IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES AND MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Watson Lamb, of No. 119, Borough
Road, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES AND MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN.'
"
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Watson Lamb
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th February 1872.
I, GEORGE WATSON LAMB, of No. 119, Borough Road, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES AND MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN," to be as follows:-

page_text: According to my Invention I build up the said heels as herein-after
described and compress them and nail the top pieces to the bodies in
one machine, and affix the said heels to boots and shoes by means of
another machine, the said machines being constructed as herein-after
described.
The first of the above-named machines consists of a press (preferably
a screw press) which works a vertical heel-shaped plunger, under which
is fixed a heel-shaped mould or die (open both at top and bottom), in
which the "lifts" constituting the heel are pressed together. At the
bottom of the said mould is mounted a heel-shaped block (herein-after
termed the "nail block ") which carries the short nails used to affix the top
pieces to the body of the heel. The said nails are inserted points
upwards in vertical holes drilled through the nail block which is affixed
to the upper part of a stem, the lower part of which slides through a
collar fixed in a tubular box affixed to the bed plate of the machine,
which box contains a coiled spring by which the said stem is pressed
upward. The heads of the nails in the block rest on the ends of
upper
needles or short rods which enter the holes aforesaid. The lower ends
of these needles rest upon a plate or flange (herein-after termed the
"needle plate") formed on the collar aforesaid, the said needle plate
when the parts are in their normal positions being a short distance
below the nail block so as to allow of its descent. The "lifts " con-
stituting the heel are pasted together, and the heel thus built up is
placed in the mould. The descent of the plunger then compresses
"
lifts upon one another and depresses the heel thus consolidated on to
the nails in the nail block, which retires as the heel descends. The said
nails being prevented from retiring by the needles which are stationary
"lift" or.
are embedded in the top piece of the heel and the upper
"lifts" of the said heel, and the said top piece and "lift" or "lifts"
are thus firmly secured together.
66
the
I affix the heels made as above described to boots or shoes by means
of a machine consisting of a press which works a vertical plunger, and. is.
furnished with the nail-block needles,. necdle plate, and tubular spring
box herein-before described. The said box is mounted in a socket
furnished with an arrangement of keys or wedges, by means of which
the said box and the nail block carried thereby can be adjusted to the
height necessary to suit the thickness of the heel to be affixed. The
said socket is cast on or affixed to a slider, by sliding which in a hori

page_text: zontal slide in the bed plate of the machine the nail block can be placed
under or moved away from the vertical plunger aforesaid, which is
worked by a crank or excentric on a shaft which revolves in bearings in
a standard cast on or affixed to the bed plate, the said shaft being driven
by suitable gearing.
The nail block aforesaid is furnished with a guard or curtain to prevent
the upper leather of the boot or shoe placed upon the said block from
fouling the other parts of the mechanism.
The boot or shoe to which a heel is to be affixed is placed and held
sole upward on the nail block which is then run under the plunger, and
a heel (built up and pressed as herein-before described) or the "lifts "
to constitute a heel is or are placed upon the heel part of the said boot.
or shoe, which together with the said heel or "lifts" is forced by the
descent of the plunger on to the nails in the nail block, and the heel is
thus securely affixed to the said boot or shoe.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Watson Lamb in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 5th August 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WATSON LAMB, of No. 119, Borough Road, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Watson Lamb, Her special
licence that I; the said George Watson Lamb, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Watson Lamb,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree.
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-

page_text: MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES AND MACHINERY OR Apparatus
TO BE USED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Watson Lamb, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters

page_text: "lifts" upon one another, and depresses the heel thus consolidated on to'
the nails in the nail block which retires as the heel descends. The said
nails being prevented from retiring by the needles which are stationary
are imbedded in the top piece of the heel and the upper "lift" or "lifts"
of the said heel, and the said top piece and "lift" or "lifts"
finmale
are thus

