Improvements in Machines for Lasting Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 6th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by EDWARD BAYLIES SEAVER, of 122 South
Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Machines for Lasting Boots and Shoes.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to machines for lasting over the heel and toe portions of
boot and shoe uppers, and has for one of its objects a more convenient manner
than has heretofore existed of adjusting the machine when using different styles
or shapes of lasts, so as to bring the bottom or sole of the last at the toe end
parallel with the plane of movement of the wipers. A further object is to
provide improved means whereby the operator can raise and lower the heel and
toe rests at will.
The construction of the wipers and the means for operating the same form no
part of the present invention."
The main column of the machine, which rises from a suitable base has mounted
on its upper end the toe-lasting mechanism, comprising a fixed frame or support,
toe-wipers affixed to a slide which is movable in guides on the said support, and a
lever pivoted to the support and to the slide and serving to enable the operator to
move the wipers forward and backward, whereby the wipers are alternately
projected over the last and retracted therefrom at the will of the operator. The
frame which supports the last and heel-wipers which are movable thereon by
means similar to those employed for operating the toe-wipers, is pivoted at its
inner end to the frame that supports the toe lasting mechanism, and is adjustably
supported near its outer end by a screw and sleeve pivotally connected at one end
to the said frame and at the other end to the main column of the machine, an
adjusting hand wheel or nut engaging the screw being arranged to bear against
the end of the sleeve. By these means the last supporting frame can be raised or
lowered and thereby adjusted in proper relation to the toe-lasting wipers that is to
say the forward portion of the bottom or sole of the last can be adjusted substan-
tially parallel with the path of movement of the toe-wipers. The said last
supporting frame requires to have a greater inclination when the bottom or sole
of the last has a cousiderable curvature than when it is approximately flat. The
movement of the said frame on its pivot as aforesaid changes the relation of the
plane of the bottom of the toe part of the last to the general plane of the frame
of the toe lasting mechanism and in this way the traverse of the toe-wipers in a
plane parallel with the toe-bottom is insured."
The heel part of the last is supported by a heel-pin arranged to slide in a
bracket depending from the last supporting frame and jointed, as usual, to permit
the last to have a universal tipping motion. The said heel-pin rests on a pivoted
lever connected with a treadle and controlled by a spring which exerts itself to
depress the end of the lever on which the heel-pin rests. The operator, by
working the treadle, can raise and lower the heel of the last at will.
Between the said heel-pin and the support of the toe wipers is interposed an
independently movable toe-rest, which is adapted to be raised and depressed by
the operator, so that the toe portion of the last may be first raised to cause the
toe wipers to first impinge on the upper below the bottom of the last, and then

page_text: lowered to permit the wipers to project over the bottom of the last, it being
desirable to repeat this movement several times in lasting each upper. The said
toe-rest is carried by a block having a stem which is fitted to slide through a
bracket fastened to the main column of the machine, and said stem is connected by
a link with a rod jointed at its lower end to a treadle, the arrangement being such
that depression of the treadle causes depression of the toe-rest. A lever
connected with the aforesaid link at one end, and pivoted to the main column, is
at its other end connected with a rod which is jointed at its lower end to another
treadle, the depression of this latter treadle causes the toe-rest to rise. A spring
surrounding the stem of the block carrying the toe-rest exerts itself to keep
the toe-rest élevated. The operator by placing his heel on one treadle and his
toe on the other treadle, can readily control the toe-rest and move it up and down
at will.
I do not limit myself to the described means for raising and depressing the toe-
rest, and I may employ any other suitable means whereby the operator may quickly
raise and depress the toe-rest at will.
To hold the toe portion of the last firmly upon the toe-rest, I provide a clamp,
which is movable with the toe-rest and is arranged to bear upon the bottom of the
last at a point near the toe, said clamp being adjustable independently of the toe-
rest, so that it may be pressed upon, and raised from the bottom of the last. It
will be understood, of course, that the clamp actually bears upon the inner sole,
and not directly upon the last. The said clamp is an arm or finger formed upon a
vertical shank, which is movable vertically in a socket formed on, or affixed to
the block which supports the toe-rest. A spring in the said socket normally raises
the clamp from contact with the last. The lower portion of the said vertical
shank is provided with serrations, which are engaged by a spring-pressed detent
adapted to hold the clamp at any point to which it may be depressed, against the
pressure of the spring. When the clamp is pressed downwardly, the detent
retains it at the point to which it is thus pressed, and when the detent is displaced,
the spring raises the clamp.
Dated this 5th do- of Contember 1906
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Machines for Lasting Boots and Shoes.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 present invention relates to machines for lasting over the heel and toe
portions of boot and shoe uppers, and has in view, for one thing, a more convenient
inanuer of adjusting the machine to different styles of lasts, so as to bring the
bottom of the last at the toe end parallel with the plane of movement of the wipers.
A further object is to provide improved means whereby the operator can raise and
lower the heel and toe rests at will.
To the above ends, the invention consists in a number of novel combinations of
parts, which are recited in the appended clains.
The drawings which accompany and form part of this specification illustrate an
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 1 shows a front elevation of the machine.

