US2002136A

US2002136A - Shoe sewing machine

Info

Publication number: US2002136A
Application number: US689097A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bates Arthur; Choice Frank Coleman
Original assignee: United Shoe Machinery Corp
Current assignee: United Shoe Machinery Corp
Priority date: 1932-10-21
Filing date: 1933-09-12
Publication date: 1935-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 1952-05-21
Also published as: FR763155A; GB409005A

Description

A. BATES ET AL SHOE SEWING MACHINE Filed Sept. 12, 1953 May 21, 1935.

I Sheets- Sheet 1 33 7 o o 1 9 89* Q 2 May 21, 1935. A. BATES ET AL 2,002,136

- I SHOE .SEWING MACHINE Filed Sept. 12, 1935 s Sheets- Sheet 2 May 21, 1935. A. BATES ET AL 2,002,136

SHOE SEWING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Shegt 3 Patented May 21, 1935 v t c UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE snon SEWING meme Arthur Bates and Frank Coleman Choice, Leicester, England, as'signor's 'toUnited Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N, J., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 12, 1933, Serial No. 689,697

In-Great Britain October 21, 1932 20 Claims. (01,12-6) This invention is concerned 7 .with improvetual y able to grip t e upp in thiS locality ments in or relating to shoe sewing machines-and if the marginal portion of the upper is sufiihas particular reference to inseam sewing maciently upstanding in this locality to enable the .chmes such as are used in the manufacture of gripper .to seize it) there arises a danger that welted shoes or turn shoes. 7 the heightwisetension away from the insole ex- V 5 In the application for United States Patent erted oncthe upper byihe pp may lift the Serial No. 325,839, filed December 13, 1928, on enan e; lw ichfl'w inserted during the which has been granted Patent 1,966,479, p i l seat ins'op i held the heel .July 17, 1934, there is disclosed an inseam sewing end. of theupper in lasted position close to the ,10 machine having a gripper device which acts to heel b east line, awayfrom' the insole and thus 10 seize successively marginal portions of the upper disturb to some eXtent th position of the 01 a shoe on a last and to pull the said portions ready lastedfupn heelwaiid Qfi the POSitiOII vheightwise of the last and inwardly over an inwhere the sewing operation commences. A simisole on the last bottom, the said gripper moving, lar danger ex sts wh the Combined Sewing and a it eXert$ its p ll on a marginal portion of lasting operation is drawing to a conclusion 15 the upper, towards the needle from a position a ong the opposite side of the shoe close to the spaced to one side thereof in order that the porh i r h t tion of the upper which it grips shall be sewn The ie sl the Present invention are to to the insole lip while it is actually held under improve t e con n and Operation f the tension close to the needle by the gripper and to gripper deviee d sclos the Prior application 20 assist a channel guide of the machine to feed n a; manner to v o e the above and other the work step by step through the machine, disadvantages and to render the gripper device The gripper device disclosed in said prior apmore compact and mo e d y adjustableplication has been found in practice to operate In an illustrative embodiment of t Present very satisfactorily'but nevertheless has shown invention hereinafter, described a Sh pp 25 v itself capable of improvement in various ways. gripper similar to that disclosed in the said prior For example the mechanismdisclosed in the said application has its upper tensioning movements prior application for-imparting to the gripper impartedto it'through a short swinging lever its upper-pulling movements was found to be which is coupled to an eccentric which also serves somewhat cumbersome and the mechanism for to actuate a ratchet and cam device by which the 30 opening and closing the gripper jaws was found gripperl is rendered inoperative while working not to offer convenient adjustment for regulataround the toe end of a shoe and is also prevented ing the extent to which the gripper Jaws opened from moving from an inoperative position into and closed in accordance with the thickness of upper-seizing "positionlwhen. the inseam sewing the upper materials of diflerent shoes. 9 operationfon a shoe'is commenced in the waist of In the machine disclosed in the said prior apthe shoeonone side until apredetermined number plication a ratchet wheel and eccentric device of stitches havebeen made and the heel breast is provided for causing the gripper to be raised line of the shoe has been fed so far away from to and maintained in such a position when workthe position of the gripper in the machine that 40 ing around the toe end of a shoe, the toe and there will be little or no tendency for the gripper, 40 heel end portions of the upper of which have vwhen it, comes into operation and exerts aheightalready been lasted over the last and the end wise pull on the upper, to disturb the position of portion of which has been trimmed approximatethe'alrea'dy lasted heelseat portion of the upper 1y to the height of the insole lipbefore the shoe on that side of the shoe. The said ratchet and is presented to the inseamsewing machine, that cam device also serves to lift the gripper to and 45 it cannot descend far enough to abut against retain it in an inoperative position at a prethe upper materials around the toe end and candetermined time before the sewing reaches the not therefore hinder the smooth progress of the heel breast lineon the second side of the shoe so inseam sewing operation around this portion of that the gripper shall not seize the upper close to ,0 the shoe. With the arrangement described in the heel breast line on the second side of the shoe 1 the prior application however the gripper is lowand therefore disturb the position of the already cred into its operative position to grip a portion lasted heelseat portion of the upper at that side. of the upper materials just toeward of the heel As hereinafter described the said ratchet and breast line immediately the sewing operation cam device is adjustable so that the precise time commences on a shoe and if th gr pper is acat which the gripper is allowed to come into operation on the upper when starting sewing may be varied to suit varying conditions in the work. Further in the same illustrative embodiment means are provided whereby the operator can accurately re-position (i. e. re-time) the said ratchet and cam device to cause the gripper to be lifted out of operative position at the correct time if he has to repeat the sewing operation along a part of the shoe, due for example to a thread breakage after starting sewing and before the toe end is reached.

