An Improved Method of Attaching Soles to Boots, Shoes, and the like.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 20th Aug., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Attaching Soles to Boots, Shoes, and the like.
We, GEORGE WHITEFIELD DAY of 42 Summer Street, Haverhill in the County
of Essex and State of Massachusetts, Gentleman, and THE BOSTON FOOTWEAR
MACHINE COMPANY, of 6 Ashburton Place, Boston in the County of Suffolk and
State of Massachusetts, all in the United States of America, 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. :-
In the manufacture of boots and shoes, the upper and upper lining as lasted and
secured to the sole at the toe are folded or plaited, forming thick bunches or folds
which are necessarily thicker toward the middle of the toe and very objectionable.
In turned boots or shoes, the upper being secured to the sole wrong side out, the
surplus portions of the folds of the upper edge beyond the stitches at the toe can be
easily cut away after the sole and upper are stitched, they being then outside and
easily reached, but in boots and shoes having a sole sewed to the upper right side
out it has heretofore been practically impossible after the upper has been stitched
to the sole to cut away or remove this surplus portion of the upper at the toe for
the reason that it cannot be easily reached in the boot to cut it without danger of
cutting and damaging more or less the upper and the object of this invention is to
provide an improved method of attaching soles to boots, shoes and the like and.
cutting and trimming the marginal edge of the upper from the inside as hereinafter
fully described and claimed, without injuring in the least the upper nor cutting the
stitches.
In the accompanying drawing, are represented modifications of a machine con-
structed and arranged for carrying out the improved method.
Fig. 1 is an elevation with some of the parts in vertical cross-section.
Fig. 2 a detail central sectional view and
Fig. 3 a detail central sectional view on same line as Fig. 2, but showing a change
in some of the parts.
Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of the inside of a boot or shoe at the toe.
Figs. 5 and 6 represent a rotating horn.
The machine for carrying out the improved method comprises a stand or frame A.
having a base B, for supporting and carrying the operating parts of the machine.
C is a horizontal shaft adapted to revolve in bearings in the frame A and portion D
of the frame and having a driving pulley E which can be connected by a belt to any
suitable power for operation thereof.
The pulley is loose on the shaft but is connected thereto by a clutch F, con-
structed and arranged for operation as usual in clutches and it is connected by
a rod G to a treadle (not shown) so that in operation the pulley revolves constantly
and the shaft is turned when desired by moving the clutch to make operating con-
nection between the pulley and shaft.
The shaft carries a gear wheel H which engages with a gear wheel J on the end.
of another horizontal shaft K turning in bearings in the frame and having on its
other end a plate or disk L which has a wrist-pin M which engages and operates
with a pivotal link or arm N adapted to freely move therewith and connected at its
by a pivot b, to an arm P adapted to reciprocate vertically in bearings in a
casing which casing is the usual "horn" in machines for sewing boots and shoes;
it has a place or rest R on its upper end for the boot or shoe.
end
a,
The arm P extends upward in the chamber in the horn and has on its upper end.
a knife or cutter R' which is secured thereto by a screw, its cutting edge g, being
arranged to extend up through an opening h, in the upper end of the horn when
operated.

page_text: S is an arm pivoted at m, to the upper end of the frame A and projecting down
therefrom through a closed guiding slot T in an arm U and it carries a vertical
roller V pivoted within a bifurcated-portion W of the arm S to be over or substan-
tially over the upper end of the horn when desired.
The piece W is secured to the arm S by a screw r, passing through a vertical
slot Z in an arm t, of the piece W and screwing into the side of the lower end of
the arm S.
A screw u, screws up into the lower end of the arm S above the piece W in
position for a shoulder t, on said piece to bear against the same, the screw having
holes 10, in its head y, for the insertion of a pin to turn it in or out by which the
height of the roller V from the top of the horn can be adjusted and when so adjusted
the piece is rigidly secured by tightening the screw r.
Attached to the side of the arm S is a spring a¹ its free end bearing against the
outer shoulder or end of the guiding slot T, by which the arm when free to
move is swung on its pivot m, back into the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1.
