Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10A92~7~11
AZB/~
11/30/'1
1071808
1 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and apparatus
for forming a shoe shank on the bottom of a shoe insole to
stiffen the shank region which extends from the heel breast
to the ball region. More particularly, the present invention
is directed to a method and apparatus for applying, locating,
retaining and curing a flexible strip of activatable thermo-
setting resinous material, directly in situ on the shoe bot-
tom so that the strip may conform to the contour of the shoe
bottom and adhere thereto in its stiffened, hardened form.
Such strips are described in pending Canadian Patent Appli-
cation Serial No. 275,476, filed April 4, 1977, said appli-
cation being assigned to the assignee of this application.
Use of flexible, in situ-activatable strips to
form a shank stiffener solves numerous problems which have
been presented in the prior art of shoe manufacture. As
described in Application Serial No. 275,476, shank stiffeners -
typically have been inserted in shoes in the form of a stiff
wood or steel pre-formed member. Because of a wide variety
of styles and sizes of shoes, the typical prior art practice
has required the manufacturer to maintain an inventory of a
wide variety of different sizes and shapes of shanks. Nume-
rous difficulties have been presented in the storage, proper
selection and insertion of such shanks. The present inven-
tion relates to a method and apparatus by which an initiallyflexible and deformable shank strip may be formed directly
in place on the shoe bottom to conform precisely to the shape
of the insole bottom and be hardened in situ thereon by an
external stimulus such as radiant energy.
10A92j711
AZB/~
10/~
1~7~S(~8
1 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to apparatus and method for
applying a strip of activatable material to the bottom of an
insole to form a shank in situ on the bottom of an insole ~ The
strip includes an activatable matrix which is surrounded by a
sleeve. The apparatus includes a means for retaining the strip in
a predetermined position on the bottom of the insole, for urging
the strip toward the insole bottom as well as means for activating
the matrix while the strip is retained in its position on the
insole bottom.
More specifically, a shoe jack assembly is provided to
firmly clamp and support the shoe assembly beneath the radiant
heater and in a bottom-up position in which the insole faces the
source of radiant energy. The shoe jack assembly is movable ver-
tically toward and away from the radiant heater to enable the shoeassembly to be loaded in the jack when the jack is in its
lowered position and then raised toward the heater to an activat-
~ ing position. A shank strip positioning means is provided in theform of a transfer mechanism to automatically locate and place
the shank strip in a suspended, predetermined aligned position
with respect to the insole bottom while the shoe assembly is in
its lowered position.
f .
'~
lOA92~711
AZB/L
11/30/,7 i071808
1 A strip retaining means also is provided and has
strip engaging portions which engage lateral marginal por-
tions of the shank strip to press the marginal portions toward
and against the shoe bottom and cause the flexible shank
strip to conform approximately to the contour of the shoe
bottom without interfering with the propagation of radiant
energy to the middle portion of the shank strip which contains
the activatable resin. The strip (margin) engaging means is
disposed above the level of the insole of the shoe bottom
when the jack is in its lowered position. As the jack and
shoe assembly are raised toward the heater, the insole engages
and carries the shank strip and strip transfer mechanism
toward the strip retaining means. The marginal portions
of the shank strip are brought into engagement with the
margin engaging portions of the strip retaining means. The
jack continues to rise in a short additional distance to
cause the margin engaging means to press the marginal por-
tion toward the shoe bottom. The margin engaging means is
constructed so that it may impart a light lateral tensioning
to the shank strip in response to the continued rise of the
shoe assembly. The light lateral tension tends to confine
and limit the volume, shape and height of the finally cured
shank strip beyond predetermined limits. Means are provided
for withdrawing the strip transfer mechanism to a remote po-
sition, after the shoe assembly has been raised to its mostheightwise position. The radiant heater is operated for a
selected time interval after the shank strip transfer me-
chanism has been withdrawn. While in its remote position,
the shank strip transfer mechanism is ready to receive a new
shank strip in readiness for the subsequent cycle of operation.
1 ~A~/'7 1 1 .
AZB/a~
10/3
~07~808
1 In accordance with the method of the present invention,
a shank stiffener is formed on the bottom of a shoe insole from
an elongate flexible sleeve which contains a flexible matrix of
externally activatable thermosetting resin by supporting the shoe
assembly, having a last and an insole at its bottom, in a pre-
determined position; aligning a strip-engaging means with the
insole bottom but in spaced relation thereto; locating the
stiffener between the strip-engaging means and the insole in
alignment with but in spaced relation to at least one of the
insole and strip retaining means and then effecting relative move-
ment of the shoe assembly and strip-engaging means toward each
other to cause the stiffener to urge firmly toward the insole
bottom by the strip-engaging means. The stiffener material then
is activated while maintained in engagement with the insole bottom.
Other aspects of the method, the insole stiffener may become limp
and flacid during part of the activating step so that it may fall
against the insole bottom to conform fully to the contour of the
insole. In still a further aspect of the method of the present
invention, a transverse tension may be applied to the sleeve at
least during part of the activation procedure to control the final
cross sectional configuration of the stiffener.
3A
10A92~711
AZB/ ~
11/3~ 7 107~8
1 It is among the general objects of the invention
to provide an improved apparatus and method for applying to
a shoe insole, an initially flexible and deformable shank
strip formed from a curable resin material.
Another object of the invention is to provide a
method and apparatus of the type described which assures that
the shank will conform to the contour of the shoe bottom and
will remain attached thereto.
A further object of the invention is to provide a
method and apparatus of the type described in which the shank
strip is urged into confonmity with the contour of the shoe
bottom and further in which the covering sleeve of the shank
strip may be lightly and laterally tensioned during activa- -
tion of the resin.
