Improvements in Machines for Folding or Crimping Pieces of Fabric, chiefly designed for use in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 17th Nov.; 1892-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Folding or Crimping Pieces of Fabric,
chiefly designed for use in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
I, Charles Edward Williams, of the Town of Milford, in the County of
Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates chiefly to machines for folding or crimping linings for
boots and shoes, by the use of heat and pressure, the sheet or piece to be crimped
being folded between two opposing surfaces which are pressed closely against the
material interposed between them, so as to form a sharp crease at the folded edge,
said surfaces being heated to make the fold or crease more permanent.
The invention has for its object to provide a simple and effective machine of this
class, and to this end it consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to
describe.
I provide a suitable base or bed, having bearings in which is journalled a crank-
shaft, the same having cranks or eccentric wrist-pins, which give motion, through
the devices hereinafter described, to the creasing blade and to the rocking presser.
The bed is provided at one end with a horizontal table, which supports the piece to
be folded, one end of said table forming a wall or pressing surface, which co-operates
with the rocking presser in folding and creasing the portion of the piece that is
interposed between said parts. The rocking presser is provided at its ends with
trunnions, which are journalled in bearings in the sides of the base. To said presser
is affixed a lever, which projects rearwardly over the crank-shaft.
A lever is provided, pivoted to the lever affixed to the presser, and also projects
over the crank-shaft, said lever being interposed between the crank-shaft and the
lever affixed to the presser, and having its rear end arranged to bear on the wrist-
pin. The rotation of the crank-shaft causes the wrist-pin to rise and fall, and
impart a like movement to said lever. A spring is interposed between this lever
and the lever affixed to the presser, said spring constituting a yielding or elastic
connection between the two levers, and exerting the upward pressure on the lever
affixed to the presser which forces the rocking presser forward toward the fixed
surface with which it co-operates, said spring enabling the presser to conform to the
thickness of the leather interposed between it and the surface or shoulder.
There is a spring, which is interposed between the fixed top of the base or bed
and the lever affixed to the presser, and is adapted to press said lever downwardly
so as to separate the presser from the shoulder when the wrist-pin recedes or falls.
I provide a curved lever which is provided with trunnions, journalled in bearings
on the base. One end of the said curved lever is provided with a slot which receives
the wrist-pin. The revolution of said wrist-pin causes the curved lever to oscillate,
and thus alternately raise and depress the creasing blade which is supported by the
opposite end of said lever. The creasing blade is arranged over the space between
the presser and the shoulder, so that when it is depressed it enters said space and
forces a part of the piece thereinto, thus forming a bight or loop in said piece.
The blade is serrated on its lower edge, the object of the serrations being to prevent
the piece from slipping under the edge of the blade, as it might do if the blade were
not serrated.
The blade is affixed to a holder having a shank which is inserted in a socket in
a vertically movable rod or plunger, and held in engagement with said socket by a
screw. The rod or plunger is fitted to move vertically in a socket in the upper end
of the curved lever, and is normally pressed downwardly in said socket by a spring,
until the screw bears on the lower end of a slot.

page_text: The operation of the machine above described is as follows: The piece to be
creased and folded is placed upon the table, with its inner end against an adjustable
gage, affixed to the frame by a screw passing through a slot in said gage, the blade
being at this time raised, and the presser retracted or drawn back to its greatest
distance from the shoulder. The crank-shaft is then rotated, and its wrist-pins act
respectively on the levers that carry the presser and blade, force the blade down-
wardly into the space between the presser and the shoulder, and then force
the presser forward against the material thus tucked or folded into said space, the
blade being retracted while the presser is moving forward, so that it leaves the
space between the presser and shoulder unobstructed, and permits the presser_to
force one thickness of the material closely against the other in said space. The
presser remains in its projected position long enough to permit the heated surfaces
of the bed and presser to give the desired result in folding and creasing the
material, after which the presser is retracted, and the piece removed.
It will be seen that the serrated edge of the blade causes it to firmly engage the
material while pressing it down into the space in which it is creased, so that the
piece cannot slip in either direction while it is being forced into said space. This
is an important feature, because any slipping of the piece would change the width
of the fold, as will be readily seen.
Another lever may be pivoted to the frame of the machine, said lever having a
shoulder which is adapted to engage a lug projecting outwardly from the presser.
