US2684042A - Machine for binding shoe soles - Google Patents

Description

July 20, 1954 C. E. ROGERS, JR

MACHINE FOR BINDING SHOE SOLES Filed Nov. 7, 1952 m w W 0563f? f. Raye/153d 1 his from Patented July 20, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR BINDING SHOE SOLES Application November 7, 1952, Serial No. 319,240

4 Claims. 1

The present invention is applicable to shoe sole sewing machines of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,169,909 granted February 1, 1916, upon an application of Fred Ashworth, and No. 2,271,611, granted on February 3, 1942, upon an application of Fred Ashworth et a1. More particularly the invention relates to improvements in a relatively wide angularly adjustable work support arranged for guiding an unattached outsole in flattened condition to the sewing point in a machine of the type referred, to secure a binding strip to the marginal portions of the sole, the angular adjustment in the work support enabling a seam to be inserted with the threads of the stitches exposed along lines closer to the edge of a sole at one side thereof than at the other, for ornamental or other purposes.

In United States Letters Patent No. 2,334,299, granted November 16, 1943, upon application of C. F. Whitaker, there is disclosed a machine having a relatively wide Work support for operating upon unattached outsoles in which the support is rigidly mounted and is angularly adjustable about a horizontal axis extending in the direction of work feed. That machine is provided with a guide for a feather edged welt which is directed by the guide into register with one edge of a shoe sole being sewn. In sewing a feather edged welt to a shoe sole, it is important to insure accurate register of the sole and welt edges, the line of the seam being located as close as practicable to the edge of the sole. Accordingly, the mounting for the work support is constructed for angular adjustment of the work support about an axis passing through the point of operation of the stitch forming devices, so that the exposed threads of stitches inserted in the work along the work engaging surface of the work support will be maintained a uniform distance from the edge of the sole regardless of the angular adjustment. Cooperating with the work support to clamp the sole in sewing position is a presser foot also arranged for angular adjustment about the seam axis.

In sewing a binding strip to the marginal portion of a sole member it is necessary to comply with the same requirements so far as rigidity of mounting and convenience of adjustment are concerned as are provided in the construction of the patent, a relatively wide work support being mounted for angular adjustment about a horizontal axis extending in the direction of work feed. It has been found, however, that if the mounting for the work support is arranged to swing about an axis passing through the point of sewing operations, as in the patented machine, and extending along the work engaging surface of the work support, that when the angle of inclination of the work support is extreme, the thickness of the work through which the stitches are inserted is so increased that changes in the adjustment of the presser foot actuating mechanism as well as in the angle of the presser foot have to be made. Adjustment of the presser foot actuating mechanism frequently is a time consuming operation requiring special ability and care on the part of the operator. It is found that f r insuring a rigid construction and for provi ing convenient adaptability in the adjusting devices for sewing a binding strip, mounting means for the work support needs to be arranged with an axis of angular adjustment located along the work engaging surface of the work support at some distance from the point of operation of the stitch forming devices in the machine. Also, it is desirable to support the sole against the thrust of the stitch forming devices as close as possible to the sewing point defined by the intersection of the work engaging surface of the work support and the path of operation of the stitch forming devices so that a relatively flimsy binding strip may be sewed effectively. To enable the sole to be supported as close as possible to the paths of the stitch forming devices it is necessary, in a work support construction complying with these requirements, to provide a work plate or slide having a needle receiving opening mounted on the work support and arranged for adjustment transverse to the direction of work feed. In this way transverse adjustment of the work plate slide enables easy alinement of the needle opening with relation to the needle path whenever an angular adjustment is made in the work support. Furthermore, for guiding a binding strip to the sewing point it is desirable to make provison for independent adjustment between the two edges of the strip as they are laid against opposite sides of the sole margin.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a sole sewing machine of the type re ferred to with binding strip guide members meeting all of the requirements above indicated and including a unique construction readily adjust able to accommodate diiierent types of work without sacrifice in effectiveness of operation or in convenient service or repair and without the necessity of frequent change in adjustment of the presser foot mechanism. To these ends the invention comprises a machine of the type referred to including stitch forming, work clamping and feeding devices of the usual construction, the work support of which has guideways extending transversely to the direction of work feed and an adjustable mounting for the work support on which the inclination of the work engaging surface thereof may be changed about a horizontal axis spaced from the point of sewing operations, the said work support being equipped with three slides in its guideways, one of which slides has a close fitting needle opening, another of which has a channel for directing one edge of the binding strip, and the last of which is formed with an upstanding arm offset across the needle opening slide in a position above the channel slide with a guide hook for the other edge of the binding strip cooperating with the channel slide to insure proper control of the strip as it is being directed into the sewing point of the machine.

