US2640448A - Variable width wrapper strip guide for sewing machines - Google Patents

Description

M. ROBERTS 2,640,448

STRIP GUIDE FOR SEWING MACHINES June 2, 1953 VARIABLE WIDTH WRAPPER Filed Jan. 6, 1951 VIIIIIIIIIIIAIIA fnvalzlor Mau rice Roberts @ET r44 Patented June 2, 1953 ED STATES ATENT OFFICE VARIABLE WIDTH WRAPPER STRIP GUIDE FOR SEWING MACHINES Maurice Roberts, Leicester, England, ,assignor. to

United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 6, 1951 Serial No. 204,709 In Great Britain April 5, I950 class. (01.112 52) This invention relates to improvements in sewing machines for use in the manufacture of shoes, more particularly of platform shoes of the Veldtschoen type, in which .a wrapper or cover strip is sewn to the out-turned margin of the upper and platform sole of the shoe, the Wrapper or cover strip being formed with a variable width to enable it to be'turned down to cover the edges of the upper and sole and inwardly beneath the platform sole. However, the invention is not limited to use with sewing machines merely for, attaching wrappers or sole edge covers butmay be employed to advantage'in attaching or operating upon any type of strip formed with a variable width along its length.

In the manufacture of shoes of the type referred to a platform cover or wrapper strip may be directed into proper position to be sewn by a guide defining a slot or passage through which the strip passes. edge of the strip to occupy a uniform predetermined relation to the needle of the sewing machine which is to sew the strip to the shoe, the passage in the guide is made with thesameoverall width as that of the strip so that the strip may be directed accurately on its way to the needle.

Where the shoe parts later to be covered by the downturned wrapper strip vary in thickness at different portions along the shoe, for instance where the platform sole includes a so-called wedge heel, difiiculties frequently are met in guiding the wrapper accurately into sewing position.

It is a customarypractice, to attach to a Wedgev heeled platform shoe a platform wrapper strip having a relatively narrow portion approximately one half to three-quarters of an inch wide, for sewingaround the iorepart of the shoe and a wider portion, up to2 wide, for sewing around the waist and heelend portions. To attach to a shoe, a variable width wrapper strip as above indicated, it is at present usual to employ in the machine a guide which has a passage equal ,in over-all width to the wider portion of the wrapper strip which is to extend around thewaist and heel portions of the shoe. A strip of this uniformly wider dimension is then sewn to the shoe (for example in the manner disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,611,142, granted September 23, 1952, upon application of James and Ricks) around the'forepart of the shoe as well as around the Waist and heel portions; The strip is then trimmed off around the iorepa-rt to provide the reduced width suitable to the thick- Since it is important for one ness of the platform and upper only. such lucedure is wasteful, both intim-e and material.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide simpl and convenient means whereby the sewing to a shoe ,of the Veldtschoen type of a pre-cut variable width platform wrapper strip may be facilitated W c.

In the illustrative embodiment hereinafter described. a stitching machine. suitable for use on an outflanged portion of a shoe upper mounted on a last and a platform soleor like member, the machine also incorporatingmeans for tensioning the upper to pull itsnugly down tothe last as the stitching operation proceeds, includes a platform wrapper strip guidehaving a passage adjustable 'in width to correspond with the maximum width of a strip around the thicker waist and heel portion of a wedge heeled shoe, and aa displaceable finger which extends transversely across the passage to divide it into two portions, the smaller one of which is reduced to the minimum width of the strip. The mountingarrangee ment for the finger on themachine is such that the finger is automatically deflected at right angles to the width of the guide passage out of the passage when the maximum width portion of the strip reaches the guide, the wider portion :of the passage being ntilized'to direct said'maximum width portion.

Examples of a stitching machine suitable for use in sewing together the platform cover, upper and sole are disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,198,405 granted September 19,1916, upon application of Arthur "Bates and v No. 1,996,103 granted April 2, 1935, upon application of Harold E. Elliott et al. v These and other features of theinvention; as hereinafter described and claimed will be apparent from the iollow-in g detailed specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings'in which, I v Fig. 1 'isa sectionalview on an enlarged scale of those parts of a sewingmachine embodying the features of the invention, surrounding the sewing point and including thefnovel platform wrapper strip guide and a portion of a shoe in thepr'oce'ss of being sewn; I, p

Fig. 2 is a detail viewo'f the lower portiono'f the guide, illustrated section taken along a plane crossing the passage in the guide;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along a plane intersecting the lower portion of the guide showing the position of a di'splaceable finger in the 5 guide were operating upon a width portion of a wrapper strip; and

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the guide showing the displaceable finger in a position with the maX- imum width portion of the wrapper strip being operated upon.

