IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, PART OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLI- CABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF GARMENTS."
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Julian Bernard, of 15, Regent Street, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, PART OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLI-
CABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF GARMENTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Julian Bernard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
January 1854.
I, JULIAN BERNARD, of 15, Regent Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the particulars of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, PART OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS
BEING APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF GARMENTS," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention relates to a novel mode or modes of securing
the upper or fronts to the soles or bottoms of boots and shoes, and which I
perform by securing, first, a welt or strip to the upper before such upper or
welt is secured to the sole, or I attach the welt first to a sole, or I split a sole
along and around its edge, and raise said edge so as to form a substitute for a
welt, and which I connect by stitching or otherwise to the uppers, either with
or without a welt, or by means of another strip or welt, according to the
description of boot or shoe to be made. If the boot or shoe is to be turned, a

page_text: second welt need not be employed, unless such welt be attached to the outer
edge of the sole. If a second sole or double sole be applied outside, it is
desirable to employ a second welt, which may be either applied to the upper
first, or at the same time, or together with the upper, while being connected to
the first or in sole; and such last-mentioned welt is more particularly for the
purpose of uniting an outer or additional sole to the boot or shoe. And I also
in some cases propose to double or turn round or over the outer edge of said
last-mentioned strip or welt so as to cover the edge of inner sole, and afterwards
attach an outer sole to it; and I would remark that I propose to unite in some
cases the uppers to the soles in the manner described, without said uppers or
soles being mounted upon a last, but instead I finish and further stretch such
boots and shoes afterwards upon a last.
Another part of my improvements consists of a novel mode of binding or
securing the edges of boots and shoes, and which mode is also applicable to
binding and securing the edges of garments as well, and the manner in which
I effect the same is as follows:-I place the binding upon the inside of the
article or material to be so bound or secured, so that the binding will project
to a certain extent beyond the edge to be bound, and in that position I secure
it to the material by one of its edges; that done, I then fold down the other
edge of the binding material so as to pass or go beyond its other edge on the
opposite side, when I further secure it to the material, taking care that the best
or most desirable side of the stitching shows on the binding.
Another part of my Invention relates to a novel mode of cutting the parts
and various materials of which boots and shoes and garments are made, and
which I perform in three distinct ways, the first of which is as follows:-I place
two spindles in suitable bearings & geared together, one underneath and one
above a table, and on each of which spindles I place and make fast two round
shear edge discs, and which are caused to revolve in a contrary direction, and
are so placed as to cause their edges to come in side contact with each other,
motion being given to the spindles by a driving pulley made fast upon one of
said spindles, and caused to revolve by means of an ordinary band; the material
to be cut is presented to the revolving cutters which cut it in any desired
direction. One of the shear edges may be stationary, and may be either curved
or straight, and only one revolving disc employed.
Another mode of performing the same operation consists of, or in employing
for cutting such parts, an endless knife or band of steel, which is passed round
three drums, one above, one below, and another at the end of a table, or other-
wise suitably placed. Said drums are arranged in suitable bearings connected

page_text: to the table. The steel band passes vertically through a slot in the table, and is
supported immediately behind the cutting point by means of a small steel roller.
The material to be cut is presented to this steel band, its edge being sharp or
made into teeth like a saw; if a knife edge is given to it, a stone, emmery buff,
or other means may be applied or made to come in contact with it by being
fixed or held near it as it revolves, and thereby sharpen it. The same means
may be employed to for sharpening the revolving disc. The drum for driving
the steel band may be placed upon the shaft carrying the driving pulley and
band, and the others or rollers for carrying or sustaining it be placed upon
studs. One of said rollers ought to be capable of being moved so as to tighten
the steel band, which may be effected by placing or forming a slot in the
bracket which carries its bearing, in which it can be made to move at pleasure
by means of a screw.
In conclusion, I would remark, that all these improvements and novelties in
the manufactures described are for the purpose of more effectively bringing
machinery to bear or be applied to such manufactures.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by
the said Julian Bernard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd July
1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULIAN
BERNARD, of 15, Regent Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of. Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Julian Bernard, Her special license that I, the said Julian Bernard, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Julian
Bernard, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFAC
TURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, PART OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE TO THE
MANUFACTURE OF GARMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the

page_text: said Julian Bernard, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Julian Bernard, do hereby declare the.
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates,-
First, to a novel mode or modes of securing the uppers or fronts to the soles
or bottoms of boots and shoes, and which I perform by securing, first, a welt
or strip to the upper before such upper or welt is secured to the sole, or I attach
the welt first to a sole, or I split a sole along and around its edge, and raise
said edge so as to form a substitute for a welt, and which I connect by
stitching or otherwise to the uppers, either with or without a welt, or by means
of another strip or welt, according to the description of boot or shoe to be made.
If the boot or shoe is to be turned, a second welt need. not be employed unless
such welt be attached to the outer edge of the sole; if a second sole or double
sole be applied outside, it is desirable but not necessary to employ a second welt,
which may be either applied to the upper first, at the same time, or together
with the upper, while being connected to the first or inner sole; and such last-
mentioned welt is more particularly for the purpose of uniting an outer or
additional sole to the boot or shoe. And I also in some cases propose to turn
round or over the outer edge of said last-mentioned strip or welt so as to cover
it, and afterwards attach an outer sole to it. And I would remark that I pro-
pose to unite in some cases the uppers to the soles in the manner described,
without said uppers or soles being mounted upon a last; but I finish and
further stretch such boots and shoes afterwards upon a last.
The second part of my Invention relates to a novel mode or modes of cutting
the various parts and materials of which boots and shoes and garments are
composed, which I perform in two distinct ways, the first of which is as fol-
lows: I employ two spindles working in suitable bearings geared together,
one underneath and one above a table, and on these spindles I place two shear
edge discs, which are caused to revolve in contrary directions, and are so placed
as to cause their edges to come in contact with each other. Motion being
given to the spindles, the discs which are made fast thereon are caused to