A' is an eccentric disk back of and in the same vertical plane as the swinging
arm S secured to an arm B' adapted to turn in bearings in the horizontal arm U
against which disk the arm S is held by the spring a¹ and to swing it forward into
its position shown in Fig. 1, the eccentric A¹ is turned by its handled from its
position shown in dotted lines Fig. 1, into the position shown in full lines same
figure, where it is held against a screw C₁ in the part of the closed slotted
guide. The turning of this screw in or out determines the forward limit of move-
ment of the arm S which is determined by the operator for the operation of the
machine.
The lower end of the part W has a downward projection D' for the purpose
presently described.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-
The eccentric is turned into the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, which
allows the spring a¹ to swing the arm S with the roller V into the position shown in
dotted lines, Fig. 1, out of the way of the horn, and then the boot or shoe is placed
over the horn, bottom upward until the end of the horn bears at the toe end of the
boot against and under the edge of the upper where it is secured to the sole as
shown in Fig. 2 in detail section.
The arm S is then swung forward by swinging the eccentric A' which brings the
roller V and the projecting arm D' into position against the sole and upper of the
boot or shoe at its toe end to firmly hold the same as shown in Fig. 2.
The shaft is then revolved by connecting it by the clutch to the pulley which,
by its gear connection, revolves the shaft K giving through the link connection N,
a vertical reciprocating motion to the cutter arm P and the cutting edge g, of the
knife, which is chisel-shaped, and in such movements said cutting edge passes out
and back through the opening h, at each revolution of the shaft K and in its out-
ward movements it cuts off the portions of the upper T at the edges beyond
the inner line of the stitches and as the cutter is so operated the boot or shoe is
guided along and turned by hand so that the whole of this portion of the upper at
the toe is presented to the cutter and cut off and then the arin S is swung back and
the boot or shoe removed from the horn and another boot or shoe placed thereon
and operated as before.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the portion of the upper is cut off at right angles, or.
substantially so, to its sides but it is desirable sometimes, especially when the upper
is thick, to cut off such portion on a bevel or slant so as not to have the end of the
upper where cut, too abrupt and an arrangement for so cutting the upper is shown
in detail section in Fig. 3, where the roller V is bevelled as shown, at an angle and
with a single boot or shoe the sole is bent up as shown in said figure and rests
against the bevelled side of the roller which presents that portion of the upper
secured to the toe at an angle to the line of movement of the cutter, which will, as
is plain, cut the edge of the upper off on a corresponding bevel or slanting line.
The knife is caused to move rapidly and its length of movement is so adjusted

page_text: that it will only project above the upper end of the horn sufficiently to cut through
the boot or shoe upper and not any of the thickness of the sole so as not to thereby
injure it.
This invention is especially intended for cutting the upper at the toe where it has
heretofore been practically impossible to reach with cutting mechanism to properly
cut and remove the edge of the upper and the other parts of the edge of the upper
along the sides back from the toe are cut in any of the usual ways.
In Figs. 5 and 6 we have shown a modification of the machine for carrying out
the improved method the horn being here adapted to rotate. The lower tubular
end Qof the horn has a bearing in a casing Q³ secured to the frame, and within
said tubular portion Q1 loosely fits and is adapted for vertical reciprocation the
link N to the upper end of which is revolubly secured the lower end of arm P.
The portion Q of the horn is provided with a recess into which be made to
may
take the blocks q' held by screws q² in threaded holes in the casing Q and thereby
prevent the vertical movement of the horn within the casing Q.
In Fig. 4 is shown a plan view of the inside of a boot or shoe at the toe after the
upper T has been trimmed by the present method and machine; G" desiguating
the sole; the line of stitching; ¹ the surplus edge; the line of cut, and e¹ the
surplus portion of the upper which is cut off.
Thus it will be seen from the foregoing that by this improved method the upper
is secured to the sole right side out and the marginal edge of the upper cut and
trimmed from the inside either at right angles or on a slant or bevel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said.
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The herein described method of attaching soles to boots and shoes, the same
consisting in securing the upper to the sole right side out, then cutting and trimming
the marginal edge of the upper from the inside, substantially as set forth.
2. The herein described method of attaching soles to boots and shoes, the same
consisting in securing the upper to the sole right side out, then cutting and trimming
the marginal edge of the upper from the inside on an oblique line forming a bevelled
edge, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 5th day of November 1891
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.