IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OP BOOT AND SHOE TREES, LASTS, AND STRETCHERS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
ROBERTS, of High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Bootmaker, send,
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourteenth day of March, in the seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Roberts, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and;
authority, that I, the said Charles Roberts, my exors, admors, and assigns,,
or such others as I, the said Charles Roberts, my exors, admors, or assigns,;
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at,
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully,
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town.
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OP BOOT AND SHOE TREES, LASTS, AND STRETCHERS;" in which said Letters,
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Charles. Roberts, shall, cause, a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court;
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters. Patent, as in and by the same, reference.
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.:

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
Charles Roberts, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say): :-
My Invention relates, first, to constructing trees, lasts, and stretchers, for
boots and shoes, with moving plugs in such manner that, when a last or the
foot of a tree is in a boot or shoe, the plugs may be moved outwards and be
caused to stretch the boot or shoe opposite those parts where the moveable
plugs slide out from the last or from the foot of a tree, and thus ease boots
and shoes, and the parts where the person may have corns, or other tender
parts of the foot.
And, secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of constructing trees for
bootmakers, whereby the same tree is made capable of receiving, at different
times, various sizes of boots.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
c, c, are
Figure 1 shews a plan in section, and Figure 2 a side view, of a stretcher,
and Figure 3 an end view thereof. a is a screw, having a conical head; the
screw passes through a fixed female screw b. The interior of the stretcher is
hollow, to allow of the conical head being moved to and fro therein.
two plugs, which can be forced out from the stretcher at the sides thereof, so
as to cause the boot or shoe to be stretched in those places, and thus give ease
to the feet of the wearer; and in order to assist these plugs I apply the metal
band, Figure 4, which has holes through it at d. By this arrangement, when
the stretcher is in the boot or shoe, and the band d placed over the outside, the
turning of the screw a will force out the plug or plugs, and thus cause the boot
or shoe to be stretched. The heads of the plugs when within the stretcher
are flush with the surfaces thereof, and one or both of the plugs, Figure 1,
maybe moved at the same time; when only one is to be used, the others aro
to be removed before introducing the stretcher into the boot or shoe, and
although I have shewn the application for the plug only at the sides, it will be
evident that they may be applied to the instep, as shewn by red dotted lines at
Figure 2, or to other parts of the foot, the cone for forcing them out being
properly arranged for that purpose. In making stretchers, or lasts, or feet for
boot trees for the feet of any person, care will be observed to apply the plugs
at those parts where the feet are tender or require room in the shoes or boots,
Figure 5 shews the side view of a foot for an ordinary boot tree; Figure 6

page_text: is a back view thereof; and the parts are marked with the same letters of
reference as have been used in the previous Figures, and the description above
given will apply to this Figure. I have not thought it necessary to shew a
last, as the same arrangements will be applied thereto when making lasts
according to my Invention. When it is desired to remove a last, or foot of
a tree or a stretcher from a boot or shoe, the band d is to be loosened and the
screw a turned back, so that in drawing out the last, stretcher, or foot of a tree
the plug or plugs may slide back into the same, and thus allow of the last,
stretcher, or foot of a tree being withdrawn.
C is a
I will now describe the second part of my Invention. Figure 7 shews an
external view of an expanding boot tree for boots; Figure 8 is a longitudinal
section; Figure 9 shews the upper end view, and Figures 10 and 11 shew two
sections taken at the dotted lines, Figure 7. This boot tree is made of two
parts A, B; the part A being for the front of the leg, and the part B being
for the back of the leg; and it will be seen that the part B can slide within
the part A, there being slots or openings e, e, on either side of the part A
through which screws f pass into the part B, by which the parts A and B are
retained together correctly, yet are allowed to expand and contract.
block by which the boot tree is held; through this block the screws D and
E pass, and they also pass through female screws F, G, affixed to the inner
end of the block. The screws each carries a wedge H, the object of which
is tocause the boot tree to expand, which is accomplished in the following
manner: The screw D, by its wedge, is for causing the lower part of the leg.
of a tree to expand, and the screw E is for causing the upper part of the leg of
the tree to expand. On the inside of the part A of the tree, the block I is
affixed; and J is another block, which has pins K, which slide in holes formed
in the block I, by means of which the parts I and J are retained correct, and
they will be caused to separate. When the wedge H is forced between them by
the screw D, the block J, pressing against the part B of the tree, will force the
part B from the part A, and thus enlarge the leg of the tree towards the lower
end thereof; and the screw E, in like manner, acts by its wedge H to separate the
two blocks L, M, the block L being affixed to the part A of the tree; and the
block M is attached to the block L (by guide pins N,) which slide into and form
the block M; hence, when the screw E moves its wedge H downwards, it will
cause the blocks L, M, to separate, and, consequently, the upper part of the
leg of the tree will be expanded; all which will readily be understood on a
careful examination of the Drawings, aided by the above description thereof.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I am
acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that I do

page_text: not confine myself to the precise details so long as the peculiar character of
either part of my Invention be retained; but what I claim is,-
. First, the mode of constructing lasts, stretchers, and feet of boot trees,
whereby moveable plugs or surfaces may be caused to be forced outwards, so
as to stretch particular parts of boots and shoes, as herein described.
And, secondly, I claim the mode herein described of constructing expanding.
boot trees in such manner that they may be made suitable for receiving different
sized boots thereon.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Roberts, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September; in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
CHARLES (L.S.) ROBERTS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid Charles Roberts came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.