US3052901A - Machines for applying pressure to shoe bottoms - Google Patents

Description

p 1962 H. GULBRANDSEN ETAL 3,052,901

MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SHOE BOTTOMS Filed NOV. 1. 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 inventors:

H. GULBRANDSEN ETAL MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SHOE BOTTOMS Sept. 11, 1962 Filed Nov.

P 1962 H. GULBRANDSEN ETAL 3,052,901

MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SHOE BOTTOMS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 1. 1960 P 1962 H. GULBRANDSEN ETAL 3,052,901

MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SHOE BOTTOMS Filed Nov. 1. 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 p 1962 H. GULBRANDSEN ETAL 3,052,901

MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE T0 SHOE BOTTOMS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 p 1962 H. GULBRANDSEN ETAL 3,052,901

MACHINES FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SHOE BOTTOMS 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Nov. 1. 1960 United States Patent Oil ice 3,052,901 Patented Sept. 11, 1962 3,052,901 MACHiNE-S FOR APPLYENG PRESSURE TO SHOE BGTTQMS Helge Gulhrandsen, Beverly, and Gordon V. Sprague,

In, Danvers, Mass, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 66,559 19 Claims. (Cl. 12-38) This invention relates to improvements in machines and apparatus for attaching outsoles to cement shoes, particularly when it is desired at the same time to attach breast covering flaps split from the 'outsoles to Louis or other heels by applying simultaneous pressure on the sole and heel breast, as disclosed in a co-pending application for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 763,055, filed September 24, 1958 in the name of Helge Gulbrandsen, new application Serial No. 91,547, filed October 24, 1961.

The nature of an outsole attaching operation for a cement shoe is such that two steps must be taken into consideration; first, as related to the problem of conforming the outsole with the shape of the shoe bottom including the breast of a heel when one is attached to the shoe bottom; and second, as related to the problem of bringing the outsole into firm intimate contact with the surfaces of the shoe bottom for maximum adhesive distribution and absorption. If an attempt is made to conform the sole and to attach it with a single instantaneous application of pressure, difiiculty is encountered both from the fact that the material operated upon is subjected to destruction under heavy impact and that the character of adhesive, which is employed for outsole attachment, introduces a time-pressure factor, within which eflective attachment of an outsole to a shoe bottom is not readily capable of being accomplished. 'If the time of pressure is reduced below a practical minimum, then the intensity of pressure required for satisfactory attachment of the outsole must be increased all out of proportion to that which may safely and practically be applied. In making provision for proper conforming of an outsole and thereafter for insuring a practical time-pressure action during the outsole attaching operation, it has been common practice to move with a light preliminary force a shoe quickly toward a pair of toe and heel supporting abutments through a sulficient distance for convenient introduction and removal of a shoe from a pressure pad, as a first step, to prevent disruption of the outsole or shoe parts as result of sudden impact. Thereafter, as a second step, the pressure on the pad is gradually increased with the required heavy force and held for an appreciable length of time to insure effective adhesive distribution and absorption by the outsole and shoe bottom. These steps have been performed separately during successive time intervals, either with the use of hollow pads containing a pressure distributing fluid or with the use of compressible pads of solid resilient material. With the use of hollow fluid containing pads a uniform pressure is applied at right angles to all surfaces but without obtaining special benefits in character of contour in a shoe through the use of greater pressures along certain areas and lower pressures along others.

The more desirable type of pad contains, at least, along its shank and breast engaging elements a reinforcement of solid resilient material, which when in uncompressed condition is shaped to apply increased pressures along the margins of the shank and heel breast while minimizing pressures on areas between the margins of the shank and heel breast during the first light force step. Also, along the forepart of a shoe it is desirable to apply a distributed pressure for secure attachment with abrupt reductions in pressure along central areas of the forepart and the edge of an outsole which projects beyond the bottom of the shoe, so that the surplus projecting margin of the sole will not be wrapped tightly against the upper of the shoe and the finished sides of a Louis heel, but will extend in diverging relation to the sides of the shoe upper and heel.

A need ordinarily met in the attachment of an outsole to a cement shoe and simultaneously in the attachment of a breast covering flap to a heel already mounted on such shoe, especially where solid resilient pads are provided, as distinguished from fluid containing pads, is in manual adjustment of the general contour on the support for the pads. A pressure pad is supported in a box, the contour on the bottom surface of which is capable of being changed to conform with the general shape of the shoe. With the use of solid compressible pads it may be necessary to change the contour of the pad box bottom to a greater extent than has been found necessary with the supporting pad box for a fluid containing pad. This is because a fluid containing pad conforms with the shape of the shoe more readily and, all other things being equal, the fluid containing pad does no worse in character emphasis with great changes in shoe sizes and styles. In any case such fluid pad does not add desirable character emphasis to a shoe to the extent obtainable with a properly contoured solid resilient pad. It thus appears that problems met in a solid pad include adaptability and adjustment; whereas, the problems met with fluid containing pads include character emphasis in any adjustment.

The object of the present invention is to provide a supporting box intended to be used with a solid resilient pad for attaching outsoles to shoes and simultaneously for attaching breast flaps integral with an outsole to a heel already mounted on a shoe, in which any adjustments required in the contour of a pad supporting surface in a pad box are accomplished automatically without any attention on the part of the operator for the machine, thus attaining a degree of adaptability equal to that provided by the use of a fluid containing pad.