Another object of the invention is to provide an
improved method and apparatus of the type described which
provides control over the cross-sectional dimensions of the
shank.
A further object of the invention is to provide an
apparatus of the type described having an improved shoe jack
means capable of being used both with low cut shoes as well
as boots.
A further object of the invention is to provide an
apparatus of the type described having means for automatically
locating and positioning a shank strip in a predetermined
location on the insole bottom.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of
the invention will be appreciated more fully from the following
l~A92/711
AZB/pi~
11/3~ 7
1071808
1 further description thereof, with reference to the accom-
panying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a shoe assembly bottom-up, illustra-
ting the manner in which the shank strip is to be located on
the shoe bottom;
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a shank strip as used
in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the machine with the
shoe assembly illustrated in phantom and with the shoe in a
raised position but before the strip transfer mechanism has
been retracted;
FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the machine when in
an idle position;
FIG. 5 is a partly sectional, plan view of the ma-
chine as seen along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of one of the finger
guides.as seen along the line 6-6 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6A is a partly sectional bottom view of the
finger and finger guide as seen along the line 6A-6A of FIG.
6;
FIG. 7 is a rear elevation of the strip transfer
drive mechanism in its lowered configuration;
FIG. 8 is a rear elevation of the strip transfer
drive mechanism in a retracted, remote position;
FIG. 9 is a somewhat diagrammatic illustration of
the relative heightwise and lateral positions of the fingers
as seen longitudinally of the machine;
FIG~. 10-15 are somewhat diagrammatical illustra-
tions of the sequence of operation of the machine; and
FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of the control
circuitry for the machine.
10A92
AZB/E
11/30/~7 ~071808
1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The invention is concerned with the location and
curing of an elongate strip of material in situ on the bot-
tom of a partially formed shoe assembly. As shown in FIG.
1, the shoe assembly includes a last 10 having an insole 12
on its bottom and an upper 14 mounted on the last 10. The
marginal portions of the upper 14 will already have been
lasted to corresponding marginal portions of the insole 12.
The shank strip 16, illustrated in FIG. 2, comprises an elon-
gate sleeve 18 of flexible material which contains a matrixof a thermosetting resin 20 and a plurality of fiberglass
strands embedded in the resin. The resin 20 is activatable
by a selected external stimulus such as heat. The sleeve 18
preferably is formed from a pair of strips, including an up-
per strip 24 and a lower strip 26, which are sealed to eachother along their longitudinal sides to define a pair of
longitudinally extending margins 28. The sleeve is formed
from a material which can transmit the external activating
stimulus to the resinous matrix. For example, in the embo-
diment described, the activating stimulus is heat in the formof infrared energy and the sleeve is formed from a substan-
tially transparent plastic material which will transmit infrared
radiation therethrough to the-mat~ix. ~-
The shank strip 16 typically will be cut from a
long supply "rope" thereof and is described in detail in the
aforementioned copending Canadian patent application. In
general, the shank strip is flexible and is cut to a length
so that it may be placed on the insole bottom as suggested
in FIG. 1, in which the shank strip will extend from the heel
breast region of the shoe to approximately the ball portion.
lOA92/711
AZB/pip
12~1 `
107~808
1 The machine is illustrated, in elevation in FIG. 3
- and includes a frame 30 which may be secured to a base (not
shown) or other appropriate firm support. For ease of des-
cription, directions extending to the left as seen in FIG. 3
will be referred to as forward or toeward and directions ex-
tending to the right will be considered as heelward or rear-
ward. Directions toward and away from the operator's normal
position (in which the machine would appear as suggested in
FIG. 3) will be referred to as lateral, transverse, or width-
wise.
A radiant energy source, such as an infrared heater32 is secured to the frame, for example, by a bracket 34.
The heater 32 preferably is in the form of an elongate infra-
red heating element 36 (FIG. 4) within a reflector 38 which
will direct the infrared radiation downwardly toward a shoe
assembly (shown in phantom in FIG. 3) which is supported
bottom-up in the machine. The radiant heater 32 and its re-
flector 38 are selected and arranged to direct the radiant
energy downwardly toward the shoe bottom when the shoe is
supported in the machine as shown. As will be described,
the position of the heater with respect to the shoe assembly,
when the shoe assembly is positioned in readiness for acti-
vation of the shank strip, is such that the shoe bottom will
be displaced from the focal point of the reflector so that
the radiation from the heater 32 will impinge on the shoe
bottom and elongate strip pattern which will substantially
coincide with and include the resin-containing portion of
the shank strip 16.
The bracket 34 may be attached to a rearwardly ex-
tending threaded rod 35 which is secured to an upwardly ex-
lOA9 ~
AZB/pJn ~071808
.
1 tending portion 37 of the frame 30. Frame portion 37 pre-
ferably is provided with a heightwise extending slot 39. A
pair of nuts 40 are threaded onto the rod 35 on opposite sides - -
of frame portion 37 to secure the rod 35 to the frame section
37. The foregoing mounting enables the position of the
heater 32 to be adjusted both laterally as well as vertically.
