Last with insole fixing device

The present invention relates to a last provided with a device for fixing an insole or inner sole to a shoe.

As is known, shoes manufacture takes place by steps or at successive stations according to an assembly cycle. During said assembly steps, a last must be inserted in the shoe, the last being rigidly coupled to a cable-type conveyor which carries it throughout the various stations where some components are first secured to the last and then to the shoe itself. More particularly, the lower face of the heel portion of the shoe is usually used to receive an insole thereon; nails are then driven into said insole to enter the last thereby acting as means for fixing the said components. The nails then must be removed manually by an operator, which means extending manufacturing times and consequently increasing costs.

Moreover, it is more than likely that one or more nails remain within the shoe, thereby causing a loss of quality and safety against accidents of the product, with severe consequences for the manufacturing company.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a last having a fixing device for removing all the nails from the shoe.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a last having a device for fixing an insole thereto which makes it possible quickly and easily to assemble or disassemble a shoe onto or from a last, thereby reducing production times and costs so as to be advantageous also from an economic point of view.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a last having a practical and handy device for fixing an insole.

This and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a last having a shoe fixing device provided with a plate-like template for locating and guiding nails, arranged to cover at least part of the lower surface of the heel portion, and characterized in that it comprises an internal seat at the lower face of the heel portion for accommodating a nail supporting head which can be slidingly received in said internal seat, drive means arranged to move the nail supporting head between a working position, in which the nails carried by said head protrude from the template, and a rest position, in which said nails are completely retracted into said internal seat.

Advantageously, a resilient loading means is provided between the nail supporting head and the plate-like template so as to assist its movement towards its rest position.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein;

• Figure 1 is a front elevation view of a last, with internal details shown in dashed lines;
• Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a sectional enlarged-scale view, taken along the line III-III of Figure 2;
• Figure 4 is a plan view of the plate-like template;
• Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of Figure 4;
• Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of Figure 4 according to a modification;
• Figure 7 is a plan view of a shoe component;
• Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 7;
• Figure 9 is a front elevation view of a nail supporting head with a stem;
• Figure 10 is a side view taken from the right of Figure 9;
• Figure 11 is a side view taken from the left of Figure 9;
• Figure 12 is an enlarged-scale sectional view taken along the line XII-XII of Figure 11;
• Figure 13 is a front elevation view with parts in cross-section of a nail supporting head with a stem according to a modification;
• Figure 14 is a plan view of a tool for actuating the fixing device;
• Figure 15 is a side view of part of Figure 14;
• Figure 16 is an enlarged-scale view of part of a cross-section of the last according to a modification;
• Figure 17 is a front elevation view with parts in cross-section of the last according to a modification;
• Figure 18 is a plan view of part of Figure 17;
• Figure 19 is an enlarged-scale cross-sectional view of part of a last according to a modification.

In the accompanying drawings, identical or similar parts or components have been designated by the same reference numerals.

With reference first to Figures 1 to 3, it will be noticed that a last, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, is provided with a device for fixing a shoe insole 23, which is provided with a plate-like template 2 which is arranged to locate and guide nails 3 and to cover at least in part the lower surface 4 of the heel portion 5, with an internal seat 6 at the lower face of the heel portion 5, with a nail supporting head 7 which is slidingly accommodated in the internal seat 6, and with drive means designed to actuate the nail supporting head 7 so as to move it between a working position, in which the nails 3 supported by the head 7 protrude from the template 2, and a rest position, in which the said nails 3 are fully retracted into said seat 6.

