US1915365A - Shoe heater - Google Patents

Description

June 27, 1933. M- Q JENNlNGs 1,915,365

SHOE HEATER Filed Deo. 6, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 27, 1933. M. O. JENNINGS SHOE HEATER Filed Dec. 6, 1930 Patented June 27, 1933 i lUNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE l MELVIN 0.xI'EII'NINGrS,y OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 HARRY H. -BECKWITIL GF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS SHOE HEATER 'Application led December 6, 1930.

This invention relates to apparatus for heating portions of box toes prior to the bed lasting operation. In the manufacture of shoes it is customary to use a stiener in the toe to preserve the shape of the toe portion of the shoe and to protect the wearer. Many of these stifeners are made of sheets of fibrous material mixed with a thermoplastic binder which at ordinary temperatures is relatively stiff and hard. After the shoe upper, with a box toe stiffener7 has been attached to the last, the edges of ther stiffener which have been turned under ythe last must be heated to enable the operator to make a smooth job of the lasting operation. It is also usually advantageous to reheat the whole box toe stiffener'to some extent to make it set in the desired shape with no residual tendency to spring back toward its original flat shape. In heating box toes, the presence of a certain amount of moisture is usualy desirable to prevent overheating the sti'ffeners and to prevent the thermoplastic constituent from frying out7 of the stiffener. On the other hand; with delicate leathers and certain fabrics such as moire, the amount of moisture present must c be very slight, otherwise the upper will be damaged. According to the present invention, I supply apparatus by which the moisture may be regulated both as to the quantity and as to temperature so that the most delicate leathers and fabrics can be heated without injury. The apparatus also contains several other advantageous features of construction which will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the description of the invention which follows, and from the drawings, of which,-

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a shoe heater embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on a vertical plane of the heater shown in Figure 1.k Figure 3 is a perspective view of the steam box or heater block employed in the heater shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Figure 2.

Serial No. 500,553.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the steam boxy shown in Figure 8.

Figure 6 is a sectional View ofthe steam box on the line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a perspective viewv of a modied form of shoe heater embodying the invention. f

Figure 8 is aV transverse section of the heater shown in Figure 7 Figurel 9 is a section on` the line 9-9 of Figure 8. Y

Figure 10 is a section on the line 10\10 of Figure 8.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the steam boX 7employed in the heater shown in Figure Referring tothe drawings `in detail, Figures 1 to 6 illustrate a heater comprising an outer housing or casing 10 having a narrow upper portion 11 to receive the toe portions of partly constructed shoes for heating. The upper housing 11 has stationary rear and end walls, but the top and front wall are hinged to the lower housing so as to swing clear and open up the interior of the upper housing 11. The front and a portion of the top are normally closed in by a member 12 to which is hinged a top member 13. The latter may be operated as a damper by a convenient handle 14. The front wall portion of the member 12 has arched openings to receive the toe portions of mens shoes. A masking plate 15 may be located against the outer face of the front wall, the plate 15 having arched openings of a size to receive womens shoe toes. This plate may be hinged to the member 12 (Figure 7 asby hinges 16 so that it is always at hand when not in use and may be easily and quickly swung into position. The member 12 may be connected as by hinges 17 to the lower housing so that this member,V with the damper 13V and the plate 15, may be swung clear toopen up the upper housing. y

Within the casing 10 a steam box 20 may be mounted as on suitable brackets 21. As shown in Figure 3, the front` and rear faces of the steam box may be provided with a series of ribs 22 which may be arranged diagonally across the faces of the box to present of these ribs may be cut off to form a longitudinal channel 23 to facilitate the even distribution of steam which issues through small apertures24in the front wall of the box near the bottom thereof. The top of the box 20 may be formed with longitudinal ribs 25. Rising from the top. of the boxV there may be a series of arched walls 26 forming receiving chambers for the toes of the shoe lasts. The upper portions of these arched walls are preferably made hollow as at 27 so that steam may be admitted thereinto.

