IMPROVEMENTS IN LASTING MACHINES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Middleton Justice of 53 Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents for an
Invention of " 'IMPROVEMENTS IN LASTING MACHINES" Communicated to
him from abroad by Jan Earnst Matzeliger, Charles Henry. Delnow Melville
Shepard Nichols and George Sumner Forbush all of Lynn, County of Essex,
State of Magenchusetts United States of Amoxina
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Philip Middleton Justice at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th March 1883.
PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex
Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents IMPROVEMENTS IN LASTING MACHINES
communicated to me from abroad by Jan Earnst Matzeliger Charles Henry
Delnow, Melville Shepard Nichols and George Sumner Forbush all of Lynn
County of Essex State of Massachusetts, United States of America
This Invention relates to the lasting of boots and shoes The object is to
perform by machinery and in a more expeditious and economical manner the
operations which have heretofore been performed by hand Heretofore devices
have been contrived for performing a part of the operation such as holding the last
in proper position and drawing the leather over the last while the nailing was
done by hand. In this machine all the operations are performed by the machine
and automatically, requiring only the services of a boy or girl or other unskilled
labour to attend to the machine The invention includes the mechanism for
holding the last in place and allowing it to be turned and the last fed forward in
proper position for the operation of the machine It includes a feeding device for
moving the last step by step at a proper distance whereby the inechanism for
drawing over the leather may operate successively and at proper intervals It
includes pincers or gripping mechanism for drawing the upper over the last;
mechanism for turning the gripping mechanism in order to plait the leather at the
beel or toe; mechanism for holding the last in proper position for the operation
of the feeding mechanism; mechanism for feeding the nails and holding them in
D

page_text: proper position to be driven; and mechanism for driving the nails at the proper
instant The details of construction are all fully set forth hereinafter and together
with the principles of the invention are stated in the claims In the accompanying
drawings Fig 1 is a side elevation of the right of the machine. Fig 2 is a side
elevation of the upper part of the machine portions of the parts being broken
away Fig 3 is a plan view of the machine with the upper plate broken away to
show the works within. Figs 4. 5. 6. 7. 8 and 9 are details connected with Fig 3.
Fig 10 is a front elevation of the upper part of the machine with the jack removed
Figs 11 and 12 represent respectively front and side views of the pincers detached
and enlarged. Figs 13. 14. 15 and 16 represent different views of the feeding and
rolling devices and apart of their operating mechanism. Figs 17. 18. 19 and 20
represent details connected with the tacking mechanism Figs 21 and 22 represent
the distributer and form of channel or chute Fig 23 is a detail of a tension device.
Figs 24. 25. 26. 28 and 29 represent details of the mechanism for connecting and
operating the various parts Figs 27 and 30 represent detail views of the jack
cam. All the working mechanism is mounted upon a column A. which is securely
fixed upon the floor It is bent forward and upon its upper end supports a plate B
having fixed in the rear part posts 1. 1. to which is fixed an upper plate B' On
the rear of these parts are brackets 2. 2. in which are the bearings of the main
..driving shaft 3 On the end of this driving shaft is a main drive wheel 4 Upon
the shaft 3,7are set the cam, wheels and cams; which give proper' motion to the
mechanism all as hereinafter described On the front side of the posts are pro-
jections 5. 5. in which are supported rods 6. 6. on which the various bell crank
levers turn "The upper plate is further supported upon the lower by means of a
pedestal bracket 7. 7. The devices which hold the leather of the upper and guide
it as the last moves, the devices which hold the last steadily in place and roll down
the leather and feed the last forward step by step are located upon the lower plate
The devices for drawing the leather, for nailing; and for feeding the nails are
supported mainly upon or from the upper plate The jack for holding the last is
mounted upon an arm D pivoted upon a weighted lever E which is pivoted in the
column near the base The weight is upon the rear end and is adapted to counter-
balance the weight of the jack and last and hold the latter up to the work. The
base of the jack consists of a pivoted piece' 8'on the top of the arm D It is pro-
vided at one end-with a pivoted pin 9 which extends down through a slot in the
enlarged end of the piece S and is adapted to be pressed back by a cam 10 the
