Im- PROVEMENTS IN WHEEL AND OTHER SKATES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Wilkins, of St. Leonards-on-Sea, in
the County of Sussex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of “Im-
PROVEMENTS IN WHEEL AND OTHER SKATES."
Scaled the 23rd February 1875, and dated the 28th August 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Wilkins
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th August 1874.
I, FREDERICK WILKINS, of St. Leonards-on-Sea, in the County of
Sussex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEEL AND OTHER SKATES," to be as follows:-
The principal objects of these improvements are to increase the speed,
to increase the facilities for turning, to increase the safety against
falling, and the power of passing over uneven surfaces, such as ordinary
street pavement and macadamized roads and other uneven surfaces.
These objects are effected by the use of comparatively large wheels, the
largest being placed under the arch or hollow of the foot, under or near

page_text: the perpendicular line from the centre of gravity of the wearer of the
skate, so that the principal weight will be borne by the largest wheel
(or wheels where pairs are used), thus securing the advantage of large
wheels instead of small ones, and by fitting one or more of these wheels
with a swivel or turntable in connection with other wheels working on
ordinary bearings (without swivels) so as to increase the facilities for
turning in any direction. Or all the wheels may have swivels or
turntables, or they may all work on ordinary bearings. Antifriction
rollers may be used in conjunction with the swivels; or I use a cup-
and-ball castor. The axles (burnished steel preferred) or bearings of
these wheels are provided with a recess or receptacle to hold oil, such as
almond oil or animal oil or other lubricant, thus securing the important
advantage of well lubricated axles. I supply the swivel with an oil cup
to keep the spindle thereof well lubricated.
I use washers or stuffing boxes or rings of metal and sponge, cotton,
cloth, or other porous substance capable of absorbing oil or other
lubricant by its capillary attraction. These washers are placed on the
axles on each side of the wheels so as to keep the axles effectually
lubricated from the outside as well as from within, and they possess
the further advantage of keeping dust and dirt from penetrating to the
axle, so that it is always kept in the best possible working condition.
The axles or the bearings thereof are furnished with spiral curves (rifled)
in an opposite direction to each other until they meet or nearly meet at
the centre of the wheel, the effect of which is to produce a centripetal
action on the oil, thus tending to keep it towards the centre of the
wheel and preventing it from working out at the sides. The direction
of these curvilinear grooves must point towards the back part of the
skate when the wheel is moving forward, otherwise it would have the

page_text: be much smaller and must not touch the ground at all, except when the
toe or the heel is pressed down with the view of propelling forwards, or
of progressing backwards, or for the purpose of bringing the propeller
or the break, hereafter described, into action by pressing on the
ground.
I provide a projection, skid, or break under or near the heel reaching
nearly to the ground and touching it immediately the heel is depressed
more than required for the purpose of using the wheels. The effect of
this is to prevent the skate from running forward by the hold which it
takes on the ground, floor, or icc, thus enabling the person to avoid
falling backwards, and to stop quickly.
I provide a propeller or an extension of the frame descending until it
nearly touches the ground. This part of the skate may be furnished
with a hinge joint or yielding substance to break the rigidity of the
action. The break at the heel may also be covered or faced with
leather, india-rubber, or similar substance. The propeller is under the
toe part of the skate immediately before the front wheel or wheels, the
object being that by pressing the toe part downwards it comes in contact
with the floor and affords a firm hold or bite on the floor as a means of
propulsion forward in a direct line, which would not be the case if the
wheels only came in contact with the floor or ground. The more direct
action gives greater power and speed, and it has this further advantage,
it can be used as a break, thus preventing falling forwards, and a more
direct course can be obtained instead of that zig-zag motion resulting
from ordinary wheel or other skates. A ratchet break or breaks may be
applied to the leading wheel or wheels, whereby it or they may serve in
substitution of the propeller.
In some cases I place a small roller or rollers on the back part of the
propeller. In front of the leading wheel or wheels I add a guard,
break, brush, or scraper in front of this propeller. Its object is to
sweep or clear the road of any little obstacle or dust which may be in
the way. It should be made of spring wire, whalebone, india-rubber,
or other elastic materials, so that it will give way when it touches the
ground so as not to obstruct the action of the propeller and wheels. It
should just barely touch the ground when the two large wheels are on
the ground, and where pairs of wheels are used two such guards may
be used.

