US2578756A

US2578756A - Toe forming machine

Info

Publication number: US2578756A
Application number: US206872A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bender L Speier; Frederick I Hamilton
Original assignee: United Shoe Machinery Corp
Current assignee: United Shoe Machinery Corp
Priority date: 1951-01-19
Filing date: 1951-01-19
Publication date: 1951-12-18
Anticipated expiration: 1968-12-18

Description

Dec. 18, 1951 B. L. @EE'R ETAL 2,578,756

TOE FORMING MACHINE Filed Jan. 19, 1951 2 SHEETSSHEET l Invniors i Bender Z. Speier Frederic/r 176ml [ion By Thez'r/Tzim'ney D 8, 1951 a. L. SPEIER ETAL 2,578,756

TOE FORMING MACHINE I Filed Jan. 19,, 1951 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Bender L. Speer "E Frederic/r [Hamilion 1 By Their/ffzorney Patented Dec, 18, 1951 2,578,756 TOE FoRM'iNo MACHINE Bender L. Speier and Frederick I. Hamilton, Norwalk, Cnn., assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., an. corporation of New Jersey Application January 19, 1951, Serial No. 206,872

8 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for shaping shoe uppers and is herein illustrated in its application to machines for shaping the toe portions of uppers previously attached to their insoles.

In the manufacture of slip lasted shoes having closed toes it is desirable to shape or mold the toe portion of the upper before inserting the last intothe upper. Such shaping or molding of the toe portion of the upper greatly facilitates the slip lasting operation particularly in the case of shoes having relatively high toe portions.

It is an object of the present invention to provicle an improved machine for shaping the toe portion of an upper previously stitched to an insole. To this end the present invention in one aspect thereof comprises a shoe machine having a clamping member constructed andarranged to engage the foot-facing surface of an insole previously secured to a closed upper. The clamping member engages the toe end portion of the insole and operates in conjunction with a like clamping member to clamp the toe end portion of the insole while a toe former is advanced to shape the toe portion of the upper fastened to the insole.

The'illustrated clamping members are flat plates having a peripheral shape corresponding generally to the shape of the toe portion of an insole. In the illustrated construction one of the plates is fixed to a standard and the other is mounted on a carrier which is movable, preferably by power, to cause the plates to clamp the toe portion of an insole between them. The illustrated toe former is slidable for movement longitudinally of the clamped insole, and manually operated means is provided for advancing the toe former to shape the toe portion of the upper after the insole has been clamped between the clamping plates.

In order to provide for the application to'the toe portion of the upper of fluidmeans such, for example as steam, for conditioning the upper for the shaping operation, the illustrated toe former is provided with a plurality of ports which communicate through an opening in the stem of the toe former with a conductor which communicates with a source of steam or other fluid means for conditioning the upper.

Theseand other features of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodyingthe features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is aright side elevation of the machine 2 illustrated in Fig. 1 with certain parts shown in section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the operating instrumentalities of the machine in the same plane as in Fig. 2 showing the clamping devices closed upon the work; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 showing the toe former in its position at the end of the toe forming operation.

The invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a bench machine having a pair of clamping plates which are closed on the toe portion of an insole by air pressure and a toe former which is actuated bya hand lever to shape the toe portion of an upper fastened to the insole.

Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral l0 identifies a base casting which is secured to a bench IZ'by headed screws two of which are illustrated in Fig. 1 and identified by the numerals l4 and IS. The screws extend through notches in ears l8 projecting laterally from the base l0 and the heads of the screws clamp the ears against the top of the bench. Referring to Fig. 2, the forward portion of the base H] has an upward extension 20 having a plane rear surface which is vertically disposed and has arranged in contiguous relation thereto a vertical plate or standard 22, the standard being secured to the upward extension 20 by headed screws one of which is illustrated in Fig. 2 and identified by the numeral 24. The upper portion of the standard has formed therein a recess 2'. in order to provide adequate clearance for the mounting of the work in the machine, as hereinafter described. A clamping plate 28 is vertically arranged in contiguous relation to the rear surface of the standard 22 and is fixed to the standard by headed screws two of Which are shown in Fig. 2 and identified by the numeral 30. The plate 28 is so arranged that its upper portion extends upwardly above the top of the standard 22 as shown in Fig. 2. Referring to Fig. 1, the upper end portion of the clamping plate 28 is bilaterally symmetrical and has the general shape of the toe portion of an insole. The opposite sides of the upper portion of the plate converge downwardly to a shank portion 32 which is the same width as the standard 22. Referring to Fig.

