IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Edwards, of Holborn, in the County of Middle-
sex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Edwards at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th March 1876.
EDMUND EDWARDS, of Holborn, in the County of Middlesex.
IN ROLLER SKATES."
"IMPROVEMENTS
This Invention relates to skates having wheels or rollers used for skating on level
floors, and has for its objects improved methods of constructing such skates, by
which they are simpler, cheaper, and more effective and convenient in use than
roller skates as heretofore constructed and used.
I take a sole plate of wood, metal, or other suitable material, which is attached
to the foot of the skater by straps or in other convenient way, and underneath
this sole plate I arrange three rollers or wheels of wood or other suitable material
in a line with one another, one being near the toe of the skate, one near its
heel, and the third at a suitable point between the other two. The wheel or
roller at the toe of the skate runs loose upon a transverse axis each end of which
has an eye or guide formed upon it which works upon or in a guide bar the upper
end of which is fixed to the bottom of the sole. The lower ends of the two guide
bars project further forward (towards the toe) than their upper ends. Upon each
of these guide bars is fitted a spring, preferably a cylinder or block of india-rubber
or other elastic material, which is compressed between the eye upon the transverse
axis (with the intervention of a suitable washer if required) and a corresponding
washer or abutment at the upper end of the bar.
The wheel or roller at the heel end of the skate is fitted upon a transverso axis
working upon guide bars against elastic blocks in the same way, but the lower ends
of the guide bars are inclined backward instead of forward. The centre wheel
(which in some cases may be omitted altogether) is similarly supported upon &
transverse axis working upon guide bars against elastic blocks, but the guide bars in
this case are made vertical.
If
When the weight of the skater comes vertically upon the sole plate, the latter
compresses the elastic blocks without affecting the parallelism of the wheel axes.
the skater then leans over, the elastic blocks upon the side to which he leans are
[Pric6d1

page_text: further compressed, and the ends of the axes upon that side slide up their guide
bars, thus bringing those at the toe and heel nearer together, whilst the elastic
blocks at the opposite side are somewhat released from compression, and the ends of
the axes upon such opposite side slide down their guide bars, those at the toe and
heel being removed further apart, and the skater thus describes a curve of a radius
proportioned to the pressure upon the side to which he inclines.
The lower ends of the guide bars may be provided with cross pins or nuts, or
they may be bent forward and up at the toc (or backward and up at the heel), and
then attached to the sole plate so as themselves to form stays to the guide bars. Or
separate stays may be fixed to the guide bars; or these stays may be elastic, their
upper ends being fixed to the sole plate and their lower ends to the ends of the
axes. I prefer to make holes or recesses in the sole plate above the wheels, into
which the latter enter when the sole is pressed down so as to reduce the height of
the skate from the ground. And I prefer to make each transverse axis of a
cylindrical bar having an eye at one end only, the other eye being separate and
screwed on after the wheel is in its place.
In a modified form of skate I use three wheels or rollers arranged in the same
position as already described, but without guide bars of any kind, the ends of the
axes being fixed to or working in brackets fixed to the sole plate. I make the
.centre wheel of much greater width (and preferably of greater diameter) than those
at the toe and heel, and I make its periphery, in end view, curved slightly convex
or coned towards each side, and I make the wheels at the toe and heel of much
greater convexity in end view.
When the skater is moving in a straight line the three wheels touch the ground
at the centre of their breadth, but when the foot is inclined over, the centre wheel
only touches the ground, and the skater describes a segment of a circle upon its
coned or convex side, one or other of the other wheels being occasionally made to
touch the ground if required to ensure steadiness.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edmund Edwards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
September 1876.
EDMUND EDWARDS, of Holborn, in the County of Middlesex.
ROLLER SKATES."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
This Invention relates to skates provided with wheels or rollers, and used for the
purpose of skating upon smooth and level floors or other suitable surfaces, and it
has for its objects improved methods of constructing such skates so that they are
simpler, cheaper, and more effective and convenient in use than wheel or roller skatos
as heretofore constructed and used.
In order to put my Invention in operation I take a sole plate of wood, metal, or
other suitable material, which is attached to the foot of the skater by straps and
buckles or in any other convenient way, and underneath this sole plate I arrange
three rollers or wheels of hard wood or other suitable material in a line with each
other, one being near the toc of the skate, and one near its heel, whilst the third is
arranged at a suitable point central or nearly so between the other two. This
central wheel may be omitted altogether, and the skate is then a two-wheeled skate,
as which I have described it in the following Specification.
The wheel or roller at the toe of the skate revolves freely upon a transverse axis,
each end of which has an eye or guide formed upon it, which fits freely and slides
upon or in a guide bar the upper end of which is firmly fixed to the bottom of the
sole plate of the skate. The lower ends of the two guide bars upon which the axis
of the wheel thus fits project further forward (toward the toe) than their upper
ends, so that in side view they are in a diagonal position the angle of which may be
varied to suit varying circumstances if desired. Upon each of the guide bars is

