Improvement in Shoe Sewing Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 17th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Shoe Sewing Machines.
I, GEORGE RICHARD PEARE, of 71 Central Avenue, Lynn, in the County of
Essex and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what mauner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to certain improvements in shoe-sewing machines of the
class employing a rotary horn on which the shoe is supported, and the horn having
a whirl in its end. One object of the invention is to provide improved means for
driving the whirl which will be entirely without the horn-shank, and by which
power can be more directly applied to the whirl than heretofore. Another object
of the invention is to provide an improved construction of the horn whereby the
thread-groove may be more readily cleaned out, and at the same time the thread
covered and protected during the operation of the machine. A still further object
is to provide an improved construction at the end of the horn, whereby what is
known as a "tip" of the ordinary kind may be dispensed with, and the horn made
thinner at this part without weakening it, thus adapting it for finer work. A
still further object is to increase the stability of the horn at the end by a novel
manner of inter-locking the cap, the tip and the horn proper.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.
Figure 1 shows a part section and part elevation of a horn and accessories,
embodying my invention.
Figure 2 shows an enlarged section of the cap-end, showing the whirl.
Figure 3 shows an elevation of the side of the horn opposite that toward which
the view is in Figure 1.
Figure 4 shows a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, illustrating one adjust-
ment of the cylindrical casing on the horn.
Figure 5 shows a cross-section on the same line, illustrating another adjustment
of the said cylindrical casing.-
Figure 6 shows a cross-section on line 6-6 of Figure 3.
Figure 7 shows a bottom plan of the improved form of cap, with whirl and gear
therein.
Figure 8 shows a section on line 8-8 of Figure 2.
Figure 9 shows a detail perspective of a tip-piece.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings:
The letter a designates the spindle or shank of the horn, which is suitably
supported in bearings on the frame of the machine, and is made hollow to accom-
modate heating-pipes which may be carried through it.
The upper end of the spindle is formed with an annular ledge a', on which the
base-casting of the horn rests. The said casting is formed with a circular
flange where it rests upon the ledge, and the shauk has a portion b³ extending
into said flange. The casting may be moved to a limited extent in all directions
on the ledge a' to properly adjust the horn, and suitable means will be provided to
lock it at the desired adjustment. The means here shown consist in a hollow nut c,
screwing into the shank, and having a head to bear on the upper side of the
casting.
I prefer to make the horn proper d separate from the base-casting, so that metal
capable of bearing a greater strain, as steel, may be employed, and the strength of
the horu greatly increased and its life prolonged. This horn proper has a shank d³,

page_text: which fits a socket in the casting, and it is made hollow to accommodate a spindle
supported in bearings at the upper and lower ends, and said spindle is connected
with the whirl so as to impart motion thereto, as hereinafter described.
A gear is supported on the ledge a¹ of the shank a, and fits loosely on the
flange of the base-casting b. This gear has a bevelled under section f', which is
engaged by a driving-pinion f' suitably connected with the source of power, and
said gear also has a straight or spur section f³, which meshes with a spur f' on the
lower end of the spindle e. It will be seen that, when motion is imparted to the
pinion, the spindle e will be driven through the loose gear fand the spur f. In
this manner a more direct application of power to the whirl-spindle is secured than
with any arrangement heretofore known.
The laterally-extending portion g of the horn is reduced and a shoulder gl formed
at its base, and on the under side a curved lip g³ projects beyond said shoulder.
The thread is carried from the wax-pot h¹ to the horn, and under a pulley
which extends into a groove in the side of the horn, and is thence carried to a
guide at the base of the lateral portion g of the horn, and through a groove or
channel g in said lateral portion to the whirl. A cylindrical sleeve or casing m is
fitted on the lateral part 9 and against the shoulder g', and said sleeve has a longi-
tudinal slot m¹ in one side, adapted to register with the groove g³. The sleeve may
be turned so as to cover said groove and protect and confine the thread, and is so
adjusted during the operation of the machine. When it is desired to clean out the
groove, the sleeve is turned to a position where its slot registers with the groove,
and access may then be had to the latter. The groove in the lower portion d of
the horn may be covered in the same manner, or in any other suitable way.