The last 1 has a typical configuration of a shoe and is designed to be inserted into a shoe and carry it by being engaged by a suitable cable-type conveyor through a number of work stations of an assembly plant or system. More particularly, the last 1 is provided, at its upper region 8, with a longitudinal flat portion 9 having radiused and slightly hollowed out ends 10 where two holes 11 and 12 are in communication with the seat 6, i.e., the hole 11, which has a larger diameter, is closer to the heel portion 5, whereas the hole 12 is positioned slightly away from the heel portion 5. A recess 13 is formed in the flat portion 9 and has an inclined face 14 in which the hole 12 is formed at the maximum depth or distance from said flat portion 9. The hole 11 comprises a shoulder 15 against which a metal bush 16 abuts which is provided with a guiding chamfer 17 close to the flat portion 9. The hole 11 and the bush 16 are designed to perform specific operations in the assembly system. A slot 18 is also formed on the heel portion 5 close to the upper part 8 of the last 1.

Said last 1 comprises, on its lower face 4, a sequence of holes 19 which are formed close to its edges and are arranged each to accommodate a respective nail 20 acting as a means for fixing the plate-like template 2 to the last 1. The nails 20 engage with the holes 19 in alignment with respective through holes 21 formed in the template as shown in Figure 4.

The template 2 comprises additional through holes 22 which are provided in the central part thereof and through which nails 3 can pass. Said nails are fixed to the head 7 and designed temporarily to secure an insole 23, shown in Figures 7 and 8, to the last 1.

A guiding bush 24 is seated in the seat 6 throughout its length and is secured thereto by the template 2. The nail supporting head 7, which is cylindrical in shape, can slide inside said bush 24. As shown in Figures 9 to 13, the head 7 has a stem 25 which is integral therewith and axially offset with respect thereto and can be inserted into the hole 12. The stem 25 has, at the end thereof, an annular groove 26 and an expansion 27 which protrude from the hollow 13.

As is better shown in Figure 12, the stem 25 has its end 28 opposite to the protruding end which is threaded so that it can be screwed into a corresponding threaded hole 29 provided in the upper face 30 of the head 7.

The nails 3, which protrude from the lower face 31 of the head 7, can be inserted into corresponding holes 32 through the head 7 and terminate at their upper face 30 with a wider threaded portion 33. By inserting the nails 3 from the upper face 30, their head 34 is accommodated in the wider portion 33, abuts against a shoulder 35 provided between the portion 33 and the hole 32 and is pressed against it by a dowel 36 which can be screwed into said wider portion 33. In this manner, the nails 3 are secured to the head 7 and it is possible to quickly extract them for replacement.

According to another embodiment, shown in Figure 13, the head 7 is integral with the stem 25. In any case, the position of said stem 25 is axially offset with respect to the nail supporting head 7 to prevent its rotation within the seat 6, thus ensuring centering of the nails 3 with respect to the corresponding through holes 22 of the template 2.

The nail supporting head 7 comprises, in its lower face 31, a dead hole 37 for accommodating a resilient loading means, e.g. a spring 38. Said spring abuts in a lower region against the template 2 which, in order to keep the spring 38 in position, is provided with a pin 39 (Figure 5) or with a raised portion or lip 40 (Figure 6) obtained by folding the template 2.

By compressing the expansion 27 of the stem 25 that protrudes from the hollow 13, the head 7 is moved towards the lower face 4 of the last 1 and the nails 3 are thus forced to protrude from the template 2, so as to fix temporarily thereon the insole 23 for the shoe. In order to cause the head 7 to return to its rest position, while sliding along the seat 6 to be moved away from the lower face 4, a tool 41 is used which comprises a handle 42 rigidly coupled to a stem 43 terminating with a fork-like end 44 which is bent likewise a hook, as shown in Figures 14 and 15. The stem 43 of said tool 41 is placed on the inclined face 14, whilst the fork 44 engages with the groove 26 and hitches the expansion of the stem 27. By pressing the handle 42 toward the last 1, the tool 41 acts as a lever and moves the stem 25, and therefore the nail supporting head 7, toward the upper part 8 of the last 1. This operation is suitably assisted by the action of the spring 38, previously loaded during the work step.

