Improvements in Trouser Stretchers.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1886.
Complete Left, 6th Sept., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 7th Oct:, 1887.
Improvements in Trouser Stretchers.
I HUGH MCBRIDE of No. 18 Claremont Road Leamington in the County of
Warwick Commercial Traveller do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be
as follows:-
My invention consists of the construction and arrangement of the parts of trouser
stretchers hereinafter described whereby the required stretching of the trousers is
effected by tension put upon the stretching appliances by hand.
The trouser stretcher consists essentially of two gripping bars one bar for gripping
the trouser legs above the knees and the other bar for gripping them near the bottoms
the said gripping bars being applied to the trouser legs and used in the manner
hereinafter described.
I will call that gripping bar which when in use is situated above the knees of the
trouser legs the upper gripping bar and that which when in use is situated near the
bottoms of the trouser legs the lower gripping bar. The upper gripping bar is
somewhat longer than the lower one and each gripping bar consists of two parts
namely of a rectangular frame the inner longer sides of which are inclined and of a
middle wedging piece which piece passes into the frame and wedges or grips the
trouser legs between itself and the inclined inner sides of the frame. I make the
middle of the wedging piece elastic so that it will yield to accomodate the additional
thickness of the trousers at the seams. To the ends of the frame part of the upper
gripping bar a cord is connected for suspending the trouser stretcher by a hook or
other fixed support. The ends of the frame part of the lower gripping bar have
fastened to them a cord to the middle of which a metal ring is fixed. To this
ring one end of a long strap provided with a buckle or other like fastening is
secured.
In using the trouser stretcher the legs of the pair of trousers to be stretched are
laid side by side and the frame part of the upper gripping bar is passed onto the
trouser legs to the required distance above the knee parts. The middle wedging
piece is next placed between the two trouser legs and forcibly pressed into the frame
part. The two trouser legs are thereby separated and gripped between the middle

page_text: piece and the inclined, sides of the frame part. The lower gripping bar is next
passed onto the bottoms of the trouser legs and the said bottoms gripped in a similar
Dianner.
The trousers are now suspended by a hook or other support say on a door by means
of the cord on the upper gripping bar and the strap connected to the cord of the
lower gripping bar is passed through a ring near the bottom of the door and then
through the ring at the middle of the cord secured to the said lower gripping bar.
By tightening the strap the required tension may be put on, the trousers the said
trousers being stretched between the upper or suspending gripping bar and the lower
bar connected with the tension strap described. By fastening the tension strap by a
huckle or other fastening after the trousers have been stretched the tension may be
maintained on the stretched trousers for any required length of time.
Instead of the strap and rings described a rope or cord passing over pulleys may
be used.
Although I have described my improved trouser stretcher as connected to a door
during its use yet it may be used between other fixed supports. For example the
upper gripping bar may be secured to one of the pillars of a bedstead and the tension
strap passed round the bottom of the same pillar or over the opposite pillar for
stretching the trousers. And although I have described the gripping bars which I
prefer to use yet the hand tension arrangement may be used with gripping bars of
various kinds.
Dated this Twenty fourth day of December 1886.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I HUGH MCBRIDE of No. 18 Claremont Road, Leamington in the County of
Warwick, Commercial Traveller do hereby declare the nature of my Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists of the construction and arrangement of the parts of trouser
stretchers hereinafter described whereby the required stretching of the trousers is
effected by tension put upon the stretching appliances by hand and the mechanical
appliances such as screws springs and the like are dispensed with and the stretching
parts are both light and portable.
The trouser stretcher consists essentially of two gripping bars, one bar for gripping
the trouser legs above the knees and the other bar for gripping them near the
bottoms, the said gripping bars being applied to the trouser legs and used in
the manner hereinafter described.
I will call that gripping bar which when in use is situated above the knees of the
trouser legs the upper gripping bar and that which when in use is situated near the
bottoms of the trouser legs the lower gripping bar. The upper gripping bar is
somewhat longer than the lower one and each gripping bar consists of two flat bars
between which the legs of the trousers are gripped, the gripping' parts of the bars
being covered with leather.
To the ends of the two parts of the upper gripping bar a cord is connected for
suspending the trouser stretcher by a hook or other fixed support.
The ends of the two parts of the lower gripping bar have fastened to them a cord
to the middle of which a metal ring is fixed. To this ring one end of a long strap
provided with a buckle or other like fastening is secured.
In using the trouser stretcher the legs of the pair of trousers to be stretched are
laid side by side and the two parts of the upper gripping bar are. placed on opposite
sides of the trouser legs at the required distance above the knee parts. The two
parts of the lower gripping bar are next placed on opposite sides of the bottoms of the
trouser legs.
The trousers are now suspended by a hook or other support, say, on a door by
means of the cord on the upper gripping bar and the strap connected to the cord of
the lower gripping bar is passed through a ring near the bottom of the door and
then through the ring at the middle of the cord secured to the said lower gripping
bar as hereinafter particularly described. By tightening the strap the required
tension may be put on the trousers the said trousers being stretched between the
upper or suspending gripping bar and the lower bar connected with the tension strap
described. By fastening the tension strap by a buckle or other fastening after the
trousers have been stretched the tension may be maintained on the stretched trousers
for any required length of time.

