provements in Turn-shoe Sewing Machines for Boot Uppers and Soles,
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 15th Mar., 1900-Accepted, 16th June, 1500
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Turn-shoe Sewing Machines for Boot Uppers
and Soles,
I, CHARLES VAN DER STRAETEN, of 37, Rue de Merode, Brussels, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention is intended to avoid the inconveniences which are found in
sewing machines used for that class of boot and shoe sewing known as turnshoe
work, and in which the work carrier is arranged to overhang and have a circular
movement. In most of these machines as formerly made the work is moved
by a ring forming a complete circle and put in rotation by the motion of a
chain or gearing. The use of the complete circle, however, prevents the feed
gear from being placed in such a position that its plane lies in the vertical
plane of the needle of the machine. It has on the contrary, to be placed in an
oblique or over-hanging plane., With regard to the plane of work, this arrange-
ment, as is well known, presents great difficulties in maintaining the work on
the work-holder, and in the proper presentation of work to the needle. It also
frequently bends the needle over, to or away from the hook, resulting in the
missing of stitches, or the breaking of needles o" thread. My invention consists
essentially in the combination with machines of this kind of a feed movement
by means of a plate or presser-foot by which the feed is in the vertical plane
of the needle, and I thus produce a feed which invariably places the work in
the position required, and easily retains it in this position. As a subsidiary
part of my invention I am also able to use a lateral feed the position of which
varies according to the width of border between the edge of the material and
the line of stitching. The presser foot is mounted on a rocking lever, the
pivot of which is on a slide mounted on a suitable bracket attached to the
frame of the machine. A cam operates this slide in such a manner as to lift
it and allow it to fall after holding it raised a certain time. On the shaft of
this cam is a sleeve carrying a lever, attached to the afore mentioned lever by
a rod. The to and fro movement given to this sleeve is transferred to the lever
and by the rod to the afore mentioned lever, and gives a to and fro movement
to the presser foot. This to and fro movement of the presser foot and the
vertical motion of the slide are so combined as to cause the presser-foot to raise
and engage the work and move it to a pre-determined distance and then fall
and return, without contact with the work, to its former position. The lateral
feed movement is provided for as follows,-On the afore said sleeve is a gear
wheel engaging a train of gear leading to another gear wheel to the side of
which a milled wheel is attached forming an endless circle constituting the
lateral feed. This lateral feed is loose on its shaft and is movable against the
counter pressure of a spring more or less away from the needle. The use of
this feed device enables me to employ a new form of hook for looping the
thread from the needle. This hook has a passage way through it into which
the needle descends during its down stroke. The engagement of the thread by

page_text: means of the hook is thus more certain and it is unnecessary to form a recess
in the side of the needle for the passage of the hook as in previous constructions.
Dated this 16th day of June 1899.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents for Applicant,
Improvements in Turn-shoe Sewing Machines for Boot Uppers
and Soles.
I, CHARLES VAN DER STRAETEN, of 37, Rue de Merode, Brussels, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention is intended to avoid the inconveniences which are found in
sewing machines used for that class of boot and shoe sewing known as
66 turn
shoe" work and in which the work carrier is arranged to overhang and have a
circular movement. In most of these machines as formerly made the work is
moved by a ring forming a complete circle and put in rotation at the desired
moment by the motion of a chain or gearing. The use of the complete circle,
however, prevents the feed gear from being placed in such a position that its
plane lies in the vertical plane of the needle of the machine: it has on the
contrary to be placed in an oblique or overhanging plane with regard to the
working plane; this defective disposition, as is well known, to experts, presents
great difficulties in maintaining the work on the workholder and in the proper
presentation of the work to the needle. Moreover it frequently bends the
needle over, to or away from the hook, resulting in the missing of stitches, or
the breaking of needles or thread.
"
My invention consists essentially in the combination with machines of this
kind of a frictional feed movement allowing the feed to be effected in the
vertical plane of the needle and consequently to realise a work carrier which
invariably places the work in the position required and easily retains it in this
position.