In order that the present invention may be more fully understood and its several features appreciated the illustrative embodiment 'afore-, mentioned will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, V a

Figure 1 is a right hand side elevationof the head of the illustrative embodiment; a

Figure 2 is a right hand side elevation of tain parts seen in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front elevation showing part of certhe head;

Figure 4 is a right hand side elevation of certain parts seen in Figure 1; V

Figure 5 is a right hand side elevation, on an enlarged scale of certain parts of the illustrative embodiment; and

Figure 6 is an isometric View of certain parts seen in Figure 5. h

The said illustrative embodiment will be considered as embodied in an inseam sewing machine which, except that it hasno work-piercing awl, is generally similar to that described in United States Letters Patent to Eppler, No. 1,108,560

granted August 25, 1914. The illustrative machine will beconsidered as being arranged to operate on welted shoes, the toe and heel end portions of which have previously been'lasted prior to their presentation to the machine and the upper materials of which around the toe end have been trimmed away substantially to the height of the insole lip on the insole. The machine comprises a curved hooked needle I', a loop'er 3, (Figure 3) atake up 5 and other instrumentalities which co-operate in a well known manner to form the stitches of a chain-stitch seam and is further provided, as is thelmachine disclosed in the application aforementioned, with a" lasting gripper indicated generally at 1 (similar in construction and function to that described in that specification) which is adaptedto operate in time relation to the sewing instrumentalities'to last side portions of a shoe upper before the said portions of the upper and welt are sewn by the machine to the insole. The lasting gripper is positioned to the right of the needle, looking at the machine from the front as shown in Figure3 and is supported at its upper end in aball joint in theforward end of an updraw lever 9 which is pivoted on a horizontal and laterally extending stud secured on a fixed portion of the machine frame and which is curved laterally between its pivot H and its forward end towards the needle position to allow the jaws l3, l5 at the lower end of the gripper to lie closer to the sewing point than they otherwise would. As is also the case in the gripperarrangement disclosed in the prior specification last mentioned the jaws 'of the gripper are likewise curved towards the needle, looking at the machine from the front, for a similar purpose. I

Theupdraw lever B of the present illustrative embodiment is considerably shorter than that referred to in Patent No. 1,966379' and the means for imparting to it its falling and rising movements to cause the gripper to descend towards and to rise away from the shoe are somewhat different from those described for operating the updraw lever referred to in that specification.

V The rear end of the updraw lever 9 of the present illustrative embodiment has freely pivoted in it a horizontal pin ll which has secured upon its right hand end close against the right hand side of the lever S a short downwardly and rearwardly extending sleeve I9. A downwardly and rearwardly extending updraw rod 2| passes through the said sleeve it its upper end having pinned to it just above the said sleeve a hand nut 23 by which the rod may be rotated. The down- 7 wardly and rearwardly extending sleeve 9 has a second and rotatable sleeve member 25 threaded "onto its lower end through which the updraw rod 2| also passes and a spring 21 resting at its lower end on the lower end of the second sleeve member 25 encircles the updraw rod and bears "at its upper end against a collar fixed to the upthe rod and adjustably connected at its lower end with a bifurcated lever 3| freely mounted on a transversely extending shaft 33 and arranged to be recked by an eccentric 35 on the main shaft 3-? of the machine (which extends from left toright i.' e. transversely of the machine) in a manner hereinafter described. The connection between the biiurcated lever 3| and the eccentric 35 on the main shaft is such that although the cocentric can rock the bifurcated lever rearwardly positively a given amount to impart the desired updraw movement to the gripper, the bifurcated lever can be rocked still further by means hereinafter described to cause the gripper to rise to and be maintained in a higher inoperative position in spite of the action of the eccentric. For this purpose the eccentric strap: 39 of the said eccentric has a pair of parallel bores 4|, 43 extending rearwardly'in a boss 4-5 formed on it and in the bore 4| is secured a short rod 4'! which enters into a bore 39 in a socket 5| which is connected at its outer end by a pivot 53, to the bifurcated lever 3!. A second short rod 55 is threaded in the second bore 53 in the boss "65 and passes outwardly through a downwardly projecting lug 51 formed on the socket 5| which lug normally rests on a face of the boss 45. A spring 59 is located between a collar 6| on the outer end of the rod 55 and the lug 57 and urges the socket 5| towards the eccentric normally to maintain the lug 51 against the face on the boss 45. The adjustable connection between the said coupling member 29 and the bifurcated lever 3| comprises a transversely extending pin 63 extending through the lower end of the coupling member, the opposite ends of which pin extend through slots 65 in the bifurcated members of the bifurcated lever 3! which lie on opposite sides of the said coupling member. The said slots in the bifurcated member, although straight, are substantially tangential about the axis of the pin I! in the rear aforesaid, a ratchet and eccentric device is prolever in any position towhich it may have been adjusted along the said slots. This adjustable connection between the coupling member and'the bifurcated lever enables the extent of the gripper lifting stroke imparted to the updraw lever by the bifurcated lever, as the latter is rocked by its eccentric, to be varied by the operator to suit the varying abilities to stretch of the upper materials of different shoes.

A spring-pressed striker or abutment 68 (Figure 4) together with a threaded sleeve nut 69 for varyingthe compression of a. spring II- housed between a shoulder on the striker 68 and the lower end of the nut 69 are housed in an upwardly extending threaded sleeve 73 whichisthreaded into the forward end-of a gripper closing lever I5 and which may be rotated to adjust the heightwise position of'the lower. face of the striker' 68 with whichthe upper end of the jaw-closing rod or plunger 'i'i -is maintained incontact by springs I9. By varying the heightwise position of the strikerfifi, and therefore varying the heightwise position of thejaw-closi'ng plunger 17, the extent to which the gripper jaws are allowed to open when the striker rises and the extent to which they are closedwhen the striker descends may be varied to suit different thicknesses of'upper materials. The'jaw-closing' plunger 11 is connected to the gripper jaws their closing movements ina manner similar tothat described with reference to the lever referred to as I54 in the prior patent. A manually adjustable connection is provided 'in the present illustrative embodiment between the gripper closing lever 15 and the said cam-actuated lever 8'! "-to allow the gripper jaws to be opened by the operator at any time after they have been closed upon the work and this adjustable connection' is more compact and more easily operable than that described for the same purpose in Patent No. 1,966,47 9. In the present illustrative example the connection between the rear end of the gripper closing lever and the said cam-actuated lever comprises a toggle having two short links 89 and 9| (see Fig. 4) The upper end of the link 89 is pivotally connected to the rear end of the gripper closing lever and the lower end of the link 9| is pivotally connected to the forwardend of the carn actuated lever 81. A rearwardly extending spring as is connected to the link 9| and tends to straighten the toggle rearwardly. Co-operating shoulders 95, ill are'provided on the forward sides of the toggle links 89; SI and normally maintain the toggle links in straightened condition against the action of the said spring '93. 'The lower toggle link Ell has'a curved handle 99secured to it which extends upwardly and forwardly to a convenient position for the operator above the rear end of the gripperclosing lever.

By pulling the said handle forwardly the operator can break the toggle about its knuckle IOI in a forward direction thus pulling down the rear end of the gripping closing lever I5 and allowing the gripper jaws toopen'under the action of the springs '59 which maintain the jaw closing plunger H in engagement with the striker 6T.

