IMPROVEMENTS IN STATES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Bezer, of St. John Street, Smithfield, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STATES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Bezer at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th December 1880.
HENRY BEZER, of St. John Street, Smithfield, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SKATES."
The main object of my Invention is to construct skates which will give a direct
support to the hollow of the foot, whereby among other advantages the driving
point in skating is from the centre of the foot instead of from the forward part as
with the skates hitherto constructed.
The improvements consist in fitting the skate with a spring plate, the contour of
which is approximately that of the hollow of the boot between the sole and heel,
and which is capable of adapting itself, as hereinafter described to various heights
of heel. In combination with the said spring plate I employ arrangements by
which clips at the front part of the skate are made to grip the sides of the boot
sole, and I also employ a sliding piece to grip the front of the heel, this sliding
piece being actuated by a screw and a sliding nut, as hereinafter explained.
In carrying out my Invention I attach to the skate proper a bearing plate for
the heel, and another bearing plate for the fore part of the foot. At the back of
the heel bearing plate are one or more claws or projections against which the back
of the heel rests. In the front part of the heel bearing plate is a slot in which the
sliding piece for gripping the front of the heel works. This sliding piece is
carried on the rear end of a screw (hereinafter called the back screw) which works
through a nut which can move or slide longitudinally, as hereinafter explained. At
the two sides of the front bearing plate are two clips for gripping the sides of the
boot sole. These clips are carried by plates lying below the bearing plate, and
having studs or projections which take into inclined slots in an under piece. This
under piece is free to move longitudinally, and is carried on the end of a screw,
hereinafter called the front screw, on which are a nut and a lock nut. As this
under piece is moved forwards or backwards, so are the clips moved nearer together
or further apart. At the middle of the skate is the spring plate before referred to,
..... All

page_text: whose contour is approximately that of the hollow of the boot. At its rear end
this spring plate bears against the front face of the sliding nut hereinbefore
described, and at its front end it bears against the back face of the nut on the front
screw, which screw passes through a hole in the face of the spring plate. Behind
this nut the spring plate has a slot taking on to a projection on the skate, to
enable the spring plate to move longitudinally to a certain extent.
The skate being constructed as above described, the following is the manner of
fixing it to the boot:-The front clips are first adjusted to the width of the boot by
moving forward the under piece, until they are able to grip the sides of the sole,
and the nut of the front screw is then run back until it bears hard against the front
of the spring plate. When once thus adjusted the clips may be left permanently,
so long as the skate is not required for a boot of a different width of sole. The
foot having been inserted with a somewhat forward movement so as to force the
sole between the clips, the sliding heel piece which has been previously adjusted
approximately to the heel is next moved backwards to grip the heel. This is
effected by turning the back screw by means of a spanner. During this operation
the nut of this screw remains fixed, but as soon as the sliding piece can move no
further back, the continued motion of the back screw causes the nut to move
forwards, and thereby to act upon the spring plate, which being carried forward
first finally and sufficiently tightens the front clips, and then the middle part of the
spring plate will be gradually forced upwards, until it bears against the top of the
hollow of the boot. The centre or hollow of the wearer's foot is thus directly
supported, and the driving point in skating is from that part. The pressure upon
or weight borne by the spring plate only tends to tighten the front clips and the
sliding heel piece.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters raten Died by
the said Henry Bezer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th June
1881.
HENRY BEZER, of St. John Street, Smithfield, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SKATES."
The main object of my Invention is to construct skates which will give a direct
support to the hollow or waist of the foot.