handle of which is held in place by means of a spring which takes into a segmental
rack 11 By this means the pin is thrown inwardly at its upper end and when
the last is in place upon the pin, presses the toe down upon the small post 12
which is adjustably fixed on the other end of the piece 8 The post 12 slides upon
flanges upon the piece 8 and is held in any suitable position according to the size
of the last by means of a set screw. A spring 13 fixed to the standard, or post 12
presses against the toe of the last to hold the upper in place Upon the other end
is a spring 14 which carries at its upper end a small clamp 15 adapted to embrace
the heel and to hold the upper and the heel stiffening to the last A, segmental
rack 16 is fixed to the under side of the long end of the piece 8 and projecting
downward engages with a small pinion 17 which has a handle 18 by means of which
it is turned to raise or lower the end of the piece 8 and thus adjust vertically
the position of the last The upper end d of the arm to which the piece is directly
pivoted is held upon the top of a cam disc F This cam disc rests and turns upon
a disc ffixed to the upper end of the arm D the disc being held thereon by
means of a central pin projecting upwards from the disc f into a hole 19 in the
disc F On the under side of F is a cam groove 20. Within the standard or arm D
which is slotted is pivoted at 21 a lever 22 on the upper end of which is an
arm 23 having a pin 24 projecting up through the plate or disc f into the cam
groove 20 and this cam groove is of such shape as to give when the last is turned,
to the mechanism which pulls the upper a proper rotary motion to form the
plaiting at the heel and toe all as hereinafter fully described

page_text: This rotary motion it will be understood is due to the rotation of the jack with the.
upper plate F carrying the cam groove over the pin 24 and thereby moving the upper
end of the lever in and out A bracket 25 fixed to the column has in its forward end
a loop which encircles the arm D and holds it within proper limits It may be here
premised that when the last has been jacked it is brought by the attendant up into
proper position for commencing the work For this purpose it is made to bear.
against a guide 26 fixed to the under side and at the forward end to a supplemental
plate b. shown in the detached and enlarged views Figs 3 and 4 The edge of the
last with its upper bears against this guide piece as it moves around throughout the
entire revolution of the jack In order to obtain a regular step by step movement
of the last for the successive operation of the pincer and nailing mechanism herein-
after described a feeding spur 28 Figs 13 and 14 is provided This spur is formed
by the downwardly bent end of a pivoted lever 29 This lever has an upwardly
turned end 30 Fig 1 and is pivoted in a sliding block 31 which moves laterally in
guides 32 in the upper face of the plate b The upper end 30 of the lever 29 is
pivoted to a rod 33 which connects it with the lower end of a bell crank lever 34
pivoted on the rod 6 The rear end of the bell crank lever 34 runs back and bears
on the face of the second cam marked P The periphery of the cam P is shaped as
shown in the face view thereof in Fig 9 so that the high part of the cam is.
considerably less than half the circumference and holds the rear end of the bell
crank lever up, thus drawing back the upper end of the arm 29 and lifting the
spur sufficiently to allow it to be moved to take a new hold A spring 35 tends
constantly to draw the lower end of the bell crank lever forward and hold the spur
downward to the last The means for giving a lateral movement to the sliding
block 31 for laterally moving the spur in order to move or feed the last a single
step will now be described This sliding movement of the block is required to be a
positive movement To effect this the block is connected by a rod 36 to the forward
arm of a bell crank lever 37 pivoted at point E The other end is connected by a
small rod 38 to a bell crank lever 39 the rear arm of which is connected to a cam
groove by a suitable pin in the face of the cam wheel P This groove is shown in
the face view of the said wheel The cam P moves in the direction of the arrow
and when the pin of the bell crank lever rises at the first sharp turn in the cam
groove, the rear part of the bell crank lever is sharply depressed and through the
described connections the slide block 31 is moved to the right to feed the last along
from left to right until the pin reaches the middle projection in the low part of the
groove Then the rear end of the bell crank lever is raised and it continues to rise
and carries back the block to its first position until it reaches the next sharp turn
in the cam groove from which point the pin moves through the segment of a
circle and the lever therefore and the slide block remain stationary It will be
understood that the up and down movement of the spur performed by the .bell
crank lever 34 is timed so as to carry the spur down on top of the last and lift it.
