Improvements in Boot and Shoe Sewing Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 26th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boot and Shoe Sewing Machines.
I, MARK THOMAS DENNE, of 1 Tower Road, Eastbourne, in the County of
Sussex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to lock stitch sewing machines chiefly designed for attaching
welts of boots and shoes but also applicable for sewing what is known as turn-shoe
work.
In carrying out my invention I employ a rotary shuttle operated by skew gearing
and adapted to take the thread directly from a barbed needle working in a
plane at right angles to the shuttle without the intervention of a loop opener or
thread lifter.
In combination with this rotary shuttle I employ a combined needle and aw]
carrier oscillating upon its axis in a raceway and carrying the curved barbed needle
in opposition to the curved awl used for effecting the feed so that when the needle
is in the work the awl will be out of the same and vice versa. This combined
needle and awl carrier is preferably operated from a cam on the driving shaft of
the machine through the medium of a bifurcated lever engaging with a pin secured
to the carrier and projecting through both sides of the raceway.
The welt guide or gauge which forms the table for the work is a fixture and is
preferably formed in two parts one of which is grooved to carry the inner edge of
the welt and the other to carry the outer edge. Between these two parts is a ring
having its periphery serrated or roughened and arranged in such a manner that it
projects into the welt guide and supports the welt just below the line of stitching.
This ring prevents the welt from dragging down in the guide and also facilitates
the feeding movement of the welt.
The welt guide is of such length that the strip of welt before it enters the guide
is kept away from the part being sewn, and the said guide is also curved so that it
offers no obstruction when welting the waist of a boot.
Dated the 28th day of November 1892
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boot and Shoe Sewing Machines.
I, MARK THOMAS DENNE, of 1, Tower Road, Eastbourne, in the County of
Sussex, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to lock-stitch sewing machines chiefly designed for attaching
the welts of boots and shoes but also applicable for sewing what is known as turn-
shoe work.
In carrying out my invention I employ a rotary discoidal shuttle operated
by skew-gearing and adapted to take the thread directly from a barbed needle
working in a plane at right angles to the shuttle without the intervention of a
loop opener or thread-lifter, the said parts being somewhat similar to those
described in the Specification of former Letters Patent No. 10025 of 1892, and
in combination with this rotary shuttle I employ a combined needle and awl carrier
oscillating upon its axis in a race-way and carrying the curved barbed needle in

page_text: opposition to the curved awl used for effecting the feed so that when the needle is
in the work the awl will be out of the same and vice versa. This combined needle
and awl-carrier is preferably operated from a cam on the driving shaft of the
machine through the medium of a bell-cranked bifurcated lever engaging with a
pin secured to the carrier and projecting through both sides of the race-way.
The welt-guide or gauge which forms the table for the work is a fixture and is
of such length that the strip of welt before it enters the guide is kept away from
the part being sewn, and the said guide is also curved so that it offers no
obstruction when welting the waist of a boot or shoe.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a boot and shoe sewing machine constructed
according to my invention:
Figure 2 is a plan of the same :
Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3, Figure 1:
Figures 4 and 5 are respectively horizontal sections on the lines 4-4 and 5—5,
Figure 3:
Figure 6 is a side view of part of the mechanism shewn in Figure 3 shewing the
parts in a different position:
Figures 7 and 8 are an elevation and plan respectively of the needle and awl
with their carrier and operating mechanism :
Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9, Figure 7:
Figures 10 and 11 are respectively an elevation and a plan of the race-way for
containing the combined needle and awl:
Figure 12 is a section on the line 12-12, Figure 10:
Figures 13, 14 and 15 are respectively a side elevation, a front elevation and a
plan of the welt-guide detached; and,
Figures 16 and 17 are an elevation and a plan of a packing piece to be used in
connection with the said guide :
Figures 18 and 19 are an elevation and a plan and Figures 20, 21 and 22 are
elevations of cams hereinafter described.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a indicates the framing of the machine, and 6 the driving shaft supported in
bearings in the said frame and carrying the cams and gearing for imparting
movement to the various parts as hereinafter more fully described.
c, d, e, f, and g are respectively the shuttle, the thread-puller, the take-up lever,
the thread locking wheel and the channel-guide, all of which, together with their
connecting mechanism, are somewhat similar to those described in the Specification
of former Letters Patent No. 10025 of 1892 but arranged and adapted to work in
the manner hereinafter fully set forth.
h is my combined needle and awl-carrier, and i, j are the curved barbed needle
and awl respectively carried thereby and clamped by means of plates i¹, j¹ in the
usual manner. is the axis pin of the said carrier upon which the same oscillates
in a race-way k. The needle and awl are curved so as to work in the same path
and are arranged in opposition in the manner shewn clearly in Figure 7 so that
when the needle is in work the awl will be out of the same and vice versa.
