IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SKATES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsinan, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SKATES." A
communication from abroad by James Leonard Plumpton, of the City of New
York, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 9th January 1866, and dated the 25th August 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th August 1865.
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF SKATES."
This Invention relates to an improvement in attaching the rollers or runners to
the stock or foot stand of the skate, whereby the rollers or runners are made to turn
or cant by the rocking of the stock or foot stand, and thus facilitate the turning of
the skate on the ice or floor, and admit of the skater performing with ease
gyrations or evolutions without taxing unduly the muscles of the foot or ankles.
On the under face of the skate stock are affixed two plates of peculiar construction,
the one at the toe and the other at the heel. These plates are similarly formed
with a socket near the stock, and they terminate in a journal which takes a down-
ward inclined direction. The socket receives the end of a longitudinal bar which is
formed at its other end into a socket to receive the journal forming the termination
of the fixed plate. This longitudinal bar is a portion of a casting, which may he
termed a hanger, it being provided with four horns for receiving the axle for a pair
of rollers, which rollers are to be roughed with emery or otherwise on their
periphery. The hanger is secured to the fixed plate by a vertical screw, which
passes through a block of india-rubber interposed between the head of the screw
and the hanger. Allowance is thus made for the oscillation of the hanger and the
wheels which it carries, and to limit this inclines are made on the fixed plates to
act as stops when the desired limit is reached. The axle of the rollers is secured in
position by a sliding key, which slides down one of the horns and passes through
one end of the axle. When runners are used in place of rollers they are held in
pairs of clamps which are secured to the axle, and collars of india-rubber are slipped
on the axle to form elastic supports to the clamps, and allow them to yield to
facilitate the performance of evolutions upon the ice. To check an undue lateral
movement of the clamps they are formed with projections which will bear against
Price 6d1

page_text: the sides of the hanger when the limit allowed is reached. The runners are made
with straight parallel angular edges and admit of being reversed in the clamps
when one edge is worn.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th February 1866.
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF SKATES." A communication from abroad.
This Invention relates to an improvement in attaching the rollers or runners to
the stock or foot stand of the skate, whereby the rollers or runners are made to
turn or cant by the rocking of the stock or foot stand, so as to assume radii of a
circle and facilitate the turning of the skate on the ice or floor, and admit of the
skater performing with ease gyrations or evolutions without taxing unduly the
muscles of the foot or ankles.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents a side view of a parlor or roller
skate applied to the foot; Fig. 2 is a bottom or under view of the same; Fig. 3 is
an under view of a plate pertaining to the same; Fig. 4, a side view of a roller
pertaining to the same with its outside bearing and catch or fastening for holding it
on its shaft; Fig. 5 is a section of Fig. 4, taken in the line x, x; Fig. 6 is a side
view of the front part of the skate with runners attached; Fig. 7 is a bottom or
under view of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a section of Fig. 7 taken in the line y,; Fig. 9 is a
detached inner side view of a plate pertaining to the runners of the skate; Fig. 10
is a transverse vertical section of Fig. 2, taken in the line z, z; Fig. 11 is a transverse
vertical section of Fig. 2, taken in the line 2, 2; and Fig. 12 is a diagram showing
the position as secured by the rollers or runners in turning a curve; Fig. 13 is a
longitudinal section taken in the line z, z, of Fig. 2. Similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts. A represents the stock or foot stand of the skate,
which may be constructed in any proper manner, and B, B, represent the metal
plates, which are firmly secured to the under side of the stock or foot stand, one
near the toe and the other at the heel of the same. These plates B, B, are of
triangular form, see Fig. 3, and may be secured to the stock or foot stand by a
screw a, one near each angle or corner. At the angular end of each plate B there
is a socket b, and from the socket of each plate there extends longitudinally and
centrally an inclined ledge b¹, the outer end of which is rounded to form a journal c,
shown clearly
in Fig. 3, and at the broad ends of the plates B, B, there are pendent
projections d, d, which are shown clearly in Figures 10 and 11.
