US2270941A

US2270941A - Toe rest for shoe machines

Info

Publication number: US2270941A
Application number: US366263A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sidney J Finn
Original assignee: United Shoe Machinery Corp
Current assignee: United Shoe Machinery Corp
Priority date: 1940-11-19
Filing date: 1940-11-19
Publication date: 1942-01-27
Anticipated expiration: 1959-01-27

Description

Jan. 27, 1942. s. J. FINN TOE REST FOR SHOE MACHINES Fiied Nov. 19, 1940 m/i/vrg Fm Fig.2.

Patented Jan. 27, 1942 TOE BEST FOR SHOE MACHINES Sidney J. Finn, Beverly, Mass.,lassig'nor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application November 19, 1940, Serial No. 366,263

13 Claims.

This invention relates; to shoe machinery, and particularly to a work rest or support for engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe during the application of pressure to the shoe bottom.

In machines for applying pressure to the bottoms of lasted shoes, the shoe is ordinarily held, during pressure application, by supporting means engaging the cone of the last and the forepart of the shoe in the vicinity of its toe portion. The supporting means for engaging the forepart, or toe rest as it is commonly called, is usually in the form of a resilient yieldable pad, shaped to conform substantially to the rounded contour of the toe portions of shoes, and suitably mounted so as to provide adequate support against the pressure. The center of support of such a toe rest is approximately over a line extending lengthwise of the shoe, from the center of the heel end of the shoe bottom to the extreme forward end or point of its toe portion, hereinafter called the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom; whereas the areas of the shoe bottom on either side of its longitudinal center line are, in

unevenly into a yielding pressure-applying pad.

With this end in view, there is provided, as an important feature of this invention, a toe rest having a pad shaped to conform substantially to the rounded toe portions of shoes, together with supporting means therefor comprising a member arranged for movement, laterally of the toe rest and independently of the pad, to locate the effective center of support of the pad, and

most shoes at least, unequal, the outside area being the larger. Stated another way, the center of support of the toe rest is not directly'over a line, passing through the center of the heel end of the shoe bottom and also through the center of gravity of the shoe bottom area against which pressure is applied, about which the moments of of the shoe bottom areas on each side thereof are equal, hereinafter referred to as the longitudinal moment axis of the shoe bottom area, but, instead, is offset inwardly therefrom, widthwise of the shoe, a distance varying with the shape of the last.

As a result of this unbalanced condition,'where the pressure is applied to the shoe'bottom by means which are incapable of equalizing the pressure, such as the flexible ironing plates employed in the machine for applying heat and pressure to shoe bottoms disclosed in United States Letters Patent No, 2,095,245, granted on October 12, 1937, on an application of S. J. Finn, there will not be an even distribution of pressure over the bottom of the shoe. Where pressure is applied by means capable of equalizing the pressure on the shoe bottom, such as a yielding pad of the type used in the machine for cement-attaching soles to shoes disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,047,185, granted July 14, 1936, on an application of Ballard et al., there is a tendency for the shoe to rock or turn and to sink unequally into the yielding pad during pressure application.

In each case the'operation of the machine is hence of the toe rest, to one side of the longitu dinal center line of the shoe bottom and substantially over the longitudinal moment axisof the area of the shoe bottom to which pressure is to be applied. In order to accommodate variations in the shapes-of different lasts, the supporting member is arranged, in accordance with a further feature of the invention, so as to be readily adjustable laterally of the toe rest, thus.

permitting aselective positioning of the effective center of support of the toe rest widthwise of a shoe in accordance with the particular type of shoe being handled.

Preferably, and as herein illustrated, the improved toe rest has a resilient yielding pad comprising two portions shaped for conformably engaging the rounded toe portion of a lasted shoe, one on each side of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom, and proportioned in size substantially to the relative sizes of the inside and outside areas of a shoe bottom on each side of its longitudinal center line. The pad portions are mounted on separate pressure-transmitting means which in, turn are supported on a pressure-distributing member bearing against a shiftable fulcrum block carried by the body of the toe rest. The arrangement is such that the total supporting effect of the toe rest is so distributed between the two pad portions that the fulcrum block forms the effective center of support of the pad, and also of the toe rest. By shifting the fulcrum block laterally, which may be done without moving the pad, a greater portion of the pressure will be applied through, or sustained by, one of the pad portions and the effective center of support of the toe rest thus offset laterally from the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom, and located substantially above the longitudinal moment axis of the area of the bottom of the shoe supported by the toe rest. In this way, balanced conditions are obtained and operation of the machine and quality of the work greatly improved.