In the machine disclosed'in Patent No. 1,966,479

side of the ratchet wheel I83. extending arm of the lever I07 has also secured vided for automatically lifting the gripper to and retain it in such an elevated position when sewing around the toe end of a shoe that the gripper cannot engage the upper materials around this portion. Thesaid ratchet and eccentric device also operates .to lower the gripper once more to operative position when the sewing around the toe end has been completed and is described in the said patent as being connected to the updraw lever III of the gripper to control the gripper in the manner just described by a rocking lever 220 and a slotted link ice of the application.

In the present illustrative embodiment a ratchet and cam device is substituted for the ratchet and eccentric device of the machine disclosed in'Patent No. 1,966,479 and this ratchet and cam device acts as hereinafter described upon the bifurcated lever 3I to which the rear end of the updraw rod 2| is connected torock the said bifurcated lever rearwardly, to raise the gripper to such an elevated position when working around the toe end of the shoe that the gripper is prevented from engaging or abutting against the, upper materials. The cam of the said ratchet and cam device also provides means whereby the gripper is, in the manner hereinafter described, prevented from coming into operative position to operate on a shoe at the commencement of the sewing operation until a predetermined number of stitches have been sewn .and may be lifted to an inoperative position just before the conclusion of the sewing operation.

The said ratchet and cam device comprises a ratchet wheel I03 secured to a rotatable and transversely extending shaft I mounted in fixed bearings below the level of the shaft 33 on which the bifurcatedlever 3! is mounted and slightly forwardly of the latter. A substantially horizontal and forwardly and rearwardly extending lever I0! is freely pivoted on the ratchet wheel shaft I 05 and is connected at its forward end to the lower end of an upwardly extending link I09 which is connected at its upper end by a pin III to the eccentric strap 39 which surrounds the eccentric 35 which rocks the bifurcated lever 3I to impart to thegripper its rising and falling movements. The lever ID! has secured to its forwardly extending arm a short pin I I3 which extends horizontally to the left and has freely pivoted on it an upwardly extending pawl H5 which is urged by a spring I I1 into engagementwith the teeth on the forward The rearwardly to it at its rear-endon a pin MS a downwardly extending pawl I2I which is urged forwardly by a curved leaf spring 123 into engagement with the teeth on the rear side of the ratchet wheel. The teeth on the said ratchet are so directed as shown in Figure 6 and the stroke of the lever IElI which carries the pawls is such that during the formation of each stitch made by the machine the ratchet wheel will, except when the pawls are cut out of action as hereinafter described, rotate in a clockwise direction looked at from the right of the -machine a distance equal to that between successive teeth on the wheel.

A third and somewhat narrower pawl l25 secured to a fixed part of the machine engages with the teeth on the ratchet wheel to prevent movement of the ratchet wheel in the reverse direction. The pawl I25 is mounted on an eccentric pin I21 which can be rotated to adjust the setting of the pawl heightwise of the ratchet wheel to enable the pawl to engage snugly behind the successive teeth on the ratchet wheel. The ratchet wheel has a cam disc Ill) I29 rigidly secured to it on its right hand side by a screw and slot connection (not shown) which allows the cam to be adjusted relatively to the ratchet wheel if necessary. This cam disc has formed upon its edge a relatively large hump I3I the greater portion of which extends around the cam concentrically with the axis of the shaft I05 through about eighty degrees and a relatively small hump I33 positioned'almost but not quite diametrically opposite the large hump and extending around the cam also concentrically with the axis of the shaft H15 through some thirteen degrees. The said ratchet wheel has secured to its left handface two small shrouding plates I35, I31 which are each of a width (considered around the periphery of the ratchet wheel) equal to the length of two of the teeth on the ratchet wheel and extend radially of the ratchet wheel with their outer edges lying on a level with the topsof the teeth on the ratchet wheel to shroud adjacent teeth from the action of the pawl H5. One of the said plates i. e. the plate.I35 lies opposite the rear end of the small hump 33 on the said cam (considered in the direction of rotation of the cam) and the other plate I31 lies about twenty eight degrees behind the plate I35 also considered in the direction of rotation of the cam. Each plate serves at .times and in the manner hereinafter indicated to prevent rotation of the ratchet wheel by the pawl H5. A small cam lever 39 is arranged to be actuated by the said cam disc I29 to raise the gripper to an inoperative position at the appropriate times and this cam lever is freely rotatable on the shaft'33 on which'the bifurcated lever Si is mounted. The small cam lever has a short forwardly extending arm which carries a cam roll I 4| at its end which rests upon the periphery of the cam disc I29. A short upwardly extending arm I43 of the said lever I39 has secured to it by a slot and bolt connection an arm I45 which is also freely mounted on the shaft 33 and has a stop-face I4! formed on it at its rear with which stop-face a stud M9 on the forward side of the bifurcated lever 31 comes into contact when the lever3I has been swung forwardly by its eccentric 35 as far forwardly as possible. The pawl I2I which is carried by the rear end of the lever IN is arranged 'to be maintained normally out of engagement with the ratchet wheel by a shielding plate I5I which lies between the pawl and the ratchet wheel and abuts against the pawl. The said shielding plate comprises a thin blade-like member which is secured at its upper end to a laterally extending boss projecting from the left hand side of a curved lever E53 which is freely pivoted on the shaft l The lever I53 is normally maintained in such a position that the shielding plate I5I maintains the pawl l2 I' out of contact with the ratchet wheel by a trip rod I which extends downwardly through an opening in the end of the lever I53 is coupled at its lower end to a bell crank lever which is arranged to be rocked about a transverse horizontal pivot by rearward movement of a knee-operated push rod. A rearward movement of this push rod causes the trip rod I55 to rock the curved lever I53 carrying the shielding plate 951 in a counter-clockwise direction looked at from the right of the machine and thus to lift the shielding plate from between the said pawl and the ratchet wheel. 1

The action of the ratchet and cam device will now be described. When the machine is at rest the cam roll I 4| on the small cam lever I 39 is resting upon the small hump I33 on the cam disc I29 near the rear end of the hump considered in the direction of its rotation, the pawl I I5 resting, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, out of contact with the ratchet teeth, on the outer edge of the small plate I31.

