Improvements in Ice Skates.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 9th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ice Skates.
1, ROBERT BUSTIN, of Saint John, in the Province of New Brunswick, Dominion
of Canada, Dealer in Live Stock, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 accom-
panying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
This invention relates more particularly to ice-racing skates, although it is useful
in connection with skates in general of that class which possess yielding foot-
pieces or plates.
The chief objects of my invention are to obtain an easy yielding motion of the
footpiece, relatively to the runner; to obtain an easy yielding motion fore and aft, .
or at the front and rear extremities of the foot plate; to provide a skate wherein
the foot plate is susceptible of yielding and the yielding motion is equalized uni-
formly from end to end thereof, so that the skater is able to more equally balance
himself; to provide a skate having a yielding foot piece which is incapable of
lateral tilting or tipping motions and is accurately guided in its yielding motions
in a plane parallel with the sides of the runner; to provide a skate with a yielding
foot-plate which can be made of a thin plate of steel, or other metal, and be accur-
ately guided in its yielding motions by rigid spindles which pass loosely through
orifices in the foot plate at points in front and rear of the toe and heel of the.
skater, and, generally, to improve that type of ice skate wherein springs are used
to permit the foot-plate to yield while skating.
To accomplish all these objects, my invention involves the features of construc-
tion, the combination or arrangement of parts, and the principles of operation
hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying
drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a skate constructed in accordance with my invention,
and representing a boot (or shoe) upon the foot plate.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional view of the skate, the boot shewn in
Fig. 1 being omitted, and
Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the
contour or shape of the equalizing spring or springs intermediate the fore and
aft springs.
1 indicates the runner of a skate, which may be of any desired form or shape,
but is represented in the drawings as in the form of a well known ice-racing
skate which, as usual, is of considerable length as compared with other ice-skates.
The fore and aft, or front and rear end portions of the runner are provided with
vertical spindles 2 and 3 having their lower ends constructed with T-shaped heads 4
and 5 which are slotted to embrace the upper edges of the runner, and to which
they are rigidly secured through the medium of transverse bolts, rivets, or
screws 6 and 7. The spindle 2 is, what I term, the front or fore end spindle, and
the spindle 3 is the aft or rear end spindle. The spindles, as shewn, are circular
in cross section above their T-shaped heads 4 and 5, and project loosely through

page_text: circular orifices 8 and 9, provided in front and rear contracted extensions 10 and 12
of the foot-plate 13, which is preferably composed of sheet steel, or other metal,
suitable for the purpose in hand. The contracted extensions or prolongations 10
and 12, with their orifices 8 and 9 are so relatively arranged that the foot of the
skater will lie intermediate between the ends of the spindles which project above
the upper surface of the foot-plate, and consequently the foot-plate can rise and fall
on the spindles without the latter interfering with or coming in contact with
the foot of the skater. The foot-plate is retained in operative connection upon
the spindles through the medium of locking keys or pins 14 and 15 passed through
transverse orifices formed in the upper ends of the spindles above the foot-plate.
The spindles 2 and 3 are provided respectively with spiral springs 16 and 17
which encircle the spindles and bear directly at their upper ends against the lower
surface of the foot-plate, while the lower ends bear against the T-shaped heads 4
and 5 of the spindle, or against the upper edge of the skate runner.
The rigid
spindles properly support the spiral springs and guide the foot-plate in its yielding
motions, permitted by the springs, in a plane exactly parallel with the sides of
the skate runner, so that there is no possibility of lateral tilting or tipping of the
foot-plate, relatively to the runner, or of the runner relatively to the foot plate.
In order to uniformly equalize the yielding motion of the foot-plate throughout
its extent from front to rear, I provide an equalizing spring 18 located between
the rigid spindles 2 and 3 to act against the foot-plate. 13, and which, as here
represented, is made in two parts or sections formed with comparatively broad,
flattened, free extremities 19 and 20 which bear respectively against the foot
plate directly beneath the heel and ball, or forepart of the skater's foot. The
parts or sections of the equalizing spring are formed respectively with slotted
heads 21 and 22 embracing the central portion of the upper edge of the skate-
runner and rigidly attached thereto by means of transverse bolts, rivets, or
screws 23 and 24. The comparatively broad, flattened, free extremities 19 and 20
are joined to the slotted heads 21 and 22 through the medium of narrow or con-
tracted shanks 25 and 26 which promote the resiliency of the parts or sections
composing the equalizing spring and provide a neat and finished appearance.
The comparative broad, flattened, free extremities 19 and 20 contribute materially
to prevent tilting or tipping of the foot plate, and in addition thereto these spring
parts or sections constitute an equalizing spring, by which the yielding motions
of the foot plate are uniformly equalized throughout its extent from end to end
thereof, and consequently the skater is enabled to equally balance himself while
skating. The fore or front end spring secures the desired yielding at the toe
of the skate, and the aft or rear end spring secures the desired yielding motion
at the heel of the skate, while, as before stated, the yielding motion of the foot-
plate is equalized by the intermediate equalizing spring.
The broad, flattened extremities of the equalizing spring pass loosely between
the under side of the foot plate and guide brackets 27 and 28, which are attached
by screws, or otherwise, to the foot-plate and serve as efficient retaining guides
for the free extremities of the equalizing spring, and hold the latter in proper
operative connection with the foot-plate.
The provision of the spindle openings in the foot-plate which accurately fit
rigid spindles rising from the skate runner is desirable and important, in that
the foot plate is accurately guided in its yielding motions and effectually pre-
vented from any lateral tilting or tipping motions. The arrangement of the
spindle orifices in front and rear extensions or prolongations of the foot plate
at points in front and rear of the toe and heel of the skater's foot, permits the
spindles to project considerably above the upper surface of the footplate when
the latter yields downward, and this construction also enables me to make the
foot-plate of a comparatively thin plate of steel, or other metal, which is impos-
sible where springs are housed in the foot-plate directly under the heel and ball,
or forepart of the foot of the skater.
The various parts of the improved skate are of such construction that they may

