Gripper assembly
AssigneeUSM Corporation
InventorDerek H. Garner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a pulling over and toe lasting machine the construction of the gripper assemblies (12) and their mountings is simplified firstly to enable the assemblies to be standardized and secondly, by means of a simple manual operation, readily to be located and oriented in relation to the shoe support means (10) in accordance with the shoe style to be operated upon. Furthermore, the most heelwardly disposed gripper assemblies (No. 2 gripper assemblies) are mounted each on a slide-way inclined at about 17.degree. to the longitudinal center line of the machine, and a single mechanism firstly allows their positions along the slide-ways to be simultaneously adjusted and secondly, by means of a fluid pressure operated piston-and-cylinder arrangement, allows them to effect a heelward pull on an upper gripped thereby.
Claims13
A gripper assembly for use in a machine for pulling over and lasting toe portions of shoes comprising:
- (i) a housing supporting two gripper jaws,
- (ii) means supported by the housing for effecting relative movement of approach and separation between said jaws,
- (iii) first support plate means supporting said housing,
- (iv) second support plate means connected by a pin-and-slot connection to the first support plate means, whereby the position of the latter in relation to the former can be adjusted so as to enable the position of the gripper jaws to be set in relation to shoe support means of a machine of which the assembly forms part, both towards and away from such support means and also along an arcuate path generally lengthwise of said means,
- (v) first clamp means for clamping the first support plate means in adjusted position on the second support plate means, said clamp means being manually operable.
- (vi) a support shaft on which the second support plate means is supported for adjusting movement about the axis of said shaft whereby also to enable the position of the gripper jaws to be set, generally lengthwise of said shoe support means, in relation to said means, and
- (vii) second clamp means for clamping the second support plate means in adjusted position in relation to the support shaft.
A machine for pulling over and lasting toe positions of shoes comprising:
- shoe support means for supporting, bottom down, a shoe assembly comprising an upper on a last and an insole on the last bottom;
- a plurality of gripper asssemblies arranged in a generally inverted U-formation about the shoe support means, for effecting relative heightwise movement between the shoe support means and the gripper assemblies whereby the toe end portion of the upper of a shoe supported by the shoe support means and gripped by the gripper assemblies can be tensioned on its last;
- and
- wiper means by which lasting maginal portions of the upper, tensioned as aforesaid, are wiped over the pressed against corresponding marginal portions of the insole of the shoe assembly, wherein the two most heelwardly disposed gripper assemblies, arranged one at either side of the shoe support means, are connected each to an adjustment member, the two adjustment members being each pivotally mounted on a frame portion of the machine and being interconnected by a linkage arrangement such that pivotal movement of the one member causes corresponding pivotal movement, in a contrary direction, of the other, and wherein one of said members has associated therewith means for varying the position thereof and for maintaining it in adjusted position, and wherein fluid pressure operated means is operatively connected to one of said adjustment members and is effective to cause pivotal movement of said member, and thus, through the linkage arrangement, of the other of said members, to take place whereby, in the operation of the machine, after the gripper assemblies have gripped marginal portions of the upper, said two most heelwardly disposed assemblies are caused to move along their slides, thus to tension the upper heelwardly as well as heightwise of the last.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.