page_text: be used.
Instead of the strap and rings described a rope or cord passing over pulleys may
Although I have described my improved trouser stretcher as connected to a door
during its use yet it may be used between other fixed supports. For example the
upper gripping bar may be secured to one of the pillars of a bedstead and the tension
strap passed through a ring connected with the bottom of the same pillar or over the
opposite pillar for stretching the trousers. And although I have described the
gripping bars which I prefer to use yet the hand tension arrangement may be used
with gripping bars of various kinds."
I will now describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation and Figure 2 in side elevation, a trouser
stretcher constructed according to my invention Figure 3 represents the upper
gripping bar and Figure 4 the lower gripping bar and appliances connected therewith:
Figure 5 represents a cross section of one of the gripping bars; Figure 6 represents
the trouser stretcher in use as applied to a door and Figure 7 represents the trouser
stretcher in use as applied to the pillar of a bedstead.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
drawings.
The upper gripping bar which when in use is made to grip the trouser legs e above
the knees is marked a, a and the lower gripping bar which when in use is made to
grip the trouser legs near the bottoms is marked b, b. Each of the said bars
consists of two flat pieces between the inner faces of which the trouser legs are
gripped in the manner represented in Figures 1 and 2, the said flat pieces being
firmly held together by the suspending cord d in the case of the upper bar a, a and
by the tension cord e in the case of the lower bar b, b. The ends of the cords d and e
are provided with running loops ff. These loops are passed into necks or
depressions at h in the ends of the bars a and b and by tightening the said loops in
the said necks or depressions the two pieces of each bar are bound or pressed
together, the greater tension put on the two cords d and e the tighter the running
loops will grip the bars and bind the trouser legs between them. The bearing or
gripping faces of the bars a, a and b, band parts of the sides adjacent thereto are
covered with leather at so as to increase the bite or holding power of the bars upon
the trouser legs and prevent injury to the cloth. The said leather coverings at i do
not extend over the whole of the gripping faces of the bars, the middle parts of the
bars where the seams of the trouser legs which are of additional thickness are to be
gripped being left uncovered as represented.
By means of the cord d attached to the upper gripping bar a, a the trouser
stretcher is suspended and by means of the corde and the appliances herein after
described the required tension is put on the lower gripping bar b, b to effect
the stretching of the trouser legs. To the middle of the corde of the lower gripping
barba metal ring k is affixed and to the said ring one end of a leather strap
is fixed. The free end of the strap attached to the ring is first passed through
a second ring in which is made stationary in the way hereinafter described and then
through the ring kaffixed to the cord e and again through the ring m. By now
pulling the strap / upwards the ring k and the parts connected with it can be
brought nearer to the fixed ring m so as to put the required tension on the trouser
legs. The lower ring m may either be engaged directly with a button or pin secured
to a fixed body or the said ring m may have attached to it a looped cord n by which
to connect the said lower ring to the fixed body.
In using the band worked or hand tension trouser stretcher, the legs of the pair of
trousers to be stretched are laid side by side and the parts above the knees are
placed between the gripping faces of the upper gripping bar a, a and the two parts of
the said bar are bound together by the running loops of the suspending cord d
being tightened in the neck ends of the said bar as seen in the drawing.
The bottoms of the trouser legs are secured to the lower gripping bar b
similar way. The trousers are now ready to be stretched. If the stretching is to be
in a

page_text: effected at a door the parts are arranged in the manner represented in in Figure 6.
That is to say, the trousers are suspended by the hook p on the door by means of the
suspending cord d on the upper gripping bar a, a and the looped cord n on the
stationary ring m is engaged! under the button or the head of the pin g fixed to
the door. The strap attached to the ring k of the lower gripping bar b is now
passed through the stationary ring m from the door side to the front or facing side of
the strap. The strap is next continued upwards and passed through the ring k
from front to back and descending is passed through the bottom ring m from back to
front. By now pulling the loose end of the strap upwards by hand the required
tension is put on the trousers, the said trousers being stretched between the upper
or suspending bar a, a and the lower bar b, connected to the tension strap l.
By passing the strap twice through the rings k, m as described great purchase is
obtained.
The said strap after the trousers have been stretched may be fastened by a buckle
or other fastening or its end may be passed through the ring and fastened by a
sailor's knot as represented in Figure 8 so as to maintain the tension on the stretched
trousers for any required length of time.
In effecting the stretching at one of the pillars of a bedstead, the parts are
arranged in the manner represented in Figure 7. In this case the suspending
cord d is connected to the neck of the terminal ornament of the pillar and the
looped cord n of the stationary ring m is secured at the collar s above the castor by
the ring end of the said cord n being passed through the opposite end and drawn
into its place around the collars as represented. The stretching operation is effected
at the bedstead pillar Figure 7 in the manner described with respect to the door
Figure 6.
The stretching operation may be effected between other fixed supports than those I
have described and represented but I have found the arrangements I have described
to answer well in practice.
Or in place of the strap and rings described a rope or cord from the rope or cord
attached to the lower gripping bar may be passed over pulleys and the required
tension in that way may be put upon the trousers the tension cord being fastened to a
fixed surface or body.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed. I declare that I claim as my
invention of "Improvements in trouser stretchers."
The construction and combination of the parts of the hand worked or hand tension
arrangements for stretching trousers herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings, whether the said hand worked or hand tension arrangements
be used with gripping bars of the kind described and illustrated or with gripping bars
of other kinds.
Dated this Third day of September 1887