Figure 16 illustrates a different embodiment provided with a snap-action device. According to this variation, the last 1 comprises a transverse through opening 45 which puts the lateral faces 46 thereof into communication with the hole 12. Said opening 45 comprises a wider portion 47 close to the hole 12 and flared portions 48 which diverge towards the side faces 46. A stem 49 can be slidingly accommodated inside the opening 45 and comprises, at its ends, enlarged portions 50 acting as control push buttons insertable in the flared portions 48. Moreover, the said stem 49 comprises a ridge 51 having an inclined face 52 on which, in use, the end of the stem 25 protruding inside the wider portion 47 slides. The ridge 51 comprises a recess 53 for accommodating the end of the stem 25 and for locking it at the end of its sliding movement on the inclined face 52.

The movement of the nail supporting head 7 from the rest position to the working position and vice versa is controlled by gaining access from the flared portions 48 and pressing the enlarged portions 50. The axial movement of the stem 49 in fact causes the stem 25 integral with the head 7 to move owing to the sliding action of the inclined face 52 of the enlarged portion 51.

Another embodiment is illustrated in Figures 17 and 18 and comprises a last 1 which includes a front portion 54 and a rear portion 55 which are joined by a coupling means, e.g. a hinge 56, to make possible a more practical and easy insertion in the shoe.

The last 1 comprises openings 57 and 58 communicating with the hole 12 which locate a flexible stem 59. Since said stem is deformable, it can be inserted in any one of the openings depending upon the available access spaces in the stations of the assembly system. In the Figures of the drawings the said flexible stem 59 occupies the opening 57, whereas the other opening 58 is closed by a plug 60. At the outlet of the opening 57 a recess 61 is formed with an inclined face 62 which is designed to support the stem 43 of the tool 41 during the movement of the nail supporting head 7 to the rest position.

A further embodiment is described with reference to Figure 19 and provides for a fluid-operated device for moving the nail supporting head 7. Said device comprises a push button 63 which protrudes from the upper surface 8 of the last 1 and is accommodated in a cylindrical cavity 64 which has an annular groove 65.

The push button 63 comprises, on its top which protrudes from the upper face 8, a recess 66 arranged to accommodate the fork-like end 44 of the tool 41, whilst in a lateral region a cavity 67, suitable for accommodating a spring 68, is designed to compress a ball 69 against the walls of the cavity 64. The push button 63 is rigid with a stem 70 having an enlarged tip 71 which can be slidingly seated in a jacket 72 coaxial to the cavity 64 and of smaller dimensions. Said jacket 72 comprises, in its upward region, a stop element 73 and, in its lower region, a duct 74 communicating with the hole 12. The enlarged tip 71 comprises a series of sealing and guiding rings 75 for its sliding movement within the jacket 72. Inside the hole 12 there is provided a jacket 76 in which the stem 25, provided with sealing and guiding rings 77, can slide.

An incompressible fluid, e.g. oil, is contained in the jackets 72, 76 and the connecting ducts 74 to ensure transmission of motion from the push button 63 to the nail supporting head 7.

By pressing the button 63, the fluid is compressed by the sliding movement of the enlarged portion 71 in the jacket 72. Any increase in pressure is transferred along the connecting ducts 74 to the stem 25, which by being lowered moves the nail supporting head 7 into its working position. When the ball 69 faces the annular cavity 65, it is pushed inside it by the spring 68; in this manner, the push button 63 is locked in its reached position, thereby ensuring the locking of the head 7.

By inserting the fork-like end 44 of the tool 41 in the recess 66 of the push button 63 and moving it upwards, the push button 63 is unlocked and rises automatically owing to the thrust of the spring 38, which was preloaded during the working step, on the head 7 and thus on the stem 25 which compresses the fluid. The presence of a closing plug 78 on a portion of the duct 74 is exclusively due to working requirements in order to obtain the duct 74.

It will be noted that a last with a device for fixing the insole to a shoe is suitable for achieving the intended objects and in particular for extracting all the nails and allow quick and easy coupling or uncoupling of the shoe with respect to the last.

The materials and the dimensions may be various according to requirements.

The invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations within the protective scope defined by the contents of the claims that follow.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. VR97A000106 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.