The improvements consist in fitting the skate with a spring plate, the contour of
which is approximately that of the hollow or waist of the boot between the sole
and heel, and which is capable of adapting itself as hereinafter described to various
heights of heel. In combination with the said spring plate I employ arrangements
by which clips at the front part of the skate are made to grip the sides of the boot
sole, and I also employ a sliding piece to grip the front of the heel, this sliding
piece being actuated by a screw and a sliding nut or otherwise, as hereinafter
explained.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the annexed Drawings represent a skate constructed
according to one modification of my Invention, Figure 1 being a side elevation,
Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3 a view of the underside; Figures 4 and 5 are
respectively a side elevation and a plan of another modification, and Figures 6
and 7 a side elevation and a plan of a third modification. In constructing the
skate represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3, I attach to the skate proper or runner a
a bearing plate b for the heel, and another bearing plate e for the fore part of the
foot. At the back of the heel bearing plate are claws or projections d, d, against
which the back of the heel rests. In the front part of the heel bearing plate is a
slot e in which the sliding piece f for gripping the front of the heel works. This
sliding piece has wings f¹¹, which take below the plate b; it is carried on the
rear end of a screw g which works through a nut h, which can move or slide
longitudinally on the runner a, as hereinafter explained. At the two sides of the
front bearing plate c are two clips i, i, for gripping the sides of the boot sole. These
clips are carried by plates k, l, lying below the bearing plate c, and having studs or
projections 1, 1, which take inte inclined slots m, m, in an under piece n.
piece n is free to move longitudinally along the runner a, and is carried on the end
of a screw o, on which are a nut pand a lock nut q. As this underpiece n is moved
forwards or backwards so are the clips i, i, moved nearer together or further apart.
At the middle of the skate is the spring plater before referred to, which constitutes
an essential feature of my Invention. Its contour is approximately that of the
hollow of the boot. At its rear end this spring plate has a slot or opening r
to allow of its passing over the screw g, and it bears against the front face of the
sliding nut h, and at its front end it is turned up and bears against the back face
of the nut p on the front screw, which screw passes through a hole in the face of the
spring plate. Behind this nut the spring plate has a slot s taking on to a pro-
jection t on the runner to enable the spring plate to move longitudinally to a certain
extent.
This
The skate being constructed as above described the following is the manner of
fixing it to the boot:-The front clips i, i, are first adjusted to the width of the
boot by moving forward the under piece n until they are able to grip the sides of
the sole, and the nut p of the front screw is then run back until it bears against
the front of the spring plate r. When once thus adjusted the clips i, i, may be
left permanently, so long as the skate is not required for a boot of a different width
of sole. The foot having been inserted with a somewhat forward movement so as
to force the sole between the clips, the sliding heel piece f, which has been previously

page_text: adjusted approximately to the heel, is next moved backwards to grip the heel.
This is effected by turning the back screw 9 by means of a spanner. During this
operation the nut h of this screw remains fixed, but as soon as the sliding piece f
can move no further back, the continued rotation of the screw g causes the nut h to
move forwards along the runner a, and thereby to act upon the spring plate r,
which, being carried forward first, finally and sufficiently tightens the front clips i, i,
by moving the under piece n forward, and then by the further rotation of the
screw g, the middle part of the spring plate will be gradually forced upwards until
it bears against the hollow of the boot. The centre or hollow of the wearer's foot
is thus directly supported. The pressure upon or weight borne by the spring
plate r only tends to tighten the front clips i, i, and the sliding heel piece f.
In the modification represented in Figures 4 and 5 the spring plater at its rear
end is extended under the heel plate b, and is turned up to form a bearing for the
head of the screw g. The front bearing plate is formed in a piece with the spring
plate, and is slotted at front to take over the toe post u on which it is free to move
longitudinally. The projections 1, 1, instead of working in inclined slots in an
under piece, as in Figures 1, 2, and 3, are on the upper side of the plates k, k, and
work in inclined slots m, m, in the plate r, and they form the heads of screw pins
which pass through the slots m, m, as well as through transverse slots in the clip
plates k, k, and guides v, v, and are tightened up by nuts v', v¹. The action of
this skate in fixing is similar to that already described. By turning the screw g,
the nut h and sliding heel piece f move back until the piece f comes against the
heel, then by continuing to turn the screw it moves forward in the nut h, and the
head of the screw therefore forces forward the spring plater so that the slots m
draw the clips i, i, inwards so as to firmly grip the sides of the boot sole. By still
continuing to turn the screw g the upper central part of the spring plate r is forced
up against the hollow of the boot." The clip plates k, k, work in the guides v, v,
before described, and can be adjusted to the boot sole by loosening the nuts v¹,
then pushing in the plates k, k, and again tightening the nuts. This adjustment
should be effected as a first operation, and when the spring plate r is as far back
towards the heel as the slots m, m, will permit.
