IMPROVEMENTS IN SKATES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Richard Kimpton, of Sumner Row, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SKATES."
A communication from abroad by James Albert Whelploy, of Greenwich,
King's County, Province of New Brunswick, in the .Dominion of Canada.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Richard Kimpton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th June 1880.
EDWARD RICHARD KIMPTON, of Summer Row, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SKATES." [A communication from abroad by
Jaines Albert Whelpley, of Greenwich, King's County, Province of New Brunswick,
in the Dominion of Canada.]
The Invention communicated to me relates to improvements in the construction
of skates.
In carrying out the Invention the runner is of the ordinary club pattern; the
sole plate is divided and pivotted between the toe cap and knee piecos; the heel
plate has ears turned up at the after end to receive the back part of the boot heel,
and has a small projection in front which is turned down and slotted to receive the
after end of a forked link. A lever is provided, formed with an eccentric ear, and
is attached to the forked link by means of a button, which button is made to slide
freely in a slot.of the forked link. A spring adjusting plate is also attached to the
link by the same button. A bridge supports the after end of the divided sole plate
and is fastened to the runner by means of knees. The forked ends of the link have
small projections on their outer edges, which, when the ends of the link are turned
down, serve to connect the divided sole plate with the bridge. At the after end of
the divided sole plate are diverging semi-circular mortices, and at the side of the
said plates are lugs. The forked link is pierced with numerous holes to recoive a
pin in the adjusting plate, and bosses prevent the divided sole plate from being
forced ahead, out of position, by the boot, when the skater bears heavily upon the
toe of the skate. The eccentric ear of the adjusting lever is formed so that the
point of greatest pressure passes a line drawn through the centre of the skate, so
that it cannot well be accidentally thrown out of position when attached to the

page_text: boot, as is the case with many of the lever-fastening skates. The long arm of the
lever also passes over the head of the pin in the adjusting plate, which helps to
hold it in position. The pressure of the boot against the car or short arm of the
adjusting lever binds the adjusting plate firmly to the forked link, thus preventing
a possibility of the pin in the said plate being thrown out of place. The whole
forms a light, neat, compact, and reliable self-fastening skate.
The operation is as follows:-
The skate is placed upon the boot with the lever thrown back towards the heel
of the skate; the small pin in the adjusting plate is then placed in the proper bole,
in order to give the lever the proper grip upon the boot heel when thrown forward.
As tho lever is drawn forward, the short arm having an eccentric action upon the.
heel of the boot forces the forked link forward, which, acting upon the divided solo
plate by means of the diverging semi-circular slots, draws the parts firmly together,
while at the same time the lever forces the boot heel back against the projections
on the back part of the heel plate, thus clamping the skate securely to the boot.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Richard Kimpton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th December 1880.
EDWARD RICHARD KIMPTON, of Summer Row, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SKATES." A communication from abroad by
James Albert Whelpley, of Greenwich, King's County, Province of New Brunswick,
in the Dominion of Canada.
The Invention communicated to me relates to improvements in the construction
of skates, the object of the improvements being to so construct the skates that they
shall possess advantages over the skate known as the "Acme" and other skates of
similar pattern. The improved skate is not liable to be rendered temporarily
useless from the failure of a spring, a screw, or a nut; it has no loose part, it being
entirely self contained, and does not require a separate key for regulating to size.
In the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is a side view and Figure 2 a plan of
the underside of the improved skate, drawn to a scale of about half full size;
Figure 3, a section on line A, B, of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the
improved skate, showing the parts in the position they occupy before being placed
on the boot, and Figure 5 a perspective view of the skate, shewing the position of
the parts when adjusted to the boot. Similar letters in all the Figures represent
similar parts.
