Improvements ines for
Year: 1899

page_text: I, JOHN LUCKING, of 104, Leonard Street, Finsbury, in the County of London,
Agent (a communication from Gustav Pabst, of 58, Rödingsmarkt, Hamburg, in
the German Empire, Manufacturer), do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in trees for boots and shoes.
According to the invention the improved tree comprises a front part preferably
of metal and having the form of an ordinary shoe horn, the narrow or rear end of
which is bent upwards and forwards so as to form a hook; this said hook engages
an eye formed upon a slide. The slide is arranged upon the back or heel part
of the tree, which part consists of a rod or the like, and suitable means are provided
whereby the slide can be adjusted to, and secured in, any desired position upon the
said rod. In practice I advantageously form the rod (to this end) with ratchet
teeth with which engages a spring pawl fitted to the slide.
One end of the heel part is formed with a hook so that the said part can serve
as a boot look and, as above mentioned, the front part of the tree can be used
as a shoe horn or lift.
Daded th 1941, dat A 1900
Improvements in Trees for Boots and Shoes.
I, JOHN LUCKING, of 104, Leonard Street, Finsbury, in the County of London,
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me
by Gustav Pabst, of 58, Rödingsmarkt, Hamburg, in the German Empire, Manu
facturer), 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.
According to the invention the improved tree comprises a front part preferably.
of metal and the narrow or rear end of which is bent upwards and forwards so as
to form a hook; this said hook engages an eye formed upon a slide. The slide
is arranged upon the back or heel part of the tree, which part consists of a rod
or the like, and suitable means are provided whereby the slide can be adjusted to,
037

page_text: and secured in, any desired position upon the said rod. To this end I advan-
tageously form the rod with ratchet teeth with which engages a pawl or catch
fitted to the slide.
One end of the heel part is formed with a hook so that the said part can serve
as a boot hook.
To enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference
to the accompanying drawing, in which:-
Figure 1 is a side view of a boot or shoe tree made according to the invention:
Figure 2 is a back view thereof:
Figure 3 is a side view shewing the application of the tree for stretching a
shoe; and
Figures 4 and 5 are views of a detail hereinafter described and drawn to a
larger scale.
a is the front part of the tree which is preferably made of metal and is the
rod forming the back or heel part of the tree, the said rod being provided at its
upper end with a handle band at its lower end with a hook 2 so that the device
can be employed as a boot hook. The underside of the back part b is formed with
ratchet teeth c, c.
The upper end of the front part a is adjustably connected to the toothed back
part 6 by means of the slide d which is mounted upon the said back part b and
has pivoted to it a bent catch e, e¹; the outer end of the arm e¹ of the said
catch is pivotally connected to an eye f upon the upper end of the front part a
of the tree and the other arm c of the said catch forms a finger lever. The said
catch is pivoted to the slide d at the point y, as clearly shewn in Figures 4 and 5,
in such a manner that the angle formed by the bend between the arms e, and e
of the said catch forms a pawl e adapted to engage with the teeth c upon the
inside of the back part 6 of the tree, as clearly shewn in Figure 4, the said pawl
being released from engagement with the teeth by pulling upon the finger lever e,
as shewn in Figure 5.
My improved tree is employed as follows, that is to say, the slide d being
pushed towards the lower end of the back part b of the tree the front part a is
inserted into the toe portion of the shoe in the usual manner and the lower or
hook end of the back part is placed in the back angle of the heel portion of the
shoe, as clearly shewn in Figure 3; the slide d is then pulled upwards upon
the back part and is held in the position to which it is adjusted by the pressure
of the boot upon the outer face of the front part a which pressure forces the
nose or pawl into engagement with one of the teeth e upon the underside of
the back part 6 of the tree. To remove the tree from the shoe or boot the finger
lever e is turned to the position shewn in Figure 5 thereby releasing the slide d
which can be pushed downwards.
It will be obvious that the method of connecting the front part a to the slide d
can be modified and that a spring pawl or other device could be employed in lieu
of the pawl above described. Furthermore an additional catch or the like of
suitable construction can be employed, if found necessary, to lock the slide in the
position to which it has been adjusted on the part of the tree.
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. In trees for boots and shoes the combination of a broad front part and a
back part in the form of a rod, means for pivotally connecting the front part to
a slide upon the back part and means for locking the slide in any position to which
it may be adjusted upon the back part, substantially as, and for the purpose,
hereinbefore described.
2. A tree for boots and shoes comprising a broad front part, a back part in
the form of a rod toothed upon its under face and carrying a slide to which the

page_text: upper end of the front part is hinged and a pawl or catch pivoted to the slide and
adapted to engage the teeth upon the rod, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. Trees for boots and shoes constructed substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 19th day of December 1899.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.