page_text: I cover the wheels with a tyre or band of india-rubber, leather, canvas,
or other suitable material, or combination of materials, with the object of
preventing noise, and producing the casy motion resulting from using
india-rubber tyres. I prefer india-rubber faced with leather; I also
sometimes substitute brass or other metal tyres when the wheels are
made of wood which should be waterproofed.
In one form of skate the wheels are partly enclosed in a casing,
leaving only the point of the peripheries, which touch the ground,
exposed. I perforate or cut out portions of the wheels, when made of
wood, so as to reduce them to the utmost degree of lightness, the wheels
to be made of wood, iron, brass, steel wire, or other such suitable
material, or combination of materials.
The bearing of the wheels may be lined with brass or steel which is
superior to anything yet used in wheel skates.
The sole of the body, stock, or frame of the skate is to have an
opening under the ankle, so that a portion of the largest wheel may
come through as high as it may without coming in contact with the sole
of the boot. I am thus enabled to use a wheel of the largest size
practicable for skating. It may be made of iron, brass, steel, steel wire,
wood, or other suitable material or combination of materials. And to
further aid this object in case of low heels being worn, supplementary
heel pads are to be applied to the skate body. These frames are made
in the usual form, but I sometimes vary the arrangement by making
them in two parts, the heel end being disconnected from the toe part,
or it may be connected therewith by a swivel rod; this would allow
the action of the flexibility of the foot; it would also, by contracting
the length of the rod by a screw thread at each end cause the skate to
be lengthened or shortened as desired.
Another arrangement consists in applying a small wheel in bearings
fixed on the heel of the boot, a recess being cut in the heel to receive
part of the wheel; and the wheels at the toe part may be fixed thereto
on a separate frame; these front wheels may be small enough to allow
the toe to be used on the ground instead of a propeller.
In some cases I cover the whole sole, except just the toe, with small
rollers, say twenty or thirty on each foot, using a large wheel or wheels a
only at the heel or under the hollow of the foot; it has the

page_text: auvantage of the nexionity of an ordinary DOOL WICH that of SKATING
combined.
A mat or muffle may be attached to the skate, or be moveable; its
object is to lock or tie one or more of the principal wheels so that they
cannot revolve, thus enabling the user to walk up steps or over any
place unsuitable for skating purposes. It may consist of an elastic band
to slip over the fore and rear part of the foot and skate so as to embrace
the wheels or the propeller; the sole part of this may be of leather or
other suitable material, or it may be entirely of leather, or merely a
broad strap with buckle or otherwise would be equally effective.
The straps for fastening the skate may be of leather or canvas, or
other textile fabric saturated with waterproof solution, or the two
extremities may be wire links or loops.
The body or frame may be made of brass, iron, steel with serrated
upper surface, wood, steel wire, or other suitable material or com-
bination of materials; if of wood, to be studded with small nails or
covered with gutta percha, leather, or other suitable material to prevent
slipping, and waterproofed; and the pattern should be consistent with
the principles of beauty, so far as it can be atained, in conjunction with
its features of utility. They may be fixed to the boot in any of the
usual ways, but I prefer a screw at the heel and leather straps. This
screw may be moveable, being made double with nut fixed midway.
Two projections or clips, standing about three-fourths of an inch
above the sole, at the heel, one on each side near the back, should be
applied, so that the boot pressing backwards will have a tendency to
jamb in between the two, thus preventing lateral and backward move-
ment of the boot. These projections, flanges, or cars, are to have holes
for rivets to fix the straps thereto; this arrangement renders it much
easier to fix the skate than where screws are used.
The wheels for usé on ice must be comparatively sharp at the edges
so as to prevent the windage or leeway which would take place when
propelled by wind or influenced thereby.
Another improvement consists in the adaptation of the ordinary steel
runner in place of wheels, which can be removed so as to fix the
runner in substitution thereof; the propeller and break may still be.
retained, and the propeller in this case should be supplied with sharp.