In the modification shown in Figures 6 and 7 the spring plater and the front
bearing plate are made in one piece, as in Figures 4 and 5, and the arrangements
for clipping the sides of the boot sole are also the same as in Figures 4 and 5. The
sliding piece f for gripping the front of the heel instead of being actuated by a
screw is carried on the end of a lever w. This lever is slotted as shown, and
through the slot is passed a vertical screw x. The lever w is held tightly between
a collar y and a nut y¹ on this screw. The spring plater has a hole or eye to pass
over the top of the screw x, and it bears upon a hexagonal collar z formed in a
piece with the screw. is a projection on the front of the heel plate b. The
spring plate in this modification is forced up to the required extent to give the
necessary support to the centre or hollow of the foot by means of the screw.x.
For this purpose the lever w (which is a spring plate having claws w¹ at the front
end to clip over the top of the runner a, as in Figure 6) is moved round into the
position shown in Figure 7, the side of the lever being forced against the
projection z¹ so as to draw back the spring plater as far as the slots m, m, will permit,
then the nut y being loosened the screw x is turned by means of a spanner acting
on the hexagonal collar z so as to raise the spring plate r to the required height.
After the spring plate has been thus adjusted the adjustment of the clips k, h,
should be effected, and this should be done with the lever w bearing against the
projection z', as in Figure 7. Then in order to adjust the heel piece f clip the
lever w over the runner a, as in Figure 6, and the nut y' being loosened, slide back
the lever w until the piece f bears against the heel, then taking off the skate move
the lever wand heel piece f about a quarter of an inch further back and tighten
the nut y¹. Then to fasten on the skate free the lever w from the runner a and
move it round until it bears against 21, as seen in Figure 7, and then having put
the skate on the foot, stand upon the skate with the back of the heel pressing

page_text: against the claws d, d, and bring the lever w round until it clips over the runner a.
In this movement as the heel piece f is brought home against the front of the heel
it is forced forwards and carries the spring plater with it, so that the inclined
slots m, m, draw in the clips i, i, firmly against the sides of the boot sole; at the
same time the heel becomes gripped between the piece f and the claws d, d.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my improvements in
skates,
First. Constructing skates with a spring bearing plate to support the centre or
hollow of the foot, the said spring bearing plate being adaptable by mechanical
arrangements such as those herein described to various heights of heel, substantially
as set forth.
Second. Constructing skates with a spring bearing plate to support the centre
or hollow of the foot, and capable of being adapted to various heights of heel, in
combination with arrangements such as those herein described by which clips at
the front of the skates are made to grip the sides of the boot sole, and by which
another piece is made to grip the front of the boot heel, all substantially as
hereinbefore set forth.
Third. The particular arrangements of the heel piece f, screw g, nut h, and heel
bearing plate b in combination with the spring plate r, substantially as herein-
before described, and represented respectively in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and in
Figures 4 and 5.
Fourth. Constructing skates substantially as hereinbefore described, and
represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Fifth. Constructing skates substantially as hereinbefore described, and represented
in Figures 4 and 5.
Sixth. Constructing skates substantially as hereinbefore described, and represented
in Figures 6 and 7.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bezer, have hereunto set my hand
•
and seal, this Seventh day of June, One thousand eight hundred and
eighty one.