Preferably, the pad and box of the invention are employed in a machine which is capable of a two-step operation, the first of which moves the pad and shoe quickly relatively to a set of toe and heel abutments with a relatively light force until the contour of the pad supporting box has had an opportunity to become adjusted to the shape of the shoe, and the second of which exerts a much heavier force on the shoe over an extended period of time suflicient to form a secure attachment of the outsole to the shoe, the solid pad itself yielding suficiently to distribute the heavy pressures along the desired areas.

Other objects of the invention are generally to improve the operation of a cement sole attaching machine, in which the set of toe and heel abutments is adjustable in accordance with the size of a shoe being processed by the machine regardless of whether a heel already is attached to the hoe bottom or whether a shoe is intended to have its heel attached afterwards.

The features of the invention contributing to the objects above outlined are embodied in a machine having a set of pad elements in an automatically adjustable pad box comprising forepart and heel trays and a shank supporting member between the forepart and heel trays, in which there are balancing connections between the forepart and heel trays and the shank member acting to press the shank member of the pad into the shank area of the shoe with a force equal to the sum of pressure components exerted by both the forepart and heel trays. Such an arrangement distinguishes from previous pad supporting boxes, in which connections are provided for balancing the components of the boxes, but none are armatically actuated mechanism for adjusting the spacing between toe and heel abutments, against which the pressure of the shoe on the pad is exerted, the distance between the toe and heel abutments being increased for use with large sized shoes and decreased for smaller sized shoes, preferably by the engagement of a feeler member directly with a portion of the shoe or of the last on which the'shoe is mounted.

These and'other features of the invention, as hereinafter described and claimed, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed specification,

taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: a FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation and partly in section of the principal parts of a machine embodying the features of the present invention, shown in use with a shoe having no heel attached;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view on a reduced scale, looking from the rear of the machine illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view in side elevation of a pad box and shoe engaging devices in the machine shown in use with a Louis heel shoe, indicating the parts of the machine in positions assumed before an attaching operationhas been initiated;

FIG. 4 is a-fragmentary detail view of a portion of the operating connections for a heel supporting mechanism in the machine;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the same parts of the machine illustrated in FIG. 3, in positions assumed While applying pressure to a Louis heel shoe;

FIG. '6 is a perspective detail of a heel pad tray in the machine looking from beneath the front and right side; a

FIG. 7 is a of the machine;

FIG. 8 is a plan view, partly in section, of the pad box with the pad removed; FIG. 9 is a perspective w'ew of the pad and the pad box, partly indicated in section, the plane of which section extends lengthwise of a shoe (illustrated in broken lines), the parts of the pad box being shown in positions assumed during the application of pressure on the shoe bottom;

FIG. 10 is a sectional perspective View of the pad, shown in FIG. 9, the section for which extends lengthwise of the shoe with the parts of the pad in uncompressed condition;

FIG.'1l is a transverse sectional view of upper portions plan view of a shoe disposed on the pad box I .of the pad and box, taken along the line XIXI of FIG. 5 through the shank portion of a shoe, illustrating the compression of the pad by the shoe;

FIG. 12 is a transverse sectional view of the pad box, indicating a shoe under compression, the section being taken along the line XIIX1I of FIG. 5;

FIG. 13. is a similar sectional view of a portion of the pad and box with a shoe thereon, indicating the positions of the parts before the application of pressure; FIG. 14 is a detail perspective view looking from the light of the machine of mechanism for adjusting the distance automatically between the toe and heel abutments of the machine with relation to a shoe being operated FIG. 15 is a detail perspective view taken partly in section along the line XV-XV of FIG. 5, showing the results of a desirable breast flap attaching operation on a.

shoe heel; and

FIG. 16 is a similar detail perspective view of a shoe heel taken in section along the line XV-XV of FIG. 5, indicating an improper breast flap attaching operation.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is intended for operation on a lasted cement shoe on the bottom of which is already mounted a Louis or other type of heel, whether the heel is attached directly to the heel seat of the shoe or to a sole, which in turn is temporarily attached to the shoe bottom. To apply pressure to the shoe it is placed on a pad supporting box and compressed between the pad box and shoe engaging and holding devices which are brought together by suitable actuating means.

Also, the machine without any substantial changes or adjustments is capable of operating to advantage upon a shoe, to the bottom of which no heel is attached, the heel being attached after the sole attaching operation is .completed.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the machine is illustrated as operating upon a shoe having no heel attached, the machine being capable of automatic adjustment to suit the contour of the shoe bottom without necessitating the exercise of special control or adjustment on the part of an operator when changing from one size or style of shoe to another. The shoe illustrated in FIG. 1 is of conventional form having a fiat lasted upper 10 supported on a last 12 with an outsole 14 spotted and afiixed to the overlasted margin of the upper along the bottom of the shoe. The pad box is provided with a composite set of pad elements, the upper surface of which is protected by a leather cover 16 secured in the pad box by a plate 18 by means of stud screws 20 and threaded pins, one of which is shown at 22 in FIG. 7. The plate 18 is clamped in place on the rim of the pad box by nuts 23 threaded on each pin 22. In other respects themachine is similar to that disclosed in United States Letters Patent N0.-2,568,065, granted September 18, 1951 upon application ,of Helge Gulbrandsen, except that instead of employing a pad supporting box containing forepart, shank and heel pad supporting members connected together for manual adjustment relatively to each other, as in the patent, connections are provided between these members of the pad box to enable them to adjust themselves automatically with relation to each other in accordance with the contour of the shoe bottom being operated upon.

