US561806A - Trousers-stretcher - Google Patents

Description

. (No Model.) 7

W. J. MOCUY. TROUSERS STRETUHER.

No. 561,806. Patented June 9, 1896.

- INVENTOH WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

' 7 Eur UNITED STATES PATENT rrrcn.

lVlLLlAM .l. MCCOY, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

TROUSERS-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561,806, dated June 9, 1896. Application filed October 9, 1895. Serial No. 565,110, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, lVILLIAM J. MCCOY, of Santa Barbara, in the county of Santa Barbara and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Trousers-Stretcher, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improved device for stretching the legs of trousers to remove wrinkles in the cloth and preserve correct form of the garment, and has for its object to provide a novel, simple, and inexpensive device which will be adapted for a convenient application, and that in pairs will, when in position, produce a crease at the front and rear faces of the legs of trousers to which the duplicate stretchers are applied and remove wrinkles from other portions of the same.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved stretcher device. Fig. 2 represents the improvement applied to the leg of a pair of trousers; and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of parts of the stretcher, taken on the line 8 3 in 2.

The invention, in brief, comprises two bars of rigid material that are pivoted between their ends to the ends of an extensible link, which permits the bars to be moved toward or from each other when swung on the link, so that said bars may be entered in the leg of a pair of trousers and receive adjustment on dwise to spread the leg and stretch the fibrous material of the same, removing wrinkles and creasing the goods at the front and rear of the trousers-legs when both are operated upon, thereby givin g a new and fashionable appearance to the garment.

In the drawings, 10 represents the pair of stretcher-bars, which are similar elongated strips formed of hard wood or other suitable material, these strips being preferably shaped as shown, each consisting of a rigid bar that is mainly parallel on the sides and also on the edges, having the outer corners of the ends rounded to facilitate the use of the complete device, and the outer edge of each bar is beveled to reduce its thickness and afford a nearly-sharp edge, as indicated in Fig. 1.

Near the center of length each bar 10 is longitudinally slotted from the inner edge nearly through or to the outer edge, as indicated at 11, these slots being produced at the center of thickness in each bar and of a correct length to permit the free movement of parts that are designed to work therein.

The extensible link that is provided to loosely connect the stretcher-bars 10 is preferably formed of two thin metallic strips 12, that are of a like form, and have such relative dimensions as will insure their efficient action in service.

One of the linlcsections 12 is perforated in series, as shown at 13, these evenly-spaced perforations being shaped as similar longitudinal slots, which are enlarged at the same end of each, so as to produce circular apertures at said terminals of the slots, and having a considerable greater diameter than the width of the slots. The other link-section 12 is provided with two projecting studs 14, which are of the same size and shape, each having a body that will freely slide in either of the slots 18, and a head on the free end of the same which will readily pass through the circular hole at the end of one of the slots, but will bear on the marginal edges of the slot if the stud is slid therein.

The studs 1 are so located on the same side of the link-section they project from that they will be adapted to pass into any two of the slots 18 that are adjacent, the heads of the studs being inserted in the enlarged portions of the slots, and their bodies then moved along in the slots proper, which will produce a substantial connection of the two linksections, which can be readily changed to lengthen or shorten the link in an obvious bars toward or from each other, and that said bars may also be moved in parallel planes to increase or diminish the distance between them, it being evident that this range of adj ustment reaches the point of greatest separation of the bars when the link is at right angles to said bars, or in the relative position shown in Fig. 2.

To apply the improvement to trousers for the removal of wrinkles, by laterally stretching the legs of the same, the device is introduced into the trousers-leg after the bars 10 have been made to approach each other, so as to freely admit them, this adjustment serving to project the ends of the bars past each other at each end of the device.

After the instrument has been introduced and properly arranged so as to dispose the outer edges of the bars 10 opposite the front and rear surface of the trousers leg said bars are spread apart by pressure applied to the ends that are advanced beyond the other terminals of the bars, which will produce a forcible impinge of the stretcher-bars on the inner surface of the engaged leg of the trousers, as is represented in Fig. 2.

For effective service the length of the twopart link should be arranged to suit the width of the trousers-legs, so that when the device is adjusted, as shown in Fig. 2, with the bars at their point of greatest separation, the material of the garment will be sufficiently stretched to effect the removal of wrinkles and produce the desired creases in the leg.

As the stretcher device should remain in the trousers-leg some time, say from one to several hours, to expedite the stretching of both legs of the garment it is best to provide duplicate stretchers, which when applied at the same time will shorten the period required to effect the desired result.

It is claimed for the improved stretcher that it is simple, cheap, and practical, and when not in use may be folded into a compact form for convenient storage in the corner or a closet or other place of deposit, taking up but little available room when thus disposed; and it is further claimed that by employing a single link instead of two or more, as heretofore, there will not only be a longitudinal rubbing action of the bars against the trousers material while the stretcher is being inserted, which will aid materially in forming the creases, but the stretcher will automatically conform to the longitudinal pitch of the trousers-leg.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a trousers-stretcher, the combination with two stretcher-bars longitudinally slotted between their ends, of a connecting-link consisting of two plates having their ends projected into the slots and pivoted to the bars, one of said plates being provided with slotopenin gs and the other-provided with projections to engage in the slots whereby the two plates will be held in parallelism when adjusted, substantially as described.

2. In a trousers-stretcher, the combination with two similar stretcher-bars longitudinally slotted near their centers of length, of a con- .necting-link, comprising two plates, one plate being slotted in series at evenly-spaced intervals in its length, and the other plate being provided with studs having heads, the slots having enlarged openings to receive the heads of the studs, and the composite link being pivoted by its ends in the slots of the stretcherba'rs, substantially as described.

\VILLIAM J. MCCOY. lVitnesses:

\V. O. B. RALHBUN, F. M. GALLAHER.

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