IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOT AND SHOE SOLES AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Mills, of Brooklyn, New York, United
States of America, now of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOT AND
SHOE SOLES AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."- Partly a communication
from abroad by Charles Goodyear, residing in New York, United
States of America.
Scaled the 14th November 1873, and dated the 31st May 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Mills at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st May 1873.
I, DANIEL MILLS, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America,
now of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BOOT AND SHOE SOLES AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," partly a communication,
to be as follows:-
The first part of my said Invention relates to a novel method of pre-
I
paring the sole of a boot or shoe for being put on the last and sewn.
form in the sole the ordinary channel, and I also form a groove therein
at any suitable distance from the edge, and extending all around the
sole, the said channel and groove being parallel with each other. In

page_text: making this
groove a "cord
or strip is cut completely out of the sole;
This groove permits the full thickness of the sole to be shown when the
shoe is finished.
The second part of the said Invention relates to an apparatus or
machine for moulding the edges of soles to give them any desired form
previous to putting them on the last to facilitate the sewing. The said
apparatus has a frame of cast iron or other suitable material at the top
of this frame, and fitted in suitable bearings therein is a shaft which
carries at one end feeding devices consisting of a revolving gauge, a
corrugated feed roller, and an antifriction roller. The said frame also
has a revolving table over which the work travels, and which is inclined
with regard to the said shaft, and in combination with this table and
with the said revolving gauge is a fixed gauge, which is secured in such
a manner that it may be adjusted when required. The said upper shaft
is driven by a toothed pinion, and is held in place laterally by a set
screw passed through the boss of the said pinion, and it may be adjusted
at any desired distance from the aforesaid table, and with regard to the
gauge by slackening the said screw and moving the shaft endwise in its
bearings. The said revolving table is a convex circular piece of brass
or other suitable metal mounted on a short shaft which turns in bearings
in one end of an elbow lever pivoted to the frame. The said table
shaft is geared by bevilled pinions with another shaft also supported in
bearings in the said elbow lever, and geared with a driving pinion which
is turned by a crank or lever. The said elbow lever is jointed to a
spring rod extending down to the foot of the apparatus, and whereby the
said elbow lever is pressed upward and brings the aforesaid table up to
the feeding devices with the required pressure. The said rod is provided
with a screw nut against which the spring acts, and whereby the pressure
of the said spring is regulated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent a
filed by the said Daniel Mills in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
MILLS, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America, now of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Daniel Mills, Her special
licence that I, the said Daniel Mills, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Daniel Mills, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 THE MANU-
FACTURE OF BOOT AND SHOE SOLES AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," the result
partly of a communication to me from abroad by Charles Goodyear, a
person resident in New York, United States of America, and partly of
Invention and discovery made by me, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Daniel Mills, 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 Daniel Mills, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 first part of my said Invention relates to a novel method of pre-
paring the sole of a boot or shoe for lasting and sewing. For this
purpose I form in the sole the ordinary channel, and I also form a
groove outside of the said channel, and at any suitable distance from the
edge of the sole, and extending all around the same, the said channel
and groove being parallel with each other.
The second part of the said Invention relates to an apparatus or
machine for moulding or bending the edges of boot or shoe soles to give
them any desired form previous to putting them on the last, to facilitate
the sewing of the same in a sewing machine.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawing, which I will now proceed to describe,
I have illustrated the manner in which both parts of my said Invention
may be most conveniently and advantageously carried into practise.
moulding or bending the edges of boot or shoe soles.
Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the said apparatus.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of a portion of the said apparatus drawn to
an enlarged scale; Figure 6 is a front elevation of the parts shewn in
Figure 5.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
"
In preparing the sole for lasting and sewing, according to the first
part of my Invention, and as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, a channel is
formed at a in the usual manner, and outside of this channel I make the
groove b. In making the
b
groove
"cord
a
or strip is cut completely
out of the sole. This groove permits the full thickness of the sole to be
shewn when the shoe is finished, and greatly improves the appearance of
the boot or shoe.
The apparatus shewn in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, has a frame c of cast iron
or other suitable material formed with a base or foot c¹, whereby it may
be supported and secured upon a table or bench by screws or otherwise.
At the top of this frame, and fitted to turn in suitable bearings therein,
is a shaft & which carries at one end feeding mechanism consisting of a
revolving gauge or presser roller e, a corrugated feed roller f, and an
antifriction roller g. h is a revolving table over which the work travels,
and which has its axis inclined with regard to the said shaft as shewn.
In combination with this table h and with the said revolving gauge or
presser roller e is a fixed gauge i, whose flanges or feet ¹ are slotted and
secured by screws passed through the said slots into the frame. These
screws and slots permit the said gauge to be adjusted to suit any variety
of work. The shaft d carries a toothed pinion j, and is held in place
longitudinally by a set screw ¹ passed through the boss of the said a

page_text: pinion. And the said shaft with the presser roller or gauge e may be
adjusted to any desired position with regard to the aforesaid table h and
fixed gauge i to suit any kind or quality of work by slackening the said
screw and moving the shaft endwise in its bearings c³. The aforesaid
revolving table h is a convex circular piece of brass or other suitable
metal mounted on a short shaft k which turns in a socket or bearing in
the upper end of an elbow lever / which is pivotted to the frame c at 1.
The said table shaft k is geared by bevilled pinions P, P, with another
shaft m, also supported in bearings in the said elbow lever, and geared
by the pinion m³ with the driving pinion n, which is turned by a crank
or lever o fixed on the outer end of its shaft, as shewn in Figure 3. The
said elbow lever 7 is jointed at 2* to a rod extending down to the foot
of the apparatus, where it is connected by another rod or bar to a treadle.
q is a spiral spring surrounding the lower part of the rod p between the
foot and the screw nut r. By the action of this spring upon the nut
the elbow lever is pressed upward and brings the aforesaid table h up to
the feeding devices with the required pressure. The pressure of the said
spring is regulated by the nut r as required.
Figure 5 illustrates the operation of this apparatus in moulding or
bending the edge of a sole, which is shewn passing between the table h
and corrugated feed roll f, while the edge of the sole is bent over the
periphery of the said table by the presser roller or gauge e, the fixed
gauge acting as a guide. It will be observed that the angular or
inclined position of the table h allows the corners of the sole to pass
freely over the said table, and therefore the moulding or bending of the
entire edge of the sole in this apparatus will be one continuous
operation.

page_text: Third. The said apparatus or machine with the feeding devices, the
fixed gauge, and the revolving table in combination with the other parts
of the said apparatus or machine, operating as herein set forth, and for
the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Mills, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
WM. ROB. LAKE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
DANL. MILLS.
(L.S.)