Improvements in Heel-burnishing Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Dec., 1890-Accepted, 14th Feb., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Heel-burnishing Machines.
A communication from abroad by THE ROCHESTER LASTING MACHINE
COMPANY (a corporation organised under the laws of the State of Minnesota),
of Minneapolis, in the State of Minnesota, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Man-
chester, both in the County of Lancaster, & 323, High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The object of the invention is to provide a machine which shall hold a shoe,
boot or like foot covering and present the heel thereof to a reciprocating burnisher
in a manner suitable to cause every part of the heel to be burnished, and which
shall perform its movements in an automatic manner. The object of the invention
is also to provide in such a machine means for properly adjusting the various
movements.
In carrying out the invention there is provided a suitable reciprocating burnisher,
preferably having an elastically supported burnishing surface, or part, and in
connection with such a burnisher there is provided a shoe support or holder adapted
to hold the shoe firmly and present the heel thereof to the burnisher, and to so
move it relatively to said burnisher that it may have a rocking vertical and lateral
reciprocating motion.
Referring to the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved burnishing machine.
Figure 2 is a detail view showing how the shoe is held and presented to the
burnisher.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the machine looking towards the right side.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the mechanism for imparting to the shoe supporting
devices a reciprocating motion.
Figure 5-is a side clevation of the machine looking towards the left side.
Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of the mechanism for lifting the shoe supporting
devices up to the burnisher.
Figure 7 is a plan view of the machine.
Figure 8 is an elevation of the heel supporter.
Figure 9 is a vertical section of the same.
Figure 10 is an end elevation of the burnisher.
Figure 11 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 12 is a detail plan view showing double cranks for the burnisher; and
Figure 13 is a detailed view of the adjusting device for adjusting the recipro-
cating shoe support with respect to the burnisher.
1 is the frame of the machine having a column 2 upon which the burnisher
proper and its operating mechanism is supported. 3 is a sliding table having
vertical parts 49 in which the shoe supporting frames 4 and 5 are guided with
provision for vertical movement. These frames 4 and 5 are connected by a cross
frame 47. The heel of the shoe is placed on the heel supporter 7 which is shown
in detail in Figures 8 and 9. The central part of said supporter consists of a
rubber centre 8, projecting beyond the surrounding leather ring 9 so that no part
of the heel can be obstructed during the burnishing operation. The rubber centre
also evenly distributes the pressure put upon the heel while being held by the
supporting device. The lip 10 of the supporter 7 catches the front part of the
heel and keeps it from slipping during the rocking motion of the shoe. The heel

page_text: supporter 7 is attached to a shaft 11 journaled in two bearings 12 and 13 and
secured at the end by a nut 14. The shoe is further secured in its place by a
shaft 16, having a claw 17 on the end which engages with the inside of the sole of
the shoe and presses the heel against its supporter.
+
The pressure is applied by a lever 18 turning on a pin 19 and sliding on a
circular guide 20 which is provided with teeth for locking the lever at any point
desired according to the height of the heel being burnished. On the pin 19 a
small pinion 21, Figure 1, is keyed, the teeth of which are engaged in grooves, or
teeth 22 on a thicker part 23-carrying the shaft 16; for the purpose of making the
shaft move or reciprocate as the lever turns.
A.
On the horizontal shafts 11 and 16, Figure 1, are keyed the beveled gears 15
and 24, which engage gear wheels 25 and 26 respectively on shafts 27 and 28. At
the other ends of said shafts other gears 29 and 30 are respectively secured.
horizontal shaft 31 gives the shafts 27 and 28, by the gears 29 and 30, their motion.
This shaft 31 is keyed to-a-spur gear 32 which is rotated by a gear segment 33
pivoted at the lower end 34 by a fulcrum or pivot pin 35 to a bracket 36, which is
secured to the main frame. In the middle of said gear segment is a slot 37,
Figure 3, to which the connecting rod 38 is secured. This rod is put in motion by
the slide 40 to which it is connected at 39. Between pins 41 in the slide is placed
a heart shaped cam 43 which gives the slide a uniform forward and backward
motion or reciprocation. This cam 43 is secured to and driven by a shaft 42,
Figure 5. The shaft 42 is driven by a large spur gear 57 which obtains its motion
from a pinion 56 secured on shaft 55. Shaft 55 is driven by a belt 45" from the
driving shaft 44. The speed is reduced in both transmissions so as to make the
rocking motion to the heel slow.
--
When the shoe-has-been-put-in-place-as-shown in ligure 2 and fastened by
the lever 18, the long vertical lever 45-is-pressed down in a horizontal position as
shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. On this lever is secured a projection or
piece 46, Figures 1 and 6, which rises up when the lever is moved, so that its end
will come even with the dotted lines 48 shown in Figure 1, and thus raise the
frame 47 and its connections. The vertical pieces 4 and 5 which are connected by
the cross piece or frame 47-slide-in-the-upright-frames 49-of the-table-3-and-con-
sequently by pushing up the frame 47 the parts 4 and 5 rise, and the heel is lifted
up against the burnisher.
Beveled gears 25 and 26 are provided with feathers and the shafts 27 and 28
with grooves so that the gear wheels will travel with the frames and yet when in
operation are in connection with their shafts.
When the lever 45 is pressed down in its horizontal position the link 51 turns
the crank 52 fastened to the shaft 53. The turning of said shaft 53 causes the
clutch 54, Figures 5 and 7, on the shaft 55 to operate and start the machine to give
motion to the shoe.
In Figure 6 is shown attached to the shaft 31, a cam 99 which gives the
frame 47, and the shoe which it supports, short vertical motions or reciprocations.
Besides the rocking motion_and_this_short_vertical_motion-the-shoe-has-also-a-
horizontal motion of a length determined by the height of the heel so that the
burnisher can operate on the entire heel. This is obtained in the following
manner :-
Shaft 55 is provided with a worm 58, Figures 1 and 5, which drives a large worm
wheel 59, giving the vertical shaft 60 a very slow motion. To the upper end of
the shaft. 60 is secured a heart-shaped cam 100 (Figure 4) which makes the pin 61
slide forward and backward horizontally in its bearing 62. To the end 63 of this
pin is fastened a lever link 64, with a slot 65 in the middle and travelling on a
guide stud 66. The stud 66 is adjustable in the guide 69, and is secured therein
by a nut 70. It is also connected to a lever 67, turning on a centre 68. By
pushing the lever 67 one way or the other horizontally the end of the lever link 64,
beyond the stud 66, will be made longer or shorter and its movements and that of
the table 3 will correspondingly increase or decrease; and as the stud is stationary