The shoe assembly is held firmly in the machine by
a shoe jack assembly, indicated generally by the reference
character 48. The shoe jack assembly is guided for vertical
movement (as will be described) toward and away from the
heater 32, between a lowered loading, position and a raised
operating position (shown in FIG. 3). The shoe jack assem-
bly includes a forwardly-rearwardly extending main support
bar 50 having a bracket 52 which is driven by the piston rod
15 54 of an air cylinder 56. The piston rod 54 is not rigidly
attached to the bracket 52 but, rather, is received within a
blind bore 53 formed in the underside of the bracket 52. The
air cylinder 56, in turn, is secured to a portion 58 of the
frame 30, by a bracket 60. The main support bar 50 carries
the various shoe clamping elements which include a V-shaped
heel locator 62, heel pin 64, a pair of ball pins 66 and a
cone clamp 68 which secures the shoe assembly with its heel
pressed firmly into the heel locator 62, with the heel seat
of the shoe firmly against the heel pin 64 and the ball portion
of the shoe firmly against the ball pins 66. When in the
clamped position (as shown in phantom in FIG. 3), operation
of the air cylinder 56 raises or lowers the entire shoe jack
assembly thus raising or lowering the shoe assembly.
The heel locator 52 is mounted to the main support
30 bar 50 by a forwardly extending bracket 70 (see FIG. 5) and
lOA92,~ 11
A2B/
12/1/,7 1071808
1 determines the rearward position of the shoe assembly by en-
gagement with the quarter portions. The heel locator 62 in-
cludes a pair of heel plates 72 secured to the bracket 70 at
approximately right angles to each other. The heel pin 64,
which determines the heightwise location of the heel portion
of the shoe assembly is threaded through the forwardly ex-
tending end of a member 76. The member is secured to the
bracket 70 by an upwardly extending post 78. The heel pin 64
is intended to engage the heel seat of the shoe assembly sub-
: 10 stantially along the.longitudinal center line of the shoe andis located intermediate and above the heel plate 72. The for-
ward-rearward position of the heel pin 66 may be adjusted, if
desired, by a slot 80 in the member 76 and a bolt 82 which
passes through the slot 80 and secures the member 76 to the
post 78. In addition to the foregoing adjustments, the brac-
ket 70 may be adjusted as to its longitudinal position there-
by providing an adjustment of the assembly of the heel loca-
tor 62 and heel pin 64. To this end, the bracket 70 is se-
cured to the main support bar 50 by a pair of bolts 84 which
pass through a for~ly-rearwardly extending slot 86 in the
support bar 50.
The heightwise position of the toe end of the shoe
assembly is determined by the ball pins 66 which are laterally
spaced and threaded. The pins 66 are threaded through a T-
shaped plate 90 (FIG. 5) which is supported by a bracket 92
which, in turn, is mounted to the main support bar 50. The
longitudinal locations of the threaded pins 66 may be adjusted
by the arrangement of a slot 94 formed longitudinally through
the plate 90 and a screw 96 which extends through the slot
and is threaded into the bracket 92.
lOA92~711
AZB~
12/1~l7
1071808
1 The shoe assembly is urged upwardly and rearwardly
against the heel locator 62, heel pin 64 and ball pins 66 by
a cone clamp, indicated generally at 68. The cone clamp 68
includes a cone clamp pad 100 which is secured to the end of
a piston rod 102 of an air cylinder 104. The air cylinder
104 is suspended from the main support bar 50 by a bracket
106. The air cylinder 104 is mounted at an angle such that
the clamping pad 100 will move along an upwardly and heel-
wardly directed path toward (and away) from the cone portion
of the shoe thus providing both an upward and rearward com-
ponent of clamping force. With this clamping arrangement,
in which the clamp is located forwardly of the heel region
of the shoe assembly, the machine may be used with equal
facility, either with low cut shoes or with boots because
there are no clamping mechanisms which would interfere with
placement of boots in the machine.
; The shoe jack assembly is guided in its vertical
movement by a guide rod 108 which is secured to the bracket
52 and slides through openings 110, 112 formed in bosses 112,
20 113 respectively which are part of the frame portion 58. In
order to prevent horizontal rotation of the shoe jack assem- --
bly, a stabilizer 114 (FIG. 5) is secured to the rearward-
most end of the main support bar 50 and is received in a slot
; formed in a guide 116 which is attached to a plate 118 which
is supported in a fixed position with respect to the frame.
The machine also includes a pair of generally
paralleling strip engaging means, indicated generally by the
reference character 120, which are constructed and arranged
to engage the opposite marginal portions 28 of the shank
strip 16 and cooperate to urge the marginal portions 28 down-
lOA9~J711
AZB/, ~.
` 12/1/77 1071808
1 wardly into engagement with the insole bottom. In the em-
bodiment shown, and as described more fully herein, the
shank strip engaging means comprises a pair of generally paral-
leling rows or groups of spaced fingers 122 having ends 124
which will engage the opposite margins 28 of the shank strip
when the shoe and strip are raised toward the heater 32 to
an activating position. The fingers 122 are disposed below
the radiant heater 32 but well above the location of the
shoe assembly when the shoe assembly is clamped in the shoe
jack assembly 48.
When an operating cycle of the machine is initiated,
a shank strip 16 will be suspended below the ends 124 of the
fingers but above the bottom of the shoe assembly which then
is supported ~n the shoe jack 48. The shank strip 16 is sus-
pended by the transfer head portion (indicated generally at
126 in FIG. 3) of the shank strip transfer mechanism. The
transfer head 126 is constructed to retain the shank strip by
suction. Thereafter, as the shoe iack assembly 48 is opera-
ted to raise the shoe, the insole engages the shank strip 16
and they continue to move upwardly in unison, under the in-
fluence of air cylir.der 56. The shank transfer head 126 is
movably mounted so that it too will move upwardly with the
shoe assembly and shank strip. The shoe assembly and shank
strip continue to move upwardly until the margins 28 of the
25 shank strip 16 engage the ends 124 of the fingers 122. The
fingers 122 also are mounted for heightwise movement in response
to continued upward advancement of the shoe jack 48 and shoe
assembly. The upper limit of travel of the shoe jack assembly
38 is controlled by a stop screw 128 which extends upwardly
from a bracket 130 which is secured to the lower end of the
.
lOA9~711
AZB ~
12/1/77 107~808
1 stabilizer rod 108. Stop screw 128 is located so that itwill abut against a portion of the frame 30.