For the purpose of automatic adjustment in the machine of the present invention the connections between a forepart tray, a shank supporting member and a heel sup porting tray herein illustrated at 24, 25 and 26, respec-' trvely, in the order noted are arranged to be yieldingly held in preliminary positions of adjustment so that when a shoe is brought into engagement with the cover 16 it is pressed downwardly relatively to a base structure for the pad box and so that the forepart and heel trays will be depressed bodily in the base until the required pressure is distributed along the shank of the shoe by upward movement of the shank supporting member located between the forepart andheel trays. After the operation on the shoe is completed the pressure is relieved and the forepart and heel trays rise in the pad box base to their original positions.

It will be understood that the reference to the direction of movement for the pad box parts relatively to the base is selected for convenience of expression and whether this movement takes place with relation to a fixed part of the machine has no bearing on the features of invention involved. For instance, the shoe may be raised against fixed abutments or the abutments may be lowered against the shoe; depending on the type of machine employed, either manner of operation being old in the art.

Heretofore, attempts have been made to adjust auto-. matically the pad supporting parts of a pad box relatively to the base to distribute the forces on independent pad elements in a desirable manner throughout the bottom area of a shoe being operated upon. These attempts have not resulted in a pad box which was universahy adjustable to different sizes and styles of shoes, so that for practical purposes the advantages of utilizing solid resilient pad elements of rubbery material have heretofore required substantial manual adjustment between operations on shoes for the full range of styles and sizes found in the average shoe factory.

The force distributing connections of the resent invention act to concentrate on the shank of the shoe components of those forces which are exerted on the forepart and the heel of the shoe. In this way effective pressures are brought to bear on the shoe shank where the greatest variations in curvature occur between shoes of difierent sizes and styles. To accommodate the variations in curvature ordinarily met along the shank of the shoe, the shank pressing pad element is composed of independent layers 28 of vertically divided resilient material and a vertical heel breast pressing layer 39, having a rearward surface shaped to fit the curvature of the breast on a Louis heel. The layers 28 and 39 are generally perpendicular to the shoe bottom. However, when operating upon an unheeled shoe as in FIG. 1, the space beneath the heel is filled in by a compressible heel filler block 32 disposed above a U- shaped heel embracing pad 34, the opening of the U in which provides space for 2. Louis heel when required. The heel pad 34 is supported in the tray 2.6 and the lower edges of the vertical shank layers are supported on the member 25. To press the forepart of the shoe the leather cover 16 rests on a forepart pad which consists of a layer 36 disposed on parallel underlying layers 38 supported in the forepart tray 24 having upstanding flanges to prevent displacement of the forepart pad. The layers 36 and 32 are arranged in substantially parallel relation to the shoe bottom.

The force distributing connections between the heel tray 26, the shank supporting member and the forepart tray 24 consist in links and levers arranged to press the shank element of the pad into the shank of the shoe with a force equal to the sum of pressure components on both the forepart and heel trays. To stabilize the pad supporting struc ture of the pad box, the heel tray is mounted for vertical movement while being constrained from angular move ment with respect to the other parts of the pad box. The forepart tray is mounted for vertical movement and also for swinging movement about an axis extending transversely of a shoe disposed in operating position on the pad.

The shank supporting member 25 is in the form of a wide lever fulcrumed on a shaft 41' extending transversely of the shank of a shoe disposed on the pad and fixed at its ends in side plates 42 comprising the pad box base. The fulcrum shaft 4% is located in the base side plates with its axis directly beneath the line of division between the heel breast pressing shank layer 3% and the next adjacent shank layer 23, so as to facilitate vertical movement in opposite directions of these shank layers while the shank supporting lever member 25 is being adjusted to conform with the requirements of a particular shoe. The portion or" the shank supporting lever member 25 forwardly of the shaft 40, however, is actually greater by a ratio of about one and one-half to one than that of the portion rearwardly of the shaft. As the shank lever member 25 swings about the shaft 49 the individual layers 28 of the shank pad shift with relation to each other and with relation to the heel pressing layer 36, the greater proportion of force acting on the member 25 and being applied to it at its forward end, tending to rock in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. I.

To avoid an abrupt gradient of pressures exerted between the shank supporting member 25 and the forepart tray 24, the two are connected loosely together by means of a wide link 44 having secured within openings at its forward end a horizontal pin 45 passing also through similar close fitting openings in the lower rearward end of the forepart tray 24. The pin 46 is arranged to be guided vertically in the side plates 42 of the pad box base by the provision of vertical slots 50 in the side plates. The rearward end of the link 44 is also formed with horizontal slots 52 to receive a floating pin 54 secured between the side plates of the base 42 within a close fitting opening at the forward end of the shank lever member 25. Thus, the link 44- serves as a ramp extending between the forward end of the shank member 25 and the rearward end of the forepart tray 24 and adds to the tendency to rock the forward end of the lever member 25 downwardly.

