Shoe upper conforming machines

A shoe upper conforming machine comprising:

• a support by which a form, on which a shoe upper is to be conformed, can be supported with an insole held against the bottom thereof;
• gripper means including a plurality of grippers each operable to grip a marginal portion of a shoe upper carried on a form supported by said support;
• means for effecting relative movement between said support and the gripper means whereby, when the machine is in use and marginal portions of a shoe upper are being gripped as aforesaid, such upper can be caused to be tensioned over the form;
• wiper means movable from a retractable position into an operative position in which, when the machine is in use, an upper tensioned as aforesaid can be held between the wiper means and an insole held against the bottom of the form;
• actuating means for causing the wiper means to move between said positions as aforesaid;
• gripper actuating means for operating each gripper to close to grip a marginal portion of a shoe upper as aforesaid;
• and
• control means for controlling operation of the gripper actuating means, to cause the grippers, when the machine is in use, to release marginal portions of a shoe upper gripped as aforesaid, in timed relation with the operation of the actuating means for the wiper means, by which the wiper means is moved from retracted to operative position, said control means comprising
• signalling means for emitting a signal having a value which varies proportionately with the distance through which the wiper moves;
• at least one reference signalling device associated with gripper means, each such device being arranged to emit a signal of constant value and;
• a comparator which operates to compare the value of the signal of the signalling device with the values of the signals from the reference signalling devices and, in response to a matching of values of the signal from a reference signalling device with the signal from the signalling device, to actuate the gripper actuating means associated with such reference signalling device, thus to cause the gripper associated therewith to release the marginal portion of a shoe upper gripped thereby.

A pulling over and toe lasting machine comprising:

• a last support by which a last, on which a shoe upper is to be conformed, can be supported, bottom down, with an insole held against the bottom thereof;
• gripper means, including a plurality of grippers spaced apart in relation to the last support so as to enable marginal portions of the forepart of a shoe upper carried on a last supported by the last support to be gripped;
• means for effecting relative movement between the last support and the gripper means whereby, with marginal portions of an upper forepart gripped as aforesaid, such forepart can be tensioned over its last;
• wiper means movable from a retracted position into an operative position in which an upper, tensioned over its last as aforesaid, can be held between the wiper means and an insole held against the last bottom;
• a presser member movable relative to the last support to hold the insole against such last bottom during the movement of the wiper means as aforesaid;
• actuating means for causing the wiper means to move into operative position as aforesaid;
• gripper actuating means for causing each gripper to close whereby the marginal portion of an upper inserted therein can be gripped as aforesaid;
• presser member actuating means for moving the presser member to engage and hold an insole as aforesaid;
• and
• control means for controlling operation of the actuating means for the wiper means, the gripper actuating means and the presser member actuating means in a desired sequence, whereby, with marginal portions of an upper forepart gripped and the upper thus tensioned as aforesaid, the presser member is caused to engage and hold the insole against the last bottom, and, as the wiper means moves into operative position, the grippers are caused to release the upper in timed relation with such movement of the wiper means, said control means comprising a computer control which supplies control signals sequentially, according to a programmed instruction corresponding to the desired sequence of operations, to said actuating means for the wiper means, the gripper actuating means and the presser member actuating means.

A pulling over and toe lasting machine comprising:

• a last support by which a last, on which a shoe upper is to be conformed, can be supported, with an insole held against the bottom thereof;
• first operating means whereby marginal portions of a shoe upper carried on a last can be gripped and such upper be tensioned over such last;
• second operating means whereby, with the upper tensioned as aforesiad, the marginal portions thereof can be wiped over marginal portions of an insole held against the last bottom as aforesaid and second thereto;
• and
• a computer control which supplies control signals sequentially, according to a programmed instruction corresponding to a desired sequence of operations, to various actuating means for the operating elements of both the first and the second operating means.