I provide for escape of wax or oil that may drip, by making a passage i in the
horn, which passage connects the groove 3 with the interior of the lower portion
of the horn, part of said passage being through the bushing which forms a bearing
for the upper end of the spindle e. Such matter may escape from the horn through
a passage in the lower bearing.
At the end of the horn, instead of using a tip to support the whirl, and a cap to
cover the same, as is usual, I employ the following construction, which also does
away with the bevel crown commonly found on the whirl. A cap of novel construc-
tion is used, and consists of a tongue r, a thin, flat portion 2, which projects beyond
the horn and receives the direct strain of the stitching operation; and a downward-
extending end portion r³. The under side of the cap is bored out circularly, as
at, to receive a gear s; and, by introducing a circular milling-tool into said
concavity and feeding it toward the end of the cap, an annular chambers is
formed to receive the whirl t, the under side of the cap below the centre of the
whirl being cut out. The whirl is simply a flat spur-gear, having an angular
opening y for the thread, and a boss t' around its central opening. The upper
portion of the gear s is a flat spur-gear, which meshes with the whirl and imparts
motion thereto, and said gear has bevel-teeth on its under side. A spindle u is
supported in a bushing u in the lateral portion g of the horn, and is formed at its
upper end with a bevel-gear v, in mesh with the bevelled under section of the
gear 8.
The lower end of said spindle is formed with a tongue u', which engages a
slot u in a tubular spindle u which carried a bevel-gear w, meshing with a similar
gear won the upper end of the spindle e.
By the above-described construction, I am enabled to use a much thinner end on
the horn, for, by dispensing with the bevelled crown on the whirl, the cap may be
brought down flat on the whirl; and another advantage resulting from this change
in the construction of the whirl is that the trouble and expense heretofore experienced
by tacks being driven by the needle into the bevel-gear of the whirl and ruining the
latter are wholly obviated. Moreover, the bevel-gear of the spindle, which in the
former construction meshed with the crown of the whirl and necessitated thickening
the stock of the cap at that part, is now placed underneath the intermediates, and
this permits a reduction in the thickness of the cap.
It will be observed that the thread-hole y in the whirl extends from the under

page_text: side thereof to the central opening, and the sides of this opening are flush with those
of the registering opening in the cap, so that there is no place for tacks or other
matter to lodge.
In the well known McKay shoe-sewing machine, the cap which covers the whirl
extends over the horn proper and is secured thereto, and a tip fits against the end
of the horn under the cap, and the latter is fastened to this tip. One feature of my
invention resides in an improved construction of interlocking parts at the end of the
horn, whereby greater stability is secured. A tip-piece is employed, which fits
against the end of the body of the horn and has at its rear end a tongue let into
the top of the horn and flush therewith. The forward end of the tip-piece is cut
away to form re-entrant-angled seats * 2* between which is a concave seat ***
(Figure 9).
The cap r of the horn is made shorter than usual, and has two downwardly
projecting shoulders which enter the angular seats 22, the cap being. thus
interlocked with the tip-piece, so that it cannot move laterally.
0
The concave seat on the tip fits against the reduced lower portion of the whirl,
and constitutes an additional support therefor. A screw entered through the cap
and into the tip forms a pivot for the intermediate gear-wheels; another screw.
fastens the cap to the tip, and a third screw 2 fastens the tip to the horu. The
provision of the tongue on the tip formed as an integral part of the latter and
secured directly to the horn greatly increases the strength and durability of the
construction. Heretofore, the tip has been secured only by screws passing through
an extension of the cap, there having been no provision heretofore for screwing an
integral part of the tip directly to the body of the horn, so that the cap and tip have
been very liable to become loosened when the machine is in use. This difficulty is
removed by the above described improvement.