The engagement of the shoulder with the lug is effected when the presser is
moved forward, by means of a spring connected at one end to an arm on the lever
just mentioned and at the other end to a collar affixed to one of the trunnions of the
presser, said spring normally acting to force the lever upwardly, and thus cause its
shoulder to engage the rear surface of the lug when said lug has reached its forward
position. The engagement of the shoulder with the lug locks the presser in its
forward position, and affords the desired duration of pressure on the piece. When
the pressure has been maintained a sufficient length of time, the operator depresses
the lever pivoted to the frame, said lever projecting toward the front of the
machine, thus enabling the presser to be retracted by the force of the spring. The
lever is, in fact, made double, a cross-bar connecting the outer ends of the two
divisions of the lever, one of said divisions being at one side and the other at the
opposite side of the machine, so that the lever acts on both ends of the presser in a
manner that will be readily understood.
The crank-shaft journalled in bearings in the base or bed is rotated by a belt
running on a pulley which is normally loose upon the shaft, and has a clutch member
which is adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from a corresponding clutch
member affixed to the shaft, the pulley and its clutch member being laterally
movable on the shaft so as to permit it to be engaged with and disengaged from
the other clutch member. The clutch members are part of an automatic stop
motion which operates to automatically disconnect the driving pulley from the
shaft after each rotation of the latter, and is adapted to be connected thereto
by the. depression of a treadle or some other act on the part of the operator.
As automatic stop motions operating in this way are well known, I do not deem
it necessary to specifically describe any particular form of stop motion, as my
invention does not include the same. Any well known stop motions that are in
general use in machines where the operation of the driving shaft is automatically
arrested after a complete rotation, and caused to be resumed by the act of the
operator, may be used in this machine.
I also provide a gas burner, arranged to heat the presser and shoulder.
Dated this 20th day of Janu1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Folding or Crimping Pieces of Fabric,
chiefly designed for use in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
I, CHARLES EDWARD WILLIAMS, of Milford in the County of Worcester and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 :-
This invention relates chiefly to machines for folding or crimping linings for
boots and shoes, by the use of heat and pressure, the sheet or piece to be crimped
being folded between two opposing surfaces which are pressed closely against the
material interposed between them, so as to form a sharp crease at the folded edge,
said surfaces being heated to make the fold or crease more permanent.
The invention has for its object to provide a simple and effective machine of this
class, and to this end it consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to
describe and claim.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification,
Figure 1 represents a top plan view of my improved machine.
Figure 2 represents a section on line 22 of Figure 1 some of the parts being in
elevation.
Figure 3 represents a similar view but with some of the parts removed for
clearness.
Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of a part of the construction shown in Fig. 3.
Fig. 3B represents a piece of the material folded by the machine.
Figure 4 represents an end elevation of a portion of the machine.
Figure 5 represents a cross section on the line 1, 1 of Figure 1.
Figure 6 represents a modification of the machine and
Figure 7 represents a piece of the fabric finished in said modified form of
machine.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings:
a represents a suitable base or bed, having bearings in which is journalled a
crank-shaft b, the same having the cranks or eccentric wrist-pins b¹², Figure 3,
which give motion, through the devices hereinafter described, to the creasing
blade c and to the rocking presser d. The bed a is provided at one end with a
horizontal table a' which supports the piece e to be folded, one end of said table
fitting against a projection on the bed which forms a wall or pressing surface a³,
which co-operates with the rocking presser d in folding and creasing the portion of
the piece e that is interposed between said parts. The rocking presser d is provided
at its ends with trunnions d' d', which are journalled in bearings in the sides of
the base a. Said trunnions are preferably the ends of a steam pipe which passes
through the rocking presser, and is supported in the side pieces of the base,
said pipe being connected at its ends with steam supply and exhaust pipes d
having valves d. To said presser is affixed a lever d³ which projects rearwardly
over the crank-shaft b.
g represents a lever which is pivoted at g' to the lever d³, and also projects
over the crank-shaft, said lever g being interposed between the crank-shaft and the
lever d, and having its rear end arranged to bear on the wrist-pin b². The
rotation of the crank-shaft 6 causes the wrist-pin b¹ to rise and fall, and impart a
like movement to the lever g. One or more springs h are interposed between the
lever g and the lever d², said springs constituting a yielding or elastic connection
between the levers d'and 9, and exerting the upward pressure on the lever d
which forces the rocking presser d forward toward the fixed surface a' with which
it co-operates, said springs enabling the presser d to conform to the thickness of
the leather interposed between it and the surface or shoulder a³.

