Improvements in and connected with Machines for Channelling and Grooving Soles for Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Jan., 1898-Accepted, 1st Mar., 1898
Improvements in and connected with Machines for Channelling
and Grooving Soles for Boots and Shoes.
I, ERNEST MILTONBERGER WHITE, of 710, North 34th Street, in the City and County
of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a machine for channeling and grooving
soles for boots and shoes of any form and in such a manner that the channel and groove
cut in the sole will be evenly cut.
A further object of the invention is to combine the channeling machine with a sole
rounding or cutting machine so that a sole can be cut to shape and channeled or
grooved at one operation.
A still further object is to use a single former for cutting blanks for both "rights
and "lefts."
"
The sole, to be channeled and grooved, is clamped in a stationary position and the
channeling tool is traversed around the sole.
In applying my invention to a sole rounding or cutting machine the leather blank
from which the sole is to be cut is preferably in the form of a square and is held
rigidly on a "former" plate by a cam plate, but my invention can be used for cutting
channels in the soles after they have been cut on an independent rounding
machine.
On the machine is a fixed cam plate having a cam groove therein, this cam plate as
well as the "former," which is mounted above it, is carried on a rigid bracket
projecting from the standard of the machine.
Directly under the fixed cam is a revolving table mounted on a standard and rotated
thereon through gearing from a driving shaft.
In one form of machine the table is fitted with two carriages, one a sole rounding
carriage, having the usual sole rounding cutting knife or knives for cutting the sole
leather, secured to the former," as the slide bears against the said "former "
; and
the other carriage having rollers adapted to the cam groove on the underside of the
cam plate. This carriage is connected to the rotating table so that the carriage will
travel around the "former" and will slide upon the table to a limited extent governed
by the cam plate so that the cutters will groove and channel the blank in conformity
to the shape of the "former."
The carriage having the channeling and grooving knives, may be connected to the
other carrier, and have a roller adapted to a groove in the cam plate so that it will
conform to the outline of the "former" and at the same time will be conveyed around
the former by the table, so that by providing suitable knives for channeling and
grooving the sole, the sole can be channeled and grooved while clamped in the sole
founding machine. Furthermore the channel will be properly made owing to the fact
that the same dies or formers which guide the cutters of the sole rounding machine.
guide the channeler as well.

page_text: As the heel portion of a sole is not channeled, mechanism is provided for moving
the channeler away from the sole as it passes around the heel; for this purpose a cam
may be provided mounted directly under the heel portion of the "former" and
adapted to accommodate different sized "formers."
The channeling carriage has a slide carrying a roller which rests against the cam
and this slide is connected to another slide of the carriage, on which the channeling
knife is mounted which knife is moved away from the heel portion of the sole as soon
as the roller comes in contact with the cam.
As soon as the carriage passes around the heel the channeling tool will be again
thrown into action by springs mounted in the carriage.
The cam for throwing the channeler out of action at the heel portion of the sole,
may be secured to or form part of the "former."
"
I may use a single bearing on the carriage to rest against the "former or I may
use a movable central bearing with fixed sides so that the carriage will bear at three
points and I may use three slides connected so that they will conform to the
irregularities of the "former" and permit of a pointed sole being channeled.
I may use a cam on the sole clamp so as to raise and project the pivoted tool carrier
of the carriage so that it will ride over this cam and lift the tool out of engagement
with the sole.
I may mount at the back of the channel cutting tool a grooving tool for cutting the
groove in the channel and a suitable presser foot may be arranged at one side of the
cutting tools and the head can be adjusted vertically and laterally so as to accommodate
different thickness and forms of sole.
The "former" may be reversible so as to suit the shape of the sole to be channeled,
whether it be a 66
right" or a "left" and may be provided with pins so as to act as
stops for the sole when placed in the clamps.
Dated this lot dan of Manah 1007
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in and connected with Machines for Channelling
and Grooving Soles for Boots and Shoes.
I, ERNEST MILTONBERGER WHITE, of 710, North 34th Street, in the City and
County of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America,
Mechanical 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a machine for channelling and grooving
soles for boots and shoes in such a manner that the channel and groove will be evenly
cut in the sole the cutter head accommodating itself to any form of sole without
making the channel and groove uneven.
The sole to be channelled and grooved is clamped in a stationary position and the
channelling and grooving tools are traversed around the sole. A further object of the
invention is to so combine the channelling and grooving machine with a sole rounding,
or cutting, machine, that the sole can be cut to shape and channelled and grooved at
one operation.
.
A further object of the invention is to use
blanks for both "rights" and "lefts."
a single "former for cutting
In applying my invention to a sole rounding or cutting machine the leather blank

