Abstract: The invention provides a sports shoe comprising a sole, and an upper having flaps with opposed edges adapted to be drawn together over the instep of the wearer with a shoelace, said opposed edges substantially meeting in a region extending from the leg opening of the shoe towards the toe to a point where they part to define an aperture extending across the shoe to impart increased flexibility to the toe region.

Abstract: A control circuit for an electromagnetic cutting apparatus includes auxiliary power impulse systems and auxiliary condensers for accelerating an already moving plunger of the cutting apparatus. The basic control circuit includes photoelectric sensors for sensing the leading and trailing edges of components. The sensors are part of an electronic circuit for rapidly charging a coil surrounding a core on the plunger for driving a blade downwardly to cut the tape. Condensers in the electronic circuit are normally charged and, in response to signals from the photoelectric sensors, instantaneously discharge into the coil to actuate the plunger. The auxiliary power impulse systems and auxiliary condensers are controlled by timers for discharging the auxiliary condensers into the coil a short time after the condensers of the basic circuit and while the plunger is moving to accelerate the latter.

Abstract: In a slush molding process for producing a boot or shoe from a plastisol, a mold in the shape of the article of footwear is filled with liquid plastisol, the mold is heated to form a skin, the mold is tilted to pour out excess plastisol, and, after filling the heel cavity of the mold, the skin and heel filler are cured or hardened, and the skin is removed from the mold and trimmed for further processing. Instead of filling the heel cavities of the molds with a specially formulated heel filling composition, the skin trimmings, which were previously discarded as waste, can be ground, if necessary, mixed with additional stabilizer and injected into the heel cavities using an injection unit. With the molds travelling along a straight line path of travel, it is necessary to cause the nozzle end of the injection unit to move in synchronism with the molds.

Abstract: In a slush molding process for producing a boot or shoe from a plastisol, a mold in the shape of the article of footwear is filled with liquid plastisol, the mold is heated to form a skin, the mold is tilted to pour out excess plastisol, and, after filling the heel cavity of the mold, the skin and heel filler are cured or hardened, and the skin is removed from the mold and trimmed for further processing. Instead of filling the heel cavities of the molds with a specially formulated heel filling composition, the skin trimmings, which were previously discarded as waste, can be ground, if necessary, mixed with additional stabilizer and injected into the heel cavities using an injection unit. With the molds travelling along a straight line path of travel, it is necessary to cause the nozzle end of the injection unit to move in synchronism with the molds.

Abstract: A cutting apparatus for cutting a strip of tape connected to a shoe upper component and extending beyond the edges thereof includes a blade for cutting the tape and presser feet for tensioning the tape during cutting. The blade and presser feet are independently actuated by plungers, which are slidable in a casing mounted on the sewing machine used to sew the tape onto the upper component. The plungers are provided with magnetic cores, and separate coils around the cores are energized in response to signals from photosensors in the work surface of the sewing machine to effect tensioning of the tape, followed by cutting at the edge of the upper component. Springs in the casing around the plungers return the plungers to a rest position, and the tape tensioning and cutting operations are repeated at each component edge.

Abstract: An injection control apparatus for controlling the quantity of extrudable material dispensed by the screw of an extruder into a series of molds includes a code device attached to each mold or the mold carrier, the code device including magnets indicative of the volume of the mold cavity to be filled; sensors in the form of Hall effect switches for triggering by the magnets when in close proximity thereto and for generating a code signal which is fed to and stored in a controller; a rectilinear position transducer mechanically coupled to the screw of the extruder for sensing the position of the screw and producing a position signal; a logic circuit for receiving the code signal from the memory; potentiometers for receiving a signal from the logic circuit and feeding a reference signal via the logic circuit to a null point detector for comparison with the position signal from the transducer to produce a command signal, which controls dispensing of extrudable material by the screw, i.e., the shot size.

Abstract: Method for making a sole for an article of footwear including an outer sole with a lightweight filler therein, an inner sole above the outer sole and a foxing strip integral with the inner sole and surrounding the periphery of the outer sole. The sole is produced using a dummy last with a recess for receiving the filler, a clamping last, mold sides and a bottom mold piston. The outer sole is molded first using the dummy last and filler, a first portion of the mold sides and the mold piston to define a first mold cavity. Then, the inner sole is molded using the clamping last, a lasted upper or the like, a second portion of the mold sides, and the outer sole on the mold piston to define a second mold cavity. By providing suitable recesses in the dummy last and in the first portion of the mold sides, one or more projections which extend through the foxing strip are molded in the first mold cavity.

Abstract: A discharge and cutting apparatus for attachment to the trailing end of a tandem sewing machine, which is used to sew footwear components and apply tape to the seam, includes a frame having a base plate contiguous with the work surface of the sewing machine for receiving the footwear components interconnected by the continuous strip of tape, a pair of opposed pressure rollers for drawing the components and tape from the sewing machine, a smaller pressure roller driven in synchronism with the first pressure rollers for maintaining the components and tape under tension, a cutting device including an electromagnetically operated blade for chopping the tape at the leading and trailing edges of the components, and a second pair of opposed small pressure rollers for receiving the components and tape from the cutting operation and discharging the components and tape from the apparatus.

Abstract: Shoes having dyed fabric uppers with elastomeric trimming bonded thereto are provided with an anti-color-migration coating on the portion of the fabric underlying the elastomeric trimming. The coating comprises a chlorinated rubber and a bleaching agent, such as sodium hypochlorite, and prevents discoloration of the elastomeric trimming due to migration of the dye from the fabric without adversely affecting the adhesion of the trimming to the fabric.

Abstract: A lasting apparatus for footwear, in which a flexible tubular diaphragm shapes the footwear upper and forces it onto the insole by means of vacuum applied to the interior of the diaphragm. The last and its associated support act to seal one end of the diaphragm. Preferably, an H-shaped guide is provided to form pleats in the diaphragm as it collapses at defined positions in relation to the article being lasted.

Abstract: Apparatus for dressing a shoe-heel surface to be adhesively secured to a shoe-upper in which means are provided to move shoe-heels one-by-one into a work position confronting the work surface of a disc-shaped dressing brush mounted on an axis of rotation; the brush shaft being driven by an electro-motor or the like and being operatively connected to a rotatable mounting axis intersecting the axis of rotation of the brush and generally perpendicular thereto and a mechanism adjustable to automatically provide the convex working brush surface with an eliptical-shaped path during 360.degree. of rotation of the mounting axis for dressing a shoe surface from within the area of the shoe-heel perimeter toward the outer sides of the heel whereby a generally dish-shaped dressed surface is formed and the optimum adhering-edges are provided at the dressed heel surface; and in which the machine is adjustable for different shaped heels.

Abstract: A safety box toe for use in shoes and the like having flange means on the lower edge thereof wherein the total of the horizontally projected areas of the flange means rearwardly of an imaginary transverse test axis one-half inch in front of the center back edge of the box toe is at least equal to the total of the horizontally projected areas of the flange means forwardly of that axis, with the maximum transverse width of the flange means on each side of the box toe element being no more than 20 percent of the overall maximum width of the box toe element. This "balanced flange" design provides improved compression and impact test result according to conventional standards.