While the improved toe rest is especially adapted for use in the kind of shoe machines referred to above and in which the application of pressure to the shoe bottom is a primary function, it will be appreciated that it is also suitable for use in other kinds of shoe machines in which the application of pressure to the shoe bottom is incidental to, or combined with, other operations, such as, for example, that performed by lasting instrumentalities. In the latter case, as in the former, uniformity of pressure application is assured and the operation of the machine correspondingly improved.

These and other features and objects of the invention will appear more fully from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a portion of a machine for applying pressure to the bottoms of shoes and having a toe rest embodying the features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation, partly in section, of the toe rest shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view looking up at the bottom of the toe rest shown in Fig. l with the pad cover removed.

The illustrated toe rest, indicated generally by the reference character in in Fig. 1, is shown mounted on a rocking member l2 which forms a part of the pressure-applying mechanism of a machine for pressing the bottoms of shoes such as is disclosed in the above-mentioned patent to Finn. See especially Fig. 15 of that patent. In the operation of this machine the lasted shoe S is supported against upward movement by means of the toe rest I and a heel support; l4, also mounted on the rocking member, to hold it against pressure imposed on the bottom of the shoe by flexible ironing plates, one of which is represented at P in Fig. 1, in a manner fully explained in said patent. The toe rest comprises a supporting leg 20 formed at its upper end with a T-slot 22 which slidably engages a T-guide [6, formed on one end of the rocking member l2. A spring-actuated locking plunger 24 is arranged selectively to engage any one of several cating grooves 28 in the guide It for holding the toe rest in adjusted position lengthwise of the rocking member. Below the T-slot 22,. and on the back face of the supporting leg, are vertically spaced horizontal machined

surfaces

28 and 38 forming a transverse groove which is covered by a sheet metal casing 32 secured in place by screws 34. Extending upwardly through the lower part of the supporting leg are spaced bores 35 and a central bore 38.

A stud 48 projecting from a hollow head member 42 is received within the bore 38 and secured therein by means of a set screw 44. Slidably mounted in the spaced bores 36 are

plungers

48 and 48 having rounded

upper ends

58, 50.

At their lower ends these plungers are enlarged to provide

flat heads

52, 52 generally triangular in shape, see Fig. 3. The hollow head 42 is open at the bottom and is provided with

side walls

54, 54, a rear wall 56 and a central rib 58. The

heads

52, 52 of the

plungers

48 and 48 fit somewhat loosely in the triangular spaces formed by these side walls and the central web. Positioned in the head below the plungers is a pad 68, formed of rubber or like resilient material and provided at opposite edges with sheet metal reinforcing members 82. These reinforcing members are interposed between the bottom of the pad and the heads 52 of the plungers and also between the sides of the pad and the

walls

54 and 56 of the hollow head 42. The pad 60 is traversed by a deep groove 6| which divides it into two portions, one on each side of the central web 58 of the head 42.

A flexible cover 66, made of leather, fabric or similar material, is secured to the head by means of anchor screws 68 so as to hold the pad from falling out of the head and about in the position shown in Fig. 2. The

rounded ends

58, 58 of the two

plungers

48 and 48 bear against a rocking bar or pressure-distributing member 10 which, when a shoe is pressed against the toe rest, is backed up by a fulcrum block 12 slidably mounted on the surface 28 of the supporting leg 20 and having a rounded fulcrum surface 14. The fulcrum block is adjustable laterally of the toe rest by means of a screw 16 threaded into the block and journaled in the. casing member 32. A turning knob 18 holds the screw against movement in one direction while a spring 8!] bearin against a washer 82 fixed on a projecting end of the screw yieldingly resists movement in the opposite direction.