When the shoe has been raised to its most upward
position, the shank strip transfer mechanism releases its
vacuum grip on the shank strip and is moved upwardly and
laterally away from the shoe assembly to the remote posi-
tion indicated in phantom in FIG. 4 and in a manner which --
will be described in more detail.
FIG. 9 illustrates, somewhat diagrammatically,
10 the manner in which the fingers 122 are engaged by and move --
with respect to the margins 28 of the shank strip 16. As
the shoe assembly is raised, the ends 124 of the fingers ini-
tially engage the margins of the shank strip while the fingers
122 are in the position shown in phantom in FIG. 9. Fingers
122 are mounted for heightwise movement in response to the
rising shoe assembly but in a manner which also provides for
a light component of laterally outward movement as suggested
by the arrows 132 in FIG. 9 and the fingers as shown in solid.
The effect of this movement of the fingers 122 is to impart
a lateral drag to each of the margins to tend to laterally
tension the top strip 24 of the shank strip 16. That pro-
vides certain advantages as will be described herein.
FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 show the constructional details
of the fingers 122 and the manner in which they are mounted.
Each of the fingers is carried by a finger guide 134 which,
in turn, are mounted on a pair of laterally spaced forwardly-
rearwardly extending rods 136. Each of the rods is secured,
at its rearward end, to the frame by a clamp 137. Each of
the finger guides 134 includes an integral clamp portion 138
by which the finger guides are secured in a fixed and rigid
lOA92/711
AZB, 'h
" 12/i,~7 1071808
1 position on the rods 136. The angular attitude of the finger
guides 134 and their longitudinal position along the rods 136
may be adjusted by loosening clamp screws 140, repositioning
the finger guides 134 as desired and then retightening the
screws 140. As shown in FIG. 6, each of the fingers includes
an upper portion 142 which is slideably received within a slot
144 extending through the finger guide 134. The upper por-
tion 142 of the finger is noncircular in cross section and is
preferably square (as is the slot 144) to preclude the fingers
from rotating within their finger guides 134. The lower pro-
truding portion 122 of the fingers are narrowed to a more
rectangular configuration (FIG. 6A) than the upper portion
142. Each of the finger guides 134 is provided with a cap
member 146 having a lower flange 148. The lower flange 148 is
provided with a slot 150 which receives the narrowed lower
portion of the finger 122 but which cannot pass the enlarged
upper portion 142, thereby limiting the lower position of
the fingers in the guides 134. The cap member 146 also in-
cludes an upper flange 152 which overlies the upper end of
the finger guide 134 and which receives a tensioning screw
154 which extends into the upper end of the slot 144. A com-
pression spring 156 is disposed in the upper end of the slot
144, between the upper end of the upper finger portion 142
and the screw 154 to lightly bias the finger in its lower-
most position. The screw 154 may be adjusted to vary theforce developed by the spring 156 as may be desired.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that
the finger guides 134 and, therefore, the fingers 122 may be
spaced as desired along the rods 136 and may be oriented at
a downwardly and inwardly inclined attitude to the extent de-
lOA~'711
AZB/,, Jh
12/1/77 1071~8
1 sired. In most instances, it will only be necessary to makean initial adjustment which will ordinarily be sufficient
for substantially all shoes to be manufactured in accordance
with the invention. The fingers 122 are formed to be rela-
tively stiff, at least in a lateral direction, so that whenthe shoe assembly urges the fingers 122 upwardly, they will
not bend in a lateral direction. This is desirable in order
to assure that control over the extent to which the fingers
122 move laterally outward is achieved solely by the angular
attitude of the finger guides 134.
It is preferred that the relatively light force
(e.g., 1-2 ounces) with which the fingers 122 press the mar-
gins 28 against the insole he generally uniform and, to this
end, the fingers 122 may be formed so that the lower ends 124
of the more intermediate fingers 122 in each group extends
somewhat lower than the ends 124 of the more toeward and
heelwardly disposed fingers 122. Thus, the finger ends 124
in each group define a locus 125 (see FIGS. 10, 15) which
correspond approximately to the curvature of a shoe bottom
in the shank region of a shoe assembly. By initially arran-
ging the locus 125 of the ends of the fingers 124 to approxi-
mate the curvature of the shoe bottom, from the hall region
to the heel breast region, a substantially uniform pressure
will be applied to the margins of the shank strip when the
shank strip and shoe assembly are brought into engagement
with the fingers.
Transfer mechanism as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5, 7
and 8 includes the transfer head 126, arm 158, elbow joint
160, driver lever 162 and drive mechanism 164. The transfer
30 head 126 is connected to the end of the arm 158 in a manner
lOA~ 711
AZB~ ,h
12/5j77
107~808
1 which permits pivotal self-adjustment of the head 126 about a
transverse axis to enable the transfer head to accommodate
itself to the contour of the insole of the particular shoe
assembly. The elbow joint 160 enables the arm 158 to pivot
upwardly in unison with the shoe assembly during the last por-
tion of the rise of the shoe assembly. The drive mechanism
164 and drive lever 162 are arranged to continue subsequent
rising movement of the arm 158 and transfer head 126 and then
to rotate the entire transfer assembly transversely and up-
wardly out of the way to its remote position.
The transfer head 126 may be in the form of a U-
shaped tube 166. The outer end of each lug of the U-shaped
tube 166 is bent at right angles to the leg and is provided
with an elongate suction pad 168. The tube 166 is connected
to a vacuum source (not shown) by appropriate tubing 170.
