Improvements in Machinery for Sewing Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Sewing Boots and Shoes.
We, THOMAS GEORGE HUNT, of. Moore's Road, Belgrave, jurta Leicester, Boot
and Shoe Manufacturer, and EDWARD SMITH BARSBY, of 22, Mere Road, Leicester,
Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
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This invention has reference to machinery for sewing the uppers of boots and
shoes in which the lasting operation is performed by stitch forming mechanism.
Preparatory to the lasting operation, the insole of a boot or shoe is temporarily
secured to a last and, the upper pulled over the last and temporarily attached to
the insole by a few pegs or tacks, whereupon the channel in the insole is opened
so that the lip or feather of the channel is raised parallel to and against the edge
of the upper.
The said upper and insole on the last are then presented to the said machine and
the edge of the upper and the feather of the insole are connected together by
stitching.
A machine constructed according to this invention comprises a curved recipro-
cating needle, a looper for the said needle, and a reciprocating tube enclosing the
said needle to prevent the old loop again getting under the hook of the needle, when
the latter is pulling a new loop through the upper and insole.
The said machine also comprises a work clamp or gripping device or devices for
holding the work against the work support during the stitching operation and a
feed device for feeding the work forward after each stitch formation during which
time the clamp releases it.
The operative mechanism is carried on the upper end of a standard or framing on
each side of which is an arm extending forward to the front of the machine
and forming a bearing for the needle carrying shaft which is rocked, to reciprocate
the needle, by means of a link and lever actuated from. an eccentric on a driving
shaft located at the rear of the machine.
The looper is located at the back of the work support through an eye in which
the needle passes at each stitch formation to have the thread wrapped round it by
the looper.
The necessary movements of the looper to wrap the thread round the needle are
effected by cam or cams on the driving shaft.
The looper is formed at one end of and as an integral part of a lever fulcrummed
to an arm and spring controlled to keep the said lever in contact with its actuating
cam or cams.
The wax thread passes from a bobbin, along a tube, preferably heated by a gas
jet, and through an eye in the looper, and through an eye in the work support to
the needle.
While the stitch formation is proceeding the work is held against the work
support by two clamps, presser fingers or work holders one of which is spring
controlled.
One of the said clamps is centred on the rocking shaft and is actuated to alter-

page_text: nately grip and release the work as required, by links and levers extending to and
in contact with a cam on the driving shaft.
The adjustable work clamp is somewhat similarly constructed and actuated but
is also arranged in connection with a spiral spring so that it can he moved away
from the work independently of the other clamp to release the work at any desired
moment when it is desired to adjust the position of the work relatively to the
needle or otherwise.
The feed lever for moving the work after each stitch formation and when the
clamps have moved away from and released the work, is located against the work
support.
Normally the front of the feed lever is flush or thereabouts with the face of the
work support.
When a stitch is completed and the needle withdrawn the feed lever is projected
slightly forwards against the work and then moves to the right with the work, then
recedes or falls back and then returns to its original position.
These motions are obtained from a cam on the driving shaft with which the feed
lever is kept in contact, by means of a spring.
The curved tube which encircles or surrounds part of the length of the needle
and which prevents double looping i.c. the old loop getting again under the hook
of the needle when the latter is being withdrawn from the work, is carried by an
arm mounted on the rocking shaft.
The said arm is provided with a segmental rack in engagement with another
similar rack on the end of a lever actuated by a cam on the driving shaft.
The details of construction may be varied without departing from the main
lines of the invention.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1898.
BOULT & WADE.
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Machinery for Sewing Boots and Shoes.
We, THOMAS GEORGE HUNT, of Moore's Road, Belgrave, juxta Leicester, Boot
and Shoe Manufacturer, and EDWARD SMITII BARSBY, of 22, Mere Road, Leicester,
Foreman, 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 has reference to machinery for sewing together the upper and
the insole of a boot or shoe after the same have been temporarily secured on the
last by tacks in the usual manner.
The insole employed for purposes of the present invention is first of all passed
through a channelling machine which throws up a feather or lip all round the
edge thereof the said lip being subsequently sewn to the edge of the upper.
Preparatory to the sewing operation the insole is temporarily secured to a last
and the upper pulled over the last and temporarily attached to the insole by tacks
at short intervals apart, the operator then opens the channel in the insole so that
the lip or feather is raised parallel to and close against the edge of the upper. The
said upper and insole on the last are then presented to the stitch forming mechanism
of the machine to be described and are connected together.by stitches.
The invention will be understood from the following further description in
reference to the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a plan of a machine constructed in accordance with this invention.
Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof minus the supporting standard.

page_text: Figure 3 is a side elevation with parts in section the side arm 'A' being broken
away for clearness' sake.
Figure 4 is a section through the driving shaft in front of the lever K5 and
mechanism for actuating the cast-off parts being shown in section.
Figure 5 is a similar view in front of the feed lever M and its actuating
mechanism.
Figure 6 is a similar view in front of the looper and its actuating mechanism.
Figure is a detail view showing the bearings for the fulcrums of the looper
lever E and feed lever M respectively.
Figures 8 and 9 are front elevation and section respectively of the work support
and feed lever respectively.
The operative mechanism of the machine is carried on a table A forming the
upper end of a standard or pedestal and from the said table there arise two
arms A¹ As one each side extending forwards to the front of the machine and having
in their extreme ends bearings A³ A for the needle carrying shaft B which is
rocked or reciprocated through an are of a circle to actuate the needle C, by means
of a link C¹ and a lever Ca pivotted thereto at 03 and actuated for that purpose by
an eccentric C on a driving shaft D located at the rear of the machine and having.
a bearing in each of the arms A¹ A² and driven by a grooved pulley D¹ on the end
thereof.
The link C¹ is fixed fast on the rock shaft B by means of a set screw C5 passing
through its boss.
The needle which is curved is fixed by a set screw C6 in the tubular end of an
arm C which latter is tightened also by means of a set screw C8 on to the rock
shaft B so that the needle partakes of the motion of the latter.
The looper E Figs. 5 and 6 is located at the back of the work support F close to
an eye F in the latter through which the needle passes at each stitch formation to
have the thread G wrapped round it by the looper.
The necessary fourway movement to wrap the thread round the needle as will
be well understood is effected by a cam H on the driving shaft D.
The looper having an eye through which the thread can pass is screwed at one
end to a lever E¹ fulcrummed at E2 in the bifurcated end of an arm E³ provided
with a spindle movably inserted within a sleeve E bolted to a plate E Figs. 1 and 3
screwed at E6 to the side arm A¹. A spring E7 coiled around and having one end
let into the sleeve E has the other end connected to the arm E3 so that the lever El
is thereby maintained in' connection with its actuating cam and the arm can also
rotate slightly therein when necessary to allow the looper to rise above and descend
below the needle for wrapping purposes.
The looper lever E has on its end two rollers Es E Figs. 1 and 6 the former
being inserted in the peripheral groove of the cam from whence the looper gets its
lateral motion above and below the needle and the other E located on the edge of
the same cam on which is a cam E10 from which the looper derives its up and
down motion.
The wax thread G for the stitching is carried on a bobbin, not shown, which may
be connected to any convenient part of the machine.
From thence the said thread may pass over a tension pulley J Figs. 1 and 6
on the end of a flexible arm J' connected to an arm J2 projecting from the side
arm A2 and proceed along a tube J3 screwed to the looper lever E and heated by
a jet from a gas pipe J. The said thread then goes through the eye in the
extreme end of the looper E and finally through the eye F in the work support to
the needle.
The curved tube K or "cast-off" which encircles or surrounds part of the length
of the needle is carried by a curved arm K' the boss K2 of which is loosely mounted
on the rock shaft 13 and provided with a toothed rack or segment K³ in engagement
with another similar rack K on the end of a lever K³ having a central boss K
mounted on a pin K7 projecting from the side arm A2 and extending backward and
bearing with its roller end Ka in a groove in the side of the cam K⁹ on the driving

page_text: shaft D from which cam the said lever is actuated and the "cast-off" receives its
rocking motion in the same path as the curved needle as hereinafter mentioned.
While the stitch formation is proceeding the work is held against the end of
a feed lever M by two clamps or presser fingers L L' which are actuated to alter-
nately grip the work while the stitch formation is taking place and to release it
for feeding purposes as required, through the medium of a cam L2 Figs. 1 and 3.
The boss of the clamp L is loosely carried on the rock shaft B and has connected
thereto a link L pivotted to a lever L the end of which is connected to one arni L5
of a bell-crank lever fulcrummed at L in a bearing A5 extending from the side
arm A the other limb L of the bell-crank lever being furnished with a roller L³
located in a groove L' in the cam L2 Figs. 1 and 3 from which the clamp is actuated
to alternately grip and release the work as herein described.
