US1885718A - Apparatus for producing crepe rubber spring-heeled shoe bottoms - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 1', 1932. B. 'F. HARTWELL mzwzfar:

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APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CREFE RUB BER SPRING HEELED SHOE BOTTOMS Filed Jan; 29, 1929 i n? (a l I l 1: a

rigwZZ Patented Nov. 1, 1932 UNIT STTES f rear-is .Fte

ENJAMIN r. H'AR'IWELL, or- WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS ArPARA'rus ron rnoncorns onnrn RUBBER SPRING- nsulin]; SHOE BorToMs Application filed was 29,1929; serial no. 335, 51.

- of a solvent, such as'a benzol solutiomwhich v gelatinizes the faces, the members ,bein'gfthen united by superimposing one .of'said faces on the other, and vexertlng pressure 'on'the members to cause an. intimateunlon of the adhesive faces. v The-chief object of the invention is toenable spring-heeled shoe bottoms, characterized as above; stated, to; be produced more rapidly and accurately than iby the methods heretofore practiced.

J Other objects will hereinafter appear.

The invention consists in the improved apparatus for. producing spring-heeled creperubber shoe bottoms hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawing formingra part of this specification,- if g I Figure 1 is a top plan view, showingan apparatus embodying the invention, a breasting machine being indicated by dotted lines, Figure 2 is a side viewof the same. I Figure Sis a ure'l. Q

Figure 4; isan. end view,looking, toward the delivering end. I i v Figure 5 showsseparately and in perspective, the sole" andheel membersof a spring heeled shoe bottom. y

Figure 6 is a longitudinaljsection of the incomplete shoe bottom produced by-the apsection on line of Fig- Figure. 7 is a longitudinal section of the bottom as completed bvthe breasting machine indicated by Figures 1 and 2.

The same referencecharacters indicate the same parts in allof the figures.

' In, the drawing, 12 designates ,an endless conveyor which is a belt mounted on a driving drum 13, driven by a motor 1 1, and on aloose drum 15. said drums being journaled in bearings on fixed standards 16. A speed reducer fassociated with the motor, is indicated at 17 (Figures 1 and' t), the organization being such that thefspeed of the driving means is regulable so that the conveyor may be driven at a suitably slowrate of speed, in the directionindicated by the arrow in Figure 1 to enable operators to manipulate the work as hereinafter described, while it is being carried by the conveyor. The said regulable driving mea'ns also enables the conveyor belt to be drivenat different, speeds according to the hygromet-ric condition of the atmosphere, for a purpose more fully explainedhereinartery I" The upper" stretch ofthe conveyor is substantially horizontal, its top surface facing upwardly, and including a receiving portion,

,designatedby a, whereupon crepe-rubber shoe bottom members 21 and 23, having gelatinized surfaces may be separately and loosely deposited, a delivering end portion, designated by b, and an intermediate end portion, designatedfb'y c,,whereon said members may be assembled to unite the gelatinized surfaces thereof preparatoryto'the transportation of i the assembled membersto the delivering portion} 3 The. top surface of. the upper stretch is unobstructed from end to end to permit said separately deposited and assembled members,

which I call the work, to be transported from endto end of the conveyor while resting loosely thereon, and to be manipulated at any point between the ends of the conveying stretch. I y

' Longitudinaledges of the receiving portion a and the intermediateportion- 0, are unobstructed to provide,.beside said portions, stations for operators positioned to separately deposit the members on the receiving portion, and to assemble the members on the intermediate portion.

g beside an operators station 1, at one edge of the receivmg portion a, is a Located solvent-applying mechanism, designated as a whole by 18, and including, in this instance, a vtrough containing the solvent19, and rolls 20 and 21, the roll 20 being rotated in the troughby any suitable means. The rolls are arranged to permit the heel end of a sole 21 to and preferably diagonally opposite the mechanism 18, is another solvent-applying mechanism, designated as a whole by 24, and inclnd ing, in this instance, a tank 25,'containing the solvent, and rolls 27 and 2 8, through" the nip of which a second operator at the station 2 may pass the heel 23, andcause the heel seatengaging face of the heel'to receive a coating 29 of solvent covering said face, the roll 27 being driven by any suitable means. Each of the solventapplying mechanismsmay be otherwise organizedflf desired.

V The operator at station 2 deposits the heel on the receiving portion a beside. a sole. de-

posited by the first operator and" with the adhesive face uppermost and exposed.

The progressive movement of the conveyor is continuous, and causes an accumulation of soles and heels thus deposited, in "rows locate side by side, as shown in Figure 1, p i

The apparatus includes means for applying a localized-air blast to the exposed adhesive faces of the soles and heels, whilethey are progressing from the. station 2,;to evaporate the excess solvent and render said faces tacky and cause the quick adhesion to. each other. Saldl means, ashere shown, includes a motordriven blower, whose casing is designated by 30, and a flue 31, extending from the blower to a point over the conveyor, and provided with a distributing nozzle adapted to discharge air downwardly upon the conveyor and its load, at a location between the portions it and 0. t l

An assembling operators station. 3' is provided at one edge of'the intermediate. portion 0 between. the delivering end thereof and the nozzle 32, Where a third operator'm'ay act,by picking up and inverting theheels, and depositing thetacky faces thereof on the tacky faces of the heel seats, so that the soles and heels are assembled, incomplete shoe. bottoms in the condition shown by Figure 6, being provided. The incomplete bottoms are moved in a single row by the conveyor, from the station 3, toward the delivering portion 6.