. 2, the rear surface of the upper "portion of the 28 and is secured by headed screws 40 to the forwardly ofiset upper end portion of a vertical plate 42 the lower portion of which is secured by headed screws 44 to an upwardly extending head 46 of a slide 48. As shown in Fig. 1, the slide 48 is mounted in a longitudinal guideway 50 formed in the base I and is held against upward movement by a gib carried by the slide and arranged to engage shoulders (not shown) formed in the base ID. The slide 48 may be actuated by any suitable means to advance the clamping plate 38 into its clamping position shown in Fig. 3. In the illustrated organization the slide is advanced by means actuated by air pressure, said means being generally illustrated in Fig. 2 in which the numeral 52 identifies the forward portion of a rod one end of which is fixed to the head 46 of the slide and the other end of which is attached to a diaphragm 53 clamped between the forward portion 54 and rear portion 55 of an air vise of known construction. Compressed air is conducted to the air vise through a tube one end of which is illustrated in Fig. 2 and identified by the numeral 56. The tube 56 communicates with an opening in the rearwardly extending portion 58 of the rear portion of the air vise. The action of compressed air on the diaphragm 53 moves the slide 48 forwardly to advance the clamping plate 38 from its position in Fig. 2 to its position illustrated in Fig. 3.

For shaping the toe portion of a closed upper such, for example, as the upper 60 which is shown in Fig. 3 as being secured by stitches 62 to the insole 36, the illustrated machine is provided with a toe former 64 (Fig. 1) which is bilaterally symmetrical and has the general shape of the toe end portion of a last. Formed integrally with the toe former is a stem 66 (Fig. 2) extending downwardly therefrom through a groove 68 (Fig. 3) formed in the rear portion of the standard 22. The stem is rectangular in cross section and is positioned between the groove 68 and the forward surface of the clamping plate 28 for vertical sliding movement from its position in Figs. 2 and 3 into its position illustrated in Fig. 4. The stem 66 is provided with a longitudinal bore which extends upwardly beyond the stem into the toe former 64 and communicates with a plurality of ports 12 extending through the upper engaging surface of the toe former. As shown in Fig. 2, the stem 66 extends downwardly into the guideway in the base I0 and. has mounted in its lower end a headed screw which provides a bearing for a hand lever 14 which is operable to impart upward movement to the toe former. The lever is pivotally mounted on a cross shaft 16 (Fig. 1) fixed in the forward portion of the standard and extending through a rectangular opening 18 in the base In which provides clearance for the movements of the hand lever. A spring 80 normally holds the hand lever in its elevated position shown in Fig. 1 with the toe former at the limit of its downward movement.

- When it is desired to apply to the toe portion of the upper a means, such for example as steam, for conditioning the upper for the toe forming operation, the conditioning means is conducted to the stem 66 through a tube one end of which is the insole are arranged adjacent to the edge face of the plate. The heel portion of the shoe is positioned between the rearwardly offset lower portion of the plate 42 and the stem 66 of the toe former. The machine herein illustrated is particularly adapted to operate on shoes having sling back uppers but it is not limited in its utility to operation on such shoes since there is sufficient space between the plate 42 and the stem 66 to receive the heel portion of any shoe which may. without injury, be somewhat deformed by the forward movement of the plate 42 during the insole clamping operation. After the shoe is mounted on the plate 28, the rod 52 is actuated to move the clamping plate 38 forwardly into its position shown in Fig. 3 in order to clamp the insole 36 against the fixed clamping plate 28. The hand lever 14 is then operated to move the toe former 64 upwardly from its position in Fig. 3 into its position shown in Fig. 4 in order to shape the toe portion of the upper.