page_text: revolve, and the material to be cut is presented to the revolving cutters, which
cut the material in any desired direction. One of the shear edges may be
stationary, and may be round or straight, and only one revolving disc employed.
Another mode of performing the same operation consists in employing an
endless band of steel for cutting such parts, such band being passed round three
drums, one above, one below, and another at the end of a table, or otherwise
suitably placed. These drums are arranged in suitable bearings connected to
the table. The steel band passes vertically through a slot in the table, and is
supported immediately behind the cutting point by means of a small steel
roller. The material to be cut is presented to the steel band, its edge being
sharp or serrated like a saw; if a knife edge is given to it, a stone, emery buff,
or other means may be applied or made to come in contact with it as it revolves,
and thereby sharpen it. The same means may be applied also to the revolving
disc. The drum for driving the steel band may be placed upon the shaft
carrying a driving pulley and band, and the others or rollers for carrying or
sustaining it may be placed upon studs. One of these rollers is capable of
being moved or adjusted so as to tighten the steel band, which may be effected
by forming a slot in the bracket which carries its bearing, in which slot it may
be made to move at pleasure by means of a screw.
Before entering upon the description of my improved system or mode of
connecting and disposing of the different parts of boots or shoes, I shall refer
to the diagrams, Figs. 1º, and 1b, which show the general method now in use
for connecting the different parts of boots or shoes; Fig. 1° representing the
general mode adopted for double soles where a welt is employed; and Fig. 1b
represents the mode adopted generally for a single or pump sole where no welt
is employed, the upper being secured by its edge to the sole and afterwards
turned, as is well understood by the practical man.
Fig. 1, on Sheet 1 of my Drawings, represents a side elevation of an upper
with the welt secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse diagram section of an
upper leather and single sole of a boot or shoe, before being turned with the
welts secured to the single sole by stitching through and through. Fig. 3
represents a similar view of another arrangement, where the edge of the sole
is split all round to form a welt to which the upper is attached. Fig. 4
represents a transverse diagram section of a boot or shoe sole with the upper
attached thereto, and the welt secured previously to the upper, as shewn in
Fig. 1, or by means of cement; in this Figure a double sole is represented.
Fig. 5 represents another mode which I adopt for securing the uppers to the
inner sole, which is split all round as herein-before described; and Fig. 6 is a

page_text: similar view of the mode of constructing boots or shoes by turning the welt
over the edge of the inner sole, so as to cover the edge of the same and after-
wards securing the outer sole thereto.
When sewing is employed to unite or attach the parts in the manner
described instead of cement, I prefer to perform such operation by one or more
of the sewing machines already patented by me, but I do not confine myself
to performing this operation by mechanism, or any special means, as the same
may obviously be effected by manual labor. The welt having been secured to
the upper (either by hand or machinery), I place the upper (a welt being
previously attached thereto) over a last, having an inner sole upon it as at
Fig. 4, the edge of the upper B, being turned over the edge of the inner sole
C, and secured thereto by any suitable adhesive solution or cement, as shewn
in the Drawing.
"
The outer sole D is then laid over the inner sole, and secured to the other
parts by means of the welt A, shewn in the Drawing. In Fig. 2, the welt A
is secured to a single sole by being stitched thereto through and through, as
shewn in the Drawing at B, B; and the upper C is also secured to the welt
by stitching through and through as at D, D, and when stitched the boot or
shoc is turned or reversed in the ordinary manner, and further shaped and
finished upon a last. In Fig. 3, the welt A, in place of being attached to the
sole B, is formed thereon by splitting the sole all round and turning up such
split portion to which the " upper C is secured, by stitching through and
through, as at D, D, and the boot or shoe is then turned. The boot or shoe
shewn at Fig. 4, is not supposed to have been turned or reversed. Another
mode of making single soled boots or shoes is shewn at Fig. 5, where the
upper A is secured to the split portion or welt B of the single sole C. The
stitching is effected through and through the material as shewn at D, but as
the sole is split, such stitching will not shew on the under side of the sole
when the edges are well pressed down in the manner shewn at E. I may
here observe that I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine
myself either to single or double soled boots or shoes, the principle of this
portion of my Invention being the so arranging the modes of securing uppers
to soles, whether such soles be single or double, that the operation of stitching
inay be more readily effected. Fig. 6 shews the mode of giving a finished or
ornamental appearance to boots or shoes by turning over the welts A, so as to
form a species of binding on the edge of the inner sole B. This welt is made
wider than usual to allow of such turning over, and is previously secured to
the upper C, as shewn in Fig. 1. The upper with its welt is then secured to