By providing a mounting for the work support on which the inclination of the work engaging surface of the work support may be changed about an axis spaced from the point of sewing operations, the mounting may be so arranged that the increased thickness of the work caused by an increased inclination of the work support will be compensated for by downward movement of the work support at the sewing point. In this way the diificulty in changing the adjustment of the presser foot actuating mechanism upon adjustment in inclination of the presser foot is avoided.

These and other features of the invention, as hereinafter described and claimed, will be apparent from following detailed specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view looking from the right front of a portion of a machine embodying the features of the present invention and illustrating the manner of operation on a sole member, broken away, while a binding strip is being sewn thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view in right side elevation on a reduced scale of the portions of the machine shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper binding strip guide slide.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is a curved hook needle shoe outsole sewing machine and is arranged for binding and sewing the marginal portion of an unattached shoe sole member. The machine has mounted within its frame 4 the usual stitch forming, work clamping and feeding devices including the curved hook needle,

indicated at 6, a shuttle 8, a curved work feeding awl ID, a work support l2 and a presser foot 14. The work support is angularly adjustable on the frame of the machine and for this purpose there is secured to the frame a mounting bracket [6 formed with a groove fitting an arouate rib IS on the work support l2 in the form of a plate, the upper surface of which is Wider and longerthan usual with this type of machine, an unattached outsole 20 being conveniently supported in flattened condition while a binding strip 22 is being applied to the edge thereof. By reason of the adjustable mounting l6, [8 the angle of the work support plate relatively to the paths of the needle and awl may be changed about a horizontal axis running in the direction of work feed so that the exposed threads at opposite sides of the sole may be located at different distances from the sole edge, in accordance with acceptable shoemaking practices.

The features of the invention reside in an espe cially rigid construction which is readily accessible for adjusting purposes to meet the demands of different shoemaking practices, it being desirable to change from time to time the location of the exposed threads in a seam not only with relation to opposite sides of a bound sole edge but also to change the width of the binding strip appearing on one side of the sole member. To

' these ends there is mounted upon the work support three separate slides 24, 26 and 28. The slides 24 and 28 are mounted in parallel guideways Stand 32 in the work support formed by a single base surface of a channel, with the guideway for the slide 24 including the left vertical wall of the channel and the guideway for the slide 26 including the right vertical wall. For the slide 28 there is a guideway 34 consisting of a recess having portions of its side walls running parallel to the side walls of the guideways 3U, 32. Thus all of the guideways for the respective adjusting slides are arranged in parallel relation and extend transversely to the direction of work feed.

The slide 26 has an opening 36 in the form of a slot extending in the direction of work feed of sufficiently narrow width to fit closely with the sides of the needle and awl while engaging the work. The presser foot [4 also is provided with a similar needle and awl receiving opening 38 disposed in alinement with the opening 36 in the slide 26. For best results in sewing, the slide 26 and the presser foot M are adjusted to bring their needle receiving openings into alinement with the paths of the needle and awl represented by the dot-dash lines of Fig. 1. By providing the slide 26 in the central guideway of the work support l2, the needle opening 36 may be adjusted transversely of the seam line. To adjust the inclination of the work support 12 on its mounting bracket 16 accordingly, the groove in the bracket 16 and the rib 18 may be provided with a curvature having an axis located at the forward side of the needle and awl path substantially in front of the point of sewing operations in the machine. In so doing, the point of intersection of the needle and awlpath with the work engaging surface of the work support moves downwardly when the forward edge of the work support is inclined upwardly. Accordingly any increase in thickness of the work caused by inclination of the work support is compensated for by downward movement of the work support at the point of sewing operations. For this reason it is unnecessary to adjust the presser foot I4, as will be explained further, or its actuating mechanism. Such arrangement is of particular advantage in sewing a binding strip to the edge of the sole member 24' and is also useful with other types of work including the sewing of a feather edged welt such as disclosed in the Whitaker patent.

In mounting the needle opening slide 26 in the central guideway of the work support, the location of a binding strip guide has been rendered somewhat diificult particularly where independent adjustment of the guide at opposite edges of the binding strip is desired. To overcome this difficulty the two outside slides 24 and 28 are employed for guiding the binding strip, and the slide 24 is formed with an upstanding arm extending in offset relation to its shank across the needle opening slide into a position above the slide 28.

The slide 28 is secured in adjusted relation to its guideway in the work support by a pair of clamp screws 40 entering slots at the ends of the slide and engaging shoulders at the lower portions of the slots. The screws 40 are threaded into the work support so that they assist in guiding the slide 213 in its movement transverse to the direction of work feed. For guiding the lower edge of the binding strip the slide 28 has a channel 32 out along one edge and formed with its lower surface 44 level with the work engaging surface of the work support and with a flange 5 above the channel to prevent lateral displacement of the edge of the binding strip carried by the channel while moving from the channel toward the work engaging surface of the work support. The flange extends in the direction of work feed into close proximity to the needle opening slide 3t so as to prevent the sole member being sewn from contacting the binding strip along the channel engaging edge of the strip until the sewing point is reached. Thus the sole member may be turned and shifted with relation to the binding strip according to the varying curvatures of its edge without disturbing the guiding action of the channel slide 23.

