US2573752A

US2573752A - Method of manufacturing welted shoes

Info

Publication number: US2573752A
Application number: US3036A
Authority: US
Inventors: Roy F Wolfskill; Mellor John
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1948-01-19
Filing date: 1948-01-19
Publication date: 1951-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 1968-11-06

Description

Nov. 6, 1951 R. F. WOLFSKILL ETAL 2,573,752

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING WELTED SHOES Filed Jan. l9, 1948 fifewing line guide.

3nventor/5 Roy F. Wolfskill, John' Mellor,

Patented Nov. 6, 1951 OFFICE METHOD OF MAN'IZI'FA!CTURING WEL'IED SHOES Roy F. Wolfskill, Richland, and John Mellor, Palmyra, Pa.

Application January 19, 1948, Serial No. 3,036

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a .novel and improved provision of a simple and economical method of manufacturing welt-constructed shoes; the provision of a method of manufacturing 'welt-constructed shoes which reduces manufacturing time and the number .oftmanuiacturing opera-I- tions as compared with conventional methods of manufacturing welt-constructed shoes; the provision of a method of making welt-constructed shoes resulting in a strong, sturdy shoe which is more flexible than shoes manufactured according to the conventional welting methods;- and the provision of a method of making welt-com,

structed shoes which retain their: flexibility and shape even after long, hard wear.

Other objects will be in part pointed out and in part apparent from the following detailed description of the novel method of the present invention, certain significant steps of which have been illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a somewhat semi-diagrammatic view illustrating the step of attachment of upper to insole prior to lasting, characterizing the present method;

Fig. 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1, illustrating the partially constructed shoe resulting from the attaching operation illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a broken-away section illustrating the slip-lasting procedure and the manner of preliminarily attaching outsole; and

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3 illustrative of a shoe following final welting operation by which welt and outsole are attached. 7

As conducive to a better understanding of the novel and simplified method of shoe manufacture according to the invention, the two more conventional methods of manufacturing weltconstructed shoes will be reviewed. According to one prior method, the upper .is lasted by one of the known lasting procedures to an under face rib provided on an insole which prior to lasting is tacked or nailed to the 1 bottom of the last. The welt is then attached to the insole rib in a Goodyear inseaming machine, for

example, and the outsole is secured to the Welt by Goodyear or other approved type of welt stitching. According to the other or stitchdown method, the insole of size such that its margin extends beyond the edge of the last a substantial distance is again tacked to the last, and the upper is lasted into the angle between side of last and extending insole margin so as to provide an out-turned marginal flange. Usu-' ally the welt is attached against the upper face of the out-turned upper flange, and the outsole is attached against the under face of the insole along its extending marginal edge, or a middle sole is so attached and the outsole is attached to the middle sole.

It will be observed that according to both of the aforesaid methods, the insole is first tacked to the bottom of the last and the upper is lasted thereto, that is, it is conformed to the last and secured under tension to the insole by staples or stitching. Whether practiced by hand or by machine, the lasting operation is laborious and time-consuming. Moreover, shoes made by both of the described known methods are relatively stiff and non-flexible and, in the case of shoes made by the stitch-down method, have a heavy appearance due to the welt being attached on top of upper flange and insole margin. Again, by virtue of the fact that the shape-retaining properties of the conventionally lasted s-hoe depends to a substantial extent on the expertness and accuracy of the lasting operation, welted shoes made by the prior methods tend to lose their shape after hard or prolonged wear; The prior methods are also open to objection in their use of tacks or nails, which. if left in the shoe as sometimes happens, are likely to cause discomfort if not serious foot injury.

According to the present invention, the laborious and time-consuming step of lasting the upper to insole characterizing the prior methods is entirely obviated. Instead, an insole precision cut to size is prior to lasting in-seamed to a pre-cut upper blank and its lining in a simple, hand-guided sewing operation. Referring to Fig. 1, which illustratively shows this simple inseaming of upper to insole, reference character It] indicates such a precision-cut insole, in the operation of being inseamed to a pro-fabricated upper l-l also cut to the general size of the finished shoe. It will be observed that the line of in-seam stitching l2 proceeds uniformly along the outer edge of the insole, and is spaced in wardly thereof by only the small distance calculated to provide enough of insole material to hold the stitching. To assist the operator in setting this distance, the insole may be provided with a marking l3 in the nature of a line which parallels its outer edge and is spaced inwardly therefrom the calculated distance aforesaid. Hence, in coinciding the line of stitching with the stitch-line [3, the correct size of the shoe is assured, since such was established in the precision-cutting of the insole. It will also be seen in Fig. 1 that the upper II is attached in such manner as to leave an outturned flange l4 extending therefrom. This flange overhangs the outer edge of the insole (Fig. 2) and is sufficiently deep as to provide a welting margin. The proper depth of the upper flange can be estimated readily by the operator in feeding the insole and upper to the stitching needle generally designated [5.