from the last at the proper times, that is to say after the spur is carried from
right to left to take a new hold it immediately descends to take hold of the
last and the slide 31 is then moved to the right and as soon as it reaches the
right limit the spur is lifted In order to hold the last steadily in place against
any lateral movement while the feeding spur is going back to take a new hold,
a holding epur 40 is provided the position of which is shown more clearly in
Figs 13 and 14 This is carried on a small rock shaft 41 which has an arm 42,
the rock shaft being supported in a small bracket 43 on the forward edge of the
plate B The arm 42 is connected by a rod 44 to a bell crank lever 45 on the
rod 6 The rear end of this bell crank lever is provided with a pin which works in
the groove in the face of the cam wheel U This groove resembles the groove in.
the cam wheel P but is reversed so as to cause the holding spur 40 to descend and
take hold of the last to turn it in place while the slide block is moving back The
gripping device is now described by means of which the edge of the upper is seized
drawn over the edge of the last and held down upon the bottom while the tacks.

page_text: are inserted and which also at the heel and the toe performs the proper plaiting It
will be understood that a compound motion is required of this gripping mechanism,
first the jaws of the gripper or pincers must open and close to take hold of the
edge of the upper, then the pincers must rise and move over the edge of the last to
stretch the leather and then come down upon the bottom of the last all the while
holding firmly the leather in order to bring it down tightly stretched into its
proper place and there it must hold it until the tack is inserted when the operation
of the pincers must be repeated The pincers are provided with two jaws, one
fixed and the other moveable in relation to the fixed The shank or rod of the
pincers is shown in position in Figs 1 and 2 at 40 and in an enlarged view in
Figs 11 and 12. The shank 46 carries the outer or fixed jaw 47 The shank 46.
is grooved longitudinally as shown in full lines in Fig 11 and in dotted lines in
Fig 12 and in this groove lies the shank 48 of the moveable jaw 49 The shank 48
is slotted and a pin 50 passes through side plates on the shank 46 to hold the
shank 48 to the shank 46 and permit the necessary vertical movement
main shank of the pincers is round and threaded upon its upper end as shown in
Figs 11 and 12 It is supported upon the lever 51 Figs 1 and 2 which lever is
pivoted on a standard in the upper plate B¹ The front end of this lever is forked
and within the fork is located a ring mounted upon trunnions
The
Through this
ring passes the threaded end of the shank aforesaid The upper end is surrounded
by a coiled spring 52 the lower end of which bears upon the ring and the upper
end against a thumb screw by means of which its tension is regulated Thus the
whole pincer shank and pincers are supported upon the ring through the spring 52
and this gives a yielding or spring tension to the pincers when they have seized
the edge of the leather and are drawn up by the action of the lever 51.
The rear
end of the lever 51 is connected by means of a rod 53 to a curved lever 54 which
is pivoted upon the lower rod 6 Its rear end extends back by the side of the cam
wheel R and a pin in said lever enters the groove in the face of said wheel The.
groove in this wheel has a long high and a short low part Its face is to the
right as shown in Figs 3 and 7 In order to understand the vertical movement
imparted to the pincers by this cam groove it may be here stated that during this
vertical movement by means of mechanism hereinafter described the pincers
receive also a front to rear movement in order to draw the leather over the last
after they have gripped it It will be observed that the shaft is not exactly in
the centre of the solid part of the cam wheel. We will suppose the pincers to have
gripped the leather This occurs when the highest part of the cam marked c
Fig 7 bears upon the pin of the curved lever and consequently the pincers are at
their lowest point of depression At that time they are moved by the other
mechanism hereinafter described, furthest to the rear Then from the point c to
the point d'the pin is made to rise quickly and thereby the pincers rise by the
same motion drawing up the leather vertically in order to stretch it upwards.