page_text: j represents a curved lever which is provided with trunnions, journalled in
bearings k k on the base a. One end of the lever j is provided with a slot which
receives the wrist-pin and a block * mounted on the wrist-pin and fitted to slide
in the slot. The revolution of said wrist-pin causes the lever i to oscillate, and thus
alternately raise and depress the creasing blade e which is supported by the
opposite end of said lever. The creasing blade e is arranged over the space
between the presser d and the shoulder a', so that when it is depressed it enters
said space and forces a part of the piece e thereinto, thus forming a bight or loop
in said piece e, as shown in Figure 2. The blade is serrated on its lower edge,
as shown in Figure 4 the object of the serrations being to prevent the piece e
from slipping under the edge of the blade, as it might do if the blade were not
serrated.
The blade c is affixed to a holder c'having a shank c³ which is inserted in a socket
in a vertically movable rod or plunger o, and held in engagement with said socket
by a screw p. The rod or plunger o is fitted to move vertically in a socket r in the
upper end of the lever j, and is normally pressed downwardly in said socket by a
spring y until the screw p bears on the lower end of a slot s, as shown in Figure 4.
The operation of the machine above described is as follows: The piece e to be
creased and folded is placed upon the table al with its inner end against an
adjustable gage v affixed to the frame a the blade e being at this time raised, and
the presser d retracted or drawn back to its greatest distance from the shoulder a².
The crank-shaft is then rotated, and its wrist-pins act respectively on the
levers that carry the presser d and blade c, force the blade downwardly into the
space between the presser and the shoulder a², and then force the presser forward
against the material thus tucked or folded into said space, the blade being retracted
while the presser is moving forward, so that it leaves the space between the presser
and shoulder a² unobstructed, and permits the presser to force one thickness of the
material closely against the other in said space. The presser remains in its
projected position long enough to permit the heated surfaces of the bed and presser
to give the desired result in folding and creasing the material, after which the
presser is retracted, and the piece e removed.
It will be seen that the serrated edge of the blade c causes it to firmly engage
the material while pressing it down into the space in which it is creased, so that
the piece cannot slip in either direction while it is being forced into said space.
This is an important feature, because any slipping of the piece would change the
width of the fold, as will be readily seen.
The shaft is rotated by a belt running on a pulley which is normally loose
upon the shaft, and has a clutch member which is adapted to be engaged with
and disengaged from a corresponding clutch member 6 affixed to the shaft, the
pulley 6 and its clutch member being laterally movable on the shaft so as to
permit it to be engaged with and disengaged from the clutch member 6. The
clutch members 6 and 6 are part of an automatic stop motion which operates to
automatically disconnect the driving pulley from the shaft after each rotation of
the latter, and is adapted to be connected thereto by the depression of a treadle
or some other act on the part of the operator. As automatic stop motions operating
in this way are well known, I do not deem it necessary to specifically describe any
particular form of stop motion, as my invention does not include the same. Any
well known stop motions that are in general use in machines where the operation
of the driving shaft is automatically arrested after a complete rotation, and caused
to be resumed by the act of the operator, may be used in this machine.
The piece e to be folded is supported at a point close to and substantially parallel
with the folding blade by a rod u, which is affixed to the bed a and is raised above
the same, so that it holds the main portion of the piece e above the bed, and enables
the folding blade to force the material down into the space between the shoulder a²
and presser d with less frictional resistance than would be experienced if the piece
rested directly upon the flat table a, as heretofore. Said rod u is preferably a
stout piece of wire, having its ends bent downwardly and inserted in sockets formed

page_text: in the bed. I prefer to make one end of the rod u slightly higher than the other,
as shown in Figure 4, so that when the folding blade is raised, the space between
it and the bar will be wider at one end than at the other. In inserting the piece
under the folding blade against the gauge e, which is provided to guide the operator
in adjusting the piece, one edge of the piece is inserted in the wider end of said
space between the folding blade and the rod u, the piece being then moved along
said rod until its upper surface comes in contact with the lower edge of the folding
blade. The contact of the piece with the folding blade before the latter is depressed
prevents the piece from slipping or being displaced before the descent of the blade.
The serrated edge of the blade prevents the slipping of the material upon the blade
when the latter is descending.
The gauge is provided with an ear to which is affixed a rod v³ extending
backwardly from the gauge and entering a socket ³ affixed to the base of the
machine, said socket having a clamping screw or nut ', which secures the rod r³
and gauge in any desired position. The object of the ear and the rod ³ is to
enable the screw that secures the gauge to be located at a distance from the heated
portion of the machine so that said screw will not become heated and uncomfortable
to operate.
