US1747216A - Process of making shoes - Google Patents

Description

Feb 18, 1930. F. E. BERTRAND 1,747,216

PROCESS OF MAKING SHOES `Filed Jan. 25, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l 30 L n wv, 'IH

Feb.`18, 1930. F. E. BERTRAND l 1,747,216

PROCESS oF MAKING sHoEs Filed Jan. 25, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERIC E. BERTRAND, 0F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY PROCESS OF MAKING SHOES Application filed January 25, 1924. Serial No. 688,479.

This invention relates tothe manufacture of boots and shoes and more particularly to the preparation of shoes for the attachment of the heelsand to the attaching of the heels.A

In the manufacture of womens shoes, previously formed and completed wood heels are used very extensively. In order to secure a. neat and attractive appearance, it is desirable, as is well understood in the art, so to prepare the shoe that the upper edge of the attached heel shall closely engage the'shoe upper. Moreover, the heel must be so securely attached to the shoe that the very substantial strains to which heels of this type aresubjected will not open up the joint be tween the heel and the upper.

To provide for snug engagement of the heel with the upper, since the attaching surfaces of heels of this type are commonly concave, it is the general practice to form vthe heelseat portion of the sole of the shoe to correspond more or less exactly with this concavity in the heel itself. l/Vhere the heel to be attached is of the Louis type, a thin flap is first separated from the rear portion of the sole, this iap being later used to cover the breast of the heel. In heels of the Cuban type, the breast surface of the heel is covered before the heel is attached and separation of such a flap is not necessary. In either case, the heel-seat of the sole is `prepared for the reception of the heel by the operation known as heel-seat fitting, which consists in removing a portion of the periphery of the heel end of the sole after it has been attached to the shoe in such a fashion that the heel-seat surface is given a. convexity designed to correspond more or less exactly with the concavity of the heel. In order to ensure ace curate heel-seat fitting, it is common practice for the operator to apply the very heel which is to be used to the shoe in the desired position 'and to mark the position of the breastof the heel on the sole. This mark serves as a limit for the fitting which must tory and desirable shoe can be manufactured if, prior to the attachment of the heel1 the heel-seat port-ion of the shoe, comprising the.r

inner and outer soles and thev surrounding and interposed portions of the upper materials, is molded to the exact shape of the concavity of the heel thereby to improve the joint between the upper edge of the heel and the upper of the shoe. This operation, however, has not been received favorably by manufacturers because of the expense and time involved.

In view of these facts, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacture which will facilitate the performance of these operations preliminary to the attachment of heels in a manner which will promote high-grade work without the sacrifice of speed or output. In the attainment of this object, the present invention provides a method by the practice of which the manufacturer is enabled t-o expedite the production of shoes greatly and to secure the beneficial results of the molding operation while avoiding, however, the trouble and expense incident to making the molding a separate operation. To this end, considered in one of its aspects, the invention provides a method of manufacture in accordance with which the particular heel which is to be applied to the shoe is used as a mold to shape the materials of the heel-seat of the shoe by the application of heavy molding pressure-` and, thereafter, a suiiicient part of this pressure is maintained to prevent the resumption. of the 'original form and position of the various parts prior to the time when they have set in molded position. At the same time the shoe is maintained in condition to go forward forsubsequent operations such as scouring, edge trimming, edge setting and securing the flap, etc. For this purpose, as herein exemplified, a clamp is applied through a hole formed in the last to hold the last and the shoe and the heel in the positions which they have assumed under molding pressure without interfering with access to the exterior of the shoe. Conveniently, one or both of the coacting parts of the shoe and the heel are supplied with a suitable adhesive prior to the application of the heavy molding pressure, and then the clamping together of the parts in the fashion above mentioned serves also to retain the parts in position while the adhesive is drying without prevent-ing ac cess to any part of t-he exterior of the shoe.

In the attachment of a heel of the Louis type having a relatively slender neck, it is weil understood that the application of pressure to the heel through its tread face involves considerable risk of breaking the heel. Moreover, it is by no means certain that pressure so applied will be distributed evenly. Accordingly it is an object of the invention te provide a method by which the heel and the shoe may be forced together under a very considerable pressure which will be ample to mold the material to the heel-seat of the shoe but withoutl danger of breakage of the heel. This may be done by applying part of the molding pressure through the overhanging breast extension of the heel and supporting or applying pressure to the lateral faces of the heel toward the rear thereof in such a manner that there is no Contact with the tread face of the heel so that the same is entirely free.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a heel-seat fitting machine showing the use of a heel as a templet for controlling the littincr operation;

Iig. 2 is a side elevation showing the use of the heel as a mold to form the fitted seat of the shoe and novel apparatus for this purpose;

Fig. 3 is a view of part of the heel support at right angles to Fig.V 2 taken on the line thereof and showing a heel in section as supported thereby; and

Fig. 4 is a view showing part of an inside nailing machine for permanently attaching a heel which has previously been used first as a templet for the fitting operation and afterwards as a mold to form the heel-seat of the shoe.