The illustrated machine is a lockstitch shoe sewing machine having upper tensioning means of the type disclosed in the Bates patent but improved by the addition of platform sole severing devices disclosed in the James and Ricks patent, above identified. The machine of the James and Ricks patent is intended to last and sew a stitchdown shoe and simultaneously to trim a marginal portion of the platform sole in the shoe so that the stitches of a seam will be inserted in the upper, sock lining or midsole and one edge only of a platform wrapper strip, the platform sole being left unsewn. To direct the platform wrapper strip into the machine of the James and Ricks patent a guide is provided having an elongated passage of a width corresponding to the width of a wrapper strip.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the illustrated machine is provided with a curved hook needle 6, a curved awl 8 and other stitch forming devices. The marginal portions of a shoe intended to be operated upon are shown in operating position and include a platform sole l0, a sock lining l2 and an upper i4 mounted upon a last l6. Also guided into the seam inserted by the machine is the rearwardly bent angular flange of a wrapper strip I8.

To maintain the shoe parts in operating position the machine has a work support 28 alon the work engaging surface of which the angular flange of the wrapper strip is engaged and a presser foot including a block 22 having a horizontal fin 24 comprising its work engaging portion spaced from the main body of the block to provide above it a recess into which the marginal portion of the platform sole H3 is guided. To trim the marginal portion of the platform sole the block 22 has clamped to it a vertical trimming knife 26 the lower end of which is engaged and guarded by the fin 26. The upper tensioning means comprises a pair of horizontally reciprocating lasting grippers 28 acting to draw the projecting marginal portion of the upper along the work engaging surface of the work support and thereby indirectly to force the angular flange portion of the wrapper strip rearwardly of the machine into engagement with a guide shoulder 30 formed on the work support. The manner of operation of the operating devices and their actuating mechanisms thus far described are more completely disclosed in the patents above referred to.

In sewing a shoe intended to have a wedge heel of substantial thickness subsequently attached to it, it has been the practice to employ a platform wrapper strip of a width suflicient to cover the edges of both the platform sole and the wedge heel. Such strip is of uniform maximum width required in the construction of the shoe and since a narrower width is needed alon the forepart of the shoe to cover the sole edge alone, the excess is trimmed off and the trimmed excess discarded. As a result much wastage of valuable wrapper strip material occurs in discarding the trimmed portion.

The present wrapper strip guide is constructed to direct accurately a wrapper strip is formed with a variable width, the maximum width portion of which is sulficient to cover both the wedge heel and the platform sole edges and the minimum width portion of which is sufficient to cover 4 the platform sole edge so that no trimming is required after sewing the shoe. Accordingly, a wrapper strip may be cut from stock in a manner to economize the use of the stock without the necessity of wasteful trimming.

To direct a variable width wrapper strip ef fectively the improved strip guide is provided with means for preventing displacement of the strip laterally when either the maximum or minimum width portions are being operated upon. The illustrated wrapper strip guide is made of sheet metal side plates 32 and 34 disposed in parallel relation and having sections bent through relatively abrupt curvatures at their upper ends where they are joined to an end attachment block 36. The plates 32-34 form between them an elongated passage or slot 38 having its main portion extending downwardly and its upper portion bent into an approximately horizontal plane slightly below the plane of the work engaging surface on the work support. The attachment block 36 is clamped to a bearing about which the awl 8 oscillates and reciprocates in the line of feed so that the guide moves along the line of feed with the awl during the feeding movements of the shoe being sewn. The rear plate 32 of the guide acts to mold and maintain one margin of the wrapper strip in an angular flange formation overlying the work 611- gaging surface of the work support. At its juncture with the rear plate the block 36 has a surface to direct the margin of the platform wrapper accurately into sewing position on the work support before engagement by the needle and awl, as the operation of the lasting grippers progresses.

To insure accurate guiding action on both edges of the wrapper strip while sewing the minimum width portion of the strip, according to an important feature of the present invention, the width of the passage 38 in the guide is reduced by a displaceable finger 40 passin across the guide. The finger has an integral yielding mounting movable on one of the plates at right angles thereto. The finger is in the form of a rounded right angle end on a fiat leaf spring 12 comprising the mounting which is secured to the forward plate 34 by a clamp screw 44 passing through the plate 3 1 and having its end engaging a threaded opening in the plate 32. The finger as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4 has a curved or inclined edge at its rounded end which, when the wider portion of the platform wrapper strip reaches the guide, is engaged by that portion and is wedged by the strip and moved outwardly of the guide by the strip in a direction at right angles to the width of the guide passage and the planes of the plates to displace the finger from the passage 38. As soon as the wider maximum Width portion of the wrapper strip displaces the finger the entire wider portion of the passage is effective in guiding the wrapper strip.

To guide the maximum width portion of the wrapper strip and to provide means for adjusting the guide accurately with relation to the wrapper strip employed, the lower end of the guide passage is provided with an adjustable block 46 clamped between the plates 32 and 3 For this purpose the block it is slotted to receive the clamp screw Ml which when tightened simultaneously secures the spring 42 and the block in fixed positions along the guide. To prevent angular displacement of the block in the guide the block has a rib 'lg engaging one edge of the rear plate extended substantially the full length of the block.

