US1776824A - Art of making shoes - Google Patents

Description

Se t'. 30, 1930. H. E. UPHKM 1,776,824

ART OF MAKING SHOES Filed May 10, 1924 anvil v Patented Sept. 30, 1930 HA RY E. UPHAM, on WAKEFIEL n] MASSACHUSETTS,

lemma To" UNITED 'snon- MACHINERY COBBORATION, on PATERSON, NEWJERSEY, -A CORPORATION onN-Ew J ns n.

7 a e on MAKING- sH s 4 Application m d Ma a, ieeeis'erm No. 712,218

This invention relates to improvements in the art of making shoes and s herein llustrated as concerned with a method of pro-,

cln'cing a socalled close shank effect in shoe,

' appersefthat the'crease between the upper and'the sole is 'snbstantiallycl'ose d at the shank, and a close shank effect is p'rodn'ced'. It is often difh'ciilt, however, particularly in the -1nandfacture of Goodyear Welt shoes, to

Jprodnce and permanently retain this close; sha'nlbeileet. In the-o eration *oi attaching the on'tsol'e of a Welt shoe the sewing instrumentalities"enterthe Welt crease and force the Welh together with the sole margin away-I rem the npperf Consequently; after the ontsole stitching has been completed it hasbeen ne-ce'ssery heretofore t0 'ponnd'or rub the soles with a great deal 'ei' force in order to bendtheedges oil the sh anlr toward the'u o'per. Snch heavy pounding frequently breaks the ontso'le stitches or otherwise nres the shoe. Fnttherin ore; in a Welt shoe in which the Out- P01010113 at opposite sides of the shanl': are not permanently set in the. desired close relation-t he upper and they are liable tilthnat'e-= 1y to pnll away from thenpper 901 that the close shank effect is destroyed and vantages incident thereto are lost. a

In View 01"- the foregoing, one "object of the present inventienis to secure and p-erman eitit 13 to retain a close shankor close edge effect such as above referred to, Without sirbjectin the soleto heavy pounding ofrhar'sh treatmen-t er any sort, onto any operations tend:- ing to break the stitches or damage the sole,

W ith this object 'in Vl6W,' the present in vention provides an improved method Which in one aspect consists in reducing the cohesien or resistance to'stretching' of thelnia teri-al one side of a sole along a line-extending lengthwise .of'the sole edge, and

bending toward the opposite side of the sole the marginal portion adjacent to said line;

Preferably and as illustrated, the reducing the ad- 1 of the plane of the body operation W111 be accomplished by seein the 'sole part Way through upon thegrain side'at a blunt angle to the face of the sole and at a predetermined distance from its w edge, the slit thus lying in aplane japproxi na'tely parallel to theedge face of'the solei Preferably'alsO the sole will be channeled 1 before it is slit'and the slit will belormed in the channel and adj acelit to thebase of the channel flapat each side of the shank-portion of thesole. vTl'l'e 'channeling and slitting operations may OCCIllf simultaneously and theyrn'aybe "effected b-ythe oper'ation of a single cnttingtool npon annnattached sole or "the slitting may take place either in conjunction with the rough-rounding and channeling operation 11p on an attached sole, or the rengh-roundi'ng and chan 'l g Operation-has beeneonlpleted. 1a

the'latter cases, the channehflah Will he turned ha-cl; to open the "channel before the slitting takes place and the turned channel flap v may advantageously be utilized to gnid'e the "slitting knife so as to locatethe slit ator near the inner edge of the channel.

-After a sole has been slit as above describ'ed, I 1 Its margin, because tens onal strain ai sole 1s pounded as above described, the bent.

avoided in the outer nemesis TATE- s PAT-EN T oFFfI c is rendered capable of heingbent to jprod'n'ce' a 'close shank effect by means of eom panatively' li ght "pressure which has n'o tendency-fto break the stit ch-es attaching thefsole to the shoe or otherwise to damage the sole.

In soles made of leather, the stock adja cent to the grain side or tread face of the sole, is tougher and denser than the stock at the flesh or Inner side of the sole and the "chihcnlty experienced in bending 'the s'ole inargin toward the Lip-penis largely due to the stock at the grain side ofthe sole. The outer portion'ofthestoclt atthis side of the sole not only resists strongly the bending of the sole'inargin'bec'anse 01f tension'al strain setup in saidp'ortion, but tends, because of such strainsyto return the margin to its orig, inal hatconditipnafter it has been bent out of the sole; In op rating 'up'on leather soles the slit, which is made in accordance with thepr'esent inventhe toughness;andresistanceto stretching of sole, and in accordance with anotherchar acteristic of'the present inventlon, the sole.

is advantageously moistened or tempered before it is subjected to-the channelingor slitting operations and while still in temper the sole may be operated upon by light pounding devices or other means for the purpose of pressing the sole margin into the desiredre' lation to the upper. The resistance offered by the grain side of the leather to the bending of the sole margin having been removed by the slitting above described, it is compara tively easyv to bend or'ofl'set the sole margin to any extent desired, the slit opening up to permit the bending to" take place without stretching, or setting up tensional strains in,

the materialfat the ,"grain side of the sole,

that is, in the outer portion of its thickness.