page_text: Figure 4 is a plan of the "nail block," and Figure 4 is a vertical
section of the mould, "nail block," and sundry parts in connection there-
with. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the
aforesaid Figures.
"
A is a screw press, the screw B of which carries a cross head C, to
which is affixed a heel-shaped plunger D'; E is the mould or die in
which the "lifts" F, F, are placed. This mould is affixed to the
❝ nail block G by means of screws e, e; g', g', are the holes in which
the nails H, H, are inserted points upward, their lower ends being
supported by the needle g², 92, the lower ends of which rest upon a
collar in which the stem g³ of the nail block works; I is the
tubular spring box containing the spring ", the upper end of which
bears against a disc ³, and thus presses the stem 9³ upward. The box I
is cast on the slider ", by moving which in the slide a¹ the mould E can
be brought from under the plunger D for the insertion of the "lifts"
and then replaced. The said spring box may however be stationary.
The action of the machine is as follows:-The "lifts" having been
inserted in the mould E, and the "nail block" G having been charged
with nails as herein-before described, the screw B is turned, and the
plunger D is thereby brought down upon the said "lifts," and compresses
them upon one another, and depresses the heel thus consolidated on to
the nails in the "nail block," which retires as the said heel descends. The
said nails being prevented from retiring by the stationary needles g², g³,
are embedded in the top piece and upper "lift" or "lifts" of the heel,
and the said top piece and "lift” or “lifts” are thus firmly secured
together
Figures 5 and 6 are side and front elevations respectively of my
machine for affixing heels to boots and shoes, in both of which Figures
the moveable parts are represented in their normal positions; Figure 7 35
is a side elevation (partly in section) of the said machine, in which

page_text: Figure the moveable parts are represented in the act of affixing a heel to
a boot; Figure 8 represents in vertical section the "nail block," needles,
and tubular spring box, and the arrangement of keys for adjusting the
same at any required height. The same letters of reference indicate the
same parts in these several Figures.
A is a press, the shaft a¹ of which (indicated in dotted lines) is driven.
by means of a toothed pinion a² on the driving shaft a³ (which is
furnished with fast and loose pulleys a', a³), which pinion gears into the
toothed wheel aº on the said shaft a¹; B is the plunger which works in a
bearing in the bracket a', and receives motion from a crank pin a³
carried by a disc a affixed to the shaft a', the said plunger being
furnished with a cross head 6¹ in which the bearing a¹¹ of the pin a³
slides; C is a "nail block" of the kind herein-before described, and c¹
is the stem thereof; c³, c³, are the needles, and o³ is a guard or curtain
which prevents the upper leather of the boot or shoe placed upon the
"nail block" from fouling the other parts of the mechanism; D is the
tubular spring box; d' is the collar through which the stem c¹ works;
d is the spring; d³ is the disc against which the said spring bears.
The spring box D is mounted in a socket E, having key ways e¹, e¹, in
which are fitted keys e³, e³, e', the former of which bears against the
bottom of the spring box D. The key e³ is furnished with a screw e³,
which passes through the washer e, and works in a female screw e
formed in a hand wheel e³, by turning which in one or other direction the
spring box D and the "nail block "C can be raised or lowered to suit
the thickness of the heel to be affixed to the boot F. The socket E is
cast on a slider eº, by moving which in the slide at the nail block can
be placed under or moved away from the plunger as required.
The action of this machine is as follows:-The "nail block" having
been moved forward by the workman he places a boot or shoe thereon
as represented, and then runs it under the plunger holding the boot in
position. He then places a heel or the "lifts" to constitute a heel on
the heel part of the said boot, which together with the said "lift" or
lifts" is forced by the descent of the plunger on to the nails in the
nail block, and the heel is thus securely affixed to the said boot.
65
I would here observe that the press represented in Figures 1 and 2
may be need to work the plun
1

page_text: and lowering the said spring box and the parts carried thereby as
required.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Watson Lamb, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of August, in the
year of our-Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
H. H. MURDOCH,
7, Staple Inn,
London.
GEORGE WATSON LAMB. (L.S.)