From the point d to the point e, as the wheel advances, the pin and rear end of
the lever are depressed and with them the pincers come down upon the last having
by other mechanism been moved from the last but they do not at first come down
as low as they were carried by the point c since the point e is a less distance from
the centre or shaft, but from the point e around again to the point c as the wheel
moves the pin of the curved lever is held down and consequently the pincers are
held down But it will be observed from the shape of the groove that the pincers
will be gradually lowered more and more as the pin approaches the point c During
the first part of the movement the pincers have hold of the leather and the nailing
has been performed and during the latter part of the movement from e to c the
jaws of the pincers have opened and the pincers have been moved to the rear
while being thus lowered in order to bring them again to the leather to take a new
grip. Then at the point c the pincers again seize the leather and rise as before
The spring tension upon the leather in the lifting part of the movement of the
pincers is caused by the spring 52 As the lever rises this spring becomes
+

page_text: compressed and the tension increases
In order to guard against any excessive
strain and consequent tearing of the leather a second tension is provided which
may come into play when the spring,52 has reached a certain point of compression
This consists in making the post on which the lever 51 is pivoted rest upon a
spring 56 which is supported in the upper part of the adjustable bracket heretofore
referred to The post passes through the upper plate and through the pedestal
and is provided with a collar threaded upon the post for adjustment the spring
resting upon the pedestal bracket This spring is set at the proper tension say
at a certain number of pounds depending upon the position of the fulcrum
of the lever 51 and the limit of tension required When the strain upon
the spring 52 reaches that limit the spring 56 will yield and thus limit
the movement or strain on the pincers In the description of the parts last given
the lateral or front to rear movement of the pincers has been given, which
takes place during the vertical movement and thus forms a resultant causing
the pincers to draw up the leather and carry it over and lay it down upon the
last the mechanism by which this lateral or front to rear movement is accom-
plished is now described. The shank of the pincers below its pivot in the
arm 51 passes through a guide 57 on the front of a block 58 This block is
carried upon prongs 59 which embrace the block on each side and support it by
means of small trunnions 60 the trunnions being fixed to the lower end of the
block The prongs 59 are carried upon the front end of a sliding bar 61 which
moves in guides in a block 62 fixed to the upper surface of the lower plate B
This bar is connected to a bell crank lever which gives positive movement to the
bar through an intermediate tension spring shown on an enlarged scale in the
detached figure 23 and the interposed tension spring is also shown in Figs 1 and 2
In the forward part of the lever 61 is set a pin 162 A yoke 63 includes said pin
and passes back to the rear being connected to the bell crank lever by rods 64 In
rear of the pin 162 is a small block 65 on a spindle 66. This spindle passes back
through the rear cross piece of the yoke 63 and between said rear cross piece and
the collar on said spindle has a coiled spring 67 encircling the spindle and tending
constantly to press the block 65 forward so that when a forward pressure is
applied by means of the bell crank lever- to the rod 64 it applies a yielding
pressure through the rear cross piece of 63 through the spring 67 upon the pin 162
and thereby carries forward the prongs 59 with a yielding pressure and with them
the guide 57 and the pincers This it will be understood is the force applied to
the pincers to draw the upper to the front over the last The collar on the spindle 60
in front of the spring is a threaded nut and by turning it the tension of the
spring 67 may be adjusted in order to put a proper amount of strain upon the
leather The rods 64 run back and connect with a transverse arm of a bell crank
lever 69 the pin of which works in a groove in the face of the cam S The shape
of this groove is shown in the face view of the said cam in Fig 6 The rear arm
of the bell crank lever 69 is over the shaft and is on the right hand side of the
cam wheel as shown in the drawings When the rear end of the lever 69 is up
the pincers through the described intermediate connections are drawn back to take
a fresh hold upon the leather and as the rear arm of 69 comes down the pincers
are carried forward That part of the cam groove in wheel S between band c
holds the pin in one position during which time the pincers are in their rear
position and the mechanisms operate to cause them to raise the edge of the leather
from the point c to d on cam S the pin of lever 69 is depressed and the pincers
having by that time seized the leather are carried forward to draw the leather
over the last From d to e the pin passes around the curve remaining in position
during which time the pin has no vertical movement and the pincers remain in
their advanced position over the last, holding it in place while the tacking
mechanism is operating and from e to b the pincers are drawn back to take a new
hold upon the leather In order that the pincers may be enabled accurately and
certainly to seize the edge of the upper, a guide in which the edge of the upper

page_text: .