page_text: points or spikes so as to act or bite more effectually on the ice; this
runner to be used where one row of wheels only is used down the centre
of the skate.
Where pairs of wheels are used two runners may be substituted in
their place. Two runners or two pairs of wheels will give a com-
fortable footing, and render skating comparatively easy and less subject
to accidents.
The foregoing improvements constitute the principal features of my
Invention, but they are all subject to variations or modifications,
according to the different uses to which the skate is to be applied, for
instance, as on asphalte, roads, artificial and real ice, on board ship, or
otherwise.
Experience may shew that the combinations I have explained as
applicable to these various purposes may be varied, and I hold myself
at liberty to do so as occasion may require.
The application of the propeller described is of the greatest impor-
tance, as without its use large wheels could not be used. It should be
provided on its under surface with leather, india-rubber, or other like
substance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Frederick Wilkins in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILKINS, of St. Leonards, in the County of Sussex, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Frederic Wilkins, Her special
licence that I, the said Frederic Wilkins, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederic Wilkins, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WHEEL AND OTHER SKATES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Frederick Wilkins, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Datont
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WHEEL AND OTHER SKATES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Frederick Wilkins, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederic Wilkins, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
-
The annexed Drawings having reference to the Provisional Specifi-
cation and following descriptions will shew the manner in which I
propose to make wheel skates with these improvements:―
Fig. 1 A, A, represents the floor or ground; B, B, the frame or body
in all the Drawings is represented as made of brass, iron, steel, or other-
suitable metal, but wood or other materials or combination of materials
may in some cases be substituted as to advantage, such as steel wire and
wood.
These Drawings are full size and in the proportions recommended, but
other sizes, proportions, and patters may be used.
Fig. 1 represents a two-wheel skate, the wheels being in line down the
centre and with an opening through the sole to make room for the
wheel, the axis of this wheel is under the centre of gravity of the wearer
> so that it carries nearly the whole weight, and being of the longest
convenient size which can be used under the foot, it confers the advantage
of a large wheel instead of a small one, it rises under the hollow or
waist of the foot and affords great facility for turning. The wheels are
made of wood, the large one being about 2½ inches diameter, and the
other about 1 and about 1 inch wide, but other sizes and materials
or combination of materials may be used. K, K, is the axis; L, L, are

page_text: perforations for ornament and to make them lighter in all the wheels.
The front wheel C hás a ratchet attached to it so that it can only revolve
when going forward, and becomes fixed when stopping or where there is
any tendency to run backwards. By this means it takes a firm hold on
the ground and can be used instead of the propeller hereafter described.
Where single wheels are shown pairs of wheels may be substituted;
they may be either inside or outside the frame.
This skate is intended for high speed and requires a skilful skater to
manage it "I call it the racer;" other forms are made.
The first wheel may also be mounted on a castor or swivil to facilitate
turning. The large wheel D is the carrier or driver, as it is placed under
the centre of gravity, and therefore carries nearly the whole weight of
the wearer.
The openings at G, G, in all these Drawings are for the
straps to pass through. The elevated parts at H are the clips to hold
the heel of the boot, and the round holes I are to rivet the straps. The
spikes I, I, I, I, are to hold the sole of the boot firm to prevent
slipping. In the centre of each wheel there is a recess to hold oil,
and a small feed hole is made in the side of the wheel to supply the oil
thereto; this hole is fitted with a moveable plug or cork. The axles K
are of burnished steel, iron, brass, or other material. The axle's bearing
is a tube of brass extending through the wheel; these have oblique
openings at the centre opposite the oil box to allow the oil to run
through to the axles, their tendency is by the rotation of the wheel
when moving forwards to throw the oil towards the centre of the wheel,
thus preventing its tendency to work out and waste. A small metallic
washer is also interposed between the wheel and the side plate, and over
this a large washer of soft leather, sponge, cotton, or other porous
material is placed; this is also to hold oil, and it has the further
advantage of keeping out the dust, thus keeping the axles in the most
perfect working condition. Wood wheels are to be varnished or water-
proofed to keep them dry and light, and to prevent their absorbing the
oil wheels may have ratchets and india-rubber tyre.
Fig. 2 is similar to the last, but has a break L, as shewn under the
heel part; this nearly touches the ground, and is brought in contact
with it by depressing the heel a little, thus causing it to take hold of or
drag on the ground and prevent further motion. The little roller shewn
at F is to prevent the break acting accidentally by any slight depression

