US1850389A - Machine for blocking or shaping boots and shoes - Google Patents

Description

March 22, 1932. s, GMSON 1,850,389

MACHINE FOR BLOCKTNG OR SHAPING BOOTS AND SHOES Filed Oct. 15, 1928 2 Sheets-sheet 1 //YV[/YTO/? Kingsley Spencer Gimson BY M Wa/W March 22, 1932. K, 5, GIMSON 1,850,389

MACHINE FOR BLOCKING OR SHAPING BOOTS AND SHOES Filed Oct. 15, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //Vl '/VTO/? Kingsley SpencerGimson HTTO/P/YEX'S Patented Mar. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KINGSLEY SPENCER GIMSON, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY MACHHTE FOR BLOCKING OR SHAPING BOOTS AND SHOES Application filed October 15, 1928, Serial No. 312,503, and in Great Britain October 18, 1927.

This invention relates to machines for blocking or shaping boots and shoes '(hereinafter and in the appended claims both included in the term shoes) In the case of the lighter sorts of ladies shoes and more especially in the case of the cheaper qualities which not infrequently are somewhat flimsy, it is found that after having been boxed and kept for a more or less prolonged period in stock, the upper parts thereof droop and therefore at the time they are produced for sale are found to have lost their original shape and smart appearance. I To overcome this defect it is in some shoe factories the practice, before boxing the shoes, to subject the said upper parts to moulding or shaping pressure on or against a heated inside mould, the shoes being maintained for some time under moulding pressure. The effeet of this is in a measure to. iron the said upper parts so that they will for aconsiderably extended period retain their shape.

Machines on the market for thus moulding or blocking the upper parts of shoes are seri:

ously defective in that the outer mouldingor shaping member is of such a character that in order to subject the sides of the upper part of the shoes to effective moulding pressure it is necessary to subject the heel end to very much greater and frequently therefore excessive pressure.

' V This often leads to the heel end of the shoes being damaged or, if this is to be avoided, to the sides not being sufliciently moulded or blocked for the purpose in View.

An object of my invention is the provision of a blocking or shaping machine for'the purpose stated, in which thedefectreferred to is obviated.

'To this end an important feature of my invention consists in a machine for blocking or shaping shoes in which co-operating inside and outside shaping members are provided,

one of which is heated and the other ex- 5 pansible. Said members are preferably adapted for relative movement additional to that due to the expansion of one of the said members and if the outer member is expansible it is preferably movable in relation to the inner member so that it may be well clear of the work when this is being positioned or removed.

The expansible member may comprise a hollow pad to fit against the shoe, which pad is expansible by, for example, air under pres- 7 sure, so that it will adapt itself to variations in the form of, different shoes due, for instance, to variations in the thickness of the upper materials. Said pad will preferably also adapt itself to inequalities of surface to ensure that the whole area acted on is subjected to equal pressure throughout.

I now propose to describe a simple constructional form of my invention with refin Fig. 1 is a. side elevation; Fig. 2 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a section on line 3+3 of Fig. 2.

Although said constructi'onalform of my invention also constitutes an important feature thereof I wish it to be understood that the scope of my invention isnot limited thereto Mounted in a frame 6 is a stud 'Z to which an inside mould or form 8 is removably secured by a pin 9 to permit moulds of various sizes and shapes to be substituted. The said inside mould is preferably arranged so that the shoe when applied thereon has its sole vertical and facing the work-mam'and is heated by an electric heating device 10 connected by wires 11 to a suitable source of electricity.

At a suitable distance to the rear of the inside mould I provide the frame with a pivot stud 12 on which two substantially horizontal levers 13, 14 are mounted. The lever 13 extends to over the inside mould 8 and is formed or provided with a sort of saddle-piece 15,

and the lever 14, which in the main is located;

above the lever 13, also extends forwardly to above the inside form and is provided with an upwardly extending handle 16:

An eyebolt 18, connected to the lever 13,

passes through an aperture in the lever 14, 7

and is provided on its upper end with nuts 19, and a spring 20 surrounding the eyebolt is interposed between the levers 13, 14 and serves to maintain them normally as far apart as the nuts 19 allow. Movement of the levers 13, 14 towards each other is limited by an adiii erence to the accompanying drawings where- P justable stop 22 and movement downwards.

