Improvements in or relating to Skates.
Year: 1899

page_text: Application, 4th Dec., 1899-Accepted,
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Skates.
HENRY BIRKBECK, of 31, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London,
low of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature
this invention (a communication to me from abroad by The Samuel Winslow
ate Manufacturing Company, a corporation organised under the laws of the
te of Massachusetts, of 31, Mulberry Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.A.),
d in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
certained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to that form of skate which is secured to the shoe of the
earer by a clamping lever and the object of this invention is to provide an
mproved skate clamping mechanism employing a rearwardly closing heel clamp,
earwardly closing toe clamps, and a special form of pressure dividing connection
or dividing the pressure exerted by the clamping lever between the rearwardly
closing heel clamp and the rearwardly closing toc clamps.
This special form of pressure dividing connection is formed by providing the
slide which is connected to operate the rearwardly closing toe clamps, and the
slide which operates the rearwardly closing heel clamp, with oppositely inclined
slots, fitting into which slots is a bolt or stud operated by the clamping lever, so
that when the clamping lever is moved to its clamped position, the strain exerted
by the clamping lever will be divided between the rearwardly closing toe clamps
and the rearwardly closing heel clamp.
A further object of this invention is to shape the toe-plate of the skate so that
the movable toe clamps may be supported therein without the use of rivets or
slots, and a still further object of this invention is to provide for the transverse
adjustment of the skate upon the shoe of the wearer, so that the skate-blade may
5 be brought directly under the center of the wearer's shoe, or at one side thereof,
as desired.
30
35
To these ends, this invention consists of the skate as a new article of manu-
facture, and of the combinations of parts therein, as hereinafter described and
more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a skate constructed according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the skate clamping connections.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the slide for operating the toe-clamps, and
Fig. 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan view illustrating a form of constructio
which may be employed to secure the transverse adjustment of the skate up
the shoe of the wearer.
In prior forms of lever clamped skates, variations in the width of the sole
the shoe, or variations in the size of the heel of the shoe of the wearer, produ
40 changes in the relative positions of the foot with respect to the skate runner
That is to say, in prior existing forms of lever clamped skates, the skates
provided with a fixed stop at the front edge of the heel-plate, and the mov
lans are located at the extreme rear of the skate.

page_text: This construction is open to the objection that the movable heel clamps at the
extreme rear of the skate are liable to become bent or twisted.
A still greater defect arises from the use of this form of construction on account
of the fact that variations in the shape and sizes of the heels of the shoes, and in
the width of the soles thereof, will bring the wearer's foot to different positions
with respect to the skate.
That is to say, in using lever clamped skates in which the movable heel clamps
are located at the extreme rear of the skate, if the shoe of the wearer is provided
with an unusually large heel, the foot of the wearer will occupy a position further
back on the skate than would be the case if the shoe was provided with a smaller
heel.
All skates should be designed so that the center of the weight of the skater
should be over a fixed point with respect to the skate.
To this end, the especial object of this invention is to provide a skate with
fixed back heel stops, and a skate clamping mechanism comprising rearwardly
closing toe clamps, a rearwardly closing heel clamp, and a special form of con-
nection which will divide the strain exerted by the clamping lever between the
rearwardly closing toe clamps and the rearwardly closing heel clamp.
This special form of strain dividing connection is formed by providing the
slide which operates the toe clamps, and the slide which operates the heel clamp,
with oppositely inclined slots, fitting into which slots is a stud which is shifted
or moved by the clamping lever.
Referring to the accompanying drawing and in detail, the skate as herein
illustrated comprises a skate-blade or runner 10.
Riveted or otherwise secured to the runner 10 is a toc-plate 11 and a heel-
plate 12.
The heel-plate 12 is provided with fixed back heel stops 13.
The toe-plate 11 is provided on its opposite edges with slots or cuts, and with
depressed sections 14 outside thereof, so that the movable toe-clamps 15 may be
inserted into the toe-plate 11 and movably supported thereby without the use of
rivets or slots.
Pivotally connected to the toe-clamps 15 and supported on rivets 17 on the
underside of the toe-plate and heel-plate is a slide 16 for operating the rearwardly
closing toe clamps.
Movably mounted on the slide 16 and having its rear end bent up to form a
rearwardly closing heel clamp, is a plate or slide 18.
The connections for operating the skate clamps as thus arranged, are most
clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.
As shown in these figures, an L-piece or bracket 21 is pivoted on the lower end
of the rivet 17.
Extending loosely through the L-piece 21 is an adjusting screw 22 having its
end bent up to pivotally support the clamping lever 24.
Threaded on to the adjusting screw 22 is a nut 23 which is held in place by
the head of the rivet 17, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2.
The clamping lever 24 is provided with a stud or rivet 25 which extends up
through slots 19 and 20 formed in the slides 16 and 18 respectively.
By means of this construction a skate is provided which can be readily and
quickly adjusted to different size shoes, and the skate clamping mechanism con-
trolled by a single clamping lever, will, by reason of the fact that the skate has
fixed rear heel stops, always bring the foot of the wearer to the same relative
position on the skate.
In some instances, for example, for executing certain fancy-skating figures,
it is desirable that the skate-blade should not be located directly under the
center of the foot of the wearer.
In other instances, where the shoe of the skater is made upon a very crooked
or offset last, the ordinary skate clamping mechanism will not bring the skate-
blade near enough the center of the foot to produce the best results,

page_text: In view of these consideration, it is sometimes desirable to
justment for centralizing or setting the skate-blade at one side of the foot of
e wearer.
A construction for accomplishing this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 5.
As shown in this figure, 26 designates an adjusting screw which passes loosely
rough a rivet or stud extending down from the plate 16, and is threaded into
he rivet at the rear end of one of the toe-clamps 15.
By adjusting the screw 26, the toe clamp controlled thereby may be set and
djusted independently of the main clamping lever to produce any desired trans-
verse adjustment of the skate-blade with respect to the foot of the wearer.
Changes may be made in the construction of this skate without departing
from the scope of this invention as expressed in the claims.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
-
1. The improved construction of skates substantially as described, and illus-
trated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a skate, the combination of fixed rear heel stops, a clamping lever, rear-
wardly closing toe clamps, a slide for operating the toe clamps, and a slide for
operating a rearwardly closing heel clamp, said slides having oppositely inclined
slots with a stud fitting therein and forming a connection to divide the strain of
the clamping lever between the rearwardly closing toe clamps and the rearwardly
closing heel clamp, substantially as described.
3. In a skate, the combination of the fixed back heel stops, the rearwardly
5 closing toe clamps, a slide for operating the toe clamps, a slide for operating a
rearwardly closing heel clamp, a clamping lever, and a screw forming an adjust-
able connection between the clamping lever and heel-plate, said clamping lever
being provided with a stud engaging oppositely inclined slots in said slides to
divide the strain of the clamping lever between the rearwardly closing toe clamp
30 and the rearwardly closing heel clamp, substantially as described.
4. In a skate, the combination of a toe-plate, and toe-clamps inserted throug
slots in said toe-plate, and supported by depressed portions thereof, substantiall
as described.
5. In a skate, the combination of a clamping lever, the rearwardly closin
35 toe-clamps, a slide for operating the same, an adjusting screw connecting o
of the toe clamps and its slide, to provide a transverse adjustment of the ska
a slide for operating a rearwardly closing heel clamp, and a connection
dividing the strain of the clamping lever between the rearwardly closing
clamps and the rearwardly closing heel clamp formed by a stud fitting i
sitely inclined grooves in the slides, substantially as described.
40
1000
Dated this 4th day of Decembe
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.