Abstract: A powder reinforcing machine for the manufacture of stiffening or reinforcing articles applyable to shoe uppers or articles of clothing or the like, for reinforcing, stiffening or even decorating thereof. The machine utilizes an annular rotating belt supported over an arcuate array of heater segments, once the powder has been deposited on the belt by deposition means. The belt is intermittently advanced over the heating segments to sequentially fuse the powder thereon. The belt is drawn onto the heater segments by a vacuum system disposed within the heater segments, once the belt has stopped rotating. The belt is released from the heater segment surface by an air blast from the same conduits used by the vacuum system, once belt rotation is to begin again.

Abstract: A computerized scale in which each weighing bucket is formed by two side-by-side compartments and by a single door which shuttles back and forth between two positions beneath the compartments. Each time the door changes positions, it closes one compartment to permit product to be dropped into and weighed in such compartment and, at the same time, opens the other compartment to permit previously weighed product to fall therefrom. As a result, one compartment is filled as the other compartment is being emptied so as to significantly increase the cycle rate of the scale.

Abstract: A high performance machine for selecting electronic components from magazines containing a variety of configured components, each magazine having means indicative of the particular configured components contained in the magazine for providing signals for controlling the setting of component conditioning and inserting devices for operating on each component according to its particular configuration.

Abstract: A powder reinforcing machine having a support for supporting a substrate which is to be reinforced with a fused powder laminate which is pressed thereagainst including a base, a mounting plate means on which the substrate is to be releasably clamped, the mounting plate being adapted to be displaced from a lower position to an upper position relative to the base means, and a pair of clamping lever arms which are to be displaced from a release position to a clamp position. The mounting plate displaces the clamping lever arms from the release position to the clamp position as it is displaced from the lower position to the upper position, and a pair of clamping rods each including a clamping portion, are secured to the clamping lever arms so that the clamping portion is spaced therefrom and will forcefully engage an associated clamping surface, which is defined by a recess extending along each side of the mounting plate, when the clamping lever arm is displaced to the clamp position.

Abstract: Apparatus for lasting footwear comprising a wiper assembly which lays the lasting margin about the insole which prior to lasting is pressed against the last by an adhesive injector plate. By a control the movement of the wiper assembly is arrested in an intermediate position in which the wiper assembly has just traversed the insole margin. By means of a signalling device a "fall away" signal which causes the injector plate to fall away from the insole is supplied when the wiper assembly is arrested. Adjacent the injector plate are provided adhesive injector nozzles which are movable away from the plate. By means of a latching member or a timer member it is ensured that the wiper assembly closes only if the adhesive injector nozzles cannot hinder the movement of the wiper assembly.

Abstract: An adjustable guide arrangement for aligning a substrate such as a shoe upper to be treated with a reinforcing substance, onto a biased plate of a rotatable cube for subsequent pressing against a carrier belt of a reinforcing machine. The guide arrangement comprises a housing adjustably supported on a frame portion of the machine, the housing holding a piston and cylinder unit having a piston rod therefrom which secures a guide bracket. The bracket has several slots therein which each adjustably support a guide pin. The guide pins are registerable with the biased plate, and act as an adjustable backstop for the substrate as they are being loaded onto the rotatable cube. The piston rod is retractable into the cylinder, to pull the guide pins out of the way of the cube as it is caused to rotate.

Abstract: Novel rotary processors and devolatilizing methods which provide extremely efficient devolatilization of materials, including viscous and visco-elastic materials and which involve a devolatilizing stage including a rotatable element carrying a plurality of annular channels and a stationary element providing a coaxial closure surface operationally arranged with the channels to provide enclosed processing passages. Each passage of the devolatilizing stage includes inlet means, outlet means and a channel blocking member all associated with the stationary element and arranged and adapted so that material fed to the inlet can be carried forward by the rotatable channel walls to the blocking member for discharge from the passage. The passages are interconnected by material to transfer grooves formed in the closure surface and operationally communicate with a vacuum source to provide a highly efficient devolatilizing stage.

Abstract: A machine for lasting the heel of a shoe comprising a shoe last support including an axially displaceable column having a free end. The support is displaceable from a first retracted position to an advanced position and a shoe last is mounted on the free end of the column for limited rocking movement relative thereto to permit realignment of the shoe last. The column may be elevated from a lower position, and when so elevated, strikes the inner edge portion of the heel band wiper plate which has been displaced to a selected position in interference with an edge portion of the shoe last. Such upward movement of the shoe last will be, accordingly, stopped by the interfering edge portion of the heel band wiper plate and the shoe last will be automatically aligned into uniform engagement therewith. The column is locked at the stopped position and a heel band forcefully engages the stopped and aligned shoe last to maintain the shoe last at that position in that alignment.

Abstract: Shoe insoles comprise two layers of non-woven fibre fleece adhered to an impermeable plastics film. In preferred constructions at least one layer of woven reinforcing fabric is included and more than one plastics film layer may also be included in the insoles.

Abstract: Adhesive applicator device in a cement lasting machine comprising an adhesive applicator element provided for the shoe toe and two adhesive rails adjacent the adhesive applicator element. The adhesive applicator rails are secured to the adhesive applicator element by means of a ball joint and on the opposite side are connected by a further ball joint with a push-rod. By virtue of the two-sided ball joint journalling the two adhesive applicator rails can thus accommodate to any position of the lasting margin.

