mping mechanism there
Year: 1897

page_text: 1, HERMANN HEINZE, of 1729 Wrightwood Avenue, Chicago, County of Cook,
State of Illinois, United States of America, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
My invention relates to skates, and particularly to clamping mechanism there-
fore.
Its objects are:
First, to provide a clamping mechanism for a skate, in which the clamp-support
or clamp-seat is vertically movable and by a change in its vertical position operates
the clamps so as to engage or release the sole of a shoe placed between same,
and second to provide improved means for adjusting the skate to different sizes.
Third, to provide the mechanism with means to automatically fasten a skate upon
the foot of the skater; to permit the skate to be readily put on and removed by a
person upon the ice without using the hands.
Fourth, to provide the skate with certain novel means for supporting the skatė
in an upright position, and withdrawing said support when the skate is secured
to the foot.
Fifth, to provide the mechanism with safety means to insure the secure reten-
tion of the skate upon the foot so long as may be desired or so long as said safety
means are used.
The accompanying drawings illustrate an ice skate constructed according to
my invention, in which the rear clamp-seat or heel-support of the skate is verti-
cally movable and operates to spread the clamps apart when in a raised position,
and to lock same for engaging a shoe sole when in a lower or depressed position.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation with the movable clamp-seat raised to its normal
position, with the clamps spread apart for receiving the shoe.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same with the movable clamp-seat depressed and
the parts in their proper position when engaging a shoe.
Fig. 3 is a top plan of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a section on the line of Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the heel-leather with strap and the fastening of
same.
Fig. 6, is the front view of a strap for fastening the shoe at the sole part.
For convenience in description, I will refer to the position of the parts as shown
in Fig. 1, 3 and 4, as the open position and that shown in Fig. 2, as the closed
position.
1, is the moveable clamp-seat; 2, a pair of clamp jaws, rigidly secured to same;
3, a movable clamp-jaw slidingly attached to the seat 1; 4, a pair of supporting
arms, extending down on either side of the clamp 3, rigidly secured to same and
having pivoted therein by 6, the roller 5.
!
The roller 5 runs in the curved way 7, which is formed in the lower portion of
the skate frame, the parts forming same being integral with the skate runner,
in the construction shown.

page_text: A dog or cam-lever 8, 9, 10, rests normally upon the fulcrum 11, when the
clamping mechanism is in the open position, forming a gravity latch, and rests
between the roller 5 and the shoulder 12 when the clamping mechanism is in the
closed position.
13 is a spring secured at 14 and operated by the hanger 15, at 17
upon the fork 16, which at its upper end 18 has the tooth 19 engaging one of
the perforations 20. The fork 16 with its upper end 18 has a pivoted bearing 21
in the skate frame at 22.
The front clamps 29 are pivotally attached to the nut 23, seated on the threaded
extension 24, of the rear clamp-seat 1. The pin 25 has a loop or collar at its lower
end which encircles a reduced portion of the nut 23 and is held upon the nut by
the collar 27.
By means of the nut 23, the distance between the forward clamp-jaws 29, may
be adjusted.
The clamps are guided by the pins 32 in the slots 30, sliding in said slots and
operating to draw the jaws toward each other or spread same apart, as shown.
The tooth 19 may be changed to different perforations 20, for regulating the
distance between the rear clamp-jaws, 2 and 3.
The forward clamp seat 31 is secured to the support 33. The bolt 34 is formed
with ridges or teeth along its sides for engaging the toothed or corrugated portion
of the slot 35. The bolt is secured by a nut 36 as shown in Fig. 3.
By means of this device the clamping portion of the skate and the clamp-seats
may be adjusted for shoes at different lengths.
The operation of the device is as follows:-
The clamping mechanism is first regulated as before indicated.
