IMPROVE- MENTS IN ROLLER SKATES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adolphus Frederick Spiller, of Surry Street,
Strand, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ROLLER SKATES."
Sealed the 4th May 1875, and dated the 15th March 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adolphus Frederick
Spiller at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 15th March 1875.
I, ADOLPHUS FREDERICK SPILLER, of Surry Street, Strand, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES," to be as follows :-
This Invention consists in certain arrangements of mechanism forming
the under parts of roller skates, and also in the attaching or applying
of springs of steel or other suitable material to the said parts, the above
mentioned springs being for the purpose of controlling the tilting of the
footstand of a skate in such a manner that the footstand will be returned
to its upright or horizontal position after it has been tilted by the skater
to the right or left when performing curves or other evolutions.

page_text: The metal plates affixed to the footstand are so constructed at each
end as to form bearings for a centre axle or screw.
The latter passes
through a metal plate or carriage frame having two side stops which
serve to limit the tilting motion of the footstand. To the said metal
plates are attached by means of screws or otherwise two or more steel
springs arranged in various positions. The clasticity of these springs
enable the performer to obtain an easy rocking motion without fatiguing
the muscles of the feet.
filed by the said Adolphus Frederick Spiller in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 15th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ADOLPHUS
FREDERICK SPILLER, of Surry Street, Strand, in the County of Middle-
sex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of
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 Adolphus Frederick Spiller, Her special
licence that I, the said Adolphus Frederick Spiller, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Adolphus Frederick
Spiller, 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 Adolphus Frederick Spiller, my exccutors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Adolphus Frederick Spiller, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to certain arrangements of mechanism forming
the under parts of roller skates, and also in attaching or applying
springs of steel or other suitable material to the said parts, the above
mentioned springs being for the purpose of controlling the tilting of the
footstand of a skate in such a manner that the footstand will bo
returned to its upright or horizontal position after it has been tilted by
the skater to the right or left when performing curves or other evolu-
tions. The elasticity of these springs enables the performer to obtain
an easy rocking motion without fatiguing the muscles of the feet.
My improvements are clearly represented in the accompanying
Drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a sido view of a roller skate with a
wheel or roller removed at the toc end to illustrate the carriage. a is
the foot board; b is the instep straps; and c, the heel strap and pocket;
d is a bracket secured to the under side of the footboard with two arms
e, f, of different lengths to set the axle g of the carriage h at an angle
with the axial line of the footboard a. The carriage / is pocketed
between the two arms e, f, and is free to oscillate therein; each side of
the carriage has an axle pin i, i, projecting, on which the rollers or
wheels j,j, are mounted as in the end view, Figure 2, so that they may
run upon a floor or other surface.
Upon the top portion of the two side faces of the carriage is fitted a
spring plate k, k, by screws, and their free ends 1, 2, abut or press upon
or against projections or lugs m, m, shown more particularly in the
detached view of the carriage, Figure 3, to return the footboard to a
perfectly horizontal position after a tilting or canting motion has been
given to it, as in the view, Figure 4, by a skater when he has made a
curvilinear movement or evolution. Two or a pair of brackets, and
carriages, and rollers are fitted to the footboard, as in Figure 1, with the
longest arms of the brackets towards the centre to "sett" the angles
of the carriage axle pins in opposite directions, the canting of the foot-
3 board then causing the rollers on that side of the footboard, which is at
the lower level, to approach each other, and the two rollers on the other
side of the footboard and at a higher level to go farther apart, as