My invention also comprises the combination of a feed of the above kind
with a second lateral feed, the position of which varies according to the width
of the welt or border between the edge of material and the line of stitching .and
destined principally to favor if necessary the widening of this border.
In the annexed drawings,
Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a turn shoe sewing machine comprising this
invention.
Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the end of this machine. Figs. 3 and 4 are
end views showing the feed mechanism in two positions. Fig. 5 is a plan view.
and Fig. 6 an end elevation of the thread hook. Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate a
needle as formerly used.
In these drawings, 1 represents the frame-work of the machine provided as
usual with mechanism 2 for giving to the needle 3 the ordinary movement.
In conformity with my invention the feed is operated by a friction feed plate 4
constituted by a segment of a plane circle, the plane of which coincides with
the vertical plane in which the needle 3 moves.
This feed plate 4 is carried in an arm of a bell crank lever 5 pivoted at 6
on a slide 7 which can slide vertically as will be hereinafter explained, in slide

page_text: ways 8 mounted on a boss 9 carried by a bracket 10. Through this bracket 10
and the boss 9 there passes the axle 11 carrying the thread hook.
In order to give to the feed plate 4 the necessary movement, that is to say,
from the position represented in Fig. 2, a lowering movement, a part circular
recoil móvement, then an oblique rising movement and finally a part circular
forward movement, I mount on the end of the shaft 12 a cam 13 the outline of
which as shown in Fig. 2 is calculated so as to communicate to the slide 7 (in
departing from the position represented in Fig. 2) first a lowering movement fol-
lowed by a period of rest in this lowered position during the time necessary
for the recoil movement and then a rising movement followed likewise by a
period of rest.
"
I also mount on the shaft 12 a sleeve 14 surrounding this shaft 12 for nearly
the whole of its length. This sleeve 14 receives from a crank 15 and a cam 16
moved by the main shaft 17 of the machine an alternate oscillating movement
to give the feed plate its reciprocating movement which feeds the work.
To this effect the sleeve 14 carries at the end near the cam 13 a crank 18
the end of which is connected by a rod 19 with the horizontal arm of the bell
crank lever 5.
This mechanism acts in the following manner :-
The feed plate 4 being in the position represented in Fig. 2 has just fed the
work.
'
The cam 13 the rotation of which is continuous; depending upon that of
shaft 12, draws down the slide 7 in the slidė ways 8.
During this movement the crank 18 remains unmoved with the sleeve 14,
the driving cam of which is inactive. the horizontal arm of the bell crank
lever 5 drops down with the pivot 6, the bell crank lever 5 consequently turns
slightly on its pirot 6 and takes the inclined position represented in Fig. 3.
The crank 18 then rises under the action of the cam 16, crank 15 and sleeve 14;
The bell crank lever turning on its pivot takes a still more inclined position
as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. During this movement the cam 13 con-
tinuing its rotation has arrived at the rising period of the slide 7. This slide
rising and the crank 18 again remaining stationary the pivot 6 goes up again
and the horizontal arm of the bell crank lever 5 of the clutch takes the less
oblique position shown in Fig. 4 as the feed plate 4 comes simultaneously
against the work. This movement being effected in oblique direction from
behind forwards, the feed plate comes into contact with the work in the direc-
tion of its movement and initiates in a very sure manner the feed which the
following movement executes in one stroke without the least slip and in a very
effective manner.
The cam 13 is then in the period which corresponds with a time of rest of the
slide 7 in the raised position. During this period the cam 16 acts and oscillates
the crank 15. The sleeve 14 and consequently the crank 18 describe a part
turn. The crank 18 consequently draws down the rod 19 and the horizontal
arm of the bell crank lever 5. This bell crank lever then revolves a fraction
of a turn on its axle 6 and the feed plate again takes the position indicated
in Fig. 2 thus feeding the work.
I may also combine with the above feed a lateral feed of variable position.