The apparatus may be adapted for use in applying trade labels tothe sole members of the incomplete bottoms, said labels being usually disks 3 of soft vulcanized rubber, having indicia on their outer sides.

' To permit this operation, I provide an operators station 4,. at o'needge of the inter.- mediate portion 0, where a fourth operator may act, by applying any'su'ita-ble cement to the inner sides of the labels and depositing the labels on the shank portions of the sole members of the incomplete bottoms.

When the apparatus is adapted for the last mentioned use, it comprises means for applying a localized air blast to the labels and to the surrounding portions of the soles, to dry any cement that may be exposed on said surrounding portions. Said means may include a flue 35, connected with the blower casing, and havinga d istributing nozzle 86, arranged to direct air downwardly on the label-carrying portions of the sole members, said nozzle being between the station 4 and the delivering portion 6-.

The heel member of each incomplete bottom prepared as above described, hasia' beveled' breast face 37, overhanging a portion of the sole, as shown by Figure 6.

Each bottom maybe completed bya subsequent operation-performed by a breasting machine adapted to conform a portion of the sole to the breast face 37, as shown by Figare-7, and at the same time, press the contacting adhesive'faces of the sole and' heel firmly together. The breasting machine,-indicated by dotted line's'in Figures land 2, and designated as a whole by 38,'is disclosed by my Patent No. 1,738,583, dated December 12, 1929.. Said machine. may be-located in such proximityito the delivering end of the conveyor, that the operator may transfer in complete bottomsfrom the conveyor'toi the breasti'ng machine for treatment by the latter. 7

Amongthe advantages of the paratus, are the following I 1' I Eachof the manual operations is performed by asingle operator, who does nothde'scribed ap ing else, and becomes proficient in the. performan'ce' of'the one operation, so that rapidity and accuracy of production by team work are-ensured.

The air-blast applying means causes quick and automatic dryingof the parts actedon thereby. I The progressively moving conveyor. may be adapted to accumulate, support, and ad- Vance a' considerable number of separated soles and heels, and any desired number of incomplete bottoms, and deliver the latter to the operat'or of the breasting machine which completes. the bottoms. V

Itwill beseen that each incomplete bot.- tom in the condition shown by Figure 6, may be completed as shown by Figure. 7, by a single operation involved by the. presentation of the incompletebottoms, one at a time: to the breasting machine, by a final operator located at the station designated by 5, in Figure. 1, the operator being in position to transfer the incomplete bott'oms'from the deliveiz ing end of the conveyor to the breasting machine.

The completing operation. may be: performed as fast as the incomplete bottoms reach the delivering end of the conveyor.

The belt portion 0 hereinbefore called the intermediate portion, is in fact, an assembling portion, and is so called in the appended claim.

The above-mentioned regulable means is adapted to drive the pulley 13 at different speeds and progressively move the belt 12 at different speeds, according to the hygrometric condition of the surrounding air, and thereby cause a relatively slow speed and a relatively long exposure of the gelatinized surfaces to the air blast which renders said surfaces tacky, when the humidity of the air is relatively high, and a faster speed and a longer exposure of said surfaces to the air blast when the humidity is relatively low. The apparatus is therefore variable to compensate for all changes of the humidity of the surrounding air, and ensure suitable tackiness of the gelatinized surfaces under all hygrometric conditions.

I claim:

Apparatus for use in preparing crepe rubber spring-heeled shoe bottoms composed of separately formed soles and heels said apparatus comprising an endless conveyor belt, pulleys supporting said belt and providing it with a substantially horizontal upwardly facing upper stretch which is elongated to provide a receiving portion whereon the soles and heels may be separately deposited, an assembling portion whereon the soles and heels may be assembled, and a delivering portion, the width of the belt being such that soles and heels treated with a solvent to gelatinize surfaces thereof, may be separately deposited on the receiving portion, with their gelatinized surfaces exposed, means for directing an air blast against the upper stretch at a location between the receiving and assembling portions, to evaporate excess solvent and condition the gelatinized surfaces for quick adhesion to each other on the assembling portion, and regulable means for driving one of said pulleys to progressively move the belt at different speeds, according to the hygrometric condition of the surrounding air, and thereby cause a relatively slow speed and a relatively long exposure of the gelatinized surfaces to the air blast when the humidity of the air is relatively high, and a faster speed and a shorter exposure of said surfaces to the air blast when the humidity of the air is relatively low, the top surface of the upper stretch being unobstructed to permit manipulation of the work thereon, longitudinal edges of the receiving and assembling portions being unobstructed, to provide stations at opposite sides of the receiving portion for operators positioned to separately deposit the soles and heels on said portion, and a station for an assembling operator positioned to assemble said soles and heels on the assembling portion.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

BENJAMIN F. HARTWELL.

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