These plates it
will be seeer by referring to Figure 1, are secured to the stock or foot stand in
opposite positions, so that the inclined ledges b, b, will extend down from the front
and rear ends of the same towards a point in a vertical line passing about through
the centre of the stock or foot stand. C, C, represent what may be termed the
hangers, the same being composed of four inclined pendent bars e, e, e', e¹, extending
down from a bar f, having a bar g crossing it at right angles. The bars y have at
one end a journal to fit into a socket of the plates B, B, and the opposite ends of
the bars g are provided with sockets to receive the journals c of said plates B.
This arrangement admits of the stock or foot stand having a lateral tilting move-
ment either to the right or left. In the lower parts of the inclined pendent bars e, e,
el, el, of each hanger c, there is inserted a shaft D, on which rollers E are placed
so as to turn loosely. This shaft has a head at one end and a sliding key F passes
through the opposite end, which key is flattened at one part sufficiently to admit of
an oblong slot (see Fig. 4) being made longitudinally through it to allow a pin k,
in one of the bars e to pass through the said pin h, serving as a guide for the key.
The key is prevented from casually drawing out from the hole in shaft D by having
a slot l, see Fig. 4, at the outer end of slot j, at right angles to it, in which slot

page_text: the pink may be fitted, and the key F is prevented from being shoved laterally
so as to prevent the pin k from casually getting out of l, by means of a button G,
which is fitted on the pin k, and has a flange in it at one end to fit over the side of
F. When the key is to be withdrawn from the hole in shaft D to admit of the
removal of the latter the button G is turned so that its flange m will be at the
outer end of the key F, and admit of the key F being shoved laterally, so that the
pin k may be adjusted in the slot j, and admit of a longitudinal movement of the
key. By this arrangement the shafts D are firmly secured in the hangers, and at
the same time may be readily removed therefrom when necessary or required. The
rollers E are placed on the shafts between the arms e, e¹, e, el, as shewn in Fig. 2,
and their peripheries are covered with emery or have a roughened surface produced
in any proper way in order to prevent them from slipping. The hangers C, C, are
secured to the plates B, B, by screws n, which pass through the centre of the bars g
of the hangers and into the inclined ledges b, b, of the plates B, said screws having a
plate o on them, between which and the bars ga spring p of india-rubber or other
suitable material is placed. These springs p keep the hangers in contact with the
plates B and prevent all unnecessary play or vibration of the same in an upward
direction, and control the turning, tilting, or canting of the stock or foot stand. In
consequence of the ledges b, b, of the plates B, B, being inclined it will be seen that
if the stock or foot stand A be tilted or inclined either to the right or left, the shaft
hangers C, C, and consequently the shafts D, will be cramped so as to form radii of
a circle, see Fig. 12, and the skate will consequently move in or describe a curve.
The skater therefore has perfect command over the skates, and is enabled to
perform curves, gyrations, and evolutions with the greatest facility.
When the Invention is to be used on ice runners are employed, constructed and
applied as follows:-Upon the shafts D there are placed loosely what may be
termed clamps H, composed of two parts g, r. The parts q may be of any orna-
mental design (that of a swan is here represented) and the other part is simply a
plate secured to q by a screw 8, the runner I being between q, r. The runners I
have smooth running surfaces with angular edges, so that they may be reversed
when the inner edges lose their angularity by wear and a fresh sharp edge obtained,
and when both edges of one surface become worn the runner may be inverted, and
two more angular or sharp edges obtained. Thus each runner has four angular
edges which may be successively used before the runner will require to be sharpened.
The clamps H are retained in proper position on the shafts D by india-rubber or
other washers J, shown clearly in Fig. 7. The stock or foot stand is prevented from
tilting beyond a proper distance in consequence of the bars f of the hangers coming
in contact with the pendent projections d, d, of the plates B, B, while the clamps H
on the shafts D have their movement thereon limited by the ends of the wings of
the swan and the tail coming in contact with the bars f.
Under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First. Applying rollers or runners to the stock or foot stand of a skate, as
described, so that the said rollers or runners may be cramped or turned so as to
cause the skate to run in a curved line either to the right or left by the turning,
canting, or tilting laterally of the stock or foot stand.
