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DESCRIPTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for assembling an upper of a footwear, and relative lasting apparatus. In particular, the present method is used for adapting the toe of the upper on the shoe last of a footwear, so that this perfectly copies the shape to be given to the footwear to be produced. This method, and the relative apparatus for implementing the method, can be used to produce footwear, with a toe of any shape, for example square, rounded or tapered, or other shape.

KNOWN PREVIOUS ART

According to the prior art, the toe of the upper is placed on the footwear last using specific apparatus equipped with at least one Teflon die (see Figs.

Ia and I b). This Teflon die is specifically folded over the shoe last, starting from the toe cap thereof up to the two opposite side portions thereof, so as to adapt the toe of the upper, previously positioned on the outer surface of said Teflon die, on the shoe last. Subsequently, the toe is stitched to the midsole and/or to the sole, which is coupled to the shoe last.

It is observed that the aforesaid prior art method inherent to adapting the toe of the upper to the shoe last, and the relative lasting apparatus habitually used, have various drawbacks.

Firstly, it is necessary to produce various Teflon dies for each different shoe last to be produced. Naturally, this implied high costs and production times.

Secondly, it must be stated that the toe of the shoe, or footwear, has dimensions, and at times shape, that vary when the size of the shoe varies, also for the same model. As a result, in order to produce different sizes of the same model Teflon dies of different sizes, each of which usable for a single shoe size, are required. Naturally, this has a significant influence on production costs and on the times required to produce prototypes or footwear having complex shoe last.

Finally, it should be mentioned that these Teflon dies wear easily, and therefore a large number of spare Teflon dies are required for the same last, so that the lasting machine can maintain high quality standards and production efficiency.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to produce a method for adapting the toe of the upper to the shoe last, which is capable of solving the problems of prior art mentioned above.

In particular, the object of the present invention is to produce a method according to which different Teflon dies for each different shoe last or, in the case of the same shoe last, for different footwear sizes are not required.

Finally, the object of the present invention is to produce a lasting apparatus for implementing the method in a simple and effective manner, solving the prior art problems mentioned above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These objects are achieved by the present method for assembling the upper of a footwear, comprising the step of a) adapting at least one portion of the toe of the upper on a shoe last, from the toe cap of said shoe last to at least part of at least one side portion of said shoe last, characterized in that said step a) comprises the step of b) dragging rollingly over the outer surface of said at least one portion of the toe of said upper, at least one roller, preferably but not exclusively idle, pressing said outer surface of the upper, from the toe cap of said shoe last to at least part of said at least one side portion of said shoe last.

In this way, due to the possibility of using a roller, which is rolled along a trajectory starting from the toe cap of the shoe last and ending at the side portion of said shoe last, it is possible to avoid the use of several Teflon dies for different footwear models of for different sizes of the same footwear model. In practice, therefore, it is no longer necessary to produce a specific Teflon die for each shoe last and for each shoe size, but simply to pass an idle roller rollingly over the toe of the upper, pressing thereon, to make it adapt perfectly to the shoe last. Moreover, the method step b) is simultaneous to the step of c) retaining in position said at least one portion of the toe of the upper on said shoe last. In particular, the method step c) comprises the step of d) unwinding at least one retaining band, made of Teflon or similar material, over said at least one portion of the toe of the upper, from the toe cap of said shoe last to at least part of at least one side portion of said shoe last.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the method step d) comprises the step of e) unwinding said at least one retaining band during the rolling of said at least one roller over said at least one portion of said toe of the upper. Naturally, this retaining band must be wound on said at least one roller before the method step b).

Furthermore, the present invention relates to an apparatus for implementing the aforesaid method of assembling the toe of the upper on the footwear last. This apparatus comprises means for adapting said at least one portion of the toe of the upper on the shoe last, from the toe cap of said shoe last to at least part of at least one side portion of this shoe last. Advantageously, this apparatus is characterized in that said adapting means comprise at least one roller, preferably, but not exclusively, idle, moveable rollingly pressing on the outer surface of said at least one portion of the toe of the upper, from the toe cap of the shoe last to at least part of said at least one side portion of said shoe last.

