APPLIANCES' OR ARRANGEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE FEET OR LEGS FOR FACILITATING LOCOMOTION."
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Beaumont Hill Jones, of Chelsea, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "APPLIANCES' OR ARRANGEMENTS APPLICABLE
TO THE FEET OR LEGS FOR FACILITATING LOCOMOTION."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Beaumont Hill Jones at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th October. 1864.
I, BEAUMONT, HILL JONES, of Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the. said Invention for "APPLIANCES OR ARRANGE-
MENTS APPLICABLE TO THE FEET OR LEGS FOR FACILITATING LOCOMOTION," to be as
follows:-
I have a sole-piece, the same to be constructed of thin iron, wood, strong
leather, or other suitable material, and shaped so that a boot or shoe will fit.
comfortably upon it. To the outside of this said sole-piece I attach by screws,
nails, rivets, or other suitable fastening a frame, the same to be made of iron,
wood, strong leather, or other equivalent material, and extending sufficiently
bigh to give support to the leg; and I also propose that this said frame should
be made rather wider near the top to permit of freedom in the action of the leg,
and it may also turn round slightly so as to retain a hold on the.leg. It may
also be furnished with a strap and buckle or other equivalent fastening, so as

page_text: to keep it closely fitting to the outside of the leg. This frame may be jointed
near the ankle to accommodate the leg to the backward and forward action, or
it may be made in a piece with the sole-piece. Attached to this aforesaid
framing at such a height that the foot will be raised off the ground, so as to
pass over small stones and the inequalities of the road, I have two or more
_wheels_placed_at_any_convenient distances along the outside of the foot, and
they may be made of any convenient diameter, and arranged-so-as-to-work-
independently of each other. These wheels may have their rims grooved for
the purpose of receiving a band of indian-rubber, or other suitable elastic
material, which gives a greater hold on the road and runs with less noise;
or they may be made without the indian-rubber or elastic material, which
may then be placed in the tread or at any convenient part of the sole, so as to
give the necessary elasticity to the foot. Over the fore part of the foot or
instep a laced band or other apparatus may be inserted to give-additional hold
and support to the foot, and the aforesaid iron frame may be continued round
the heel to prevent the foot from moving; I also insert a stop underneath the
heel to act as a brake when it is desired to stop.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Beaumont Hill Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BEAUMONT
HILL JONES, of Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Beaumont Hill Jones, Her special licence that I, the said Beaumont
Hill Jones, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Beaumont Hill Jones, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "APPLIANCES AND ARRANGEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE FEET OR LEGS FOR
FACILITATING LOCOMOTION," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Beaumont Hill Jones, my executors or administrators, by an instrument

page_text: in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Beaumont Hill Jones, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
to wit, Figures 1, 2, and 3, and to the letters marked thereon, that is
to say:
I have a sole-piece, the same to be constructed of thin iron, wood, strong
leather, or other suitable material, and shaped so that a boot or shoe will fit
comfortably upon it. To the outside of this said sole-piece I attach by screws,
nails, rivets, or other suitable fastening a frame, the same to be made of iron,
wood, strong leather, or other equivalent material, and extending sufficiently
high to give support to the leg; and I also propose that this said frame should
be made rather wider near the top to permit of freedom in the action of the
leg, and it may also turn round slightly so as to retain a hold on the leg. It
may also be furnished with a strap and buckle, or other equivalent fastening,
so as to keep it closely fitting to the outside of the leg. This frame may be
jointed near the ankle to accommodate the leg to the backward and forward
action; or it may be made in a piece with the sole-piece. Attached to this
aforesaid framing at such a height that the foot will be raised off the ground,
so as to pass over small stones and the inequalities of the road. I have two
or more wheels placed at any convenient distances along the outside of the
foot,, and they may be made of any convenient diameter, and arranged so as to
work independently of each other. These wheels may have their rims grooved
for the purpose of receiving a band of indian-rubber, or other suitable elastic
material, which gives a greater hold on the road and runs with less noise; or
they may be made without the indian-rubber or elastic material, which may
then be placed in the tread or at any convenient part of the sole, so as to give
the necessary elasticity to the foot. Over the fore part of the foot or instep
a laced band or other apparatus may be inserted to give additional hold and
support to the foot, and the aforesaid iron frame may be continued round the
heel to prevent the foot from moving. I also insert a stop underneath the
heel to act as a brake, when it is desired to stop.
Having now stated the nature of the Invention, which I name the
"vantopied," I now proceed more particularly to describe the sanre by means

page_text: elevation; Figure 3, plan of foot-piece and section through side-piece, wheels,
and axles.
A is the sole-piece, constructed of wood, metal, or other suitable material,
and shaped so that the foot may fit comfortably upon it;-B-is-a.side-piece or
frame of iron, wood, or other suitable material, extending sufficiently high to
give the proper support to the leg, and is firmly attached to the sole-piece A
by means of screws, bolts, rivets, or other fastenings. The sole-piece. A and
the side-piece B may, however, be cast, moulded, or carved from malleable
iron, steel, wrought iron, wood, or other suitable material, so as to form one
piece of itself:-C-represents leather fastenings, by which the sole-piece is
held to the foot in connexion with the side-piece by means of straps or laces,
but other suitable fastenings, such as springs, clips, or elastics may be attached
to either the sole-piece A or side-piece B, or both, if required, in such manner
as to secure the foot and ankle firmly in its place; D represents a continua-
tion of the frame or side-piece B, connected to each other by the joint E, the
object of said joint E being to give play to the leg. The frame or side-
piece B and its continuation D may, however, be made with or without the
joint E; F represents axles for wheels, which may be fastened to the frame
or side-piece B in any suitable manner; G represents a leather band or strap
for fastening the upper part of frame D to the leg; H represents wheels;
which are affixed to the side-piece B by means of the axles F. There may
be two or more wheels to each vantopied, but I prefer to use two only; said
wheels may be made of malleable iron or any other metal, or suitable material
of any convenient size or diameter, so arranged to the side-piece B as to work
independently of each other. Said wheels may be fixed,. if necessary, to a
spring, in which case one wheel and axle would-be affixed to each end of the
spring, and the spring could then be fastened to the side piece B at any con-
venient height and in any suitable manner. The wheels may have plain or
grooved tires, I prefer the latter, inasmuch as by this means india-rubber or
other suitable elastic bands may be fastened to the wheels, as shown by the
letters I in Drawings. K represents padding in side-piece D; L represents
india-rubber or other suitable material fitted to the sole-piece A, in order to
give the foot elasticity; M represents a guard of tin or other suitable material
placed over the axles of wheels, and fastened either to the wheel or side-piece,
or both, as may be found convenient. When required, I fasten to the side or
sole-piece a sort of spring, which acts as a drag or brake.

page_text: In conclusion I claim as new, the general construction, arrangement, and
combination of appliances applicable to the feet or legs for facilitating loco-
motion, as herein-before described by this my Final Specification, and the
Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Beamont Hill Jones, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
In the presence of
CHARLES POMEROY BUTTON.
J. BURTON JONES.
BEAUMONT HILL JONES. (L.S.)