IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SHOES AND SKATES."
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles George Roberton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, on the 5th January 1876.
CHARLES GEORGE ROBERTON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SHOES AND SKATES."
86
This Invention relates to improvements of a simple and efficient kind, and
designed to facilitate the traversing of curves by means of roller shoes (sometimes
inappropriately termed roller skates) or by means of skates.
In one simple modification of the roller shoes each sole has fixed to its under
side two small brackets or hangers, one at or near each end; to the bottom of each
hanger there is fixed a spring extending horizontally, the front one backwards and
the after one forwards; and at the free end of each spring there is formed or fixed a
fork in which a roller is mounted; there are thus in this one modification only two
rollers, and these are by preference of a convex form. The springs or holders, as
they may be termed, which may be simple metal blade springs or any equivalent
kind of spring are arranged to yield by bending or moving angularly in a plane
parallel to the sole; and they thus yield and thereby produce the radiate adjust-
ment of the roller axes desired for traversing curves when the sole is canted. The
obtaining of the radiate adjustment by the movement of the holders in a plane
parallel to the sole is different from and better than any plan for the same purpose
described in Patent Specifications published up to the present time.
Each roller may be mounted like a caster roller in a rigid holder fitted to turn
about a vertical stud fixed to the sole, a spring or springs being applied in any
convenient way so as to be strained when the rollers are forced to either side, and
so as to tend to force them back to the central position.
A pair of rollers may be applied at either end or at each end if the axle of
such pair is fitted so as to be capable of turning in a plane at right angles to the
holder.
The rollers when of metal are by preference grooved round their circumferences.
The improved arrangement of roller and holder herein-before described may be
applied at only one end of the sole, a roller or pair of rollers being connected to the
other end without provision for radiate adjustment.
If preferred the holders may be fitted to turn in planes inclined to that of the
sole.
In a modification arranged so as not to require springs, but which may have
them superadded if desired, a single convex roller is mounted at one end of the sole

page_text: in a holder fitted to turn about a vertical stud over the centre of the roller, or
nearly. so. At the other end of the sole two rollers are fitted in separate holders
which can turn or hinge on transverse axes in the plane of the sole, such axes
being nearer the middle of the sole than the rollers. Each of the two holders is
connected by a link extending along the same side to the holder of the single roller
at the other end, and when the sole is canted the single roller on the low side
being thereby thrust further from the middle acts by its link on the holder of the
single roller so as to effect the radiate adjustment thereof.
Any of the herein-before described arrangements is applicable for skates, short
runners or sliding pieces being fixed to the holders instead of the rollers when a
sliding action is desired.