Improvements in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes and in Machinery therefor.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 24th May, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes and in
Machinery therefor.
I HENRY LEON of 45 Golden Lane, Barbican, London, E.C., Shoe Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
The object of this invention is to effect an economy of time and labour in the
manufacture of Boots and Shoes, and relates to the preparation of the soles, with the
view to facilitate their attachment by hand to the upper.
To this end, a ridge is pressed up upon the sole for the reception of the attachment
stitches, and this ridge is at intervals perforated transversely to facilitate sewing.
The machine for effecting this blocking and perforating consists of an intermittently
rotating feed wheel and a channelled presser-foot, between which the edge of the sole
is laid. Transverse to the direction of the feed, but in a plane parallel therewith, is
arranged a suitably actuated reciprocating piercing needle or awl, which strikes
through the upraised ridge of the sole, and retires again, between the intermittent
advances caused by the feed wheel.
In some cases, I prefer to effect the blocking of the ridge between the rollers of a
separate machine, before submitting the sole to the piercing operation, in which case
the power of the presser foot need only be sufficiently great to hold the sole steadily
against the feed wheel.
The feed of the sole through the piercing machine may be regulated to produce
the perforations or holes for the stitches at any required intervals. By this means,
an even guide for the sewer is made, and his work greatly facilitated. The curved
awl is entirely dispensed with, and even where the soft nature of the leather permits
of sewing without its aid, the work is made easier, and its evenness improved.
The employment of the piercing machine also permits of the use of leather of a
harder and even inferior nature, than was before possible.
Dated this 25th day of Ancens 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes and in
Machinery therefor.
I, HENRY LEON of 45, Golden Lane, Barbican, London, E.C. Shoe Manufacturer,
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 this invention is to effect an economy of time and labour in the
manufacture of boots and shoes, and relates to perforating or piercing the soles, with
the view to facilitate their being stitched by hand to the upper.
For effecting this perforating of the sole I employ a machine consisting of a
combined intermittently rotating feed wheel and presser, between which and a plate,
the edge of the sole is laid. Transverse to the direction of the feed, is arranged a
suitably actuated reciprocating piercing needle or awl which strikes through the sole
and retires again between the intermittent advances caused by the feed wheel.
The feed of the sole through the piercing machine may be regulated to produce
the perforations or holes for the stitches at any required intervals. By this means,
an even guide for the sewer is made and his work greatly facilitated.

page_text: The employment of the piercing machine permits of the use of leather of a harder
and even inferior nature, than was before possible.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood 1 will describe how the
same can be carried into practical effect, by reference to the accompanying drawing,
n which―
Figure 1 is a plan of a machine, constructed according to my invention, and
Figures 2 and 3 are vertical sections respectively on the lines A B and C D of
fig. 1.
Figures 4 and 5 are a plan and section respectively of a portion of a sole shewing
the holes perforated therein according to my invention.
Similar reference letters indicate similar parts throughout the drawing.
a is the frame of the machine, upon the upper part of which is formed a bracket b,
in which revolves the shaft for carrying and operating a curved reciprocating
needle d, the said needle being held by means of screws d' between a flange d² on one
end of the said shaft and a loose plate ³. The needle works through a slot e in a
plate attached to a block a¹ formed on the frame a. The other end of the shaft c
has attached thereto a gear wheelf which gears with and is operated by a toothed
rack sliding in guides g, the said rack being provided on its under side with a
friction roller, which engages with and is operated by a cam groove h in a disc h¹.
The disc h¹ is mounted upon a shaft i and is operated by a hand-wheel ; through the
medium of gear-wheels & and l.
m is the feed wheel which is of well known construction and is operated through
the medium of a connecting rod n by means of a disc o attached to the outer end of
the shaft. The disc o is provided with an adjustable slide o¹, to which the connecting
rod n is attached, so that by altering the position of the said slide relatively with the
disc o the movement of the feed wheel can be regulated to suit the required distance
apart of the holes.
The spindle m¹ upon which the feed wheel is mounted is supported in a block p,
which is arranged in a groove 9 in a bracket q¹ so as to slide therein, a spring r
connecting the said block with the underside of the top of the frame a.
s is a lever pivoted to the bracket g and provided with an extension s¹ which when
the said lever is moved in the direction of the arrow fig. 2 moves over a pin p' on
the block p and forces down the said block into the position shewn and thereby the
feed wheel m away from the plate e', so as to allow of the insertion of the sole to be
operated upon between the said plate e¹ and feed wheel m. The spring when the
lever s is moved in the opposite direction, serves to keep the sole pressed against the
plate e¹.
t is a small roller arranged on the underside of the plate el, against which roller
the edge of the sole bears and is guided.
By this construction, if the feed wheel m be moved into the position shewn in the
drawing so as to allow sole to be placed between the feed wheel m and the plate e¹
and the feed wheel be then moved up by the levers so as to press the sole against
the plate e¹, by operating the hand wheel j in the direction of the arrow fig. 1 the
needle d will be caused to make in the said sole a series of holes of the shape shewn
in figs. 4 and 5 at regular distances apart, such distance varying according to the
amount of movement imparted to the feed wheel.
For varying the depth at which it is required the needle shall pierce the soles I
have provided the plate e' with screws u, u¹ and v, the screw serving as a fulcrum
or point at which the said plate bears upon the block a' while the screws u and u¹
serve to adjust the position of the end of the plate e¹ containing the slot.e, relatively
with the needle as will be obvious.
.
In some cases I can block or press up a ridge on the sole through which the holes
for the attachment stitches are pierced, such ridge being blocked up by means of a
channelled presser-foot placed over the feed wheel, or by passing the sole between
suitable rollers in a separate machine prior to the piercing operation. In this case
a straight piercer or awl would be employed. In practice however, I find that
the use of the curved needle answers best as it enables me to dispense with the ridge.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. A boot or shoe sole perforated or pierced with holes by means of a machine
such as is herein described to facilitate its attachment by hand to an upper substantially
as set forth.
2. The combination of parts forming a machine for perforating or piercing holes in
soles for boots and shoes arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 21th dow of Mov 1880
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.