Improvements in Channel Opening Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec., 1899-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1900
Improvements in Channel Opening Machines.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN, of the Green Hall, Stafford, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention is for a machine for opening the channels previously formed
in the insoles of boots and shoes, while the shoes are upon the last and other-
wise ready for the performing of the sewing operation.
The machine consists of a suitable frame with a driving shaft, pulleys and
gears for rotating the channel opening wheel. Driven from the main shaft
by suitable gears and a worm and wheel is a feeding roller which has an outer
covering of indiarubber or other material which will not damage the upper of
the shoe. This roller is carried in a slide which is normally held back by a
spring, so as to keep the roller out of engagement with the shoe but can be
moved forward by the operator, by means of a suitable treadle and connections so
as to bring the feed roller into engagement with the shoe upper for the purpose
of feeding forward the shoe beneath the channel opening wheel.
The shaft which carries the worm is made to slide in the gear and has a feather
way so as to maintain the driving connection as the feeding roller is moved to
and fro.
The feeding roller may be adjusted vertically to accommodate variations in
the shoes.
The channel is first slightly opened by a fixed ploughing tool, and the lip
of the channel is afterwards operated on by the revolving opening wheel as the
boot, held by the operator, is fed forward by the feeding roller.
Dated this 20th
1000
་
Improvements in Channel Opening Machines.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN, of the Green Hall, Stafford, Engineer, 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 a machine for opening the channels previously formed
in the insoles of boots and shoes, whilst the shoes are upon the last and otherwise
ready for the performing of the sewing operation.
According to the invention the machine consists of a suitable frame with a
driving shaft, pulleys and gear for rotating the channel opening wheel. Driven

page_text: from the main shaft by suitable gear and a worm and wheel I provide a feeding
roller which has an outer covering of india rubber or other suitable material which
will not damage the upper of the shoe. This roller is carried in a slide which is
normally held back by a spring, so as 'to keep the roller out of engagement
with the shoe but can be moved forward by the operator by means of a suitable
treadle and connections so as to bring the feed roller into engagement with the
shoe upper for the purpose of feeding forward the shoe beneath the channel
opening wheel.
The shaft which carries the worm, is made to slide in the gear and has a
feather way so as to maintain the driving connection as the feeding roller is
moved to and fro..
The feeding roller may be adjusted vertically to accommodate variations in
the shoes.
ני.
The channel is first slightly opened by a fixed ploughing tool, and the lip
of the channel is afterwards operated on by the revolving opening wheel as
the boot, held by the operator, is fed forward by the feeding roller.
To enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference
to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upper portion of a machine made according
to the invention; and
Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof:
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 Figure 1.
a is the frame of the machine; b is the driving shaft mounted in bearings a¹, a¹
in the upper part of the said frame a and carrying the fast and loose pulleys c, c¹
respectively at one end and at the other end the bevel wheel d which gears
with a bevel wheel e actuating the spindle d¹ mounted in the head a³ of the
frame and carrying at its lower end the channel opening wheel f. f¹ is the
ploughing tool which is fixed to the head a² of the frame a of the machine and
is provided with a forwardly projecting nose f².
is the feeding roller having a peripheral covering of indiarubber or other
suitable material and being adjustably fitted upon the upright spindle g¹ which
is mounted in bearings g, in the slide h, the said slide being arranged to
operate in an undercut guide i secured to the side of the frame a of the machine.
The spindle g is provided at its upper end with a worm wheel j gearing with a
worm mounted upon a spindle which turns in bearings 1, on the slide h
and frame a respectively and is provided with a feather engaging a key-way
in a spur wheel m gearing with a spur wheel n mounted upon the driving shaft b
of the machine so that the motion of this shaft b is communicated to the worm
and thence to the feeding roller
I.
is the spring which normally holds the slide hand thereby the feeding
roller g out of engagement with the boot or shoe upper.
To bring the feed roller g into engagement with the upper for the purpose of feed-
ing forward the boot or shoe beneath the rotating channel opening wheel f I advan-
tageously provide the following mechanism that is to say,"
of the machine a bell-crank lever p, the end of the upper arm of which is
pivot to the frame a
provided with a slot engaging a ping projecting from the slide h, and the
end of the other arm of which is provided with a hook to which is secured the
upper end of a rod, wire or the like s; the lower end of this wire is secured to a
treadle lever so that when the said treadle lever is depressed, the bell-crank
lever is turned upon its pivot so as to move the slide forward and apply the
roller against the shoe upper as indicated in the dotted lines in Figure 1.
The machine is employed as follows, that is to say, the operator applies the
boot or shoe to the machine in the position indicated in Figure 1 and depresses
the treadle so as to press the feed roller g against the boot or shoe upper. The
driving shaft being now caused to revolve, the feed roller
mechanism above described and the ploughing tool f¹, the nose of which has been
is rotated by the
inserted in the channel of the boot or shoe sole, advances in the said channel

page_text: which is then opened by the opener f following the ploughing tool also driven by
the shaft b as above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a channel opening machine the combination with the frame of a driving
shaft, a channel opening tool actuated by the driving shaft, a feed roller mounted
upon a slide working in a fixed guide, means for rotating the feed roller from
the driving shaft and means for normally holding the feed roller out of engage-
ment with the boot or shoe upper and for advancing the same into contact with
the said upper, substantially as herein before described.
2. A channel opening machine consisting of the parts, constructed, arranged
and operating, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated the 21st day of December 1899.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.