IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING SCREWS AND APPLYING THEM IN FIXING THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Dicks, of Leicester, Boot Manufacturer, and
William Hopwell, also of Leicester, Machinist, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING SCREWS AND APPLYING THEM IN
FIXING THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
Sealed the 13th October 1859, and dated the 23rd April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Dicks and
William Hopwell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 23rd April 1859.
We, WILLIAM DICKS, of Leicester, Boot Manufacturer, and WILLIAM
HOPWELL, also of Leicester, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING SCREWS AND APPLYING
THEM IN FIXING THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for making
screws, and applying them in fixing the soles of boots and shoes. For these
purposes the wire or metal rod is fed into the machine through a tube, which
receives rotatory motion from the main or driving shaft of the machine by the,
aid of a. suitable train of wheels interposed between the main or driving shaft
and the tube, provision being made for changing the speed of the tube, and
consequently the length of screw produced by means of change wheels. The
main or driving shaft is put in motion by a treadle, or by hand, or by other
power. The wire as it leaves the tube, passes between two rollers placed at

page_text: the front of the tube, and such rollers hold the wire securely. The forward
end of the wire is at all times between a pair of screw dies or cutters fixed or
held in front of the rollers, so that as the wire is caused to rotate a screw will
be cut thereon, and the end will be caused to protrude more and more through
and beyond the dies or cutters. In order that the act of making or cutting a
screw on the wire may be the cause of its entering into the sole of a boot or
shoe, there is a proper table or platform used, on which the boot or shoe is
held up to the die or cutter in such manner that the screw as it protrudes
beyond the dies or cutters, is caused to enter into the sole. When the proper
length of screw has been cut and has entered the sole, it is cut off by a
suitable cutter, which cuts the screw flush with the outer surface of the sole.
In order that the motion of the tube and rollers may be stayed whilst the cut
is being effected and the sole moved a distance equal to that between two
neighbouring screws in the sole, provision is made to stop the formation of the
screw for a time by means of a cam and interposed mechanism whilst the cut
is being made, and so soon as the cut has been made, and the sole is again in
a proper position to receive another screw, the gearing communicating motion
to the tube, and apparatus holding the wire, are again brought into action till
the proper length of screw has been again made and screwed into the sole, and
another cut by the cutting apparatus is required to be performed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Dicks and William Hopwell in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 22nd October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
DICKS, of Leicester, Boot Manufacturer, and WILLIAM HOPWELL, also of g
Leicester, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Dicks and William Hopwell, Her special licence that we,
the said William Dicks and William Hopwell, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Dicks and William
Hopwell, our 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,

page_text: and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MAKING SCREWS, AND APPLYING THEM IN FIXING THE SOLES OF
BOOTS AND SHOES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
William Dicks and William Hopwell, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Dicks, on behalf of myself and
the said William Hopwell, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for making
screws, and applying them in fixing the soles of boots and shoes. For these
purposes the wire or metal rod is fed into the machine through a tube, which
receives rotatory motion from the main or driving shaft of the machine by the
aid of a suitable train of wheels interposed between the main or driving shaft,
and the tube, provision being made for changing the speed of the tube, and,
consequently, the length of screw produced by means of change wheels. The
main or driving shaft is put in motion by a treadle, or by hand, or by other
power. The wire as it leaves the tube passes between two rollers placed at
the front of the tube, and such rollers hold the wire securely. The forward
end of the wire is at all times between a pair of screw dies or cutters fixed or
held in front of rollers, so that as the wire is caused to rotate, a screw will
be cut thereon, and the end will be caused to protrude more and more through
and beyond the dies or cutters. In order that the act of making or cutting
a screw on the wire may be the cause of its entering into the sole of a boot or
shoe, there is a proper table or platform used on which the boot or shoe is held
up to the die or cutter in such manner that the screw as it protrudes beyond
the dies or cutters, is caused to enter into the sole. When the proper length
of screw has been cut and has entered the sole, it is cut off by a suitable cutter,
which cuts. the screw flush with the outer surface of the sole. In order that
the motion of the tube and rollers may be stayed whilst the cut is being effected,
and the sole moved a distance equal to that between two neighbouring screws
in the sole, provision is made to stop the formation of the screw for a time by
means of a cam and interposed mechanism whilst the cut is being made, and

page_text: so soon as the cut as been made, and the sole is again in a proper position to
receive another screw, the gearing communicating motion to the tube and
apparatus holding the wire are again brought into action till the proper length
of screw has been again made and screwed into the sole, and another cut by
the cutting apparatus is required to be performed.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, we will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a front view; Fig. 2, a plan; and Fig. 3, a vertical section.
In these Figures the same letters are used to indicate the same parts. a is
the main or driving shaft, which receives motion from a treadle by the rod c
attached at its upper end to a crank at the end of the shaft a. Motion is
communicated to the parts of the machinery in the following manner:―d is a
pinion on the shaft a, which takes into and drives the cog wheel e on the shaft
or axis f. On the shaft or axis f is a cog wheel g, which is capable of sliding
on, yet being turned by the shaft or axis f. The wheel g is alternately geared
with the intermediate cog wheel h, and moved therefrom. The cog wheel
takes into and drives the cog wheel i fixed on the tube j, which turns in a
suitable bearing k. The tubej has formed therewith or fixed thereto a frame l,
on which are fixed the two axes of the grooved rollers m, m; one of these axes
is in a slot, and is capable of being set up towards the other by a set screw n,
in order that the grooved rollers m, m, may pinch the wire or rod, and cause it
to rotate in the screw dies hercafter mentioned, and yet allow of the grooved
rollers rotating on their axes, as the screw dies cause the wire to be drawn
between them. On the shaft or axis f is fixed a pinion o, which takes into
and drives the intermediate cog wheel p, which may be changed for another
when it is desired to change the relative speeds of the parts. The cog wheel P
takes into and drives the cog wheel q on the axis r, on which there is a cam s,
this cam, by a projection s¹ on its face, by acting on a projection on the con-
necting rod t which is attached to the lever u, causes that lever to slide the
cog
wheel Ig out of gear with the wheel h, by which the rotation of the tube j,
the rollers m, m, and the wire which is passed through the tube j, is stopped.
The projection s² on the periphery of the cam s, by pressing down the lever x,
causes the slide v to cut off the portion of wire which has been screwed into the
boot or shoe, which, during the cutting of the screw thread, has been held up
to the screw dies at won the table or platform y.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we would have it understood that we make no claim to any

page_text: of the mechanical parts separately, and we would state that we are aware that
mechanical apparatus differently constructed and combined has before been
used for cutting screw threads on wire, and for screwing the same into boots
and shoes, we do not, therefore, claim generally to obtain these results, but
what we claim is, the combination of the rollers m, m, the tube j, the screw
dies and cutter, with apparatus for actuating the same, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Dicks, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.