The fact that the cam roll MI is resting at this time on the small hump causes the stop face I4! at the upper end of the arm I45 to occupy a rearward position in moving to which it will have swung the bifurcated lever 3| further rearwardly than it could be moved by its eccentric 35 and thus will have moved the gripper to a position in which it is raised above the work sofar that it cannot, until it'has been allowed to descend, engage the upper of a shoe presented to the machine. The gripper jaws I3, I5 will also be closed at this time. The shielding plate I5I will at this time be maintaining the pawl I2I on the rear end of the lever IDI out of contact with the ratchet wheel, a spring I52 serving normally to swing the rear end or the lever I53 downwardly for this purpose until a boss I54 on its lower portion is arrested by contact with a fixed face I55 on the machine. Before the operator commences the inseam sewing operation on a shoe, assumed to be I of average size, presented to the machine he urges the knee-operated push rod aforementioned rearwardly and thus swings the lever I 53 against the action of the spring I52 to withdraw the shielding plate I5! upwardly thus allowing the pawl I 2I 'under the action of the spring I23 to move the ratchet wheel one step forwardly in a clockwise direction looked at from the right of the machine to carry the small shrouding plate I31, on which the other pawl Il5 carried by the lever I61 rests, upwardly away from beneath the said pawl to allow that pawl to become operative to rotate the ratchet wheel in a step by step manner. When the operator has pushed the knee-operated push rod rearwardly and thus withdrawn the shielding plate I5I to an inoperative position it is retained, in said position until the pawl I2I at the rear end of the lever It! has actually rotated the ratchet wheel one step, by a spring tooth I51 carried by the lever I53 on which the shielding plate I5! is carried, which spring tooth engages with the teeth on the ratchet wheel. As the ratchet wheel is rotated through one step after the shielding plate I5! has been-withdrawn upwardly, the lever I 53 which carries the shieldingplate and spring tooth I5! is caused to rock downwardly in company with the ratchet wheel (through the action of the spring I52) until the shielding plate is ready once more to abut against the pawl I2I, as the latter is moved upwardly to its initial position after having moved the'ratchet wheel through one step, to lift the said pawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheel.

Having urged the said knee-operated push rod rearwardly the operator presents a shoe to the machine with its toe end pointing towards the right'and the waist portion of the shoe near to the heel breast line opposite the needle I and after having positioned the channel guide I58 properly in the channel in the insole, then depresses the starting treadle of the machine. The inseam sewing operation then commences and proceeds along the waist of the shoe towards the toe end. When the machine shaft has started to rotate, lever I ll? which carries the pawls H5, I2I will be rocked upwardly and downwardly once in every machine cycle and, since the shielding plate I! will already have been withdrawn-upwardly to an inoperative position by the knee-operated push rod, the first rocking movement of the lever I31 which takes place; in a clockwise direction looked at from the right of the machine willcause the pawl I2 I at the rear end of the lever to rotate the ratchet wheel one step in clockwise direction looked at from the right. As this occurs, the knee-operated; push rod may be released and the shielding plate I5I once more descends to its operative position as above stated and separates the pawl I2I from the ratchet wheel as the lever' lfl1 swings upwardly once more. As also hereinbefore stated the movement of the ratchet wheel imparted to it by the pawl I 2i causes the shrouding-plate I31 on which'the pawl I I5 on the lever I01 rests, to move upwardly away from beneath the pawl H5 and therefore allows the said pawl operative position.

to ride into engagement with the ratchet teeth to rotate the ratchet wheel on further swinging movement of the said lever I01. The position, in

the stopping position of the machine, of the cam roll I 4! ,on the small hump I33 of the cam I29 is such-that, through the action of certain adjustable cam-roll controlling means hereinafter described, the roll will only have descended upon a lower;,concentric part of the cam when the machine has made apredetermined number (say three) of stitches and the heel portion of the shoe has been'moved by the channel guide I58 of the machine (which acts, as in the prior applicationreferred to, as a work feeding-member) away from the needle through a similar number of stitch lengths. As the cam roll MI descends from the small hump in the manner hereinafter described, the stopface I41, at the upper end of the upwardly extending arm I45 secured to the small cam lever I39 will move forwardly thus allowing the spring 59 which forms part of the connection between the eccentric strap 39 on the main shaft and the bifurcated lever 3| to which theupdraw'rocl 2| is, connected to urgethe bifurcated lever forwardly, to lower the gripper into Immediately this has o ecurred the gripper (the, laws I3 and I5 of which are continuously opened and closed when the machine is in operation even whenthegripper is in its raised inoperative position) commences to operate on the upstanding margin of the shoe upingas it does so towards the needle to assist the channel guide to feed the work through the machine'and to present the portion of the upper which it engagesstill in tensioned condition, to the needle to be sewn thereby to the insole lip. The gripper continues in operation operating prior to each stitch to pull a portion of theupper over the last in the manner described and the ratchet wheel continues to move in a stepwise manner at each cycle of the maclnne. whilethe sewing operation continues along theside of the shoe, towards the toe end thereof; When the end of the toe cap line on that-side of the shoe approaches the needle (or when, in the case of a shoe having no toe cap, the position onthe shoe where the end of the toe .cap line would lie ifthe shoewas a capped shoeapproaches the needle) the large hump I3 I on the cam comes beneath the cam roll I41 on the small cam lever l39 and once more rocksthe latter in a clockwise direc-- tion looked at fromthe right and once more causes the stop-faces I41 at the upper end of the arm- I45 to rock the bifurcated lever 3| rearwardly against the action of the spring 59 and thereby to-raise the gripper once more to its inoperative position. The sewing operation around the toe end of the shoe thereafter continues, while the cam roll I rides along the concentric portion ofthe large hump I3I, the gripper being prevented from coming into contact with the work. As-the sewing around the toe end progresses the tratchet wheel I03 continues to move ina stepwise manner until after about fifteen or sixteen stitches have beenmade (when the stitching will have been carried out around the extreme toe end and is approaching'the toe cap line on the opposite side of the shoe) the cam roll I 4| starts to fall slowly along a gently sloping side of the large cam hump I 3| towards a concentric portion thereof of smaller radius. As the cam roll rides down the said face during the formation of successive stitches, near the tip line, the gripper is allowed (by the forward movement of the stop face I41) gradually to come into operation until, when the toe cap line position on the secondside of the shoe has just been passed, the gripper is once more fully in operation imparting its heightwise and inwardly directed pulls to the upper margin. The sewing continues along this side of the shoe towards the :heelbreast line and the ratchet wheel I03 andcam I29 continue to rotate in a stepwise manner until about when the ball of the shoe (the term ball being herein used as meaning that region on eitherside of a shoe where the forepart merges into the waist) is reached the shrouding plate I35 on the ratchet wheel which lies opposite the rear end of the small hump I 33 on the cam I29 (considered in the direction of rotationof the latter) comes beneath the pawl I I5 onthe lever I01 and, since the pawl I2I on the rearwardlyextending arm of the said lever is maintained out of engagement with the ratchet teeth at this time by its shielding plate I51, no further rotation of the ratchet wheel and cam takes places for the time being. The cam roll I4l on the small cam lever. I39 lies, when the rotation ofthecam ceases, close .to the forward side of the small hump I33 on the cam and is ready, when the cam once more starts to rotate, to ride up the small cam hump and raise the gripper once more to its inoperative position. The sewing along the second side of the shoe continues towards the heel breast line and when the sewing has proceeded to within about a predetermined number of stitch lengths from the point near the heel breast line where the sewing is to finish, the operator urges the knee operated push rod rearwardly once more and thus withdraws the shielding plate I5I upwardly to allow the pawl I2! to engage the ratchet wheel. When this has been effected the next rotation of the eccentric 35 causes the ratchet wheel to rotate one step and thus to cause the small cam hump I33 to ride somewhat beneath the cam roll I4I on the small cam lever I39 and also thus to cause the gripper to be lifted once more somewhat towards its inoperative position while the sewing operation continues. The cam roll rides along the said hump and the gripper will be completely raised to.its inoperative position as-the ratchet wheel makes a further step and remains raised while as the ratchetwheel makes three still further steps (and the machine therefore makes three still furtherstitches) and at the end of this time, while the cam roll is; still resting on the small cam hump and the gripper is still raised in its inoperative position the shrouding plate I31 on the ratchet disc which is spaced rearwardly away from the small hump on the cam (considered in the direction ofrotation of the dam) will have lifted the pawl H on the lever I01 out of engagement with the ratchet teeth and the ratchet wheel and cam therefore come to rest. Ifthe sewing operation on the shoe has not concluded by this time it is continued while the gripper remains inoperative and the machine comes to rest with the gripper still raised in its inoperative position and its jaws closed. Thus, as hereinbefore described, the machine is provided with means 4 controlled by the operator whereby the gripper is delayed from coming into operation to last a shoe until several stitches have first been sewn, is lifted out of operation while sewing around the toe end and may be lifted out of operation at an appropriate time before thesewing operation on the shoe is concluded. r

