Improvements in Machines for Automatically Levelling the Soles of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1893-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Automatically Levelling the Soles of
Boots and Shoes.
We MAURICE VINCENT BRESNAHAN and JOHN JAMES HEYS both of Lynn
in the County of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, one of the United States of
America, Mechanical Engineers 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 improvements in sole shaping or levelling machines for
boots and shoes, and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts by
which the machine is rendered automatic, very simple, strong and durable as well
as easily operated as will hereinafter be more fully shown and described reference
being had to the accompanying drawings, where —
Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the improved machine partly shown in
section.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical section on the line 2, 2 shown in Fig. 1, and
Fig. 3 represents a rear view of the lower portion of the machine.
Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts of
the drawings.
The machine is of the duplex form, that is, it comprises a pair of shoe holding
and pressure devices automatically connected for operation, so as to permit the
operator to remove a levelled shoe from one of the lasts and replace it with
another while the levelling is being done on the other last and so on alternately
during the running of the machine.
In the drawings A A represent the upright frames or sides of the machine
and, B, B, B' are the vertical rods or posts as usual.
D is the head of the machine secured in an adjustable manner
rods B, B, B'.
to the
D' D' represent the usual sole formers secured to the underside of the yielding
spring pressed plates D", D", which are guided on the rods B, B, B' as is common
in machines of this kind.
E is the rotary driving shaft to which is secured the pinion e, the teeth of which
mesh in the teeth of the spur gear that is secured to the crank shaft E which.
latter is provided with two diametrically, opposite arranged cranks F1, F¹ in the
usual manner.
G is the foot treadle lever for starting the machine which lever is pivoted at_g
and provided with a brake shoe G' adapted to be normally held against a pulley E¹
on the driving shaft E by the influence of a spring G".
E is a pulley loose on the driving shaft E, and said pulley is set in a constant
rotary motion by belt power applied to it as usual and it is provided with any
suitable or well known friction or other clutch mechanism connected to and actuated
by the treadle G so as to cause a rotary motion to be imparted to the driving
shaft E when the treadle G is depressed.
As such starting mechanism does not form a part of our present invention, and as
it is well known in the art to which this machine relates, it is not shown in detail in
the drawings.
H and I are the respective lower and upper toggle levers which are pivoted at /¹
as shown in Fig. 2: there are two sets of said toggle levers, each set being
connected to one of the cranks F¹, by means of a link K, the forward end of
which is pivoted directly to the pin ₁, that connects the lower and upper toggle
levers Hand I as fully shown in Fig. 2.

page_text: The lower end of each of the levers H is pivotted at " to the lower portion of
the frame of the machine as shown in the drawings.
L is the last block pivoted to the upper end of the lever I and M is the last
supported on the last block and adapted to receive the shoe N, the sole of which is
to be shaped and levelled.
O is an adjustable connection between the pivoted last block L and lower toggle
lover H for the purpose of holding the last block at right angles, or any other
desired angle to the perpendicular during the vertical motion of the said last
block.
The toggle levers H and I are provided on their sides, back of the joint h¹ with
the respective lugs h and i which serve to carry the upper lever I with the lower
lever H during the forward rocking motion of the lower toggle lever H, and until
said upper lever I reaches its lowest vertical position shown in Fig. 2. By this
arrangement the toggle levers H, I, are positively moved forward as if they were
one single lever.
Each last block L is provided at its sides with lateral projections or pin and
rolls adapted to enter and to be guided in vertical grooves p during the vertical
motion of the last block, its shoe or last. Said grooves p are made in the brace P
secured to the vertical posts B, B, B¹, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
On the brace P or other stationary part of the machine are secured a pair of
forwardly projecting segmental curved bars P¹ P¹ one for each of the sections of
the machine. Each such curved bar P' has the lower toggle pivot " for its centre
and during the lateral or swinging motion of said toggle levers H, I, the last block
rollers are caused to roll and bear against the underside of said curved bars P¹
as shown in Fig. 2 by which arrangement the upper toggle lever and last block is
held down rigidly in position for the purpose of enabling the operator to work
on the shoe.