page_text: it acts as a guide for the link 64. The link 71 is connected at one end to the lever
link 64 and at the other end with the sliding table 3, and will accordingly move the
table forward or backward, giving the shoe its required lateral reciprocating motion.
The means for adjusting the shoe with reference to the burnisher is shown in
Figure 13 in which 72 is a hand wheel having a screw 73 passing through a
bracket 74, secured to the table 3 or its connections, and this screw is connected to
the link 71 by the guide portion 75. By turning the hand wheel the table may be
adjusted without changing the extent of its reciprocations.
The burnisher 50 as shown in Figures 10 and 11, consists of a piece of steel 76,
nicely curved at the bottom and provided above with the slot or jaw 77, in which
the upper piece 78 is placed. A pin 79 connects them, and a spring 80 makes the
pressure of the piece 76 elastic. A slot 81 is made in the upper piece 78 which
receives a feather in the guide 82 to prevent the burnisher from turning. Nuts at
the top of the burnisher determine its length, and a spring 84 gives it provision for
a vertical vibration. 85 is a gas jet pipe whose end 86 is close to the burnisher,
Figure 3, to provide a flame to keep the burnisher warm.
The horizontal motion of the burnisher is obtained by a belt 87 transmitting the
power from the driving shaft 44, and increasing the speed to shaft 88. This
shaft 88 has two cranks 89, Figure 12, to one of which is attached the connecting
rod 90, and to the other of which is connected the counterbalance 91, of any
suitable construction. The rod 90 has a horizontal arm or cross head 102, to the
ends of which are fastened rods 92 guided in guides 93. To the ends of the
rods 92 is secured the horizontal cross piece or head 95, to which the burnisher is
secured.
It will now be seen that as the burnisher 50 reciprocates rapidly, the heel of the
shoe is first thrust up against it by operating the lever 45, and then as the heel
rotates back and forth the cam 99 raises and lowers the heel supporter to insure
the retention of the heel in contact with the burnisher simultaneously with this last
operation.
The cam 43 through its connections causes a given rotary motion to the heel
under the burnisher, and the cam 100, induces through its connections, a lateral or
horizontal reciprocation of the heel support and all connections.
The burnisher is elastically supported and well adapted to "give" in the proper
directions to suit the work being done; and the other devices are designed to impart
the requisite movements to suit the shape of the heel.
It is evident that the minor details may be greatly modified without departing
from the invention, hence it is not to be limited to the details shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In a heel burnishing machine, the combination of a reciprocating burnisher, a
heel support capable of reciprocating in a path approximately at right angles to the
movement of the burnisher and means for reciprocating said heel support either in
combination with or independently of mechanism for varying the extent of the said
reciprocations of the heel support, substantially as described.
2. In a heel burnishing machine, the combination of a reciprocating burnisher, a
heel support capable of oscillating and reciprocating laterally as described, and
means for imparting the said oscillating and reciprocating movements to the heel
support, substantially as described.
3. In a heel burnishing machine, the combination of a reciprocating burnisher,
a vertically movable heel support, and means for automatically raising and
lowering the heel support during the reciprocation of the burnisher, either in
combination with, or independently of, means for moving the heel support vertically
by hand to place the heel into or out of engagement with the burnisher, substantially
as described.
4. In a heel burnishing machine, the combination of a reciprocating burnisher,

page_text: an oscillatory, vertically-movable, and laterally-reciprocating heel support, and
mechanism substantially such as shown and described for automatically and
simultaneously imparting the desired motions to the heel support.
5. In a heel burnishing machine, the combination of a reciprocating burnisher, a
heel-supporting device and mechanism substantially as described for raising and
lowering the heel-supporting device by hand to or from the burnisher.
6. In a heel burnishing machine, the combination of the burnisher 50 having
parts 78 and 76 hinged together and having a spring connection with a holder or
guide, a reciprocating frame carrying said holder, and a shoe-supporting device in
proximity to the burnisher, substantially as described.
7. In a heel burnishing machine the combination of a reciprocating burnisher, a
movable frame for carrying the shoe-supporting device, two rotary shafts between
which the shoe is held, two vertical shafts carried by the frame a single lower
transverse shaft also carried by the frame, bevel gears between said shafts, and
power mechanism for oscillating the last-mentioned shaft, substantially as described
and shown.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1890.
WM. P. THOMPEON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.