If the operator should desire for any reason to use the machine purely as an inseam sewing machine (for example if he desires to sew the inseam of a shoe which has been completely lasted prior to its being presented to the machine) without allowing the gripper to exercise any lasting action on the shoe he can do so by omitting'to urge the knee operated push rod rearwardly and thereby we putting the ratchet driving means into operation.

The adjustable means aforesaid for controlling the time at which the cam roll I4I on the small cam lever I39 descends from the small hump I33 on the cam after commencing to sew a shoe comprises a depending latch arm I59 which is freely pivoted at its upper end ona horizontal pivot pin I3I which extends in a direction from left to right of the machine. Just-above its lower end the latch arm is provided on'its forward side with a forwardly projecting-shoulder I63 which is arranged, when the gripper is in its inoperative position, to engage the underside of a pin I65,

' of square section, which is formed as'an extension of the pin on which the cam roll MI of the small cam lever I39is mounted." Thus the said latch arm prevents the cam roll from descending along the sloping side of the small hump to allow the' gripper to come intooperation until the latch arm has been's'wung away out of engagement with the pivot pin for the cam roll.

The said latch arm is spaced a short distance away from the right hand face of the cam and is provided along its lower end with a straight slot I61 which is tangential about the pivot pin I9I on' which the arm is mounted. A horizontal pin I69 which'extends through theslot I61 to a the pin I69 and the said pins I13, I15 are of such length that they come into contact, in turn, as the cam rotates with the forward face of the pin I69 and act to rock the latching arm rearwardlyof the machine to release it fromengagement'with the pivot pin I65 for the cam roll I4! on the small cam lever I39. The-two pins I13, I15 on the cam are arranged diametrically opposite each other, the one I13 being arranged somewhat rearward (considered in the direction of rotation of the cam) of the rear end of the small hump I33 on the cam and the other I15 being arranged somewhat forwardly of the rear end of the concentric face on the large hump I3I on the cam.

The pins I13, I15 on the cam I29 co-operate with the pin I89 on the lower end of the latch arm in a manner now to be described. When the machine is in its position of rest the shoulder I 63 on the latch arm I59 will lie beneath, and in engagement with, the pin I95 of the cam roll I4I on the small cam lever I39 and the cam roll will, as hereinbefore stated, he on the small cam hump I33 near to its rear end considered in the direction of rotation of the cam. Assuming the pin IE9 at the lower end of the latch arm to be secured in position at the forward end of the slot I61 (as shown in Figure 5) in the latch arm and the knee-operated push rod to have been urged rearwardly before the starting treadle of the machine is tripped, the ratchet wheel will start to rotatein a stepwise manner as previously described immediately the sewing operation commences and the pin I13 which is secured to the cam just rearward of the small cam hump (considered in the direction of rotation of the cam) will abut against the forward face of the pin I69 which is secured to the latch arm immediately the rotation of the ratchet and cam commences. After the ratchet wheel and cam have made three stepwise movements in the manner described the latch arm will have been rocked so far rearwardly by the pin I13 on the cam that it will release the cam roll I4! on the small cam lever I39 and the latter will therefore be swung downwardly by the spring 59 (the small cam hump I33 on the'cam having already passed away from under the roll) to allow the gripper to descend into operative position to commence its lasting operations on the shoe. On continued rotation of the cam I29 the pin I13 which abuts against the pin I69 on the latch arm will have swung the latter so far rearwardly and upwardly that it can ride beneath the pin I69 on the latch arm I59 out of contact with it thus allowing the latch arm to be swung forwardly and downwardly by a coil spring I11 ready for its shoulder I83 to engage beneath the pivot pin of the cam roll MI when the cam roll has once more been lifted sufficiently far by the cam I29. This will occur when the large hump I3I on the cam comes beneath the roll to lift the gripper to its inoperative position as the sewing around the toe end of the shoe commences but the second pin I15 on the cam I29 will engage the pin I99 on the latch arm before the sewing around the toe end is completed and will rock the latch arm rearwardly once more to release the cam roll and allow it to ride gently down the rear face of the large hump (considered in the direction of rotation of the cam) without any restraining influence being exercised on the cam roll by the latch arm at this time. By adjusting the pin I69 carried by the latch arm rearwardly along its slot I61 the time at which the latch arm will be rocked rearwardly awayfr'om engagement with the cam roll I4I just after the sewing operation on a shoe has commenced to lower the gripper to operative position, can be delayed to enable a greater number of stitches (for example any number up to nine) to be made along the waist of a shoe while the gripper is maintained out of operation. This possibility is found to be of considerable advantage when operating for example on shoes having heel end counters which extend further forward- 1y along the waist towards the toe end than usual i ing operation has been completed and the maas it is desirable, in order to avoid the possibility of the gripper disturbing the position of the counter in the shoe, that the gripper should be delayed from coming into action until the sewing has progressed to a point toewardly of the the gripper can be lifted out of operation before the sewing operation is concluded on 'a shoe. As however the operator can very clearly see the progress of the operation of the-machine as it continues along the second side of the waist towards the heel breast line and can by operat ing the knee-operated push rod at any time while sewing along the second side of the waist, en-

sure that the 'gripper will'be raisedto its inoperative position after a further two stitches beyond, the point where the 'rod is actuated have been made, he is well able to cause the gripper,

to rise to itsinoperative position at any desired period before the sewing operation reaches the heel breast line. A friction banddevice not shown is provided continuallyto gripthe shaft I05 of the ratchet wheel and cam to prevent the ratchet wheel and cam from being rotated, by the action of the cam roll as it rides down the rear end face of the large cam hump faster than its driving means operate it.

