An Improvement or Improvements in Conducting the Game of Curling, and Improvements in or Substitutes for the Curling Stones Used in the said Game.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 1st Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Sept., 1888
An Improvement or Improvements in Conducting the Game of
Curling, and Improvements in or Substitutes for the Curling
Stones Used in the said Game.
I THOMAS BUDWORTH SHARP of French Walls Smethwick in the County of
Stafford Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:
The game of curling has hitherto been conducted on smooth ice and consequently
has only been played in wintry weather.
That part of my invention which relates to the conducting of the game of curling
consists in conducting the said game on a smooth surface other than an ice surface
such as the floor of a skating rink. By conducting the game according to my
invention it can be played in any season and independently of the state of the
weather. Ordinary skating rinks may be conveniently utilised for conducting the
game according to my invention. When the game is played on the asphaltum or
other level and hard but not smooth surface of the majority of skating rinks I employ
the improved curling stones or substitutes for curling stones constituting part of my
invention.
In making improved curling stones or substitutes for curling stones according to
my invention I attach to the underside of the granite or other curling stone a series
of well made castors (preferably three) similar to the ordinary furniture castors.
These castors may be fixed in three separate holes in the underside of the stone or
they may be fixed to a metal frame which frame is inserted in a recess on the
underside of the curling stone. In either case I prefer to fix the castors so that they
occupy the angles of an isosceles triangle the bisecting or middle line of which is in
the same plane as the handle that is in the line in which the curling stone moves
so mount the two front castors that they can swivel as ordinary furniture castors but
I prefer to make the rear castor incapable of swivelling its only motion being a
motion of rotation in the plane of the handle. The rear castor is however capable of
adjustment. By this arrangement the curling stone when thrown continues its
I

page_text: motion in the direction in which it was thrown. I so connect the individual castors
or the frame carrying the three castors to the curling stone that they can be readily
removed when the curling stone can be used as an ordinary curling stone. Or instead
of adding castors to ordinary curling stones as described I make substitutes for
ordinary curling stones as follows I make metallic castings preferably of cast iron
of the same size and shape as ordinary curling stones and provide them with ordinary
handles. I make the said cast iron curling stones hollow and open on their undersides
the thickness of the metal being such as to give them about the weight of an ordinary
curling stone. In the hollow at the underside of the cast iron curling stone I fix a
series of castors preferably three arranged in the manner herein before described with
reference to a granite curling stone. In all cases I prefer to make the bowls of the
castors project about three eighths of an inch below the under surface of the granite
curling stone or below the lower edge of the cast iron curling stone. By making the
castor bowls project below the lowest part of the body of the curling stone the
scraping of the said body on the asperities of the asphaltuun or other surface is
prevented.
Although I prefer to use castors as described yet spheres or other rollers may be
employed. And although when I do not make the body of the curling stone of
granite or other mineral substance I prefer to use cast iron yet other cast metal may
be employed. Or the metallic body may be made by the processes of forging or
stamping.
My improved curling stones or substitutes for curling stones may be used for
playing the game of curling on ice.
T
1
1007