page_text: of the heel. With this addition this skate is easily managed, and being
of a simple form I propose its use in schools, and therefore call it the
"school skate."
One or both of the wheels may be fitted with ratchets to prevent
them running backwards, and the front wheel may or may not be
mounted on a castor or swivel, as hereafter described; this observation
also applies to all the wheel skates mentioned herein.
The wheels may or may not have tyres of leather, india-rubber, or
other suitable material or combination of materials, as an iron or brass
tyre placed over india-rubber or leather on a wooden wheel.
The ratchet may be of any ordinary form, and may be made of brass,
iron, or other suitable material, one or two may be applied to the front
wheel, and in some cases to the other wheels also. This castor swivel
or turntable is also provided with a ring of little holes or grooves to
lubricate the working parts. These may be best placed on the upper
surface of the under plate, as hereafter described. These swivil plates
are also fitted with friction rollers, so as to move with the greatest ease;
they have also a slot and a stock pin to prevent them from turning more
than is required.
Fig. 3 is similar to the last two, but has the addition of a brush M in
front to clean the rod of any little impediment, thus ensuring a clean
even surface for the wheels to run on. The part N is part of the
ratchet action; it acts on the wheel when the toe is pressed down, but
runs on the roller O when on the level ground. The star at "P" is
only ornamental. I call this form the "commet."
Fig. 4 is similar to the last with the addition of the propeller Q (this
is instead of the ratchet wheel); it nearly touches the ground when on.
the level, and is brought in contact with it by pressure, the toe part
downwards, thus taking a firm hold on the ground and rendering the
whole force available (without recoil) for the purpose of propultion in a
directly forward direction. The under part of it is covered with leather,
rough so as not to slip. The breaks L under the heel and also covered
with leather or other suitable material. This skate if furnished with
the brush M, as shewn, and a ratchet and swivel to the front wheel is
the perfection of wheel skates, and from its high qualities of speed and
beauty I call it “the Atalanta.”

page_text: Fig. 5 is a 3 wheel skate similar to No. 4, and recommended for
general use. The front wheel is slightly off the ground, as well as the
little roller, as shewn under the heel. It thus affords sufficient facility
for turning without the use of a swivel. A swivil may nevertheless be
added to second wheel E from the front, as this would render it 5
still easier; this is easily managed. I call this form the "Victoria
Regina,"
Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 4, and the others in principle, though of
different form. The part R is used as a [propeller, the part S as the
break; it is furnished with a brush M; the front wheel has a ratchet, 1
and the little rollers T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, assist to raise it over any
little uneveness on the ground. It is intended for use on ordinary street
foot pavement, on which with ordinary care considerable speed can be
obtained. I call it "the street skate."
A short screw may be substituted for the heel clips, and in this case 1
I recommend a hollow brass heel plate or tip to be permanently fixed on
the boot; it should be convex and have a hole in the centre, tapped to
fit the screw; it should also have a plug or screw to fit in the hole when
not required for skating purposes.
I sometimes use a double screw (one end to screw into the boot, the 2
other to screw into the skate), so that when removed the heel bearings
or clips may be used instead of the screw.
A nut or spur box may be formed in the boot heel instead of the heel
clips, or the skate may be fixed in any ordinary manner.
When fitted with a pair of large wheels, as shewn by the dotted lines 2
V, V, V, it is intended for use on ordinary macadamized roads; these
wheels may also be fitted to any of the other patterns, and are available
for use on every kind of floor, and will possess great advantage when
the extra weight accruing from the extra size is not objectionable. They
are to be on inclined axles, so as to nearly meet under the feet on the 3
ground, and to spread wide enough for the foot to be between them at
the upper part of the circumference. For this purpose they may be
slightly conical, the smaller circle being on the outside; they may be
about 5 inches in diameter throughout, would not be inconveniently
large. These skates, intended for use on roads or streets, may have the 3
front part of the propeller of steel or iron, so that it would slide over
any little impediment before it came in contact with the small wheels,

