Improvements in Machines for Levelling the Soles of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 2nd Feb., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Levelling the Soles of Boots
and Shoes.
We, EDWARD CHARLES JUDD, Salesman and Inventor, of Swain, Fuller Manu-
facturing Company No. 54 South Street and HARRY EDGAR CILLEY, Manufacturer
of 118 South Street, both of the City of Boston, County of Suffolk, State of
Massachusetts, United States of America, 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 that type of sole-levelling machines having adjustable
rollers for acting on soles, which vary in contour or shape.
It has heretofore been proposed to employ two rollers arranged end to end and
provided with adjustable bearings for the purpose of rendering the rollers
susceptible of adjustment to approximately conform to the surfaces of sole varying
in contour or shape, but prior rolls of the character alluded to require manipulation
of special adjusting contrivances whenever the position of the rolls requires changing
or variation to suit the shape or particular condition required. This is in some
respects objectionable, and the chief object of our present invention is to avoid such
objection, and to provide a sole-levelling roll which will yield and automatically
conform itself to the contour or shape of the sole.
The invention has for its object to provide a sole-levelling roll composed of disks
and adapted to extend entirely across the sole and to yield and automatically
adjust itself to the surface of the sole without danger of binding or cramping the
disks.
The invention also has for its object to provide a sole-levelling roll composed of
a plurality of disks of hard material mounted on an axis and adapted to yield and
adjust themselves to the sole, while maintaining contact at the edges of their
peripheries and preserving a continuity of the acting surface to level and provide
the sole with a smooth unbroken surface.
These objects are accomplished in the manner and by the means hereinafter
described.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sole-levelling roll constructed in
accordance with our invention, and represented as acting upon the sole of a boot
or shoe.
Figure 2 is a detail side elevation showing the roll, a portion of the yoke or
frame which carries the roll, a portion of a shoe and a portion of a toe rest for the
shoe.
Figure 3 is a front end elevation, showing the roll and devices by which it is
carried, and
Figure 4 is a diagrammatical view designed to illustrate the mode of operation
of a known sole-levelling machine in connection with which our improved roll may
be used.
In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will
now describe the same in detail referring to the drawing, wherein the numeral 1
indicates a yoke, frame or carrier of the character used in well known sole-levelling
machines and adapted to be reciprocated in a horizontal plane and also to swing in
a vertical plane, so that the sole-levelling roller mounted on the yoke, frame or
carrier can be pressed down upon the sole of a boot or shoe and caused to traverse

page_text: the surface of the sole for the purpose of levelling the same. The boot or shoe is
usually placed upon a last mounted on an oscillatory jack, as will be understood by
reference to the diagrammatical view, Figure 4. In practice the jack oscillates and
the yoke, frame or carrier reciprocates horizontally, by which mode of operation
the best results are attained.
The improved sole-levelling roll which constitutes our present invention comprises
a flexible axis or shaft 3 adapted to assume varying positions and constructed of a
spiral strip of metal possessing the characteristics or properties of a spiral
spring. The strip of metal is sufficiently stout or strong to meet the conditions
necessary when the levelling roll is clamped or pressed down on the sole of the boot
or shoe.
The extremities of the arms or members composing the yoke, frame or carrier are
each formed on the inner side with a hemispherical projection or bearing 4, through
each of which extends a passage 5 adapted to receive a socket piece or holder 6 to
which one end of the shaft 3 is secured by means of a bolt 7 and nut 8. A socket
piece or holder 6 is arranged in each passage 5 and each socket piece or holder is
formed on its exterior with a screw threaded portion to receive a confining nut 9.
One of the nuts 9 is preferably formed with a hand-wheel or finger-portion 10 by
which it can be conveniently manipulated for the purpose of adjusting one of the
socket pieces or holders 6 and thus enable the tension of the flexible shaft to be
regulated or increased and diminished whenever occasion may demand. In the
construction illustrated the socket piece or holder 6, opposite the one on which the
hand-wheel nut is mounted is rigidly fixed in position, but since the tendency of
the spiral metallic strip is to draw or pull the socket pieces or holders 6 in a
direction towards one another, both socket pieces or holders can be movably mounted
in or on the arms or members of the yoke, frame or carrier.
The body of the roll comprises a plurality of disks 12 and 13, the disks 13 being
provided with concavities 14 which accurately fit the convex surfaces of the hemi-
spherical projections or bearings 4, by which means ball and socket connections
between the carrier and the roll are provided. The disks are strung upon the
flexible shaft 3 and normally lie contiguous at their sides as represented in Figure 3,
in which position the flexible shaft stands in a horizontal plane, or substantially so.
The disks are composed of any hard or rigid material suitable for the purpose in
hand, but preferably they are composed of brass or any other metal.
The sole-levelling roll is uniformly concave at its periphery, so that in its normal
position, Figure 3, it will conform to the usual curved shape of the sole of a boot
or shoe. The concavity of the roll is obtained by constructing the disks of different
diameter and arranging them so that they gradually decrease in diameter from the
outermost disks to the central one, as will be clearly understood by reference to
Figure 3.
The flexibility or elasticity of the shaft 3 renders it possible for the levelling roll
as a whole to yield out of a rectilinear line and assume an arched form or curvature
corresponding exactly or approximately to the contour or shape, of the sole of the
boot or shoe, whereby it is possible to practically use the roll on boot or shoe soles
which greatly vary in shape, particularly the shanks of soles that vary in contour
from a slight curve to an approximately V-shape in cross section.
The flexible shaft does not necessarily rotate axially, but, as here shown, the
disks of rigid material are designed to rotate on the shaft, and each disk is
susceptible, of rotating or turning independent of the others. The shaft is
cylindrical and sufficiently stiff to render it possible to exert considerable pressure
on the sole of the boot or shoe without liability of the shaft collapsing or being too
readily bent under pressure. For practical work, in levelling the sole of a boot or
shoe, the flexible shaft must be so constructed and combined with the disks of
rigid material as to enable the parts to conform to the contour of the sole and
exert the requisite pressure. In operation the disks roll over the sole and turn or
rotate on the flexible shaft. We prefer to construct the disks of varying diameter,
but do not, in all cases, limit ourselves thereto.