To secure the skate upon the shoe, the skate is placed upon the floor or ice,
being supported in an upright position by the fork 16 which is rigidly secured to
the arm 18. The heel of the shoe is then placed between the rear clamps, 2 and 3,
the bottom slightly touching 'the clamp-seat 1, and the forward part of the sole
resting upon the forward clamps and clamp-seat between the clamp-jaws 29. The
foot is then pressed firmly down upon the skate. When the clamp seat 1, moves
downwardly, the roller 5 runs back and down along the way 7, strikes against the
inner arm of the gravity-latch 8, thus forcing same into the recess 8' and per-
mitting the roller to pass into the lower portion of the way. The weight of the
outer arm of the gravity-latch then forces same into the position shown in Fig. 2,
the inner arm resting with its upper end against the shoulder 12 and its lower end
upon the roller 5, thus locking the mechanism as shown in Fig. 2. The roller in
passing along the way 7, draws the clamp-jaw 3 along the clamp-seat 1
It will be seen that when the clamp-seat 1, is pressed downwardly it draws upon
the forward clamp thus urging same together. These should be adjusted by means
of the nut 23, so as to firmly engage the forward sole of the shoe before the roller 5
reaches the lower end of the way.
The jaw 3 moves back with the seat 1, not sliding on same, and thus not
clamping the heel during the first part of the downward pressure.
As the downward pressure of the clamp-seat 1 is continued, the clamp-jaw 3
slides back upon its seat so that the clamp-jaws, 2 and 3, engage the heel of the
shoe.
It will be seen that the clamp-jaw 3 moves back to the same position relative
to the way 7, regardless of the perforation in which the tooth 19 is inserted, so
that when this is in a perforation near the clamp-jaws 2, the adjustment will be for
a small heel.
To remove the skate, the outer arm of the gravity-latch is lifted by means of
the knob 10, on same, the inner arm being thus turned into the recess 8¹ and
releasing the roller 5.
The arm 18 being acted upon by the spring 13, at once raises the clamp-seat 1,
when the roller is released by the gravity-latch, and the clamp-jaws are thereby
again caused to spread to their open position, as shown in Figs. 1, and 3. When
the skate is fastened upon the shoe, the safety screw 37, on one of the arms 4 may

page_text: be turned into the recess 8¹ thus preventing an accidental lift of the gravity-latch
and the withdrawing of its armı 8 from the way 7.
Fig. 5 shows the fastening of the skate by means of a heel leather 38 with
straps 41 and buckle 42. Said heel-leather to be hooked on the clamp-seat 1 in
the first perforation by means of the screw 39, and same attached to a plate 40,
which is riveted at the bottom of the heel-leather.
Fig. 6 shows the front strap, to be hung in the holes 321 of the pins 32 by
adjustable hooks 46 in nuts 45. The nuts to be attached to plates 44 which are
riveted at the ends of the strap 43.
It will be seen that a similar clamping mechanism may be applied to roller
skates or pneumatic running wheels and as the forks have no direct influence on
the clamping mechanism, it may be applied to a skate or not; in the latter case
using the hands to fasten the skate to the foot.
I do not confine myself to a clamp-seat which by downward pressure closes the
clamp upon the shoe, as it may be made to operate oppositely, i.e. so as to urge
the clamps together in the upward movement, by a change in the details of the
clamp actuating mechanism, and providing suitable means for locking same in the
raised position. Neither do I confine myself to making the vertically movable
clamp-seat at the rear portion of the skate, nor to the particular means operated
upon by the movement of the clamp-seat for actuating the clamps.
Further, I believe myself to be the first to have invented the means of a supporting
attachment to a skate to hold same in an upright position and withdrawing said
support when the skate is secured to the foot.
I do not therefore, confine myself to a support attached to the skate on a certain
part of same or the support to be of a certain shape or form.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1. In a clamping mechanism for a skate, the combination of a frame therefore,
with a clamp seat vertically movable on said frame and a pair of clamp-jaws on
said seat, one of the jaws being adapted to move toward or away from the other
jaw by vertical movement of said clamp-seat.
