IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR SEWING THE OUTER SOLES TO THE WELTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES,
CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR SEWING THE OUTER SOLES TO THE WELTS OF BOOTS
AND SHOES." -A communication from abroad by Daniel Mills, of
Brooklyn New York. United States of America, Machinist.
Sealed the 3rd December 1869, and dated the 14th June 1869.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR SEWING THE OUTER SOLES TO THE WELTS OF BOOTS

page_text: The said Invention consists partly in a clamp composed of a stationary
and a moveable jaw, the stationary jaw serving to support the work and
being provided with a nip, which serves as a guard to prevent the needle
and awl from injuring the "upper" of the boot or shoe, and having
also a guide, groove, or channel for the purpose of steadying the awl and
needle (both of which are curved) while in the operation of sewing.
The movable jaw serves to press the work down upon the stationary jaw,
adjusting itself automatically to the thickness of stock, and is provided
with a slot or mortice through which the feed dog works, the motion of
the said movable jaw and of the feed dog being so adjusted that the
movable jaw releases the work at the moment the feed dog begins to act.
After the feed has taken place and before the feed dog rises from and
releases the work the movable jaw resumes its former position, clamping
the work, and retaining it firmly in position during the action of the awl
and needle. The feed dog is connected to its lever by a ball-and-socket
join, so that it is free to swing in any direction, and to accommodate
itself to the various motions of a compound feed lever. This com-
pound feed lever is composed of two parts, the upper or top lever being
pivoted to the lower or bottom lever, which has its fulcrum on a piu
secured in a lug projection from a rising and falling bar that serves to
lift a feed dog and the upper jaw, the bottom lever being actuated by a
cam which imparts to it an oscillating motion in a lateral direction,
which the top lever is compelled to share, while the said top lever is also
free to rise and fall with the feed dog. The length of the stitch, or in
other words, the length of movement of the feed dog, is varied by the
adjustment of the connections which connect the said feed dog to the
upper part of the compound feed lever.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, South-
ampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of June, in the

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake,
Her special licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and 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 SEWING MACHINES, CHIEFLY
DESIGNED FOR SEWING THE OUTER SOLES TO THE WELTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors or administrators, "by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
The said Invention consists chiefly in a clamp composed of a stationary
and of a movable jaw, constructed and operating as herein-after set forth;
the said stationary jaw serves to support the work, and is provided with a
lip which serves as a guard to prevent injury to the upper part of the
boot or shoe by the needle and awl, and also to gauge the distance of the
line of stitching from the edge of the work; it also forms a guide, groove,
or channel for the purpose of steadying the said needle and awl (while
in the operation of sewing), the said needle and awl being curved and
forming parts of circles of the same radius. The movable jaw serves to
press the work down upon the stationary jaw, adjusting itself auto-
matically to the thickness of the stock, and is provided with a slot or
mortice through which the feed dog works, the motion of the said
movable jaw and of the feed dog being so adjusted that the movable jaw
releases the work at the moment the feed dog begins to act, and after

page_text: the feed motion has taken place and before the feed dog rises from and
releases the work the movable jaw resumes its former position, clamping
the work, and retaining it firmly in position during the action of the awl
and needle. The feed dog is connected to its lever by a ball-and-socket
joint, so that it is free to swing in either direction and to accomodate
itself to the various motions of its own lever and of a compound feed
lever. This compound feed lever is composed of two parts or arms, the
upper or top arm being pivoted to the lower or bottom arm, which has
its fulcrum on a pin secured in a lug projecting from a rising and falling
bar which serves to lift the feed dog and the upper jaw, the bottom lever
is actuated by a cam which imparts to it an oscillating motion in a
horizontal or lateral direction, which the top lever is compelled to share,
while the said top lever is also free to rise and fall with the feed dog.
The length of the stitch, or in other words the length of movement of
the feed dog, is varied by the adjustment of the devices which connect
the feed dog to the upper part of the compound feed lever.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of my improved machine;
Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof; Figure 3 is a top view of the
stationary jaw of the clamp. Like letters indicate the same parts
throughout the Drawing.
A is a column of cast iron or any other suitable material which sup-
ports the frame B, wherein are the bearings for the main shaft C of the
sewing mechanism. This mechanism consists chiefly of the needle "
and an awl b, which needle and awl are secured to independant
stocks a¹, b¹, to each of which is imparted an oscillating motion by"
toothed segments, or by other suitable means, as described in the Speci-
fication of an Invention for which Letters Patent were granted to me
bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, A.D. 1868, No. 2378. The
work is held by the clamp, which consists of a stationary jaw c and a
moveable ja d, the stationary jaw serving to support the work as shewn
in Figure 1. In the side of this stationary jaw is a groove e, which forms
a guide and protector for the awl b and needle a, and beyond this groove
is a lip, which bears against the side of the upper leather and prevents
injury to the same by the instruments coming in contact therewith.
The said lip serves also as a gauge for the line of stitches as herein-
before stated. The moveable jaw d is composed of the three armed lever
which has its fulcrum on a pivot g. The latter is secured in a rod h, and

page_text: one arm thereof is provided with a roller stud i which bears against the
circumference of a cam disk j. The rod hslides up and down in a
suitable guideway secured to the column A and is subjected to the action
of a spring which has a tendency to pull the said rod down and to
bring the moveable jaw to bear upon the work placed on the stationary
jaw. The moveable jaw d is provided with a slot through which passes
the feed dog 1, which receives a rising and falling motion by the lever d¹,
and an oscillating motion by the bottom lever d³ which is operated by
the cam d³. The motion of the feed dog is so timed in relation to that
of the moveable jaw that when the roller stud i comes opposite the
depression in the cam disk ; (whereby the work is released) the feed
dog will perform its operation, and before the said feed dog rises aud
releases the work the jaw d is again depressed, consequently the work is
not allowed to drop from the supporting jaw.
Having now fully described the said improvements as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I wish it understood that I do not
limit myself strictly to the precise details of construction of the machine
shewn in the Drawing, as these may be varied within such limits as will
not change the essential features of my Invention, which I claim sub-
stantially as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
H J. GEDGE,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.