US2300543A - Lacing machine - Google Patents

Description

J. FossA LACING MACHINE Nov. 3, 1942.

Original Filed July 1, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l J. FOSSA LACING MACHINE Nov. 3, 1942.

Original Filed July 1, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 3, 1942 UNI TED STAT ES F F 1 CE LACING MACHINE Joseph Fossa, Lynn, Mass, assignorto United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N; -J.-, a corporation of- New Jersey Original application July- 1, 19,38, Serial No.

217,004. Dividedan her 6', 1940-, Serial N 4- Claims.

The present invention relates to shoe upper lacing machines, and more particularly to improvements in the operating devices for an upper lacing machine of the type disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent of the present inventor No. 2,106,320 of January 25, 1938, in which a plurality of lacing mechanisms having reciprocating needles or other eyelet engaging devices act simultaneously to form a series of lacings from separate lengths of cord passing through the eyelets and across the edges of a shoe upper.

The present application is a division of applicants pending application Serial No. 217,004, filed July 1, 1938, for Lacing machines.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a machine for lacing shoe uppers-in which the lacing devices may be more quickly and easily adjusted by the operator than heretofore, and as a result, the periods of time in which the machine of necessity is not in operating condition are shorter and will occur less frequently than in prior machines of the type referred to.

Other objects of the invention are to improve the construction and mode of operation of the various parts of shoe upper lacing machines.

With the above objects in View, the features of the invention consist in novel and improved means for releasably securing the needles in the machine, and in novel devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The several features of the invention and the advantages to be obtained thereby will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a view in front elevation of portions of a shoe upper lacing machine embodying the features of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a view in right side elevation, partly in section, on an enlarged scale, of the lower forward part of the machine shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail view ona still further enlarged scale, taken in section, along the line 33 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating the operation of the loop taker in drawing tight a loop of cord while forming a lacing.

The lacing machine illustrated in the drawings is of the same construction and mode of operation, except as hereinafter described, as that disclosed in inventors patent above referred to, and is arranged with six relatively movable lacing mechanisms, each having a movable frame 2, an eyelet engaging spindle or needle 4, a loop taker (1 this lappl-ication Decein- 6, upper and lower clamping members 8 and I0,

respectively, cord 'e'rid grippers l2, cord measuring fingers ll (Fig. 4),.and" other operating devices to assist in forming a" separate complete lacing inreach eyelet ofIa shoe upper' whichis presented to the machine. Th'eflacing mechanisms are each supplied with -a cord and the lacing devices, inclutling those just mentioned,.operate to form an interconnected series of'loopsin the cord," alternat'ej bights of whi'cjh a're passed through a pair ,oflalignedeyel'e'ts in'op'posite sides of a shoe upper; and othersof which are passed across the edges of, theupper. The bightofeach loop, .after being passed through the eyelets or across the upperedge, ispass'edjthrougha previously formed .loopand'is drawn 'tightb'y the loop taker to lock .the-wprevious'loop in place; At the end of the lacing'operation, the bight portion of the final loop, after being drawn tight; is severed and the severed .end withdrawn from the previous loop.

Themachineis thenbrought to rest by a driving and stopping mechanism indicated generally by the referencenumeral l5qand. described more fully in' the -p'ajtent' referred to. Ihe mannerin which successively formedloop are passed through preceding loops and drawn tight is' clearly illustrated in vFig. 4 which shows the relative positions-of one loopjtaker 6 of one lacing mechanism and'a shoe upper it while a loop ofcordlsupp'orted by the loop taker is being tightened; At the' same time, the loop on the loop taker is being tightened, it is moved into a position where the next loop of cord formed by the needle! will pass throughthe loop held by-thellooptakerto be engagedin turn by the .loop taker as theloop taker moves in the opposite direction. In tightening each loop of cord, the side of the loop which is connected to the previously' formed loop passes beneath the upper and around the cord measuring finger l4'to providesuificientslack inall the lacings after completion' to allow the'upper to be opened'upand ,toTj-cause the eyeletted edges, when the upper is applied to' alast,..to lie flat upon the surfaces of the last without distortion or unnatural curvature.

To release .an'eedle' from a needle bar in the machine'o'f inventors patent, it is necessary to reach up at a ,difiicult angle between closelyv spaced parts with a screw driver and'to'loosen a set screw which clamps the needle in the bar. Such manipulations frequently are inconvenient, particularly where lighting is poor, so that operation of the machine may be unreasonably delayed while needles, are being removed or replaced.

