prov
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Dec.,
1899
Complete Specification Left, 27th Aug., 1900-Accepted, 29th Sept.,
1900
ImprovOR
I, WILLIAM BELDEN, Senior, of 167, Great Dover Street, Borough, in the County
of London, Boot Tree and Last Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in trees for boots and shoes, the object
being to provide a tree of simple and cheap construction and which can be easily
manipulated.
In carrying out the invention I form the tree of a toe part and a heel part,
the said toe and heel parts being connected together by a pair of links; one end
of one link is pivoted to the toe part and the other end to the lower part of a
suitable upwardly extending handle, whilst one end of the other link is pivoted
to the heel part and the other end thereof to the said handle, the two links being
pivoted to the handle at the same point.
A guide pin or rod is secured to the lower portion of either the toe or heel
part, the said pin or rod being adapted to engage a corresponding hole formed
in the heel or toe part.
With this arrangement by pulling the handle upwards the connecting links are
moved upwards at the inner ends so as to draw the two parts of the tree together
and allow it to be inserted in the boot or shoe. The handle is then pushed down,
thereby forcing the inner ends of the links downwards and separating the parts,
of the tree, which are guided in their movement by the pin and hole.
By pushing the links until the point at which they are pivoted to the handle
is below the line joining the points at which they are pivoted to the toe and heel
parts of the tree respectively, the tree is rigidly held in the extended position."
To remove the tree the handle is pulled upwards so as to collapse the said tree
which can then be easily removed.
The toe and heel parts are preferably recessed to allow of, and form a guide to,
the movement of the links.
A tree constructed as above described when collapsed occupies a small space
only, thus eminently adapting them for travellers.
5
I, WILLIAM BELDEN, Senior, of 167, Great Dover Street, Borough, in the County
of London, Boot Tree and Last Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this,
011

page_text: invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-.
This invention relates to improvements in trees for boots and shoes, the object
being to provide a tree of simple and cheap construction and which can be easily
manipulated.
In carrying out the invention I form the tree of a toe part and a heel part,
the said toe and heel parts being connected together by a pair of links; one end
of one link is pivoted to the toe part and the other end to the lower part of a
suitable upwardly extending handle, whilst one end of the other link is pivoted
to the heel part and the other end thereof to the said handle, the two links being
pivoted to the handle at the same point.
4.
A guide pin or rod is secured to the lower portion of either the toe or heel
part, the said pin or rod being adapted to engage a corresponding hole formed
in the heel or toe part.
In the accompanying drawing:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tree made according to the invention; the
said tree being shewn collapsed:
Figure 2 is a plan thereof; and
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the tree shewing the mode of applying it
for stretching a boot.
a is the toe part and the heel part of the tree. e is the link which is pivoted
by means of the pin d in a recess a¹ in the toe part a and e is a link which
is pivoted by means of a pin f in a recess b' in the heel part of the tree both
these links being pivoted together and to the lower part of the handle g by the
pin h, as clearly shewn in the drawing.
is the guide pin which is secured to the lower portion of the heel part b
and is the hole formed in the toe part in which the said guide pin or rod
engages so as to guide the parts when they move relatively with one another.
With this arrangement by pulling the handle g upwards the connecting links c, e
are moved upwards at the inner ends so as to draw the two parts a and b of the
tree together, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, and allow it to be inserted in the
boot or shoe. The handle g is then pushed down, thereby forcing the inner ends
of the links c, e downwards and separating the parts a and b of the tree, which
are guided in their movement by the pin i and hole j. By pushing the links
and e until the point at which they are pivoted to the handle is below the line
joining the points at which they are pivoted to the toe and heel parts of the tree
respectively, the tree is rigidly held in the extended position, as shewn in
Figure 3. To remove the tree the handle is pulled upwards so as to draw the
parts, a and b together when it will be found that the tree can be easily removed.
A tree constructed as above described when collapsed occupies
a small space
only, being thus eminently adapted for travellers. It will also be clear that
the tree can be very easily inserted into and removed from a boot or shoe and
that when it is in position it is locked and rigid so that it maintains the boot
in good shape and free from creases and cracking. Furthermore, the construction
of the tree allows free access of air to the boot or shoe thereby enabling the latter
when wet to dry more quickly than would otherwise be the case.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
:-
1. A tree for boots and shoes comprising a toe part and a heel part connected
together by a pair of links pivoted to the said toe and heel parts respectively and
to a handle, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
2. A tree for boots and shoes comprising a toe part and a heel part connected
together by a pair of links pivoted to the said toe and heel parts respectively and
to a handle, and a pin secured to the toe or heel part and arranged to engage

page_text: in a corresponding hole in the heel or toe part, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated.
3. Trees for boots and shoe constructed substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 27th day of August 1900.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.