When the transfer mechanism is in the remote position shown
in phantom in FIG. 4, the tube 170 is connected to the vacuum
source to generate a suction at suction pads 168. When in
that configuration, a precut shank strip 16 may be applied by
the operator to the suction pads 168 which will hold the shank
strip. As will be described, the transfer mechanism then is
rotated downwardly to transfer and position the shank strip
16 above the shoe assembly and below the fingers 122. The
suction will remain on to secure hold the shank strip until
it is desired to release the shank strip 16 and return the
transfer mechanism to its out-of-the-way, remote position.
The suction pads preferably are of a length which
is substantially equal to the width of the shank strip as that
facilitates proper registration of the shank strip on the
shank pads when the transfer mechanism is in its remote posi-
lOA9~ Ll
L2/1/77 107~8
1 tion. The operator need only align the edges of the shank
strip margins 28 with the ends of suction pads 168. It also
should be noted that the fingers 122 are adjusted longitudi-
nally on their rods to assure adequate clearance between the
legs of the U-tube 166 so that it will not interfere with
the fingers 122 at any time during the movement of the trans-
fer mechanism.
The transfer head 126 is mounted to the end of the
arm 158 by a connection which will permit a limited amount of
pivotal movement about a transversely extending axis (as seen
in FIGS. 4 and 5). This is desirable to enable the transfer
head 122 to conform itself to the particular shape and con-
tour of the shoe insole to which the shank strip is to be
applied. The connection includes a clamp 172 which is se-
cured to the outer end of the arm 158. The clamp is secured
by a transversely extending screw 174 and a pair of locknuts
176. The U-tube 166 has an integral threaded sleeve 178
which is mounted to an inwardly extending end of the screw
174 so that the sleeve 178 may pivot directly on the screw
174.
The elbow joint 160 is arranged to permit the arm
158 to swing upwardly together with and in response to upward
movement of the shoe assembly. The elbow joint 160 includes
a clamp 180 which is secured to the other end of the arm 158
by a screw 182 and a pair of locknuts 184. The screw 182 is
freely threaded into a sleeve 186 which is formed integrally
with and at the lower end of the drive lever 162. The freely
threaded connection between the sleeve 186 and screw 182
enables the arm 158 to pivot so that it may be raised or
lowered in response to movement of the shoe. Means are pro-
lOA9~ `711
AZB/p,n
12/1/77 1071~8
1 vided to limit the lowermost pivotal position of the arm
w th respect to the sleeve 186 and drive lever 162, so that
the lever may be raised and pivoted (as will be described)
to draw the arm 158 and transfer head 126 to their remote po-
sition. The limiting mechanism includes an adjustable
threaded stop screw 188 which is threaded through an end of
an arm extension member 190, secured to the opposite end of
the arm 158. The member 190 is disposed at an angular atti-
tude with respect to the arm 158 such that the stop screw 188
will face the rearwardly facing surface of the drive lever
162. In the absence of a shoe assembly to support the trans-
fer head end of the arm 158, screw 188 will bear against the
side of drive lever 162. As the shoe assembly advances up-
wardly, the arm 158 pivots upwardly to move the stop screw
188 away from the drive lever 162 (as suggested in FIG. 5).
When the lever 162 is subsequently raised and rotated (as
will be described) to retract the transfer mechanism, the
stop screw 188 will again be brought into engagement with --
the drive lever 162 so that continued movement of the lever
162 will withdraw the transfer arm 158 and transfer head 126.
The arm 158 is biased in a downward direction by means of a
tension spring 192 which is connected at one end to the arm
extension member 190. That assures a good, firm contact be-
tween the transfer head and the shoe assembly.
The drive mechanism 164, for moving the arm 158
and transfer head 126 between its operative and remote posi-
tions, includes an arrangement by which the drive lever 162
first may be moved upwardly until the transfer head has ade-
quately cleared the shoe assembly and then rotated in a
lateral and upward direction to its remote position. To this
lOA9~
AZB/p~n
12/1/77 1071808
1 end, the drive mechanism 164 is supported on a plate 194
which is secured to the frame at the rear end of the machine.
The drive lever 162 is pivotally mounted, between its ends
at a first pivot 196 to a slide 198 which is movable ver-
S tically along the rear surface of the plate 194. The slide
; 198 is confined to vertical movement by a pair of vertically
; extending gibs 200, which are secured to the plate 194 and
define a pair of heightwise extending guideways 202 which
receive and guide the slide 198. The pivot 196 consists of
an elongate rod which extends in a forward-rearward direc-
- tion and on opposite sides of the plates 194, 200. The
plate 194 is provided with a vertically extending opening 204
to permit the pivot 196 to move freely in a vertical direc-
tion. The more forwardly disposed end of the pivot pin 196
lS is connected to the piston rod 208 of an air operated slide
cylinder 210. The lower, other end of the slide cylinder
210 is pivotally secured to the plate 194. The outermost
end of the drive lever 162 is pivotally connected, at a se-
cond pivot, to the piston rod 212 of another air operated
cylinder 214 which is located on the rearward side of the plate
194 and is pivotally secured at its lower end to the plate
194.
The cylinders 210, 214 are operated in a manner
which first raises the drive lever 162 (and the positioning
members carried thereby) and then pivots the drive lever 162
about the pivot 196 toward the remote position where it is
maintained for a time interval (during the heat activation
cycle) sufficient to enable the operator to load the transfer
head 126 with a new shan~ strip. Thus, air cylinders 210 and
214 are operated simultaneously to advance the drive lever
lOA9~711
AZB~ h
12/1/77 1071~8
1 162 upwardly (without rotation) until the upper end of the
lever 162 engages an actuating member 230 of a valve K,
mounted to the upper end of the rearward plate 200. The
valve K is incorporated in the control circuitry of the machine
(as will be described) to maintain the cylinder 210 in its
piston-extended configuration, but to reverse operation of
the cylinder 214, thereby retracting the piston rod 212 and
causing the driver lever 162 to rotate upwardly about the
pivot 196 until the lever 162 reaches its idle position.