page_text: The roll may be caused to operate upon or traverse the surface of the entire
sole, or it may be caused to operate on the shank alone or on the forepart of the
sole only.
The provision of a sole levelling roll constructed as described or possessing the
characteristic features set forth, entirely avoids the necessity of manipulating set
screws or other adjusting devices each time the position of sole-levelling rolls is to
be changed or varied to accommodate them to the particular shape of sole which is
to be operated upon.
In our invention a single roll is adapted to extend entirely across the boot or
shoe sole and since this roll readily yields and conforms itself to the contour or
shape of the sole the latter is levelled and provided with a smooth surface
throughout its width.
In the operation of the improved roll when it is sprung into an arched or curved
form, as shown in Figure 1, the edges of the peripheries of the disks lie contiguous
or in contact and preserve a continuity of the bearing surface acting on the sole,
whereby we entirely avoid the formation of lines or ridges longitudinally of the
sole as will occur with those sole-levelling rolls arranged end to end with a space
between the adjacent ends.
In all existing sole-levelling machines of which we are aware, the rolls either
extend entirely across the sole, or are arranged to overlap one another, or are
arranged in line with one another. In no instance, so far as known to us, has a sole-
levelling roll been before employed, having a flexible or yielding shaft or axle and
adapted to automatically assume different curvatures for the purpose of conforming
itself to the contour or shape of the sole. It has been proposed to use spring
bearings for sole-levelling rolls but in such construction the roll itself is not
inherently elastic and cannot assume different curvatures to meet the conditions
required in operating on soles that vary more or less in contour or shape.
In the construction illustrated in the drawing the flexible or elastic shaft can be
shortened or lengthened by the adjustment of one or both of the socket-holders or
pieces 6, and consequently the tension or power of the shaft is diminished
or increased for the purpose of obtaining a more or less rigid action in the practical
operation of the roll.
The spital metallic strip composing the flexible axle or shaft may be provided
with a filling of rubber or any other elastic or suitable composition or material, as
represented in Figure 1.
We prefer to employ a flexible or elastic axle or shaft composed of a spiral
metallic strip and possessing the characteristics of a spiral spring, but we wish
it clearly understood the specific construction of the axle or shaft, or the
material of which it is composed, may be varied without affecting the spirit of
our invention.
The roller described and shown may be used on the roller-carrying head of any
existing or other sole-levelling machine, and it may be arranged and operated to
act along the entire sole, or only along a portion thereof.
The body of the roller is preferably composed of a plurality of disks, but we do
not confine ourselves thereto, as the roller body may be otherwise constructed and
mounted on the flexible or elastic shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A sole-levelling roll consisting of a flexible axle or shaft, and a plurality of
rigid disks of varying diameter strung thereupon, said disks being arranged so that
they decrease in diameter from the outermost disks to the central one, and said roll
being adapted to yield and assume different curvatures longitudinally, substantially
as and for the purposes described.
2. The combination with the carrier of a sole-levelling machine, of a sole-levelling
roll, consisting of a flexible shaft mounted at its extremities in the carrier, and a

page_text: plurality of disks rotatable on the said shaft, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
3. The combination with the carrier of a sole-levelling machine, of a sole-levelling
roll consisting of a flexible shaft mounted at its extremities in the carrier, and a
plurality of disks of rigid material independently rotatable on the said shaft,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
4. The combination with the reciprocating carrier of a sole-levelling machine,
of a sole-levelling roll composed of a flexible shaft carrying a plurality of disks
and mounted at its extremities in the reciprocating carrier, adjustable socket
pieces or holders arranged in the carrier and engaging the ends of the shaft,
and nuts for adjusting the socket pieces, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
5. The combination with a reciprocating carrier, and a sole-levelling roll
provided with a flexible axle or shaft and susceptible of assuming different
curvatures longitudinally, of ball and socket connections between the roll and
the carrier, substantially as and for the purposes described.
6. The combination with a roll-carrier, of a sole-levelling roll having a flexible
axle or shaft susceptible of being lengthened or shortened, and devices connecting
the ends of the axle or shaft with the carrier and adapted to lengthen or shorten
said axle or shaft, substantially as described.
7. The combination with a roll-carrier, of a sole-levelling roll having an elastic
axle or shaft and adapted to assume different curvatures, and tension adjusting
socket pieces or holders connecting the axle or shaft with the carrier and
serving to change or vary the tension of said axle or shaft, substantially
as described.
Dated this 3rd day of December 1901.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.