•
When the presser d is moved forward, it is locked in said position by means of a
latch 10,
which is arranged to engage with the rear end of the lever 9. Said latch is
pivoted to the frame at 10', and is forced forward by means of a spring w², inter-
posed between the frame and a collar w³ on a rod w, which is pivotally connected
with the swinging end of the latch w, and is adapted to slide in an opening in the
frame or base a. The spring w³ normally holds the latch w in the position shown in
Figure 3, thus engaging it with the lever g, and through the latter locking the
presser in its forward position. represents a bell-crank lever, pivoted at w and
having one of its arms connected with the rod w. The other arm of said lever
is connected by a rod to the treadle (not shown) whereby the operator may move
the latch w through the described devices out of engagement with the lever 9. The
shaft b is provided with a cam or projection 60 which, when said shaft is at rest, is
in the position shown in Figure 3, but, when the shaft is again rotated, said cain is
moved so as to displace the latch wo, as shown in Figure 34, and thus prevent injury
to any of the parts of the machine in case the operator fails to displace said latch
by the devices above described.
represents a wedge, which is formed on one end of a lever, pivoted at ¹ to the
supporting-frame (see dotted lines in Figure 1), and adapted to be inserted between
the lower end of the rocking presser and the corresponding end of the lever g.
Said wedge is so arranged that, when pressed inwardly between the said parts, it
will press the rear ends of the levers 9 and d² toward each other, compressing
the springs h, thus giving the rocking presser a slight backward adjustment.
When said wedge is drawn outwardly, it permits the springs to expand, and thus
give the rocking presser a slight forward adjustment. These adjustments of the
rocking presser are for the purpose of adapting to the thickness of the piece e, so
that the throw or forward movement of the presser may always be proportioned to
the thickness of the material.
AC
The wedge is moved by means of a rod a³, pivoted to one end of the lever on
which said wedge is formed, and a spring on said rod, said spring bearing at one
end against the frame of the machine, and at the other end against a collar a affixed
to the rod. The spring tends to normally withdraw the wedge from between the
presser and the lever g. When it is desired to force the wedge inwardly, a nut
on the threaded outer end of the rod and bearing on the frame of the machine, is
turned in the direction required to draw the rod ³ outwardly.
The folding blade and the pressing surfaces which co-operate therewith may be
either of straight or curved form, Figure 1 showing them straight and Figure 6
showing them curved. The form shown in Figure 6 is adapted to fold the curved
edge y y on the piece z shown in Figure 7 said piece being one of the quarters of a

page_text: boot or shoe upper. It is obvious that any other desired curvature may be given to
the folding blade and pressing surfaces.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is―-
1. In a machine for folding and creasing pieces of material, the combination of a
stationary table adapted to support the piece of material to be folded and provided
with a shoulder or pressing surface a³, a rocking presser pivotally connected to the
frame at a point below the level of the table and arranged to co-operate with the
shoulder a³, and means substantially as described, for yieldingly forcing said presser
toward the shoulder a³ and for retracting the presser, as set forth.
2. In a machine for folding and creasing pieces of material, the combination of a
fixed frame provided with a shoulder or pressing surface a, a rocking presser
pivotally connected to said frame and arranged to co-operate with the shoulder a³,
a shaft journalled in bearings in said frame and provided with two cranks, a lever
affixed to the presser and arranged to be moved by one of said cranks, a curved
lever pivoted to the frame and engaged at one end with the other crank, and a
folding-blade secured to the other end of said lever, as set forth.
3. In a machine for folding and creasing pieces of material, the combination of a
fixed frame provided with a shoulder or pressing surface a³, a rocking presser
pivotally connected to said frame and arranged to co-operate with the shoulder a³,
a lever as ', affixed to said presser, an arm or lever g, pivoted to said lever d³, a
spring interposed between the levers g and d³, and a means for forcing the lever g
upwardly, and thereby imparting through said spring a yielding pressure to the
presser, as set forth.
4. The combination of the stationary table a', adapted to support a piece of
material to be creased and having a pressing-surface or shoulder a², the rocking
presser pivotally connected to the frame and arranged to co-operate with said presser,
the oscillating lever j, pivotally connected to the frame, and the folding-blade
yieldingly connected to said lever, as set forth.
5. The combination of the fixed pressing shoulder, the rocking presser, the
levers g and d² connected with said presser, the crank-shaft adapted to move
said levers, the latch w arranged to engage the lever g and lock the presser in its
pressing position, and devices including the rod w and lever whereby the
operator is enabled to move said latch and unlock the presser, as set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of February 1893
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.