Second. The mode of securing the runners and making them reversible as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of our
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
I
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SKATES." A communication from abroad by James Leonard Plumpton,
J.
of the City of New York, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 9th January 1866, and dated the 25th August 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th August 1865.
at
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SKATES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improvement in attaching the rollers or runners
to the stock or foot stand of the skate, whereby the rollers or runners are
made to turn or cant by the rocking of the stock or foot stand, and thus
facilitate the turning of the skate on the ice or floor, and admit of the skater
performing with ease gyrations or evolutions without taxing unduly the
muscles of the foot or ankles. On the under face of the skate stock are
affixed two plates of peculiar construction, the one at the toe and the other at

page_text: the heel. These plates are similarly formed with a socket near the stock, and
they terminate in a journal which takes a downward inclined direction. The
socket receives the end of a longitudinal bar which is formed at its other end
into a socket to receive the journal forming the termination of the fixed plate.
This longitudinal bar is a portion of a casting which may be termed a hanger,
it being provided with four horns for receiving the axle for a pair of rollers,
which rollers are to be roughed with emery or otherwise on their periphery.
The hanger is secured to the fixed plate by a vertical screw, which passes
through a block of india-rubber, interposed between the head of the screw and
the hanger. Allowance is thus made for the oscillation of the hanger and the
wheels which it carries, and to limit this inclines are made on the fixed plates
to act as stops when the desired limit is reached. The axle of the rollers is
secured in position by a sliding key, which slides down one of the horns and
passes through one end of the axle. When runners are used in place of
rollers they are held in pairs of clamps which are secured to the axle, and
collars of india-rubber are slipped on the axle to form elastic supports to the
clamps, and allow them to yield to facilitate the performance of evolutions
upon the ice. To check an undue lateral movement of the clamps they are
formed with projections which will bear against the sides of the hanger when
the limit allowed is reached. The runners are made with straight, parallel
angular edges and admit of being reversed in the clamps when one edge is
worn.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th February 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Alfred
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SKATES," being a communication from
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors or administrators, 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 performed, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to an improvement in attaching the rollers or runners
to the stock or foot stand of the skate, whereby the rollers or runners are
made to turn or cant by the rocking of the stock or foot stand, so as to
assume radii of a circle and facilitate the turning of the skate on the ice or
floor, and admit of the skater performing with ease gyrations or revolutious
without taxing unduly the muscles of the foot or 'ankles.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a side view of a parlor or
roller skate applied to the foot; Fig. 2 is a bottom or under view of the same;
Fig. 3 is an under view of a plate pertaining to the same; Fig. 4, a side view
of a roller pertaining to the same with its outside bearing and catch or
fastening for holding it on its shaft; Fig. 5 is a section of Fig. 4, taken in the
line x, x; Fig. 6 is a side view of the front' part of the skate with runners
attached; Fig. 7 is a bottom or under view of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a section of
Fig. 7 taken in the line y, y; Fig. 9 is a detached inner side view of a plate
pertaining to the runners of the skate; Fig. 10 is a transverse vertical section
of Fig. 2, taken in the line z, z; Fig. 11 is a transverse vertical section of
Fig. 2, taken in the line z¹, z¹; and Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the position
as secured by the rollers or runners in turning a curve; Fig. 13 is a longitudinal
section taken in the line 2, 3, of Fig. 2. Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts. A represents the stock or foot stand of the skate which
may be constructed in any proper manner, and B, B, represent the metal

page_text: plates, which are firmly secured to the under side of the stock or foot stand; one
near the toe, and the other at the heel of the same. These plates B, B, are of
triangular form,, see Fig. 3, and may be secured to the stock or foot stand by
a screw a, one near each angle or corner. At the angular end of each plate B,
there is a socket b, and from the socket of each plate there extends longitudi-
nally and centrally an inclined ledge b¹, the outer end of which is rounded to
form a journal c, shown clearly in Fig. 3, and at the broad ends of the plates
B, B, there are pendent projections d, d, which are shown clearly in Figures 10
and 11. These plates it will be seen by referring to Figure 1, are secured to the
stock or foot stand in opposite positions, so that the inclined ledges b,.b, will
extend down from the front and rear ends of the same towards a point in' a
vertical line passing about through the centre of the stock, or foot stand.