According to the invention, said adapting means comprise a device for dragging, preferably continuously, said at least one idle roller over the outer surface of said at least one portion of the toe of the upper, from the toe cap of said shoe last to at least part of said at least one side portion of said shoe last. This dragging device comprises means for exercising pressure on the outer surface of said at least one portion of the toe of the upper by at least one roller, preferably idle. In practice, said at least one idle roller is connected integral with said means for exercising pressure, which are in turn integral with said dragging device. According to the invention, the dragging device comprises a frame and at least one mechanical arm rotatably constrained relatively to said frame, and to which said means for exercising pressure and said at least one roller are integrally constrained.

Again according to the embodiment herein described, the means for exercising pressure comprise at least one mechanism for linear displacement of said at least one roller, for example of the linear actuator type, so as to make said at least one roller roll towards or away from the shoe last. Moreover, said dragging device also comprises at least one actuator for rotating in a controlled way said at least one arm, and at least a second actuator for linear displacement of said frame. In this way it is possible to displace said at least one roller on a plane substantially parallel to the bottom portion of the shoe last, i.e. the portion on which the sole of the shoe is adapted.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus also comprises means for retaining in position said at least one portion of the toe of the upper on said shoe last, from the toe cap of said shoe last to at least part of at least one side portion of said shoe last. These retaining means comprise at least one retaining band wound around said at least one roller and adapted for being unwound on said at least one portion of said toe of the upper during dragging of said at least one roller on said at least one portion of the toe of the upper. In this way, it is possible to apply a continuous pressure on the entire length of the upper which up to that point has been positioned by the roller on the shoe last.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS There will now be described, by way of non-limiting example, several particular embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:

Fig. 1 a is a perspective view of a part of the prior art lasting apparatus; Fig. 1 b is a schematic top view of the lasting apparatus of Fig. 1 a; Fig. 2a is a schematic top view of a lasting apparatus according to the invention, in which the shoe last has a pointed toe;

Fig. 2b is a schematic top view of a lasting apparatus according to the invention, in which the shoe last has a square toe;

Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of a lasting apparatus according to the invention, during unwinding of a retaining band;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the apparatus according to Figs. 2a and 2b. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

With particular reference to these figures, the number 1 indicates the generic lasting apparatus according to the invention. Figs. Ia and Ib show a generic prior art lasting apparatus 200 equipped with a Teflon die 201 which, during the process of adapting the toe 202 of the upper 203 on the shoe last 204, is folded over the toe cap 204a of the shoe last 204 in order to adapt the toe 202 of the upper 203 to the shoe last 204. This folding operation (indicated by the arrows) of the Teflon die 201 is obtained through two actuators 205 that operate on opposite sides of the shoe last and each push part of the Teflon die against the relative side portion 204b of the shoe last 204.

Figs. 2 to 4 show the lasting apparatus 1 according to the invention. This apparatus 1 comprises means for adapting 16 a portion of the toe 11 a of the upper 11 on a shoe last 12, from the toe cap 12a of said shoe last 12 to the two side portions 12b of said shoe last 12.

Said adapting means 16 comprise two idle rollers 15, made of a material chosen from Teflon, Vulkollan, brass, aluminium, steel and nylon, each of which moves rollingly pressing the outer surface 11 b of the portion of the toe 11 a of the upper 1 1 , from the toe cap 12a of said shoe last 12 to the respective side portion 12b of said shoe last 12.

It is observed that although a lasting apparatus 1 equipped with two rollers is described here and hereinafter, a lasting apparatus 1 equipped with a single roller pressing first on one side of the last and then on the other, or equipped with a plurality of rollers arranged symmetrically relatively to the shoe last on the two sides thereof, also falls within the scope of protection of the present invention. Analogously, any non-idle mounting of the rollers 15 on the adapting means 16 also falls within the scope of protection requested here.

Again according to the embodiment described here, said adapting means 16 comprise a device 20 for continuously dragging the two idle rollers 15 over the outer surface 11 b of said at least one portion of the toe 11 a of the upper 11, from the toe cap 12a of said shoe last 12 to the two side portions 12b of said shoe last 12.

It is observed that in Figs. 2a and 2b the rollers are arranged symmetrically relatively to the longitudinal axis X of the shoe last 12. Moreover, the different positions of the rollers, as they advance along the two side portions 12b of the shoe last 12, are depicted with a broken line.