The lugs h, i, on the back of the toggle levers H, I, prevent the toggles from
descending beyond the desired point during the operation of our machine, thus
causing the last block to be moved out and in a true circular path having the lower
fulcrum as a centre, and by this arrangement a lock is produced between the
last block and the curved arm so as to hold the last block down rigidly in position
at all times during its forward and back movement and while the operator takes
off a shaped shoe and replaces it with another to be molded and so on.
In connection with the main treadle G and lower pivoted toggle lever H we use
an automatic stop device Q pivoted at q to a clamp, preferably secured to the middle
post B¹ or other stationary part of the machine, said lever being preferably provided
with a roller q' in its lower end which is normally held by means of a suitable
spring qagainst the face of an upwardly projecting tooth G on the main treadle G
as shown in Fig. 2.
The upper end of the lever Q is sufficiently wide to have its side extension come
opposite to the two lower toggles H H and is provided at such upper ends with
adjustable set screws 9³ q* against which the rear side of either of the lower toggle
levers H come in contact when any one of such levers reaches its vertical position.
The operation of the mechanism is as follows.
By depressing the treadle G the machine is started at the same time as the
lever Qis tripped up by the influence of the spring q¹¹ causing the roller q¹ on such
lever to butt against the upper side of the tooth G³ on the treadle G, thus causing
the machine to be held in motion as long as the treadle G is held depressed by the
lever Q.
When the toggle H (which for the time being is moving towards the centre of
the machine) comes to its vertical position, it strikes the upper end of the lever Q
causing it to be tripped and its lower end moved in front of the treadle projection G³
when the treadle G is automatically moved to its normal position shown in Fig. 2
by the influence of the spring G" causing the machine to be stopped while the boot
or shoe sole is under pressure, and the other last block is in its forward position for
the operator to work upon the shoe.

page_text: After having started the machine by the depression of the treadle G, and if it
should be desired to stop it for any reason before any one of the toggles H reaches
its vertical position, this may be done by an auxiliary treadle R pivoted at r and
having an adjustable set screw r¹ in its upper end adapted to come in contact with
the rear lower end of the lever Q when the auxiliary treadle R is depressed, thus
causing the treadle projection G³ to be released from the lever Q, by which release
the treadle lever G is returned to its normal position by the influence of the
spring G shown in Fig. 2, and causing the machine to be stopped.
The auxiliary treadle R is normally held out of contact with the lever Q by the
influence of a suitable spring r as shown in Fig. 2.
If both treadles are depressed at the same time, the machine will stop immediately
upon removing the foot from said treadles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is.
1. In a machine for automatically levelling the soles of boots and shoes, the
combination of a sole former, a last block mounted upon the upper end of a pair
of pivoted toggle levers and mechanism substantially as described for moving said
last block vertically to and from the sole former and forward and back positively in
a curved path as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a machine for automatically levelling the soles of boots and shoes, the
combination of a sole former, a last block mounted upon the upper end of a pair of
pivoted toggle levers, a crank shaft having a link connected to the toggle lever
joint and stationary segmental or curved arm for positively guiding the last block
to and from the operator, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a machine for automatically levelling the soles of boots and shoes, the
combination of a sole former, a last block mounted upon the upper end of a pair of
pivoted toggle levers having rearwardly projecting lugs and a link at the toggle
joint connected to a crank shaft and stationary segmental or curved arm for
positively guiding the last block to and from the operator, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
4. In a machine for automatically levelling the soles of boots and shoes, the
combination of a sole former, a last block mounted upon the upper end of a pair of
pivoted toggle levers, a crank and link for actuating said toggle levers, and a
starting treadle having a locking projection and a pivoted locking lever adapted to
hold the said treadle depressed until the toggle lever in reaching its vertical
position comes in contact with said locking lever and releases the treadle
automatically as and for the purpose set forth.
5. In a machine for automatically levelling the soles of boots and shoes, a last
block mounted upon a pair of toggle levers and actuated by a crank and connection
and a pivoted locking lever combined with a main starting treadle adapted when
depressed to be held by said locking lever, and an auxiliary treadle adapted to trip
the said locking lever to release the main treadle at the will of the operator,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 20th day of May 1902.
K. HADDAN.
Herbert Haddan & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agent for Applicants.