passes is provided and which: holds it accurately in position in line with the
movement of the pincers This guide mechanism is shown in position in Figs 2
and 10 and on an enlarged scale and detached in Figs 13 and 14 and detail Figs
15 and 16 This guide mechanism is carried upon the left hand side at the forward
end of the supplemental plate b. It consists of a fixed and moveable jaw M and N
the jaw N being pivoted upon the fixed jaw M. The forward end of the fixed jaw
is continued and passes into a slot in the moveable jaw with a pivoting pin passing
through both. A spring 70 holds the moveable jaw properly closed against the fixed
and the edge of the leather passes between the two and is carried along by the
transverse feeding mechanism heretofore described the edge being held between the
jaws always in the same position The jaws are enclosed in a case as represented in
Fig 13 in section a space being left by the case between the two jaws for the passage
of the leather In order to press the wrinkles out of the leather and keep the edge
in a proper vertical position the jaws are provided with small rollers 71. 72 The
roller 71 is driven by a worm 73 on a shaft 74 This shaft is journalled within the
fixed jaw as shown in Fig 13. It receives its motion through pinions from the
shaft 75 which shaft extends to the rear and is connected by means of bevelled
gears to a transverse shaft 76 which is driven by pinions 77.78 the latter being on
the end of the main driving shaft. The front end of the shaft 74 carries a bevelled
gear 79 which meshes into a bevelled gear 80 on the counter shaft 81 in the
moveable jaw This counter shaft has its bearings in a small block in the front
end of the jaw and in a small post 82 the rear end of which is formed with a
bevelled gear as shown in the detached view Fig 13 which meshes into a bevelled
gear in the side of the roller 72. The roller 72 is held in the case and its smooth
periphery bears against the periphery of the roller 71 pressing lightly thereon
sufficiently to take the wrinkles out of the leather It will be understood that the
rollers turn inwardly in the direction of the arrow to draw the leather up into the
jaws By reference to Fig 10 it will be observed that these guiding jaws are
located on the left hand side of the pincers and as the movement of the last is from
left to right the leather is drawn up and properly guided before it reaches the
pincers I have described the general movements of the pincers and the general
construction of the jaws and shanks I will now proceed to describe the mechanism
for opening and closing the jaws of the pincers for gripping and releasing the edge
of the upper It will be borne in mind from the description heretofore given of
the general movement of the pincers that they pass backward from the last
gradually descending This brings the pincers back against the edge of the upper
and it is necessary at that point that the moveable jaw should be raised so that the
gripping face of the fixed jaw should bear against the leather It will be observed
that the jaws are opened back to the rear as shown in Figs 1 and 2 so that when
the moveable jaw is raised it opens the space between the two jaws In practice it
is necessary that the upper jaw should be raised about 3/4 of an inch and this occurs
just before the lower jaw comes back against the upper The position of these jaws
is shown clearly in Figs 1 and 2 As the edge of the upper is held by the guides
heretofore described inclined forward it is in position to enter tho opening between
the jaws as they are moved back so that the jaws cannot under any circumstances
fail to grip the edge The moveable jaw is raised by means of a cam on the main
shaft through intermediate links and levers and is forced down by a spring 84
The upper end of the shank 48 is connected to a collar 85 which surrounds the
shank 46 and slides freely thereon A forked rod 86 is pivoted to a bell crank
lever 87 at its upper end, its lower or forked end embracing the collar 85 to which
it is also pivoted The bell crank lever 87 is pivoted upon a standard 88 in the
upper plate, it being the same standard to which the lever is pivoted which raises
and lowers the pincer mechanism The lever 87 is preferably forked at its upper
end to pass the upper end of the main shank The vertical arm of the bell crank
lever 87 is connected by pusher 89 to the bell crank lever 90 which bears on the
cam T a side view of which is shown in separate Fig The shape and position of

page_text: this cam are such as to throw up the rear end of the bell crank lever and advance
the pusher to lift the moveable jaw immediately after the nailing mechanism is
operated It begins to open at the rise of the cam at the point c of cam T The
first movement is sufficient to cause the jaws to release the leather and as before
stated this occurs immediately after the tacking The increased rise of the cam
from c to d continues to lift the jaw until at the point d it is at its greatest heighth
The lifting of this jaw takes place during the backward movement of the pincers
and immediately after the fixed jaw reaches the edge of the leather the rear end of
the bell crank lever 90 drops from the point d of the cam T and the moveable jaw