The sequence of operation of the various elements
of the machine is illustrated, somewhat diagrammatically,
in FIGS. 10-15, and in FIG. 16 which is a schematic diagram
of the pneumatic control circuitry when the machine is in an
idle configuration with all valves considered as being in a
returned configuration. FIG. 10 shows the machine in its
idle configuration, ready to receive a last. The fingers
122 are in their full downward positions. The transfer
mechanism is in its lowered position to suspend a shank strip
in place bel~w the finger ends 124. Air under pressure is
applied from an appropriate source S through line Ll to the
various valves which control operation of the machine. At ~ -
this time, the cone clamp cylinder 104 is biased (by an in- -~ -
ternal spring) in its retracted configuration, the head end
of the cylinder 104 being exhausted through a line L8 and
a valve D. The jack cylinder 56 also is spring biased to a
retracted configuration (by an internal spring) through a
line Lll and a valve E. The vacuum head 126 is connected to
a vacuum pump (not shown) through vacuum hose 170 and a
valve F. The slide cylinder 210 is maintained in its re-
tracted position by air pressure applied to the rod end of
10A9 711
AZB/p~h
12/1/77 1071808
1 cylinder 210 through a line Ll9, a valve H and a line L17
which is connected to line Ll. The head end of slide cylin-
der 210 is exhausted through a line L18 and valve H. The
lever cylinder 214 also is maintained in its retracted con-
figuration by applying pressure to the rod end of cylinder
214 through a line L23 and a valve L which is connected to
line Ll. The head end of lever cylinder 214 is exhausted
to atmosphere through a line L22 and valve L.
The shoe assembly then is placed on the shoe
jack assembly and the operator act~ates the clamp cylinder
104 to press the cone clamp 100 to the cone of the shoe
assembly and secure it in the jack as seen in FIG. 11. Ope-
ration is initiated by shifting a valve A (by a foot treadle
not shown but suggested at 218 in FIG. 16). Shifting valve
A communicates air from line Ll to line L3 which, in turn,
pilots valve D through a shuttle valve SVl. Shifting of
valve D enables air to flow from valve C, through lines L5
and L6, through valve D to line L8 to actuate the cone clamp
cylinder 104. A pressure regulator 220 is disposed between
lines L5 and L6 to limit the force with which the cone clamp
cylinder 104 will apply clamping pressure to the cone portion
of the shoe upper. This is to reduce any tendency for the
cone clamp pad to scrape or damage the upper.
As shown in FIG. 12, the jack cylinder 56 then is
operated to raise the shoe jack assembly 48 and shoe assembly
into engagement with the shank strip 16. The jack cylinder
56 also is operated in response to shifting of valve D but
its operation is delayed slightly to insure that the cone
clamp cylinder 104 will have first firmly clamped the shoe
in the jack assembly 48. When pressure is applied through
10A92/711
AZB/ h
12/1/~7 1071~8
1 line L8, it also is applied to pivot a valve E, but through
a flow restrictor 222 to delay slightly the shifting of valve
E. Once valve E is shifted, line pressure from line Ll is
communicated through line L10 and valve E to the head end of
jack cylinder 56. In order to control the speed with which
jack cylinder 56 rises, a flow restrictor 224 may be inter-
posed in line Lll, just in advance of the jack cylinder 56.
It may be noted that when valve E is shifted, pressure also
is applied through line L24 to a valve K in readiness for
later shifting of valve K.
As the jack 48 and shoe assembly rise, the insole
bottom will be brought into engagement with the shank strip 16
and the transfer head may pivot slightly about a lateral axis
into conformity with the insole bottom. As the shoe assembly
continues to rise under the influence of jack cylinder 56, it
will urge the shank strip 16, transfer head 126 and transfer
arm 128 upwardly in unison. As the shoe assembly continues to
rise, the margins 28 of the strip engage the ends 124 of the
fingers 122 to press the margins against the finger ends 124
and urge the finger ends upwardly against the relatively light
biasing force of the finger springs 156. When the shoe has
been raised to its maximum heightwise position, the fingers
122 will bear down on the margins 28 to press the margins
into conformity with the contour of the shoe bottom. In addi-
tion, during the raising of the fingers 122, the fingers ad-
vance slightly laterally outwardly to impart a light tension
to the margins and, particularly, across the upper strip 24
of the shank strip 16.
When the shoe assembly has reached its most upward
position, a portion of the bracket 52 will engage and trip an
lOA9~'711
AZ B/l a
12/1/77 1071808
1 actuating member 226 of a valve J which is incorporated in the
control circuitry to operate the cylinders 210, 214 of the
drive mechanism 264. The cylinders 210, 214 are actuated
first in unison to raise the arm 162 sufficiently to clear
the shoe assembly (FIG. 13) and then lever cylinder 214 is
reversed to cause the drive lever 162 to pivot about the
pivot 196 thereby swinging the arm 158 and transfer head 126
laterally and upwardly to its remote position, in readiness to
receive the next shank strip. As shown in FIG. 16, when
valve E shifts to actuate the jack cylinder 56, air also is
applied through line L13 to valve J. When the jack cylinder
; is raised to its uppermost position and actuates member 226
of valve J, air flows through line L13, valve J and through
line L14 which shifts valve L. Shifting of valve L, in turn,
directs air from line Ll, through valve L and through line
L22 to the head end of lever cylinder 214 and also exhausts
the rod end of lever cylinder 214 through line LZ3 and valve
L. When pressure is applied to line L22, it also is applied,
through line L21 to a shuttle valve SV2 which shifts valve H.