The connections between the heel tray and the leverike shank supporting member 25 impart greater upward movement to the forward end of lever member in the pad box base and press the shank elements of the pad upwardly relatively to the base into the shank of the shoe as the heel tray is depressed by downward pressure on the shoe heel. The heel connections include a fourarmed lever 56 (see FIGS. 1, 3, 5 and 8) composed of three approximately horizontally disposed arms and a downwardly extending arm all pinned to a horizontally extending shaft 57 having its ends rotatably mounted in the side plates 42 of the base. The two outer arms of the lever 56 carry lugs 58 extending toward each other beneath downwardly projecting flanges on the heel tray. A central arm of the lever 56 extends forwardly and is formed with a slot 5? through which passes a short stud 6t fixed in lugs extending rearwardly from the shank supporting lever member 25. Passing transversely through the shank supporting member 25, between the stud 6t and the shaft 40 is a pin 62 confined between the side plates 42 of the base and embracing this pin are a pair of forked portions of the heel tray 26 formed integrally with its downwardly extending flanges. The relative lengths of the horizontal arms on the lever 56 and the distances between the fulcrum shaft 49, the pin 62- and the stud 60 on the shank member 25 comprise parallel movement linkage which causes the lugs 58 on one end of the lever 56 to be raised or lowered at the same rate as the pins 62 on the other end. Thus, a substantially horizontal relation is maintained by the heel tray 26 regardless of its vertical height. In this way rocking movements of the heel tray are prevented. Furthermore, bodily relative movement in the pad box base in a direction generally perpendicular to the shoe bottom of the heel tray is permitted, causing the shank member 25 to swing about its fulcrum shaft 4%) and the forward arm of the member 25 to move upwardly, compressing the elements of the shank pad against the shoe. As the lever member 25 swings to compress the vertical layers of the shank pad member, those at the forward end of the shank member are compressed lengthwise more than those directly above the fulcrum shaft 40. For this reason there will be a greater component of horizontal pressure exerted in a rearward direction on the shank layers directly above the fulcrum shaft and particularly on the breast pressing layer 30 than would otherwise be present. This greater rearward pressure is found to be of particular advantage when operating upon shoes having Louis heels already attached, as will be explained more fully below.

The forepart tray has a pair of downwardly extending flanges engaging a pin 64 mounted in the forward arms of a pair of balancing levers 66. The balancing levers are secured to a fulcrum shaft 68 mounted for rotation in the side plates 42 of the base and the rearward arms of the levers 66 are reduced in horizontal thickness and extend beneath the forward arms of the shank member 25. The levers 66 thus act to transfer the downward force on the forepart tray 24 to the shank supporting member 25, tending to cause movement thereof in the same direction as the component of downward force on the heel tray 26.

Because the lengths of arms on the various supporting and balancing levers are proportioned to transfer the desired components of downward force on the heel and forepart trays to the shank supporting member 25, the shank supporting member applies the proper degree of vertical force to the shoe and exerts the proper horizontal and rearward component of that force to give the desired results. For the same reason the bodily adjusting movements of the heel and forepart trays are substantially equal to each other, so that the balance of these forces and the horizontal position of the shoe as a whole does not change during the operation on the shoe.

The forepart tray is not restrained against angular movement of its flanges about the pin 64, and is free for rocking movement to accommodate the angle between the shank and forepart of the last supporting the shoe. Such angular movement does not change the pressure on the shoe shank.

The support for the pad box and the actuating means for bringing together the pad box and the shoe engaging and holding abutments to apply pressure to the shoe are the same, except as hereinafter described, as in the machine of the prior co-pending application above identified. The pad box base near its forward end has connected between its side plates 42 a rectangular bar 69 and at its rearward end a bracket 70, both bar and bracket being secured to the side plates by cap screws 7-2 (see FIG. 3). At the bottom of the base near its rearward end there also is secured a block 74 made fast to the right-hand side plate by screws 76 (FIG. 3). The bar 69 and the block 74 are located flush with the bottom edges of the side plates so that they form means for attaching the pad box base to the pressure applying means.

In the particular form of the machine illustrated the pressure applying means acts in a direction generally perpendicular to the shoe bottom and comprises a double piston 78 (see FIG. 1), a large diameter portion of which is guided in a cylinder 80 and a small diameter portion of which is guided in a cylinder 82. The cylinders 80 and 82 form parts of a machine frame and are supplied With pressurized fluid under control of two separate hydraulic systems, the pressure applied to the shoe by the smaller diameter portion of the piston being less than the pressure applied by the larger diameter portion.

Thus, fluid under pressure is first directed into the small cylinder 82 .to move the shoe quickly from a lowered position where it is readily applied to the pad to a higher position where it engages a pair of toe and heel abutment devices 84 and 86 mounted in the frame opposite the pad elements. The toe abutment device 84 is mounted for vertical adjustment on a slide 88 and the heel abutment device 86 is pivotally mounted on a slide 90. The slides 88 and 90 are supported by similar guideways 92 and 94 formed on the lower ends of plungers 96 and 98 slidable in an overhanging portion of the machine frame. Connected between the upper ends of the plungers 96 and 98 is a walking beam 100 supported on a pivot shaft 102 secured in the overhanging portion, indicated at 104 of the machine frame, the portion 104 extending rigidly between the pivot shaft 102 and the cylinders 80 and 82 for the piston 78, so that when fluid pressure isintrodu-ced into the cylinders the shoe is raised into engagement with the abutment devices 84 and 86. As soon as the abutments are engaged by the shoe the continued upward movement of the shoe raises one and causes the other to be lowered through the action of the Walking beam 100 until balanced positions of the two abutment devices are reached. Thereafter, upon further increase in pressure the shoe is held by the abutment devices and the pad box is raised until the pressure on the shoe bottom reaches a maximum, the cylinder 80 then being subject to the full fluid pressure of the system connected thereto. To secure the pad box in position on the double piston 78 a pair of cap screws 105 pass through a flange on the piston and into threaded engagement with the bar 69 and the block 74.

