US2197208A - Method of shaping a shoe upper - Google Patents

Description

April 16, 1940. DODGE 2,197,208

METHOD OF SHAPING l} SHOE UPPER Filed April 11, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 16, 1940. M L, DODGE 2,197,208

METHOD OF SHAPING A SHOE UPPER Filed April 11, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I April 1940- M. L. DODGE 2,197,208

ETHOD OF SBA PING A SHOE UPPER Filed April 11, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 M. L. DODGE METHOD OF simme A saos UPPER April 16, 1940.

Filed April 11, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 1 1940 UNITED sTA Es PATENT-OFFICE I 2,197,208 I I P,

METHOD or SHAPING AsnoE UPPER Milton L. Dodge, Newburt'l' ort, Mass. Application April 11,. 1932, senainmcor 'ss 11 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of shaping portions of ashoe upper, so that the finished shoe will present a more attractive appearance and will be better adapted to fit the foot of the wearer, and relates to the shoe so treated. The-invention is more particularly related to the shaping of the top portions of the shoe upper which are adjacent to the rim of. the opening of the upper through which the foot ofthe wearer is received. It is customary to finish shoes by a treeing operation during which the exterior surface of the upper is ironed by means of heated smoothing tools of Suitable shapes, the heat of the treei-ng tools shrinking and smoothing the leather of the upper.

{Q As the outer and its lining are originally shaped together on the last without allowance for subsequent shrinking of either of these elements, the result of this shrinking of the outeris to leave the lining relatively larger so that there is a tendency for the rim portions of the upper about the opening; of the shoe to curl outwardly and show the upper edge of the lining, While it has been attempted to trim the-edge of the lining inwardly from the edge of I the outer, even when this has been done, the amount to which the outer projects beyond the lining in most womens shoes is so small that the-outer and lining are substantially co-terminous and-an undesirable showing of the lining edge in the completed shoe is stillpresent. In the case ofmens shoes and in some types of womens shoes, particularly where heavy member over which theportion of a shoe adjacent stock is used, or where the top-stitching is placed away from the edge, the lining margin, while it may be below the upper margin, isstill so apparent to the eye in the absence of the treatment in accordance with this invention, that it detracts from the appearance of theshoe. Removal of the shoe from the treeing form,moreover, tends to. spread the sides of the opening apart, particularly' at the forward ends, andto leave these side edges crooked. vThese efiectsare undesirable as they detract from the appearance of the shoe and also prevent a close hugging fit of the rim of the opening to the foot. According to the presentinvention, I overcome these difficulties, by so treating thelshoe upper as to straighten the sides of,

the rim, and to curve them inwardly, and, preferably, while shrinking and thinning the lining edge and extending the margin of the outer therebeyond. This may be done by providing'a form to theopening may be placed and presser memhere to press the rim portions of theshoe against thisforminsucha manner as to turn or curl the lateral rim ,portions of. thetshoe upper ..inwardly.

The effectiveness of this operationforits intended purpose ma be increased by heating the form, heat of the form acting to shrink a substantial portion of the adjacent lining so as to reduce the area of the lining relatively to the upper. The member over which the shoe is placed preferably made of such a shape as-to permit the removal of the shoe after the pressing operation with minimum distortion at the opening. 'As:.a result, the lateral rim portions of the upper adi'ae cent to the opening of the shoe are set withanin ward curve. resisting outward turning so that the shoe presents a neat and trim appearance of, par,-

ticular value for displaying ina store and the rim improved. Beside the treeing operation any of such operations as removing the last, cleaning the lining, or inserting a sock lining are sufficient to distort the upper of apu-mp or the like and to i make subsequent treating of the shoe in. accordance with this invention highly desirable. The outer is commonly finished oil at its top margin by acording or p ping or a folding of the outer leather itself, and the term outer, as used herein, is intended to include any such edge finishing whether integral with or aseparate piece from but secured to the main body of the outer; 1 v The apparatus-shown is not claimed herein' but forms subject matter of my application-for patent Serial No. 690,853, filed September 25, 1933, for Apparatus for treatingshoe uppers, which is a continuation in part of this application.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the description ,5

thereof which follows, and to the drawings, of V which- I i Figure l is an elevation of. mechanism embody! ing the inventioma portion being broken away to show inner parts in section. 'i v .Figure 2 is a plan view of the same. I .Ffgure 3 is a section on the line 3,--.3 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is an elevation of .one ofthe shaping units.

,Figurefi is .aperspective view of a pumpbefore treatmentracoording-to the invention.

Figure 6 is a pump after such treatment. Figure 7 is a section of a pump and the shaping tools taken on the line 1-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a similar section on the line 88 of Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary portion of Figure 7 showing a slightly modified form of the invention.

