IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROLLER SKATES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Kemp, of Hackney Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanic, and David Allen, of High Street,
Shoreditch, in the same County, China Dealer, for the Invention
Sealed the 18th February 1876, and dated the 2nd October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Kemp and
David Allen at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 2nd October 1875.
We, STEPHEN KEMP, of Hackney Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanic, and DAVID ALLEN, of High Street, Shoreditch, in the same
County, China Dealer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROLLER SKATES," to
be as follows:—
This Invention relates to an entirely new and novel construction of
roller skate, enabling the wearer to move about with the greatest ease
and facility in any direction or perform any gyration desired, also to
travel at great speed on any ordinary smooth surface,

page_text: The main features of the Invention consist in a lever or piston rod
working in a swivel socket, which socket is attached to the outside of the
leg just below the knee by means of straps. At the bottom of the lever or
piston rod is a crank turning inwards, on which crank the foot plates
are attached directly under the ball of the foot by means of hinges or
bands, to allow the heel to rise or fall at the will of the wearer.
The wheels or rollers consist of one large and one small or auxiliary
one. The large or principal wheel is attached to the lever or piston rod
by a short axle placed horizontally above the foot plate, and is main-
tained in an upright position by means of antifriction plates placed on
the surface and inside a carriage containing a small antifriction roller
attached to the crank, and so placed as to come in contact with the
antifriction plates, and thereby preventing any undue friction or strain
on the axle or wheel when turning sharp curves.
The back or auxiliary wheel is held by stays directly under the heel
and attached to the foot plate. The tyres of the two wheels may be
hollowed to receivo leather or india-rubber at the option of the user.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Stephen Kemp and David Allen in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 1st April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, STEPHEN
KEMP, of Hackney Road, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanic, and
DAVID ALLEN, of High Street, Shoreditch, in the same County, China
Dealer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said Stephen Kemp and David
Allen, Her special license that we, the said Stephen Kemp and David
Allen, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said Stephen Kemp and David Allen, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time

page_text: 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF
ROLLER SKATES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Stephen Kemp and David Allen, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Stephen Kemp and David Allen,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
5 manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to
say:-
The Invention relates to an entirely new and novel construction of
skate, enabling the user of the same to move about with the greatest
case and facility in any direction or perform any gyration required, also
to travel at great speed on an ordinary smooth surface.
The main features of the Invention consist in a lever or rod working
in a loose eye, which eye is attached to the leg just below the knee by
means of straps. At the bottom of the rod is a crank or step turning
› inwards, on which crank the foot plate is attached directly under the
ball of the foot by a joint which allows the heel to rise or fall at the
will of the user.
The wheels consist of one large and one small auxiliary. Tho
principal wheel may conveniently be say from 12 to 20 inches in
diameter. It is attached to the lever or rod by a short axle placed
horizontally outside, and about two inches above the foot plate. To
avoid strain on the axle an antifriction plate is placed on the surface of
the wheel and a small antifriction roller or rollers is attached to the
lever or rod so as to come in contact with the antifriction plato and
5 thereby prevent any undue friction or strain on the axle or wheel when
striking out or turning sharp curves.

page_text: The back wheel may be about four inches in diameter, and maintained
by carriages and stays directly under the heel and attached to the foot
plate; the tyres of the wheels may be fluted or hollowed out to receivo
leather or india-rubber at will of the user.
The back wheel may be about four inches in diameter, and maintained
by carriages and stays directly under the heel and attached to the foot
plate; the tyres of the wheels may be fluted or hollowed out to receive
leather or india-rubber at will of the user.
In order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect we will proceed to describo the Drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 is a back view of a roller or
wheel skate constructed according to our Invention.
a is the lever or rod, to which is attached the stud axlo a' of the main
wheel b. The upper end of the lever or rod a rises to the knee of the
person wearing the skate, and just below the knee it passes through the
eyes c, c, which are attached to the leather garter shown at Figure 3,
which is strapped around the leg. The eyes c, c, are able to pivot about
the stud c', and the portion of the rod a which passes through the eyes
is made round and smooth so that it may be able to play freely up
and down through the eyes in order not to constrain the motions of
the leg.
The wheel b, as shown in the Drawing, has a concave tyre, which |
receives an elastic tyre 6* of vulcanized india-rubber resembling the
tyre of a bicycle wheel; 6' is a smooth ring or antifriction plate fixed to
the spokes of the wheel b, and a³, a², are antifriction rollers carried upon
the rod a. They come into contact with the plate 6¹ whenever a cross
strain has to be resisted. d is a steel crank or step projecting inwards
from the side of the lever or rod a; its inner end is supported by the
iron strap e. f is the foot plate; it is secured to the foot of user by
straps in the same way as an ordinary skate is put on. f¹ are side
flanges underneath the foot plate; they have holes in them to receive
the stud crank or step d, about which the foot plate is able to turn
freely. Several pairs of holes are provided for the purpose of adjust-
ment, as it is important in the use of the skate that the stud crank or
stop & should be beneath the tread of the foot, and we place the greatest
importance on the rod a and revolving foot plate allowing the free use
of the foot. is a fork or carriage fixed beneath the heel of the foot
plate to carry the axis of the small back or auxiliary wheel i. k, k, are

page_text: stays passing from the axis of the wheel to the flanges f¹ of the foot
plate.
The wheel, as represented in the Drawing, is provided with an
elastic tyre similar to that of the larger wheel b. Z is a small brake
lever which we sometimes apply; it is pin jointed to the under side of
the heel of the foot plate. By pulling the string ♬ the front end of the
lever can be brought down against the periphery of the wheel so as
to impede its rotation and check the forward motion of the skater. Pis
a spring which lifts the brake when it is not required.
What we claim is the construction of skates, substantially as
described.