of presser member 6 is made of such depth or shape that the side walls of this recess contact with the upper upon form 5 before the bottom of the recess engages the upper, thereby preventing contact of the )resser member 6 with the back seam or ack stay and avoiding undue or injurious pressure upon the latter.

What I claim is:

1. The above described method of making boot and shoe uppers which. consists in first bending a flat lining blank at its middle around a supporting saddle form and maintaining it in position thereon by air pressure, and thereafter, while the lining blank is thus held to said saddle form by air pressure, applying and securing thereto a flat outside leather top piece blank.

2. The above described method of making boot and shoe uppers which consists in first bending the lining blank at its middle around a supporting saddle form and thereafter, while said lining blank is held in its bent shape to said form by air pressure, fitting and securing the outside top piece blank oi the upper to said lining and then applying pressure to said outside top piece blank to press the same into intimate contact with the lining blank while the latter is held to said form by said air pressure.

3. The above described method of making boot and shoe uppers which consists in first bending a lining blank at its middle around a supporting saddle form and thereafter while the lining blank is held in its bent shape to said form by air pressure, applying and securing the outside top piece of the upper to said lining blank and then applying pressure and heat to the middle portion of the outside top piece.

4. The above described method of making boot and shoe uppers which consists in first bending a fiat lining blank at its middle around a supporting saddle form and fitting it to the latter, and thereafter bending a flat leather outside top piece blank at its middle around, and securing it to, said lining while the latter is held upon said form by air pressure.

ALFRED WARREN DONOVAN.

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