' their upper ends by struts or links 31, 32 and springs 33, 34, to the lever 14.

Secured within the saddle- pieces 27, 28 by bolts 38 is a flexible cover 40 which also is receivedin the saddle 15 and within which a hollow rubber pneumatic pad or tube 41 is contained, said tube being substantially horseshoe shaped.

The pad 41 is connected by a tube 42 to an air controlling valve which comprises a vertical cylindrical valve chamber 43 and a transverse passage 45 which on one side is connected by a pipe 44 with a compressed air reservoir (not shown) and at the other side with the tube 42. Arranged for sliding movement within said chamber is a cylindrical valve member '46 having two peripheral grooves 47, 48 and the valve chamber is provided with an outlet port 50 that is in communication by a conduit 51 with the passage 45 and tube 42. The'member 46 is connected by a link 52 tothe horizontal arm of an elbow-piece 55 pivoted at 56 to the frame 6. A spring 57 surrounding the link 52 exerts an upwardpressure on said arm. Mounted on a rear extension 6201: the lever 14 is a block 61 adapted to engage a stop or shoulder 63 or a cam surface 64 of a block secured to the elbow-piece 55. A spring 65, attached at one end to the extension 62 and at the other end. to the machine frame, tends to re- Y heated mould 8 and then grasps the handle 16 and pulls this forwardly and downwardly and at this time the levers 13, 14'move toward theshoe and the block 61 rides upwardly on the surface 64 of the block 60. When the lever 13 meetsthe stop 23 (at which time the saddle-piece 15 is in close proximity to the shoe) it remains stationary whilst the lever 14 continues to move against the action of the spring 20 to bring about the closing of the saddles 27, 28 until said lever meets the stop 22 (at which time the saddles 27, 28 are in close proximity to the sides of the shoe). The

block 61 will now have reached the top of the block 60 which then rises'into engagement with the shoulder 63 owing to the action of the spring 57 on the elbow-piece 55 and thus locks the levers 13, 14 in their operative positionsi. e., the positions in which the saddles 15, 27, 28 are in close proximity to the shoe. In this position the outlet passage 50 is blocked by the member 46 and compressed air passes through the passage 45, groove 48, and pipe 42, to the tube or distensible pad 41 which thereupon expands and presses the shoe parts tight against the heated inner mould 8, the pad adapting itself to the shape of the inside mould so that a perfect shaping of the upper portion of the shoe is obtained and all portions thereof subjected to equal pressure and none to excessive pressure.

When the moulding operation is completed the operator pulls the trigger 66 upwards thereby rocking the elbow-piece 55 to depress the valve member 46 into the position wherein it cuts off the supply of compressed air and permits air from the pad 41 to escape through the tube 42, passages 45, 51, 50 and groove 47. At the same time the block 60 is moved out of engagement with the block 61 whereupon the springs 65, 33, 34 return the levers 13, 14 and saddles 15, 27 28 to their normal raised positionsu At the commencement of this return movement the lever 14 is lifted whilst the lever 13 remains stationary (until the lever 14 meets the nuts 19) and during this movement the links or struts 31, 32 will swing the depending saddle- pieces 27, 28

about their pivots soas to open out the legs of the horseshoe pad 40, 41. Continued upward movement of the lever 14 will raise the lever 13 also so that the pneumatic pad will be bodily moved away from the heel end of the inner mould. By this means free access to the inner mould and ample finger room between the mould and the saddles will be given t o the operator and this is of great importance as it enables the operator not only to adjust a shoe on the mould but also to remove a moulded or blocked shoe without fear of distorting the shaped shoe.

Further, when the operator has adjusted a shoe on the inside heated form, he is merely required to bring the outside mould to the operative position bydepressing the lever 14, whereupon instantly the parts are locked and the outside mould is inflated. Similarly, when the moulding is completed, the operator merely pulls on the trigger 66 when instantly the form is deflated and returned to its normal position, at once giving free access as under heat and pressure for a sufiiciently long" period to ensure the desired blocking or ironing effect, I intend to provide a plurality of the above described apparatus on a rotatable turret adapted to moved by the workman so that as each form hashad a shoe applied on it and has been subjected to the actionof the expansible outer moulding or blocking member, the operator will rotate the turret and apply a shoe to thenext moulding or blocking means and so on, the shoes being maintained under moulding pressure whilst the turret completes a revolution when the shoes successively again reach the operators position so that they may be removed and other shoes applied.

