IN ROLLER SKATES." IMPROVEMENTS
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Gardiner at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd March 1876.
WILLIAM GARDINER, of Chiswick, in the County of Middlesex.
IN ROLLER SKATES."
IMPROVEMENTS
This Invention relates to skates provided with wheels or rollers and used for the
purpose of skating upon level floors or other suitable surfaces, and it has for its
objects improved methods of arranging and attaching the wheels or rollers to the
sole of the skate, and of altering the position of their axes so that they may be
made to travel in segments of circles instead of in straight lines. For this purpose I
take a sole plate of wood, metal, or other suitable material, which is attached
to the foot of the skater by straps or other convenient means in the usual way.
Under the sole plate near the toe I arrange a transverse axis having a wheel or
roller running freely upon it at each of its ends, and I make the axis itself turn
upon a vertical pin or axis fixed to the lower side of the sole plate in the centre of
its width. I also arrange a similar axis provided with wheels or rollers and turning
upon a vertical pin or axis fixed under the sole plate at or near the heel. I connect
the two transverse axes together by means of two horizontal parallel plates, bars,
or springs of steel, or other elastic material, one such bar being arranged at a con-
venient distance at one side of the longitudinal centre line of the skate, and the
other bar being arranged on the other side of the longitudinal centre line of the
skate. The ends of the two parallel bars are pivotted to the transverse axes at the
toe and heel of the skate. Upon the upper side of the sole plate, and at or near
the centre of its length I arrange a tranverse lever turning upon a longitudinal
horizontal centre fixed to the sole plate at the centre of its breadth, and at or near
each end of this transverse lever I attach or connect a vertical connecting bar which
passes down through the sole plate and is then attached or connected to one of the
longitudinal elastic plates already described, the length of the vertical connecting
bars being such that when the transverse lever is horizontal the elastic horizontal
plates are both somewhat bent down at their centres.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When the foot of the skater is bent
over to the right, the transverse lever is depressed upon the same side whilst its
opposite end is raised. Accordingly the clastic plate or spring upon the right side
is still further bent down and its ends are thus brought nearer together and with

page_text: them the corresponding ends of the transverse axes to which they are pivotted. At
the same time the parallel elastic plate or spring at the left side of the skate is
raised at its centre, and being thus straightened its ends are removed further from
cach other and with them the corresponding ends of the transverse axes to which
they are pivotted. A converse action takes place when the foot is bent over to the
left. The axes are thus made to converge at the side of the skate on which the foot
is bent over or depressed, and to an extent corresponding with such depression, and
the skater is thus able to describe curves of varying radius. I prefer to make the
pins or bolts by which the parallel clastic plates are pivotted to the transverse axes
(or separate pins or studs) work in curved slots or guides, in plates formed upon or
attached to the lower ends of the vertical pins upon which the transverse axes turn,
so that the movement round such vertical pins is guided and limited.