In making shoes according to my novel method, as herein exemplified, a heel H pref erably is first used (as shown in Fig. 1) as a templet to determine the extent of the rimming in fitting the heel-seat surface of the shoe; the same heel H is then used (see Fig. 2) as a mold to form or shape the heelseat surface of the shoe previously trimmed to conform closely to the heel; the heel is temporarily clamped to the shoe. and the last to hold them under sustained molding pressure; and the heel H (as shown in Fig. 4) is finally permanently attached to the shoe, preferably by inside nailing.

In using the illustrated apparatus to utilize the heel as a templet to control the fitting operation, it may be placed on a support 10 permanently secured to a bracket 12 extending forward from the frame of one form of heel-seat fitting machine. The support 10 is formed with a stationary abutment 14 in engagement with which one 4end 'of the seat surface of the heel is placed. This abutment is in predetermined relation to the position of the knives 16 which make the finishing cut at the heel breast line of the shoe. The opposite end of the heel is engaged by a movable abutment or gage member 18' secured toa slide 2O which carries plates 22 arranged to seat in the rand crease of the shoe while it is supported on a jack 24, and which also carries a gage 26 arranged toengage the rear end of the counter portion of the shoe in such a manner as to determine the position of the last and shoe with reference' to the breast lineknives 16 and also withy reference to the forward limit of the cutting movement of a trimming knife 28, thus determining the extent of the fitting operation on the heelseat surface.

In the operation of the machine shown in Fig. 1 a last and shoe'are placed on they jack 24 and moved rearwardly into the machine as far as permitted by gage 26, the position of which has been determined by moving the slide 2() forward until the abutment 18 engages the heel H. It will be observed that the length of the seat surface of the heel is measured between the abutments 14 and 18 and that the shoe positioning gage 26 has been placed in a corresponding position with reference to the breast line knives 16 and the foremost limit of the cutting operation of the trimming knife 28. During t-he operation of the machine a matrix roll 30 moves forward and depresses the central part of the sole of the shoe between the plates 22 leaving the waste material rabout the periphery of the sole above the level of the plates. 22 so that it is split off from the central partl of the sole by the forward motion of knife 28. This forms a horseshoe-shaped flap of Waste stock which is removed from thel shoe by the breast line knives 16.

After the heelseat surface of the shoe. has been trimmed or fitted under the control of the heel H used as a templet, the. heel is assembled on the heel-seat of the shoev as shown in Fig. 2 and the heel and the shoe and last are pressed together under very heavy pressure so that the heel serves as a mold to shape the shoe materials in order more exactly to ferm t ie heel-seat of the shoe in such a manner as to provide a very close jointWhic-h will not open up when the sh0e`is worn. lreferalrily,r adhesive is supplied to one er both of the coacting surfaces of the shoe and heel prioi` to pressing them together so that the heel is at the same time permanently attached to the shoe.

In order to prevent split-ting of the heel under this heavy pressure, I prefer to support its lateral surfaces immediately below the edge of its heel seat surface by padded supports 32 arranged to be adjusted toward and from one another for heels of different sizes by sliding in a dove-tailed slot in a support 34 under the control of a. right and left threaded adjusting screw 36. These supports are angularly arranged with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shoes so that they extend around a part of the rear of the heel to support the same and prevent backward displacement thereof. The support 34 is eX- tended forward and provided with a toe support 38 which carries abutments 40 which prevent the shoe from turning while a hole is drilled in the heel, and while a temporary screw fastener 42 is passed through a substantially vertical hole in the rear end of the last through the shoe bottom into the heel, to clamp the last and shoe and heel together to retain as much as possible of the molding pressure in order to prevent the shoe mate rials from springing back during the finishing of the shoe, so that the materials will set permanently in molded position.

In order to prevent damage to the relatively thin breast extension of the heel and effectively to support the forepart of the heel, an arm 44 is provided having a roll 45 padded with leather or rubber and arranged to engage the outer surface of this breast eXtension. T his arm 44 is pivoted at 46 on the support 34 and urged against the heel by a spring 48. Vhen pressure is applied, the padded roll carried by arm 44 seats itself in the curve of the heel breast and through the spring 48 firmly supports the heel at its breast end.

Pressure is applied to clamp t-he last and shoe and heel together by a clamp member 50 having a ball-andsocket mounting on the lower end of a screw 52 with a relatively fine thread with low pitch. This screw 52 is provided with a hand wheel 54 and is threaded within a quick acting screw 56 having a relatively coarse thread of high pitch. The quick acting screw 56 has a hand wheel 58 and is operatively mounted in the bracket 60 on the frame of the machine. The preliminary pressure to bring the heel and .shoe into proper position is secured by rotation of the quick acting screw 56 through its hand wheel 58.

