US2563638A - Right-angled welt - Google Patents

Description

ET AL C. F. BATCHELDER, JR.

RIGHT-ANGLED WELT Filed March 16, 1949 Aug. 7, 1951 Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RIGHT-ANGLED WELT Charles F. Batchclder, Jr., Milton, and Lothrop Withington, Jr., Brookline, Mass., assignors to Wright-Batchelder Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 16, 1949, Serial No. 81,658

2 Claims.

Our present invention is directed to the'construction of welts for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes, and more particularly to the general type of pre-formed welt of synthetic plastic material illustrated in the patent to W. C. Wright No. 2,448,165 dated August 31, 1948.

In the manufacture of shoe welts it is most desirable to secure the configuration and construction of welt structure which will press the upper materials snugly along the angular recess formed circumferentially by the intersection of the feather edge and sewing rib of a welt insole, and also to have the outsole-attaching portion of the welt after inseaming stand substantially horizontally from the lasted shoe to effect and maintain a positive contact with the outsole and thereby eliminate the need of any beating-out operation.

We have discovered that the shoemaking limitations, difficulties, and objections of such a generally right-angled or L-shaped welt construction as shown in said prior patent can be largely or entirely eliminated by incorporating a new principle in the designof the cross-section of a shoe welt of this type.

In actual practice we find that the right-angled or L-shaped welt construction as shown in said prior patent requires an unusual and avoidable amount of care to set the inseam stitching along a line passing thru the center of twist between the horizontal or body portion of the welt and the vertical or inseam stitch-receiving portion in order to hold the body portion at the desired outstanding position relative to the lasted shoe and, hence, to save the beating-out operation.

Also, we have found that a right-angled welt as described in said prior patent, unless it is positioned and stitched with great care and skill, tends to wrap around the toe during the inseaming operation. Furthermore, we have found that it is inherent in an L-shaped welt with a groove in or near the interior angle of the L, that the inseam, after trimming, leaves a ridge that holds the outsole away from the outstanding outsolestitch-receiving portion of the welt. This bridging effect tends to cause the welt to pull away from the edge of the outsole. This separation is apt to develop gradually during the period after the operation of sole-laying and before the shoes are Goodyear-stitched. This separation is most undesirable because it creates an opening in which chips of the material removed during the roughrounding operation are apt to be caught. Any chips caught between the welt and the outsole are held by the cemented surfaces and must be re- -moved by hand. The separation of welt and out- 2 sole also creates drag during the rough-rounding and Goodyear-stitching operations, causing these operations to be performed with decreased speed and accuracy.

We have also found that a right-angled welt of the type described in the prior patent inherently leads the operator to trim the inseam relatively high above the outstanding body portion of the welt, thereby causing a bridging effect which results in an obvious and objectionably great degree of slope in the upper surface of the welt after Goodyear-stitching.

We have discovered that these several difficulties can be obviated and entirely overcome by our present form of shoe welt construction, which form, while preferably embodied in a synthetic plastic type of welt which can be extruded and readily made from pliable stitch-retaining material, could also be advantageously produced from leather or other suitable material by cutting, trimming, and molding to secure the desired crosssection and obtain the advantages of our present invention.

Our present improvement takes cognizance of the fact that some slope is inherent in the upper surface of a welt of the hinge type after it has been inseamed and Goodyear-stitched. Our improvement takes advantage of this necessary final result by making a right-angled or hinged type welt with a slight, but a definite, though hardly noticeable slope downward and outward from the inner corner which contacts the shoe upper, This lowering of the outstanding body of the welt with relation to its vertical inseam-receiving portion lowers the center of twist of the cross-section to a level approximately at the mid point of the face of the hinge which is in contact with the lasted upper at inseaming and about which the outstanding body of the welt must be bent horizontally to conform to the contour of the shoe. This new and novel relationship between the hinge portion and the outstanding body portion we have found to be essential to the construction of a welt of this type, whereby the inseam stitching can be set by unskilled operators thru a considerable range either above or below the mid-point of the inseam-receiving or vertical portion of the welt, and at the same time hold the outstanding body portion in the desired approximately horizontal position even around the toe and other curved contours of the shoe.