page_text: fitted a spring of metal or other elastic material, but preferably consisting of one or
'more tubular cylinders or blocks of india-rubber which are compressed between the
upper side of the eye upon the end of the transverse axis (with the intervention of
a suitable washer if required) and a corresponding abutment or washer at the upper
end of the bar.
The wheel or roller at the heel end of the skate is fitted and revolves freely upon
a transverse axis working upon or in diagonal guide bars against elastic blocks or
springs in the same way, but the lower ends of the guide bars are inclined backward
instead of forward. If a centre wheel (between the other two) is used, I fit it upon
a transverse axis similar to those already described, and working against clastic
blocks or springs upon or in guide bars, which in this case are arranged vertically
instead of diagonally.
The action of the skate is as follows:-When the weight of the skater presses
vertically upon the sole plate of the skate, the latter compresses the springs without
affecting the parallelism of the wheel axles. If the skater leans over, the springs
upon the side to which he leans become further compressed, and the diagonal bars
upon that side of the skate pass further down through the ends of the axle, thus
bringing these ends nearer together to an extent proportioned to the pressure, whilst
the springs upon the opposite side of the skate are somewhat released from
compression and the diagonal bars upon that side rise up through the corresponding
ends of the axle, which are thus removed further apart, and the skater accordingly
describes a curve of a radius proportioned to the pressure upon the side which
he inclines. The lower ends of the guide bars may be provided with cross pins or
nuts, or they may be bent forward and up at the toe (and backward and up at the.
heel) and then attached to the sole plate, so as themselves to form stays to the guide
bars, or separate stays may be fixed to the guide bars, and these stays may be made
clastic, their upper ends being fixed to the sole plate and their lower ends to the
ends of the axle, and if of sufficient strength the springs upon the guide bars (and
even the guide bars themselves) may then be omitted. Recesses or holes may be
made in the sole plate above the wheels, into which the upper edges of the latter
enter when the sole plate is pressed down so as to reduce the height of the skate
from the floor. The transverse axles may each be made of a cylindrical bar having
an eye or guide at one end, a similar one being screwed or fixed upon the other end,
or a separate eye or guide may be screwed or fixed to each end.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is a side view; Figure 2 a plan from
below of a skate, and Figure 3 a transverse section of a wheel and axle constructed
according to my Invention.
a is the sole plate; b, 61, the wheels revolving upon the axles c, c¹, the ends of
which are guided by the bars d, d, d², d³, upon which are fitted the springs e, e, e,
e, e, &c. (shewn of india-rubber). A third wheel is shewn at din dotted lines in
Figure 1. I claim the construction of two-wheeled roller skates, substantially as
described and shewn in the Drawing.
Another part of my Invention consists in arranging three wheels or rollers under
the sole plate of the skate in the same position as has been already described, but
without guide bars of any kind, the ends of the axles being fixed to or working in
brackets or bearings fixed to the lower side of the sole plate. I make the centre
wheel of much greater width (and preferably of greater diameter) than those at
the toe and heel respectively, and I make its periphery, in end view, curved slightly
convex or conical towards each side, and I make the narrower wheels at the toe and
heel of much greater convexity in end view. By this method of construction
when the skater is moving in a straight line backward or forward the three
wheels all touch the ground at the centre of their breadth, but when the foot is
inclined over to the right or left only the centre wheel touches the ground, and the
skater describes a segment of a circle upon its coned or convex side, one or other
of the other wheels being occasionally made to touch the floor if required, the
bearings which carry their axles being sometimes mado to revolve freely upon
vertical pivots.

page_text: Figure 4 is a sido view; Figure 5 a plan from below; and Figure 6 an end view
of a skate constructed as described. a is the sole plate; b is the centre wheel;
and c, c, the front and back wheels.
Sometimes I add a series of guiding wheels upon each side of the skate between
the centre wheel and the front and back wheel respectively. I make these wheels
as narrow as possible, and I fix the axles upon which they revolve at different angles
as follows: I make an axle immediately behind the wheel at the toe of the skate,
and I bend each outer end of this axle horizontally towards the centre wheel at
such an angle that a narrow wheel which revolves upon each end of it describes
together with the centre wheel a circle of large radius, either to the right or left
respectively. I make these narrow wheels of such diameter and with such a
distance between them that neither touches the floor until the skate has been
inclined over laterally sufficiently for the wheel at the toe to be removed from the
floor as just described. Between these two narrow wheels and the centre wheel I
arrange another axis having its ends bent in the same direction, but at a more acute
angle, and fitted with another pair of narrow wheels which describe a circle of
smaller radius and are of such diameter and at such distance apart that they do not
touch the floor until those first described have been raised from the floor by the
further inclination of the skate.
As many additional sets of narrow wheels as may be found convenient may be
arranged between those last described, and the centre wheel, and sets of wheels
similarly arranged but at angles in the opposite direction are fixed between the
centre wheel and the wheel at the heel of the skate.
I claim the method of construction of three-wheeled roller skates having rollers
or wheels of different width and convexity, substantially as and for the purpose
described and shewn in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Edwards, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
EDMUND EDWARDS. (L.S.)