page_text: Figure z snows an end elevation or the same.
Figure 3 shows a top view of a portion of the machine.
Figures 4 and 5 represent respectively sections on the lines 4-4 and 5-5 of
Figure 3.
Figures 6 and 6 represent sections on line 6-6, Figure 3.
The construction of the wipers and the means for operating the same form no
part of the present invention, and will not, therefore, be described.
The letter a designates the main supporting column of the machine, which rises
from a suitable base a' and has mounted on its upper end the toe-lasting mechanism,
comprising a fixed frame or support b, and toe-wipers b¹ b¹ affixed to a slide b
which is movable in guides on the support h, a lever 63 pivoted at 6* to the
support b and at to the slide 62 serving to enable the operator to move the wipers
forward and back, the wipers being thus alternately projected over the last and
retracted therefrom at the will of the operator. The frame c which supports the
last o and heel-wipers which are movable thereon by means similar to those
employed for operating the toe-wipers, is pivoted at its inner end to the frame b,
as shown at c', and is adjustably supported at its outer part by the following-
described means: A screw d is pivotally connected at one end to the said frame c,
and a sleeve e receives its opposite end loosely, said sleeve being pivoted to the
column a.
A wheel f engages the thread of the screw, and its hub bears against
the upper end of the sleeve. Now by turning said wheel, the frame c can be raised
or lowered, and it is by this means that I secure the proper relation between the
toe-lasting wipers 6' and the top portion of the last, by making the forward portion
of the bottom of the last substantially parallel with the path of movement of the
toe-wipers. The frame c requires to have a greater inclination when the bottom of
the last has a considerable curvature than when it is approximately flat. It will
be seen that movement of the frame c on its pivot changes the relation of the plane
of the bottom of the toe part of the last to the general plane of the frame b, and in
this way the traverse of the toe-wipers in a plane parallel with the toe-bottom is
insured.
The heel part of the last o is supported by a heel-pin g, which is fitted to slide
in the bracket g¹ depending from the frame c, and is jointed, as usual, to permit
the last to have a universal tipping motion. The heel-pin g rests on a lever o
pivoted to the bracket and connected by a rod 93 with a treadle g. A spring g' is
attached at one end to said lever on the outer side of its pivot, and at the other end
to the frame c, and said spring exerts itself to depress the end of the lever on which
the heel-pin rests. The operator, by working the treadle 9', can raise and lower
the heel of the last at will.
Between the heel-pin g and the wiper-support b, is interposed an independently
movable toe-rest h, which is adapted to be raised and depressed by the operator, so
that the toe portion of the last may be first raised to cause the wipers b¹ to first
impinge on the upper below the bottom of the last, as shown in Figure 6, and then
lowered to permit the wipers to project over the bottom of the last, as shown in
Figure 7, it being desirable to repeat this movement several times in lasting each
upper.
The toe-rest is fitted to a block h, having a stem / fitted to slide through a
bracket fastened to the column a, and said stem is connected by a link /* with a
rod jointed at its lower end to a treadle h, the arrangement being such that
depression of the treadle causes depression of the toe-rest. A lever i connects
with the link at one end, and is pivoted to the column, and at its outer end
connects with a rod which is jointed at its lower end to a treadle, the
depression of this latter treadle, it will be observed, causing the toe-rest to
rise. A spring j surrounding the stem exerts itself to keep the toe-rest
elevated.
The operator by placing his heel on the treadle he and his toe on the treadle 1³,
can readily control the toe-rest and move it up and down at will.
I do not limit myself to the described means for raising and depressing the

page_text: toe-rest, and may employ any other suitable means whereby the operator may
quickly raise and depress the toe-rest at will.
To hold the toe portion of the last firmly upon the toe-rest h, I provide a
clamp p, which is movable with the toe-rest and is arranged to bear upon the
bottom of the last at a point near the toe, as shown in Figure 3, said clamp
being adjustable independently of the toe-rest, so that it may be pressed upon
and raised from the bottom of the last. It will be understood, of course, that
the clamp actually bears upon the inner sole, and not directly upon the last.
The said clamp is an arm or finger formed upon a vertical shank p', which is
movable vertically in a socket p formed on or affixed to the block h' which
supports the toe-rest h.
A spring pin said socket normally raises the clamp p
from contact with the last. The lower portion of the shank p' is provided with
serrations, which are engaged by a spring-pressed detent p adapted to hold
the clamp at any point to which it may be depressed, against the pressure of the
spring. When the clamp is pressed downwardly, the detent p retains it at the
point to which it is thus pressed, and when the detent is displaced, the spring raises
the clamp.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my 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 lasting-machine, the combination with toe-lasting devices including
movable toe-wipers, of a last-support, a toe-rest interposed between the said last-
support and lasting devices, and means for reciprocating the toe-rest in a
direction substantially at right angles with the direction of movement of the said
toe-wipers.
2. In a lasting-machine, the combination of toe-lasting devices, a last-support, a
toe-rest interposed between the said last-support and lasting devices, means for
raising and depressing the toe-rest, and an adjustable clamp movable with the
toe-rest for holding the last upon the toe-rest.
3. In a lasting-machine, the combination of a fixed wiper-support, a pivoted
last-supporting frame, and means for raising and lowering said frame, for the
purpose described.
4. In a lasting-machine, the combination of a stationary support for toe-lasting
devices, a frame pivoted to said support and having a bracket supporting a
heel-pin, and means for raising and lowering the frame, for the purpose
described.
5. In a lasting-machine, the combination of a stationary support for toe-lasting
devices, a frame pivoted to said support and having a bracket supporting a
heel-pin for the last, a toe-rest adjacent to the pivot of the frame, and means
for raising and lowering the frame, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
6. In a lasting-machine, the combination of a stationary support for toe-lasting
devices, a frame pivotally connected with said support and holding the last, a
screw jointed to said frame, a sleeve or socket jointed to the stationary support,
and a hand-wheel or nut engaging the screw and bearing against the end of the
sleeve.
7. In a lasting-machine, the combination of a toe-rest vertically movable in a
suitable support, and two treadles connected with said toe-rest through different
means, whereby depression of one treadle lowers the toe-rest, and depression of the
other treadle elevates the same.
Dated this 6th day of November 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.