Improvements in Ankle and Leg Supports for Skates, and Fastenings or Attachments therefor.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 18th Jan.. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ankle and Leg Supports for Skates, and
Fastenings or Attachments therefor.
We, BERTIE HALLETT of Copthall House, in the City and County of London,
Gentleman, and GEORGE MARRIAN GIBBS, of No. 10 Livery Street Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in ankle and leg supports for skates,
and has for its objects, firstly the perfect supporting of the leg under all conditions
of speed and movement, secondly; affording an automatic heel grip, and thirdly;
allowing the skate to be closed when not in use, so as to occupy less space in
transport.
In carrying our invention into effect we employ two upright standards preferably
of metal, and cased with leather or like material, carrying a split circular pad
of soft material, at the upper ends thereof which may be caused to grip the leg
above the ankle by the compression of a strap and buckle or straps and buckles or
any equivalent device for the same purpose. Said supports, or upright standards
are pivotted or hinged to the sole plate of the skate, or to the brackets for
carrying bearings, or like projections formed thereon or attached thereto. Such
pivotting or hinging allows of the uprights standards aforesaid being lowered so
as to be parallel to, and upon the same plane as the sole plate, and the strap
surrounding the pad may then serve as a packing strap. A curved heel plate, of
metal, stiff leather, or other like material, is fixed to each upright standard or
support in such a manner as to correspond to the back of the heel of the skater's
boot when said supports are in the vertical position, or approximately so, and the
foot is at the same time in its proper position upon the sole plate. A stop is
arranged so as to be adjustable by means of a screw and fly nut, or like means, in
order that said stop may be adjusted to engage with the front surface of the heel,
which is compressed between it and the heel plate aforesaid when the upright
standards or supports are raised and attached to the leg.
This method of supporting the ankle or leg, and also of attaching the sole plate
of a skate to the foot is applicable to any kind of skate, but more especially
to wheeled skates of the kind or type generally known as pneumatic wheeled
skates."
Tad this wh
L
1005
"
FREDK. WALKER,
73 St. Stephen's Road, Upton Park, E., Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in Ankle and Leg Supports for Skates, and
Fastenings or Attachments therefor.
We BERTIE HALLETT of Copthall House Copthall Avenue in the City of
London Gentleman and GEORGE MARRIAN GIBBS of 10 Livery Street
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturer do hereby declare the
Price 8d.1

page_text: nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to he performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to improvements in and connected with ankle and leg
supports for skates and has for its objects
Firstly the perfect supporting of the leg under all conditions of speed and
movement.
and
Secondly the provision of an automatic grip for the heels of the skaters boots
Thirdly to enable the leg and ankle supports to be closed down on to the sole
plate of the skate when not in use in such a manner that our improved skates will
occupy less space when packed for transport than the skates hitherto in use.
In carrying our invention into effect we employ two upright standards preferably
of metal carrying a pad or strip of soft material at the upper ends thereof which pad
may be caused to grip the leg above the ankle by means of a strap and buckle
passing round the outside of the said pad or any other equivalent device for the
same purpose. The said supports or upright standards are pivotted or hinged to
the soleplate of the skate or to the brackets which support the axes of the rollers
or wheels of roller or pneumatic skates or to any other suitable projections formed
on or attached to the soleplate. Such pivotting or hinging allows of the upright
standards aforesaid being lowered so as to be parallel to the soleplate and the
straps surrounding the pad may be used to secure two skates together. A curved
heel plate of metal stiff leather or any other suitable material is fixed to each
standard or support in such a manner as to fit closely to the back of the heel of
the skater's boot when the said supports are vertical or approximately vertical
and the foot in its proper position upon the sole plate. We provide also an
adjustable stop or gripper in front of the heel which stop may be clamped to the
soleplate in any desired position by means of a bolt and wing nut or by any other
suitable means. When the skater stands upright the heels of his boots are com-
pressed between the stops or grippers and the aforesaid heel-plates. This method
of supporting the ankle and leg and of attaching the sole plate of a skate to the foot
is applicable to any kind of skate but more especially to wheeled skates of the
type generally known as pneumatic wheeled skates." And in order that our said
invention may be fully understood we will proceed to explain the same with
reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings in which
66
Fig. 1 represents side elevation of a "pneumatic" wheeled skate constructed
according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is front elevation of same.
Fig. 3 is plan of same partly in section on line A B..
The same letters denote the same parts in all the figs.
a is the sole plate bb the brackets or forks carrying the wheels c c. d is the
ve strap ee are spikes to enter the sole of the wearer's boot this portion of the
Skate being well known no further description thereof is necessary. ff are standards
or supports preferably made of metal covered with leather and hinged or pivotted
at 99 to the brackets or forks bb at the heel of the skate. The hinges or pivots
may be formed by rivetting as shewn or by any other suitable means is a piece
of curved metal stiff leather or other suitable material attached at each end to
the supports ff by rivetting stitching or other suitabl means. As shewn at Fig. 3
the piece is just clear of the heel of the skate. j is a pad of any soft material
such as felt secured at the back to the strap which is also secured to the
standards or supports ff by loops of leather or other suitable material. The
strap is provided with the usual buckle or clasp at one end and if necessary with
holes m at the other. The pad jis long enough to reach round the leg of the
wearer of the skate above the ankle and is held firmly thereto by the strap k. n is
a stop or gripper formed of a piece of metal turned up at one end n³ at right
angles to the sole plate and provided with slots oo and p. Screws or rivets gg
pass through the slots o o and the sole plate so as to secure the stop or gripper n
to the sole plate and yet allow it to slide freely thereon r is a bolt passing through

page_text: the slot p and the sole plate and provided with a wing nut r underneath the said
sole plate to enable the stop or gripper n to be clamped firmly in any desired
position. The turned up portion of the stop n may be corrugated or provided with
teeth to form a gripper. When the skate is attached to the foot the heel of the
boot is held firmly between the stop or gripper n and the piece k thus preventing
longitudinal movement of the skate on the boot. The gripper may be made of
cast or sheet metal. When packed for transport or when not in use the
supports may be folded as shewn at Fig. 4. Although we have described
our invention as applied to pneumatic skates we wish it to be fully understood
that ankle supports and heel clips as hereinbefore described may be applied to any
skates.
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Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a skate the combination of supports for the leg and ankle pivotted or
hinged to the sole plate or other convenient part of a skate with a curved heel
plate attached to the said supports and an adjustable stop or gripper in front of
the heel plate all substantially as hereinbefore specified and for the purpose
stated.
2. In a skate the combination of supports or standards ƒ ƒ hinged to the
brackets or other convenient part of the skate with a curved heel plate h
attached thereto and a pad j and strap k substantially as herein before specified
and for the purpose stated.
3. In a skate the combination of standards or supports ff hinged to the sole
plate or other convenient part of the skate and having a pad j and a curved heel
plate h attached thereto with an adjustable stop or gripper n adapted to be clamped
to the sole plate in front of the heel of the wearer's boot all substantially as
specified.
4. The improved construction of ankle and leg supports for skates and fastenings
therefor substantially as hereinbefore specified and shewn by the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 13th day of December 1895
T. E. HALFORD,
11 Furnival Street, Holborn, E.C.