AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FILLING METALLIC BOOT HEEL SHELLS WITH WOOD OR OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FILLING METALLIC BOOT
HEEL SHELLS WITH WOOD OR OTHER MATERIALS."-A communication
from abroad by Frederick Richardson, Francis Hacker, and Josiah
Allen Blake, all of Providence, Rhode Island, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th April 1872.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine,. Lake, & Co.,
5 Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FILLING
METALLIC BOOT- HEEL SHELLS: WITH WOOD OR OTHER MATERIALS,'
.99 .com.
munication, to be as follows:-
:
This Invention consists, first, in a novel combination of a plunger
O with a compressing and guiding die, whereby a wooden filling of an

page_text: original area greater than the interior capacity of the snell into whica
it is to be forced is compressed, directed to, and deposited within a
metallic shell.
Secondly. In combining with the said plunger and die a feed motion
for conveying the wooden blanks from a feed box to the front face of ||
the die.
Thirdly. In the combination with the die and plunger of a carrier or
feed mechanism for conveying the metallic heel shell to the rear face
of the die.
Fourthly. In the combination of the wooden blank carrier and the:
metallic shell carrier with the dic and plunger.
Fifthly. In the combination of two dies and two plungers arranged
with relation to each other in such a manner that two wooden fillings
may be inserted simultaneously into the same metallic shell' from
opposite directions, and thus form the two separate "treads" of a
reversible heel tap.
.
Sixthly. In the combination with the two dies and plungers of
mechanism for feeding to the dies either the metallic heel shells or
blanks, or the wooden fillings, or both.
The machine has a main driving shaft, to which a belt pulley is
keyed, and two auxiliary shafts; the latter are provided at one end
with large driving gear wheels, which engage with each other; they
derive motion from the main shaft, with which one of the said gear
wheels is operatively connected by a pinion, in such a manner that both
of the large gear wheels are rotated towards cach other. The horizontal
sliding plungers are connected to cams or cranks on the auxiliary shafts
by connecting rods in such a manner that the revolution of the shafts
will cause a reciprocating movement of the plungers. Each plunger is
fitted to a slide in the bed plate of the machine. The operative end of
each plunger is shaped in the form of a heel tap. They are each pro- a
vided with a longitudinal central opening, which extends from the front
face of the plunger back to a vertical transverso slot; from the bottom
of each slot extending downward through the plunger and the bed of
the machine are openings for the passage of chips discharged during a
portion of the operation hereafter to be described. The operative or 3
heel-shaped ends are preferably detachable from the main body of the
plunger, in order that they may be changed from one size to another,

page_text: •
according to the character of the work to be performed. The two dies
with the plungers laterally compress and direct the wooden filling into
the metallic shell. Each die is provided with a heel-shaped aperture
extending through it. On the plunger side of the die the heel-shaped
3 aperture is somewhat larger than the heel-shaped end of the plunger,
and also somewhat larger than the wooden filling to be operated upon;
this aperture, however, tapers inwardly on all sides from the front face
to a point about midway through the die, where its area is a trifle less
than the interior area of the shell into which the wooden filling is to
be inserted, and is also of about the same size as or a little larger than
the heel-shaped end of the plunger. The aperture on the rear face of
the dio is fitted to receive the metallic shell. Each die is mounted upon
a sliding plate, to which a reciprocating movement is given by means of
horizontal elbow levers pivotted in the top of the bed plate, and which
are in turn actuated by rotary groove-edged cams on the auxiliary
shafts. Each die is preferably so mounted on its sliding plate that
while it is temporarily firmly attached thereto and cannot be moved
to any considerable extent to or from its fellow independently of the.
movement of its plate, it will at the same time have sufficient play
thereon to enable it to readily adjust itself not only to the sliding
plunger and the interposed wooden filling, but also to the metallic shell
when interposed between the two dies, and thereby create what might
properly be termed a "general bearing" between the two plungers, the
two wooden fillings, the two dies, and the interposed metallic shell when
the plungers are advancing towards each other. Each die is provided
.with a spring, on its inner face, so set, that when the two dies are in close
relation cach is pressed by the spring of the other; by this means when
the pressure on the plunger and the sliding plates is withdrawn the dies
are promptly forced apart. As a different set of dies is requisite for
every different size of heel, it is desirable that they be so set on their
sliding plates that they can readily be removed or placed thereon. In
this instance the sliding plates have two vertical posts, within which
the dies are set, and to which they are connected by a loose spline
engaging with proper corresponding grooves in the posts and dies. Tho
"shell" feeder or carrier by which the metallic heel shells are conveyed
to a proper position between the dies consists of a narrow vertical post
with a horizontal arm (narrower than the thickness of a heel shell)
extending towards the dies, on which the straight edge of the heel shell
rests when in position for conveyance to the dies. The post is mounted

