Improvements in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE SEAVER SEWING MACHINE COMPANY, a
Corporation organised under the laws of the State of Maine, and having its
principal place of business at 122, South Street, Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America.]
Improvements in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
1. HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex 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 :-
This invention relates to boots and shoes made by the so-called Goodyear welt
process, which involves the attachment of the upper to the inner sole and the
attachment of a welt to both the upper and inner sole by stitches passed through
the welt, the upper and a portion of the inner sole, the upper being interposed
between the welt and inner sole, so that the three are united by the same
stitches.
The invention has special reference to the attachment of the upper to the inner
sole prior to the application of the welt and the formation of the stitches that
connect the welt, upper and inner sole.
In making Goodyear welt. boots and shoes it is customary to place the inner sole
upon the bottom of a last, and to draw the upper over the last so as to cause it to
closely fit the last, and to attach the edge of the upper to a flange or lip made by
channelling the edge of the inner sole and turning up the flap formed by the
channelling operation, the upper being usually drawn to place by pincers held by
the operator, and attached to the flange or lip of the inner sole at different points,
the operator securing each portion of the edge of the upper to the flange of the
inner sole as soon as said portion is drawn to place. Heretofore the upper has been
attached to the flange of the inner sole by means of lasting tacks forced into the
outer side of the upper and through the flange of the inner sole. These tacks
must be removed before the welt can be applied and attached to the upper and
inner sole, their form being such that if they were allowed to remain after the
application of the welt and during the operation of stitching the welt to the upper
and inner sole they would cause breakage of the needle, and generally bad and
imperfect work, hence said lasting tacks are necessarily temporary fastenings. In
order that the upper may not separate too readily from the flange of the inner
sole when the said lasting tacks are removed preparatory to the stitching operation,
it is necessary to allow the lasted upper and inner sole to remain for a considerable
time, say, twenty four hours or more, after the upper has been temporarily secured
by the tacks to the flange of the inner sole in order that the upper may become
sufficiently set or fixed in the form imparted to it by the lasting operation to
warrant the withdrawal of the tacks in advance of the point where the needle
penetrates the upper and inner sole in attaching the welt thereto, it being well
known to those skilled in the art that if the tacks were withdrawn immediately
after the securing of the upper to the inner sole thereby, the upper would separate
to such an extent from the flange of the inner sole as to prevent the possibility of
The
uniting the welt, upper and inner sole by stitches, in the usual manner.
employment of tacks, therefore, as the means for securing the upper to the inner
sole during the lasting operation in the manufacture of welted boots and shoes
involves an undesirable loss of time and increases the expense of manufacture.
My invention has for its object to enable the upper of a welted boot or shoe to
be attached to the inner sole during the lasting operation in such manner that the
operation of securing the welt to the upper and inner sole can be proceeded with

page_text: immediately after the lasting operation, and without the necessity of waiting for
the upper to become fixed or set in the shape imparted to it by the lasting
operation.
The invention also has for its object to provide a welted boot or shoe in which
the upper shall be more securely attached to the inner sole than heretofore.
To these ends the invention consists, first, in an improved method of making
welted boots and shoes, the same consisting in permanently attaching the upper to
the flange of the inner .sole by stitches during the lasting. operation, and then
securing the welt to the upper and inner sole by stitches, in the usual manner, the
stitches that unite the upper to the inner sole constituting permanent fastenings
which do not interfere with the stitches that unite the welt to the upper and inner
sole, so that the operation of stitching the welt to the upper and inner sole may be
proceeded with immediately after the lasting operation and without waiting for
the upper to set; the two independent lines of stitching increasing the firmness of
the connection between the upper and inner sole, so that the boot or shoe is more
durable than one in which the connection between the upper and inner sole, made
during the lasting operation is effected by temporary fastenings which are neces-
sarily removed before the connection of the welt, upper and inner sole.
