and Shoes and in Apparatus Employed therein.
Year: 1888

page_text: and Shoes and in Apparatus Employed therein.
I PATRICK Cox, of Rochester, County of Monroe, State of New York one of
the United States of America, Manufacturer 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 :-
In accordance with my invention for use in the manufacture of a boot or shoe, the
leather blank of usual shape for the production of a counter stiffener and properly
moistened, is placed upon a heel-form of such shape as to support the blank inter-
mediate its ends for but a part of its width, and in such condition the ends of the
blank, grasped positively between jaws, is pulled and stretched from its ends through
the central part more than along its edges thereby causing the blank to curl in the
direction of its width until the previously unsupported portions of the blank at or
near its edges are made to fit and conform snugly to the heel-form.
In this manner no part of the stiffener is subjected to pressure, or to rubbing-
friction and pressure in the direction of the thickness of the blank to thus harden it,
but the central part of the counter stiffener is stretched and bulged to present a
concavo-convexed appearance at the middle of its length in the direction of its width,
the bottom or straight part of the blank curled inwardly by stretching the blank in its
median line forming a lip or flange, which is left soft and pliable and with but few if
any wrinkles, the flanged portion as well as the main body and upper edge of the
blank retaining substantially all its natural resiliency to be readily comformable, not
only to the last in the manufacture of the shoe, but also to the foot of the wearer.
My improved mechanism for the manufacture of counter stiffeners contains a
saddle to support a blank for a portion only of its width at or near its center between
its ends, and clamps to grasp the ends of the blank, combined with means to change
the relative positions of the saddle and clamps to pull and stretch the blank in its
median line in the direction of its length, and cause the edges of the blank while being
pulled and stretched to conform to the shape of the saddle, substantially as will be
described.
Also that improvement in the art or method of manufacturing counter-stiffeners,

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direction of its length and causing one edge of the blank during and by such pulling
and stretching operation to turn inward along its edge and form a flange, substantially
as will be described.
Fig. 1. in side elevation represents a machine embodying my invention.
Fig. 2. a partial section thereof in the line X.
Fig. 3. a partial top view of the machine shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 a. a detail to be referred to.
Fig. 4. a plan view of a blank for the manufacture of a counter-stiffener before the
same is stretched in accordance with my invention.
Fig. 5. shows said blank after it has been stretched and opened out, and
Figs. 6 and 7. are sections respectively of Figs. 4 and 5 in the dotted line X',
looking to the left.
The standard or base A, to constitute the frame-work of the machine, has an arm A¹
upon which, as herein shown, is pivoted at A2, one end of an arm or lever A³ having
a saddle A, the middle portion of which, as at a, is higher than at the points a², a³, at
each side thereof, and so also this saddle is widest in the line X³, see Fig. 2, it being
gradually tapered or contracted from the line X³, toward its junction with the arm
or lever A³.
The standard supports a head b, herein shown as provided at its upper side with a
dovetailed groove into which is fitted the correspondingly shaped shank of a block 61
of wedge shape, the said block being made adjustable longitudinally with relation to
the said head by means of an adjusting device, (shown as a screw 6*,) provided near
its head. with an annular groove which receives the upper forked end of a leg 6³
attached by screws to the head b¹..
The outer sides of this block 61 are serrated, as shown at 66, to co-operate with
correspondingly serrated surfaces c at the upper ends of levers c¹ pivoted by bolts c²
extended through ears of the head b, the said levers near their lower ends being
provided with cam projections or surfaces, as c³, which are acted upon by rolls
attached to a block or crosshead secured to the upper end of a rod attached
to a treadle or lever C pivoted at C¹.
The levers c¹, their serrated surfaces c, and the serrated surfaces 65 of the block b¹
constitute clamps to grasp and hold positively the ends of the blank B, when the
same is to be stitched.
The rollers when depressed through the action of the treadle C act upon the
cam surfaces c³ and force the upper serrated ends of the levers against the
ends of the blank laid over the saddle A* the double dotted line in Fig. imme-
diately above the saddle being supposed to represent the blank in section when it
is first laid upon the saddle and before the blank is at all stretched.
The rear end of the treadle or lever C has jointed to it at d the foot d¹ of a
rod d², which is extended upward loosely through suitable bearings and terminates
normally near the under side of the lever or arm A³.
This rod is surrounded by a spiral spring , one end of which rests against a
collar d³, made adjustable on a threaded portion of the said rod, while the upper
end of the spring rests against a fixed part of the frame-work, the said spring
acting normally to keep the longer end of the treadle C elevated, as shown in
Fig. 1.
With the parts as represented in the drawings, a moistened blank B of leather
of substantially the shape shown in Fig. 4, is laid over the saddle A', and the
ends of the blank are placed in open spaces between the serrated surfaces of the
clamps referred to, as shown in Fig. 2 by dotted lines, the inside of the blank,
see dotted lines Fig. 1, resting upon the high part of the saddle and not touching
the portions a², a³, thereof especially not touching the portion a³.
In this condition the operator places his foot upon the treadle C and depresses the
same, he at the same time raising the-rod d² up, but as or before the upper end of the
said rod meets the lever or arm A³, the rollers et acting on cam surfaces c³ referred to
act to close the clamps upon and so as to firmly hold the ends of the blank,

page_text: The operator continues to depress the treadle after the clamps have been closed, as
described, and through the rod d², it meeting the lever A³, lifts the said lever and
saddle A, which results in stretching the blank by a strain applied to its central part,
its ends being clamped, and the said blank is stretched in the direction of its length
along the median line x, see Fig. 4, until the edges of the blank by curling downward
meet and conform to and fit the top a², a³, of the saddle snugly, the part of the blank
marked e in Fig. 7, being thereby turned in to constitute the flange for the stiffener,
the upper edge e¹ of the blank being also somewhat turned in having a concavo-
convexed counter stiffener as best shown in Fig. 7, all the parts of which retain the
natural resiliency due to the leather, so that the blank so shaped may be readily
applied to a last in the manufacture of a shoe and be made to readily conform to the
curvature of the last, as has been described.
I do not desire to limit my invention to a machine in which the saddle is moved
positively away from the clamps, as I consider the reversal of this operation would
come within the scope of my invention.
In accordance with my invention, it will be noticed that the main part of the
counter stiffener is not hardened or compressed between metallic or other surfaces.
In Fig. 4 I have marked upon the blank a series of vertical lines, as f, and in
practice when the blank is stretched these vertical lines assume substantially the
direction in Fig. 5, such lines being shown to delineate the curvature which is
put into the blank by stretching the same.
Fig. 3a shows the counter stiffener as pulled and stretched to conform to the
saddle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;
1: In a machine for the manufacture of counter stiffeners for boots or shoes, a
saddle to support a blank for a portion only of its width at or near its center between
its ends, and clamps to grasp the ends of the blank, combined with means to change
the relative positions of the saddle and clamps to pull and stretch the blank in its
median line in the direction of its length, and cause the edges of the blank while being
pulled and stretched to conform to the shape of the saddle, substantially as described.
2: The herein described improvement in the art or method of manufacturing
counter-stiffeners for boots or shoes, which consists in pulling and stretching a
leather blank in its median line in the direction of its length and causing one
edge of the blank during and by such pulling and stretching operation to turn
inward along its edge and form a flange, substantially as described.
Dated the 10th day of July 1888.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London
Agents for the Applicant..