Improvements in the Eyeleting of Boots and Shoes and other Articles, and a Machine for Carrying Out the said Improvements.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th June, 1896-Accepted, 15th Aug.,
1896
PROVIDIUNAD SIEVIET
Improvements in the Eyeleting of Boots and Shoes and other Articles,
and a Machine for Carrying Out the said Improvements.
THOMAS LAYCOCK Boot Upper Manufacturer Bengeworth Wellingborough do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of boots and shoes
and other articles where eyelets are generally used.
Also to a machine for the better carrying out of the said improvements.
By this invention I am able to make a considerable improvement on my
Patent 3387 of 1892, which will give a much neater appearance to the boot or shoe
or other article.
In carrying out my invention I insert the eyelet in the same manner as in my
Patent 3387 of 1892, but instead of punching the holes through the outer and
inner substances of the leg and facing all the same size I punch the hole of the
leg or outer surface with a smaller holo than the facing or inner substance.
It will be easily understood that a lace will pass through a smaller hole when
punched in leather or other materials than through an eyelet inserted in the same,
the former giving way to the pull of the lace and the latter being rigid, so that it
is necessary to have a larger hole where the eyelet is used in the inner substance
than is required in the leg or outer substance where there is no eyelet used.
This improvement not only gives a neater appearance on account of the smaller
hole on the outer surface, but is much more likely to keep out the wet, as the lace
can be used of the thickness required to fill up the hole.
Another advantage obtained by my invention is, that instead of the smaller
being in the centre of the larger hole I am enabled to place the two edges together,
to the front of the facing, and by this method it is impossible for the outer or
smaller hole to stretch or elongate with the pull of the lace.
In order to satisfactorily carry out my invention I found it necessary to provide
a specially constructed machine which would punch out the small hole of the outer
substance, and the larger hole out of the inner substance both at the same time.
To accomplish this part of my invention I use two punches or nibs, the larger
one I fix (stationary) to the bed of the machine and the smaller one I fix into a
bar in the same manner as in an ordinary eyelet punching machine. I then
provide what I term a plate of a suitable size and material preferably working on
a hinge or swivel and passing between the two nibs or punches.
In order to punch the holes, I place the outer substance on the top side of the
plate and the inner or bottom substance under the plate, so that when the lever
of the machine is worked it brings down the nib upon the outer substance and
presses the inner substance against the bottom nib and thus punches out the
smaller and the larger holes at one operation.
It will be obvious that the machine can be made with two nibs of the same size
in which case the edges would come together and would not require so much
pressure as is the case with the ordinary punching machines now in use & could be
used for the same purpose.
It is also obvious that instead of the bottom nib being stationary I can make
the top nib stationary & thus reverse the action, bringing the pressure from below.
Dated this 20th day of November 1895.

page_text: Improvements in the Eyeleting of Boots and Shoes and other Articles,
and a Machine for Carrying Out the said Improvements.
I, THOMAS LAYCOCK, of Bengeworth, Wellingborough, in the County of
Northampton, Boot Upper 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in the method of eyeleting boots and
sboes and other articles forming the subject of former Letters Patent granted to
me No. 3387 of 1892, and also to a machine for punching the eyelet holes.
According to my present invention, instead of punching holes of the same
diameter in the outer and inner substances of the leg and facing of the boot or
shoe, I form the hole in the leg or outer substance of less diameter than that in
the facing or inner substance. The two holes are most advantageously punched
eccentrically with one another in such a manner that the inner edge of one side of
the smaller hole is coincident with the inner edge of the corresponding side of the
larger hole so that the said larger hole, which is provided with a metal eyelet bears
all the strain of the lace for the purpose of preventing the outer smaller holes
being torn or otherwise damaged by the lace.
The machine which I advantageously employ for punching the eyelet holes
comprises two punches or nibs adapted to punch the larger and smaller holes
simultaneously. One of the two punches is rigidly attached to the frame of the
machine whilst the other is fitted to a bar similarly to the punch of the ordinary
eyelet punching machine. The two punches when the holes are to be eccentrically
punched are arranged out of centre and I pivot to the frame of the machine a
plate of metal or other suitable material the free end of which passes between the
two punches and serves as a bed for both.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a view of a portion of a boot or shoe upper having eyelet holes of
different diameter punched in it in accordance with my invention :
Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1:
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a part of an eyelet punching machine made
according to my invention; and,
Figure 4 is a sectional plan of the same on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a is the outer and the inner substance of the
boot or shoe upper.
care the holes punched in the outer substance, and d the
holes punched in the inner substance. Each hole c is made smaller than the corre-
sponding hole d and is punched in such a position relatively with the hole d that
the inner edges of the two holes coincide as shewn clearly in Figures 1 and 2.
e are the metal eyelets fitted in the larger holes d, the smaller holes c being
unprovided with eyelets.
It will be obvious that, when the two edges of the boot upper are laced together,
the laces, which pass through both the smaller and larger holes, will press against
the inner edge of the eyelets e and as the inner edge of each hole c coincides with
that of each eyelet e it follows that no strain is put upon the inner edges of the
said holes c as all the strain is borne by the metal eyelets e. The small holes c
therefore will not be torn or stretched by the lace and the diameter being small
the lace itself fills up the whole of the hole thus rendering the eyelet holes
practically water-tight.
Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, f is the frame of my improved eyelet punching
machine, g is the larger punch or nib which is rigidly fixed to a plate y¹ screwed