In carrying out our present improvement, we form a welt of generally right-angled construction in cross-section with the horizontal or body portion, and the vertical or inseam-receiving portion, preferably at an angle slightly less than 90. Thus, when the inseaming is applied, the outwardly extending or body portion of the welt is automatically inclined slightly downward and is inherently impelled in close contact with the outsole which is subsequently to be attached. Our form of W lt construction also enables the inseamer to set the inseam thread comparatively deeper and, thus, permits a comparatively closer cutting at the inseam trimming operation. These two features cooperate to bring the welt into positive contact with the outsole along its edge, and with a minimum degree of slope in the upper surface of the welt after Goodyear stitching. 7

A further feature of our invention consists of shaping the upper inner corner formed by the intersection of the upper surface of the outstanding body portion and the vertical face of the welt into a rounded upwardly an inwardly bulging lengthwise rim or low ridge. This bulging rim together with a slight concavity of the vertical face of the welt cooperates to concentrate the pressure created by the inseaming operation at the bulging corner of the welt, thereby forcing the lasted upper and lining firmly and tightly into the corner between the feather edge of the insole and the sewing rib, and insuring a satisfactory fit and union at this vital point in welt shoe manufacture, by pressing the bulging corner of the welt into the upper materials on the lasted shoe. 7

A still further feature of our present invention consists in the provision of ,an increased thickness in the body portion of the welt along.

that line which receives the outsole stitching. This feature is readily effected by increasing slightly the thickness at the under side of the shoe welt where the outsole stitching is set. Such supporting of the Goodyear stitching is possible because the slanting inclination widthwise of the welt would otherwise leave a triangular tunnel-l'ike cavity where the outstanding portion of the welt is bridged out over the upper surface of the outsole.

This increased thickness provides strength where it is most needed and minimizes the tendency of the outsole Goodyear stitching to create a valley in the surface of the welt in the finished shoe. By a gradual sloping of the under surface from the thickened area towards the inner angle of the L-shaped welt a natural open channel is provided to receive the inseam-attaching stitch without creating a gutter that would be a hazard in Goodyear stitching.

The features embodied in our present invention are most important toimprove and perfect a Welt of the right-angle type, as they combine to make a Welt with a radically improved and superior cross-section based on a novel principle which automatically insures the correct positioning of the body portion of the welt in its outsole-attaching relation, without any beatingout operation, and greatly facilitates the inseamstitching operation.

We believe that it is a distinct novelty in this art to form and construct a shoe welt of the kind described and of any material wherein the horizontally extending body portion and vertically extending inseam-attaching portion are preformed at an angle preferably less than 90, as herein shown and described.

We also believe that the forming of the corner edge at the juncture between the horizontal body portion and the vertical inseam-receiving 4 portion into a pronounced bulge or ridge is a unique improvement.

We also believe it to be a distinct novelty to form the inseam-attaching face with a slight predetermined concavity which acts in cooperation with the ridge corner to concentrate the pressure of inseaming along the corner.

Furthermore, we believe that the formation of the body portion of the welt with a substantially increased thickness along the line where the outsole stitching is set, and the inclination .of the bottom surface toward the stitch-receiving groove are important and novel features of our improved welt design.

We wish to claim all of the foregoing features broadly herein as well as in cooperative combination.

Referring to the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of our present invention:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of our improved shoe welt;

Fig. 2 is a view in cross-section of a part .of a last and shoe, shown in cross-section, together with the welt after the inseaming operation, also in cross-section;

Fig. 3 is a corresponding fragmentary crosssectional view showing the welt attached to an outsole; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of our improved welt.

As shown in the drawings, our welt comprises a substantially right-angled construction with a horizontally extending body portion l and a vertically extending inseam-attaching portion 2, these two portions merging into a curved bulge or corner 3 forming a ridge with ,a portion preferably extending slightly above the plane of the fmain body of the horizontal outsole-attaching portion 1. The angle thus formed may be, and preferably is less than ninety degrees.

Preferably, this ridge-like effect 3 is formed by inclining, slanting, or thickening the adjacent part of the body portion I as indicated at l, thus serving to constitute a corner or bulge lengthwise of the welt, which greatly facilitates the snug-fitting of the welt when drawn to the sewing rib of of the welt insole during the inseaming action.

A stitch-receiving groove 5 on the underneath corner of the portions l and 2 is positioned and arranged to cooperate with the inseam-attaching portion between the points A and B of the concave face 9 of the vertical portion 2, thereby affording a considerable range either side of. the

line of twist for the inseam stitching, where it may draw or force and hold the bulge .3 snugly into position against the sewing rib, while also automatically holding the .body portion I ex- I tending horizontally or slightly downwardly for better contact with the outsole.

