US1733041A - Tree for footwear - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 22, l92 9. H. .n.wlLsoN TREE FOR FOOTWEAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 2, 1925 QTTQRNEYS.

Oct. 22, 1929. H. J. wlLsoN TREE FOR FOOTWEAR Filed Oct. 2, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mviNToR W. Zm/

BY www mfomvs.

and preferably also Patented Oct. 22, 1929 HAMLET JOHN WILSON,

or ALTRINCHAM, ENGLAND TREE FOR lFOOTVTEAR y Application -led October 2, 1928, Serial No. 309,734, and in Great Britain March 21, 1928.

This invention relates to an improved tree for boots, shoes or the like.

There is a boot tree already in common use in which the toe-piece is connected to a heel piece through the medium of pivoted rods which engage with each other by means of a central sliding member and are secured by a pin and socket mechanism or a plate and slot ln another form of device proposed the heelpiece and the toe-.piece themselves were made of such substantial dimensions as almost to fill the entire shoe and were spaced apart by a screw thread or rack and pinion mechanism.

According to one feature of the present invention I provide a tree for `boots or shoes formed of a toe-piece, aheel-piece and an operating member secured between the two O adapted to fill up the whole width of the boot or shoe and Aprovided with mechanism for progressively spacing apart the toe-piece and heel-piece. By thus providing an operating member which is separable from the toe-piece from the lieel-piece it is possible to utilize a central operating member which can be used for several sizes of feet. At the same time the width of the operating member tends to prevent creasing of the leather at the sides of the shoes and to prevent deformation due to indirect thrust between the toe-piece and heelpiece.

According to another feature of the invention l provide a tree for boots and shoes formed of a toe-piece, a heel-piece and an operating member secured between the two adapted by the provision of a spiral thread on a plate member meshing with a slot or slots to but in practice the results are not take up its correct position in threaded central Y rod to space away the toe-piece and heel-piece. 1

`erating member.

toenpiece of any suitable size without corresponding variation of thev space apart the toe-piece and heel-piece to the desired extent. Preferably the toe-piece is pivotally mounted Von an extending member whichis provided with a rack meshing with the spiral thread in the operating member. The toe-piece and the heel-piece may readily be replaced by others of different size if desired. The heel-piece is 'preferably adjustable and may be provided with a screw threaded shank and lockl nut for this purpose. l

Preferably the toe-piece and heel-piece are mounted on horizontal pivots to facilitate insertion in the shoe and to' enable the tree to the shoe.

The mechanism including a spiral thread on aflat platemeshing with a rack or spot on a bar is particularly simple, compact and economical and is very effective in operation to enable the tree'to be used as a stretcher if desired. By turning the operating plate with a key or handle the toe-piece and heellpiecev can be spaced apart to any desired eX- tent and will remain in the set position as long as required. v l

A preferred form of the invention will now l be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings in whic Y e Figure 1 shows a sectional elevation of a tree constructed in accordance with the present invention; 80

pFigure'Q, is a plan view partly in section without the operating key, and

Figure 3 is'an inverted plan view of the op- In the drawing thetoe-piece lis secured by rivets 2to a bifurcated connection 3 pivoted at 4 to an extension strip 5. The inner end of this extension strip 5 is formed as a rack with teeth 6 and proyects into the main casing 7. It is suitably guided by a cover 23 securedsgo by screws' 24 to the casing 7 A pin 8 on the cover 23 engages a longitudinal slot 9 in the strip 5 to prevent sagging.

A rotatable plate 10 is provided with a bushing 11 stepped into the casing 7, and a 95 spiral thread 15, preferably of Archimedean form which engages the teeth 6 of the rack. An operating handle 16 is connected to upstanding projections 18 of the bushing 11 by a pivot pin 17 This permits the handle 16 100 to pivot as shown to the dotted position when not in use.

The heel-piece 19 is secured by a pivot 20 to the casing 7.

The invention is not, of course, limited to the form of construction shown since various modifications may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Thus the operating Y handle may be in the form of a Vdetachable key. It may also be bifurcated and fitted over the bush of the rotatable plate member,

being secured by a pin to enable it to drop when not in use. The toe-piece and heel` i5 piece may be of skeleton form if desired.

I declare that what I claim is:

1. A tree for boots and shoes comprising a flat casing adapted to fill up substantially the entire Width of the footgear, a plate member provided with a flat spiral thread housed therein, a handle upwardly extending through said casing' for rotation of said plate member, a heel-piece pivotally secured to the rear of said casing, a rod extending for- Wardly through said casing, a toe-piece pivotallyselcured to said rod', and a rack formed on said rod meshing with said flat spiral thread.

2. In an eXtensible tree for boots and shoes,

an operating member comprising a easing .30 adapted to fill up substantially the entire Width of the footgear, la plate member rotatably housed therein, va flat spiral thread on ,one face of said plate member, a longitudinally sliding ymember projecting through the v AM/all of said casing providedwith a rack meshing with said thread for expansion of the tree, and an operating spindle lof said plate member projecting through the easing, and adapted to be manually rotated.

4.0 3. In any extensible tree forboots and shoes any operating member comprising a easing adapted to til/l up substantially the entire Width ofthe footgear, a horizontal plate member rotatably housed therein,` a `spindle for said plate member projecting through vsaid i casing and terminating in a 'keyfor manual v rotation, a flat spi-ral thread von said plate member, a longitudinally sliding member; housed between guides in `said casing and `5,0 projecting through the Wall thereof, and a rack formed on said sliding member meshing withv said spiral thread for altering the lengthof the tree.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 15 day of September 1928.v

HAMLETAJHN WILSON.

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