page_text: rigidly on a former plate by a cam plate, but my invention can be used for cutting
channels and grooves in the soles after they have been cut on an independent rounding
or cutting machine.
Referring to the drawings:
:-
Fig. 1, is a plan view of my improved channelling and grooving machine for the
soles of boots and shoes;
Fig. 2, is a side view, partly in section, shewing the channeller at the side of the
sole;
Fig. 3, is a side view, partly in section, shewing the channeller at the heel of the
sole.
Fig. 4, is a view shewing the channeller combined with a sole rounding and
cutting machine ;
Figs. 5, 6 and 7, are views shewing a variation of the mechanism ;
Fig. 8, is a diagram view shewing a former and the bearings for the carriage;
Figs. 9 and 10 are views shewing thred sliding bearings; and Fig. 11 is a
modification of the device shewn in Fig. 9.
On the machine see Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is a fixed cam plate A having a cam groove a
therein, this cam plate and the "former "B which is mounted above it, are carried on
a rigid bracket C projecting from the standard of the machine.
Directly under the fixed cam plate A is a revolving table D mounted on a standard
and rotated thereon by gearing from a driving'shaft d.
According to one modification of the machine shewn in Fig. 4, the table is fitted
with two carriages, E, F, one carriage E being a sole rounding or cutting carriage.
having the usual sole rounding or cutting knife or knives i² for rounding or cutting
the sole leather, secured by a sole clamp B¹ to the "former" B. A slide in the
carriage E is caused by a spring or springs to bear against the said "former" B and
the carriages E and F, carry rollers f adapted to the cam groove a on the underside of
the cam plate A. The carriage F in Fig. 1, is connected to the rotating table D by.
a rod f so that the said carriage will travel around the "former" B and slide upon
the table to a limited extent governed by the cam plate A whilst a slide F in the
carriage F and which carries the rounding cutter 2 is kept in contact with the
former B by a spring or springs e. To the slide F' is fitted another slide F2 carrying
the grooving and channelling cutters i¹ so that by the rotation of the table D the
channelling and grooving and also the rounding of the blank in conformity with the
shape of the "former" is simultaneously effected.
The carriage F having the channelling and grooving knives, may be connected by
a web f* to the other carrier E as in Fig. 4, and have a roller f adapted to the
groove in the cam plate A and the said carriages E and F are connected to
the rotary table D by a link f¹ so that the carriages E and F will be conveyed
around the "former" by the table and in conformity to the outline of the "former"
so that by providing suitable knives for channelling and grooving the sole, the said
sole can be channelled and grooved while clamped in the sole rounding or cutting
machine. The channel will be properly made owing to the fact that the same dies,
or "formers," which guide the cutters of the sole rounding or cutting machine guide
also the channeller and groover.
As the heel portion of a sole is not channelled and grooved, mechanism is provided
for moving the channeller and groover away from the sole as it passes around the
heel. For this purpose a cam G, Figs. 1 and 3, may be provided directly under
the heel portion of the "former" B and adapted to accommodate different sized
"formers."
The slide of the channelling and grooving carriage F carries a roller f which,'
as the slide is passing round the heel, comes against the cam G and as this slide 'F1
is connected to the slide F2 carrying the channelling and grooving tools the said
tools will be moved away from the heel portion of the sole as soon as the roller f
comes in contact with the cam G. As soon as the carriage passes around the heel

page_text: the channelling and grooving tools will be again thrown into action by springs
mounted on the carriage.
The cam for throwing the channeller and groover out of action at the heel portion
of the sole, may be secured to or form part of, the "former" as in Figs. 4 and 8.
I may use a single bearing fs on the carriage F to rest against the "former "as in
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 or I may use a removeable central bearing with fixed side bearings
as in Fig. 8, so that the carriage will bear at three points; and I may use three
slides jjj connected (Figs. 9, 10 and 11) so that they will conform to the
irregularities of the "former," and permit of a pointed sole being channelled and
grooved.
I may use a cam g Fig. 5, on the sole clamp B₁ so as to raise and project the
pivoted tool carrier F3 of the carriage F when passing round the heel so that it will
ride over this cam and lift the tools out of engagement with the sole.
I may, or may not, as desired mount, at the back of the channel cutting tool i the
grooving tool for cutting the groove in the channel and a suitable presser foot i³
may be arranged at one side of the cutting tools, and the head carrying the cutting
tools can be adjusted vertically and laterally so as to accommodate different thickness
and forms of sole.
$6
The former" B may be reversible so as to suit the shape of the sole to be
channelled whether it be a "right" or a "left" sole and the said "former" may be
provided with pins b, Fig. 8, acting as stops for the sole when placed in the
clamps.
•
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 sole channelling and grooving machines the combination of a "former," a
clamp for the sole, a cam plate, a carriage engaging with the cam plate, a slide on the
carriage moveable towards, and from, the "former," a tool or tools for channelling or
channelling and grooving on the said carriage and a cam so situated at the heel
portion of the "former" that, as the carriage passes around the heel, the slide will
be moved away from the sole so that the heel portion of the sole will not be channelled
or channelled and grooved substantially as herein before described.
2. In sole channelling and grooving machines moveable side bearings on the
carriage adapted to rest upon the "former" so that there will be three bearing points
and the tool or tools will properly cut a channel or channel and groove in the toe
portion of the sole substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In sole channelling and grooving machines a reversible "former" conforming
to the shape of the sole to be channelled or channelled and grooved and having an
enlargement at the heel portion substantially as herein before described.
4. In sole channelling and grooving machines a detachable "former" or cam
having pins so as to act as stops for the sole when placed in the clamps substantially
as hereinbefore described.
5. In sole channelling and grooving machines a cam formed on the clamp so as to
lift the tool or tools as it or they passes or pass around the heel, substantially as
herein before described.
6. In sole channelling and grooving machines a carriage adapted to be pressed
against a "former" having a pivoted portion so that it can swing laterally, a tool
head mounted on the pivoted portion so that it can be raised and lowered and
an adjustable tool carrier mounted on the head, substantially as herein before
described.
7. In sole channelling and grooving machines the combination of a fixed cam, a
fixed "foriner a clamp for the sole with a carriage adapted to travel around the
sole, and to be guided by the cam and "former" and carrying a channelling tool or
channelling and grooving tools, substantially as herein before described.
8. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improved
Bole channelling or channelling and grooving machine or combined sole rounding

page_text: or cutting and channelling or channelling and grooving machine substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Dated this 3rd day of January 1898
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.