C, C, represent what may be termed the hangers, the same being composed
of four inclined pendent bars e, e, e¹, e, extending down from a bar f,
having a bar g crossing it at right angles. The bars 9 have at one end a
journal to fit into a socket of the plates B, B, and the opposite ends of the
bars 9 are provided with sockets i, to, receive the journals c of said plates B.
This arrangement admits of the stock or foot stand having a lateral tilting
movement either to the right or left. In the lower parts of the, inclined
pendent bars e, e, e¹, e¹, of each hanger c, there is, inserted a shaft D, on which
rollers E are placed so as to turn loosely. This shaft has a head at one end
and a sliding key F passes through the opposite end, which key is flattened at
one part sufficiently to admit of an oblong slot j (see Fig. 4) being made
longitudinally through it to allow a pin k, in one of the bars e to pass through
the said pink, serving as a guide for the key. The key is prevented. from
casually drawing out from the hole in shaft D by having a slot l, see Fig. 4,
at the outer end of slot j, at right angles to it, in which slot 7 the pink may
be fitted, and the key F is prevented from being shoved laterally so as to
prevent the pin k from casually getting out of 7, by means of a button G, which
is fitted on the pin k, and has a flange in it at one end to fit over the side of
When the key is to be withdrawn from the hole in shaft D to admit of
the removal of the latter, the button G is turned so that its flange m will be
at the outer end of the key F, and admit of the key F being shoved laterally,
so that the pink may be adjusted in the slot j, and admit of a longitudinal
movement of the key. By this arrangement the shafts D are firmly secured
in the hangers, and at the same time may be readily removed therefrom when
necessary or required. The rollers E are placed on the shafts between the
arms e, e¹, e, e¹, as shewn in Fig. 2, and their peripheries are covered with
F.

page_text: emery-or-have a roughened surface produced in any proper way in order to
prevent them from slipping. The hangers C, C, are secured to the plates
B, B, by screws n, which pass through the centre of the bars 9 of the hangers
and into the inclined ledges b, b, of the plates B, said screws having a plate o
on them, between which and the bars 9 a spring p of india-rubber or other
suitable material is placed. These springs p keep the hangers in contact
with the plates B and prevent all unnecessary play or vibration of the same in
an upward direction, and control the turning, tilting, or canting of the stock
or foot stand. In consequence of the ledges b, b, of the plates B, B, being
inclined, it will be seen that if the stock or foot stand A be tilted or inclined
either to the right or left, the shaft hangers C, C, and consequently the shafts
D, will be cramped so as to form radii of a circle, see Fig. 12, and the skate
will consequently move in or describe a curve. The skater, therefore bas
perfect command over the skates, and is enabled to perform curves, gyrations,
and evolutions with the greatest facility.
When the Invention is to be used on ice, runners are employed, constructed
and applied as follows:-Upon the shafts D there are placed loosely what
may be termed clamps H, composed of two parts q, r. The parts q may be of
any ornamental design (that of a swan is here represented) and the other
part r is simply a plate secured to q by a screws, the runner I being between
q, r. The runners I, have smooth running surfaces with angular edges, so
that they may be reversed when the inner edges lose their angularity by wear
and a fresh sharp edge obtained, and when both edges of one surface become
worn the runner may be inverted, and two more angular or sharp edges
obtained. Thus each runner has four angular edges which may be successively
used before the runner will require to be sharpened. The clamps H are
retained in proper position on the shafts D by india-rubber or other washers
J, shown clearly in Fig. 7. The stock or foot stand is prevented from tilting
beyond a proper distance in consequence of the bars f of the hangers coming
in contact with the pendent projections d, d, of the plates B, B, while the
clamps H on the shafts D have their movement thereon limited by the
ends of the wings of the swan and the tail coming in contact with the
bars f.
Under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First, applying rollers or runners to the stock or foot stand of a skate,
as described, so that the said rollers or runners may be cramped or turned
so as to cause the skate to run in a curved line either to the right or left by
the turning, canting, or tilting laterally of the stock or foot stand.

page_text: Second,, the mode of securing the runners and making them reversible as
above-described.
In witness, whereof I; the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
-66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)