US2264061A - Closed-heel construction of stitchdown shoes - Google Patents

Description

Nov. Z5, 1941. A. wERMAN ETAL HEEL CONSTRUCTION OF STITCHDOWN SHOES I CLOSED- Filed Jan. 20, 1940 im' 9M /UWL ATTORNEY I :NVEN-roRs ,45AM/#v7 WEE/VAN .f7/:Hag 015507274- wwwwmmmwmmmmwww t \.\l j inn lllll 0 m U56 lll Z f Patented Nov. 25, 1941 CLOSED-HEEL CQNSTRUCTION OF STITCH- DOWN SHOES Abraham Wei-man, Brooklyn, and Michele Cassotta, Corona, N. Y., assignors to A. Werman & Sons, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January zo, 1940, serial No. 314,858

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a method of making a closed heel on a stitchdown shoe, to a cutter for use in carrying out said method and to an improved shoe produced according to said method. The invention of the present application is in the nature of an improvement on the invention disclosed in the patent to Hoenberg 2,165,927, July 1l, 1939.

In making stitchdown shoes of the usual type, the leather of the upper is lasted with a fold near its edge at the bottom of the last so as to provide an edge portion which projects outwardly from the fold. The insole is positioned on the bottom of the last and the upper adjacent to the fold is secured to the insole by any suitable means such as stitching leaving the edge portion of the upper overlying the insole. After placing a welt piece in position above the edge portion of the upper to add to the appearance and strength of the shoe, the outsole is secured in position by a line of outsole stitching passing through the welt, the upper, the insole and the outsole. This method of manufacture produces a shoe in which the outsole stitching is visible around the heel portion of the shoe as well as around the edge of the sole to the front of the heel, the heel projecting at the sides and rear of the heel portion of the upper part of the shoe.

According to the Hoffenberg patent, the outsole stitching was carried completely around the shoe in one operation but the usual projection of the edge of the heel was avoided and the outsole stitching around the heel was concealed thus producing a shoe having the general appearance of a Goodyear welt shoe of much higher grade. These results were obtained by providing between the last and the heel portion of the insole a suitable heel piece. This heel piece may be undercut or beveled so as to allow the lining, counter and upper to be wiped in folded form in and under the bevel of the heel piece, and the stitching of these parts to the insole to be elected so as to urge the folded material under the edge of the heel piece. The outsole stitching around the heel was then elected through a usual welt and close to the upper so as to be hidden in the finished shoe.

It has also been proposed that, in trimming the heel, the welt be left of substantial width so that, when pounded in, it will close the usual gap between the heel and the upper.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved method of making stitchdown shoes with closed heel seats. Another 1mportant object of the invention is tov provide a novel and advantageous form of cutter for use in said method. A further important object is to provide an improved shoe constructed in accordance with said method.

In carrying out the method of the present invention, the upper and lining are stitched to the insole as disclosed in said Hofienberg patent. At

the heel, use is made of the undercut heel piece,

thus enabling the insole stitching to be made close to the heel. The insole stitching in the heel may be at a suitable inclination to draw the folds of the upper, the counter and the lining beneath the undercut edges ofthe heel piece. 'Ihen the outsole is secured to the insole and upper by stitching which as theV heel passes through the usual welt, the upper, the edge of the counter and the insole, is inclined downwardly and inwardly in the same general manner as the insole stitching at the heel. The heel is then applied in any suitable manner. Up to this point the making of the shoe has been substantially the same as disclosed in the Hoffenberg patent.

The part of the sole to the front of the heel is trimmed substantially as usual but at the heel the edges of the insole, lining, counter, upper and welt are so trimmed that, when the trimming is completed, the heel proper will be of substantially the proper size and shape, and there will be 'an overhang bevelled at the bottom to bring it to a thin edge, said overhang comprising a part of the welt. Then the overhanging material is forced or pounded into the opening between the heel and body to close the same. The shoe, made in this way, resembles closely Goodyear welt shoes. ,Y

Other objects, features and advantages will appear upon consideration of the following detailed description and of the drawing in which:

Fig. Y1 is a view comprising a rear elevation of a shoe under construction according to the present invention, the lower part of the View being in Section taken along the line I-I of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 2 is a section taken along the line 2 2 of Fig. l.

In the drawing, there is a fragmentary showing of a stitchdown shoe I0 under construction in accordance with the present invention, said shoe I0 comprising an upper Il, a lining l2, an insole I3, an outsole I4, a heel stiffener or counter l5, a welt I6, and a heel piece Il such as that shown in said Hoffenberg patent, such heel piece having an undercut edge at the sides and rear and a forward portion tapered to effect decrease in thickness toward its forward edge.