2 is the needle-guard which embraces the needle i and is provided with a ring 3
arranged to turn on a boss on the carrier, the said guard being provided with a
stud or pin which comes in contact with a stop formed by a recess on the race-
way and is thus prevented from rising too high with the needle even if the latter
be foul and the guard is stuck thereon, thus dispensing with the aid of springs as
has hitherto been found necessary. On the forward stroke of the needle the guard
is carried by friction with the said needle until it comes in contact with the 'welt-
guide or gauge o (hereinafter described) thus supporting the needle while
penetrating the work.
1 is the cam serving to oscillate the carrier through the medium of the bell-
cranked bifurcated lever fulcrummed on a shaft in the frame a, the said cam

page_text: 13
having a cam-groove 1³ engaging a roller on the said lever and arranged on the
shaft b. The said lever is provided with jaws which engage with blocks 1°
loose on a pin attached to the carrier, the said pin projecting through a slot k¹
in each side of the race-way k. The blocks 18 are wider than the jaws 1³ so
that they can
move laterally with the race-way when moving as hereinafter
described without becoming disengaged from the said jaws.
The
The feed for obtaining the length of stitch is effected by means of the awl j when
in the work, and for this purpose the race-way k containing the carrier is arranged
to slide laterally upon a shaft m at the front of the machine, it being provided with
the extension sliding through the side of the frame a and connected to one end
of a slotted lever k³ adjustably fulcrummed by a pin to the said framé a.
other end of the lever 3 is provided with a roller working in a cam-groove n in a
disc n' arranged ou the shaft b, the said groove being so formed as to impart the
feeding movement to the race-way k when the awl is in work. By adjusting
the position of the fulcrum pin in the slot of the lever and in a slot in the
frame a the length of the feed and consequently of the stitches formed can be
varied.
o is my welt-guide or gauge which forms the table for the work and is fixed to
the front of the machine by screws o', o¹ as shewn. The said guide, as clearly
shewn in Figures 13, 14 and 15, consists of a bar having a groove o for the reception
of the welt, the said grooved part being so curved that the strip of welt, which
enters it at the right hand end (looking at the front of the machine) is kept away
from the part of the boot or shoe being sewn. The guide o is curved so that it
offers no obstruction when welting the waist of the boot or shoe. The depth of
the groove o² can be varied by the use of packing pieces o³ (Figures 16 and 17) of
various thicknesses placed therein. The dotted lines in Figure 14 indicate one
of the said packing pieces applied to the welt-guide o.
The shuttle c is arranged in a race-way c¹and is driven by skew gearing in a
similar manner to that described in the said former Specification, that is to say, a
shaft e² is arranged in a bearing and provided with a disc carrying a pro-
jection engaging with a recess in the shuttle so as to rotate the latter, the said
shaft having a worm-wheel operated by a wheel e provided with spiral or helical
teeth, the said wheels being so proportioned that the shuttle rotates twice for one
revolution of the shaft b. The shuttle instead of being arranged above the needle
and awl as in the said former Specification is arranged below the same but it
operates in a similar manner, that is to say, it takes the thread directly from the
barbed needle without the intervention of a loop opener or thread-lifter. The
wheel c' is advantgeously formed integral with the cam l.
The thread-puller described in the present invention is arranged so as to move
backward and forward only, the lateral movement described in the said former
Specification to enable the said thread-puller to engage with the needle thread
being dispensed with, the feeding movement of the race-way k enabling the said
thread to be placed on the path of the hook of the thread-puller so as to be
engaged thereby when moved backward. In order to effect this backward and
forward movement, the said thread-puller is mounted in a bar d¹ designed to slide
in a pivotted guide d², the said bar being connected to one end of a lever d³ pivotted
to the frame a while the other end of the lever carries a roller bearing against the
cam d', the said roller being caused to press against the cam by means of a
spring d. The guide d is pivotted so as to allow of the oscillations of the bar d¹
due to its connection with the lever d³.
The take-up lever e is pivotted on the shaft and is provided with the adjustable
roller e running upon the cam e², a spring e³ serving to keep the said roller in
contact with the cam. e is a pulley at the end of the take-up lever e, around
which pulley the thread for the needle passes. e, e are additional pulleys for the
passage of the needle thread, the pulley es being pivotted to a bracket e' while
the pulley e is pivotted to the end of a spring-lever es fulcrummed to the said

page_text: bracket e, the said pulley e serving to maintain in tension the thread passing
around it.
