IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEEL OR ROLLER SKATES
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Cominissioners of Patents on the 26th March 1877. A communication
from abroad by Cyrus W. Saladee, of Walcottville, Connecticut, United States
of America.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, Loudon. "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEEL OR ROLLER SKATES."
A communication from abroad by Cyrus W. Saladeo, of Walcottville, Connecticut,
United States of America.
This Invention relates to a roller skate in which the stock is supported at the
front and rear by rollers so hinged to the stock that they will follow the move-
ments of the latter, accommodate themselves to the course it may take, supporting
it in any position, but without interfering with or in any manner controlling or
affecting its movements.
The said Invention relates further to connecting the roller frames so that the
lateral and vertical pressure upon each shall be counterbalanced and neutralized by
a like pressure on the other; also to applying a spring to prevent the too free or
extended movement of either roller frame, and in constructing the latter so that a
roller or rollers may be used in each frame.
The roller frames are arranged below a stock and are provided with fastenings
formed with bearings for the roller axles, which bearings are constructed to admit
rollers. The single roller axles are made removable, and in lieu of them longer
axles for double rollers may be inserted in the bearings, to which they are secured
by set screws, or by other equivalent means. By this arrangement the skate.may
be used with one, two, or three rollers at each end. Each roller frame is pivoted in
front of the axle and on a line with or but slightly above the axle bearings to a
stud, each stud having a socket for a pin or pivot, which is connected to the roller
frame, a screw extending into an annular groove in the pin which can thus turn
but cannot be withdrawn.
I combine with the roller frames a spring arranged to permit a limited oscillating
movement of the frames to either side, and to tend to restore each to a position in
a line with the other when the skate is moved in a right line or raised from
the floor

page_text: The said spring secured at one end to a stud carries at the other end an arm
forked to receive an arm extending from one roller frame and jointed to a similar
arm extending from the other frame. Other means of arranging the spring to
produce the same effect may be adopted. One of the said arms is provided
with a pin extending through a slot in the other arm and carrying a nut.
In a inodification of the said Invention the foot rest or plate is supported by two
sets of rollers, each turning on the axle of a frame or roller carrier, which vibrates
on the vertical stud of the roller-bearing, plate, or block. Each frame is provided
with a series of arms with intervening spaces for the reception of one, two, or more
rollers, which may be withdrawn and replaced to give any desired bearing. The
said arms support the axle on both sides of each roller, thus preventing the bending
or breaking of tho axle, and avoiding the use of the axles of different length.
An arm of the forward frame is loosely connected by a pin to an arin of the
rear frame, and a spring bar extends through the rear stud through a pin and
through lugs on the said arm.
The lateral pointing movement of the foot plate causes the frames and rollers to
accommodate themselves to the position assumed by the said plate, so that whatever
inay be the direction to which the wearer points his foot the rollers will always
inove in the same line and afford a sure support.
While the skate is thus guided by the natural lateral movement of the foot on a
horizontal plane, it is desirable to permit the foot piece to be tilted sidewise, as
many skaters prefer to maintain the sole of the foot at nearly a right angle to the
lower portion of the leg; therefore, instead of connecting the foot directly and
immovably to the roller bearings as heretofore, I so connect the foot piece that it
may have a limited tilting motion. One mode of making this connection is to
provide a foot piece at the under side, with lugs arranged in pairs to receive between
them the roller-bearing screw pins passing from front to rear through the lugs and
through the bearings, and connecting the foot piece to the latter without interfering
with its tilting movement to either side.
The foot piece may be inclined to any required angle without interfering with the
horizontal position of the frames or roller bearings, so that the rollers may assume
angles caused by changes in the direction of the skate without. being affected by
the inclined position of the foot piece.
In order to prevent a too extended and too free tilting movement of the foot
piece, I introduce between the bearing plates and the foot piece, springs, or elastic,
or compressible blocks, and to regulate the tension of this clastic medium, and cou-
sequently the play of the foot plate, I employ set screws by which the same may be
compressed. -
The adjustable foot plate may be connected to the frames of skates having
wheels capable of a rotary motion only, an clastic medium being introduced to act
as described.
Although I have described the aforesaid frames as vibrating on the studs of
immovable plates or blocks it will be apparent that where a ball-and-socket or
other suitable joint is used, each plate may form part of the frame which has solely
a vibrating motion independent of the tilting movement of the foot plate.
And although the ordinary rollers may be employed, I prefer rollers in which a
circular block of rubber, paper, felt, wood, or other suitable material is used, the
same having a central hole for the reception of a netal sleeve or bushing, and
provided at the sides with annular plates clasping the block bearing against
shoulders of the bushing and confined thereto by rivets, thus strengthening the
block and facilitating the repair of the bearing.
According to a further modification of this Invention the foot piece is pivoted to
blocks provided with studs or pivots on which vibrate frames carrying the rollers.
Blocks of elastic material between the foot piece and the blocks limit the rocking
movement of the foot piece and tend to maintain it in a horizontal position; the
foot piece may be pivoted directly to the roller frames, or the pivot blocks may be

page_text: parts of a continuous frame parallel with the foot piece. Inwardly projecting arms
of the frame are connected by a pin and spring.
I construct each frame supporting the bearings of a single roller of such a width,
approximating its diameter, that either roller will of itself support the skate in an
upright position, and will maintain the frames horizontal whatever may be the
inclination to which the foot piece is tilted. The face of the roller, instead of being
round, is made flat, transversely affording a firm bearing the entire width of the
roller. I substitute glass or vitreous material for the materials heretofore employed,
and avoid the use of the bushing employed in ordinary rollers. Owing to the
nature of the vitreous material a skate provided with glass or vitreous rollers
possesses an important advantage over one having rollers of wood or hard rubber.
A roller of vitreous material, even if applied to the skato with a glazed edge, will
in a little time become scratched and broken until the edge is in the condition it is
left after grinding, and is kept in this condition by use, and will take a firm hold
upon the supporting surface, and effectually prevent lateral slipping. When a glass
roller is employed it is preferable to grind the face to give it a better hold on the
supporting surface. Where glass rollers are not employed a frictionless bearing
may be obtained by inserting a glass or vitreous sleeve or bushing in an ordinary
roller. One wide and one narrow roller may be used.
The aforesaid spring or spring bar which limits the oscillating movement of the
frames has its end so bent upward and fitted to a socket in an axial direction in the
stud that the strength of the stud is not materially impaired, while the spring will
turn in the socket, thus avoiding an abrupt bend and danger of breaking.