It occasionally happens when the inseam sewing operation on a shoe is being carried out by machine that the thread-breaks before the sewchine shaft makes several further revolutions before its'movement can be stopped. As described above the ratchet wheel and cam device of the illustrative machine is moved one step forward for each operation of the machine until the machine has sewn to about the ball on the second side of the shoe and therefore if, during the sewing up to this part of a shoeby the illustrative machine, the thread breaks for example while the sewing is proceeding along the first side of the shoe towards the tip line and the machine shaft makes several further rotations before it can be brought to rest, the ratchet wheel and cam device will by that time have made several further steps forward beyond the position it occupied at the instant when the thread broke. Therefore when the, shoe is once more presented to the machine for the sewing to recommence at thepoint in the shoe where the last complete stitch was made the position of the large hump l3l on the cam will havebeen disturbed with regard to its relation'to the progress of thesewing operation, and unless corrected, would in the particular case last referred to act to lift the gripper to its inoperative position at an incorrect time (i. e. earlier than it should) during the sewing operation. In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention means is provided whereby the operator can readily reposition the ratchet wheel and cam device to its correct relation to the progress of the sewing operation if the thread in the machine has broken and the sewing operation is to be restarted on any portion of the shoe. The said means comprises a chart; in the form of a. rotary disc I19 (see Figures 1 and 3) on which is outlined a pattern of a shoe bottom. The'said disc is positioned in clear view of the operator to the right hand side of the machine and is fixed to the forward end of a horizontal forwardly and rearwardly extending shaft I St which is mounted in fixed bearings in a bracket secured to the right hand side of the imachine frame. The rearend of this shaft is coupled by bevel gears (not shownl to the transversely extending shaft 105 onwhich the ratchet wheel m3 is secured so that the disc rotates once in a counter clockwise'direction looked at from the front of the machine for every rotation of the ratchet wheel. The outline of the pattern of the shoe bottom is so positioned on the disc that it lies horizontally across the disc with the toe end pointing towards the right when the machine is inoperative ready for a shoe to be offered to it.

In Figures 1 and 3 the machine is shown in a stitches have been made after the commence ment of the sewing operation. A line I83 on the said disc runs from a'point in the waist of the pattern close to the position where the .heel breast line would lie (and corresponding to the positio'n'on the shoe atwhich the sewing would commence) to the periphery of the disc at the left hand side of the latter when the machine is inoperative ready'for a shoe to be presented to .it and a fixed indicating pointer I85 lies opposite the periphery of the disc. Thirty-two other lines are drawn as seen in Figure 3 from points spaced apart around the pattern forwardly of the heel breast line to points spaced equally apart around the periphery. of the disc which latter points lie in turn opposite the said-pointer I85 when the sewing is being carried out on-parts of the shoe corresponding to those on the pattern from which the lines are respectively drawn. Thus, for example, when the sewing hasproceeded say'to a point on the shoe close to the ball, the disc will have been rotated by the ratchet wheel shaft so far that a line IS! on the disc leading to the periphery of the disc from the corresponding point close to the ball on the pattern lies opposite the pointer I85 and when the sewing operation has reached the extreme toe end of the shoe a line I89 leading from the ex treme toe end of the pattern to the periphery of the disc will lie opposite the pointer I 85. If therefore the thread in the machine should break when the sewing has, for example, reached the extreme toe end of the shoe and the machine has run on somewhat further before it is brought to rest, the operator can, by rotating a hand wheel [9| secured to the right hand end of the shaft I05 on which the ratchet wheel is secured after the machine has come to rest, rotate the ratchet wheel and cam through almost a complete revolution in the direction in which the ratchet wheel is normally rotated until the line [89 leading from the toe end of the pattern to the periphery of the disc lies once more opposite.

until the operator pushes rearwardly the knee operated push rod just before the sewing operation finishes and therefore no lines are drawn on the said disc leading from points between the ball of the shoe and a position somewhat forward of theheel breast line on that side of the pattern which represents the side last to be sewn in the shoe. 7 1

Since the ratchet wheel Hi3 aforesaid is rotated one step for each rotation of the machine shaft and the cam 129 which is'secured to the ratchet wheel and the chart-disc H9 are also therefore rotated one step for each rotation of the machine shaft it might seemnecessary that the ratchet wheel should have a number of teeth which is determined in accordance with the number of stitches to be sewn around the particular shoe to be operated upon and that the exact locations of the humps It i E33 on the cam I29 should be determined by the number of teeth on the ratchet wheel. i V

In the use of the illustrative machine however it is found that, since the work feeding instrumentalities of the machine comprise only the channel guide I58 whichengages the work in a non-positive manner and the gripper I which engages only the upper materials extending freely from the margin of the shoe bottom, the distance the work is fed between successive stitches (and therefore the number of stitches made around a shoe) may be determined largely by the feeding effort exerted on the work by the operator. It is consequently found that in practice when using the illustrative machine the number of stitches made around a shoe of average size, at least along the sides therech as a rule differs but'slightly from that made when working on a larger shoe and therefore a ratchet wheel having a given number of teeth and a cam on which the humps are disposed at predetermined distances apart may be used to operate with substantially equal efficiency on a relatively wide range of shoes. The same consideration applies in the case of the chart disc.