is forced down to grip the upper It is forced down by means of the spring 84
heretofore described It remains constantly in contact with the leather until lifted
by the movement of the cam and intermediate mechanism Only the movements
heretofore described of the pincer mechanism are necessary on the sides of the last
In order to form the plaiting at the heel and toe another movement is required
For this purpose it is necessary that the shank of the pincers shall have rotary
motion, this motion is imparted by means of a rack 91 which neshes into a
pinion 92 on the shank of the fixed jaw above the upper end of the shank of the
moveable jaw The rack is carried upon the shank of the jaws being held thereto
by two bars 93 which are set off from the rack and part just in front of the shank
one above and the other below the pinion whereby the rack is held in place and is
carried partially by the shank in its movement The rack is connected to an arm 94
by means of a pin in said arm which passes up through a hole in the arm 95 of
the rack the pin passing freely through said hole and being long enough to permit
the required movement of the rack with the shank of the pincers It will be
understood that the lateral movement of the rack will give rotary movement to
the pincers and turn them either to the right or to the left and further that this
movement is to be applied only when the pincers are operating at the heel or too
In order to put the rack moving mechanism into and out of operating at
the proper point and make the apparatus in this respect also automatic
mechanism as follows is provided (Fig 24) An arm
96 is fixed to the
arm 94 and extends laterally therefrom It is provided with a slotted
head 97 and in the slot in this head projects a pin 98 fixed in a block 99
which slides in a dovetailed groove in a pivoted block 100 This block is
pivoted upon an arm 101 on the plate B¹ The outer side of the block 100 is
provided with an arm 102 which is connected by means of a bar 103 to the bell
crank lever 104 This bell crank lever 104 has a pin which works in a cam groove
in the periphery of the wheel on the main shaft. It will be apparent that when
the lever is rocked it will impart longitudinal movement to the connecting bar 103
and turn the block 100 either to the front or rear The block acts upon the slotted
head 97 of the arm 96 through the pin 98 It will be plain that its action both in
direction and in amount upon the arm 94 will depend upon the position of the
pin 98 If the pin 98 be in the centre of the slot in the opposite end of the arm 96
it will have no effect upon the arm 94 but the block 100 will simply turn If
however the pin 98 be down into the front end of the slot and the connecting
bar 103 be pushed to the front the pin 98 will act upon the head 97 as upon a
lever and will push the rack in one direction and thereby turn the pincers to the
right as viewed in Fig 1 But if the pin 98 be in the other end, like movement of
the connecting rod 103 will draw the rack in the opposite direction and will turn
the pincers to the left The object of this two fold motion of the pincers is to
plait upon one side of the heel or toe by folding in one direction and upon the other
side in the opposite direction It is necessary for the automatic operation of the
machine that the position of the pin 98 should be determined by the movement of
the jack as it brings the heel or the toe to the work The plate F
lever 22 have been heretofore described and are shown in Fig 1
to point out the connection between the lever 22 and the pin 98.
to Fig 1, a lever 105 is pivoted upon a bracket on the machine
its cam and the
It remains only
Referring now
This lever is

page_text: connected at its lower end by a connecting bar 106 having a ball joint connected
to the lower end of the lever 22 The upper end is connected to a rod 107 to the
block which carries the pin 98 The cam groove in the plate F is arranged to give
the proper motion and position to the pin 98 and to cause it to stand at one end
when plaiting upon one side of the heel or toe and to shift to the other end of the
slotted head when plaiting upon the other side so that the plaits on both sides are
folded inward The cam groove is alike on both sides and is adapted to move the
pin 98 as the jack is turned to bring the toe or heel to the work and when the
centre of the toe or heel is at the pincers then the pin is on the dead centre and
no movement is imparted to the rack but as the plate F turns the cam moves the
lever and passes the pin to the opposite end of the slotted head thus moving the
rack bar and allowing the mechanism to operate for giving the reciprocating
movement to the said bar as often as required until the toe or heel is opposite and
a comparatively straight surface of the last again approached when the pin is again
brought by the shape of the cam groove to the centre and the motion of the rack
bar ceases
I now proceed to describe the tacking mechanism The tacks are
brought to the driving point by means of a polished steel channel 108 leading
from the tack distributing mechanism hereinafter explained to a point just in rear
of the pincers The forward end is supported upon a rod which passes through
guide brackets and rests upon a spring whereby the forward end of the guide tube.
