NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS OR MEANS OF PREVENTING INJURY TO PERSONS LEARNING TO SKATE ON ICE OR RINKS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Ovid Topham, of No. 138, Maida Vale, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED
APPARATUS OR MEANS OF PREVENTING INJURY TO PERSONS LEARNING TO
SKATE ON ICE OR RINKS."
Sealed the 15th August 1876, and dated the 23rd February 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Ovid Topham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd February 1876.
GEORGE OVID TOРHAM, of No. 138, Maida Vale, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer. "NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS OR MEANS OF PREVENTING INJURY
TO PERSONS LEARNING TO SKATE ON ICE OR RINKS."
The object of my Invention is, as set forth in the title, the prevention of injury
to persons learning to skate from falls, and it is effected as will be seen, by the
following description, by the employment of a system of overhead guides sustaining
the learner by means of ropes or lines attached to a peculiar kind of stays or
jacket worn by or surrounding his or her body.
My Invention therefore consists, firstly, in a jacket or pair of stays in which the
upper part of body of skater is enveloped, such jacket or stays having eyes, loops,
or slings, or other similar means of attaching or passing ropes or lines through. The
jackets or stays are padded at suitable parts, such as, for example, as those which
come beneath the arms of the wearer. For the elbows are provided rests or cradles,
thereby assisting to support the skater. I do not confine myself to the exact formi
of the jacket or stays nor to the materials of which the same is made, but in all
cases it is an external jacket or pair of stays with eyes, loops, or slings, or other
equivalents, through which ropes or lines inay pass, also with elbow rests, and
capable of being secured by straps, buckles, or otherwise to body of skater.
My Invention consists, secondly, in the construction and use of guides suspended
by means of rods or otherwise to the roof or other suitable part of the rink or to a
frame upon columns. In all cases these guides are constructed with a groove or
grooves or other suitable arrangement to receive rollers or wheels fixed in bearings
or frames, to which bearings or frames the ropes or lines hercin-before mentioned
are attached. The guides may be so arranged as to form circles or ovals, or forms
approaching thereto as may be found most convenient.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Ovid Topham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
August 1876.
GEORGE OVID TOPHAM, of No. 138, Maida Vale, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer. "NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS OR MEANS OF PREVENTING INJURY TO
PERSONS LEARNING TO SKATE ON ICE OR RINKS."
The object of my Invention is, as set forth in the title, the prevention of injury
to persons learning to skate from falls, and it is effected, as will be seen from the
following description, by the employment of a system of overhead guides, sustaining
the learner by ropes or lines attached to a peculiar kind of stays or jacket worn by
him or surrounding his body.
My Invention consists, firstly, in the construction and use of guides suspended by
rods or otherwise to the roof or other suitable part of the rink building or to a
frame upon columns. In all cases these guides are constructed with a groove or
grooves or other suitable arrangement to receive rollers or wheels fixed in bearings
or frames, to which bearings or frames the ropes or lines 1, 1, (in the Drawings
accompanying this Specification) are attached. The guides may be arranged so as
to form circles, ovals, or forms approaching thereto, or other forms as may be found
most convenient. One arrangement I adopt is shown in Figure 1 in the Drawings,
in which a is a tie piece supporting a T iron girder b; c, c, are.wooden flanged wheels
with or without india-rubber tires; d, wrought-iron frame for wheels; e, pin
passing through frame with swivel motion at f, and affording rocking motion by
means of knuckle joint at g to collar h, through which passes a staff i as shown, and
from which the ropes or lines 1, 1, depend.
My Invention consists, secondly, in a jacket or pair of stays (Figure 2) in which
the upper part of body of skater is enveloped, such jacket or stays having eyes,
loops, slings, or other similar means of attaching to or passing ropes or lines l, l,
through them. The jackets or stays are padded at suitable parts, such as, for example,
as those m, m, which come beneath the arms of wearer, and at the elbows are
provided with rests or cradles n, n, thereby assisting to support and protect the
skater. I do not confine myself to the exact form of the jacket or stays, nor to the
material of which the same is made, but it is in all cases an external jacket or pair
of stays, with eyes, loops, slings, or other equivalents, through which lines or ropes
may pass, and all secured by straps, buckles, or otherwise to body of skater. A
modification of this jacket or pair of stays with loops, slings, or other equivalents,
which I find quite efficient in practice is shown in Figure 3. The straps leading
from the lines or ropes 1, 1, pass down and are secured or attached to a waistband or
In this
strap o, o, the parts which pass beneath the fore arm are marked n, n.
modification the cradles or rests are replaced by n, n. Suitable arrangements are
employed to adapt the apparatus to the height of the wearer by taking up the ropes
or lines, l, as may be desired.
What I claim and desire to secure by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the prevention of injury to persons skating or learning to skate by the
means herein in this Specification described and in the accompanying Drawings
illustrated of the jacket or stays or equivalent arrangement, of the overhead
guiding and suspending my arrangement, and the combination or joint use of these
as and for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Ovid Topham, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
GEORGE OVID TOPHAM. (L.S.)