US2304149A - Lasting machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1942,

LASTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, 1942 T. P. COURCHENE Patented Dec. 8, 1942 LASTING MACHINE Theodore 'P. Courchene, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application January 21, 1942, Serial No. 427,547

9 Claims.

This invention relates to lasting machines, and has particularly in view the provision of improvements in machines constructed generally as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,101,069, granted on December '7, 1937, on an application of B. J orgensens. The invention is accordingly herein illustrated as embodied in a modification of a machine of that type, but it is to be understood that it is not thus limited in its applicability.

A machine such as disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent is provided with toe-lasting means which applies a pull to the toe-end portion of the upper and also wipes it heightwise of the last in response to a heightwise movement of the shoe and last. Movable with the shoe, in response to pressure of the shoe thereon, are a toe rest and a heel-end support which are mounted independently of each other and are controlled respectively by difierent springs yieldable to permit their movements. The heightwise movement of the shoe is efiected by a toe presser foot and a heel presser foot arranged to engage the bottom of the toe and heel ends of the shoe, respectively, and operated by different mechanisms, each presser foot being adjustable independently of the other in directions heightwise' of the shoe to vary the limit of movement of the corresponding end of the shoe, The toe-lasting means further includes wipers which after the heightwise movement of the shoe wipe the margin of the toe end of the upper inwardly over an insole on the last. Thereafter both presser feet are somewhat retracted to permit the shoe to be pressed more forcibly against the wipers by the spring-controlled toe rest, so that the overwiper margin of the upper will be pressed more firmly against the insole and will be securely fastened thereto by adhesive commonly used for this purpose in lasting shoes by machines of the illustrative type.

With reference, for example, to an organization such as above outlined, objects of the present invention are to afiord better insurance that the shoe will be positioned in proper relation to the toe-lasting means, to simplify the construction of the machine and to facilitate the use thereof. For the purposes in view, the construction herein shown is such that the heightwise movement of the shoe is efiected solely by engagement with the bottom of the toe end of the shoe, the heel presser foot and its operating mechanism used heretofore being dispensed with, and is further such that the movement of the heel-end support of the toe rest. More particularly, mechanism operated by the movement of the toe rest in response to pressure of the shoe thereon serves to impart positively to the heel-end support a movement ofthe same extent as that of the toe ,its toe end and the plane of the wipers when the wipers Wipe the upper inwardly over the insole. Since, moreover, the heel-end support cannot move reversely any farther than the toe rest when the toe presser foot is retracted to permit the shoe to be pressed more firmly against the wipers by the toe rest, insurance is afforded that the proper relation between the shoe and the wipers will still be maintained at that time. Still another advantage in control of the shoe 9:, \is that any adjustment to vary the limit of the with the the shoe is derived from the movement 55 heightwise movement of the shoe cannot result in tipping the shoe relatively to the wipers, since it is only the toe presser foot which is adjustable for that purpose, as distinguished'from independent adjustment of the toe presser foot and the heel presser foot in the construction used heretofore. It is further to beobserved that because of the elimination of the heel presser foot the operator may, without danger of injury, .steady the shoe with his hand until it is engaged by the toe presser foot and, when the machine is not provided with automatic shoe-removing means such as is sometimes'used, may reach for the shoe sooner to remove it than if a heel presser foot were present.

The novel features of the invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section of a portion of a machine of the type illustrated in the previously mentioned Letters Patent as modified for purposes of the present invention, the parts of the machine being shown in the positions which they occupy just prior to the heightwise movement of the shoe; I

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the relation of the toe-lasting means to the shoe at the completion of the lasting operation,

In view of the disclosure of the above-mentioned Letters Patent and of other Letters Patent referred to therein, the present description will be confined to such portions of the machine as it is necessary to refer to for an understanding of the invention. The machine is provided with toelasting means including a gripper 2 for gripping the margin of the toe-end portion of the upper and for applying a pull to the upper in response to heightwise movement of the shoe and last in a downward direction, and including also a toe former 4 which wipes the toe-end portion of the upper heightwise of the last in response to that movement of the shoe and last. Included also in the toe-lasting means are wipers 6 which thereafter wipe the margin of the toe end of the upper inwardly over an insole on the last. Movable downwardly with the shoe in response to pressure of the top of the toe end of the shoe thereon is a toe rest 8 which serves as a forepart support for the shoe and is supported on the upper end of 'a hollow plunger l slidingly movable downwardly in aholder l2 against the resitsance of a spring M. The lower end of this spring abuts against a portion of the holder l2 and its upper end abuts against the head l6 of a rod 18 which extends through the spring and downwardly beyond the holder, the head of the rod being engaged by the plunger Ill. The heelend portion of the shoe is controlled by a heelend support2ll which includes a slide 22 movable downwardly with the shoe against the resistance of a spring 24 in guideways provided by a portion 26 of the frame of the machine. The slide 22 carries a block 28 arranged to engage the top face of the heel end of the last and provided with a pin 30 arranged to extend into the spindle hole of the last, the block 28 being supported on the upper end of a bar 32 which is vertically adjustable relatively to the slide 22 by a hand-operated pinion 3 1 engaging rack teeth on the bar. Also carried by the slide 22 in its vertical movements is a heel band 36 which embraces and clamps the shoe about its heel end.