2. In a clamping mechanism for a skate, the combination of frame therefore,
a pair of clamp-seats thereon, one of same being vertically movable on the frame,
and a pair of clamp-jaws on each of said seats, adapted to be operated by
vertical movement of said movable clamp-seat.
3. In a skate, the combination with a frame therefore, of a clamp-seat vertically
movable thereon, a clamp-jaw slidingly attached to the clamp-seat and means
actuated by the vertical movement of the seat, for operating the jaw on said clamp
seat.
4. In a skate, the combination with a frame therefore, of a clamp-seat verti-
cally movable thereon, a clamp-jaw slidingly attached to the clamp-seat, a pair of
supporting arms secured to the jaw and adapted to move same on its seat, a way
for guiding the supporting arms and means for locking the supporting arms being
moved in the way by vertical movement on the clamp-seat.
5. In a clamping mechanism for a skate the combination of a frame therefore
having the way 7, recess 8', fulcrum 11 and shoulder 12, a gravity-latch supported
on the fulcrum, a pair of supporting arms adapted to operate in the way and to be
engaged by the gravity-latch, and a pair of clamp-jaws adapted to be operated by,
the supporting arms.
6. In a skate, the combination of a frame therefor; a clamp-seat vertically
movable thereon; a pair of clamp-jaws on said clamp-seat, one of which is urged
toward the other by the downward movement of the clamp-seat; and a gravity-
latch adapted to catch and hold the clamp-seat in the lowered position, thereby
securing the clamp-jaws in the closed or shoe-engaging position.
7. In a clamping mechanism for a skate, the combination of a frame therefor,

page_text: with a clamp-seat vertically movable on said frame, a clamp-jaw slidingly attached
to the clamp-seat, a pair of supporting arms secured to the jaws, a safety screw
attached to one of said supporting arms, preventing the lifting of the gravity-latch
when said safety-screw is screwed in the recess 8 for preventing the skate from
being accidentally detached from the foot.
8. In a clamping mechanism for a skate, the combination of a clamp-seat having
a threaded extension; an oppositely threaded adjusting nut engaging the exten-
sion; a collar on the nut permitting the nut to be turned therein independent of
the collar; a pair of clamp-jaws having arms pivotally engaging the collar; and
another clamp-seat adapted to support and guide said pair of clamp-jaws.
9. In a clamping mechanism for a skate, the combination of a frame therefor;
with a vertically movable clamp-seat, a pair of horizontally acting clamp-jaws,
and means adapted to urge one of the clamp-jaws toward the other, when the
vertically movable clamp-seat is operated.
10. A mechanism in a skate-frame, with a teethed slot, bolt and nut to firmly
adjust the clamp-seat of the forward clamp-jaws.
11. In a skate, the combination of a frame therefor; a clamping mechanism, a
prop secured to the skate adapted to rest upon the floor or ice, so as to support the
skate in an upright position, and actuated by the clamping mechanism so as to be
withdrawn free from the floor or ice when the clamps are in the locked or shoe-
engaging position.
12. In a skate, the combination of a frame therefor; a clamping mechanism
having a vertically movable clamp seat; a prop secured to the skate, adapted to
rest upon the floor or ice, so as to support the skate in an upright position, and
actuated by the downward movement of said clamp-seat to withdraw free from the
floor or ice.
13. In a skate with a clamping mechanism having a vertically movable clamp-
seat; a heel-strap on said clamp-seat, and the hooks 39 adapted to engage the
clamp-seat.
.14. In a skate with a clamping mechanism having a vertically movable clamp-
seat in connection with a pair horizontally acting clamp-jaws; a pair of perforated
guiding pins on the arms of said horizontally acting clamp-jaws, a continuous
leather strap attached on said perforated guidin pins by means of adjustable
hooks and nuts, which are rivetted on both ends of the leather straps by means of
plates on said nuts.
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