is drawn up out of the way of the pincers when not forced down by the driver
The extreme end of the channel turns down into a vertical position and above the
vertical part of the bore is a hole in line with the bore and the driver When a tack
drops therefore through the channel it passes down into the vertical part of the tube
which brings the head of it directly under the raised end of the driver The driver
marked 109 slides in a guideway in the rear part of the block which carries the
pincers Its upper end is connected to a lever 110 Fig 26 the forked forward end
of this lever holding the pin in the upper end of the driver The driver is provided
with an offset and is drawn down by a strong spring 111 which gives the blow
upon the tack The lever 110 is supported in a post on the plate B The rear end
of the lever 110 is connected by a connecting rod 112 to a lever pivoted upon the
lower rod 6 which has a transverse pin under a cam Q Figs 8 and 26 This cam is
constructed as shown so as to slowly depress a spindle, release the end of the
lever 110 and when it is released, the spring connected to the driver brings the
driver instantly down delivering a stroke upon the head of the tack. - The
mechanism is so timed that this occurs immediately after the pincers have drawn
the leather over the last. The head of the driver is made sufficiently large so that
if it meet the leather it will not injure it The lower part of the channel consists
simply of two grooved steel bars placed sufficiently near each other to leave space
for the shank of the tack which moves between them with the point downward,
the head running upon the upper edges of the rows. The tack passes down the
incline until it reaches the vertical tube entering the tube through a slot into
which the channel opens thus delivering the tack to the tube in vertical position
with the pin downwards. The upper part of the channel is in the form of a trough
with a slot in the bottom continuous with the slot in the way below the channel
serving to catch the tacks as they fall from the distributer The distributer is a
circular plate 113 mounted upon a vertical shaft in a bracket 114 The lower end
of its shaft is provided with a crown wheel 115 which meshes into a pinion 116
upon a shaft carried in a bracket in the upper plate The other end of the shaft
has a pinion 117 driven by pinions 118. 119 and band 120 from the pinion on the
end of the main shaft This gives a slow rotary movement from left to right on
top of the plate and supported upon the central spindle which runs down through
the hollow shaft which supports the plate, into a supporting bracket below, is a
volute composed of flat bars set on edge. The tacks are put into the interstices of
the volute and rest upon the receiving plate and as the plate turns it carries them
gradually outwards until it brings them around to the point by the side of the

page_text: extreme outer end of the volute by which they are guided accurately one by one
into the upper end of the slotted guide way At the lower end they are delivered
to the vertical tube in position to receive the blow from the hammer by special
mechanism shown in Figs. 17. 18. 19 and 20 In order to prevent the tacks from
crowding one upon the other at the delivering end a cut off mechanism is provided
consisting of pivoted stops 124. 125 Fig 20. These stops extend across the channel
and are pressed constantly inwards by means of springs The stop 124 is provided
at the inner end with a transverse pin 126 which projects into the path of the
driver A like pin 127 is also set upon the stop 125 and projects also into the path
of the driver Stop 124 is pivoted in the middle and is the first to arrest the flow
of tacks Stop 125 is secured at its end at a distance from the first stop sufficient
to give room for a single tack The inner ends of the pins 126 and 127 are bevelled
as shown in perspective views so that as the driver descends it closes stop 124 and
opens stop 125 thus stopping the flow of the tacks and permitting a single tack to
be fed down The tack thus fed in would be prevented from entering the opening
in the vertical tube by the driver itself, but when the driver rises out of the tube
the tack slides down and is received upon a slotted tripper 128. The arms of this
tripper extend into the tube and support the tack within the tube and in line with
the driver as shown in Fig 17 The tripper is held up by a spring 129 the tension
of which is sufficient to sustain the tack but which yields readily to the descent of
the driver Spring guides 130 guide the tack in its descent directly to the leather.
After the tack is driven the machine rolls down the leather in order to smooth it
This is accomplished by means of a roller 121 shown clearly in Fig 29 on the front.