page_text: to the lower part of the frame, and h is the smaller punch or nib which is fixed to
the bar i adapted to be reciprocated up and down in the usual manner. As shewn
clearly in Figure 3 the two punches are arranged out of alignment so that the
holes which they produce will be eccentric with one another as, and for the purpose,
hereinbefore described.
j is my plate forming the bed for both punches, the said plate being pivoted, as
shewn, by means of a screwed pink to a bracket fixed to, or cast with, the frame
of the machine. In the drawings the plate ; is formed of a median tongue m of
metal and right and left adjustable gauges n, n. The gauges n, n are designed to
gauge the distance from hole to hole and are bevelled so that the operator may see
distinctly. The median tongue m is normally held in a position intermediate
between the two punches by means of a spring o, the upward movement of the
tongue being limited by a stop p which strikes against the bracket l. The plate ;
is pivotted in such a position that the tongue m is in a horizontal position when it
rests on the upper end of the punch g.
is a guide against which the edge of the material is placed when the holes are
to be punched by the machine; this guide q is fixed to the pivoted plate ; by
means of a screw which passes through a slots in the said guide and by a pin q
engaging with a slot q' in the tongue m so that its position can be adjusted for the
purpose of allowing the holes to be punched more or less near the edge of the
material.
The plate gl in which the bottom punch is fixed can be adjusted in position in
the lower part of the frame ƒ of the machine by allowing play in the holes through
which the fixing screws t, t pass. This adjustment is required when smaller or
larger punches are substituted for those in use in order to bring their inner edges
coincident.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-
The boot upper which is ready for punching is placed in the machine with the
outer substance between the punch and the tongue m and with the inner
substance between the punch g and the tongue m. The punch is now caused to
descend in the usual manner and in its descent it presses the outer substance
against the tongue m which is itself caused to descend until it is brought to rest
by the lower punch g. Further pressure on the upper punch then causes holes
to be punched in the outer and inner substances of the upper, the said holes being
eccentric with one another in the manner herein before described.
It will be obvious that instead of making the bottom punch rigid with the
machine I can make the top punch rigid and operate the bottom punch.
It will also be obvious that the machine can be made with two punches or nibs
of the same size, in which case the edges would come together and would not
require so much pressure as ordinary eyelet punching machines now in use for
which my machine could be substituted.
Although I have described my machine as provided with one set of punches,
I wish it to be understood that the said machine can be provided with several such
sets if desired. I can also use a half round or other shaped punch for the top or
a cutter to make a slit instead of a hole.
It will be obvious that instead of fixing the eyelet into the inner substance of
the facing as hereinbefore described can use three substances, the outer for my
small hole and the middle and lower for the large hole or I can punch the outer
and middle holes first with a small and large hole respectively and afterwards the
lower substance with a small bole and I can then fix the eyelet into the middle
Fubstance so that when the article is finished the eyelet will not be seen from
either outside or the inside.
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 boots shoes or other articles where lance
VM D
od providing the
meeting

page_text: edges of the articles to be laced with two or more holes of different diameters¯
through which the lace passes substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In boots or shoes and other articles where laces are used and wherein the
eyelets are covered by an outer substance, forming the lace holes in the outer
substance smaller than and eccentric with the eyelet or lace holes in such a manner
that the inner edges of the two sets of holes coincide with one another, substantially
as, and for the purpose, herein before described.
3. In a machine for punching lace and eyelet holes in boot and shoe uppers and
in other articles a fixed and a movable punch or nib or a knife arranged so as to
punch holes of different diameters and a pivoted plate forming the bed for both
punches, substantially as, and for the purpose, hereinbefore described.
4. The manufacture and use of the improved lace and eyelet hole punching
machine hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
Dated the 26th day of Mev 1896
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.