page_text: the inner sole by cement, which I prefer, or by stitching through and through
as herein-before described. The protruding or overhanging edge of the welt
is now doubled down and back over the edge of the inner sole as at A, A, and
the outer sole is secured thereto by stitching or otherwise as shewn in my
Drawing. I may here observe that I by no means confine myself to any
particular material in these operations, the uppers being composed either of
cloth or fine leather or any other substitute, and the soles may consist of gutta
percha or other suitable material for such purpose, and such parts may be
partly stitched or united by any known cement or solution without such being
a deviation from this part of my Invention.
I shall now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which
relates to the cutting of materials. Fig. 9 represents a side elevation and
partial vertical section of one of my cutting machines, a portion being broken
away for the sake of compactness; and Fig. 10 is a corresponding front view
of the cutters. A, A', are two spindles, which work in the suitable bearings
B, B', and are geared together by the spur wheel and pinion C, D; E, F, are
two shear edged dises or cutters, which are secured to the extremities of the
respective spindles A, A', by the nuts G, H, and are so placed that their shear
or cutting edges will come in contact with and slightly overlap each other as
shewn in the Drawing. Motion is communicated to the lower spindle A', by
the grooved pullies I, I, and a suitable driving band or by gearing if found
desirable. The lower disc F is made to project slightly above the surface of
the small plate J, which is slotted for that purpose, and is inserted flush with
the top of the table K. On motion being communicated to the apparatus
by the pullies I, the lower cutting disc revolves, whilst the upper one E will
revolve at a slower rate and in a contrary direction. The material to be cut
is then spread out on the table K, and pushed gently forward between the
two discs, which effectually sever the parts either in a straight line or in a
curved direction according to the cut required. In place of both discs or
cutters revolving at different speeds, they may both revolve at the same speed,
or one of them may be entirely stationary, and I may here observe that I
wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine or restrict myself to
the precise arrangement shewn in the Drawings, but what I claim is the
employment of a revolving shear edged disc or cutter working in conjunction
with a second disc or cutter, which second disc or cutter may either be
stationary or have a rotatory motion communicated thereto. Fig. 1, on Sheet
2 of my Drawings, is a side elevation and partial section of another modi-
fication of cutting machine. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of a portion of a

page_text: serrated cutter employed for cutting strong leather; and Fig. 3 is a similar
view of a smooth or knife edged blade. The blade or cutter A, colored blue
in Fig. 1 of the Drawings, consists of an endless belt or band of steel rivetted
or otherwise joined together, which is passed over and carried by the three
pullies B, C, D; the pulley B is supported in the end of the overhanging
bracket E, which is bolted or otherwise secured to the bed plate or table F.
The second pulley C, is carried by the shaft G, which works in the fixed
bearings H, secured to the under side of the table; this shaft is fitted with a
driving pulley which is not shewn in the Drawing, and serves as the driving
shaft of the cutter. The third pulley D, acts not only as a carrier, but also as
à tension pulley for keeping the steel belt well stretched. This is effected by
fitting the pulley on to the stud centre I, which is carried in a sliding piece
working in the horizontal slot or groove J, in the fixed bracket K.; the
pulley D is traversed backwards or forwards along the slot J, by means of
the screw L, and winch handle M, at the end of the table. The bracket E
is made hollow, and a moveable cover is fitted on to its side to enclose entirely
the portion of the steel blade which is contained therein; this cover is removed
in the Drawing to shew the cutter and interior of the bracket. N, is a sloted
tube or guard, screwed at O into the head of the bracket, which is also slotted
at P, to admit of the entrance of the endless belt over the several carrying
pullies B, C, D. The tube or guard N reaches nearly to the surface of the
table, there being just space enough beneath it to admit of the passage of the
inaterial to be cut; Q is a small metal plate let into the table flush with
the top thereof, and to this plate is attached the bearing of the small grooved
steadying pully R, which serves also to guide and support that portion of the
blade immediately beneath the cutting point. The cutting edge of the blade
when plain may be kept sharp by the employment of an emery buff or other
means brought in contact with it as it revolves; the same arrangement being
also applicable, as I have herein-before stated, to the discs in the last-described
cutting machine. On giving a rotatory motion to the driving shaft G, the
belt A will revolve, and any materials that may be brought in contact with
its cutting edge will be cut or severed in a straight or curvilinear direction,
according as they may be fed in. I may observe that I do not confine myself
to the precise form and arrangement of apparatus illustrated in Sheet 2 of
my Drawings; but what I especially claim is, the use of a flexible or endless
cutter for cutting cloth, leather, and similar materials, such cutter or band
being kept stretched by any suitable mechanical arrangement either by a
weighted lever or otherwise.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used, or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe, or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Julian Bernard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Third day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four.
JULIAN BERNARD. (L.B.)