For moving the forepart of the shoe downwardly against the resistance of the spring M which controls the toe rest there is provided a presser'foot 38 arranged to engage the bottom of the toe endof the insole, this presser foot being carried by an arm 40 which is swung forwardly by the operator to bring the presser foot to a position over the bottom of the shoe and is thereafter moved downwardly in the power operation of the machine. The presser foot 38 is directly supported by a slide 42 which is vertically adjustable relatively to the arm 40 by means of a screw 44 to vary the limit 'of the downward movement of the forepart of the shoe. A machine of the type shown in the previously mentioned Letters Patent has been further provided heretofore with a heel presser foot which in the power operation of the machine is swung to a position over the heelend'of the shoe and is moved downwardly to impart downward movement to the heel end of the shoe and the heelend support 20 against the 'resistance of the spring 24. In the construction herein shown, for purposes of the present invention, such'a heel presser foot and its operating mechanism are dispensed with, and mechanism is provided for moving the heel-end support 29 downwardly with the shoe by the downward movement of the toe rest 8. The provision of such mechanism renders it practicable to depress the whole shoe and its supporting means solely by the pressure applied to the bottom of the forepart of the shoe by the presser foot 38. The mechanism for moving the heel-end support downwardlycomprises a lever 45 which is fast on a horizontal shaft 48 mounted in bearings in the frame of the machine and is provided with two forwardly extending arms 50 in the front ends of which is supported a rod 52. The head of a screw 54 which is threaded for purposes of adjustment in the lower end of the rod I8 is arranged to rest on the rod 52, and mounted on one end of this rod is a roll 56 arranged to engage the upper face of a lug 58 on the slide 22. It will thus be seen that when the toe rest 8 is moved downwardly by the pressure of the shoe thereon it acts positively through the rod l8 to swing the lever 46 in a downward direction, and the lever acts positively on the slide 22 of the heel-end support 20 to impart to the heel-end support simultaneously with the toe rest a downward movement of the same extent as that of the toe rest. Insurance is thus aiforded that as the shoe is moved down-' wardly it will not be tipped about any axis extending widthwise thereof in such manner asto afiect undesirably the relation of the bottom of the toe end of the shoe to the wipers in this re-' spect being preliminarily determined by upward or downward adjustment of the bar 32 relatively to the slide 22. e

After the wipers 6 have wiped the margin of the upper inwardly over the insole the presser foot 38 is moved somewhat upwardly by the arm #0, as heretofore, to permit the toe end of the shoe to be forced more firmly up against the wipers by the spring-controlled toe rest 8, as illustrated in Fig. 3. It will be evident that the heel-end support 20 accompanies the toe rest in this upward movement, but cannot be moved any farther upwardly by its spring 24 than the toe to tip the shoe in such manner as to cause the wipers to apply unequal pressures to the margin 7 of the upper in different locations. It will further be evident that any adjustment of the presser foot 38 by the screw 44 serves to vary the limit of downward movement of the whole shoe without involving any possibility of tipping the shoe, whereas heretofore independent adjustments of the toe presser foot andthe heel presser foot have been necessary for this purpose and such adjustments have had to be carefully, coordinated to provide for the desired relation between the bottom of the toe end of the shoe and the plane of the toe wipers. Still other advantages involved in the construction herein shown are that by reason of the absence of the heel presser foot the operator may, without danger of injury, control the shoe with his hand in the power operation of the machine until it is engaged by the presser foot 38, and that when, as herein illustrated, the machine is not provided with any automatic means for removing the shoe from its supporting means after the lasting operation, the operator may reach for the shoe sooner to remove it than if a heel presser foot were present.

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

1. In a lasting machine, the combination with lasting means, of means for moving a shoe and its last heightwise relatively to said lasting means by engagement with the bottom of the forepart of the shoe, a support for the top of the forepart of the shoe movable with the shoe by the pressure of the shoe thereon, a heel-end support mounted independently of said forepart support to move also with the shoe, and mechanism for thus moving said heel-end support by the movement of the forepart support.

