IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Alexander Thomas, of No. 19, Cornwall Gardens,
Queen's Gate, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ROLLER SKATES."
Scaled the 9th June 1876, and dated the 4th April 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Alexander Thomas
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th April 1876.
PHILIP ALEXANDER THOMAS, of No. 19, Cornwall Gardens, Queen's Gate, in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES."
My Invention relates to skates having rollers mounted on them in such a manner
that by rocking the foot laterally on the footboard the axles of the toe and heel
rollers are caused to converge towards the side on which the foot is depressed, the
effect being that the skater runs in a path curving towards that side.
My improved construction is as follows:-On the upper side of the footboard I
fix a heel piece and a central rib, on which the foot of the skater rests, and on each
side of the rib I mount a lever or spring, either of which can be depressed by the
rocking of the foot on the central rib; from each of the said levers or springs a
rod projects downwards through a hole in the footboard, and is jointed to a pair of
bell-crank levers mounted below the footboard. The axle of the toe rollers, as well
as the axle of the heel rollers, is mounted on the footboard by a frame pivotted on
a vertical axis or perch pin; to a pin on this frame, on each side of its middle line,
is jointed a connecting rod which is jointed at its other end to one of the before
mentioned bell-crank levers. Thus, when the foot is depressed on the one side, it
presses down the lever or spring on that side and the rod connected to it; and the
rod thus depressed moves the bell cranks on that side so as to draw the connecting
rods towards each other, and so to make the axle frames turn partly round on their
vertical axes, causing the axles to converge towards the depressed side. Instead of
the bell cranks and connecting rods described above pulleys and chains or cords
may be employed to communicate the movement to the axle frames.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Philip Alexander Thomas in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd October 1876.
PHILIP ALEXANDER THOMAS, of No. 19, Cornwall Gardens, Queen's Gate, in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES."
My Invention relates to skates having rollers or wheels mounted on them in such
a manner that by rocking the foot laterally on the footboard the axlos of the toe
and hoel rollers are caused to converge towards that side on which the foot
is depressed, the effect being that the skater runs in a path curving towards that
side.
I will describe the construction which I adopt for this purpose, referring to the
accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1 represents a side view, Fig. 2 a plan, looking from below, and Fig. 3 a
section on the line A, B, of Fig. 1, of a skate constructed according to my Invention.
F is the footboard made with a middle rib f projecting upwards, so that the foot
resting on this rib can be rocked laterally thereon; S, S', are two springs, one on
each side of the rib f, on which, as well as on f, the foot rests.
Under each of the
springs S, S¹, is a rod R, R', projecting downwards through the footboard and
jointed to the disc or bell crank D, D', which is mounted so as to turn freely on a
pin & bracketted to the footboard. The rollers or wheels W are fitted on axles w
each of which is mounted on the footboard by a vertical axis or perch pin P, and
has jointed to it on each side of its middle a rod T, T¹, for the front axle and U, U',
for the hind axle. The two rods T and U on the one side are jointed to the disc D,
the one below and the other above its centre, and the two rods T', U¹, on the. other
side are in like manner jointed to the other disc D¹. When the foot rests evenly on
the rib and on the two springs S, S¹, then the axles ware parallel to one another
and the skate is suited to running in a straight path; but if the foot be depressed
on the one side so as to push downwards either of the springs, as for example S
and its rod R, and to allow the other spring S₁ and its rod R₁ to rise, then the
disc D is turned partly round on its axis d, the two rods T and U are pulled by its
movement, so as to draw the axles.w towards each other on the one side, and as the
axles move from each other on the other side, drawing the rods T, U¹, and thereby
turning the other disc D¹ partly round in the opposite direction, the rod R¹ and
spring S are by that movement pushed upwards. Similarly by the depression of
the foot on the other side, so as to push down S¹ and R¹, the axles ware caused to
converge towards the depressed side. Thus in either case the axles being made by
the rocking of the foot to converge towards the one side or the other, are caused to
take the direction of radii of a circular arc, in which the skate will then travel.
The springs S, S₁, are made of sufficient strength to oppose a certain resistance to
the rocking of the foot and to restore the parts to their normal or middle attitude
when the pressure of the foot on either side is relieved.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what the same
is to be performed, I claim, the construction, substantially as herein described,
of a skate having rollers fitted on axles which are mounted by vertical axes
on the footboard and are connected by rods and discs or bell cranks to two
vertical rods and springs, one on each side of a middle rib of the footboard, in such
a manner that when by the depression of the foot on either side, one of the springs
is pushed downwards, the axles are made to converge towards the depressed
side, for the purpose of causing the skate to run in a path curved towards that side.
In witness whereof, I, the said Philip Alexander Thomas, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
PHILIP ALEXANDER THOMAS. (L.S.)