In the machine described in Patent No. 1,966,479 a swinging finger referred to as Flt is provided for urging a portion of the upper inwardly over the margin of the insole before the gripper seizes the said portion to tension it heightwise of the last and over the margin of the insole. In the present illustrative embodiment however instead of making use of such a finger there is provided for a similar purpose on the forward end of the usual welt guide 983 a forwardly projecting rib 494 which extends substantially horizontally across the welt guide and is turned downwardly somewhat at its forward end. The weltguide, as

is usual in machines of the type disclosed in the before mentioned patent to Eppler, No. 1,108,560, is advanced forwardly to press against the work near the edge of the insole just before the needle makes its work-penetrating stroke and the said rib on its forward end serves, as the welt guide advances, to urge the portion of the upper which v is held under tension by the gripper at that time inwardly over the edge of the insole and downwardly towards the margin of the insole and towardsthe angle between the root of the insole lip and the body of the insole thus exercising an additional lasting effect on the upper and assisting the gripper in holding the upper in the best position for th sewing operation.

In the gripper arrangement disclosed in Patent No. 1,966,479 the position of the gripper jaws forwardly and rearwardly of the machine may be adjusted by rotation of a threaded sleeve I25 of said application which forms a support for the lower end of the gripper and ismounted on a forwardly and rearwardly extending stud H22 the gripper receives its upward and downward movements. In the present illustrative embodiment the arrangement for supporting the lower end of the gripper is somewhat diiferent from that described in the prior specification last mentioned. In the present illustrative embodiment the gripper is embraced at its lower end by a fork l which extends rearwardly and upwardly and is connected at its forward end to the gripper by the pin 83 which forms the pivotpin on which the movable gripper jaw 55 moves towards and away from the fixed gripper jaw. The fork has a cylindrical stem I91 extending rearwardlyfrom it which passes through a sleeve member its, a shoulder on the forward end of the stern and nut 29! on its rear end serving to hold the stem against endwise movement in the sleeve member. The said sleeve member is pivotally mounted, above the stem, on a short shaft 203 which reciprocates with the feed slide 205 of the machine and extends from left to right of the machine and the sleeve member Hi9 moves with the said shaft 283 in its reciprocations'to impart the work feeding movements to the gripper. The sleeve and stem can therefore rock upwardly and'downwardly about the short shaft 203 in'accordance with the rising and falling movements of the gripper. The said short shaft 293 can be rotated by a hand piece 201 at its right hand end and the portion of the shaft on which the sleeve member I99 is mounted is formed eccentrically of the axis of the shaft so that by rotating the shaft the lower end of the gripper can readily be adjusted forwardly and rearwardly of the machine to suit the special conditions called for by shoes of different kinds.- A friction device not shown may be provided to maintain the short shaft in any angular position to which it may have been adjusted.

Having thus described an embodiment of the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A shoe machine having in combination, mechanism for progressively securing successive portions of a shoe upper and a sole together, an upper tensioning gripper acting in time with the securing mechanism to seize successive portions of the shoe upper preparatory to each securing operation and means driven by the securing mechanism to prevent the grip-per from seizing the upper during a predetermined number of successive operations of the securing mechanism adjacent the heel end of shoe and to cause the gripper to be rendered operative along other portions of the shoe. a

' 2. A shoe machine having in combination, mechanism for progressively securing successive portions of a shoe upper and a sole together, an upper tensiom'ng gripper acting in time with the securing mechanism to seize successive portions of the shoe upper preparatory to each securing operation and means driven by the securing mechanism to prevent the gripper from seizing the upper during the first operations of the securing mechanism on a new shoe and to cause the gripper to be rendered operative during other operations thereafter.

3. A shoe machine having in combination, mechanism for progressively seeming successive portions of a shoe upper and a sole together, an uppertensioning gripper acting in time with the securing mechanism to seize successive portions of the shoe upper preparatory to each securing operation and means driven by the securing mechanism to cause the gripper to be rendered operative along certain portions of the shoe and by step. manner by the sewing mechanismj'a .cam connectedlto be driven by the ratchet wheel, means operated by the cam for causing the upper, tensioning means to be held in inoperative to be prevented from seizing the upper during the final operations of the. securing'mechanism on the shoe. 7 i,

4. A shoe machine having in combination,

mechanism for progressively securing successive portions of a shoe upper and a sole together, an upper tensioning gripper acting in time with the securing mechanism to seize successive portions of the shoe upperpreparato ry to each securing operation and means driven by the securing mechanism to prevent the gripper from seizing the upper during the first and final operations of the securing mechanism on a shoe and to render the gripper operative during operations of the securing mechanismbetween the times when the gripper is inoperative. I r

5. A shoe lasting and sewmg machine having in combination, upper tensioning means, sewing mechanismfor securing a'shoe upper and a sole together, means driven by the sewing mechanism for causing the upper tensioning means to be held in inoperative position for a predetermined number of operations as anew seam is started and a manually operated member for causing the upper tensioning means to be held in inoperative position for an indefinite number of operations 'of the sewingmechanismf 6. A shoe lasting and sewing machine having, in combinationjupper tensioning means, sewing mechanism for securing a shoe upper and a sole together, a ratchet. wheel driven in a step by step manner by the sewing mechanism, a cam connected to be driven by theratchet wheel and means operated by the cam for preventing the upper tensioning means from operating as the sewingm chanism starts a new seam 'fand for causing the uppertensio'ning means to be rendered operative after a predetermined number of operations of the machine from the beginning of the seam; c

7. A shoe lasting and sewing machine having in combination, upper tensioning means, sewing mechanism for securing a shoe upper anda sole together, a ratchet wheel driven ina step by step manner by the sewing mechanism, a camconnectedto be driven by the ratchet wheel, means operated by the cam for causing the upper-tensioning means to be held in inoperative position for a predetermined number of steps of-the ratchet wheel as the sewing mechanism starts a new seam, and a manually operated member for preventing rotation of the ratchet wheel for an indefinite number of operations of the sewing mechanism. I

8. A shoe lasting and sewing machine having in combination, upper tensioning means, sewing means operated bythe cam for causing the upper tensioning means to be held in inoperative position for a predetermined number of steps of ,the ratchet wheel as the sewing mechanism cornpletes a seam on a shoe, means for stopping rotation of the ratchet wheel for an indefinite number of operations of the sewing mechanismbefore the upper tensioning means is held inoperative and a manually operated member for causing the ratchet wheel to continue its rotation after being stopped.

9. A shoe lasting and sewing machine having in combination, upper tensioning means, sew-,- ing mechanism for securing a shoe upper and a soletogether, a ratchet wheel driven in a step position for a'predetermined number of steps of theratchet wheel as the sewing mechanism starts anew seam and before the seamis completed,

means for holding the ratchet wheel against rotation for an indefinite number of operations of the sewing mechanism as the machine is started and for stopping rotation of the ratchet wheel before the upper tensioning means is held inoperative and a manually operated member for causing the ratchet wheel to start rotating at the beginning of a seam and to resume its rotation after being stopped by the stopping means. 10. A shoelasting and sewing machine having in combination, upper tensioning means,sew-'-, ingmechanism for securing a shoe upper and a sole together, a ratchet wheel driven in a step by step manner by the sewing mechanism, a cam connected to be driven by the ratchet wheel, means 'operatedby the cam for'retaining the upper tensioning means in inoperative position for a predetermined number of steps of the ratchet. wheel as the sewing mechanism starts a new seam and before the seamis completed, a latch for holding the retaining means .to prevent operation of the upper tensionin'gmeans and means actuated by the ratchet wheel for releasingthe retaining means from the latch to permit the upper tensioning means to operate when the cam has continued its rotation.