Shifting of valve H communicates air to the head end of slide
cylinder 210 through line L18, valve H and line L17 and line
Ll. The rod end of slide cylinder 210 is exhausted through
valve H. In addition, the vacuum source is disconnected from
the transfer head 126 to permit the suction pads 168 to re-
lease the shank strip 16, thereby enabling the shank strip 16to remain on the bottom of the shoe insole as the transfer
mechanism is retracted. The vacuum is disconnected simul-
taneously as lever cylinder 214 is actuated. When valve L is
shifted to direct air to the head end of cylinder 214, air
is also directed through line L21 to line L12 which deacti-
vates valve F and enables it to connect line 170 to exhaust.
lOA9 711
12/1/77 1071808
1 It may be noted that lever cylinder 214 will be
actuated just slightly before slide cylinder 210 is actuated.
This insures that the lever 162 will be biased in its most
downward position to assure that there will be no rotary
component of motion applied to the transfer mechanism until
it is desired to swing that mechanism out of the way. The
slide cylinder 210 and lever cylinder 214 thus are operated
in unison to raise the slide 198, pin 196, lever arm 162.
The lever arm 162 and drive mechanism 164 will rise until
the stop screw 188 of the elbow joint 160 engages the rear-
wardly facing side of the lever 162. The freedom of pivotal
motion provided by the elbow ~oint 160 and pivot rod 174
permit the transfer arm 158 to move as required. When the
stop screw 188 engages the lever 162, the transfer arm 158
will no longer be able to pivot with respect to the lever 162
and continued rising movement of the lever 162 will also
raise the transfer arm 158 and transfer head 126.
The cylinders 210 and 214 continue to operate in
unison until a portion of the lever 162 (indicated dia-
grammatically at 228 in FIG. 16) trips an actuating member
230 of a valve K mounted to the plate 194. Valve K is
interposed in the control circuitry to reverse operation
of the lever cylinder 214 to cause the lever arm 162 to
pivot about the pivot pin 196 and swing the transfer me-
chanism laterally and upwardly out of the way to its remote
position. When valve K is shifted, air is directed from line
L13, through line L24, through valve K and line L26 to valve
M. Valve M is a manual, operator-actuated valve which, at
this stage in the operation of the machine, will already
have been actuated by the operator. The purpose of valve M
lOA92 !`711
` A~B/}
12/2/`/7 1071~8
1 is to insure that one of the operator's hands has been re-
moved from the shoe jack area, as a safety measure. Assuming
valve M has been shifted, air passes through valve M and
line L27 to line L28 and to shuttle valve SV3 which shifts
valve L to communicate air from line Ll to line L23 and to
the rod end of lever cylinder 214. Lever cylinder 214 then
pivots the lever 162 about the pin 196 to swing to its re-
mote, out-of-the-way position as suggested in FIG. 14. It
- may be noted that if the operator has not shifted valve M,
the machine will stop in the position illustrated in FIG. 13.
Operation of the radiant heater, to cure the shank
strip is initiated as the lever cylinder 214 begins to rotate
the transfer mechanism out of the way. As illustrated in
FIG. 16, the electrical circuitry (indicated generally at EC)
associated with the radiant heater 32 is actuated by a pres-
sure switch N which is connected to pneumatic line L27.
Thus, when valve K is shifted to direct air through line L26,
valve M, line L27 and to shift valve L, switch N also is
actuated to bring operation of the heating cycle. The elec-
trical circuitry EC includes a power source and a manuallyoperated main on-off switch indicated at 240. During opera-
tion of the machine, switch 240 will be closed to continu-
ously operate a vacuum pump VC which is connected through
valve F to apply the vacuum to the transfer head 126. When
pressure sensitive switch N is switched by a pulse through
pneumatic line L27, that begins operation of a timer which
immediately operates a relay 246 to close the switch 242
thereby beginning operation of the heater 32. Concurrently
with operation of the heater, a signal is applied to solenoid
valve B to shift that valve to communicate air from line L2
24
lOA92~711
AZB/ `
12/2~7
~07~808
1 through valve B and line L4 to shuttle valve SVl to pulse
valve D and hold valve D in its shifted configuration. That
locks valve D in its "treadled" position and the operator
may remove his foot from the treadle at that time. The
radiant heater continues to operate for a predetermined time
interval controlled by the timer.
While the heater 32 is activating the shank strip,
the operator may place a new shank strip on the suction pads
168 of the transfer mechanism. In order that the suction
pads 168 will retain the new shank strip 16, the pads 158
are reconnected to the vacuum source. This occurs automa-
tically when the lever cylinder 214 is reversed. When lever
cylinder 214 is reversed, by shifting of valve L, lines L22,
L21 and L12 are exhausted through valve K. That enables
the spring biased valve F to return to its original configu-
ration in which the vacuum was connected to line 170.