While the machine is herein illustrated as having a pad box raised by pressure applying means comprising a double diameter piston, the invention is readily applicable to a machine such as that illustrated in United States Letters Patent No. 2,047,185, granted July 14, 1936, upon application of Ballard et al., in which the pressure applying means acts to force the toe and heel engaging abutment devices downwardly to compress the shoe against a pad in the pad box. In the present machine a single fluid pressureactuated lever, such as that indicated at 314 in the Ballard et al. patent, would thus have secured to its forward end the frame part 104 of the present machine and the pad box would be secured rigidly to an underlying fixed portion of the machine frame. While the Ballard et al. patent illustrates two separate fluid actuated pistons and two separate levers, one of which levers operates to depress the toe-engaging abutment wh'fle the other actuates the heel-engaging abutment there would be no necessity for such an arrangement with the machine of the present invention, inasmuch as a single walking beam type of connection to balance the forces applied to the toe and heel abutments is all that is required to insure proper automatic adjustment of the pad' supporting parts in the pad box of the present invention.

The advantage of a two-pressure system, one intensity of which brings the shoe quickly into engagement with the abutment devices and the other intensity of which exerts proper attaching action of the shoe and sole .is apparent where a relatively light force is desirable for adjusting the parts of a pad supporting box and thereafter where a much heavier force is needed to complete the operation on the shoe. A further advantage of the two-pressure system is that the major part of the adjustment is accomplished under light pressure so that the adjusting parts are subjected to relatively gentle forces during their relative movement; whereas, much heavier forces may be applied to the same parts after the adjusting movements have substantially been completed without undue wear or other undesirable efiects.

In order that the adjustments of the pad box may be accomplished throughout the full range of possible movement during each operation on a shoe, the downwardly extending arm of the lever 56 in the pad box is perforated at its lower end and is engaged by one end of a strong tension spring 106 stretched between the lever arm and an eye bolt 108 secured in the cross bar 69. The action of the spring 106 is to raise the toe and heel trays 24 and 26 to their full height while depressing the shank supporting member 25 into the position more fully illustrated in FIG. 3. In this way if a shoe, such as that illustrated at 110, having a Louis heel 112 is to be operated upon, the spacing block 32. is removed to expose the opening in the heel embracing pad 34. After the shoe has been located with the heel within the opening of the heel embracing pad a heel supporting mechanism connected with a pad block 114 is rendered operative to engage and backup the rearward surface of the heel 112 in synchronism with the application of pressure to the shoe. This mechanism is the same as that described in the prior application and in the machine of that application the block is locked against the heel directly by engagement of the heel pad with the block. For a shoe having no heel attached this mechanism is rendered inoperative inasmuch as there is no necessity for supporting the heel.

With the shoe in position on the pad box the forepart and heel of the shoe is held raised to a point where many of the surface areas of the shoe bottom are entirely disengaged frorncertain portions of the cover 16 for. the pads. As pressure is applied to the piston the heel supporting block 114 moves along the heel pad 34 into engagement with the rearward surface of the heel to urge it against the shank pad layer 30. Thereafter the heel supporting block is locked against rearward movement and as the shoe engages the toe and heel abutments the toe and heel trays 24 and 26 are depressed and the shank supporting member is raised to bring the shank engaging portion of the cover 16 into a desired pressing engagement with the shank of the shoe in the positions illustrated in FIG. of the drawings. Eventually a condition of equilibrium between forces applied to the shoe is reached and the heavy attaching pressure is applied to the piston. The pad box is then raised somewhat higher, the pad elements being compressed horizontally and expanded laterally to fill in the voids between them and the curved areas about the shank and heel of the shoe; otherwise, the operation is similar to that described in the application above identified.

In the machine of the prior application the heel supporting block is locked against the rearward surface of the heel, merely by raising the heel pad into engagement with the heel supporting block. In the present machine the mechanism for actuating and locking the supporting block includes a horizontally reciprocating bar 116 having secured to its under surface a ratchet bar 118, the teeth of which are directed rearwardly and downwardly. The supporting block bar 116 is slidingly mounted in a carrier 120 having secured to its lower inner surface a second ratchet bar 122 formed with teeth directed forwardly and upwardly. The carrier 120 is pivotally mounted on a rearwardly extending arm of the bracket 70 so that when the shoe engages the overhead abutment devices the supporting block 114 presses the bar 116 downwardly to bring the ratchet bar 118 into engagement with the ratchet bar 122, thus preventing rearward movement of the heel supporting block.