As shown in Figure 4 the walls 26 are cut away as at 28 towardthe rear so as tofacilitate the flow of air and moisture through the heating chambers and upwardly past the open damper 13. The steam supply may be arranged as indicated in Figure 2, a supply pipe 30 being connected with an uptake 31 communicating with the hollow 27 between the 'double walls of the top ofthe arches 26. At the further end of the hollow a connecting assage 32 leads downwardly into the steam iiox 20. TheV latter is preferablyv formed with a series of'bafiies 33y and 34 which 'provide a tortuous passage for the steam back and forth through'the steam box to a discharge pipe 35. Thus the box may be effectively heated, the heat being radiated through from the upper ribs 25 and the front and rear ribs 22-as well asdownwardly from the topsof the arches 26. f

In order to providemoisture for conditioning the shoe toes, steaminay be introduced through a 'supply pipe 40 into a lower compartment 41 of'thesteam box r20, this lowerl compartment being separated from theupper part'of the box Aas by a partition 42.` This partition is heated by the'Y steam flowmg through the upper part of the s teambox and thus helps to keep the steam in the lower compartment dry 'and hot, From the compartment 41, the steam issues through apertures 24 into the transverse channel 23 and thence upwardly through the grooves between the ribsr22. As the ribs 22 are kept hot by the steam in the upper portion of the steam box 20, the steam passing between the ribs 22 is subjected to a further heating before it reachesb the toes of'ithe shoesfto bevheated. The steam supply for ythe upper and lower portions of the steam box may be readily controlled as by valves 43 and 44 in the steam pipes 30 and 401r respectively.

'Inorder to obtain a supply of air for mixture rwith thev steam and to regulate the amount of air thus mixed withthe steam, the front wall' of the casing 10 may-be formed with'a'y series of apertures 45. y These apertures 'open' into a chamberV 46'between the front wall 47 and an inner partition 48 which rises'upwardly from the bottom of the steam box part way up-its'front fade. Between the walls 47 and 48 a suitable damper 50 is mounted to control the flow of air through the apertures 45. The air passing into the chamber 46 flows upwardly past the damper 50 and mixes with the steam rising in the grooves between the ribs 22. This mixture of steam and air thus fiows into the ,forward ends of the arched shoe receiving chambers and impinges on the bottoms of the toe portions of the shoe lasts inserted into the heating chambers. The portions of the shoe uppers which are turned under the edges of the shoe last and which thus lie against the bottom of the lastare thus heated bya flow of air and steam which can be regulated yto supply any desired percentage of moisture. f At the saine time the tops of the toes are also heated by radiation from thel hot arched ceiling of the shoe receiving chambers. This heat radiation from above effectively prevents the condensation of any moisture on the* shoe upper. By manipulation of the dampers 13 and 50, and the valves 43 and 44, the moisture and vternperature of the heating devices may besuitably regulated to operate withV maximum e'fliciency on any kind of fabric used for shoe uppers, including such easily damaged fabrics as artificial snakeskin, moire and the like. In order to support the heel portions of the lasts when the toe portionsare projecting into the vheating chambers, I mayy provide a simple rack Vin, the' formvof a rail 51. This rail may bejpivotally connected at its ends to a pair of ears 52secured to the rear wall of the housing 10. The rail 5l may be adjustably supported at anydesired height relative to the shoe receiving openings, as by apair .of brackets 53 on. the end walls of the housingV 10. These brackets may each be supported by a spring 54 which presses an upri ht edgeof the bracket'against the rail 51. T is edge, thus presented, is suitably notched so that therail is adapted to enter any of the notches according to the height of adjustment desired. f i l Figure 7 illustrates a modified form of the invention. Theheater shown thereinA comprises a housing 10 with a narrow upper portion l1 adapted to receive the toe portions of the shoe lasts for heating, and a top damper 13, as hereinbefore described. A masking plate 15 is also provided to take care of womens shoes as well as mens. lVithin the upper housing 11 of the housing 10, I may attach to the member l2 a series of arched members forming chambers for the reception of shoe toes to be heated. These arched members may be cut away at their rear portion, as at 61, to provide ample draft upwardly past the damper 13. Beneath the arches 60 is a floor 62 which may be provided with suitably shaped apertures 63 to permit the flow offmoist hot air from a compartment below upwardly against the under turned edges of the Shoe uppers on the lasts. The