After the sole margin has been bent the sole is allowed to dry and as it dries the sole material shrinks in sucha way that the sole tends to bend'or curl transversely toward the flesh side thereof' This is chiefly on account of the fact that the surface at the flesh side 'of the solecis continuous throughout its entire length, whereas the -continuity of the surface at the grain side of the sole is interrupted widthwise of the sole by the slits made therein. After the margin of'a tempered sole has been bent toward the. upper and there after allowed to dry, it will be permanently set in its bent condition-as a result of the shrinkage of the leather, the shrinkage being more effective at the flesh side than atthe grain side of thev sole,*as above explained. Moreover, after the sole margin has been bent to the desired extent, if the sole has been channeled, the laying of the channel flap to close the channel and the cementing of the channelflap in place upon thebent margin of the sole, tends effectively ,to' preventreverse bending of the sole margin and thus insures that'the' close shank effect will be permaneatly retained.

A'further feature of the present invention is to be recognized in the provision of a new article of manufacture compr sing a sole having" a slit or depression atone side thereof extending lengthwise ofand located adjacent to the sole edge, the slit lying in a plane approximately parallel to the edge face of the sole, the purpose of the slit being to reduce the cohesion of the material at the slit, side of the sole so as to facilitate the bending of the sole margin toward theopposite side of the sole, Preferably the slit is out Within a stitch-receiving channel formed in the grain side of a leather sole and is directed down.

wardly into the sole material at or near the base of the channel flap. In the accompanying drawings,

' Fig. 1 is a plan view of the outer or bottom face of an outsole showing the location therein of slits made in accordance with the meth- 0d of the present invention for the purpose of adapting the edges of the sole for snug engagement with the upper at the shank of the shoe; Fig. 2 isa cross-sectional View through the shank portion of a Goodyear welt shoe in process of manufacture, showing particularly the outsole after it has been channeled and slit'in accordance with the present invention, but before it has been attached to the welt and bent toward the upper,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 2, but showing the outsole as it appears after it has been attached to the welt and after the opposite edge portions of the shank have been bent against the upper;

Figs. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views through the shank of an outsole for a McKay sewed shoe showing the location of slits for facilitating the bending of the sole to produce a closeshank effect;'and

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan View of a welt shoe the outsole of which has been channeled to receive stitches along the inner edge only of the shank, the sole having been stitched aloft along the other portions of its margin.

Referring first to Fig. 2, the outsole of a Goodyear welt shoe is indicated at 6, the insole at8, the upper at 10, the welt at 12, and the last at 14. The welt, the upper and the insole are secured together in the usual manner by means of inseam stitches 16 and a suitable filler 18 is applied to the insole. In accordance with one manner in which the method of the present invention may be practised the outsole 6, having first been tempered, is coated with cement and laid upon the lasted shoe. The sole is then roughrounded and channeled in the usual manner, the channel being indicated at 20. After the channeling operation hasbeen completed, the channel flap 22is raised and a slitting knife is drawn along the base of the channel flap at each side of the shank, the knife cutting downwardly into the material of-the sole to make the slits 24 at a blunt angle to the face of the sole, said slit preferably lying in a plane approximately parallel to the edge face of the sole. By drawing the slitting knife along the inner extremity of the channel, the knife may be guided so that each slit will be located at the base of the corresponding channel flap. It may be convenient to incline the slitting knife somewhat to the perpendicular so that the slit will be inclined downwardly and inwardly with respect to the plane of the channel as herein illustrated. If desired the slit may be spaced outwardly moreor less from the inner edge of the channel. Suita- I ceived in the channel: 20. The op ole provision should be made for limiting the distance to which the slittingkrriie is permitted to penetrate into the material of the sole.

