Support to the Ankle for Skating.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 8th Mar., 1-95-Accepted, 13th Apr., 1895
TRUVIDIONAL DI MUIFICATION.
Support to the Ankle for Skating.
GEORGE MARRIAN GIBBS, 10 Livery Street Birmingham, Manufacturer and
Managing Director and MORITZ STERN, 124 Edmund Street Birmingham Chairman
of the Pneumatic Skate Manufacturing Company, Limited do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of a support for the ankle when skating. It is made of
steel or other suitable material and it is suitably covered.
It is more especially adapted to the pneumatic road skate patented by John
Henderson Wilson No. 1339 of 1893 which having only 2 wheels allow of greater
rapidity of movement hence the necessity of more support to the ankle to obviate
all strain and liklihood of spraining.
A piece of the material, preferably steel, is taken say about 17 inches long
and 3 inches wide cut out in the centre to the shape of the heel-part of the footplate
and leaving 2 side pieces to be bent up at right angles or other suitable angle,
these side pieces are about one inch wide and hollowed to give the necessary
resistance, and if considered necessary may be bowed or shaped to adjust itself to
the ankle, this is then fixed to the footplate by means of screws or rivets or other
suitable manner and covered by leather with the necessary straps for attaching to
the ankle and padded inside to prevent chafing or irritation.
This support constitutes a safe and secure fastening without any inconvenience
to the wearer.
Dated this Seventh day of May 1894.
GEORGE MARRIAN GIBBS,
Managing Director.
MORITZ STERN,
Chairman.
Support to the Ankle for Skating.
We, GEORGE MARRIAN GIBBS and MORITZ STERN, both of No. 10 Livery
Street Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers 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 :-
Our invention relates to an new or improved support to the ankle for skating
purposes, and is especially adapted to pneumatic road skates, since these, having
but two wheels allow of greater rapidity of movement, and the object of our said
invention is to effectually support the ankle, and to obviate the strains which are
likely to be imposed upon it under such circumstances.
In order that our said invention may be the better understood, we have appended
the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which
Figure is a perspective view of the device, not drawn to any particular scale
but merely as an illustration.

page_text: Figure 2 is an elevation of the support completed with straps, pads and all
accessories.
In carrying our invention into effect we employ a piece of metal, preferably steel
or an alloy, which is broad at the central portion A, relatively to the ends B B',
Figure 1. The central portion is shaped to suit the conformation of a boot heel
and may or may not be provided with end stops or guards b as shown. The side
pieces B B are bent upwards as shown, either at right angles to the heel piece A
or at any other suitable angle, and may be hollowed, as at a a' to stiffen them. In
any case we prefer to stamp or press the whole device, consisting in the centre heel
plate A and the upright supports B B' out of a solid single sheet of metal, also
forming the back stops if these are required. The plate A is then attached to
the sole plate of the skate C by means of rivets, screws, or any equivalent means.
Figure 2 is an elevational view showing the uprights B covered by leather or the
like, with a pad D shaped to embrace the leg above the ankle, a strap E serving
to compress said pad. The strap E passes freely through a metal or other clip F
attached to the outside of B and the pad D may also be attached to the inner side
of B, or to the strap E by any suitable means.
We do not confine ourselves to any particular material in constructing the
supports according to our invention, and may modify the mere conformation to suit
the conditions of various cases of adaptation.
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;-
First. In ankle supports for skating purposes, the use and construction of a piece
of metal or the like A, with uprights B B bent upwards, in combination with the
sole plate of a skate, substantially as herein described with reference to the
drawings.
Second. In ankle supports for skating purposes, the combination of a heel
plate A, uprights B B', pad D and strap E with a skate, substantially as and for
the purposes herein set forth with especial reference to Figure 2 of the appended
drawings.
Dated this 7th day of March 1895
FREDK. WALKER,
73, St. Stephen's Road, Upton Park, E., Agent for the Applicants.