In the operation of the machine, the shoe S is placed upon the plates P, beneath the toe rest l0 and the heel-end support l4, and its toe end shifted widthwise so as to be generally centered with respect to the pad 68, which is shaped at 86 to conform generally with the rounded contour of the toe part of a shoe. As pressure is applied to thebottom of the shoe, by upward movement of the plates P, the pressure of the toe rest, against the toe portion of the shoe, is transmitted to the'two portions of the pad 68, from th'e fulcrum block 12 and the pressure-distributing member 18, by

plungers

48 and 48. The fulcrum block thus forms the effective center of support of the pad 60, and also of the toe rest, and its position, with respect to the two plungers, determines the proportionate part of the pressure which will be sustained by or applied through each' pad portion.

In Fig. 1 a right shoe is shown, and its larger outside ball area will be beneath the right-hand pad portion, as viewed in Fig. 2. By positioning the fulcrum block 12 nearer to the right-hand plunger 46 a greaterv part of the pressure will be sustained by or applied through the righthand pad portion and the efiective center of support of the pad and toe rest, provided by the fulcrum block, will be shifted widthwise of the shoe and to the right in Fig. 2. With the block 12 appropriately positioned the effective center of support can be brought. substantially over the longitudinal moment axis of the shoe bottom area, and, with the center of support thus located, conditions will be balanced so that the pressure applied by the pressure-applying means will be uniformly distributed over the entire area of the shoe bottom. Likewise, if the shoe were being forced into a yielding pressure pad by means of the toe rest, as, for example, in a machine such as thatshown in the above-mentioned patent to Ballard et al., the forces acting on the shoe would be balanced so as to eliminate any tendency of the shoe to rock or. to sink unevenly into the yielding pad.

The appropriate position of the fulcrum block 12 for suitably locating the efiective center of support of the toe rest will, of course, vary with different shoes, and necessary adjustment of the block can be readily made by turning the knob 18. To facilitate the setting of the block, appropriate indicia, indicated at B8, are provided on the easing 32 to cooperate with a line 9i] formed on a pin 92 carried by the block and extending through a slot 94 in the casing. Inasmuch as a toe rest for supporting a left shoe is the same as that shown in the drawing, except that an oppositely shaped head and pad are provided, these indicia are extended on each side of the center of the toe rest, it being appreciated that the fulcrum block would have to be shifted to the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, to bring the efiective center of support of the pad over the longitudinal moment axis of the bottom area of a left shoe.

In order substantially to equalize the pressure intensity on the upper materials, thus to avoid concentration of pressure at one point which might damage the upper materials, the pad 60 is unsymmetrical in shape, see Fig. 3, the righthand pad portion, Fig 2, having a larger area contacting the shoe than does the left-hand pad portion. Since the relative magnitudes of the pressures applied through or sustained by the two pad portions, when the fulcrum block is positiohed properly to locate the effective center of support of the pad widthwise of a shoe, will be approximately in the ratio of the relative sizes of the outside and inside areas of a shoe bottom on each side of its longitudinal center line, the pad portions are proportioned in size, approximately, to these areas, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Having described the invention, as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A toe rest for shoe machines comprising a body, a pad for coniormably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe to hold the shoe during the application of pressure to its bottom, and means for supporting the pad on the body, said means including a member constructed and arranged for movement relatively to the body and independently of the pad to locate the effective center of support of the toe rest to one side of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom.

2. A toe rest for shoe machines comprising a body, a paid for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe to hold the shoe during the application of pressure to the shoe bottom, and means for supporting the pad on the body, including a member constructed and arranged for movement laterally of the toe rest, said member being adjustable relatively to the body and independently of the pad to vary the position of the effective center of support of the toe rest with respect to the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom.

3. A toe rest for shoe machines comprising a body, a pad for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe to hold the shoe application of pressure to the bottom of the shoe, and means for supporting the pad on the body, said means including a member constructed and arranged for movement relatively to the body and independently of the pad to locate the effective center of support of the toe rest substantially over the longitudinal moment axis of the area of the shoe bottom to which pressure is applied.

what I claim during the 4. A toe rest .for shoe machines comprising a body, a pad for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe to hold the shoe during application of pressure to the shoe bottom, and means for supporting the pad on the body, said means including a member shiftable laterally of the toe rest and independently of the pad to change the position of the effective center of support of the toe rest with respect to the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom.