Figures 10 and 11 are fragmentary sections similar to Figure 9, but showing successive positions of the parts in performing the desired operation on a shoe. 1

As shown in Figure 1, the apparatus may include a suitable standard 26 supported by legs 2|. Rot-atably mounted on the top of the standard 20 is a table 22 which may ride on ball bearings 23. The table may be provided with a downwardly projecting flange 24 to keep it centered on the standard 2ll.- Rising from the top of the table is a circular series of support brackets 25 which may be in the form of goosenecks as shown. At the free end of each gooseneck25 is mounted a suitable member 30 adapted to receive a shoe for shaping. As indicated in Figures 1 and 2, the member 38 is preferably shaped to fit loosely within the portion of the shoe or pump adjacent to the opening, this resulting in a maximum width of the member near the forepart thereof, the member having its sides straight lengthwise substantially from'end to end and tapering in Width toward the rear part so as to fit within the heel portion of the shoe near the opening thereof. The shape of the member 3!) is such as to facilitate the removal of a treated shoe therefrom with distortion of the rim of the upper about the opening. As shown in Figure 4, the side faces of the member 38 are inwardly curved and merge with a substantially fiat face at the top as at 3|.

Cooperating with the member 30 are a pair of presser elements 32, these elements each having a longitudinally straight laterally concave face 33 approximately complemental in shape to the adjacent side face of the member 30, so that when an element 32 is pressed toward the side of the member 33, there is an approximate fit between the mutually opposing'faces. Thus the upper portion 34 of each element 32 projects so as to fit over a curved edge 3i of the adjacent member 30. Each pair of presser elements 32 may be provided with suitable operating means. As shown, the presser elements 32' are each carried at the upper end of a rocking lever 40 which is pivotally mounted as at 4'! on the table 22. Each lever 40 has a lower portion 42 projecting downwardly below the table 22. The lower end of each lever 40 is pivotally attached as at 43 to a toggle link 44, the links of each pair of levers being pivotally joined together at a toggle joint 45. A pair of springs 46 may be provided to press the levers 4D in such a way as to tend to collapse the toggle. From this joint an operating rod or bar 41 extends downward through an aperture in an ear 48 which projects outwardly from the flange 24 of the table. Below the ear 48 an adjustable collar 49 is fixed on the rod 41 to limit the upward movement of the rod and consequently the separating movement of the presser elements 32.

v At the lower end of the rod M is a block 50, preferably of cylindrical shape. This block is adapted to enter a yoke 5| as the table 22 is manually rotated. The yoke 51 as shown in Figure 1 may consistof a U-shaped member, the upper ends of the U extending inwardly toward each other as at 52. Between the opposing ends of the inward extensions 52 is a slot 53 wideenough to receive a rod 41 but narrower than the diameter of the block 50. The spacing between the arms of the yoke is, however, ample to receive any of the blocks 50, as shown. A ball detent 54 carried by the flange 24 (see Figure 1) engageable in any of a plurality of depressions 55 in the standard 2|) may be employed to yieldingly retain the table in position to cause the yoke 5| to properly cooperate with one of the blocks 50. A shank 60 projects downwardly from the yoke 5| and is attached through a suitable link 61 to a treadle lever 62 pivoted to the'standard 20 as .at 63, a spring 64 being provided to hold the treadle lever 62, and hence the yoke 5|, in its uppermost position. This uppermost position is adjustably determined by the position of a collar 65adjustably secured to the shank 60, this collar abutting against a fixed lever 66 projecting outwardly from the standard 20 and provided with a suitable opening through which the shank 60 passes. The operator in using the apparatus thus far described stands to the left of the apparatus as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. He rotates the table 22 manually until a block 50 enters the yoke 5| whereupon one of the goosenecks 25 is then directly in front of the operator ready to receive a shoe to be shaped. The operator places a shoe upon the member 30 and then depresses the treadle 62. This actuates the corresponding toggle from the position shown in full lines in Figure 4 to the position shown in dotted lines, closing the elements 32 against the shoe upper, wiping its top margin over the heated member 30, thereby retarding or holding back the lining through friction on the member 30, and stretching the outer, turning and pressing its top edge so as to hide the top edge of the lining, and shrinking and smoothingthe top line of the shoe, leaving the top edges curved in toward each other. The upper portions 34 of the elements engage the shoe upper and in closing toward the form straighten the top stitching and consequently the upper edge of the shoe, substantially throughout the length of the sides of the opening from the heel to the throat of the shoe, and curl the edge of the outer over the lining which previously may have extended out substantially co-terminous with the outer, laying it down against the member 30 into substantial or slightly beyond alinement with the edge portion of the lining. The presser also acts to attenuate the edge of the lining and top rim of the shoe. The pressure acts also to wedge the member 30 downwardly, the gooseneck 25 yielding somewhat, thus to increase the extent of relative surface motion between the members 32 and 25, and enhancing th wiping effect in opposite directions on the lining and outer. It is evident from this figure that since the toggle joint 45 passes the line of pivot centers of the opposite ends of the toggle links 44, the toggle will remain in the position shown in dotted lines until it is released by'an upward push on the rod. This means that until the toggle joint is collapsed to its full line position, the presser elements 32 will be held firmly clamping the upper margins against the side of the member 30. toggle has been locked by a downward thrust of the treadle 62, the treadle is then allowed to rise under the action of the spring 64, and the table is turned further so as to bring the next successive block 50 into the yoke 5|. The presser elements which have clamped the shoe upper against their member 30 remain in clamping position until the table has been turned sufiiciently step by step to bring them nearly back to their previous position When the.

