A NOVEL APPA- RATUS FOR PUTTING BOOTS AND SHOES ON THE FEET
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of Joh
Gedge and Son, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "A NOVEL APPA-
RATUS FOR PUTTING BOOTS AND SHOES ON THE FEET."-A communication
from abroad by Louis Leclerc, of 15, Passage des Petites Ecuries,
Paris, France.
Sealed the 17th October 1868, and dated the 17th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 17th April 1868.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son,
5 of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A.NOVEL
APPARATUS FOR PUTTING BOOTS AND SHOES ON THE FEET," a. communication to

page_text: me from abroad by Louis. Leclerc, of 15, Passage des Petites Ecuries,
Paris, France, to be as follows:―
on the
The mechanical boot and shoe fitting apparatus or arrangement of
shoeing horns,, the subject of this Invention, is. illustrated
annexed Sheet of Drawing, and is composed of a horizontal slide A
carrying: a pinion and a crank, with ratchet and catch to regulate the
journey at pleasure. This slide is supported by two uprights B and C,
the first, which is grooved, serves also as fulcrum to a lever D which
communicates. a vertical motion to two piston rods E, E',. carrying the
back shoeing, horn or mechanical boot and shoe fitter F. This move-
ment is transmitted by the aid of a stud or angle block fitted on one
of the rods passing through the guide tube H in order that the lever D
may act. The uprights B. and C terminate at their lower part in two
feet or socket pieces. pierced' with. holes. and secured with screws to a
wooden base. The foot of the upright is. further pierced with two holes,
into which are inserted the two vertical tubes. H,. H',. guides of the
rods E, E. These tubes are set in another socket I at the end of the
slide A. In the horizontal slide A passes a rack K. set in motion by
a toothed pinion, and carrying, fitted to its end a horizontal shaft L.
To this shaft is fitted the front stretching shoeing horn. M.. To
disengage the shoeing, horn M from the stretched boot a circular
movement is given to the small movable lever N set on the horizontal
shaft. The back shoeing horn F' is. fixed to the two piston rods by
a key or a nut T. The curve O. which unites the two rods E. E',.permits
persons putting on their own boots or shoes: to pull the apparatus
vertically by its rods, and thus. to. free the shoeing horns without the
use of the lever D. On the wooden plate or base P is placed a shifting
board R raised at will by means of a sliding wedge S, according to
the height of the boot or shoe.. This board and wedge are shown on the
Drawing in dotted lines..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th-October 1868..
1

page_text: Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
send greeting.
"
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-first
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Edward Gedge, Her special licence
that I, the said William Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward Gedge,
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 "A NOVEL APPARATUS
FOR PUTTING BOOTS AND SHOES ON THE FEET," a communication to me from
abroad by Louis Leclerc, of 15, Passage des Petites Ecuries, Paris,
France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Gedge, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
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, a
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within!
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Leers
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Gedge, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawing forming part of this Specification, and to the figures
and letters of reference placed thereon:-
The novel apparatus for putting boots and shoes on the feet or
mechanical shoeing horn, the subject of this Invention, is composed of
a horizontal slide A carrying a pinion with crank provided with a
ratchet wheel and catch to regulate the journey at pleasure. This
slide is supported by two uprights B and C, one of which serves as a
socket for fixing by means of a bolt the fulcrum of a lever D which
passes through both uprights and communicates a vertical motion to
S

page_text: two piston rods E, E¹, carrying the back shoe horn F. This movement
is transmitted by the aid of a stud or angle block fitted on one of the
rods and passing through the guide tube and upright C, so that the
Clever D' may act upon it. The uprights B and C terminate at their
lower part in two feet or flanges pierced with holes and fixed by screws
to a wooden base. The foot of the upright C is further pierced with two
holes into which are inserted the two vertical tubes H, H², guides of the
rods E, E¹. These tubes being fitted in an arm or socket piece I placed at
the end, and forming part of the slide A. In the horizontal slide A. passes
'arack K set in motion by the toothed pinion, and carrying on a bearing
at its end a horizontal shaft L. To the shaft L is fitted a stretching
shoe horn M, with an open centre cut so as to leave in the contour of
the shoe horn only about half an inch of metal, which disappears in the
stretching of the elastic sides, being lost in the leather, contact with
the metal being thereby avoided, and the entrance of the foot into a boot
thus prepared meeting no resistance. To disengage the open shoe
horn M from the stretched boot a circular movement is given to the
small moveable lever N set on the horizontal shaft L. The back
shoe horn F is fixed to the two piston rods by a key or by a nut T.
The curve O which unites the two rods E, E¹, permits persons putting
on their own boots or shoes to pull vertically upon these rods, and
thus to free the shoe horn without the use of the lever D. On the
wooden base or plate P is placed a shifting board R raised at will by
means of a wedge S, according to the height of the boot or shoe.
'The accompanying Sheet of Drawing shews this apparatus for putting
on boots and shoes, drawn to a scale of one-fourth the usual size,
Fig. 1 being a side elevation, and Fig. 2 and end view.
A indicating horizontal slide; B, C, vertical uprights; D, lever;
E, E, piston rods; F, back shoe horn; H, H³, vertical tubes; I, hori-
zontal arm; L, horizontal shaft; O, curve which unites the two
rods E, E¹; M, stretching shoe horn with open centre; N, lever for
lifting and lowering the open or frame shoe horn M; T, nut, in lieu
of which a wedge may be used; P, wooden base; R, shifting board
on which the boot or shoe is placed; S, shifting wedge for raising and

page_text: owering R; K, rack by which the shoe horn M is moved to and fro on
urning the handle U.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.