IMPROVE- MENTS IN ROLLER SKATES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Alfred Bowles, of No. 10, Ship Strect,
Brighton, in the County of Sussex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ROLLER SKATES."
Scaled the 13th July 1875, and dated the 17th April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Alfred Bowles
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th April 1875.
I, JOHN ALFRED BOWLES, of No. 10, Ship Street, Brighton, in the
County of Sussex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES," to be as follows :-
The object of my improvements is to give easy play to the rollers, so
that they may accommodate themselves to every gyration of the skater
and come back to their normal position without girk or shock when the
skater ceases to travel in curves.
I propose to construct this improved roller skate with two toe and two
heel rollers, setting the rollers upon axles having a perforated boss or

page_text: ring in the centre traversed by a pin or screw securing the axle to a
bearing, upon which the ring rests in a more or less angular position.
Between the nave of each roller and the ring on its axle I propose to
place an india-rubber or other suitable spring, these springs resting
upon curved or angular bearings carried by the supports attached to the
stock, these bearings being provided with a regulating screw or other
means of compressing or setting the springs.
On the skater describing a curve the toe and heel rollers moving to a
diagonal position cause the ring of their axle to turn upon its pin or
screw, and thereby press the right or left springs (according to the
direction in which the skater is travelling) upon the curved or angular
bearings, and directly this pressure is relieved the springs bring back
the axles and the rollers to their ordinary position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Alfred Bowles in the Great Seal Patent ]
Office on the 15th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ALFRED BOWLES, of No. 10, Ship Street, Brighton, in the County of
Sussex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the of
year
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Alfred Bowles, Her special licence
that I, the said John Alfred Bowles, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jolin Alfred Bowles,
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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Alfred Bowles, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands

page_text: 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 John Alfrod Bowles, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :—
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction of roller
skates, whereby casy play is given to the rollers in order that they may
accommodate themselves to every gyration of the skater and come back
to their normal position without jerk or shock when the skater ceases to
travel in curves.
I construct this improved roller skate with two toe and two hccl
rollers, setting the rollers upon axles having a perforated boss or ring in
the centre traversed by a pin or screw securing the axle to a bearing,
upon which the ring rests in a more or less angular position.
Between
the nave of each roller and the ring on its axle I place an india-rubber
or other suitable spring, these springs resting upon curved or angular
bearings carried by the supports attached to the stock, and these bearings
being provided with a regulating screw or other means of compressing
or setting the springs.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing Figure 1 represents a side
view or elevation, from which may be seen the general arrangement and
position of the various parts of an improved roller skate embodying my
Invention; Figure 2 is an inverted plan of the same, shewing position
of bearing blocks for roller axles, Figure 3 being a front end view of the
toc rollers and bearing block; Figure 4, a back end view of the same;
and Figures 5 representing the various parts in detail detached.
A indicates the stock to which are attached the bearing blocks B, B,
B, B, bearing blocks for carrying the roller axles C, C, and on the
under side of which are the regulating screws G, G.
C, C, roller axles having a boss, an eye hole, or ring c in the centre of
same.

page_text: E, pin or screw for securing axle C to bearing block B, on which it
works.
F, F, india-rubber or other clastic springs, and G, G, regulating
screws.
Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in each of the
figures respectively.
The action is as follows:-On the skater describing a curve the toe
and heel rollers D, D, moving to a diagonal position (as shewn in dotted
lines Figure 2) cause the boss c to turn upon its pin or screw E, and
thereby press the right or left springs F, F, (according to the direction ]
in which the skater is travelling) upon one of the regulating screws G, G,
and one side of the curved or angular bearings B, B. Directly this
pressure is relieved the springs F, F, bring back the axle C and the
rollers D, D, to their ordinary position.
I would here observe that I do not confine myself to the use of the 1
regulating screws G, G, but propose to use any other means which I
may in practice find more convenient for compressing the springs F, F,
and I may find it desirable to employ metal in lieu of india-rubber
springs; and I do not limit myself to the use of any particular material
in the manufacture of my improved skate, or to any special shape, or to 2
the fastenings shewn for securing the skate on the foot, and although I
prefer to use only too and heel rollers it will be evident that additional
rollers might be used if desired.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is or may be performed, I would have 2
it understood that what I claim as secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is, the construction of roller skates with
roller axle and springs combined with bearing block, substantially as
and for the purpose herein-before specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Alfred Bowles, have here- 3
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-