page_text: upon the outer end of a sliding plate which operates at right angles to
the line of the plunger parallel with the inner faces of the dies, but
'below, and practically between them. The sliding plate is operated by
a horizontal lever pivotted to the top of the dead plate, and actuated by
the rotary groove-edged cam on the shaft. Two wing guides attached
to the bed plates are so placed as to serve as holders to the metallic
shell when on the feeder, and thereby prevent its falling off at either
side during the inward movement of the feeder. The feed boxes for
containing the wooden fillings are rectangular spout-like structures open
on the upper side, and inclined from their outer ends downward to the
'level of the lower edge of the dies and plungers. The incline should be
_sufficient to induce a free downward sliding movement of the wooden
fillings which are placed therein, some fifteen, twenty, or more at a time,
with their straight edges resting on the bottom of the feed boxes. The
lower ends of the feed boxes are on a line truly parallel, but not
coincident with the front faces of the dies when their inner faces are in
contact. They are, however, set back from the line of the dies when in
the position named a distance equal to the thickness of the wooden
fillings employed. The "filling" feeders or carriers consist of flat
'horizontal bars fitted to slides which rest on the bed plate at right
angles to the operative line of the plungers, and terminate at a point
adjacent to the inside edges of the dies. They are moved to and fro
'between the feed boxes and the outer faces of the dies and plungers
by a horizontal lever which is pivotted to the top of the bed plate,
and is actuated by a grooved-edged cam on one of the auxiliary
The two feeders are connected at their rear ends by a cross
bar extending through slots in the sides; this cross bar is connected
to the said horizontal lever by a slotted link, which is capable of
adjustment.
shafts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
3

page_text: '
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of April, in the year of
cur Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such other's as I, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all' times thereafter.
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FILLING METALLIC BOOT HEEL SHELLS WITH WOOD
OR OTHER MATERIALS," a communication to me from abroad by Frederick.
Richardson, Francis Hacker, and Josiah Allen Blake, all of Providence,
Rhode Island, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby,
declare the nature of the said, Invention, and in, what manner the.
same is to be performed, to be particularly described, and ascertained
in and by the following statement,, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
This Invention consists, first, in a novel combination of a plunger
with a compressing and guiding die, whereby a wooden filling of an
original area greater than the interior capacity of the shell into which
it is to be forced is compressed, directed to, and deposited within a
metallic shell.