The electronic timing mechanism will continue to
expose the shank strip for a predetermined time interval. -
At the end of exposure, relay 246 is deactuated to open switch
242 thereby shutting off the heater and terminating the sig- -
nal to valve B-which enables valve D to return to its
spring biased configuration in which the cone cylinder 104
returns to its retracted position. Reshifting of valve D
also returns valve E which enables jack cylinder 56 to ex-
haust through line Lll and valve E so that it, too, returns
to its idle configuration in which the jack assembly is
lowered. As cylinders 56, 104 return to their idle positions,
the shoe assembly is released and will fall into a chute (not
shown) which is disposed below the jack assembly to catch
the shoe. The lever cylinder 214, which was previously
lOA9 '11
12/2/77 1071808
1 returned to its retracted, idle configuration remains in
that state. Retraction of lever cylinder 214 also enables
valve K to return which deactuates pressure switch N, in
readiness for a new cycle of operation. The slide cylinder
210 is returned to its idle configuration by return of valve
H which communicates air from line Ll, through line L17,
valve H and line Ll9 to the rod end of the cylinder. The
head end of the cylinder is exhausted through line L18 and
valve H. Valve H is returned by air from valve D which
passes through line L7, and lines 16 and 20 to reshift valve
H.
It should be noted that when the transfer mecha-
nism returns from its remote to its lowered position, it
will swing about the pivot connection between the lever arm
162 and piston rod of the lever cylinder 214. This defines
a larger arc than when the lever swung about pivot 196 and
insures that the transfer mechanism will swing the shank
` strip in an arc which will pass well below the lower ends
124 of the fingers 122. The machine then is ready for the
next operating cycle.
In some instances, it may be desirable to swing
the shank transfer mechanism from its normal position below
the fingers 122 to its upper remote position without running
the machine ~hrough an entire cycle. For example, this may
be desired in the event that the shank strip was not placed
properly on the vacuum pads 168 or if for some reason, the
operator neglected to place a shank strip on the pads 168.
Valve G permits this mode of operation. Valve G is a two-
position manually operated valve which will ordinarily remain
in the configuration shown in FIG. 16 during normal operations.
10A92
AZB/
12/2//7
1071808
1 Should it be desired to swing the transfer mechanism to its
remote position, valve G is shifted manually to communicate
air from line Ll, through valve G into line L15 to shuttle
valve SV2 which shifts valve H. Shifting valve H communi-
cates air from line Ll through line L17 and valve H, throughline L18 to the head end of slide cylinder 210. Line Ll9
is exhausted from the rod end of slide cylinder 210 through
shifted valve H. Operation of slide cylinder 210 rotates the
transfer mechanism (in a relatively wide arc about the pivot
connection to lever cylinder 214) to the remote position.
In addition, line L15 is connected through line L9 to valve
C to shift valve C to thereby shut off air from valve D, to
insure that the cone clamp cylinder 104 and jack cylinder 56
will remain in their lowered retracted positions during this
mode of operation~
The heater preferably is selected and mounted in a
position in which its focal point, as indicated at 133, in
FIG. 3, will be disposed below the level of the insole so
that the infrared radiation will be directed toward the shoe
bottom in a strip having a width just slightly greater than
the width defined by the middle portion of the strip which
contains the curable resinous matrix.
During the heating of the strip, the fingers bear
down resiliently but lightly on the margins 28 of the flexi-
ble shank strip to urge the shank strip into firm conformitywith the contour of the shoe bottom. The downward biasing
of the fingers 122 assures that the shank strip will be urged
into full contact with the insole bottom, particularly as the
heat is applied which, in the very early portion of the ex-
posure cycle, will cause any portions of the shank strip which
lOA9~711
AZB/
12/2//7 1071~8
1 may not have fully contacted the insole bottom to becomelimp and fall into such contact with the insole.
The radiant heater is operated to expose the
shank strip to the radiant heat which is transmitted through
the upper surface of the sleeve to the resin matrix. The
duration of the exposure will depend on the composition of
the resinous matrix and the magnitude of exothermal heat
which may be generated in the curing reaction. By way of
example only, an exposure time of the order of between three
to seven seconds may be appropriate. The shoe assembly may
be permitted to remain in the machine for a short time after
exposure to permit the material to cure, in situ.
During the activation and curing of the resin, the
fingers 122 hold the margins 28 firmly in place. As des-
cribed in the aforementioned pending applications, theupper surface of the shank strip is selected so that it will
maintain its dimensional characteristics and will not de-
teriorate at least until the resin has cured to a substan-
tially final shape and configuration. The fingers 122 serve
to hold down the upper strip to resist expansion of the resin
matrix which might occur from gases which may be generated
during the reaction. Also, as described in the aforementioned
applications, the upper strip of the shank strip may, in some
instances, be formed from a material which will shrink under
the influence of heat. The fingers 58 develop sufficient
downward force to hold the upper strip in position and pre-
clude it from slipping as the heated portion of the top skin
shrinks. This applies a slightly increased pressure to the
resin to control and limit the height and cross-sectional
shape of the shank when it is finally cured. The force with
'
A~B/pjh 107~8
12/2/77
1 which the fingers urge the strip margins into engagement
with the insole bottom may be regulated by an adjustment to
the compression springs 156.
As described more fully in the aforementioned
copending patent applications, the cured shank strip will
remain firmly bonded to the insole bottom. This may result
from melting of the insole-engaging lower surface of the
sleeve in which the melted portion of the sleeve cross links
with the resin and also adheres to the insole bottom. De-
pending on the materials from which the sleeve is made, theremay be instances in which it is desirable to slit the bottom
surface of the sleeve to provide direct communication between
the resin and the insole bottom or in other instances, an
adhesive agent may be applied to the insole engaging surface
lS of the shank strip but to the insole bottom itself.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that
the invention may be employed to automatically position and
locate a shank strip of the type described in a manner which
requires relatively little operator skill and which insures
that the shank strip will be properly placed, applied and
cured in situ on the shoe bottom. It should be understood,
however, that the foregoing description of the invention is
intended merely to be illustrative thereof and that other
embodiments and modifications may be apparent to those skilled
in the art without departing from its spirit.
Having thus described the invention, what I desire
to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:
