Improvements in Wheel Skates.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 14th June, 1894-Accepted 28th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheel Skates.
I, JOHN GEORGE AULSEBROOK KITCHEN, of 28 Rose Grove, Ardwick,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Cycle Tyre Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in wheel skates, and has for objects to
enable users of such skates to travel more rapidly than heretofore with very little
additional exertion and also to reduce vibration when skating over uneven
surfaces.
A wheel skate according to this invention comprises a suitable wheel of any
well known construction, such as one having a pneumatic or other flexible tyre, or
a flexible disc wheel, secured in a rigid frame, to one side of which a sliding rod
provided with a foot rest is connected in such a manner as to allow of its being
moved vertically relatively to the wheel. The sliding rod and foot rest (here-
after called a sliding frame) is arranged as near to one side of the wheel as
possible, and is provided with suitable means such as straps by which it can be
secured to one of the skater's legs. A suitable spring is or may be provided
whereby the said sliding frame can, when free, be drawn or forced up to its highest
position. To the sliding frame is connected one end of a flexible connection such
as a band cord or chain the other end of which is passed around and attached to a
suitable clutch wheel or drum that is rotatably mounted upon the axle of the skate
wheel and is capable of slight end wise movement thereon. The adjacent faces of
the boss of the skate wheel and of the clutch wheel or drum are provided with
teeth or projections adapted to engage with each other when the clutch wheel is
rotated in a direction corresponding to the forward direction of the skate wheel
but which when the clutch wheel is rotated in the opposite direction or when the
skate wheel is rotating quicker than the clutch wheel, will become disengaged it
may be against the action of a spring that will serve to re-engage the two parts of
the clutch at the proper times. It will thus be understood that, when the weight
of the skater is brought upon the foot rest and the sliding frame is in its raised
position, the said frame will be caused to descend a given distance and thus, through
the medium of the flexible connection cause the rotation of the clutch wheel the
teeth of which will then engage with the teeth of the skate wheel and thus rotate
the latter wheel. Upon the weight of the skater being taken by the other or
second skate, the sliding frame of the first skate will assume its normal and raised
position and the clutch will be released and rotated in the opposite direction into
its former position ready for again driving the skate wheel forward in the manner
described. In some cases a small idle wheel may be secured to the main frame of
the skate wheel in such a position that when skating, it will be off the ground, but
when the skater is standing still, will rest thereon. The skate wheel may be
provided with a suitable brake when desired.
•
It is to be understood that I do not confine myself to the use of a flexible connection
such as a band, cord or chain for operating the skate wheel in the manner described
as toothed gearing or equivalent mechanical mechanism may be employed for
transmitting the downward motion of the sliding frame to the skate wheel without
departure from the essential features of my invention.
Dated this 14th day of September 1893.

page_text: Improvements in Wheel Skates.
I, JOHN GEORGE AULSEBROOK KITCHEN, of 28, Rose Grove, Ardwick,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Cycle Tyre Manufacturer, 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 improvements in wheel skates, and has. for object to
enable users of such skates to travel more rapidly than heretofore with very little
additional exertion and also to reduce vibration when skating over uneven surfaces.
A wheel skate according to this invention comprises a suitable wheel, of any.
well known construction, such as one having a pneumatic or other flexible tyre, or
a flexible disc wheel, secured in a rigid frame, to one side of which a sliding rod
provided with a foot rest is connected in such a manner as to allow of its being
moved vertically relatively to the wheel. The sliding rod and foot rest (herein-
after called a sliding frame) is arranged as near to one side of the wheel as
possible, and is provided with suitable means, such as straps, by. which it can be
secured to one of the skater's legs. A suitable spring is or may be provided
whereby the said sliding frame can, when free, be drawn or forced up to its highest
position. To the sliding frame is connected one end of a flexible connection such
as a band, cord or chain the other end of which is passed around and attached to a
suitable clutch wheel or drum that is rotatably mounted upon the axle of the skate
wheel and is capable of slight end wise movement thereon. The adjacent faces. of
the boss of the skate wheel and of the clutch wheel or drum are provided with
teeth or projections adapted to engage with each other when the clutch wheel is
rotated in a direction corresponding to the forward direction of the skate wheel,
but which, when the clutch wheel is rotated in the opposite direction, or when the
skate wheel is rotating quicker than the clutch wheel, will become disengaged, it
may be against the action of a spring that will serve to re-engage the two parts of
the clutch at the proper times. It will thus be understood that, when the weight
of the skater is brought upon the foot rest and the sliding frame is in its raised
position, the said frame will be caused to descend a given distance and thus,
through the medium of the flexible connection, cause the rotation of the clutch
wheel the teeth of which will then engage with the teeth of the skate wheel and
thus rotate the latter wheel. Upon the weight of the skater being taken, by the
other or second skate, the sliding frame of the first skate will assume its normal
and raised position and the clutch will be released and rotated in the opposite
direction into its former position ready for again driving the skate wheel forward
in the manner described. In some cases a small idle wheel may be secured to the
main frame of the skate wheel in such a position that when skating, it will be off
the ground, but when the skater is standing still will rest thereon. The skate
wheel may be provided with a suitable brake when desired.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a wheel skate according to this invention with the
foot rest or sliding frame in its raised or normal position.
Fig. 2 is a similar view but slightly modified and with the foot rest depressed.
Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation.
Fig. 4 is a plan of the skate shewn in Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the skate shewn in Fig. 2 partly in section.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing the wheel axle and clutch mechanism in
central horizontal section.
Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the clutch mechanism with driving pawls, the
driving shaft being in cross section.
Fig. 8 is a detail view illustrating the driving mechanism and the rewinding chain.

page_text: A is a light cycle wheel of any well known form such as is employed in racing
machines. It is provided with ball bearings and rotates on an axle B secured at
each of its ends to a rigid forked frame, formed of two light tubular members CC
arranged parallel with each other and securely held together by stay pieces D, D', E.
and F. One arm of the rigid frame C C is considerably longer than the other and
extends below the axis of the wheel A and forms guide-ways for the sliding frame.
The opposite or shorter arm terminates in the stay piece D' to which one end of the
axle B is secured. The other end of the axle extends through a slot D' in
the permanently fixed middle stay D secured to the tubular members C C of the
rigid frame, and is held in position by a nut as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3..
The stay E secures the lower ends of the members C C together and at fixed
distances apart and a similar stay piece F, placed in any convenient position, such
as directly over the wheel A, Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, serves to secure the upper ends of
the members CC together.
The sliding frame consists of two parallel tubular bars G G held rigidly together
near their upper ends by a cross piece H which is also adapted to form a slide that
moves vertically on the longer arms of the guides C C. The lower ends of the
bars G G are connected together by another slide which may be formed with a.
suitable foot plate J on which the skater's foot rests and to which it is secured by
the toe strap K. The slides H and J are placed as far away from each other as
the height of the rigid frame C C of the skate will allow, so as to permit them to-
alide freely, and they may be provided with loose adjustable caps, if necessary, to
take up wear. The sliding frame is made sufficiently long to terminate a little
below the skater's knee and is provided with straps K' K' and with suitable leg pads,
not shown.
The foot plate and combined slide J is provided with an inwardly projecting
pin L to which is attached a flexible chain M (Fig. 3) also shown by the dotted
lines in Figs. 1 & 2. The other end of this chain is wound around the circumference
of and is attached to a clutch drum N (Figs. 6, 7 & 8) for rotating it in one
direction. Another similar chain P is also wound on the same drum by the side of
the other one, and in the same direction, its lower end being secured to the clutch
drum N and its upper end to a coiled spring Q connected to the rigid frame C as
shown in Figs. 1, 2 & 3. The arrangement is such that when there is no pressure
upon the sliding frame G, the spiral spring Q will draw the said frame into the
position shown in Fig. 1 and cause the chain M to be coiled partly around the clutch
drum, and when the weight of the skater is placed upon the foot plate J the latter
will descend and extend the spring Q as shown in Figs. 2 & 3 and store energy
therein in readiness to again return the sliding frame and attached parts to their
original position when the foot plate is again relieved of pressure. In this way the
clutch drum N is caused to revolve alternately in opposite directions and keep the
chains M and P always in tension.
The clutch drum may be arranged to have a slight end wise movement on the
axle B so as to enable the adjacent faces of the wheel boss and the clutch drum,
when the faces of these two parts are each formed with ratchet teeth, to engage.
with one another, when the wheel is rotated in a direction corresponding to the
forward direction of the skate wheel, and to become disengaged from each other
when the clutch wheel is rotated in the opposite direction, or when the skate wheel
is rotating more quickly than the clutch wheel or drum, a light spring being
employed to hold the clutch in gear at the proper time.
Instead however of forming ratchet teeth on the face of the clutch drum, with
which arrangement a slight endwise motion must necessarily be provided for, I
prefer to mount the drum N on ball bearings and provide it with one or more
ratchet pawls N' N¹ (Figs. 6 & 7) that will engage with ratchet teeth formed on
the periphery of the flange A' of the wheel boss. The pawls N' are so weighted
that when revolving quickly the centrifugal force will cause their free ends to engage
with the ratchet teeth, the arrangement being such that one or other of them will
be in gear when the wheel is at rest.

page_text: In some classes of wheel skates suitable for inexperienced persons or learners, a
small idle wheel R may be provided; it is secured to the rigid frame C C by a
kind of back bone F1 that extends from the upper stay F in a similar manner to
that of the back-bone of an "ordinary" bicycle, except that the two wheels A
and R are always maintained in the same plane, though if required the back wheel
may have a swivel joint. The lower side stay bar E' is a continuation of the
distance piece E and is connected with the back bone F and with one end of the
axle R', the opposite end of which is connected by another stay bar D' which
extends from the stay D'. By this arrangement the rigid frame is considerably
strengthened. The idle wheel R may be made very light and be provided with a
solid rubber tyre if necessary; or it may be dispensed with, and the stay bars D'
and E and back bone F' continued to near the level of wheel tread and terminate
in a shoe S (Fig. 2) which may be used as a brake when the skater leans
backward sufficiently to bring the shoe into contact with the ground. Or the
said stay bars may be dispensed with altogether, according to the class of skate
required.
It is to be understood that I do not confine myself to the use of a flexible connection
such as a band, cord or chain for operating the skate wheel in the manner described
as toothed gearing or equivalent mechanical mechanism may be employed for trans-
mitting the downward motion of the sliding frame to the skate wheel without
departure from the essential features of my invention.
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. A wheel skate comprising a single running wheel mounted in a frame, and
connected by suitable driving mechanism with a vertically reciprocating sliding
frame guided by the first mentioned frame and provided with a foot rest and with
means such as a spring for raising it when not subjected to pressure, the arrange-
ment being such that the said reciprocating frame will be depressed against the
action of the spring, and the wheel rotated in a forward direction when the weight
of the skater is brought upon the said foot rest, and when the weight is removed
from the foot rest, the reciprocating frame and attached parts will be returned to
their normal position by the action of the springs in readiness to be again operated
substantially as herein described.
2. A wheel skate of the kind referred to in the preceding claim in which the
vertically sliding frame is connected by a chain or like flexible connection to a
drum provided with teeth or with pawls adapted to automatically gear with
ratchet teeth on the boss of the skate wheel when the sliding frame is depressed,
and a second flexible connection secured to the drum and to a spring is used
to rewind the first mentioned flexible connection onto the said drum and return
the sliding frame to its raised and normal position substantially as herein
described.
3. A wheel skate of the kind referred to in the preceding claims having a ridged
backwardly extending frame provided with an idle wheel or with a pad or rest that
can be brought into contact with the ground when desired substantially as described
for the purpose specified.
4. The improved wheel skate constructed arranged and operating substantially as
herein before described with reference to and shown in the drawings annexed,
whether with or without the idle wheel R or pad or rest S.
Dated this 14th day of June 1894.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.