In making the shoe I0, the upper II, the lining I2 and the counter I5 are assembled and placed on a last (not shown) and the insole I3 and the heel piece I'I are placed on the bottom of the last with the heel piece between the last and the insole. The parts are so assembled that the materials of the upper and the lining are folded, adjacent the bottom of the last, so that parts thereof extend outwardly. At the heel portion of the shoe, the lower edge of the counter is also folded outwardly over the edge of the insole.

After such parts of the shoe have been assembled on the last, a line of insole stitching I9 may be run completely around the shoe to secure the outwardly turned parts to the insole. At the heel portion, as disclosed in said Hoffenberg patent, the insole stitching I9 is inclined downwardly and inwardly so as to act on the lining, counter and upper to draw them inwardly as far as possible under the overhang provided by undercutting the edge of the heel piece I'I. This arrangement will assist in rendering the upper part of insole stitching I9 substantially invisible. Then the outsole I4 is secured in position by outsole stitching 20 run completely around the edge of the sole, said outsole stitching passing through not only the outturned edges of the upper, the counter and the lining but also through the welt I6 placed over the outturned portion of the upper. The Welt IB may be grooved to receive the stitching below its surface. The outsole stitching is also inclined at the heel to assist in closing the heel portion. After the outsole I4 has been stitched, a heel 2| may be attached to the shoe.

In connection with such a stitchdown shoe with a closed heel, it is important to place the manufacture thereof on a practical and commercial basis as to economy of manufacture and quality of product. In attaining these ends, we have developed a novel and advantageous cutter 22 for trimming the edges of the heel, the outsole, the insole, the lining, the counter, the upper and the welt, in such a manner as to enable the formation of a smaller heel and a better closing of the heel than heretofore, thus obtaining an improved shoe. The improved cutter 22, which is in many respects similar to a usual cutter heretofore in use, comprises a body with a plurality of cutting members or blades 23 supported on arms 24, here shown as being generally tangent to the body of the cutter. The cutting edges of the blades are somewhat farther from the axis of the cutter than the outer surfaces of the blades to the rear of the cutting edges. As illustrated, each of the blades 23 is supported at one end on an arm 24 and there is a slight outward flare of the blades from the ends supported by the blades as in cutters heretofore in use. However, the cutters of the present invention differ from those heretofore in use in various respects, for example, the outer surfaces of the blades 23 have a slight crown longitudinally of the axis and, preferably at the ends over the arms 24, are inclined toward the axis of the cutter. When in use the crowned edge of the cutter will make a slightly concave cut on the edge of the heel proper and the inclined edge portion will form an overhang 25 of various parts including the welt and the upper and possibly the counter, as illustrated at the right in Fig. 1.

This trimming is carried on completely around the heel and later the beveled overhanging edges of the welt are pounded in against the upper of the shoe to close the opening between the heel and the upper part of the shoe as illustrated at the left in Fig. 1. The beveled outer edge of the welt is particularly adapted for inward folding of the beveled edge. The instrument used in the pounding may be substantially the same at the cutter except for the fact that edges of the blades win be dull".A

Although the insole and the outsole stitching are described as inclined around the heel portion of the shoe, the important requirement is to have the stitching close to the shoe. Also it is of importance to have the welt thinned at its outer edge so that the thin portion can readily be folded over and pounded into position. Where the trimming is to be done by a single cutter, the trimming of the welt will almost necessarily be at its lower face. Also the shape of the edge portions of the cutter blades may be Varied both in the parts for trimming the heels proper and for the parts to trim the welts. f

It should be understood that various features may be changed and that certain features may be used without others, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

The method of making a stitchdown shoe which comprises stitching to the forward part of an insole the outturned edge of an upper, continuing the insole stitching around the heel portion of the shoe but with an inward and downward inclination to stitch the upper and the edge of a counter to the insole, stitching an outsole to the insole, counter and upper with a welt over the upper and extending continuously around the forward part of the insole as Well as the heel portion, the stitching at the heel being inclined in the same manner as the insole stitching, trimming the edge of the heel and welt to shape the heel edge from bottom to top, and to form an undercut bevel of the projecting edge of the welt, and forcing' the projecting portion of the welt into place over the outsole-attaching stitching to conceal the latter and close the heel.

ABRAHAM WERMAN. MICHELE CASSOTTA.

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