A is the runner of the skate, such runner being of the ordinary club pattern;
B, B, represent the sole plate, which is divided, as shewn, each division being
pivoted between the toe cap C and the knees D, D; E is a heel plate, having
ears e, e, turned up at the rear end to receive the back part of the boot heel, and
having a small projection f in front, which is turned down, as clearly shewn in
Figure 1, and slotted at the sides to receive the rear end of the forked link F; G is
a lever formed with an eccentric ear a, such lover being attached to the said forked
link F by means of the button or bolt H, which button or bolt H can slide freely in
the sloty of the forked link F; I is a spring adjusting plate, which is also attached
to the link F by the hereinbefore described button or bolt H. The bridge J
supports the after or rear end of the herein-before described divided sole plate B, B,
and is fastened to the runner by means of the knees b, b. The forked ends of the
herein before described link F have small projections c, c, (shewn in Figure 3) on
their outer edges, which projections, when the ends of the link are turned down,
serve to connect the divided sole_plate B, B, with the bridge J. At the after or
rear end of each divided portion B, B, of the sole plate are diverging curved slots
or mortices j, j, and at the side of each divided portion of the said sole plate is a
lug K.
The said forked link F is pierced with a number of holes d, d, d, to receive a
pini in the adjusting plate I; the bosses e¹, e', (Figures 1, 2, and 3) on the rear
end of the sole plate B, B, prevent the same from being forced forward out of
position by the boot when the skater bears heavily upon the toe of the skate. The
herein before described ear a of the lever G is so formed that the point of greatest
pressure passes a line drawn through the centre of the skate, so that it cannot casily
be accidentally thrown out of position when attached to the boot, as is the caso
with many of the ordinary lever fastening skates; the long arm of the lever also
passes over the bead i of the pin in the adjusting plate I, which helps to hold it in '
position.
·
The pressure of the boot against the ear a or short arm of the lever G binds the
adjusting plate I firmly to the forked link F, thus preventing the risk of the pin i
in the said plate being thrown out of place.

page_text: The ear a of the lever G may, if found desirable, be formed with a knife edge k,
as shewn in Figure 6 (which is a side view of the lever G), so as to cut into the
boot heel.
By the hereinbefore described improvements I obtain a light, neat, compact, and
reliable self fastening skate.
The operation is as follows:-The skato is placed upon the boot with the lever G
drawn back towards the heel of the skate, as shown in Figure 4, and the pin i is
placed in that hole in the adjusting plate which will give the lever the proper grip
upon the boot heel when thrown or brought forward into the position shewn in
Figure 5.
.
As the lever G is drawn forward, the short arm or car a having an eccentric
action upon the heel of the boot will force the forked link F forward, and which
link, acting upon the divided sole plate B, B, by means of the diverging curved
slots j, j, will draw the parts firmly together, while at the same time the lever will
force the boot heel back against the projections or cars e, c, on the back part of the
heel plate, thus clamping the skate securely to the boot.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention communicated to me, and tho
best means with which I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I wish it
to be understood that what is claimed and intended to be protected by the herein
in part recited Letters Patent is,—
Firstly. The divided sole plate B, B, pivoted to the toe of the runner of the skate,
as hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The combination of the divided sole plate B, B, and the lugs K, K,
one of such lugs and its corresponding divided portion of the sole plate being made
of a single piece of metal, as hereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly. The forked link F in combination with the divided sole plate B, B, and
the bridge J, as herein before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawing.
Fourthly. The lever G formed with the eccentric ear a in combination with the
forked link F and the adjusting plate I, in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Fifthly. The adjusting plate I, formed in the manner and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Sixthly. The heel plate made with the projection in front, in the manner and for
the purpose hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Seventhly. The toe cap across the front of the sole plate, as hereinbefore described
and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Eighthly. The combination of the divided sole plate B, B, forked link F, bridge J,
adjusting plato I, lever G, and button H, all made and acting together as described
with a single adjustment, and so arranged as to admit of the application of the
skate to boots of different sizes without the use of screws, nuts, keys, or wrenches,
as hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Richard Kimpton, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty second day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.