in accordancewith thethickness of thegsole being operated upon. i I

While the channel 3 remainsin raised position, thewelt and the outsole are secured together by means of stitches, suchas indi cated 2113.26 in i ig. 3, the stitches being re- I site margins oitthe sole at the shank may-then be pressed ClTflflGDl? toward the upperyby light pressure exerted by any suitable means such as the tool of a rotary pounding machine. Before the channel flaps are laid, the sole is permitted to dry. As the sole dries, the shrinkage of the material at the inner or flesh side thereof eaerts tension on the marginal portions of the sole which tends to hold the latter in their bent positions in close engagement with the upper. noticed that the sides of the slits separate somewhat shown in Fig. 3 to enablethe sole margins to be bent backwardly without stretching-or tensioningthe,material at the The tension. or,

grain side of the outsole transverse pull resulting from the shrinkage of the material at the outer or grain side of the sole is rendered'ineilective tooilset the tension at the inner face of the sole by the slits 24. its a result, the bent 'openihgeit t margins of t e sole are permanently set in engagement with the upper and there is ractically no influence tending to restore them to thefplan'e of the body of the sole. Even if the sole margins are not pressed back into close engagement with the shoe upper, the herein-describcd slitting of the sole margin s erves niaterially to relieve the strain upon both the inseam and outsole stitches and as a result the stithhes are rendered less liable to give way along the slit portions of the sole. After the sole has become thoroughly dry, the channel flaps are laid to close the channelaiid cover the stitches and the flaps are firmly cements/din place, as shown in Fig. 3. The cemented channel flaps serve as additional means for insuring that the sole margin will be permanently retained in its bent condition. i

In case it may bedesired to manufacture shoes with a closeinside shank and a straight outside sh-a.nk,or vice vereznit to he i derstood that the slits may be made either the inside or outside marginal portions oi the shank of the sole instead of at both marginal portions as above described.

. In making welt shoes a close shank along the inside margin of the shank may be produced by channeling" thein side the "n of the shank, slitting the niaterial'beneath the channel flap as shown at 40in Fig; 6, attaching the outsole to the welt and upper In practice, the extent oi? the amount; of penetration of the slitting knife'will vary It will be 7 bent toward V sole for awelt shoe may be channeled and by stitching aloft, i-. (e -"causing the stitches to lie substantially flush with thet reed face of the sole, along the outer {margin of the shank and at both sides of the forepart as indicated in full lines at 42 inFig. "6,and

by stitching within the channel along the cases to cut the slit directly in the grain or tread face ofthesole, eitherbefore or after the sole is attached to the shoe. If cut di rect ly 1n the tread face of thesolethcslit,

which is opened niore or less by the-sub sequent bending oi the sole marg n, may be filled with suitable tiller material in-order that the continuity ofthe tread "face of the soleshall not be interrupted by the slit.

The method of the present invention is not limited in its application to the construction of shoes in which the inarginof the outsole lies close to the upper only atthel shank of the shoe, but inayapplyialso to shoes in which other portions of the soleinarg' are the upper. Forexainple, an out slit around the toe and along both edges oi the foreparh'as'well-as along both edges of the shank to facilitate the flexing or bending of the sole to produce the so-called ballbottom effect in imitation of a turnshoe. The various'steps of the herein descri ed method may he performed upon ontsoles tor McKay sewed shoes, as well as upon outsoles for welt shoes. lVhen 'outsoles forltilclay shoes aresli't in accordance with the method of this inventiomthe s'ole inargins will hug the upper more closely at the portions of ti a sole which are slit thanwould he the caseitt the slitting operationwere not JET'IOFIQCH In lvIcKay work, the oiiits'ole connno l7 7 channeled beforethe sole is located upon the 7 shoe. A lvicKay-outsol'e is shown at in Fig. and the usual'channel is indicated at 30, the channel having a groove 32 the-rein for receivingthe outsole The slit for facilitating; the bending of the sole margin may be made along a line located at the inner side of the groove 32 at eit' er or both sides of the shank, as shown at 34,. lVhen. a sole slit in this manner issecaired to the upper and insole of a shoe by the operation of the McKay sewing machine the stitches serve to pull the sole margin close to the upper sothat the close shank effect may be produced and retained without requiring the application of 'pressr're to sole margin by pounding or otherwise. If

desirable, the slit maybe at the oucer I lengthwise of the sole edge withoutaiiecti side of the groove 32, or at both sides of the groove 32 as shown at 36 and 88 in Fig. 5.