2. In a lasting machine, the combination with lasting means, of means for moving a shoe and its last heightwise relatively to said lasting means by engagement with the bottom of the forepart of the shoe, a support for the top of the forepart of the shoe movable with the shoe by the pressure of the shoe thereon, a heelend support mounted independently of said forepart support to move also with the shoe, and positive means for thus moving said heel-end support the same distance as the forepart support by the movement of the forepart support.

3. In a lasting machine, the combination with lasting means, of means for moving a shoe and its last heightwise relatively to said lasting means by engagement with the bottom of the forepart of the shoe, a support for the top of the forepart of the shoe movable with the shoe by the pressure of the shoe thereon, a spring against the resistance of which the forepart support is thus movable, a heel-end support guided independently of said forepart support to move also with the shoe, another spring against the resistance of which said heel-end support is thus movable, and mechanism arranged to be operated by the movement of said forepart support thus to move the heel-end support.

4. In a lasting machine, the combination with lasting means, of means for moving a shoe and its last heightwise relatively to said lasting means by engagement with the bottom of the forepart of the shoe, a support for the top of the forepart of the shoe movable with the shoe by the pressure of the shoe thereon, a heel-end support mounted to move also with the shoe, and a lever arranged to be operated by the movement of said forepart support thus to move the heel-end support.

5. In a lasting machine, the combination with lasting means, of means for moving a shoe and its last heightwise relatively to said lasting means by engagement with the bottom of the forepart of the shoe, a support for the top of the forepart of the shoe movable with the shoe by the pressure of the shoe thereon, a heel-end support mounted to move also with the shoe, a lever mounted to swing in a direction heightwise of the shoe thus to move the heel-end support, and positive means for operating said lever by the movement of the forepart support.

6. In a lasting machine, the combination with toe-lasting means, of means for moving a shoe and its last heightwise relatively to said toelasting means by engagement with the bottom of the forepart only of the shoe to cause the lasting means to conform the toe end of the upper to the last, a toe rest arranged to engage the top of the toe end of the shoe and movable with the shoe by the pressure of the shoe thereon, a heel-end support arranged to engage the heel end of the last, said heel-end support being mounted independently of the toe rest to move also with the shoe when the shoe receives its heightwise movement, and mechanism for thus moving said heel-end support by the movement of the toe rest.

7. In a lasting machine, the combination with toe-lasting means, of means for moving a shoe and its last heightwise relatively to said toelasting means by engagement with the bottom of the forepart only of the shoe to cause the lasting means to conform the toe end of the upper to the last, a toe rest arranged to engage the top of the toe end of the shoe and movable with the shoe by the pressure of the shoe thereon, a heel-end support arranged to engage the heel end of the last, said heel-end support being mounted independently of the toe rest to move also with the shoe when the shoe receives its heightwise movement, and mechanism including a lever arranged to be operated by the movement of the toe rest-thus to move the heel-end support the same distance as the toe rest.

8. In a lasting machine, the combination with toe-lasting means having wipers for wiping the margin of the toe end of an upper inwardly over an insole on a last, of pressing means for moving a shoe and its last heightwise relatively to said toe-lasting means by engagement with the bottom of the forepart only of the shoe before the wipers wipe the margin of the upper inwardly, said pressing means being reversely movable thereafter to permit the bottom of the shoe to be forced more firmly against the wipers, a spring-controlled toe rest movable with the shoe by the pressure of the shoe thereon when the shoe is moved by said pressing means and reversely movable thus to force the shoe more firmly against the wipers, a heel-end support mounted independently of said toe rest to move with the toe rest in both directions, and means controlled by the toe rest for moving said heel-end support in each direction the same distance only as the toe rest.

9. In a lasting machine, the combination with toe-lasting means having wipers for wiping the margin of the toe end of an upper inwardly over an insole on a last, of pressing means for moving a shoe and its last heightwise relatively to said toe-lasting means by engagement with the bottom of the forepart only of the shoe before the Wipers wipe the margin of the upper inwardly, said pressing means being reversely movable thereafter to permit the bottom of the shoe to be forced more firmly against the wipers, a springcontrolled toe rest movable with the shoe by the pressure of the shoe thereon when the shoe is moved by said pressing means and reversely movable thus to force the shoe more firmly against the Wipers, a heel-end support mounted independently of said toe rest to move with thetoe rest in both directions, a spring against the resistance of which said heel-end support is movable when the shoe is moved heightwise by said pressing means, and mechanism arranged to be operated by the movement of the toe rest thus to move the heel-end support against the resistance of its spring, said mechanism being so constructed as to limit the heel-end support to reverse movement of the same extent as that of the toe rest.

THEODORE P. COURCHENE.

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