page_text: Figure 14 is a double-action removable screw; one end screws into
the skate the other screws into the heel of the boot, so that it may be
used or not at the option of the wearer.
Figures 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, are sections of different
forms of wheels recommended for use; the parts A, A, are the metal
bearings through which the axles work, and the slits b, b, are for the oil
to flow to the axle from the oil box C, C; d, d, is the tube to pour the
oil into the oil box e; E is a plug to stop these tubes to keep the
oil in.
Figure 23 is a front view of a wheel with recesses in its face to
receive the end of the ratchet. A convenient size for these wheels would
be from 2 or 3 inches in diameter, and about 1 inch wide at the
circumference, but on some cases they may be much wider, or pairs
of wheels may be used. The hollow spaces in the centre of the wheels
are the oil boxes. The axles are of burnished steel, brass, or other
suitable metal, and the wheels are fitted with metallic linings or bearings
for the axles to work in; these bearings have perforations leading to the
oil box, so that the axles will be kept well lubricated. Metallic washers
are also to be applied at each side of the wheels, and these are to be
encased in another washes of sponge, cotton, cloth, or other porous
substance capable of holding oil; this is also for the purpose of keeping
the axles well lubricated from the outside, and to prevent dust and dirt
from working in.
The wheels may have tyres of iron, brass, or other metal or of india-
rubber, leather, gutta percha, or kamptulicon, and may be of various forms,
sizes, and materials to each other in the same skate; or other suitable
substance, combination of substances, varnish, or other waterproofing
process is to be applied to wooden wheels, and size or varnish to the oil
boxes to prevent the oil from soaking away.
The brush may be of steel or brass wire, or of whalebone, bristles, or
other suitable materials or combination of materials. The ratchet works
on a pin at F, Figure 13, and rests on the middle of the wheels.
Ratchets of any usual form may be applied to these wheels, but
preference is to be given to two small ones acting on the sides of each
wheel, they may be applied to one or more of the wheels. I also apply
two ratchets to act in opposite ways on one wheel so that it cannot be

page_text: moved in any direction, it being thus fixed for the purpose of walking
In this case I also employ an elastic band or spring to throw them
out of action when not required for use.
on.
The ratchet G, Fig. 3, has to be provided with a roller to run on the
ground when not in action, but which acts on the wheel when the heel
is raised off the ground; the brush may be attached to the front part, as
shewn in the Drawing, Figure 5
The swivel is to have friction rollers and recesses for lubricating
purposes between the bearing points and at the pivot. Jaggs or sharp
points on the surface of the sole to prevent the foot from slipping.
○ Pads for raising the heel of the boot are also provided in a case of
low heeled boots being used.
The muffle or skid may consist of a leather or india-rubber band to fit
over the front part of the foot and embrace one of the wheels, so that it
3. cannot revolve; this is for the purpose of walking over ground not fit
for skating, or going up steps, &c.
5
Propellors may have an elastic pad of india-rubber or other suitable
material fixed on the under part which is intended to touch the
ground.
Propellors and breaks when applied to ice skates may have spikes
or be roughed or serated so as to bite the ice in the same manner as the
propellor and breaks take hold on the floor.
Pairs of ice runners may be fixed outside the frames, shewn in the
Drawings in any suitable way in substitution for the wheels.
A pair of heel slips may be added to them instead of the screw in the
heel as now generally used on ice skates.
One variety of frame consists in making it in two parts, the front part
being connected to the back by a screw rod, this allows the foot to twist
latterally as it would in an ordinary leather boot.
0 And in another case I fixed the bearings for the carrier or working
wheels on the heel of the boot, the front wheel being on the front part
of the skate, and entirely detached from the heel part.

page_text: The general arrangement and combination of parts, substantially as
illustrated and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Watkins, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.