The other clamp L' has also its boss L centred loosely upon the rock shaft B
and pulled towards the work support by a spring L" Figs. 1, and 5 connected
thereto and-to the arm J2. The upper part of the clamp is in the form of a flat
plate L2 which by the action of the spring is kept pressed against the adjusting
screw L13
-
The said screw passes through the upturned end of a lever L4 pivotted also to
the bell-crank lever arm L and partakes of the motion of the latter obtained from
the cam L2 as hereinbefore stated so that the action of the two clamps is
synchronous.
The two clamps L L' through the action of the cam L³ press the work against
the work support while the needle passes through it and release the work after the
needle is withdrawn to allow the feed to take place.
By pressing the plate L12 away from the screw L13 the adjustable clamp L' can
be taken off the work independently of the other clamp L at any desired moment
when it is required to adjust the position of the work thereunder, which may
sometimes be necessary, as for example, when the pleats of the toe of the upper
get temporarily disarranged.
M is the feed lever for moving the work forward after each stitch formation
preparatory to a fresh stitch being effected.
Its front angular or turned down end is located in a recess formed in the work
support F and normally flush, with the face of the latter. The said lever is ful-
crummed in a bifurcated bearing plate M¹ pivotted in the forked end of the arm J2
hereinbefore mentioned.
The said lever is furnished at its end with two rollers M2 M3 the former located
in a cam groove M in the face of the disc M5 and the other on the marginal face
edge of the said cam so as to be actuated by the cam M6.
The said feed lever is kept in contact with its cam by a spring M connected one
end thereto and the other end to the side arm A² and receives a forward motion from
the cam. M and a lateral motion from the cam M6.
When a stitch formation is completed the feed lever is projected forwards against
the work, then moves to the right with the work, then recedes or falls back into the
recess in and flush with the face of the work support, and then returns to the left
to its original position in readiness to repeat the operation all of which movements
are effected through the medium of the two cams M M as hereinbefore described.
The work support F is connected by screws 12 to the converging ends of two
arms F3 F4 attached by screws F F to the side arms A' A³ respectively. The
said support is recessed on its front face to receive the angular or turned down
end of the feed lever and to allow the latter a slight lateral movement therein.
It is also provided with an eye F¹ therein through which the needle passes to
the looper E as hereinbefore described.
The action of the machine is as follows:-
Assuming the needle and presser fingers to be in their withdrawn positions as in
Fig. 3 and the feed lever moved to its extreme limit in the left hand direction and
flush with the face of the work support.
The last with the upper and insole temporarily tacked thereon are presented to

page_text: the machine so that the feather or lip of the insole is placed next to and pressed
against the feed lever and the parallel upturned edge of the upper next to the
clamp.
Upon the machine being set in motion the two clamps or presser fingers close
upon the work and grip it against the feed lever.
The needle then descends and goes through the work followed as far as the work
itself by the cast-off" device. When the needle has passed through the work and
through the eye in the work support so as to appear on the opposite side of the
latter the looper wraps the thread round the needle hook which then withdraws
with the thread to effect a stitch formation, the "cast-off" remaining quiescent
until the needle comes through the work when the "cast-off" also commences to
withdraw and the needle and cast-off" move for a short distance together.
Upon the needle completing its movement the "
cast-off" moves alone along to
the base of the needle stem before stopping.
The front of the feed lever is next pushed forwards out of the recess in the
work support thus pressing the work between it and the clamps, the feed lever
next moves to the right to feed the work after which the clamps are removed off
the work and the feed lever falls back in its recess and returns to its original
position and the operation is repeated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In a sewing machine for boots and shoes the combination of stitch forming
mechanism comprising a curved needle, a looper, a cast-off device and clamps
for the work substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In a machine of the character described the combination with stitch forming
mechanism of two clamps or presser fingers one of which can be taken off the
work independently of the other substantially as described.
3. In a machine of the character described the combination with stitch forming
mechanism of two clamps or presser fingers actuated from the same cam and one
of which is spring governed and adjustable independently of the other substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a machine of the character described the combination with stitch forming
mechanism of clamps or presser fingers actuated to alternately grip and release
the work and a feed lever to feed the work forward after each stitch formation
substantially as described.
5. In a machine of the character described the combination with stitch forming
mechanism of two presser fingers or work clamps and actuating mechanism there-
for constructed arranged and operating substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
6. In a machine of the character described the combination with stitch forming
mechanism of presser fingers or clamps for holding the work in position and a
feed lever and actuating mechanism substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
7. The improved mechanism for sewing boots and shoes consisting of the parts
constructed, arranged and operating in the manner and for the purpose described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
1000
BOULT & WADE.
Agents for the Applicants.