Patent GB-970604-A (GB)
Title: Pulling over and lasting machine
IPC: A43D21/12
Filed: 1963-04-30
Abstract: 970,604. Shoe upper conforming machines. CAMPEX RESEARCH & TRADING CORPORATION. April 30, 1963 [May 10, 1962], No. 17020/63. Heading A3B. A shoe lasting machine has wipers mounted for forward movement in a predetermined plane, a last support for supporting bottom-down a last having an insole on its bottom and an upper draped about its toe end, means for initially positioning the last support below the wipers, means operable to raise the last support by an amount sufficient to bring it at least to the level of the upper surfaces of the wipers, means effective to stretch the toe portion of the upper about the last during the rise of the last support, a motor operably connected to the wipers, a control circuit connected to the motor and normally operative to actuate the motor to effect forward movement of the wipers after the last support has been raised to the level, and safety means interposed in the control circuit for precluding actuation of the motor if the last support has not risen to the requisite level. A last 480, Fig. 33, has an insole secured to its bottom and an upper 484 draped over its toe. The last is placed in the machine with the insole resting on a stretch plate 204, which is initially located below the level of the wipers 20, with the lasting margin 502 extending between the wipers and a centre retarder 234 and side retarders 248, see Fig. 34A. The forepart portions of the lasting margin are inserted between the open jaws of forepart pincers 281. The machine operator then depresses a pedal 420, Fig. 2, causing the retarders 234, 248 to move upwardly to clamp the lasting margin against the wipers 20 and the pincers 281 to close on the forepart portions of the upper margin. This is followed by a raising of the stretch plate 204 to a level which brings the insole slightly above the upper surfaces of the wipers 20 and a concomitant inward movement of the pincers 281 to lay the forepart portions of the upper margin in against the insole, see Fig. 34A. During this upward movement of the stretch plate, a yoke 152, Fig. 32B, snugly conforms the upper to the shape of the last and the clamping of the lasting margin against the wipers by the retarders causes the upper to be pulled over and assembled on the last. If the throat line 543, Fig. 33, of the upper is not properly centred on the last, the operator manipulates a handle 408, Fig. 1, selectively to increase the downwardly directed pressure of one of the pincers 281 while concomitantly releasing the pressure from the other pincers and thus to manipulate the upper over the last until it becomes duly centred. (This forms the subject-matter of divisional Specification 970,605 but is described below). The operator now depresses the pedal further to cause a toe pad 308 to bear against the upper and last under relatively light pressure and to bring a heel clamp 354 against the heel of the last. This is followed by locking of the heel clamp and the working stroke of the wipers 20 in conjunction with either an auxiliary wiper 106, Fig. 36, or a trimming knife 64, Fig. 34A. At the beginning of this stroke, the wipers move forwardly and inwardly; part way through the working stroke the forward movement of the wipers terminates and the wipers continue to move inwardly. During the working stroke of the wipers, the retarders 234 and 248 are moved downwardly, the pincers 281 are released from the lasting margin and move outwardly, and the stretch plate 204 is lowered. At the termination of the wiper stroke, the toe pad 308 applies a heavier bedding pressure against the shoe and last. Upon release of the pedal, the parts return to their initial positions. Actuation of motor 36, Fig. 4, imparts forward movement to a block 28 which, through linkages 38, 42, 40, 44 and 48, causes a plate 16 and the wipers 20 carried by the plate to be moved forwardly at a slower speed than the block. Concomitantly with the forward movement the wipers are made to swing toward each other about the centre of curvature of the slots 22 by links 26. The forward movement of the block 28 causes through the linkage 26 and 80, the knife 64 to move forwardly at a speed intermediate between the speeds of the block 28 and plate 16. When the plate 16 has its forward movement terminated by a stop, the continued forward movement of the block 28 swings the wipers 20 inwardly. while the links 46 swing rearwardly about the pivots 42 and the heads 48 move rearwardly in the slots 52 against the resilient force of air-actuated motors 56. The U-shaped shoe conforming yoke 152, Fig. 3, also Fig. 15 (not shown), is made of a flexible, deformable material such as polytetrafluoroethylene, and is of the construction described in Specification 920,955. The stretch plate 204, Figs. 2 and 11, is carried on a holder 202 raised and lowered by an air-actuated motor 198. An extension 218 of the holder carries a rod 220 to the lower end of which a valve 222 is secured. It is arranged that the motor 36 operating the wipers 20 cannot be actuated until the stretch plate has risen a sufficient distance for the valve 222 to have been actuated by the engagement of the valve spool 224 with an actuating screw 226 rigid with the machine frame. The retarder blades 234 and 240 are raised and lowered by motors 228, Fig. 2, and 236 (not shown). The retarder blades are adjustably positioned in their holders by threaded fasteners; the centre retarder blade is normally located at a higher level than the side blades, Figs. 23 to 25 (not shown). The pincers 281, Fig. 3, are formed by fixed jaws 260 rigid with bars 258 held down by air-actuated motors 264 and 265, Fig. 1, and movable jaws 274 pivoted to the bars 258 at 276 and actuated for gripping by motors 270. The pincers are moved inwardly by motors 250 acting against the force of springs (not shown); this inward movement is not applied until the stretch plate has risen by an amount sufficient to enable the pincers to clear the bottom of the shoe. The handle 408, Figs. 1 and 29, is moved up or down to manipulate the spools of the valves 416 and 418, or 414 and 418 whereby high pressure air is supplied to motor 264 or 265, respectively, while air in the other motor is exhausted to atmosphere. The leather toe pad 304, Figs. 11 and 26 is mounted in a slide 286 which is moved into operative position by a motor 288. The relatively light pressure of the toe pad is applied by twin motors 320 through a lever 294; the heavier bedding pressure is produced by the movement of a wedge-shaped cam 330, driven by motor 326, against a roller 334 mounted on the rear end of the lever. The heel clamp 354, Fig. 2, is carried on a post 348 having a number of spaced sockets 356, Fig. 28 (not shown), engageable by a pin mounted in the clamp holder 352. The post is rotatable about an axis 350 and may be locked by the piston rod 390 of a motor 382. The post and motor and associated parts may swing about the axis 344-364 so that the heel clamp 354 may accommodate itself to the curvature of the heel of the last and provide a maximum bearing pressure against it. The two depressions of the pedal 420 actuate the valves 432 and 474 of a pneumatic control system, Fig. 31 (not shown). Specifications 963,722, 963,723 and 963,727 also are referred to.