page_text: be kept in stock, and therefore any broken or damaged portion can be conveniently
and quickly replaced by a new one when occasion demands.
The skate may be attached to the boot, or shoe, of a skater by the usual binding
straps, or it may be attached by means of the well known clamps employed on
skates; or the foot-plate can be secured to the boot, or shoe, by screws or otherwise.
The improved skate is susceptible of being placed in any position and of being
used in any manner that is possible with any known skate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The combination with the foot-plate and runner of a skate, of fore and aft
springs, and an intermediate equalizing spring, by which the yielding of the
toot plate is equalized uniformly from the front to the rear extremities thereof,
substantially as described.
.
2. The combination with the foot plate and runner of a skate, of fore and aft
springs interposed between the extremities of the foot plate and the runner, and
an intermediate equalizing spring, consisting of two flattened parts or sections
having broadened, Hat, free extremities bearing against the foot plate, and con-
tracted shanks secured to the runner, for equalizing the yielding motion of the
foot plate from front to rear thereof, substantially as described.
3. The combination with the foot-plate and runner of a skate, of independent
fore and aft springs interposed between the ends of the foot-plate and the runner,
and an intermediate equalizing spring having broadened, flat extremities bearing
against the foot-plate, and contracted shank portions rigidly secured to the runner,
for uniformly equalizing the yielding motion of the foot plate from the front
to the rear extremities thereof, substantially as described.
4. The combination with the foot plate and runner of a skate, of independent
fore and aft springs interposed between the ends of the footplate and the runner,
an intermediate equalizing spring having broadened, fiat extremities bearing
against the footplate and contracted shank portions rigidly secured to the runner,
for uniformly equalizing the yielding motion of the foot plate from the front
to the rear extremities thereof, and guide brackets secured to the under side of
the foot-plate and in which the broadened, flat extremities of the equalizing
spring are movable, substantially as described.
5. The combination, in an ice-skate, of a runner having rigidly attached spindles
at its front and rear ends, a footplate having fore and aft orifices through which
the spindles project, devices engaging the spindles above the foot-plate and
serving to retain the latter on the spindles, and springs encircling the spindles
between the runner and the foot-plate, substantially as described.
6. The combination, in an ice skate, of a runner having rigidly attached spindles
at its front and rear ends, a footplate having fore and aft orifices through which
the spindles project, devices engaging the spindles above the foot-plate and
serving to retain the latter on the spindle, springs encircling the spindles between
the runner and the foot-plate, and an equalizing spring located intermediate the
springs on the spindles attached to the runner and having free extremities
bearing against the under side of the foot-plate, substantially as described.
7. The combination, in an ice skate, of a runner having rigidly attached spindles
at its front and rear ends, a foot-plate having fore and aft orifices through which
the spindles project, devices engaging the spindles above the foot plate and serving
to retain the latter on the spindles, springs encircling the spindles between the
runner and the foot-plate, and an equalizing spring located between the springs
on the spindles and composed of two parts or sections having broadened, flat ex-
tremities bearing against the foot-plate and contracted shank portions constructed
with slotted heads secured to the runner, substantially as described.
8. The combination, in an ice skate, of a runner having fore and aft orifices,
spindles extending through the orifices and having slotted heads at their lower

page_text: ends which embrace and are rigidly attached to the skate runner, devices engaging
the spindles above the foot-plate and serving to retain the latter on the spindles,
and springs encircling the spindles between the runner and the foot-plate, sub-
stantially as described.
Dated this low day on Ap
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, & 5A, Market Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.