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

l. A shoe machine comprising a clamping member constructed and arranged to engage the footillustrated in Fig. 2 and identified by the numeral 82. The tube communicates through suitable fittings with a horizontal bore 84 extending through the rear portion of the upward extension 20 of the base and through the lower portion of the standard 22. When the toe former is in its elevated position shown'in Fig. 4 the bore 84 communicates with an opening 86 in the lower portion facing surface of an insole at its toe end portion, a cooperating clamping member constructed and arranged to engage the outsole-facing surface of the insole at its toe end portion, means for causing the clamping members to clamp the toe portion of the insole between them, a toe former, and means for advancing the toe former to shape the toe portion of an upper fastened to the insole while the insole is clamped between the clamping plates.

2. A shoe machine comprising a flat clamping plate constructed and arranged to engage the foot-facing surface of an insole at its toe end portion, a cooperating flat clamping plate constructed and arranged to engage the outsole-facing surface of the insole at its toe end portion, means for causing the clamping plates to clamp the toe portion of the insole between them, a toe former, and means for advancing the toe former to shape the toe portion of an upper fastened to the insole while the insole is clamped between the clamping plates.

3. A shoe machine comprising a clamping plate constructed and arranged to engage the footfacing surface of an insole at its toe end portion, a cooperating clamping plate constructed and arranged to engage the outsole-facing surface of the insole at its toe end portion, power operated means for causing the clamping plates to grip the toe portion of the insole between them, a toe former constructed and arranged for rectilinear movement longitudinally of the insole to shape the toe portion of an upper attached to the insole, and manually operated means for actuating the toe former.

4. A shoe machine comprising a fixed stand ard, a clamping plate secured to the standard and constructed and arranged to engage the footfacing surface of an insole at its toe end portion.

a cooperating clamping plate movable toward and from the fixed plate and constructed and arranged to engage the outsole-facing surface of the insole at its toe end portion, means for advancing the cooperating clamping plate to cause the plates to clamp the toe portion of the insole between them, a toe former, and means for advancing the toe former to shape the toe portion of an upper fastened to the insole while the insole is clamped between the clamping plates.

5. A shoe machine comprising a fixed standard, a clamping plate secured to the standard and constructed and arranged to engage the footfacing surface of an insole at its toe end portion, a cooperating clamping plate movable toward and from the fixed plate and constructed and arranged to engage the outsole-facing surface of the insole at its toe end portion, means for advancing the cooperating clamping plate to cause the plates to clamp the toe portion of the insole between them, mounted in a guideway in the standard for movement longitudinally of the insole, and a menually operated actuator for advancing the toe former to shape the toe portion of an upper fastened to the insole while the insole is clamped between the clamping plates.

6. A shoe machine comprising a base, a standard fixed to the base, a clamping plate secured to the standard and constructed and arranged to engage the foot-facing surface of an insole at its toe end portion, a cooperating clamping plate constructed and arranged to engage the outsolefacing surface of the insole at its toe end portion, a carrier for the cooperating clamping plate mounted in a guideway in the base for movement toward and from the fixed clamping plate, power operated means for advancing the carrier to cause the toe end portion of the insole to it be clamped between the clamping plates, a

a toe former slidably toe former, a stem projecting from the toe former and slidably mounted in a guideway in the standard extending longitudinally of the clamped insole, and means operating on said stem to advance the toe former thereby to shape the toe portion of an upper fastened to the insole while the insole is clamped between the clamping plates.

'7. A shoe machine comprising means for clamping the toe end portion of an insole, a toe former for shaping the toe portion of an upper fastened to the insole, said toe former being provided with a plurality of ports, a stem projecting from the toe former and having an opening through which the ports in the toe former communicate with a source of fluid means for conditioning the upper for the shaping operation.

8. A shoe machine comprising a clamping member constructed and arranged to engage the foot-facing surface of an insole at its toe end portion, a cooperating clamping member constructed and arranged to engage the outsolefacing surface of the insole at its toe end portion, means for causing the clamping members to clamp the toe portion of an insole between them, a toe former, means for advancing the toe former to shape the toe portion of an upper fastened to the insole while the insole is clamped between the clamping plates, and a conductor extending from the toe former and communicating at one end with a plurality of ports opening through the upper-engaging surface of the toe former and at its opposite end with a source of fluid means for preparing the upper for the toe forming operation.

BENDER L. SPEIER. FREDERICK I. HAMILTON.

No references cited.