"
The thread-locking wheel of around which the thread passes in its passage to the
take-up lever is arranged as in the said former Specification to be held against
movement except when it is necessary to take sufficient thread to form a stitch,
that is to say, it is provided with a series of ratchet teeth on its periphery with
which a spring-block f having corresponding teeth engages, the said block, as
shewn in Figures 3 and 5 being connected to a shaft f2 arranged in a bearing f³
and having connected thereto a lever carrying a roller f bearing against a
cam f®.
In order to maintain a proper tension on the needle thread passing around the
thread-locking wheel f, I cause the said wheel to bear against one face of its
bearing (so as to set up a certain amount of friction between them) by means of
a spring arranged between the other face and a nut and washer f' on its pivotting
shaft f. In order that this tension can be relieved when removing work from
the machine, I provide for moving the thread-locking wheelf away from the face
of the bearing by means of a lever f" fulcrummed at f12 and connected by a pin f¹³
to the shaft 10, a slot being provided in the bearing f' to allow of movement of
the said pin 13.
The channel-guide g bears in the channel formed in the insole for the stitching,
as shewn in Figure 6, and is normally locked so as to be rigid but at the point of
operation of the machine at which the work is placed therein it is arranged to be
unlocked. In order to effect this locking and unlocking the said channel-guide is
fixed to one end of a lever g pivotted at g² to the frame a, the other end of the
lever being provided with teeth or serrations with which engage corresponding
teeth or serrations on a spring lever g3 whereby the locking is effected, and in order
to unlock the channel-guide the teeth on the lever g³ are caused to disengage from
those on the lever g¹ by means of a cam-projection g* formed on the periphery of
the disc n' acting on a roller 9' on the lever g³.
p is a thread-guide similar to that described in the Specification of Letters
Patent No. 10026 of 1892 and serves when the thread is pulled against its inclined
edge by the thread-puller to guide the same into the barb of the needle.
9 is a pulley arranged for the passage of the thread from the pulley e³ to the
thread-guide p.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The shaft b must be turned so as
to move the carrier h into the position in which the channel-guide is unlocked, in
which position neither the needle nor the awl are in the way. The welt to be
attached is then placed in the groove o² of the welt-guide and the boot or shoe to
be welted is brought to bear against the said guide, as shewn in Figure 6, the
channel-guide being caused to rest upon the bottom of the channel in the insole.
The shaft b being now driven in the direction of the arrow, Figure 3, the needle
moving upwards penetrates first the welt and then the upper and insole and when
it has arrived at its highest point the thread is thrown into the barb of the needle
by the thread-puller d actuated by its cam d, the position of the parts at this point
being indicated clearly in Figure 6. The needle then recedes drawing down the
thread while the take-up lever e rises and gives up as much thread as is required;
at the same time the thread-locking wheel is released to give up as much thread
as has been used in the previous stitch. In its backward movement directly the
point of the needle leaves the welt the carrier is given a movement from left to
right which places the awl in a position to puncture the work a distance from the
plane of the movement of the needle when penetrating the work, corresponding to
the length of the stitch to be formed. When the needle has arrived at the end of
its down stroke the hook c° of the shuttle engages with the. loop formed by the
needle, and the needle dipping behind the said hook as it rotates releases the said
loop which.is, passed by the movement of the hook.c° over both faces of the shuttle
thus enclosing the spool thread in a similar manner to that described in the
"

page_text: Specification of the said former Letters Patent No. 10025 of 1892.
The take-up
lever when the thread has passed over the centre of the shuttle moves down so as
to take up the thread as it comes slack and pull it up into the work. While these
operations just described are being performed and when the needle reaches its
backward position the awl is then in the work and the carrier h having a lateral
movement imparted to it by the cam-groove n from right to left carries with it the
boot or shoe and at the same time the welt is pulled out of the guide sufficiently by
the said movement. This feeding movement of the race-way k also acts to place
the needle thread in engagement with the thread-puller. While the needle is
rising through the work and is having the thread placed in its barb, the shuttle
which revolves twice to once of the main shaft b as hereinbefore described, is
rotating without engaging with the needle thread, the shuttle hook co being so
timed as to be in the position to take off the thread from the needle as the latter
finishes its downward movement.
For turn-shoe work in place of the welt-guide o I employ a support consisting
of a plain bar of the same shape as the welt-guide against which the work is
held.
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 lock-stitch sewing machine for attaching the welts of boots and shoes
and also for turn-shoe work, having a curved barbed needle and an awl which feeds
and which punctures the work from the opposite side to the needle, securing both
awl and needle to one carrier whereby both the awl and needle are operated without
altering their relative positions, substantially as described.
2. In the machine hereinbefore described utilizing the feed motion to place the
needle thread in the path of the thread-puller, substantially in the manner
described.
3. The manufacture and use of the improved machine consisting of the parts
constructed and combined substantially as herein before described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings and operating as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Dated this 25th day of September 1893.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.