Abstract: The transfer apparatus comprises a transfer arm (16) and a distributor (18). The transfer arm has two axes of movement (22,26) and is non-extendable so that it moves between a take-off station and an intermediate station (I) through a fixed distance. The distributor (18) has a table (50) which receives a shoe (S) at the intermediate station (I). Furthermore, the table (50) can be positioned at any one of four stations (I,F1,F2,F3) each aligned with a channel (12) of a heat setting apparatus (14). A pneumatic control circuit causes shoes (S) fed successively to the table (50) to be transferred in a sequence to the channels (12) by operation of pusher means.The apparatus is suitable for transferring shoes from a lasting machine, a shoe support (10) of which can be positioned at the take-off station, to a heat setting apparatus (14).

Abstract: A heavy duty power operated blind rivet setting tool having a mandrel collection system for drawing the pulled mandrel through the tool to a collection canister at the rear of the tool. The tool is operated by a primary air supply and the mandrel collection system is operated by a secondary air supply located within the physical confines of the tool. A control valve is located in the secondary air line which can render the mandrel collection system inoperative.

Abstract: A shoe machine for heating a shoe part is disclosed having a housing which defines a chamber. Shrouds are located centrally within the chamber defining first and second operating zones on either side of the shrouds. A heater is displaceable from a first operating position within the first operating zone to a park position within the shrouds to a second operating position within the second operating zone, and heats shoe parts supported within the first and second operating zones.

Abstract: The specification describes and claims substantially odourless compositions having a pot life after mixing acceptable for use in manufacture and repair of aircraft and which cure at room temperature to provide a mass of heat and aircraft fuel resistant elastomeric material. The compositions comprise components which are at least substantially free of thiol and comprise a fluorocarbon copolymer, organic solvent, metallic oxide, epoxy compound and as crosslinking agent a diamino silane according to the general formula (i) namely ##STR1## Examples disclose compositions formed from admixture of two components comprising Viton A, methyl ethyl ketone, magnesium oxide, Epikote 828 and N-beta(aminoethyl) gamma-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane. The compositions are suitable for forming coatings, adhesive bonds and seals, to metal parts of titanium and aluminium alloys which have resistance to aviation fuels and high temperatures.

Abstract: In a combined heel seat and side lasting machine, in which the heel seat lasting operation takes place during the dwell time necessary for the cement side lasting operation, the backpart of the shoe remains free of any clamping pressure at least in and adjacent the backseam region thereof, which pressure would have the effect of forcing excess material out of the heel seat region into the region to be lasted by the side lasting instrumentalities, while at the same time provision is made for locating the shoe, prior to the side lasting operation, in a predetermined relationship, both heightwise and lengthwise, with the heel seat lasting instrumentalities. To this end, the shoe is first located lengthwise by the heel band (16), whereafter, with the shoe clamped against a holddown (20), the heel band is retracted out of engagement with the backseam region of the shoe during the side lasting operation.

Abstract: A device for automatically presenting fasteners in a predetermined disposition comprising a container for the fasteners which presents the fasteners to a rotary drum which raises the fasteners upwardly for deposit into a chute. The fasteners are fed down the chute to a ramp which positions individual fasteners in a predesired position in a feed barrel for receipt by a fastener tool. An escapement mechanism is positioned between the chute and the ramp so that a single fastener at one time falls down the ramp into the feed barrel.

Abstract: A machine for applying a configuration of reinforcement/stiffening or decorative material in powder form to a receiving surface, for subsequent fusing, cooling and pressing to a substrate such as a shoe upper. The machine comprises a deposition station, a heating station and a press station. A tensioned receiving belt receives the configuration of powder through a cut-out in the bottom of a swept screen frame. The receiving belt is supported from beneath during the deposition activity to control the thickness of the powder deposit. The receiving belt is shuttled in a displaceable frame in a series of steps to the successive stations for melting the powder and subsequent cooling and adhesion of the melted powder to the substrate such as an unreinforced shoe upper.

Abstract: A weighing bucket receives product dumped from an overlying holding bucket and causes an underlying load cell to produce an electrical signal representative of the weight of the product in the weighing bucket. After being weighed, the product is swept out of the weighing bucket by a high volume blast of low pressure air produced by an air entraining nozzle. As a result of using air to empty the weighing bucket, the weighing bucket requires no doors or other moving parts and thus may be constructed with high stiffness and with a high natural frequency to reduce low frequency disturbances of the weight signal and to improve the accuracy of such signal as well as to reduce the time required for the weighing cycle.

Abstract: In a thermo-cementing and folding machine which has a suck-back facility, by which at the end of an adhesive-applying operation adhesive supplied through the nozzle (22) is sucked back into the nozzle so as to prevent `drooling`, auxiliary suck-back steps are introduced at timed intervals following the primary suck-back operation, through controlled amounts, in order to counter further risk of `drooling` caused by thermal expansion of the adhesive in the nozzle (22). The number of auxiliary suck-back steps is variable according to the adhesive supply rate at the time of termination of the adhesive-applying operation.