Molding pressure is applied through the lateral supports 32 to the lateral faces of the heel and through the roll 45 to the breast of the heel to force the heel against the heelseat of the shoe by turning the hand wheel 54 to tighten the screw 52. Because of its low pitch, Athis will secure the desired pressure with a minimum of effort and cause the rigid concavity of the heel to mold the interposed parts of the heel-seat of the shoe into a similar closely corresponding shape.

lVhile the last and shoe and heel are held under molding pressure by the screw 52, a drill is passed down through a hole provided in the rear end of the last to form a hole through the bottom of the shoe into the heel, and a temporary fastener 42 is inserted and driven home to clamp the last and shoe and heel firmly together', retaining most of the imparted molding pressure, in order to permit the finishing of the shoe while the heelattaching adhesive is drying. This fastener is able to retain a considerable part of the molding pressure applied to the last and shoe and heel so that the material of the heel-seat surface of the shoe sets under substantial molding pressure sufficient to overcome any tendency to spring back. This retained pressure is, however, less than the pressure applied in the machine shown in Fig. 2 by an amount suficient to ensure that the heel will not split after the heel is withdrawn from the support of members 32 and 44 and before the fastening 42 is removed. This is possible by reason of the fact that a greater pressure is necessary initially to break down and mold the shoe materials than is required to hold the materials so molded while they are setting.

After the molded shoe materials have set and the heel-attaching adhesive is dry, the

last may be removed from the shoe and the heel permanently attached, as shown in Fig. 4, by holding the shoe and heel between a support 78 engaging the shoe and a tread support 80 and rear support 82 engaging the heel while nails are driven through the shoe bottom into the. heel by drivers 84 operating through holes in the support 78.

The heel-seat fitting machine shown in Fig. 1 may be, and is shown as being, substantially the same Vas the machine described and claimed in United States application Seria-l No. 498,7 52, filed September 6, 1921, by Frederick H. Perry, which application is owned by the assignee of the present application.

The heel nailing machine, part of which is shown in Fig. 4, may be substantially as shown in United Sta-tes Patent No. 1,081,917, granted December 16, 1913, on application of E. H. Tripp.

While my novel method ofV making shoes has been described as carried out by the aid of machines such as are illustrated in the drawings, in various aspects the invention is not so limited and it is not my intention to limit the scope of the. invention otherwise l than by the appended claims..

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure vbyLetters Patent of the United States is: i -7 1. That methodof making shoes 'which comprises shaping the previously fitted heelseat of; a shoe by forcing the seat-surface of a heel against it; under heavy molding pressure in such a manner as to form and shape the shoe materials, and temporarily clamping together the heel, the shoe and a last in the shoe While leaving the exterior of the shoe unQbstructed so that it may be finished, the clamping being performed in such a manner as to retain the molding pressure, at least to the extent necessary to preventthe molded shoe materials from springing back, until they have set in molded position.

2. That method of attaching heels to shoes which comprises applying a heel-attaching adhesive to one or both of the coacting shoe and heel surfaces, molding the heel-seat surface of the shoe by holding it clamped under heavy molding pressure against the heel which is to become a part of the shoe, and maintaining sufficient pressure to retain the molded position and shape of the parts. While the heel-attaching adhesive is drying, Without obstructing access to any part of the exterior of the shoe.

3. That method of making shoes which comprises shaping the previously fitted heel seat of a shoe, so that the same may conform more closely to the heel to be attached thereto by forcing the entire area of the seat surface of such a heel under heavy molding pressure against the heel seat surface of the shoe, holding the shoe and heel under sustained molding pressure without obstructing access to any part of the exterior of the shoe, and permanently securing the shoe and heel together, with the shoe in molded condition.

4. That method of making shoes which comprises shaping the previously fitted heel seat of a shoe'by forcing the seat surface of a Louis heel against it under heavy molding pressure in such a manner that part of the pressure is exerted through the forwardly extending breast extension of the Louis heel, thus applying a heavy molding pressure suiiicient to change the shape of the seat surface of the shoe to conform more closely to the shape of the seat surface of the heel, and temporarily clamping together the heel, the shoe,

and a last in the shoe While leaving the ex-.

terior of the shoe unobstructed so that it may be finished, the clamping being performed in such a manner as to retain the molding pressure at least to the extent necessary to prevent the molded shoe materials from springing back until they have set in molded position.

5,. That method of making shoes Which con sists in placing a heel in Contact with the heel Seat. Of a shoe, applying heavy molding pressure to a last-in the shoe to cause the shape of the heel seat surface of the shoe to conform closely tot the heel sea-t surface of the heel, and supporting both the forepart of the sole ofthe shoe and the Qverhangng llO

Images