US3229314A

US3229314A - Boot tree for riding and like boots

Info

Publication number: US3229314A
Application number: US263895A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hyams Joseph Edward
Original assignee: VIC TREE PRODUCTS BIRMINGHAM L
Current assignee: VIC TREE PRODUCTS BIRMINGHAM L; VIC-TREE PRODUCTS (BIRMINGHAM) Ltd
Priority date: 1962-03-17
Filing date: 1963-03-08
Publication date: 1966-01-18
Anticipated expiration: 1983-01-18
Also published as: GB966507A

Description

Jan. 1S, 1966 J, E. HYAMS BOOT TREE FOR RIDING AND LIKE BOOTS 'Filed March 8, 1963 ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,229,314 BOT TREE FR RIDING AND LIKE BOTS Joseph Edward Hyams, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, assigner to Vic-Tree Products (Birmingham) Limited, Birmingham, England, a British company Filed Mar. S, 1963, Ser. No. 263,895 Ciaims priority, application Great Britain, Mar. 17, 1962, 19,309/62 2 Claims. (Cl. 12-114.6)

The present invention has relation to a boot tree for riding and like boots of the type wherein two substantially semi-cylindrical inwardly facing shaping members are operatively connected so that they can be placed in the leg of the boot and subsequently opened outwardly to hold the boot in shape and be contracted when desired for removal.

The present invention has for its object a simple and eiiicient tree of the type aforesaid requiring little effort for its ope-ration.

According to the present invention there is provided a boot tree for riding and like boots comprising two substantially semi-cylindrical inwardly facing shaping members individually connected to the lower extremities of a scissor-like operating member the upper extremities of which operatively protrude beyond the extremities of the same shaping mem-bers, spring means being incorporated for normally forcing the shaping members apart.

In operation the shaping members are contracted by the manual operation of the upper extremities of the scissors `against the action of the spring and are then placed in the leg of the boot and the said members allowed to be forced apart to shape the leg by virtue of the spring. A closing movement of the operative part of the scissors closes the shaping members and enables them to be readily withdrawn. A finger operable catch which may be in the form of an automatic gravity catch is preferably employed so as to secure the linger operable upper extremities of the scissors with the shaping members in the closed position.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into practice reference may be had to the accompanying explanatory drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a part sectional elevation of the boot tree in the contracted or out of use condition.

FIG. 2 illustrates the boot tree in the expanded or open condition for shaping the jack boot, and

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on line 3 3 of FIG. 1.

In an embodiment of the present invention two shaping members a are not strictly semi-cylindrical but taper slightly from top to bottom, as illustrated. Attached to the inner facing of each of the said shaping 4members substantially centrally is a bracket with two lugs a1 to which the lower extremity b1 in each instance of the scissor-like operating member b is attached and the arms of said member may 'be of inwardly facing channel section and they may laccommodate a closely Wound coil spring c of arch formation the extremities of which are attached to lugs b2 on the member b, the spring tending to move the shaping members a apart. The

3,229,314 Patented `lam. 18, 1966 upper extremities b3 of the scissor-like operating member b are advantageously of outwardly facing channel section, the extreme ends being of outwardly facing hook formation b4 to form finger pieces. Pivoted to one upper part is a catch member d which operates in a slot in the other handle part, said catch member having two notch members d1, d2 for locating the scissor-like operating member b with the handles closed, FIG. l, and the shaping Imembers in adjacency or, alternatively, locating the tree with the handles open, FIG. 2, and the shaping members a spaced apart the catch d being advantageously of a gravity character, and having a linger manipulative parts so that two lingers can engage b4 and one iinger disengaged from b4 when desired to engage d3.

In use the scissor-like operating member is closed by hand to allow the catch d to gravitate to lock the device in the closed position, FIG. 1, and the shaping members now in adjacency are introduced into the leg of the boot. The catch is released by a lfinger engaging d3 so that the shaping members a are forced apart by the spring c to bear against the leg to hold it in shape. When it is desired to remove the tree the handles b4 of the scissor-like member b are closed, the gravity catch falling so that notch dl comes in-to operation, in which position the shaping members are in adjacency and can be readily slid from the leg of the boot. e represents springs introduced between pivot pins a2 and the limbs of the member b and these springs e not only tend to close the device but properly locate the members a in relation rto .the limbs ofthe member b.

I claim:

1. A boot tree for riding and like boots comprising, in combination, a pair of substantially semi-cylindrical inwardly facing shaping members, a scissors-like operating member having .a pair of upper and a pair of lower extremities, pivotal connection between the lower extremities of the scissors-like member and each shaping member, spring means in said scissors-like member tending to separate said shaping members, said spring means comprising a coil spring attached to the lower extremities of said member and positioned in inwardly facing channel shaped parts of said member, and ya two step pivotal catch mounted on one of said upper extremities of the scissors-like member and adapted to engage a portion of the other of said pair of upper extremities for limiting the separation of said shaping members.

2. A boot tree according to claim 1 having springs engaging said scissors-like member and said shaping members for resiliently limiting pivotal movement of the shaping members on said pivotal connections.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 801,040 10/1905 OCarroll 12-1l4.6 X 2,105,395 1/1938 Baas 12-114.6

FOREIGN PATENTS 213,895 6/ 1941 Switzerland. 2l 8,633 4/ 1942 Switzerland.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A BOOT TREE FOR RIDING AND LIKE BOOTS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY SEMI-CYLINDRICAL INWARDLY FACING SHAPING MEMBERS, A SCISSORS-LIKE OPERATING MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF UPPER AND A PAIR OF LOWER EXTREMITIES, PIVOTAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE LOWER EXTREMITIES OF THE SCISSORS-LIKE MEMBER AND EACH SHAPING MEMBER, SPRING MEANS IN SAID SCISSORS-LIKE MEMBER TENDING TO SEPARATE SAID SHAPING MEMBERS, SAID SPRING MEANS COMPRISING A COIL SPRING ATTACHED TO THE LOWER EXTREMITIES OF SAID MEMBER AND POSITIONED INWARDLY FACING CHANNEL SHAPED PARTS OF SAID MEMBER, AND A TWO STEP PIVOTAL CATCH MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID UPPER EXTREMITIES OF THE SCISSORS-LIKE MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A PORTION OF THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF UPPER EXTREMITIES FOR LIMITING THE SEPARATION OF SAID SHAPING MEMBERS.