Improvements in Skates.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Skates.
I, OSCAR EHRENFRIED WOLLERT, of Riddaregatan 17, Stockholm, in the
Kingdom of Sweden, Consulting 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 :-
This invention relates to the securing devices of skates and consists in such
an arrangement that the skate once adjusted to the boot, can be fixed by simply
turning it relatively the foot and then applying the instep strap. All springs
screws and such like hitherto generally used for fixing the skate on the shoe, thus
become unnecessary, and the skates by the avoidance of such springs and screws
are lighter to wear and cheaper to manufacture.
In the annexed drawing
Fig. 1 shows in top view how the skate is to be secured.
Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the skate and
Fig. 3 a detail.
The skate near its front. has two jaws a a¹ preferably situated opposite each
other as in ordinary or so-called American skates. These jaws may cousist as
usual of the upwardly bent outer ends of slides bb' situated under the foot plate A
and adjustable in a direction at right angles or nearly so to the blade. The
jaws have a certain width in the longitudinal direction of the skate and are
preferably not parallel with the blade but form acute angles with the said blade
if the skate is viewed from above.
The angle for the jaw a I prefer to make smaller than that of the other a¹.
If the jaws are adjusted so that the distance between them is a little smaller
than the largest width of the sole, the difference between both angles together
with the usual oblique shape of the sole of the boot will cause the skate when
put on the foot from the front, to occupy the position shown in Fig. 1 (the boot
being marked with dotted lines), that is to say, the longitudinal direction of the
skate does not coincide with that of the foot, because the skate tends behind to
stand a little to the right or left. The jaw a¹ which forms the larger angle to
the rail or is situated on that side, against which the skate has a tendency
to turn relatively the foot, when the skate is put on, may as usual be longitudinally
grooved on the inner side but the opposite jaw a I prefer to make rough or
toothed or cross-grooved on its inner side. The teeth formed by the latter
grooves may have any convenient direction but I prefer to give them a slight
inclination forwards. I also prefer to make the jaws somewhat rounded on the
inner surface. When the skate is turned in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1,
until it becomes parallel with the foot, the jaw a cannot slide, but forms the
fixed point around which the skate is turned, and the other jaw will be moved
backwards in a curve. As the width of that part of the sole thereby being
passed gradually increases and the radius of the curve, in which the jaw a' moves,
is relatively short, the jaws will grip the sole with great force. The skate being
thus brought exactly under the foot is then fixed in the usual manner by means of
a strap over the instep.
Both slides bb shown in detail in Fig. 3 viewed from above are so arranged
as to be simultaneously fixed by securing a single nut. Near the inner ends more
than half of the width of the slides is cut away and at the extreme inner ends are
formed hooks a³. The slides being placed side by side as in Fig. 3 form thereby a
groove or slot b³ for the screw g. Over both slides catches a clamping plate d
which serves as plate for the nut d' of the screw g. The latter is fixed to the
plate A and passes as already said through the slot 2. Clips or brackets h h¹

page_text: which may consist of tongues of the plate A. bent over the slides serve to guide the
slides b b¹. When the nut is released the slides may be moved either separately
or simultaneously to one side or the other; the hooks a limit their motion outwards.
By this apparatus it is possible to exactly adjust the skate relatively the sole of
the boot or shoe. When the slides are adjusted so that the blade assumes the
desired position and the distance between the jaws is suitable for the boot, then the
nut is tightened so that the slides will be fixed to the plate A. As long as no
alteration or change of boots is made no re-adjustment of the slides is necessary and
the skate can always be put on and withdrawn, without touching the nut, by turning
the skate.
The before described apparatus may be modified with departing from the spirit
of the invention. The jaws can for instance be arranged so that one of them is
parallel with the blade if seen from above and the other at an angle thereto; or
one of the jaws may be situated nearer the front of the skate than the other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,―
1. In a skate the combination with a foot-plate such as A of two slides such
as bb adjustable therein and having jaws such as a a¹ and extending inwards and
having an opening or slot between them a clamping plate such as d and screw such
as g passing through the slot substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In a skate the combination with a foot-plate such as A of two slides such
as bb adjustable therein and having jaws such as a a² integral therewith for securing
the skate to the boot one jaw being more oblique to the longitudinal axis of the
skate than the other substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a skate the combination with a foot-plate such as A. of two slides such
as adjustable therein and having jaws such as a a¹ integral therewith and
one parallel and the other oblique to the longitudinal axis of the skate substantially
as described.
4. In a skate the combination with the foot-plate of two slides such as bb'
adjustable therein and provided with jaws such as a a¹ having inner rounded
surfaces substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. In a skate the combination with the foot-plate of two slides such as bb'
adjustable therein and provided with jaws such as a a' the inner surface of
one of which is roughened toothed or cross-grooved and the other of which is
grooved horizontally only substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete skate
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of September 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.