apertures 63 may be in the shape shown in Figure 9 to follow approximately the outline of the toe of the last, or may be in any other shape desired. The member 12 may be hinged to the lower housing as by hinges 17 so as to be swung clear, if desired, together with the damper 13 and the inner arches 60. This exposes the floor 62 for ready access so that it can be used for conditioning flat boxtoe blanks. Beneath the floor 62 a steam box 64 is mounted on suitable brackets 65. The box is provided on its upper surface with longitudinal ribs 66 to increase the radiating surface and, front and rear faces with ribs 67 for the same purpose, the effect being increased by arranging the ribs diagonally instead of vertically up and down. The bottom face of the box is preferably concaved slightly as at 68, the bottom being provided with a series of small perforations 69 through which steam may escape from the interior of the box. Resting on the bracket is an open top pan 70 in which the steam'box rests. The bottom of the pan 70 may be bulged downwardly so as to provide a distributing space under the steam box for the even distribution of steam longitudinally of the box. The steam issuing from the box escapes forwardly under the forward bottom edge of the box into the grooves between the ribs 67. As it passes up in these grooves, it is heated by contact with and radiation from the ribs. The steam thus rising through the grooves between the ribs 67 may be mixed with a quantity of air which can be regulated by a damper 71. This air may be admitted through a series of openings 72 in the front wall of the housing 10, the air entering a chamber 7 3 between the front wall 72 of the housing and the forward wall of the pan 7 0. The damp-er 71 may be conveniently adjusted at any desired angle of opening, as by a suitable handle 74. Steam may be supplied to the steam box 64 as by a supply pipe 7 5, the interior of the box being preferably formed with baffle plates 76 to lead the steam in a tortuous path starting with the top of the box and working down to the bottom, where the steam is discharged through the openings 69 so that it can travel up the forward face of the kbox and pass into the shoe heating chambers.

I claim: Y

l. A shoe heater comprising a casing with openings in the front wall of the upper portion thereof to receive toe portions of shoe lasts, a damper in the top of said casing extending from one end to the other thereof, a steam box in the low-er portion of said casing, said box having a ribbed front wall and ksteam vents through the lower portion thereof, the lower portion of said casing having a chamber therein in front of said steam box and openings in said front wall leading into said chamber, and a damper between said chamber and theupper portion of said casing.

2. In a shoe heater, a steam box having its front wall formed with ribs, a partition member within said box forming separate upper and lower steam chambers, baille plates in said upper chamber to direct the steam in a tortuous flow, steam supply connections for both said chambers, and a steam exhaust con-- nection for said upper chamber, said box having vents from said lower chamber at points below said ribs. I

3. In a shoe heater, a steam box comprising a rectangular portion and arched members extending upwardly from the top of said portion to form shoe receiving chambers.l said arched members being double-walled to form a steam jacket above said chambers, a steam supply connection at one end of said jacket, a connecting passage from the other end of said jacket. to said rectangular portion, a steam exhaust connection leading from said rectangular portion, and ribs on the front face of said'rectangular portion, said box having steam vents therethrough below said ribs.

il. ln a shoe heater, a steam box comprising a substantially rectangular portion with ribs on its front face, a horizontal partition in said portion forming two separate chambers therein, baffles in said upper chamber to cause circuitous flow of steam therein, a series of arched members extending upwardly from the top of said rectangular portion to form individual shoe receiving chambers, the upper parts of said arched members having a double wall forming a steam jacket over said shoe receiving chambers, and steam connections for said jacket and the chambers in said rectangular portion.

5. A shoe heater comprising a casing having in the upper part thereof a series of chambers to receive the toe portions of shoe lasts, the front wall of said casing having arched apertures therethrough opening into. said chambers, said apertures being of a size to accommodate lasts for mens shoes, a masking plate hinged on the front of said casing to swing in front of or clear of said apertures, said masking plate having openings therethrough registering with said apertures when the plate is swung to operative position and of a size to accommodate lasts for womens shoes, a rack extending out in front of said casing to support the heel portions of shoe lasts,-and means on said casing for securing said rack at selected heights relative to said apertures.

6. A shoe heater having a housing with arched apertures in the front wall thereof to receive the toe portions of shoes for men, and a masking plate having arched apertures therein to receive the toe portions of shoes for women, said plate being hinged to the front wall of said housing to be swung into and out of position over thezapertures in said front wall. j

7. In a shoe heater, a steam box having a ribbed upper surface, .a hood over said vupper surface Vforming a chamber yto receive the toe portion of a last, said hood having a rear vent, and means for supplying a stream 4of vapor and heated air from below forward v of said surface whereby said stream is drawn rearwardly across said surface, said ribs belng arranged transversely with respect to the direct-lon of flow of said stream.

8. In a shoe heater, a steam box, an arched j acketfover the top of said box forming therewith a chamber with a lateral opening to receive the toe portion of a last, a steam supply connection attached to said jacket at an end thereof, a connecting passage from the remote end of said jacket to said box, and means for introducing a` stream of vapor and air into said chamber.

` In testimony whereof I have aiXed my signature.

MELVIN O. JENNINGS.

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