reaching this position, the toggle is released automatically byrotary motion of the table 22, a suitable cam 10 being mounted in the path of the blocks 50 for this purpose and having an inclined surface up which the blocks ride as the table is turned. As shown, the cam may be supported by a suitable bracket H secured to the side of the standard 20. Thus the several goosenecks with their respective apparatus for shaping shoes come into position befor the operator one after the other ready for the removal of a shaped shoe for replacement by a shoe to be shaped. For heating each member 30 it may be provided with a suitable electric heating element '15 connected by wires 16 to insulated slip rings ll, these rings being mounted within the flange 24 so as to rotate with the table 22.

TI, these brushes being connected through lead wires to any suitable source of electric energy.

The shaping operation of the apparatus is illustrated in Figures 5 to 8. After the usual treeing operation on a shoe, the rim portionBO is ordinarily curled outwardly to some extent by the Shrinking of theside portions of the shoe outer tions inwardly with the shoe outward toward planar alinement with the lining and straighten them as shown in this figure. As the member 30 is heated, the clamping of the rim portion of the shoe upperin the desired shape for a considerable period of time results in a relatively permanent set of the outer and lining in the position shown, the heating of the member 30 also acting to shrink the lining 82 so that wrinkling of the lining is thus avoided. The member 30 and the elements 32 are preferably a little longer than the opening of the shoe so that the rim portions of the uppers along the sides of the shOe opening are shaped substantially from one end of the opening to the other, the finished shoe presenting an appearance somewhat as illustrated in Figure 6. As therein shown, the rim portions of the surfaces of the outer and lining is caused .to become inclined inwardly at an angle thereto.

The presser elements 32 may, if desired, be provided with a cover of rubber or similar soft and resilient material. A portion of this cover is normally stretched across the concaved face 33 of the presser element. As the presser element .approaches the member 30, this stretchof the cover first engages the shoe upper, as shown in Figure 10, holding the upper materials to-the member 30 below its upper face sufficiently to prevent any fullness of the lining being crowded downwardly into a wrinkle and remaining in the treated shoe and then yields until it is pressed against the con- Suitable brushes 18 are in constant contact respectively with the rings cave face 33, as shown in Figure 10, this produc ing a more pronounced wiping action of these elements 32 on the shoe upper. Thus the pressure is exerted first along a narrow zone below the upperedge of the shoe and the zone progressively widens upwardly to the top of the shoe and also widens downwardly. This is of particular utility where the shoe lining has any marked'fullness as is usual in the case of a turn shoe.

I claim:

- 1. A method of shaping a shoe upper having its outer and lining substantially co-terminous, which comprises rolling the side portion of the top rim inwardly over the edg of the lining and heating the adjacent portions of the shoe lining while said rim portion is so held.

2. A method of shaping a shoe upper having its lining and outer substantially co-terminous, which comprises applying supporting surfaces to the lining of the shoe adjacent to the'side por-' tions of the top rim of the shoe, turning said rim portions inwardly on said surfaces over and befaces Whilethe said rimportions are turned inwardly against them.

yond the edge of the lining, and heating said sur- .3. The step in the finishing of a shoe, which comprises placing the shoe over a form and turnme the outer over and beyond the top edge of the lining and inwardly against said form.

4. The steps in the finishing of a shoe, which comprises shrinking the lining adjacent to its upper edge, and turning said edge inwardly and the upper edge of the outer which projects beyondthe lining over the edge of the lining.

5. The method of forming a shoe upper, which comprises placing the shoe overa heated form and so pressing the top rim of said shoe against said form by pressure exerted on the outer face of the upper at said rim as to causev its upper edge to curl inwardly.

6. The method of shaping a shoe outer and lining which have been secured together and substantially co-terminous, which comprises thinning the'lining margin and extending the outer therebeyond.

7. The step in shaping a shoe outer and lining which have been secured together and with their upper margins substantially co-terminous, which comprises compressing and thereby thinning the lining and extending the outer beyond the lining. 8. The step in the method of shaping a shoe outer and lining which have been secured together and substantially co-terminous, which comprises extending the margin of the yond the margin of the lining.

outer be- 9. The step in the method of shaping a shoe outer and lining which have been secured together, which comprises wiping the outer upwardly to extend the same beyond its previous position and over the edge of the lining.

10. The method which comprises pressing the top rim of a shoe outer beyond and inwardly toward alinement with the lining while shrinking the lining.

11. The step in the method of shaping a shoe outer and lining which have been secured together, which comprises wiping the top edge of the outer upwardly relative to the lining.

MILTON L. DODGE.

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