Improvements relating to Mechanism for Uniting the Welt, Insole, and "Upper" in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JOSEPH STANLEY TURNER, of Rockland, County of
Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements relating to Mechanism for Uniting the Welt, Insole,
and "Upper" in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex 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 :-
-
It is to be understood that by the term welt sewing" employed in this specification
I mean to include the operation of uniting a welt, an insole, and a shoe "
"whether
upper
that operation involves the use of thread and a true stitch forming mechanism, or the
tise of metallic fastenings of any of the various forms practically applicable in the
manufacture of boots and shoes for securely uniting the said parts thereof as a substitute
for stitching.
However a welt, an insole and a shoe upper may be united, by means of machines
organized for that purpose, the upper and insole must be first preliminarily united and
thereby developed into a shoe-like form and then for getting the best results said parts
are internally supported as upon a horn, the welt accurately presented and the whole
fed step-by-step along, upon or with the shoe support to admit of the regular operation
of whatever means are relied upon by which these parts of a shoe are progressively
united; and although I shall illustrate and describe the present invention in connection
with one special type of stitch forming mechanism, it is to be distinctly understood
that the said improvements are equally applicable to other kinds of sewing machines,
as well as to any other machines for uniting welts, uppers and insoles which involve
necessarily a shoe supporting horn, and a welt guide.
The special stitching forming mechanism above referred to, is that employed in the
well known McKay machines, and the present invention has been practically applied
thereto with highly satisfactory results, and the advantages accruing from the use of
this invention in that connection will also mainly accrue if applied to other machines,
regardless of the character of the mechanism, or means by which this line of work is
accomplished. It is well known that even in the hands of the most skilled operator,
it is oftentimes difficult to obtain perfect work in the matter of evenly and smoothly
stitching the welt especially while turning, at the toes of a shoe, as well as while
curving at the shank.
It is well known that the feeding movement of the shoe on the horn, is effected by
means of a feed point or "feeder," which reciprocates in a plane parallel with the
needle, and partially punctures the uppermost portion of the leather, in advance of,
but in a prolongation of the stitch line, and pushes or forces the shoe in the direction
of the needle, a distance corresponding with the length of stitch desired. When such
a feed point engages with a welt, it is at a place thereon considerably in advance of
the last stitch formed, and by its thrusting action on the welt, the latter and the shoe
is forced forward. This forcing labour of the feed point is more or less increased by
the frictional contact of the interior of the shoe with the horn, and it will be readily
understood that if a welt be fairly light, soft and flexible, this thrusting strain thereon
must cause it to "bulge" upward more or less between the feed point, and the last
stitch made, and also to sometimes be thrust more or less laterally from a desired line,
especially in the case of a thin soft welt. These tendencies to imperfect operation,
must obviously be coupled with a tendency to an imperfect presentation of the shoe to
the stitching mechanisin, which sometimes results in the improper location of the stitch
line with relation to the upper and the insole, all of which involves great care and
watchfulness, even by the most skilled operators. The feeding or moving of a shoe
on a horn during or simultaneously with the presentation of a welt, obviously involves

page_text: the difficulties recited, regardless of the mechanism of means by which the welt, the
insole and the upper are to be united.
ני
The objects of this invention are to obviate all of said difficulties, and this is
accomplished by the novel combination with the horn, and any suitable welt guide
co-operating with or forming part of a presser foot, of a "feeder
which engages
with a welt on both sides of the line of union and closely adjacent to the portion of
the welt last united to the insole and upper, so that instead of causing the thrusting
action to be borne by a comparatively free portion of the welt as heretofore, it is borne
substantially by the entire shoe, because the feeder engages with a portion of the welt
which has been already firmly united to the other parts of the shoe; and hence the
welt cannot be bulged nor diverted from its proper position, and the shoe is fed true to
the line of union desired, whether it be a stitch line, or a line of metal fastenings.
Moreover with the "feeder" as heretofore constructed and operated, by puncturing
and thrusting on the stitch line, or in other words, along a substantially central
portion of the welt, the latter is of necessity laterally concaved and unduly
distorted, whereas with my feeding device, the welt is kept substantially flat and in
fine condition for subsequent operations. By engaging with the welt at two points,
and at both sides of the stitch line, or other line of union, my feeder need not thrust
so heavily into a welt, as when the thrusting action is at one point only, and hence the
feeding operation is usually easier and smoother than heretofore, and in turning corners
or curves at the toes and shanks, the welt can be much more reliably presented to the
mechanism by which the several parts are united.
The best welt leather is strong fibred and very flexible, and the avoidance of puckering
results in substantial economy, because with my double feed points shorter welts can be
used than when a single feed point is employed.
To more particularly describe my invention I will refer to the accompanying drawings
in which,
Figure 1 is a front view of so much of a M°Kay machine as is deemed necessary for
illustration, and having my improvements applied thereto.
Figures 2 and 3 illustrate in side and front views, the "feeder" detached from
the machine.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 shows in side, top view, and cross section, the presser
foot detached from the machine, and constructed to operate as a welt guide in its
simplest form.
Figure 7 in plan view illustrates the lower portion of the presser foot welt guide,
a welt, a portion of a shoe as when mounted on the horn of the machine, and the
operative position of the feed points with relation to the last completed stitch through
the welt, the upper, and the insole.