page_text: each plunger is shaped in the form of a heel tap.. They are provided.
with longitudinal central openings c and c', which extend from the
front face of the plungers back to vertical transverse slots 6 and 6¹ ;
from the bottom of each slot extending downward through the plunger
and the bed of the machine are openings for the passage of chips
discharged during a portion of the operation hereafter to be described.
The operative or heel shaped ends are preferably detachable from the
main body of the plunger in order that they may be changed from one
size to another according to the character of the work to be performed.
D and D' denote two dies which with the plungers laterally compress, and
direct the wooden filling into the metallic shell. Each die is provided with.
a heel shaped aperture extending through it. On the plunger side of the
die the heel shaped aperture is somewhat larger than the heel shaped.
end.of the plunger, and also somewhat larger than the wooden filling to
5. be operated upon; this aperture, however, tapers inwardly on all sides
from the front face to a point about midway through the die, where its
area is a trifle less than the interior area of the shell into which the
wooden filling is to be inserted, and is also of about the same size is or a
little larger than the heel shaped end of the plunger. The aperture on the
0. rear face of the die is fitted to receive the metallic shell H, as is clearly
shown in Figure 8. These dies are mounted upon sliding plates d and.
d, to which a reciprocating movement is given by means of horizontal
elbow. levers e and e' pivoted in the top of the bed plate, and which are.
in turn actuated by rotary groove edged cams fand f¹ on the auxilliary
5. shafts B and B'. Each dio is preferably so mounted on its sliding plate.
.that while it is temporarily firmly attached thereto and cannot be moved,
to any considerable extent to or from its fellow independently of the
movement of its plate, it will at the same time have sufficient play.
thereon to enable it to readily adjust itself not only to the sliding
0. plunger and the interposed wooden filling, but also to the metallic shell
when interposed between the two dies, and thereby create what, might.
properly be termed a "general bearing" between the two plungers, the
two wooden fillings, the two dies, and the interposed metallic shell when
the plungers are advancing towards each other. Each dio is provided
5 with a spring on its inner face, so set that when the two dies are in close‣
relation each is pressed by the spring of the other", by this means when
the pressure on the plunger and the sliding plates is withdrawn the dies
..are promptly forced apart. As a different set of dics is requisite for every
different size of heel, it is desirable_that they should be.so sct on their

page_text: sliding plates that they can readily be removed or placed thercon. In
this instance the sliding plates have two vertical posts, within which
the dies are set; and to which they are connected by a loose spline
engaging with proper corresponding grooves in the posts and dies.
E denotes the shell feeder or carrier by which the metallic heel shells
are conveyed to a proper position between the dies, as represented in
Figure 8. The "shell feeder" consists of a narrow vertical post with
a horizontal arm (narrower than the thickness of a heel shell) extending
towards the dies, on which the straight edge of the heel shell rests
when in position for conveyance to the dics. The post is mounted upon
the outer end of a sliding plate g, which operates at right angles to the
line of the plunger, parallel with the inner faces of the dies, but below,
and practically between them. The sliding plate is operated by a
horizontal lever pivotted to the top of the bed plate, and actuated by the
rotary grooved edged cam / on the shaft B'. Two wing guides attached
to the bed plates are so placed as to serve as holders to the metallic
shell when on the feeder, and thereby prevent its falling off at either
side during the inward movement of the feeder. F and F¹ denote the
feed boxes for containing the wooden fillings. They are rectangular
spout-like structures open on the upper side, and inclined from their
outer ends downward to the level of the lower edge of the dies and
plungers. The incline should be sufficient to induce a free downward
sliding movement of the wooden fillings (shown in Figure 5) which
are placed therein, some fifteen, twenty, or more at a time, with their
straight edges resting on the bottom of the feed boxes. The lower
ends of the feed boxes are on a line truly parallel, but not coincident
with the front faces of the dies when their inner faces are in contact.
They are however set back from the line of the dies when in the
position named a certain distance which is equal to the thickness of
the wooden fillings employed. The boxes are represented as if
containing six wooden fillings each. G and G' denote the " 'filling'
feeders or carriers. They consist of flat horizontal bars fitted to slides
which rest on the bed plate at right angles to the operative line of the
plungers, and terminate at a point adjacent to the inside edges of the
dies. They are moved to and fro between the feed boxes and the
outer faces of the dies and plungers by a horizontal lever i, which is
pivotted to the top of the bed plate, and is actuated by a groove edged
cam k on the shaft. B. The two feeders are. connected at their rear
ends by a cross bar extending through slots in the slides; this cross bar
"