To insure that the teeth of the ratchet bar 118 will be held in engagement with those of the ratchet bar 122, the carrier 120 is acted upon by a spring pressed plunger 124 mounted in the bracket 70. As the pad box is raised at the beginning of an operation on a shoe the force of the plunger 124 holds the carrier 12! raised until downward pressure is exerted on the shoe by the toe and heel abutment devices 84 and 86. To release the teeth of the bar 118 from engagement with those of the ratchet bar 122, so that the supporting block 114 may be retracted after an operation on a shoe is completed, a leaf spring 126 fixed at its rearward end inside the carrier 120 acts between the reciprocating bar 116 and the carrier 120 to separate the two ratchet bars from each other.

To permit the heel supporting mechanism to be rendered inoperative when a shoe having no heel attached thereto is being processed, the reciprocating bar 116 is actuated by a link 128 pivotally connected at its rearward end to the bar and formed with an open notch 130 at its forward end arranged to embrace a pin 132 secured to an upwardly extending actuating arm 13 as shown in FIG. 4. When the link 128 is raised manually it disengages the pin 132. The actuating arm 134 is pinned to a stud 136 rotatable in rearwardly projecting lugs on the bracket 79. For actuating the arm 134 connections are provided between a laterally extending arm 138 rotatable on the stud 135 and the frame of the machine, the arm 138 being yieldingly connected by a spring 137 (FIG. 3) to the arm 134. The free end of the arm 138 is in turn connected to the stationary frame portion 89 in such a way that when the piston 78 is raised the actuating arm 134 will press the heel supporting pad 114 forwardly, as in the aforementioned application. In case the toe and heel abutments 84 and 86 are actuated downwardly against the shoe, as in the Ballard et al. machine, instead of being fixed as illustrated herein, the connections for the arm 138 will necessarily be made directly to the movable portion of the frame 104 which carries the toe and heel engaging abutments.

To confine the forepart pad layer 35 while permitting bodily movement in a vertical direction with the forepart tray 24, the pad layer 36 is surrounded by a horseshoe shaped frame 139 having on the upper rearward corners ears through which pass a pair of pins 140 also passing through the forward ends of a pair of substantially horizontal links 142. The rearward ends of the links 142 are pivoted at 144 to upstanding portions of the side plates 42, which extend between the ears on the forepart tray. The upstanding portions of the side plates 42 at either side of the shank pad element prevent escape of the shank pad and maintain it in alignment with the layers 38 (see also FIG. 12). The frame 139 has side flanges resting on the crossbar 6 between the side flanges of the frame and the side flanges have horizontal slots 143 through which pass loosely the pin 46. 'The frame 139 also has threaded openings to receive the screws 2!) and the pins 22.

To prevent displacement of the shank pad element rearwardly, the side plates 42 are formed with horizontal slots 145 (FIG. 3) through which pass a pair of clamp bolts 146 for securing in adjusted position a pair of T-shaped clips 143, best shown in FIG. 7. The bolts 146 have threaded on them a pair of wing nuts 159, which when loosened permit the clips 148 to slide toward and from contact with the heel pressing pad layer 36. At the forward end of the shank pad element the foremost layer 28 engages the rearward ends of the toe pressing pad layers 36 and 38. Also assisting in confinement of the shank pad elements, there are formed at the forward end of the heel tray 26 a pair of upstanding flanges 151 (FIG. 6) which engage the heel pressing layer 30.

Because the pad box of the illustrated machine contains no water bags to equalize pressures on all parts of a shoe bottom, the present solid resilient pad elements have a tendency to flow and expand horizontally while being compressed vertically. These pad elements may be suitably contoured when in uncompressed condition to give the desired concentration of pressures for best results and enhanced characteristics on a shoe without distorting the shoe or tending to stretch or wrinkle the parts being operated upon. As illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 13 inclusive, all of the shoe pressing surfaces of the uppermost pad elements are formed with substantial concavities 152 and 154 to conform with the convex curvatures both lengthwise and widt'nwise of a shoe being processed. These concavities assist in a proper preliminary location of a shoe on the pad as well as emphasize the shoe character and shape by concentrating all the pressures applied thereto to the marginal portions of the sole while leaving the central areas of both the forepart and shank relatively free of pressures.

As shown in FIG. 11 the relaxed and uncompressed positions of the parts are shown in broken lines. While under pressure of the sole attaching operations all of the pressure along the shank is limited to a marginal area 156 of the outsole, leaving a central area 153 free of pressure, as indicated by the full line positions. The same action is true in the forepart of the shoe, as shown in FIG. 13, where the forepart pad 36 is contoured with the concavity 152, indicating greater curvature than the convexity of a shoe bottom, so that when the shoe is first located on the pad a substantial space 160 will be present between the shoe and the pad. Upon application of pressure to the shoe it will be forced against the pad into the position shown in FIG. 12 where most of the space 160 will be taken up or will be substantially reduced in area.

The character emphasizing benefits flowing from the use of a solid resilient pad, as distinguished from a fluid containing one are also apparent in processing the shoe provided with the Louis heel 112, as appears in FIG. 15. When such shoe is being processed the outsole, indicated at 162 in FIGS. 3 and 5, has at its rearward end a reduced area portion forming a breast covering flap 164. Along the section of greatest curvature close to the joint between the heel and the shoe bottom the breast flap is pressed uniformly against the heel while flexing any surplus portion 166 along the margins of the flap slightly rearwardly of the heel breast to form creases 168, along which the surplus may readily be trimmed after attachment.