page_text: An Improvement or Improvements in Conducting the Game of
Curling, and Improvements in or Substitutes for the Curling
Stones Used in the said Game.
I THOMAS BUDWORTH SHARP of French Walls Smethwick in the County of
Stafford Mechanical Engineer 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 :-
The game of curling has hitherto been conducted on smooth ice and consequently
has only been played in wintry weather.
That part of my invention which relates to the conducting of the game of curling
consists in conducting the said game on a smooth surface other than an ice surface
such for example as the floor of a skating rink by the use of curling stones or
substitutes for curling stones of the kinds herein after described.
By conducting the game according to my invention it can be played in any season.
Ordinary skating rinks may be conveniently utilised for conducting the game
according to my invention.
In making improved curling stones or substitutes for curling stones according to
my invention I attach to the underside of the body of the curling stone a series of
well made castors (preferably three) the front ones being similar to the ordinary
furniture castors, the rear castors having no swivelling motion but capable of being
fixed at any required angle. These castors may be fixed in three separate holes in
the underside of the stone or they may be fixed to a metal frame which frame is
inserted in a recess on the underside of the curling stone. In either case I prefer to
fix the castors so that they occupy the angles of an equilateral triangle. I so mount
the two front castors that they can swivel as ordinary furniture castors but I either
make the rear castor incapable of swivelling its only motion being a motion of rotation
or 1 make the rear castor capable of a limited adjustment. By this arrangement the
curling stone when thrown continues its motion in the direction in which it was
thrown.
I make substitutes for ordinary curling stones as follows:-
I make metallic castings preferably of cast iron of the same size and shape as
ordinary curling stones and provide them with ordinary handles. I make the said
cast iron curling stones hollow and open on their undersides the thickness of the
metal being such as to give them about the weight of an ordinary curling stone. In
the hollow at the underside of the cast iron curling stone 1 fix a series of castors
preferably three arranged in the manner herein before described. In all cases I
prefer to make the bowls of the castors project about three eighths of an inch below
the under surface of the body of the curling stone. By making the castor bowls
project below the lowest part of the body of the curling stone the scraping of the
said body on the asperities of the asphaltum or other surface is prevented.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing reprsents in side elevation; Figure 2 in
plan of upper side; Figure 3 in longitudinal vertical section and Figure 4 in plan of
underside a cast iron curling stone constructed according to my invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a is the hollow body of the cast iron curling stone open on its underside, the
lower edge nearly touching the asphaltum or other surface on which the game is
played. The said cast iron hollow body a has about the weight of the ordinary curling
stone. At the middle of the upper side of the cast iron curling stone is the handle b
by which the stone is held for throwing it; c c and d are the three castors on which
the stone travels, the said castors being arranged in the manner represented, that is,
the two castors c, c are arranged at the front of the stone and the single castor d
at the back in a line midway between the front castors cc (see the plan Figure 4).
Or the position of the castors may be reversed that is to say there may be one loose or
swivelling castor in front and two fixed ones behind. The stalks c², c² of the two
front castors c, c are fixed to the underside of the body a of the curling stone and
are inclined towards the rear of the stone as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The two
front castors c, c swivel on their fixed stalks c² ² after the manner of ordinary
furniture castors.
By giving the stalks of the front castors the inclination represented the weig!
the front of the curling stone tends to press the said front castors c, c on the surface
on which the stone is thrown and travels and to ensure the stone taking a straight
course in its motion.
The single rear castor d is mounted in the arm e turning on the centre of the said
arm being capable of a limited angular motion upon the said centre f. This is
effected by means of a curved slot at the tail end of the arme working upon the
fixed pin by which the handle b is secured to the stone.
The slight angular motion which the rear castor arm e is thus capable of permits
the rear castor d to take a position parallel to the front castors c, c and to be
preserved in that position during the motion of the stone, thereby effectually ensuring
in conjunction with the inclined front castor stalks the motion of the stone in a
straight line.
The cast iron curling stone represented is used in the same manner as ordinary
curling stones.
I do not limit myself to any particular shape of my improved curling stones or
substitutes for curling stones nor to the kind of castors or the manner in which they
are applied to the curling stones as these may be varied without departing from the
nature of my invention but I have found that the arrangement of the castors repre-
sented in the Drawing answers well in practice. Although I prefer to use castors as
described yet spheres or other rollers may be employed. And although I prefer to
use cast iron in the manufacture of my improved curling stone yet other cast metal
may be employed. Or the metallic body may be made by the processes of forging or
stamping.
I do not limit myself to the use of three castors as five or other number greater
than three may be employed. Neither do I limit myself to the use of two swivelling
castors and one fixed castor as when I wish the curling stone to be capable of receiving
a bias I make all the castors capable of an all round swivelling motion. In this case
the stalks of the castors have not the inclination represented in Figure 3.
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 "An improvement or improvements in conducting the game of
curling and improvements in or substitutes for the curling stones used in the said
game":
First. Conducting the game of curling upon a smooth or approximately smooth flat
surface other than ice such for example as asphaltum cement glass or wood or fusible

page_text: saline substances by the use of curling stones of the kinds claimed in the following
claims.
Secondly. Mounting curling stones upon a series of castors, spheres or rollers
either inserted in holes or recesses made in the underside of the stone or fixed to and
carried by a metal frame inserted in a recess in the underside of the stone substantially
as hereinbefore described.
Thirdly. Making substitutes for curling stones of a metal body hollow and open
on its underside and mounted upon castors, spheres or rollers substantially as herein
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
1000
THOMAS BUDWORTH SHARP.