end of a sliding bar 122 in the plate b. This bar runs directly, back to the rear
where it is connected with a lateral arm of the bell crank lever 123. The vertical
arm of the bell crank lever is drawn back by a spring 124 which tends to keep the
roller in a retracted position The bell crank lever 123 has an arm which carries a
transverse pin extending under the face of the cam wheel S on which is a high part
arranged to strike the pin and operate the lever to push forward the roller
immediately after the tack is driven The cams and cam wheels heretofore described
are all upon the main shaft 3 which is provided with any suitable kind of drive
wheel Having now described the invention of my foreign correspondents and
how the same may be practically employed What I desire to secure by Letters
Patent is
1st In combination with the jack, the disc F having cam groove and supporting
the jack the arm D plate fand lever 22 said parts operating together in connection
with devices for putting the pincer rotating devices into and out of working
position substantially as described
2nd The feeding spur, adapted to take hold of the last in combination with
mechanism for moving said spur vertically and to feed the last laterally
substantially as described
3rd The feeding spur 28 on lever 29 in combination with sliding block 31 rod 33,
bell crank lever 34 spring 35 and cam P and with rod 36 bell crank lever 37 and
described connections of said lever with the grooved cam all as described
4th The combination of the holding spur 40 and its described operating mechanism,
with the feeding spur and the mechanisms for giving it vertical and horizontal
movement whereby the last is held while the feeding spur moves back all
substantially as set forth
5th In a shoe lasting machine the combination with a moveable rack of a feeding
spur and a holding spur for automatically moving the last step by step and for
holding it in position of the pincers mechanism substantially as described for
raising and lowering said pincers for moving them laterally, mechanism for opening
the jaws whereby the upper is stretched upward and carried over upon the last all
substantially as described
6th The combination of the pivoted shank carrying the lower jaw; mechanism
for moving it vertically a shank carrying the upper jaw and.sliding in the first

page_text: shank, a spring for holding the upper jaw down to grip the leather and mechanism
to raise it to release the leather, a guide block and devices for swinging the pincers
laterally all substantially as described
7th The combination of pincers provided with mechanisms for causing them to
grip the leather and draw it over the last, and mechanism for turning the pincers
at the too and heel of the shoe whereby the upper is drawn over and plaited
substantially as described
8th The combination of pincers provided with mechanisms for gripping the.
leather and drawing it over the last, mechanism for turning said pincers to right
or left, connecting devices between said turning mechanism and the jack, said
connecting mechanism being operated by a cam provided with a groove connected
to the jack whereby when the toe or heel is passing the gripper the gripper is
made to turn first in one direction and then in the other substantially as described
9th The combination of the pincers adapted to operate on the upper substantially
as described, a pinion on the shank of the pivoted jaw, a rack bar connected to a
lever and slotted head 97 a pin 98 in said head connected by bars and levers to a
grooved disc connected to the jack whereby the pin is held in central position
in. the head when the pincers are operating on the sides of the last and is pushed
toward one end and then the other when the pincers are passing around the toe or
heel; and a pivoted block 100 provided with an arm 102 and mechanism for
turning the said block all as set forth
10th The shank 46 of the lower jaw in combination with the shank carrying the
moveable jaw and with the lever 51 and suspending spring 52 substantially as
described.
•
.
11th The shank 46 carrying lower jaw, shank 48 and moveable jaw both
suspended on pivot and spring on lever 51 in combination with arm. 86 and.
lever 87 and the connecting and driving mechanisms substantially as described
and set forth.
12th The post 88 supporting lever 51 and the pincers in combination with the
spring 56 and the operating mechanism substantially as described
13th In combination with the guide block 58 the prongs 59 bar 61 yoke 63
interposed spring 67 and devices for imparting positive movement to the guide
block.substantially as described..
14th The pincers mounted on the main frame of the machine and having jaws.
constructed and operated as described in combination with the guiding jaws also
on the main frame and with the jack arranged to turn in relation to the guiding
jaws and pincers substantially as described
15th The guiding jaws having rollers in said jaws in combination with mechanism
substantially as described connecting said rollers to the driving power whereby the
edge of the upper is guided in proper position and moved with the jack sub-
stantially as described
16th The combination of the fixed and moveable jaws M N and spring 70 the
rollers 71 and 72 the shafts and the intermediate gearing all substantially as
described
17th The combination of the shank 48 and upper jaw sliding on shank 46, with
Jower jaw collar 85, spring 84 rod 86 bell crank lever 87 and connections with
the driving mechanism substantially as described
18th The pincers adapted to grip and draw the upper over the last and to turn
for plaiting the upper and mechanism for imparting the necessary motions to said
pincers in combination with tacking devices located by the side of the said pincers
all substantially as described
19th The combination of feeding and holding spurs, the pincers and guiding.
mechanism and the rollers 121 substantially as described
20th In combination with the channel stops and driver the slotted spring
tripper 128 as described and set forth

page_text: 21
The combination of the tripper the tube, driver and spring guides 130 all
as described
22nd The combination in the described machine of the pincers and rollers 121
with mechanism as described for operating the same all as set forth
In Witness whereof I the said Philip Middleton Justice have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twentieth day of March in the year of Our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three
Signed sealed and delivered
in the presence of
ALLEN P JONES
53 Chancery Lane
London W.C.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE (L.S.)