To enable adjustments to be made in the lower edge guiding block 46 and in the displaceable fin er 4Q 1 11. plfilt is 32 and 34 of the guide are formed with openings 5!) through which the finger 4.0 passes. These openings are ofsufiicient size to accommodate essential adjusting movement of the block 16 along the passage 38 in the gui e.- In use the guide hereinbefore described will occupy the same general relationship in the machine as the guide referred to in the above identified James and Ricks patent. A sufi'icient length of the platform wrapper of the minimum width, for example of approximately inch, is inserted in the guide. The length of the minimum width portion of wrapper strip employed should be sufficient to extend around the forepart of a shoe to be operated upon. The minimum width portion of wrapper strip has united to it, a portion of maximum width sufiicient in length to extend around the waist and heel portions of a shoe and to cover a wedge heel after insertion in the shoe, one each of the edges of the portions being alined.

In operating upon one shoe of a pair the narrower portion of wrapper strip first is inserted in the guide and the operation is started at the forepart of the shoe and continued until the opposite side of the forepart is approached. When the opposite side of the forepart is reached, that portion of the wider maximum width wrapper which projects beyond the minimum width portion of the wrapper will engage the finger ll] and displace it automatically outwardly of the passage in the guide. Thus, it is possible to sew a wrapper strip of variable width having two portions of distinctly different width, one width of which extends and is guided along the finger 40, the other of which extends along and is guided by the block 36, and both of which are accurately directed along their alined edges into the seam. The changeover from one width along the strip to the other is efiective without attention on the part of the operator and without requiring interruption in progress of the sewing operation.

In sewing a platform wrapper strip to the other one of a pair of shoes the operation will be started with the maximum width portion of the wrapper first inserted in the full width of the guide beneath the finger and as the operation is continued the narrower minimum width portion will be directed by the finger. For assisting the operator when inserting the maximum width portion of wrapper strip the finger 40 has attached to it a raised lip 52 beneath which a fingernail may be projected for withdrawing the finger 40 from the passage in the guide. After inserting the maximum width portion of the wrapper strip during this manner of sewing, the narrower minimum width portion of the strip reaches the guide and the finger 40. The spring 42 then presses the finger rearwardly to reduce the width of the the passage to the proper extent for effectively guiding the narrower width portion of the strip.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and the particular embodiment having been described what i claimed is;

1. A shoe sewing machine having a needle and other stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot and a variable width wrapper strip guide located in advance of the point of operation of the sttich forming devices and formed with a passage of a widthequalito that of the maxi-mum width portion of the wrapper strip, combination with a displaceable finger mouhted for movement at right angles to the width of the guide passage for reducing during operation ef the machine the size of passage in the guide from the maximum to the minimum width of the wrapper strip.

'2. A shoe sewing machine having a needle and other stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot and a variable width wrapper strip uide located in advance of the point of operation of the stitch forming devices and formed with an elongated passage for the wrapper strip, in combination with a rounded displaceable finger mounted for movement in the guide passage for reducing the size of passage in the guide from the maximum to the minimum width of the wrapper strip and a yielding mounting on which the finger is movable at right angles to the width of the guide passage during operation of the machine to enable the Wrapper strip to engage the rounded contour of the finger and to wedge the finger outwardly as it enters beneath the finger into the wider portion of the guide passage.

3. A shoe sewing machine having a needle and other stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot and a variable width wrapper strip guide located in advance of the point of operation of the stitch forming devices and formed with side plates having an elongated passage between them for the wrapper strip, in combination with a rounded displaceable finger acting in the guide passage for reducing the size of passage in the guide from the maximum to the minimum width of the variable width wrapper, an integral yielding mounting for the displaceable finger movable at right angles to the side plates to enable the wrapper strip to engage the rounded contour of the finger and to wedge the finger outwardly of the passage as the strip enters beneath the finger and is led into the wider portion of the guide passage and means for adjusting the maximum size of the passage in the wrapper guide including a slotted block between the side plates and a clamp screw passing through the slotted block, the side plates and the yielding mounting for the finger, arranged to secure the yielding mounting and the block simultaneously in fixed positions.

4. A shoe sewing machine having a needle and other stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot and a variable width wrapper strip guide located in advance of the point of operation of the stitch forming devices and formed with side plates having an elongated passage between them for the wrapper strip, in combination with a rounded displaceable finger acting in the guide for reducing the size of passage in the guide from the maximum to the minimum width of the wrapper strip, a yielding mounting for the displaceable finger, said finger being movable at right angles to the side plates to enable the per strip.

5. A shoe sewing machine having a needle and other stitch forming devices, a work support, a

7 in advance of the point of operation of the stitch forming devices and formed with side plates having an elongated passage between them and bent sections at one end of the passage to mold one edge of the wrapper strip into an angular flange overlying the work engaging surface of the work support, in combination with a displaceable finger movable at right angles to the plates for reducing the size of passage in the guide from the maximum to the minimum width of the wrapper strip during operation of the machine and an adjustable end block in said guide to cause the angular flange of the wrapper strip to be maintained uniformly in position on the work support as the operation of the upper tensioning means progresses.

MAURICE ROBERTS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 614,938 Duplessia Nov. 29, 1898 886,025 Wilson Apr. 28, 1908

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