11. A shoe lasting and sewing machine having in combination, upper tensioning means, sewing mechanism for securing a shoe upper and a sole together, a ratchet wheel .driven in.a step by step manner by the sewing mechanism, acam connected to be driven by the'ratchet wheel, means operated by the cam for retaining the upper tensioning means ininoperative position for a predetermined number of steps of the ratchet wheel. as the sewing mechanism starts anew seam and before the seam is'completed, a latch for holding the retaining means to prevent operation of the upper tensioning means, means actuated by the ratchet wheel for releasing theretaining means from the latch to permit the upper tensioning means to operate when the cam has continued its rotation, and an adjustable device actuated bythe ratchet wheel for changing the number of operations of the sewing mechanism in which the upper tensioning means is retained in inoperative position at the beginning of anew seam. I i

12. A shoe lasting and sewing machine hav ing incombination, upper tensidningmeans'seW- ing'me'chanism forsecuring a shoe upper and a sole together, a ratchetwheeldriven in a step by stepmanner by the sewing mechanism, a earn-connected tobe driven by the ratchet wheel, means operat'ed by the cam for retaining the upper tensioning means ininoperative position for a predetermined number of steps of the ratchet wheel as the sewing mechanism starts a new seam and before the seam is completed, a latch for holding the retaining means to prevent operation of the upper tensioning means, means actuated by the ratchet wheel for releasing the retaining means from the latch to permit the upper tensioning means to operate when the cam has continued its rotation, an adjustable device actuated by the ratchet wheel for changing the number of operations of the sewing mech-,

:tzu'ned in'inoperatiye position at the beginning of a new seam, means for stopping rotation of the ratchet wheel for an indefinite number of operastions of the sewing mechanism before the upper tensioning meansis held inoperative and a man nally operated member for causing the ratchet wheel to :resume its rotation after being stopped. e 513. :A'shoe lasting andisewing machine having in -"combination, mechanism for progressively securing successive portions of a shoe'upper and a sole together, an upper tensioning gripper :acting in time with the securing mechanism to seize successive portions "of the shoe upper preparatory to each securing operation, cam operated means for preventing the gripper from seizing the upper-during several of the first and final operations of the securing mechanism on a shoe, connections for causing the cam to be rotated by .the securing mechanism and for stopping further rotation of the cam .at the, end of a seam both before and after said operations of the securing mechanism in which the tensioning gripper is prevented from seizing the upper and a manually operated member for. causing said connections'to' be effective in rotating the cam at the beginning of operations on a shoe and after the cam has been stopped before the end of the. operations.

14. A shoe lastingand sewing machine having in combination, mechanism for progressively securing. successive portions of a shoe upper and a sole together, an upper tensioning gripper actingin time with the securing mechanism to seize successive portionsof the shoe upperpreparatory tov each securing operation, cam operated means fortpreventing the gripper from seizing the upper during certain of the operations of the securing mechanism and; means operated withjthe cam. for indicating tothe operator the position in .which' the shoe should be presented to the securing'mechanism at all times during operatiorrof the machine.

15. A shoe machine having in combination, mechanism for. progressively securingportions of.-a; shoe uppervand a, sole, together, an upper tensioning gripper actinginytime with the securing. mechanism to seizesuccessive pportionsiof the shoe upper preparatory toeach securing operation, levers foractuating thegripper, to open and close in seizingthe upper, connection between the levers comprising a pair of, alined toggle links andia handle for, moving the toggle links into and out of alignmentt prevent atwill the gripper lfrom seizingthe shoe upper.

' 16. A, shoe machines-havingv in combination, sewing mechanism for progressively; securing suecessiveportionsfof; a shoe upper anda sole together, an upper; tensioning gripper acting in timewith, the sewing mechanism to seizesuc cessive portions of the shoe upper preparatory to each :sewing operation, means actuated bya predetermined number of operations of the sewing mechanism to prevent the gripper from seizing the upper while sewing about the toe of the i'2,0O 2,'1 -3B :shoe and a manually operated member for causing the upper tensioning gripper to be prevented from seizing the upper at the beginning and end portions of a seam. 7

1'7. A shoe machine having in combination, sewing mechanism for progressively securing successive portions of a shoe upper and-a sole together, an upper tensioning gripper acting in time with the sewing mechanism to seize successive portions of the shoe upper preparatory to eachsewing operation, and means actuated after a predetermined number 0f operations of the sewing mechanism to prevent the gripper from seizing the upper While sewing about the toe portion of thelshoe and along the beginning and end portions of the seam.

18. A shoe machine having in combination, sewing mechanism for progressively securing successive portions of a. shoe upper and a sole together, an upper tensioning gripper acting in time with the sewing mechanism to seize successive portions of the shoe upper preparatory to each sewing operation, means automatically actuated by a predetermined number of operations of the sewing mechanism to prevent the gripper from seizing the upper while sewing about the toe of the shoe, a manually operated member for causing the upper tensioning gripper to be prevented from seizing the upper at the beginning' and end portions of a seam and means for visibly indicating to the operator at all times the number of operations of the sewing mechanism remaining before the gripper is automatically prevented from operating at the toe portion of the shoe.

1 9. A shoe lasting and sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices for progressively sewing successive portions of 'a shoe upper and sole together, an upper tensioning gripper acting in time with the stitch-forming devices and during a portion only of the operation of sewing a shoe, and means for indicating to the operator the proper relative position in which the shoe should be presented to the stitch forming devices at alltimes during the sewing of a shoe. 7 r

20. A shoe lasting and sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices for progressively sewing successive portions of a shoe upper and sole together, an upper tensioning gripper acting in time with the stitch forming devices and during a portiononly of the operation of sewing a shoe, a dial having an-outline of a shoe, a pointer cooperating therewith to indicate tothe'operator by the point on the outhne designated by, the pointer the proper relative position in which the shoe should be prcsented to the stitch forming devices at all times during the sewing of a shoe, and means for actuating the dial.

ARTHUR BATES. FRANK COLEMAN CHOICE.