Tlhe condition of the marginal portions where a solid resilient pad is employed is readily distinguished from the use of a fluid containing bag, which causes the surplus marginal portions 170 of a flap 172, as shown in FIG. 6, to be flexed into intimate contact with the side surfaces of'the heel. The marginal portions, thus are attached and must be pried loose before the surplus margins of the flap may be trimmed into conformity with the breast of the heel. In prying the marginal portions of the flap loose from the heel particles of adhesive adhere to the sides of the heel, causing discoloration or resulting in abrasion of the finished heel surfaces when an attempt is made to remove them.

To assist still further in reducing the need of adjust ment of the machine by the operator according to a further feature of the invention, the slide for the toe abutment 84 is adjusted along its guideway 92 automatically in accordance with the size of the shoe being operated upon. In this way it is possible to bring the spacing between the toe and heel abutment devices into correspondence with the locations on a shoe where the best results are obtainable. For this purpose the slide 88 has pivotally connected to it at 174' (see FIGS. 1, 3, 5, and 14) the forward end of a threaded rod 176, the rearward end of which passes loosely through a rectangular head on a pivot 178 rotating loosely in a downwardly extending arm 180 rotatable on the shaft 102. The lower end of the arm 180 has a pair of perforations, one of which is shown at 182, and the other of which has passing through it a pin 184 forming a mounting for a feeler roll 186. The roll 186 is so located that as a shoe mounted on the pad box is raised from the solid line position of FIG. 3 to the broken line position, the inclined forward face on the front cone 188 of a last 12 or 190 for the shoe engages the roll and swings the arm 180 forwardly as in FIG. 5. In moving the arm 180 the connection provided by the rod 176 moves the slide 88 on its guideway 92 to bring the toe engaging abutment 84 into the proper position to produce the best results on the shoe without overstraining the last during the application of sole attaching pressure. Because the roll 186 engages the last approximately at a central location between the abutments 84 and 86, little or no variation in movement of the arm is produced as the shoe changes its angular position by forcing one abutment up and causing the other abutment to be lowered. As soon as the toe engaging abutment 84 comes into contact with the shoe no further movement of the slide 88 on the guideway 92 is permitted, the parts being locked together as the result of the frictional forces produced by the pressure applied.

T enable the shoe to move after engaging the toe abutment 84 either by reason of its angular adjustment lengthwise relatively to a horizontal position or by reason of a bulging action of the last between the abutment devices 84 and 86, the rod 176 is surrounded between its threaded end and the pin 178 by a compression spring 191 which holds the rectangular head of the pin yieldingly against a pair of check nuts 192 on the rod. In this way there is no danger of abrasion on the shoe upper by movement of the abutment device 84 during the application of pressure.

The arm 180 is arranged to move a sufiicient distance to take care of the full variation in sizes of shoes from the smallest to the largest, the shoe being located in a predetermined position on the pad in the pad box. When a Louis heel shoe is being operated upon this position is determined automatically by engagement of the heel breast with the heel pressing layer 30 of the shank element. With a shoe having no heel attached the lengthwise position of the shoe may be gaged with sufiicient accuracy either by the position of the heel supporting .block 114, which is rendered inoperative or otherwise by markings on the pad box.

To bring the shoe abutment adjusting arm 180 into a 1.2 position where it changes the spacing between the abut ments for the smallest size of shoe being operated upon, a spring 193 is stretched between a pin 194 on the arm and a pin 196 on the slide 90. The spring 192draws the arm 180 against an adjustable stop plate 198 secured by means of a releasable screw 200 to the slide 90, the slide being held in fixed position on the guideway 94 by a set screw 202 threaded in a portion of the slide 90 and engaged at its inner end with the guideway 94. As in prior machines the plungers 96 and 98 of the guideway are retained at their upper ends in engagement with the walking beam by a pair of tension springs 204 stretched at their lower ends between the guideways 92 and 94 and pins 206 in the machine frame portion 104.

With the use of an automatic adjustment slide for the spacing between the heel and toe abutment a particularly desirable benefit is obtained in operating upon shoes hava ing a Louis heel already attached the Louis heel acting to locate a shoe at its rearward end accurately with relation to the pad box and the heel abutment device 86. In operating upon a Louis heel shoe the shoe is first applied to the pad in the pad. box with the breast of its heel positioned firmly against the leather cover 16 sup ported by the heel breast pressing pad layer '30. As the sole attaching operation is initiated the heel supporting block 114 is moved against the rearward surface of the shoe heel so as to bring the shoe accurately into position lengthwise on the pad. Such accurate location determines uniformly the action of the feeler roll 186 in spacing the shoe abutment devices, so that shoes of the same size will always have the toe abutment device 84 spaced the required distance from vthe heel abutment device 86.

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

1. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom, said machine having a frame, a pad box base in the frame, a pad box in the base, a set of independent pad elements in the pad box, shoe engaging and holding abutment devices mounted in the frame opposite the pad elements, and actuating means for bringing together the pad elements and the shoe engaging and holding devices to apply vertical pressure to a lasted shoe on the pad elements in a direction generally perpendicular to the shoe bottom, the pad element supporting box comprising forepart and heel trays and a shank supporting member between the forepart and heel trays, in combination with force distributing connections between the forepart and heel trays acting to press the shank element of the pad vertically into the shank of the shoe with a force equal to the sum of the vertical force components on the forepart and heel trays.

2. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom, as in claim 1, in which the forepart tray is mounted for rocking movement to accommodate the angle between the shank and the forepant of the shoe without changing the pressure on the shoe shank.

3. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom, as in claim 2, in which the forces applied to the shoe engaging and holding devices are balanced by a walking beam connected between them to equalize the forces exerted against the shoe bottom by the pad elements in the forepart and heel trays.

4. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom,

as in claim 2, in which a pin engaged by the forepart tray enables the rocking movement and a lever is fulcrumed in the pad box to support the pin in one of its arms and to transfer a component of vertical force from the rod to the shank supporting member through another of its 7 arms.

ponent of vertical force applied to it directly to the shank supporting member tending to cause movement therein 13 in the same direction as the component of vertical force applied to the heel tray by the actuating means.

6. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom, as in claim 2, in which the pad elements supported by the pad box consist of independent layers of resilient material of which those in the forepart tray are arranged in substantially parallel relation to the shoe bottom and those supported by the shank member extend substantially perpendicularly to the shoe bottom, and a fulcrum shaft about which the shank supporting member rocks located with its axis directly beneath a line of division between two adjacent layers of the shank pressing element.

7. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom as in claim 2, in which there is provided a spring for raising the forepart and heel trays and to lower the shank supporting member at the end of an operation on a shoe.

8. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom, as in claim 1, in which the actuating means includes a two-pressure system, one intensity of which brings the shoe quickly into engagement with the engaging and holding devices, and the other intensity of which exerts proper attaching action of the sole and shoe.

9. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom, as in claim 1, in which the forces on the shoe engaging and holding devices are balanced by a walking beam connected between them to equalize the forces exerted against the forepart and heel trays.

16. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom, as in claim 1, in which the force distributing connections act on the heel and forepart trays to move them bodily relatively to the pad box base in a vertical direction by amounts substantially equal to each other, the forepart tray is fulcrumed for h'ee rocking movement to accommodate the angle between the shank and forepart of the last supporting the shoe, and a lever and linkage are provided to hold the heel tray from rocking movement.

11. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom, as in claim 10, in which the connections for the heel supporting tray comprise parallel movement linkage to cause the ends of the heel tray to be raised or lowered at the same rate.

12. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom, as in claim 1, in which the pad element in the heel tray is U-shaped providing an opening for 21 Louis heel on the shoe being operated upon.

13. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom and simultaneously to the breast of a heel attached to the shoe bottom, as in claim 1, in which there is provided a heel supporting member, a reciprocating bar on which the heel supporting member is mounted for movement toward and from the heel of a shoe, a carrier in which the reciprocating bar is slidingly mounted and means for locking the heel supporting member in engagement with the shoe heel, including a ratchet on the reciprocating bar and a second ratchet on the carrier for the bar arranged to be engaged by the first ratchet by pressure of the shoe against the shoe engaging and holding devlces.

14. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom and simultaneously to the breast of a heel attached to the shoe bottom, as in claim 13, in which there is provided means for releasing the ratchets from engagement with each other after operation on a shoe is completed,

14 comprising a spring acting between the reciprocating bar and the carrier.

15. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom, as in claim 1, in which a link is connected between the shank supporting member and the fore-part tray, against which link a portion of the pad elements are supported to avoid an abrupt gradient of pressures exerted between the shank supporting member and the forepart tray.

16. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom and simultaneously to the breast of a heel attached to the shoe bottom, said machine having a frame, a set of independent pad elements, toe and heel engaging and holdabutment devices mounted in the frame opposite the pad elements, actuating means for bringing together the pad elements and the shoe engaging and holding devices to apply pressure to a lasted shoe on the pad elements in a direction generally perpendicular to the shoe bottom, a pad element in the supporting box comprising a heel pressing layer having a surface shaped to fit the curvature on the heel breast, and an external heel supporting member separate from the pad elements movable toward and from the rearward surface of the heel of a shoe to urge it against the shank pad element, in combination with means automatically adjusting the spacing between the toe and heel abutment devices including a feeler member engaging the front cone of the last on which the shoe is mounted.

17. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom and simultaneously to the breast of a heel attached to the shoe bottom, as in claim 16, in which spring means is provided between the feeler and one of the abutment devices to enable the shoe to move after engaging the abutment devices to prevent abrasion of the shoe upper during application of pressure on the shoe.

18. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom and simultaneously to the breast of a heel attached to the shoe bottom, as in claim 16, in which there are provided a reciprocating bar on which the heel supporting member is mounted, a carrier in which the reciprocating bar is slidingly mounted, ratchet means on the reciprocating bar and the carrier arranged to be engaged and to be locked by pressure exerted on a shoe through engag ment with the toe and heel engaging devices, and means for releasing the ratchet means from engagement after operation on a shoe is completed, comprising a spring acting between the reciprocating bar and the carrier to separate the ratchet means.

19. A machine for applying pressure to a shoe bottom and simultaneously to the breast of a heel attached to the shoe bottom, as in claim 18, in which there is provided means for insuring that the ratchets will be held in engagement during operation on a shoe, comprising a spring pressed plunger acting on the carrier to hold the carrier raised while downward pressure is exerted on the shoe by the toe and heel engaging devices.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 694,367 Gifiord Mar. 4, 1902 942,133 Davenport Dec. 7, 1909 2,656,553 Woodman Oct. 27, 1953 2,914,782 Prahl et al. Dec. 1, 1959

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