Thus, it will be seen that in its present described stage of construction, the upper is attached to insole in a simple, hand-guided inseaming operation, and the procedure of lasting upper to insole as was previously considered necessary is eliminated.

With the upper secured to insole as indicated in Fig. 2, the partially constructed shoe is now ready for lasting. Preferably, it is slip-lasted, that is to say, it is slipped over a last l8 whose size corresponds to the size of the final shoe. Due to the precision cut of the insole, it will be found that the partially constructed shoe exactly flts the last, so that the slip-lasting operation may be readily and speedily effected.

The shoe is now ready for attachment to the outsole 20. Preferably, the outsole is preliminarily cemented to the under surface of the outturned flange I4 of the upper, which by reference to Fig. 3, overhangs the outer edge of the insole I and thus provides adequate attaching surface. If desired or considered necessary, the insole may be bottom-filled with a suitable filler material 2 I, such as cork and a binder, so as to provide a flat attaching surface for the outsole 20. A welt 22 is thereupon assembled on the exposed upper surface of the outturned flange M of the upper and, in a final operation, both the outsole 20 and the welt 22 are secured by Goodyear or other approved type of welt stitching 23.

The above described method of welt shoe construction is exceedingly simple and less laborious in practice than are the prior methods and, in addition, reduces the time and number of operations required in manufacturing a welt-constructed shoe, chiefly through the elimination of the laborious lasting of upper to insole necessary according to the prior methods. It will be observed that the requirement of an insole pro vided with a conventional rib or lip is obviated, and that a flat-faced insole is employed instead. Since such flat-faced insoles are precision cut to size, and as the uppers are also blanked out to substantial size in a preliminary operation, the simple inseaming of upper to insole as described above insures correct size of final shoe as Well as substantially correct depth of upper welting flange.

"A shoe manufactured by the present novel process is strong and sturdy and highly flexible as well, its increased flexibility over shoes made by the prior methods resulting from the fact that the insole margin is not extended to lie between weltand insole, but instead terminates at the angle between upper and upper flange. Due to the fact that its shape and shape-retaining properties do not depend on the expertness and accuracy with which the conventional lasting procedures are carried out, the shoe product of the present invention retains its shape and flexibility 5 over long periods of hard wear. Moreover, since no nails or tacks are used according to the herein method, there is no possibility of tacks or nails showing in the final shoe, as are likely to cause injury to the foot or discomfort in Wear. As many changes could be made in carrying out the above described method of welt-shoe construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. The improvement in the art of manufacturing welted shoes, which consists in providing a precision cut insole and an upper blank, inseaming the upper blank'to the upper face of the insole along the margin thereof prior to lasting and in such manner as to provide an outturned upper flange extending beyond the marginal edge of the insole, slip-lasting the upper and attached insole on a last, assembling an outsole against the exposed under face of the outturned upper flange, assembling a welt on the exposed upper face of the outturned upper flange, and-securing 30 outsole to welt and upper flange by stitching.

2. The improvement in the art of manufacturing welted shoes which comprises the steps of providing an insole which is precision cut to the size of the final shoe and an upper blank, inseaming the upper blank to the upper face of the insole along the margin thereof prior to lasting and in such manner as to provide an outturned flange extending from the upper proper beyond the marginal edge of the insole, slip-lasting the 40 upper and attached insole on a last, cementing an outsole directly against the exposed under surface of the upper flange, assembling a welt against the exposed upper surface of the upper flange, and securing the outsole on intermediate upper flange and welt by stitching.

. ROY F. WOLFSKIIL.

JOHN MELLOR.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 931,851 Engel Aug. 24, 1909 1,215,440 Waite Feb. 13, 1917 1,290,654 Pollock Jan. 7, 1919 1,884,301 Shaft Oct. 25, 1932 80 1,952,587 De Stefan Mar. 2'7, 1934 2,075,723 Jacobsen et a1 Mar. 30, 1937 2,215,924 Grundman Sept. 24, 1940 2,339,726 Stritter Jan. 18, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 649,335 France Aug. 27, 1928 856,594 France Mar. 23, 1940 OTHER REFERENCES American Shoemaking periodical vol. CXV No.

10, June 3, 1925; page 25. (Copy in Div. 11.)