The left hand slide 24 at the upper end of its offset arm is provided with a guide hook 46 disposed directly above the channel in the slide 28 so as to cooperate with the channel in directing the binding strip into the sewing point. The forward edge of the guiding hook to is recessed to engage the upper edge of the binding strip and is located in advance of the presser foot l4, these slides t and 28 being independently adjustable to accommodate the full width of the strip with the locations of the exposed threads in a seam being inserted whenever the inclination of the work support is changed.

To assist in clamping the work securely at the sewing point as closely as possible to the paths of the needle and awl, the presser foot It has its forward edge rounded to give the greater bearing area on the upper surface of the work whenever the work support is adjusted with a steep inclination. With this arrangement, the presser foot may remain in fixed relation to the needle and awl paths whenever the angle of the work support is adjusted. The only change required in adjusting the inclination of the work support is in the position of the needle opening slide 26. To secure the slides 24 and 26 in adjusted positions they are provided with threaded openings at their forward ends through which pass a pair of clamp screws A8 and 50. The screws 48 and 50 extend through clearance slots extending in the direction of the guideways of the work support and act upon the side edges of the slots to hold their respective slides in adjusted positions.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and a particular embodiment having been described, what is claimed is:

l. A machine for binding and sewing the marginal portion of a sole member, said machine having a main frame, stitch forming and work clamping and feeding devices in the frame ineluding a needle, 2, work support having guideways extending transversely to the direction of work feed, and an adjustable mounting in the frame for the work support about which the inclination of the work engaging surface of the work support may be adjusted with relation to the needle, in combination with a slide in one of the guideways of the Work support having an opening for the needle, a second slide in another guideway of the work support having a channel for one edge of a binding strip, and a third slide 6': in another guideway of the work support formed with an upstanding arm offset across the needle opening slide into a position above the channel slide and having a guide hook for the other edge of the binding strip.

2. A machine for binding and sewing the mar ginal portion of a sole member, said machine having a main frame, stitch forming and work clamping and feeding devices in the frame including a needle, a work support having guideways extending transversely to the direction of work feed, and an adjustable mounting in the frame for the work support about which the inclination of the work engaging surface of the work support may be adjusted with relation to the needle, in combination with a slide in one of the guideways of the work support having an opening for the needle, a second slide in another guideway of the work support having a channel for one edge of a binding strip, a third slide in another guideway of the work support formed with an upstanding arm offset across the needle opening slide into a position above the channel slide and having a guide hook for the other edge of the binding strip, and separate clamping devices for securing therespective slides in ad justed positions in their guideways.

3. A machine for binding and sewing the marginal portion of a sole member, said machine having a main frame, stitch forming and work clamping and feeding devices in the frame including a needle, a work support having guideways extending transversely to the direction of work feed, and an adjustable mounting in the frame for the work support about which the inclination of the work engaging surface of the work support may be adjusted with relation to the needle, in combination with a slide in one of the guideways of the work support having an opening for the needle, a second slide in another guideway of the work support having a channel for one edge of a binding strip, a third slide in another guideway of the work support formed with an upstanding arm offset across the needle opening slide into a position above the channel slide and having a guide hook for the other edge of the binding strip, and separate clamping devices for securing the respective slides in adjusted positions in their guideways, the channel in the slide being formed with a surface level with the work engaging surface of the work support to prevent lateral displacement of the binding strip edge carried by the channel while moving from the channel toward the work engaging surface of the work 4. support.

4. A machine for binding and sewing the marginal portion of a sole member, said machine having a main frame, stitch forming and work clamping and feeding devices in the frame including a needle, a work support having guideways extending transversely to the direction of work feed and an adjustable mounting in the frame for the work support about which the inclination of the work engaging surface of the work support may be changed with relation to the needle, in combination with a slide in one of the guideways of the Work support having an opening for the needle, another slide in a guideway of the work support formed with an upstanding arm offset across the needle opening slide, and having a guide hook for one end of the binding strip, and an additional slide in another guideway of the work support having a channel for one edge of a binding strip, the last-mentioned slide being formed above the channel with 7 a surface level with the work engaging surface of the work support to prevent lateral displacement of the binding strip edge carried by the channel while moving from the channel toward the work engaging surface of the work support, and a flange extending into close proximity to the needle opening slide to prevent a sole member being sewn from contacting the binding strip along the channel engaging edge of the strip until the sewing point is reached.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number 5 112,019 2,334,299 2,505,158

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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