Having. described the invention and the preferred method of practicing it, what is claimed as new is: V

V 1. That method of fitting outsoles which consistsin reducing the cohesion ofa por- ,tion of the thicknessof the material at one side of the outsole along a line extending the edgethickness of the sole, bending toward the opposite side of the sole the marginal por- 3. That improvement in. methods of making shoes which consists in maintaining the edge thickness of the margin of an attached o utsole unaltered, reducing the cohesion of a portion of the thickness of the sole along a line inwardly of its margin in which portion strains are produced in forcing said margin toward the upper, and closing the crease between the sole margin and the upper by bending' said" margin toward the upper.

- ing shoes having close shanks which consists irrmaintainin g the edgethickness of the gin of an attached outsole unaltered, reduc.-- ing the coheision of a portion of the thickness of the shank of the sole along a line inwardly of its margin in which portion tensional strains are produced in bending the margin toward the upper, and closing the crease tween the sole margin and the upper along the shank of the shoe by bending said margin toward the upper. V c

' 5. That improvement in methods of making close shanks in welt shoes which consists in rough-rounding and channeling an attached outsole, lessening the resistance to bending of the outer portion of the thickness of the sole by'a cut made at a blunt angle to the inner face of the sole and extendim; along the base of the channel flap from'ball line to breast line, bending the sole margin ,to close the welt crease at the shank portion. of the shoe, and cementing and laying the channel. flap to maintain the welt crease closed.

6. The method of fitting soles which consists in cutting into the material at one side of a sole to form a stitch-receiving channel and a channel flap, and slitting the material at the side of the channel opposite the channelfiap lengthwise of the channel in a plane substantially parallel to the edge face of the sole to facilitate the bending of the portion of the sole at the outer side of the slit intosnug engagement with the adjacent portion of a shoe upper attached to the sole.

7. The method of preparing leather outsoles to adapt the edge of a sole to lie close .to the upper of a shoe to which the sole is to be attached which comprises tempering the sole, and cutting into an outer portion of the thickness of the sole while the sole is in temper to form a slit extending lengthwise of the sole edge and directed downwardly and inwardly with respect-to the shoe at an obtuse angle to theinner' face of the central portion of the sole so as materially to lessen the resistanceof the sole to bending along the line of the slit.

8. That improvement in the art of making shoes which consists in forming in a sole a stitch-receiving channel and a slit extending "lengthwise of. the sole edge and downwardly from the channel toward the unchair neled face of the sole, and bending the marginal portion of the sole along the line weakened by the slit.

9. That improvement in the art of making shoes which consists in forming a channel and a channel flap in the grain side of a sole, cutting a slit within the channel and adjacent to the base of the channel flap, bending the sole margin toward the flesh side of the sole, and cementing the channel flap to the sole margin to prevent reverse bending of the sole margin. 4. That improvement n1 methods of mah- 10. That improvement in the manufacture of shoes which consists in forming a marginal channel at the grain side of an outsole, slitting from within the channel toward the unchanneled face of the sole, and attaching the sole to the shoe by stitches received in said channel, and extending through the portion of the sole outside of said slit.

11. That improvement in themanufacture of welt shoes which consists in laying the outsole upon a lasted upper to which the welt has been attached, rough-rounding and channel ing the outsole, slitting the material at the base of thech annel flap downwardly toward the inner side of the outside along the shank thereof, stitching the outsole and welt together, and applying pressureto the portion of the outsole'outside of the slit to bend it snugly against the upper.

I 12. A new article of manufacture comprising an outsole having,through an outer portion of its thickness, a slit lying approximately parallel to the edge face of the sole to reduce the cohesion of said margin and facilitate bending of the margin of the sole toward the unslit side.

13. A new article of manufacture comprisin an outsole having a slit in the margin thereof and extending part way only through the thickness of said margin, said slit lying in a plane approximately parallel to the edge face of the sole to facilitate bending of said miirginout of the planeof the body of the so e. 1 r 14. A new article of manufacture comprising a sole having a stitch-receiving channel and a channel flat at one side thereof, and a slit positioned in the channel and extending lengthwise thereof in the material at the side of the channel opposite the channel flap.

15. A new article of manufacture comprising a sole having a stitch-receiving channel and a channel flap at one side thereof, and a slit positioned in the channel and extending lengthwise thereof adjacent to the base of the channel flap, at the'shank portion of the sole.

16. A Welt shoe having an outsole provided with a stitch-receiving channel and a channel flap extending along the inner margin of its shank, and a slit extending lengthwise of said channel in the material covered by the channel flap, the outsole being attached to the welt and upper by means of stitches which lie within said channel along said inner margin of the shank but which are exposed at the threadfface of the sole at other portions of the sole margin and the'margin of the sole adjacent to said slit being bent toward the upper .to produce a close shank effect.

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

HARRY E. UPHAM.

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