IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Lowry at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 19th October 1876.
GEORGE LOWRY, of Cross Street Iron Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES."
"
Firstly. My Invention relates to roller skates and to an improvement in those for
which Letters Patent were granted to me, No. 969, dated the 6th day of March,
1876, and it consists in the arrangement of an india-rubber washer upon the pivots
upon which the wheels swivel, which pivots pass through the sole of the skate, the
india-rubber washer being placed in a recess in the sole and secured by a screw nut,
by which the tension of the spring acting by torsion can be regulated to bring back
each pivot to its normal position when the foot of the skater is upright.
Secondly. My Invention consists in an arrangement and combination of roller or
wheel skates, the wheels having their axes fixed at a constant angle, that is, there is
one roller or wheel at the toe and another at the heel of the sole of the skate, and
the axes of these wheels or rollers is at a right angle to the lengthway of the skate.
There are two other wheels at the toe and heel just within the first-named wheels,
and these latter wheels are placed on axes which are inclined to a line drawn in the
lengthway of the sole, the wheels on one side being set at a reverse angle to those
on the other side of the sole. The first-named wheels at the toe and heel of the
sole are set to project a little lower than the other wheels, so that the latter will
not touch the surface when the sole is vertical, in which position the skater will go
straight forward on the front and hind wheels, but when the skater turns the sole
to one side he will come upon two of the wheels with their axes set at an angle on
that side and will thus make a curve, the front and hind wheels being clear of the
surface, and this curve will be reversed and will be perforined on the corresponding
wheels on the other side of the sole when the foot of the skater is canted the other
way. The two wheels placed at an angle at the toe are mounted on a slide which
moves in the lengthway of the sole, a spring being employed to bring this slide
forward when the sole is vertical, but when the skater presses more upon the toe
these wheels will slide backward, when curves of a smaller radius may be made.
The front and hind wheels in some cases have also their pivots placed in inclined
slots so that they will not retard the action of the wheels for the curves, as the
weight of the skater will not be supported by them when the sole is canted to one
side.

page_text: In some cases the wheels for the curves both at the toe and heel are each mounted
on slides, as above explained, and these slides are connected with an arm from a
shaft in bearings across the sole, which shaft has one arm coming on each side of the
sole to come under the foot of the skater, so that by canting the foot more or less
the two slides carrying the wheels for the curves will be brought nearer to or
further from each other (the angles of their axes being undisturbed), so that larger
or smaller curves may be made either to the right or left as desired.
My Invention also consists in forming the wheels used in the above described
improved combinations of skates with tires formed of india-rubber, either placed
upon a groove in the edge of each wheel or secured by being vulcanized thereon.