In connection with the McKay machine but little description will be needed,
further than to say that the horn A, book needle B, with the stitch forming mechanism,
are all precisely as heretofore, and that the presser foot C, differs from the ordinary
foot as follows: The needle slot instead of being a narrow straight slot as heretofore,
is now, as shown in Figure 5, wide at its front end, as at a, with straight sides, and
narrowed as at a¹, into the usual dimensions. Again, the under side of the foot is
scored or channeled as at a³, to serve as a welt guide, as shown in Figure 6, and the
shank of the foot has thereon, a welt pressing spring a³, and a cross bar a*, between
which and said spring the welt passes under tension, as illustrated in dotted lines in
Figure 4. It is to be understood that any form of welt guide may be employed, and
although I show one of the simplest forms thereof known to me, it is to be understood
that I also use some of the more complex forms by which the shoe upper is gauged,
and the shoe itself guided on the horn, as well as to properly gauge and guide the
welt. It is, however, important that the combined presser foot and welt guide should
be wide enough to properly cover the welt at both sides of the stitch line, and that its
slot at a, should be wide enough to enable my "
feeder" to occupy its proper position
for engaging with the welt.
The "feeder " D has its shank coupled to its operative mechanism, as heretofore,
and its movements are substantially the same. Instead, however, of having a single

page_text: feed point, so located as to engage with a welt centrally, or at least in line with the
stitch line, my « feeder" has two chisel edged feed points c, c' separated by a space
wider than the diameter of the needle and sufficient to freely accommodate the loop
of thread carried upward by the needle, and enabling said points to engage with the
welt at both sides of the stitch line, and opposite the stitch last formed in the upper
and insole, and securing the welt thereto, as illustrated in Figure 7, wherein the
upper is shown at d, the insole at d³, the last stitch formed at and the position of
the two feed points at c, c¹, just prior to their thrusting or feeding movement, this
latter varying in extent according to the length of stitch desired-In prior organizations
having the single feed point, the latter operates wholly and always in front of the
needle, and although my feeder may involve the same range of movement, my feed
points can thrust from a position closely adjacent to the plane occupied by the needle,
to a position rearward from said plane; or, in other words, my feeder, when best
arranged, engages only with portions of the welt which have already become a fixed
part of the shoe, and hence the latter is thoroughly controlled and the welt cannot
possibly be bulged or deranged in position by the action of the feeder, and this
enables this branch of work to be well performed by ordinary and comparatively
unskilled operators, and also enables skilled operators to move rapidly and perfectly
perform this duty, than when using the ordinary "feeder."
While stitching a welt at the rounded corners of the toes of shoes, the feed point
at the inner side will engage with the welt at somewhat shorter intervals of space,
than the outer point, because the inner curved line is shorter than the outer curved
line, but the welt will be well controlled while swinging the shoe on the horn in
turning the corners. When the welt guide is accompanied by a guide or gauge for
the "
upper" of the shoe, for securing the accurate movement of the shoe on the
horn in conformity with the edge outline of the insole, the shoe can be guided with
special facility requiring comparatively little skill by the operator, because there is
not the least tendency by my "feeder to derange the position of the shoe laterally
on the horn. It will be seen that the space afforded between the feed points will be
occupied by a needle and also by standing thread regardless of the character of the
stitching mechanism which may be employed, and also that said space would in like
manner be occupied by such plungers or drivers as may be employed in connection
with wire fastenings, as well as by said fastenings themselves during their presentation
and descent into their ultimate positions.
I am aware that it is not broadly new in sewing machines to employ either a
bifurcated upper feed bar, or a pair of upper feed dogs arranged to operate on both
sides of the stitch line, but I believe I am the first to develop the value of that
principle in connection with welt sewing, or otherwise uniting welts, insoles, and
uppers, and although some forms of said prior upper feed dogs have been widely
known for upwards of thirty years, I am the first, as I believe, to devise mechanism
for the purpose indicated, and embodying as a novel and valuable feature, two feed
points which can engage with the welt on both sides of the uniting or stitch line, and
thereby obviate the hereinbefore recited difficulties which have been encountered ever
since the first attempts at mechanically uniting welts, uppers and insoles. It will be
obvious that should the presser foot and welt guide be so constructed that neither
formed any portion of the other, no departure from my invention would be involved;
and also that it is immaterial whether a part of the welt guide serves as a presser foot,
or a part of the presser foot serves as a welt guide, so long as the functions of each
are properly performed, and so long as due provision is made for the described
operation of the feed points on both sides of the stitch line and even if the said two
feed points be arranged to operate upon the comparatively free portion of a welt,
valuable results will accrue from their use, as compared with the use of the single
boint.
It will be obvious that the function of the horn in affording an internal support for
boot or shoe during the operation of my double feed points, is in no manner
lependent upon any additional functions, as, for instance, that of a housing for a
portion of the stitching mechanism.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
a
First. The combination with a shoe supporting horn and a welt guide, of "feeder"
provided with two feed points, and having a space between said points to be occupied
by the means employed in uniting a welt, an insole, and the upper of a shoe,
substantially as described, whereby during the operation of uniting the said parts of
a shoe, the latter will be fed or moved upon the horn by the thrusting action of the
feeder on both sides of the line of union, and by engaging with the welt closely
adjacent to that portion thereof which was last united to the "upper" and insole.
Second. The combination with a shoe supporting horn, stitch forming mechanism,
and a welt guide, of a "feeder" which is above said horn, and has two feed points
for engaging with a welt, and affords between them a space for the reception of a
needle, substantially as described, whereby in securing welts to uppers and insoles, said
feed points may be caused to engage with the welt, at both sides of the stitched line
and closely adjacent to the stitch last formed, during their thrusting action in moving
a shoe on the horn.
Third. The combination with stitch forming mechanism and a shoe supporting horn,
of a pair of feed points affording a space between them for occupation by a needle
and the thread carried thereby, and a presser foot, serving as a welt-guide, and slotted
for the reception of said feed points and needle, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of T„l„ 1200
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.