As shown in Fig. .2, illustrating a portion of the last 10, insole I2, and upper materials 6 and I, our welt is attached to a sewing rib M on the insole by inseam stitching [5. As herein illustrated, the .corner portion ,3 with the bulge which extends partly .above the horizontal body portion 1, as shown .at 4, will be drawn snugly into the corner between the sewing :rib and the feather part of the insole [2, thus holding the upper 6 and lining 1 in firm contact in this corner, which not .only gives a strong, smooth, solid union but also eifects a seam-filling and moisture-proofing v:contact at this part of the shoe.

The concave face 9 permits the inseam stitching to beset from the groove 5 thru the part 2 with a considerable range-as from A to B,and

still act on the bulge 3 as a fulcrum to tend to leverage the body portion l outwardly and downwardly.

The projecting part of the upper materials and. the sewing rib l4 and edge of the vertical portion 2 of the welt are then trimmed and filling it applied, an outsole 18 positioned, and the outsole stitching 2b is set to complete the shoe-soling operation, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The increased thickness for the outsole stitching 20, as shown at 2| and 22, is also important as giving greater strength and insuring firm contact between the bottom of the outstanding body portion of the welt l with the top of the outsole 18.

From the point substantially as indicated at 22 to the groove 5, this part of our improved welt is formed on a bevel or slant as indicated at 25 to merge with the walls of the groove 5. This construction tends to prevent the stitching needle, when applying the outseam 20, from tending to be drawn or sucked into the inseam stitching [5 in the groove 5.

It will thus be appreciated that our novel and improved construction of a shoe welt approXi-- mating a right-angled conformation, but with the body portion and vertically extending portions being united to form a bulge or corner, preferably at an angle somewhat less than ninety degrees, facilitates the snug fitting of the corner 3 of the welt into close contact with the lasted upper against the inseam rib of welt shoe construction. Also these features greatly facilitate the ease, speed, and efficiency of the inseam-- attaching operation, as well as insuring the extending of the horizontal body portion into outsole-engaging position, independently of the beating-out operation and effecting a tight union at the outer edge of both welt and outsole.

The relatively large range for inseaming thru the vertically extending concave face 9 of the part 2, in cooperation with the bulge 3 and sewing groove 5, is of great importance, as any inseam-stitching within that range automatically holds our welt with the horizontal body portion i extending into a slightly downwardly inclined position for contact upon, and union with, the outer edge of the outsole, the bulge 3 acting as a fulcrum during the inseaming operation.

We claim:

1. A shoe welt of plasticized, polymerized resin having characteristics equivalent to polyvinyl chloride, said welt being substantially rightangled in construction and comprising a substan tially horizontal outsole attaching member, a substantially vertical inseam attaching member having a concave face, a rounded corner bulge on 6 the outer corner between the two said members, a stitch receiving groove in the inner corner between the two saicl members, said outsole attaching member being substantially fiat on its upper surface and on its under surface being bevelled from its mid-portion outwardly to form a taper, whereby inseam stitching said welt to an insole sewing rib of a Goodyear welt shoe causes said concave face and said bulge to cooperate with said stitches to form a positive compression lock in the corner of the insole feather and the insole sewing rib, and whereby the out-seam stitching will draw the tapered portion of the outsole attaching member into contact with the outsole without curling the outer portion thereof upwardly.

A shoe welt of plasticized, polymerized resin, having characteristics equivalent to polyvinyl chloride, said welt being substantially rightangled in construction and comprising a substantially horizontal outsole attaching member, a substantially vertical inseam attaching member having a concave face, a rounded corner bulge on the outer corner between the two said members, astitch receiving groove in the inner corner between the two said members, whereby inseam stitching said welt to an insole sewing rib of a Goodyear welt shoe causes said concave face and said bulge to cooperate with said stitches to form a positive compression lock in the corner of the insole feather and the insole sowing rib.

CHARLES F. BATCHELDER, JR. LOTI-IROP WITHINGTON, J R.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 12,685 Reynolds Aug. 27, 1907 D. 141,974 Wright Aug. 7, 1945 453,985 Seaver June 9, 1891 1,169,085 Davis Jan. 18, 1916 1,308,804 Moulton July 8, 1919 1,408,797 Blake 1- Mar. 7, 1922 1,610,215 Dvilnsky Dec. '7, 1926 2,148,602 Brown Feb. 28, 1939 2,399,086 Wright Apr. 23, .1946 2,438,095 Phinney Mar. 16, 1948 2,448,165 Wright Aug. 31, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 204,957 Great Britain Oct. 11, 1923

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