This supplementary lateral feed can be realised in the following manner. On
the crank 18 is mounted a pivoted dog 20 engaging a ratchet wheel 21 fixed on
a sleeve 22 moving freely on the sleeve 14. The sleeve 22 carries a gear
wheel 23 with which meshes a pinion 24 which moves a toothed wheel 25 integral
with a feed ring 26 revolving with a little friction on the boss 9 mentioned
already. This feed ring can according to the width of the welt, occupy different
positions on the boss 9. for this purpose it can slide longitudinally on this boss
and go nearer the bracket 10 compressing a spring 27 intended to keep it in
contact with the work.
When the crank 18 is displaced corresponding with the feeding by the feed

page_text: plate 4, the dog 20 revolves the ratchet wheel 21, the sleeve 22, the gear wheel 23,
the pinion 24 and the gear wheel 25, so that the feed ring 26 receives a circular
displacement or feeding movement equal to that of the feed plate 4.
The displacement of the feed ring 26 is equal to that of the feed plate 4
because the pivot of the dog 20 on the crank 18 is at the same radial distance
from the centre of the sleeve 14 as the pitch line of the gear 23 and 25.
A pawl 28 fastened on a bracket 29 gears with the ratchet wheel 21 and
serves to prevent return movement of the feed ring 26.
The regulation of the length of the movement of the feed plate 4 and the
feed ring 26 and consequently of the length of the stitch is made in a single
operation by lengthening or shortening the rod 30 (indicated in dotted lines in
Fig. 2) which connects the crank 15 to a collar 301 mounted on the sleeve 14;
of course as the end of the crank 15 is always displayed to the same extent
by the cam 16, the amplitude of rotation of the collar 30¹ and consequently
of the feed plate 4 and the feed ring 26 will depend upon the length of the
rod 30. which length may be adjusted in the collar 30¹ by means of the screw 31
(Fig. 2).
I mention that in the machine thus improved, with feed by feed plate alone
or feed by feed plate and lateral feed combined, I make use of a special thread
hook 32 represented in plan and front view in Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompany-
ing drawings. This hook, mounted as usual on the end of the shaft 11, is distin-
guished by its form and by the fact that it has a central opening 33 allowing
the passage of the needle 3; this construction has the advantage of allowing
a sufficient descent of the needle so that when raised it leaves sufficient thread
to form a loop wherein the point of the hook engages; a needle can thus be
used notably thicker than heretofore and there is no need to provide it with a
recess or hollow as at 34 (Fig. 7) for the passage of the hook between the thread
.and the needle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what. I
claim is:-
1. In a turn shoe sewing machine for the purpose of assuring the presentation
of the work to the needle at the position required and maintaining the work in
this position, the arrangement consisting in effecting the feed of the work by
means of a frictional feed plate acting in the vertical plane in which the needle
moves.
2. A form of execution of the arrangement described in Claim 1 in which the
feed plate is carried by an oscillating support said support being carried by a
vertically movable slide receiving, by means of a suitable cam, first a descend-
ing movement followed by a period of rest and then an ascending movement
also followed by a period of rest so that the combination of these movements
with the oscillating movements of the feed plate support, cause the descent of
said feed plate, draw it back, raise it against the work, and carry the work
along therewith.
3. A form of execution of the arrangement described in Claim 1 consisting
of a feed plate carried by an oscillating support provided with a horizontal arm,
a vertically movable slide carrying said support, a continuously revolving cam
actuating said slide, a rod connected with the said horizontal arm of the support,
a crank communicating an oscillating movement to the support by means of said
rod, a sleeve surrounding the cam shaft, which latter shaft also carries said
crank, and a suitable cam for giving the necessary oscillating movement to said
sleeve.
4. In combination with the feed movement as described in Claim 3, a lateral
feed movement in which a crank communicating the feed movement to the
feed plate is provided at the opposite side with a pivoted dog engaging a ratchet
wheel actuating by suitable gear a friction ring arranged laterally with slight

page_text: friction on the boss of the work carrier and a suitable spring adapted to press
said friction ring against the work.
5. In a machine of the kind described in the previous claims, the arrangement
of a hook perforated centrally for the passage of the needle to allow of a sufficient
descent of the needle for the formation of a loop to be seized by said hook.
Dated this 16th day of March 1900.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.