The air in the reservoir will be maintained rear portions of shoe uppers having, 1n com by a pump or other suitable means atany desired suitable pressure, a relief valve being provided, if desired, to ensure that the desired maximum pressure of air is not exceeded, and the several pneumatic outside moulds will be connected up with said reservoir which latter may rotate with the rotatable turret, a suitable joint being made between the reservoir or a supply pipe thereon and the duct leading from the pump chamber to permit of such rotary movement.

Parts of the inside mould may be provided with heat insulating covering or blocks to avoid heating those parts-for instance the insole-of the shoe that are preferably kept cool and the pneumatic outside mould will 4 also be protected by suitable flexible covering 40 so that it will not be damaged by theheat from the inside mould and to re-inforce it to withstand the pressure of the air.

By use of my invention a more erfect moulding or blocking is obtainable an at the same time a greater output than when machines on the market are employed.

What I claim is 1. Amachine for blocking or shaping the rear portions of shoe uppers having, in com-' bination, a rigid mold to engage the inner face of the shoe upper, an expansible frame surround'n'g the rear portion of the shoe supported by said mold, a distensible pad carried by said frame, said frame being constructed and arranged substantially to enclose said pad except at its shoe engaging surface, and

means for applying fluid pressure to said pad.

c 2. A machine for blocking or shaping the rear portions of shoe 'uppers having, 1n combination, an inside mold and an outside mold to engage inner and outer surfaces respect1 vely of the shoe upper, one of said molds being distensible, means to distend said mold, a

lever carrying the outside mold and movable to bring the outside mold into operative position about the rear portion of the shoe supported by the inside mold, and means operated by movement of said lever for automatically causing distension of the distensible mold. Y

3. A machine for blocking or shapingthe rearportions of shoe uppers having, in combination, an inside mold and an outside mold to engage the inner and outer surfaces respectively of the shoe upper, one of said molds being distensible, means to distend said mold, a lever carrying the outside mold and movable to bring the outside mold into operative position about the rear portion of the shoe supported by the inside mold, means operated by movement of said lever for'automatically causing distension of the distensible mold,

' and means for locking said lever to maintain the outside mold in operative position while the shoe upper is subjected to molding pressure.

4. A machine for blocking or shaping the bination, an inside mold having the shape it is desired to impart to the rear portion of the shoe upper, an outside mold comprising a heel end saddle piece arranged opposite the rear end of the shoe, two side saddle pieces pivoted to said heel end saddle piece and ar- .rear end ofthe shoe, two side saddle pieces pivoted to said heel end saddle piece and arranged opposite thesides of the shoe, a distensible pad carried by all of said saddle pieces and substantially enclosed thereby except on the surface adjacent to the shoe, means to move the heel end saddle piece to operative position enclosing the rear end of a shoe supported on said inside mold, and other means to move the side saddle pieces-to their operative positions, both said means being arranged for simultaneous operation.

6. A machine for blocking shoe uppers having, in combination, an-inside mold and an outside mold, said molds being normally spaced from each other and the bottom of the inside mold being toward the operator and freely accessible to him for placing the rear portion of a shoe upper thereover, one of said molds being distensible, means for moving one of said molds toward the other, means for locking the movable mold, and means operated thereby for distending the distensible mold. 7. A machine for blocking or shaping shoe uppers having, in combination, an inside mold and an outside mold to engage the inner and outer surfaces respectively of an end portion of a shoe upper, one of said molds being heated and the other distensible, a lever carrying one of the molds and movable to brin': the molds into operative, relation for treating the end portion of a shoe upper placed between them, means to distend the distensible mold, and means operated by movement of said lever for automatically controlling, said distending means.