page_text: indicated by the dotted lines 12, n, in the plan view, Figure 5, the dotted
lines p, p, being the parallel axial lines of the two axles i, i, when the
footboard is horizontal and the rollers in position for straight skating;
q, q, are stop lugs on the carriage h, one on each side, to come into
contact with the bracket to prevent the angle of cant going so far that
the footboard could bear upon the rollers and thereby check the progress
of the skater. The stop lugs may however be formed by an extension
of the projections m, m, whose upper ends could then be made to come
into contact with the bracket for the same purpose, the middle bar " of
the bracket being shaped (as in detached perspective view, Figure 6),
close down but not to touch the carriage.
The springs I prefer to use are those of flat tapered form, as shown
separately in Figure 7, and with the thickest ends screwed to the sides
of the brackets, but they may be screwed to lugs m, m, as in Figure 8,
for their free ends to press upon the sides of the brackets d, d, coiled
springs can be fitted in a kind of box s, as in Figure 9, to bear against
the end on each side of a lever or bar t. A tilt or cant of the footboard
from either side will compress one of the springs within the box, and
when the pressure which caused the cant has been removed the com-
pressed spring would rebound and bring the footboard into a horizontal
position again, an effect identical with that of the flat plate springs.
Figuro 10 represents a bracket in part section in which I fit a picce
of cured rubber y¹; on one side I place a plate v (springy or not) with a
tail to press upon or against one of the lugs m. I attach this plate to a
smaller one w on the other side of the rubber by a screw x.
The upper
end of this plate v bears against a solid portion of the bracket, and when
its free end is pushed outwards by the top or the bottom end of the
lug m by a cant of the footboard the pressure is taken up by the rubber
in a similar manner to the plate spring first mentioned, the rubber being
retained in the bracket by the smaller plate w. Two plates may be a
used with a rubber cushion between, as in Figure 11, to give greater
rigidity if desired, both lugs m, m, being then caused to act upon the
rubber through the plates. Steel, flat, or bowed springs may be used in
place of the rubber in this arrangement if desired, or the rubber may be
placed between the carriage h and the bracket and used in combination
with the flat or tapered plate springs as in Figures 12 and 13.
Figures 14 and 15 show a bowed or a looped spring fastened to the
carriage and with its free ends bearing against the bracket d

page_text: Figure 16 represents a bracket & with several plate springs fastened
so that the free ends rest upon saddle pieces y of the carriage which
embrace the upper part of the rollers, the axle pin in this case being
pushed through the rollers and carriage and retained by transverse keys
or linch pins z, 2.
The plate springs first referred to may have rubber or other yielding
rings ¹, ¹, under that portion where the screw pins are passed into the
brackets or under the screw heads, as in Figure 17, to serve as washers
between the two surfaces of metal and to prevent the screw pins working
loose from the violent concussions the skates are subjected to while
in use.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not claim
broadly the use of springs for roller skates to return the footboards to
the horizontal position after being canted or thrown to one side by the
skater when effecting a curvilinear movement or evolution; but what I
do claim as new, and useful, and as my Invention is,―
The fitting of flat or tapered plate steel springs on the sides of brackets
fastened on the under sides of footboards of roller skates, such springs
having their free ends abutting against projections on the carriages for
the purpose set forth, and as shown at Figures 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, and 17
of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. I claim the employment of steel, flat, or tapered plate
springs fastened on the projections of the carriages of roller skates with
their free ends to abut against the brackets, as set forth and as shown at
Figures 8 and 15 of the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. I claim the construction of carriages for roller skates, with
projections on the barrel portion or body, as shown at m, m, Figure 3, of
the accompanying Drawings, for the purposes described.
Fourthly. I claim the employment of steel coiled springs in a box
set transversely to the footboard of a roller skate, as and for the purposes
described with reference to Figures 9 and 9ª of the accompanying
Drawings.
Fifthly. I claim the employment of bow plate springs fastened to a
bracket of a roller skate, as described with reference to Figure 16 of the
accompanying Drawings for the purposes set forth.

page_text: Sixthly. I claim the employment of block or strip rubber in combina-
tion with flat metal plates on, in, or to the brackets of roller skates, as
described with reference to Figures 10 and 11 of the accompanying
Drawings for the purposes set forth.
Seventhly. I claim the employment of rubber arranged horizontally,
as described and shown in combination with outside spring, steel, flat, or
tapered plates, as and for the purposes described with reference to
Figures 12 and 13 of the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adolphus Frederick Spiller, havo
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of September, 1
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-fivo.
Witness,
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street,
London.
A. F. SPILLEK. (L.S.)