The bushing u herein before referred to as supporting the spindle u is a length of
tubing detachably secured to the tip-piece ¹ by a set-screw or otherwise, so that
when said bushing becomes worn it may be removed and replaced by a new one
without sacrificing the said tip-piece. The intermediate gear s is arranged at an
angle with the whirl, as shown in Figure 2, so that said gear is inclined downwardly
from its point of engagement with the whirl. I am thus enabled to give the upper
surface of the tip a corresponding downward inclination, thus making the horn
thinner and less bulky at this point than it would otherwise be. The inclination
of the gear s also enables it to be more advantageously engaged with the
bevel-gear v.
Another difference between the construction here shown and that commonly
employed will be found in the whirl-driving connections in the tip of the horn. It
will be observed by reference to Figures 2 and 8 that the solid spindle u is shorter
than usual, and is formed at its lower end with a tongue u', and that the tubular
spindle u³ is slotted transversely to receive this tongue.
Ordinarily the pinion-spindle is considerably longer than in the present instance,
and is slotted transversely in its end to receive tongues formed at opposite sides of
the tubular spindle. I have found that a much shorter pinion-spindle can be used,
and am thereby enabled to employ a better metal for this spindle without materially
increasing its cost. Moreover, the form of coupling between the two spindles is
much more durable than that formerly used, for the reason that the solid tongue u¹
is stronger than the thin fins which are left by slotting the end of the pinion-spindle
as formerly, and the semi-circular portions of the tubular spindle at opposite sides
of the slot u are stronger than the two lugs which are left by cutting away the
tube as formerly to engage the slot in the pinion-spindle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is.
1st. A shoe-sewing machine comprising in its construction the horn shank a having
an annular ledge a¹, the base of the horn and a gear ƒ resting on said ledge, said

page_text: gear having a bevelled under section f' and a spur section f³, the spindle e having
spur pinion meshing with said section f³, and a driving pinion f meshing with
the section, substantially as described.
2nd. A horn for shoe-sewing machines, comprising in its construction a body-
portion having an external groove in one side for the thread, and a cylindrical
casing fitting over said body-portion and rotatable thereon and having a slot adapted
to register with the groove therein, whereby said casing may be rotated to a position
where it covers said groove.
3rd. A horn for shoe-sewing machines, whose whirl-containing portion comprises
an integral part extending beyond both the upper and under surfaces of the whirl
přoper, and flanges projecting from the extended portions of said integral part and
over the upper and below the under surface of the whirl proper.
4th. A horn for shoe-sewing machines, having a whirl-containing recess, and a
flange which extends under and supports the whirl, the said recess extending
laterally beyond the whirl-supporting flange.
5th. A horn for shoe-sewing machines, having a cap formed in one piece and with
a whirl-containing recess and a flange which extends under and supports the whirl,
the said recess extending beyond the whirl-supporting flange for admitting the
whirl into the cap.
6th. In a horn for shoe-sewing machines, the combination of a body-portion, a cap,
a whirl in the form of a flat spur-gear supported in said cap, an intermediate gear
having a spur-section in mesh with the whirl and a bevelled under-section, and a
driving spindle having a bevel-pinion in mesh with the bevel-section of the
intermediate gear.
7th. In a horn for shoe-sewing machines, the combination of a body-portion cut
away in its upper side at the end, a tip-piece fitting against the end of the body-
portion and having a tongue occupying the cutaway upper side, and a cap fitting on
said tip-piece and supporting the whirl.
8th. In a horn for shoe-sewing machines, the combination of a solid whirl-driving
spindle having a tongue at its lower end, and a tubular spindle having a cross-slot
receiving said tongue.
9th. In a born for shoe-sewing machines, the combination of a body-portion, a
tip-piece having an integral tongue fastened to the body-portion and provided at its
forward end with seats and 20, the cap interlocked with the seats 2 and the
whirl partially supported by the seat 28.
10th. In a horn for shoe-sewing machines, the combination with the body-portion,
of a tip-piece having an integral tongue fastened to the body-portion, and a
detachable bushing entering a socket in said body-portion.
11th. In a sewing-machine horn, the combination with the horizontally arranged
whirl and the inclined spindle having a bevel-gear at its end, of an intermediate
gear arranged at an angle to the whirl.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1894.
GEORGE RICHARD PEARE.