An Improved Portable Trouser Stretcher.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 11th June, 1895-Accepted, 13th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Portable Trouser Stretcher.
I JAMES KIDDLE, a Retired Captain in the Royal Navy of 117 Gipsy Hill
Upper Norwood S.E. Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
Two pieces of wood, or metal, or other material are made in outline to correspond
with the shape of the trouser legs; and these side pieces are entered at the bottom
of the trousers, extending as far as necessary above the knee. A metal rod, with
length of screw on it, sufficient for separating and closing the side pieces, is passed
through a one inch screw tube, placed between the lower ends of the side pieces:
this center rod also revolves in a plain one inch tube placed between the upper ends
of the side pieces. Two metal arms are attached to each side of the center tubes,
and work on pins; the other ends of these armis are attached to the side pieces, and
also work on pins. The screw rod is then turned by hand, and by this means the
side pieces are extended to the full width of the trouser legs where they remain,
until all the creases and the projecting forms of the knee are removed. A hinge is
placed in the center of the side pieces, and the center metal rod, to make the stretcher
fold, in one half its length. The trousers are hung up by a loop at the back of the
waist band, and a stretcher placed in each leg.
Dated this 14th day of September 1894.
JAMES KIDDLE.
I JAMES KIDDLE of 117 Gipsy Hill, Upper Norwood, London, do hereby
declare the nature of this 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 consists in a novel arrangement of apparatus, one of which is to
be placed in each leg of the trouser from the bottom end, and which, when
expanded, will stretch the trouser to the exact shape in which it was made, and also
take out creases and remove the bagginess at the knees.
In carrying out my invention, I take bars or pieces of wood or metal, in outline
shaped to correspond with the trouser legs, and connect thein together edge to edge
by means of jointed levers. These jointed levers are provided with sockets to receive
a threaded rod, by turning which, the joints are straightened out, and thus pressure
is brought to bear on the legs of the trousers.
To render the stretchers more portable, I cut the shaped bars in half, and hinge
the two parts together, the rod being also jointed, so that the stretcher will fold up
into half its length.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 shows the stretcher open fer use, the dotted lines indicating the expanded

page_text: Fig. 3 shows an end view at the hinge end of the folded stretcher.
AA are the shaped bars or pieces, and B B are the hinges or joints by which
the two halves of each bar are connected together, so as to be folded in half when
required.
These hinges B will be placed flush with one face of the bar A. On the other
face of the bar are formed grooves C. which will correspond when the stretcher is
open, and these grooves receive slides D, which are slidden across the joints, when
the stretchers are open, to produce rigidity in the bars.
EE are toggle levers of any convenient construction, and they are preferably
arranged to operate in opposite directions.
F is a rod provided with a cross handle F¹, and which, for some distance down
at its handle end, is threaded to take into the threaded socket of the toggle E. The
other end of the rod enters the socket of the toggle E', in which it is secured, but
so as to readily turn therein. Or the lower end of the rod and its socket may be
threaded in the opposite direction, if desired.
The rod F is jointed at the centre of its length, and it is made rigid when the
stretcher is open, by means of a piece of tube, which is slidden down over the joint,
as is well understood.
When it is desired to use the stretcher, the article is placed in the leg of the
trouser, with the shaped or splayed out end about even with the end of the leg.
The screwed rod F is turned, by which means the joints of the toggle levers E E¹
are caused to straighten, and the bars A A are forced outwards into the open position
indicated by the dotted lines Fig. 1.
Pressure is thus produced on the trouser legs, and the creases and the
bagginess at the knees are taken out, and the trouser is brought to its original
form.
Although I have described the folding stretcher, it will be obvious that the hinges
may be left out, and the bars A A may be made in one solid piece, and also that the
mechanical details of construction may be more or less varied, without departing
from the nature of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A trouser stretcher consisting of two shaped bars connected together by jointed
levers, which are operated to separate or extend the bars in the manner described
with reference to the drawing.
Dated this 10th day at 11805
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.