SAMPLE RACKS FOR BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1885

page_text: I SAMUEL SMITH of 31 Great Eastern Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Wholesale Boot & Shoe Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for SAMPLE RACKS FOR BOOTS AND SHOES, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
My invention relates to boot and shoe sample racks chiefly designed for the use
of travellers representing the makers and wholesale dealers in such goods, and it
has for its object to provide a light and portable holder for the goods whereby to
protect them from being crushed in transit and ensure their presentation to the
buyer in the form in which they leave the hands of the workman. The racks will
also be found useful for packing the boots and shoes for transport either for home
or export trade, the racks, combined in pairs as hereinafter described, being enclosed
in an outer packing case.
The invention consists of light frames or racks each adapted to hold a row of
boots or shoes and appropriately present them to view when required, the frames
being adapted to be fitted and secured together for transport in such a way as to
form a strong rigid structure capable of being easily and even roughly handled and
which will effectually protect the goods from injury in transit. The invention
comprises the frames individually, their combination in pairs for transport: and the
combination with them of the means for holding the goods in place therein, as
hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification, wherein Figure is an isometrical perspective view of a pair of
frames or racks assembled together for transit, two only of the shoes being repre-
sented in place, to avoid obscuring the figure.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing one frame only (partly broken away) as used
for presenting the goods to view and Figure 3 shows one of the toe fastenings or
clips hereafter referred to.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The invention consists of frames made of wood or other light material capable
when assembled together in pairs, of forming a crate or open case, in the form of a
paralello-piped as represented in Figure 1. Each frame is constructed of two end
frames ab ab of L form, the respective members ab of which are dovetailed and

page_text: screwed or otherwise connected together, the two frames being united by longi-
tudinal bars c, d, e; c and d being connected at the middle by a metal bracket g.
The two bars cd fastened to the horizontal member a of the end frames, form a
base on which the shoes are placed. The bar e is fixed to the upright members b
of the end frames, preferably at an angle corresponding to the inclination of the
back part of the upper of the boot. This bar is preferably provided with a rack of
clips made by bending strips of steel to a circular form and fixing the ends to the
said bar, the clips being placed at suitable intervals apart and serving to hold in
p'ace the boots and shoes, which are inserted between each two adjacent clips. The
clips nip the boot or shoe at the upper back part of the golosh, just at the point
where it is desired to slightly compress the width of the boot or shoe, in order to
add to the elegance of its appearance.
Instead of metal springs, clips, pads or blocks of indiarubber, solid or hollow, or
other soft material may be used, or instead of clips small pins may be fixed in the
rail e and project from the inner face thereof in position to enter the holes usually
made in the stiffeners of the boots or shoes for the purpose of tieing them together
in pairs.
The goods are further held in place by extensible toe catches (of which one is
shown separately in Figure 3) attached to eyes n fixed in the underside of the
rail c in line with the intervals between the clips f. These toe catches merely
embrace the toe portion of the sole and being of light construction and preferably
made of wire are scarcely visible so as not to detract from the appearance of the
goods when presented to view in the rack. Each consists of a pair of hooks h
formed of wire bent to the form shown in Figure 3, and attached by a shank
portion to one end of a spiral or indiarubber spring i whose other end is attached
to an eye n fixed to the bar c. The elasticity of the spring i enables the articles
to be readily inserted or removed from between the clips and ensures them being
retained securely in place.
The uprights b of the end frames have dowels and the members a have
corresponding dowel holes l, and hook or other fastenings are provided at the same
points, so that when a pair of racks or frames are put together for transport by
connecting the members 6 of the one frame with the members a of the other
frame and vice versa, as shown in Figure 1, they will form a strong and rigid
structure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A rack for boots and shoes, constructed of a frame carrying a series of spring
clips, pads or pins, in combination with extensible toe catches, the clips and catches
being adapted to retain the goods, substantially as specified.
2. The apparatus herein described, consisting in the combination of a pair of
racks or frames, each furnished with clips, pads or pins and catches for retaining
the boots and shoes in position, the said frames or racks being adapted to be united
to form a rigid structure for transport, substantially as specified.