The invention also consists in a welted boot or shoe in which the upper is
attached to the inner sole by two independent lines of stitching, one connecting the
upper with the flange of the inner sole, the other being the usual stitches that
connect the welt with the upper and inner sole.
Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this Specification,
Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a last, and an inner sole and an upper
thereon, said parts being shown in the position they occupy just before the attach-
ment of the upper to the inner sole.
Fig. 2 represents a similar view, showing the operation of drawing the edge
of theupper inwardly over the last to prepare for the operation of stitching the
upper to the inner sole, said figure showing the needle which attaches the upper to
the inner sole.
Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of a portion of the upper, last, and inner
sole after the operation of stitching the upper to the flange of the inner sole.
Fig. 4 represents a sectional view of the last, the inner sole and the upper,
showing the welt attached to the upper and inner sole.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the figures.
In the drawings, a represents the iuner sole of a Goodyear welt boot or shoe, the
same having its edge cut or channelled to form a lip or Hange a', which is turned
outwardly from the outer surface of the inner sole, the outer side of said lip con-
stituting a shoulder against which the upper b.is drawn during the lasting operation.
A channel c is also cut in the outer face of the inner sole. for the reception of the
usual stitches d that connect the welt e with the upper and inner sole. The inner
sole above described does not differ from the ordinary form of inner sole. used in
Goodyear welted work.
•
In carrying out my invention I draw the edge of the upper inwardly over the
bottom of the inner sole, as indicated in Fig. 2, by means of pincers held by the
operator, or in any other suitable way, and secure the upper to the lip or flange a¹
by means of stitches f, which may be formed by a sewing machine, or in any other
suitable way, said stitches preferably extending continuously along the flange. a'
and constituting a permanent connection between the upper and inner sole. These
stitches are substituted for the lasting tacks which have heretofore invariably been
employed to secure the edge of the upper to the lip of the inner sole, and they
constitute a fastening or connection which in no way interferes with the operation
of securing the welt to the upper and inner sole by the stitches d.
It will be understood that the upper is drawn closely to place upon the last
ahead of the point where the stitches are formed; the upper being suitably
manipulated' to cause it to fit snugly upon the last and to be retained in close
contact with the last by the stitches f

page_text: After the lasting operation above described, the lasted upper and inner sole are
ready for the welt e, which is applied as indicated in Fig. 4, and connected to the
upper and inner sole by the stitches d, the operation of securing the welt being
performed in the usual manner, and of itself forming no part of the invention.
It will be observed that the stitches that connect the upper to the inner sole
constitute a fastening which holds the upper in place prior to the attachment of the
welt, and does not require to be removed to enable the welt to be attached. On
the contrary, the stitches assist the welt-attaching stitches d in securing the upper
to the inner sole, and enable the operation of securing the welt to the upper and
inner sole to be proceeded with immediately after the lasting operation. I am
therefore enabled to entirely dispense with the use of tacks in lasting the upper of
a welted shoe, said tacks being objectionable for various reasons, and also to avoid
the delay incidental to the use of tacks, as before mentioned.
I am aware that the upper of a boot or shoe has been secured during the lasting
operation by means of cords or threads disposed in loops, but in all such cases the
edge of the upper has been drawn down flat upon the outer face of the inner sole
preparatory to uniting the upper, inner sole and outer sole by stitches or other
fastenings passing through all three parts. I am the first, however, so far as I am
aware, to unite the upper and inner sole of a welted boot or shoe by means of
stitches passing through the upper and the lip of the inner sole.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:
1. That improvement in the art of making welted boots and shoes, which con-
sists in mounting a channelled insole on a last, drawing the upper over and securing
its edges to the lip of the inner sole by stitches during the operation of lasting,
and then securing the welt to the upper and inner sole thus connected, by an
independent line of stitches, as set forth.
2. A welted boot or shoe in which the upper is secured to the lip of the inner
sole by a line of stitches, the upper and inner sole being secured together by an
independent line of stitches, as set forth.
Dated this 26th day of January 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.