5. A toe rest for shoe machines comprising a body, a pad having portions for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom to hold the shoe during pressure application to its bottom, and means for supporting the pad portions on the body, said means being inter posedbetween the body and the pad portions and including members constructed and arranged to distribute the pressure between the pad portions in such a manner that the effective center of support of the toe rest is offset laterallyifrom the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom.

6. A toe rest for shoe machines comprising a body, a pad having portions for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom to hold the shoe during the application of pressure to its bottom, pressure-transmitting means associated with each pad portion, and means, bearing against the body and the pressure-transmitting means, constructed and arranged to distribute pressure between said pressure-transmitting means, and their associated pad portions, in such a manner that the effective center of support of the toe rest is substantially over the longitudinal moment axis of the area of the shoe bottom.

'7. A toe rest for shoe machines comprising a body, a pad mounted on the body and having portions for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom to hold the shoe during application of pressure to its bottom, pressure-transmitting means associated with each pad portion and movably carried by said body, and means for applying a greater pressure to one of said pressure-transmitting means than to the other thereby to shift the effective center of support of the toe rest widthwise of the shoe.

8. A toe rest for shoe machines comprising a body, a pad mounted in the body and having portions for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom to hold the shoe during the application of pressure to its bottom, plungers slidably mounted in the body each having enlarged portions at one end bearing on each of said pad portions, a pressure-distributing member engaging the opposite ends of said plungers, and means for transmitting a pressure from the body to said distributing member.

9. A toe rest for shoe machines comprising. a body, a pad mounted in the body and having portions for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom to hold the shoe during the application of pressure to its bottom, plungers slidably mounted in the body and having at one end enlarged heads bearing on said pad portions, a pressure-distributing member engaging the opposite ends of said plungers, and means for transmitting a pressure from the body to the plungers through said distributing member, 'said pressure-transmitting means being shiftable laterally of the body to vary the position of the effective center of support of the toe rest with respect to the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom.

10. A toe rest for shoe machine comprising a body, a pad mounted on the body and having portions for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom to hold the shoe during the application of pressure to its bottom, plungers slidably mounted in the body and having enlarged heads at one end bearing on the said pad portions, a pressure-distributing member comprising a bar engaging the opposite ends of said plungers, and a fulcrum block adjustably supported in the body and bearing on the bar for transmitting pressure from the body to the plungers.

11. A toe rest for shoe shoe machines comprising a body, a hollow open-sided head secured to the body, a pad received in said head and having portions for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom to hold the shoe during the application of pressure to its bottom, plungers slidably mounted in the body and extending at one end into said head and into engagement with the pad portions, a pressure-distributing member engaging the opposite ends of the plungers, a fulcrum block supported on the body and bearing on the bar between said plungers for transmitting pressure from the body to the pad portions, and means for adjusting the block laterally of the body to vary the position of application of pressure to the bar and thereby to shift the effective center of support of the pad laterally of the toe rest and widthwise of the shoe.

12. A toe rest for shoe machines comprising a body, a hollow open-sided head on the body, a pad received in said head and extending from its open side including portions for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom to hold the shoe during the application of pressure to its bottom, one of said pad portions having a substantially larger contact area than the other pad portion, plungers slidably mounted in the body and extending at one end into said head to engage the pad portions, a pressure-distributing bar engaging the opposite ends of the plungers, a fulcrum block supported on the body and bearing on the bar between said plungers for transmitting pressure from the body to the pad portions, and means for adjusting the block laterally of the body to vary the point of application of pressure to the bar and thereby to shift the effective center of support of the pad widthwise with respect to the center line of the shoe bottom and toward the pad of larger contact area.

13. A toe rest for shoe machines comprising a body, a pad mounted on the body and having portions for conformably engaging the forepart of a lasted shoe on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom to support the shoe, pressure-transmitting means associated with each pad portion and movably carried by said body, and means for applying a greater pressure to one of said pressure-transmitting means than to the other thereby to shift the effective center of support of the toe rest widthwise of the shoe.

SIDNEY J. FINN.