8. A machine for blocking or shaping shoe uppers having, in combination, a rigid heated mold to engage the inner face of the rear portion of a shoe upper and arranged to receive the shoe upper by heightwise movement of the upper relatively to the mold, a distensible outside mold constructed and arranged substantially to embrace said inner mold, and means for uniformly distending the shoe engaging portion of said outer mold to cause the upper the heated mold.

10. A'machine for blocking or shaping shoe uppers having, in combination, an indistensi- 'ble heated mold to engage the inner face of an end portion only of a shoe upper, a mold arranged to engage said portion of the upper exteriorly, and means for expanding said outer mold inwardly of the/shoe to press the upper against the heated mold.

.11. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes having, in combination, an inside rigid shaping member to receive and support an end portion only of a shoe upper, an outside inflatable shaping member normall yieldin'gly held away from said inside her and manually movable toward the shoe, a latch for holding the outside member in operative position, and means for eflecting inflation of said member.

12. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes having, in combination, a

V rigidly supported inside shaping member to receive the rear portion of a shoe upper, an outside inflatable shaping member arranged for movement toward and from said inside member to embrace the rear portion of the upper, means for automatically locking said outside member when it is brought into proximity to the inside shaping member, and means for. automatically inflating said outside member when the shaping members are brought into such proximity.

13. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes having, in combination, a frame, an inside shapingmember rigidly supported by said frame, an outside inflatable shaping member constructed aiidarranged to embrace the portion of a shoe upper supported by said inside member, and means mouhted on said frame for supporting the inflatable member, said means covering substantially all portions of said outside inflatable member except its shoe-engaging surface.

14. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes comprising a frame, an inside shaping member carried by said frame,

outside shaping member supporting means" mounted on said frame and movable towards and from said inside member, an outside shaping member carried by said supporting means locking means to maintain said supporting means in proximity to the inside member, means to supply fluid to said outside member, and a movable member which first moves said supporting means into proximity to the inside member and then renders said locking and fluid supply means operative to lock the supporting means in proximity to the inside member and to inflat the outside member.

15. A machine for blocking or shaping th uppers of shoes having, in combination, an inside shaping member, an outside pneumatic inflatable U-shaped pad movable into and out of operative position with respect to said inside member, means for substantially preventing diste'nsion of the pad except in the direction toward the portion of the shoe upper supported by the inner member, and means for automatically effecting inflation of the pad when it is brought into said'operative position.

16. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes having, in combination, an inside shaping member, an outside pneumatic inflatable U-shaped pad movable into and out of operative position with respect to said inside member, means for automatically locking said pad against retrograde movement whenbrought into said operative position, means for supporting substantially all portions of the pad not in contact with the shoe upper, and means for effecting inflation of the pad when it is brought into operative position.

17. A machine for blocking or sha ing the uppers of shoes comprising an insi e shaping member, an outside inflatable sha ing member movable into and out of the bloc ing or shaping position, a locking member automatically moved to lock the outside member against retrograde movement when the latter is brought to said position, means to effect inflation of said outside member, and connections between thev locking member and said means whereby the inflation 0f the pad is automatically accomplished when said locking member moves to the locking position.

18. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes having, in combination, an insfde shaping member having the shape it is desired to impartto the rear ortion of a shoe upper, an outside inflate. 1e shaping member movable lengthwise of the inside shaping member into and out of operative relation thereto, a locking member that automatically locks. the outside member when it is brought into said position, fluid supplying means for inflating said outside member operated by said locking member, and manually operated means for releasing the locking member and causing deflation of I said outside member.

19. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes having, in combination, a

fixed inside shaping member arranged to repleted shoe, means for heating said member, an inflatable pad, supporting means for holding said pad clear of the shoe to permit convenient placing of the upper over the inside shaping member and adapted to move said pad from its inoperative position to an operative position in proximity to the shoe and surroundin the heel and adjacent side portions thereo means to lock said supportmg means and the pad in said operative position, and means operated by said locking means to inflate the pad.

20. A machine for blocking or sha ing the uppers of shoes comprising'an insi e shaping member to receive a shoe,means to heat said member, all-inflatable pad, a heel-end saddle-piece to carry the middle portion of said pad, side saddle-pieces to carry the endportions of said pad and pivotally mounted on said heel-end saddlepiece, means to move all the saddle-pieces longitudinally of the shoe until'the heel end saddle-piece is in proximity thereto and thereafter to move the side saddle-pieces around their pivots until they also are in proximity to the shoe, and means thereafter to inflate said pad.

21. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes comprising an inside shaping member to receive and support an end portion only of a shoe upper, an outside shaping member movable toward and from said inside member and adapted to enclose the portion of the upper supported thereby, one of said members being inflatable, means for automatically locking said outside member when the latter is brought into proximity to the inside member, and means for automatically inflating one of said members when they are locked in proximity to each other.

22. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes having, in combination, a frame, an inside shaping member fixed to said frame and accessible to the operator for placing a shoe upper thereon, an outside shaping member mounted on said frame for movement toward and from said inside member, meansto move said outside member to a predetermined position in proximity to the inside member, means to lock said outside member in said position, means for inflating one of said members, and means for heating the other of said members.

, 23. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes comprising a frame, an inside shaping member carried by said frame. means to heat said member, a lever pivoted on said frame, a heel end saddle-piece carried on said lever, side saddle-pieces pivoted to said heel end saddle-piece, a hand lever,

connections between said hand lever and the side saddle-pieces,,an inflatable pad carried by the heel end and side saddle-pieces, an adjustable stop to limit the movement of said lever, an adjustable stop to limit the movement of the hand lever, a spring catch to lock said hand'lever in one extreme position, a source of fluid-pressure for inflatin said pad, a valve to control the supply 0 fluid pressure, operative connections between said catch and valve, and manually operable means for releasing said catch.

24. A machine for blocking or shaping the uppers of shoes having, in combination, a v

fixed mold to engage the inner face of an end portion only of a shoe upper, an inflatable mold to engage the up er exteriorly of the inner mold and mova le toward and from the inner mold, means for heating the ,inner mold, and means for inflating the outer mold. I k

25. A machine for blocking or shaping shoe uppers having, in combination, a. mold to engage the inner face of the rear portion p of a shoe upper, a distensible outside mold constructed and arranged substantially to embrace said inner mold, means for distendmg said outer mold, a flexible cover for the distensible mold, and means constructed and arranged to prevent expansion of said distensible mold except in directions toward the shoe upper.

26. In a machine of the class described, a

support for a form inside of a shoe upper,

fluid pressure means constructed and arranged to extend around the heel end of the upper on the form and to press the upper against the form, said support and fluid pressure means being relatively movable lengthwise of the upper to position the form and said means in operative relation to each other, and members movable toward and from the form at-its opposite sides for confining portions of said against distension heightwise of the form.

27. In a machine. of the class described, a shaping form, a flexible member distensible by fluid pressure to press the heel end portion of an upper into conformity to the contour of the form, said member being shaped to extend around the heel end of the upper and'to terminate at each side in a location spaced a substantial distance rearwardly of the ball of the shoe, means including a valve for admitting fluid under pressure to said flexible member, a lever for moving said flexible member into operative relation to said form, and means for locking said member in said position and for opening said valve.

28. In a machine of the class described, a flexible member distensible by fluid pressure to press an upper into conformity to the con-. torir of a form, and means movable toward uid pressure means 105 and from the upper and form for confining portions of said flexible member against .distension in directions parallel to the surface of the upper.

29. In a machine of the class described, a

the heel end of'an upper on a form and distensible by fluid pressure to press the upper against the form, and members movable towardand from the form at its opposite sides for confining portions of said pad against distension heightwise of the form.

30. A machine for blocking or shaping shoe uppers having, in combination, a frame, an inner mold mounted thereon, a pressure lever, an outer mold pivotally connected thereto, and means tending normally to hold the pressure lever raised with the outer mold held a predetermined distance. above the inner mold.

31. A machine for blocking or shaping .shoe uppers-having, in combination, a frame,

an inner mold mounted thereon for supportmg therear portion of a shoe upper, an

outer mold, means for guiding the outer mold toward the inner mold to engage the shoe upper and to press the outer mold around the inner mold, and means for looking the outer mold in said position and applyingryielding pressure to the upper.

September 27th, 1928.

KIN GSLEY SPENCER GIMSON.

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