page_text: Kadjustment.
.
"
}
Having thus described the several parts of the machine I will now
proceed to describe its operation. In Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 the dics
.D and D¹ are represented as if their rear faces were close together and
in the act of compressing between them a metallic heel shell of the
character represented in Figure 6; the plungers have advanced into the
'dies as if a wooden filling had been interposed between their ends
and a metallic shell. "The shell carrier" E is ready for receiving a
shell for conveyance between the dies when they shall become separated
sufficiently to admit it. From such a position for the sake of illustration
let it be supposed the machine to be started, the gear wheels and their
axles will be turned towards each other, as indicated by the arrows. The
first movement of the shafts will cause a backward movement of both
plungers, continuing in their course for about one-eighth of a revolution,
they will then be joined in their backward movement by the dies
actuated by the cams fand f¹. The "shell feeder" E, actuated by the
lever and the rotary cam h and loaded with a shell (placed thereon in
this instance by hand), just before the dies and plungers have completed
their backward movement starts promptly forward and moves quickly
between the inner faces of the two dies before it has advanced beyond
the outer edges of the dies, and while it still advances they also move
towards each other and embrace the shell within the recesses in their
rear faces; after the shell is supported by the dies the "shell feeder ?
quickly returns to its original position, leaving the shell between the
dies ready to receive the filling. The result thus far attained will have
been accomplished by about one half of a revolution of each shaft,
each plunger cam being nearly at its farthest centre. At the moment
when the "shell feeder" commences its return movement however the
"filling feeders" G and G engage with the side of the lowest "filling
in each of the feed boxes, and actuated simultaneously by the lever i
and cam k they slide the fillings from their respective boxes towards
the front faces of the dies, and deposit them on shelf-like projections
on the faces of the dies adjacent to the lower edges of their apertures.
Simultaneously with this movement (the cams having passed the centre)
the plungers advance towards the dies and carry the fillings into the
inclined beel shaped apertures. It must be understood that the wooden
fillings are cut crosswise of the grain of the timber, and therefore when
99
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page_text: •
they are forced into the dies and directed into the shell their centres
are readily punched out by the raised central thin edged screw bosses
(shown in Figure 6), leaving them when completed as represented in
Figure 7. The plug-like chips so forced from the fillings are pushed
by the next succeeding chips through the central longitudinal apertures |
c in the plungers, until on arriving at the slot & they are discharged
'downward through the bed plate of the machine. When the plungers
and dies recede from each other, tho filled shell falls through a slot in
the plate which sustains the shell carrier and through a hole in the
bed plate beneath the machine.
It will be readily understood that if metallic heel shells are to be
filled but one die need be employed, and that instead of the second dic
it will only be necessary to use a suitable base plate for backing up the
shell while the filling is being inserted; also that it does not matter
what the form of the heel may be, as the machine will serve as well in 1
one case as in another provided the dies are properly formed and the
carrier is adapted thereto.
It is obvious that a feed box may be arranged for the heel shells of
substantially the same character as either of the boxes F, and that if
such box be arranged with the same relation to the shell carrier E as :
the boxes occupy with relation to the filling carrier & the operation of
the feeders will be practically the same in both cases.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. The combination of a compressing and guiding die, substantially
of the character hercin described, with a reciprocating forcing plunger,
as and for the purposes specified.
Second. The combination of a compressing and guiding die, a plunger,
a feed box, and a feed motion or carrier G, operating at right angles to 3
the plunger for conveying the fillings singly from the feed box to a
point coincident with the opening in the die and the face of the plunger,
substantially as described.
Third. The combination of the compressing and guiding die, the
forcing plunger, and the carrier E, for conveying the metallic heel shells 3
to the rear of the die and leaving the same within a recess therein,
substantially as described.

page_text: Fourth. The combination of a compressing and guiding die, a forcing
plunger, a "filling carrier" operating on a line parallel with the front
face of the die, and a "shell carrier" operating on a line parallel with
the rear side of the die, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The combination of two reciprocating compressing and guiding
dies arranged with 'their rear faces adjacent to and coincident with the
two forcing reciprocating plungers operating on lines at right angles to
the faces of the dies, by which the two sockets of a double-faced heel
tap may be filled simultaneously, substantially as described.
"
Sixth. The combination of two reciprocating compressing and
guiding dies and two reciprocating plungers with the "filling" feeders
G, G', and the shell carrier E, substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
Witness,
W. J. LOWE.
Wч. ROB³. LAKE. (L.S.)