To enable the operator to remove or replace roc'ates (see Fi 3).

needles in the present machine without appreciable loss of time, each needle is releasably secured in its respective needle bar indicated at 12, by a spring actuated detent comprising a plunger '14 slidable transversely in a passage in the needle bar, and a bushing ,16. is secured in the main frame of the machine for guiding a spindle releasing tool, such as that indicated in dotdash lines 18, against the plunger to move it;

into a position where the needle is released. The arrangement is such that the bushing 16 is in alignment with the plunger 14 while. the machine is in stopped position; As asconvenient tool for actuating the plunger 14 to release the needles, a straight rod fitting loosely with the inside of the bushing 16 and having a circular handle is provided. The tool'is'inserted in the bushing 16 to release the needles only while the machine is stopped, and immediately withdrawn .so that it will not interfere withthe reciprocatin movement ofthe'needle'barSL' needle is formed with cooperating] surfaces arranged to locate the needle in correct "angular position and to lock'orrelease-the needle in'the needle bar when the, plungeris moved. Each plunger 14 isfsurrou'nde'd "by a'spring 84 compressed between a' shoulderat thefend of an,4O

enlargement in thelvpassa ge of thefneedle 'bar through which the plunger 'pas'sesya'nda head at the end of the plungenrwhichfhead'is, flattened at one side to avoid interfering with a relatively stationary'plate 86 forming a part of the carrier in which the needle bar 12 recip- .To prevent rotation of the plunger 14 in the needle bar and to limit the action of spring 84, in the "upper end of the plunger, there is a-pin 88, one end of which extends into a slot "formed in the side of the passage for the plunger Each needle 4 has at its lower end-a flat surface, and each plunger is cut away at one side alongfits central portion to such an extent that the flattened surface of;

the needle, when the needle 'is pressed into the needle bar, will enter, the Tout-away portion of the plunger. The needle is also formed with a slot at rightangles'to 'th'fia'ttened surface of the needle. and the slotisof'jsuch size that'as;

the plunger is movedv by the spring 84, it will enter the slot and lockthefneedlef from being withdrawn. The needl'ejha T nelside at'its end beveled sothat the plungerwillbemoved against the spring 84 without employing the tool 18 when the needle is introduced into' the needle. bar.'

Having thus described thei 'nyention, what is I claimed is:

l. A machinefor lacing eyeletted shoe uppers and the bushin s "16 are so 30' having, in combination, a main frame, a plurality of lacing mechanisms including eyelet engaging spindles, a driving and stopping mechanism, reciprocating spindle supporting bars, means for releasably securing the spindles in the spindle bars, and means carried by the main frame and arranged transversely of the spindle bars to guide a spindle releasing tool into proper cooperative relation with any of the securing means for the spindles only when the spindle bars are at the points in their respective reciprocating movements in which the driving and stopping mechanism brings the machine to rest.

- 2.A "machine for lacing eyeletted shoe uppers having, in combination, a main frame, a plurality of lacing mechanisms including eyelet engaging spindles, 'a driving and stopping mechanism, re-

"ciprocating spindle supporting bars, a spring actuated detent on each spindle bar arranged to lock the respective needle releasably to the bar, and, a bushing carried by the main frame and arranged in alignment with each detent while the spindle bars are in positions assumed when the machine is brough to rest by the driving and stopping mechanism after lacing an I upper to guide a needle releasing tool against the "detent.

3. A machine for lacing eyeletted shoe uppers jhaving, in combination, a main frame, a plurality of relatively movable lacing mechanisms including eyelet engaging spindles having shanks formed with surfaces to locate the spindles in correct angular position, and spindle supporting bars, spacing mechanism for separating the lacing mechanisms relatively to each other, a spring actuated plunger on each spindle bar arranged transversely of the spindles and recessed to permit passage of a spindle past the plunger in one angular position only of the spindle when the plunger is moved in the spindle bar from its spring actuated position and to lock the spindle from movement out of the spindle bar when the plunger moves towards it spring actuated position, and means carried by the main frame for guiding'a spindle releasing tool into proper cooperative relation with any of the securing means for the spindles when the lacing mechanisms are moved into their most Widely separated positions by the spacing mechanism.

4. A machine for lacing eyeletted shoe uppers having, in combination, a main frame, a plurality of lacing mechanisms including eyelet engaging spindles,.a driving and stopping mechanism, reciprocating spindle supporting bars, spacing mechanism for changing the distances between the lacing mechanisms, means for releasably securing the spindles in the spindle bars, and bushings secured in the main frame transversely of the spindle bars to guide a spindle releasing tool into proper cooperative relation with the securing means only when the lacing mechanisms are adjusted to one limit of their spacing movement by the spacing mechanism 1 and only at the points in the reciprocating 65' movem'entsof the spindle bars in which the driving and stopping mechanism brings the machine to res JOSEPH FOSSA.

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