Method and apparatus for stiffening shoe insoles
AssigneeBush Universal, Inc.
InventorLeo F. Stanton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for forming a shoe shank directly on the bottom of a shoe insole from a strip of initially flexible, uncured thermosetting material encased in a sleeve. The machine includes a shoe jack for supporting the shoe assembly, bottom up, to expose the insole bottom to a radiant heater. Means are provided for automatically locating and placing a strip of shank material on the insole bottom and for raising the shoe assembly, together with the insole strip into engagement with a means for urging the shank strip against and into conformity with the contour of the insole bottom while the radiant heater is operated to activate the shank strip.
Claims25
An apparatus for applying a strip of activatable material to the bottom of an insole of a shoe assembly to form a shank in situ on the bottom of the insole, said strip including an activatable matrix surrounded by a sleeve, said apparatus comprising:
- a frame;
- shoe support means mounted to the frame for firmly supporting the shoe assembly;
- strip retaining means on the frame and having strip engaging portions spaced from the shoe support means;
- positioning means for locating a strip in a predetermined position between and in alignment with the strip retaining means and shoe support means;
- said shoe support means being mounted for movement toward and away from the strip retaining means between a first, remote position and a second, operative position in which the insole may be urged against the strip engaging portions of the strip engaging means;
- said shoe support and strip retaining means being constructed and arranged so that as the shoe support means moves from its first to its second position, the insole of a supported shoe assembly will engage the positioned strip and continued movement of the shoe support means will carry and urge the strip and insole bottom against the strip engaging portions of the strip retaining means to hold the strip against the insole;
- and
- means for activating the matrix while the strip is held against the insole bottom.
An apparatus for applying a strip of activatable material to the bottom of an insole of a shoe assembly to form a shank in situ on the bottom of the insole, said strip including an activatable matrix surrounded by a sleeve, said apparatus comprising:
- a frame;
- shoe support means mounted to the frame for firmly supporting the shoe assembly;
- strip retaining means supported by the frame and having strip engaging portions adapted to press a strip toward and against the insole bottom;
- means mounting the shoe support means and the strip retaining means to the frame so that one may be moved relative to the other between a first, remote position and a second, operative position in which the strip retaining means may be urged against the insole of a shoe assembly supported in the shoe support means;
- positioning means for locating a strip between the strip retaining means and a shoe assembly supported in the shoe support means when the shoe support means and strip retaining means are in their first position;
- means for thereafter effecting relative movement between said shoe support means and the positioning means to move them toward their second position to cause the strip retaining means to urge the strip firmly against the insole bottom;
- and
- means for activating the strip while it is maintained against the insole bottom.
A shoe jack assembly comprising:
- a frame;
- a V-shaped heel locator mounted to the frame and being receptive to the heel quarter portions of the shoe assembly;
- a heel seat pin disposed above the heel locator for determining the upper position of the heel seat of the shoe assembly;
- ball locator means disposed forwardly of the heel seat pin to determine the heightwise position of the ball portion of the shoe assembly;
- and
- a cone clamp supported on the frame at a location below and forwardly of the cone region of a shoe assembly in engagement with the heel locator, heel seat pin and ball locator means, said cone clamp means being movable upwardly and rearwardly toward and away from the cone portion of the shoe assembly, said clamp being free of any other operating instrumentalities disposed about the heel portion of a supported shoe assembly whereby the support may be used with equal facility with low cut shoes as well as with boots.
A method for forming and applying a shank stiffener to the bottom of a shoe insole, said stiffener initially being in the form of an elongate flexible sleeve containing a flexible matrix of externally activatable thermosetting resin, said method comprising:
- supporting a shoe assembly in a predetermined position, the shoe assembly having a last and an insole at its bottom;
- aligning a strip engaging means with the insole bottom but in spaced relation thereto;
- locating said stiffener between the strip engaging means and the insole of the supported shoe assembly, in alignment with but in spaced relation to the insole and strip retaining means;
- thereafter effecting relative movement of the shoe assembly and the strip engaging means toward each other to cause the stiffener to be urged firmly toward the insole bottom by the strip engaging means;
- and
- activating the stiffener while it is maintained in engagement with the insole bottom.
A method for forming and applying a shank stiffener to the bottom of a shoe insole, said stiffener initially being in the form of an elongate flexible sleeve containing a flexible matrix of externally activatable resin, said sleeve and matrix being flexible and deformable, as a unit, to enable it to substantially conform to the contour of the bottom of the shoe insole while in an unactivated condition, said method comprising:
- supporting a shoe assembly in a predetermined position, the shoe assembly having a last and an insole at its bottom;
- aligning a strip engaging means with the insole bottom but in spaced relation thereto;
- locating said stiffener between the strip engaging means and the insole of the supported shoe assembly, in alignment with but in spaced relation to the insole and strip engaging means;
- thereafter effecting relative movement of the shoe assembly and the strip engaging means toward each other to cause the stiffener to be urged firmly toward the insole bottom by the strip engaging means;
- and
- activating the stiffener while it is maintained in engagement with the insole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.