Patent GB-986133-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of shoes and apparatus adapted for use therein
IPC: A43D117/00
Filed: 1961-05-11
Abstract: 986,133. Boots &c. BRITISH UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CO. Ltd. May 11, 1961 [May 12, 1960 (3)], No. 17136/61. Heading A3B. Apparatus adapted for use in the manufacture of shoes comprises a work-piece carrier having a plurality of stations for carrying work-pieces, each comprising a shoe mounted on a last, said work-piece carrier being mounted for movement to bring successive stations into a transfer position, a work-piece support for accommodating a work-piece at an operating locality of a machine for performing an operation on the shoe and transfer means for transferring a work-piece between said transfer position and said work-piece support. As described the apparatus is used to deliver work-pieces to the work-piece support of a heel attaching machine of the type described in Specification 980,176. The work-piece carrier comprises a rack 14 supported for rotation on a rack support by rollers 44, a frame 50 with a plurality of work-piece stations 16 about the periphery thereof, indexing means comprising an indexing flange 52, the inner-most edge of which is provided with notches 54, each notch being associated with a station 16 and an indexing tool 122 actuated by fluid pressure to move it into engagement with an adjacent notch, means for lifting the rack off the rollers 44 of the rack support so that it is held rotatably on grooved rollers 116 provided in the ends of arms 112 pivotally mounted on a crank plate 108 rotatable about an axis 110 to bring successive stations into a transfer position, an abutment 124 moving into a position in the path of an appropriate stop pin 56 on the flange 52 to stop said rotation and a locking block 126 which engages the stop pin 56 to lock the rack in position. Fig. 1, 3). Each work-piece station releasably engages a last 32 of the type described in Specification 863,464, mounted on a pallet 58 which is provided with a guide post 64 one end 94 of which fits into peg socket 35 in the last, the other end 98 fitting into a bore in first a station 16 on the work-piece carrier and then in the work-piece support 220 of a heel attaching machine. The pallet is provided with a hook member 80 arranged to engage an undercut portion 36 of a positioning plate 34 provided on the crown face of the heel part of the last, a spring tongue 82 being provided also to retain the hook member in engagement. For securing the pallet 58 and its last to the work-piece station 16, the station is provided with a flexible plate 66 on the lower portion of which are mounted a cam plate 72 and an inclined tongue 70 adapted to be accommodated in apertures 90, 92 respectively provided therefor in the frame of the pallet (Fig. 9). The transfer means 20 comprises a centre shaft 26 with two radial arms 22, 24 mounted thereon, each arm having at its extremity work engaging means in the form of a stationary jaw 152 and a movable jaw 156 normally urged together by a spring 180 to grip a support block 84 provided on the pallet. The jaws are opened and closed by cam rollers 170, 171 which are pivotally connected by rods 160 to the jaw 156 riding up and down cam rises 174, 178 provided on the shaft 26 as the shaft with the arms 22, 24 is moved vertically downwards and upwards respectively. (Fig. 2, 22). The sequence of operation is as follows; the rack 14 is indexed and locked in that position, the centre shaft 26 is moved vertically upwards during which movement the jaws 152, 156 remove work-pieces from the stations 16 and then from the workpiece support 220 in the operating locality of the heel attaching machine. The arms 22, 24 are still further raised and then rotated through 180 degrees and then lowered, the jaws releasing work-pieces at the work support and at the work-piece station. The work-piece support 220 has means for positioning one last in the correct operating position whether the last be for a left or right shoe. This means includes fingers 306 which initially engage a forward set of faces 262 on the positioning plate 34 provided on the last at which time a plane 258 containing the axis of the peg socket 35 and the central point of the feather line at the toe end of the last is co-incident with a fixed reference plane 310 of the operating instrumentalities of the machine. The fingers 306 subsequently pivot to engage a rearward set of faces 264 to bring the medium heel plane 260 into a position of co-incidence. Lugs are provided to keep the fingers in the latter position during operations. (Fig. 35). The work-piece support 220 comprising a jack post 229 mounted for reciprocation in a vertical plane moves upward to present the shoe to the heel attaching machine when the last is positioned as above. On completion of the operation the support is returned to the delivery position and the positioning fingers 306 once more engage the forward set of faces 262 and the transfer mechanism 20 is actuated to remove the shoe which has been operated on and return it to the work-piece carrier and to present another shoe to be operated on to the support 220 of the machine.