In this way, during application of the toe 1 Ia of the upper 11 to the shoe last 12, the two rollers 15 roll on the two opposite sides 12b of the shoe last, maintaining the upper 1 1 in tension. In the case in which the apparatus is equipped with only one roller 15, the toe of the upper can be retained on the shoe last by means of specific support elements (not shown here) which exercise pressure from the point in which the roller starts its rotating motion. Alternatively, the two rollers can operate alternately, i.e. when one roller rolls on the surface of the upper, the other roller is stopped and retains the upper in tension, and vice versa. The dragging device 20 comprises means for exercising pressure 30 on the outer surface 1 I b of said toe 1 Ia of the upper 11 by said two idle rollers 15. As shown in Figs. 2a, 2b and 3, the idle rollers 15 are connected integrally to said means for exercising pressure 30. These means for exercising pressure 30, for example consisting of fluid-operated jacks, each operate on the relative roller 15, being positioned symmetrically therebetween relatively to the longitudinal axis X of the shoe last 12.

According to the invention, the dragging device 20 comprises a frame 19 and two mechanical arms 21 rotatably constrained relatively to said frame 19 and able to make both the respective means for exercising pressure 30 and the respective rollers 15 move with them.

Moreover, each means for exercising pressure 30 comprises at least one mechanism 31 for linear displacement of the respective roller 15, so that this roller 15 can be moved away from the starting position, placed in proximity of the toe cap 12a of the shoe last 12, and thus reach the required side portion 12b of the shoe last 12.

The dragging device 20 further comprises an actuator 40 for rotating in a controlled way the two arms 21. The actuator shown in the embodiment described here is a fluid-operated double-acting piston cylinder, to facilitate rotation synchronism of the two arms 21. Again in accordance with, the embodiment herein described, the dragging device 20 comprises at least a second actuator 50, for example a further fluid-operated jack, for linear displacement of the frame 19. In this way the apparatus can be used both for shoes with square toes and for those with tapered toes. The actuators 40 and 50 described here can be chosen from pneumatic, hydraulic or electromechanic actuators.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus 1 comprises means for retaining 61 in position said at least one portion of the toe 11 a of the upper 11 on said shoe last 12, from the toe cap 12a of said shoe last 12 to at least part of at least one side portion 12b of said shoe last 12. These retaining means 61 comprise a retaining band 22 wound around the two rollers 15, before adapting the toe of the upper to the shoe last, and adapted for being unwound on said toe 11 a during dragging of the two rollers 15 on said toe 1 1 a. In this way it is possible to apply continuous pressure on the entire length of the upper 11 , pressure which up to that point was applied on the shoe last 12 by the two idle rollers 15.

Again according to the invention, the method for assembling the upper 11 of a footwear comprises the step of a) adapting the toe 11 a of the upper 11 on said shoe last 12, from the toe cap 12a of said shoe last 12 to the two side portions 12b of the shoe last 12. Said method step a) comprises the step of b) dragging rollingly over the outer surface 1 1 b of said toe 1 Ia of the upper 11, two rollers, preferably idle, pressing the outer surface 11 b of said upper, from the toe cap 12a of said shoe last 12 to at least part of said at least one side portion 12b of said shoe last 12. Moreover, the step b) of the method is simultaneous to the step c) of retaining in position said portion of the toe 11 a of the upper 11 on said shoe last 12.

In particular, the method step c) comprises the step of d) unwinding a retaining band 22 over said at least one portion of the toe 11 a of the upper 11, from the toe cap 12a of said shoe last 12 to the two side portions 12b of said shoe last 12.

Moreover, the step d) comprises the step of e) unwinding said at least one retaining band 22 during the rolling of the two rollers 15 over the toe 11 a of the upper 11. In practice, therefore, this retaining band 22 is wound on the two rollers 15 before the method step b).

Again according to the invention, the method step b) is performed by two rollers 15, pressing the outer surface 11 b of the upper 11. The first of the two rollers 15 is dragged rollingly over the outer surface l i b of at least one portion of the toe 1 1 a of the upper 1 1 , from the toe cap 12a of the shoe last 12 to a side portion 12b of the shoe last 12, while the second of the two rollers 15 is dragged rollingly over the outer surface 11 b of at least one portion of the toe 1 Ia of the upper 11, from the toe cap 12a of the shoe last 12 to a side portion 12b of the shoe last 12, which is however symmetrically opposite to the side portion 12b on which the first of the two rollers presses. In this way, the upper 11 is adapted in tension on both opposite side portions 12b of the shoe last 12 of the footwear, so as to exactly copy the shoe last 12 of the footwear to be produced.