IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER SKATES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Bliss, of Lewisham, in the
County of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER
SKATES."
Sealed the 9th May 1876, and dated the 12th November 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Bliss at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th November 1875.
I, WILLIAM HENRY BLISS, of Lewisham, in the County of Kent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROLLER SKATES," to be as follows:-
According to the first part of these improvements roller skates are
made with four rollers or wheels, two at each end of the foot plate.
The foot plate is formed of wood or other suitable material bevelled at
each side towards the centre of the upper surface at a suitable angle
thereto, and upon it an upper foot plate of metal or other material is
jointed or hinged and fitted with a lever at each end which pass down
through transverse slots in the lower foot plate.

page_text: The rollers or wheels are made of wood or other suitable material of
the required size, and arranged to work freely on an axle to which is
attached a carriage or frame which moves on a centre on the under
surface of the under foot plate. To this carriage or wheel frame a
short arm is fixed in the centre immediately under the under foot plate,
and in this arm a slot or opening is formed of the required shape, into
which slot or opening the end of the lever attached to the top foot plate
descends, and thus by the action of the foot moves the wheels or rollers
into the required position to form the segment of a circle suitable for
skating. The same action is thus applied to each pair of wheels simul-
taneously.

page_text: or five wheels or rollers, or be otherwise combined with any of the
appliances previously. described, and india-rubber or other tyres may be
applied to the rollers of any of the skates above described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Henry Bliss in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY BLISS, of Lewisham, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Henry Bliss, Her special
license, that I, the said William Henry Bliss, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Henry Bliss,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no 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 ROLLER SKATES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Henry Bliss, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, 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.
0
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Henry Bliss, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained.
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
--:
According to the first part of these improvements roller skates are
made with four rollers or wheels, two at each end of the foot plate.

page_text: The foot plate is formed of wood or other suitable material bevelled at
each side towards the centre of the upper surface at a suitable angle:
thereto, and upon it an upper foot plate of metal or other material is
jointed or hinged and fitted with a lever or projection at each end and
which passes down through transverse slots in the lower foot plate.
The rollers or wheels are made of wood or other suitable material of
the required size, and arranged to work freely on an axle to which is
attached a carriage or frame which moves on a centre on the under
surface of the under foot plate. To this carriage or wheel frame a
short arm is fixed in the centre immediately under the under foot place,
and in this arm a slot or opening is formed of the required shape, into.
which slot or opening the end of the lever or projection attached to the
top foot plate descends, and thus by the action of the foot moves the
wheels or rollers into the required position to form the segment of a
circle suitable for skating. The same action is thus applied to each pair
of wheels simultaneously.
The action of the wheels is also governed by an clastic band or other
suitable spring or springs.
The ordinary or other suitable straps or fastenings are employed for
securing these roller skates to the feet.
And in order that this part of my improvements may be clearly
understood and readily carried into practice, I will proceed to describe
the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a side view of a skate constructed in accordance with this
part of my Invention, and advantageously made of thin steel.
Figure 2 shows a front view; Figure 3, a plan of the lower foot
plate.
And Figures 4 and 5 show one of the wheel carriages or frames.
a is the lower foot plate formed with slots 9, g, into which the lever
arms, pins, or projections d, d, (rivetted to the upper foot plate 6) pass;
c, c, are the wheel carriages or frames secured to the lower foot plate a
by a bolt k, which allows the wheel frame to bave a radial motion; h is
a slot formed in the wheel frame c smaller than the slots g in which the
lever arms d, d, move; 1, 1, are hooks on the wheel frames to which a
spring is attached, made of suitable material, which assists the india-

page_text: rubber cushions e, e, to keep the axles of the wheels parallel; i, i, are
axes which connect the upper and lower foot plates together and upon
which the upper foot plate rocks.
The action of the skate is as follows:-When the foot is thrown on
one side, the upper foot plate 6 moving on the bolts i compresses the
india-rubber cushions e, e, and at the same time the lever arms d, d,
moving freely in the slots g, g, in the foot plate a press against the sides
of the slots b, b, in the wheel frames c, c, and moves the axles of the
wheels from a parallel to an angular position so as to enable the skater
to make a curve of any desired radius, according as the foot is thrown
on one side or the other. When the pressure of the foot is taken
off the side of the skate the india-rubber cushions e, e, expand, and in
connection with the spring bring the axles of the rollers into a parallel
position again.
Roller skates are also constructed in accordance with these improve-
ments with four rollers or wheels, two at the toe and two at the heel of
the ordinary foot plate arranged underneath the same.
The frame of the wheels or rollers is made with a slot on either side
so as to allow of the foot plate rocking on the axle, which rocking is
governed by suitable side springs and an arm fixed to the upper centre
of the wheel frame, which is also governed by a suitable spring or
springs so as to guide or allow the wheels to adjust themselves into the
requisite segment of a circle for skating.
Figures 6 and 7 show another form of roller skate with an ordinary
foot plate a, underneath which are secured by screws or otherwise
two frames b, b, of peculiar construction; c, c, are slots inclined at an
angle of 45°, in which the axles d, d, are free to move. The edges of
the slots towards the wheels are curved so as to allow free motion, and a
central rib g keeps the axle in the centre of the slots when the foot
plate is level. The spaces h, h, may be filled with india-rubber to form
a spring, or a steel spring h', ', may be used instead.
In this skate when the foot is thrown on one side the india-rubber
cushions at h are compressed, and the axle of the wheel rides up the
side of one of the slots and down the other in such a manner that the
axles are inclined to each others. When the foot is straightened the
springs move the axles into a parallel position again.
According to another part of these improvements a roller skate is

page_text: constructed with six wheels (three in front and three behind), the centre
wheels being so much larger than the side ones that the necessary
inclination is obtained on either side for skating. The wheels work on
on axle in a frame which is arranged under an ordinary foot plate, the
whole being made of suitable materials.
To the wheel frames a short arm is attached governed by a spring or
springs so as to give the necessary play to the wheel frame to form the
segment of a circle required for skating.
I find it advantageous in this skate to use only two wheels, thus
forming a bicycle skate that may be fitted with an ancle guard, as shewn
in Figure 10 of the Drawings.
This improved construction of skate may also be made with two,
four, or five wheels or rollers, or be otherwise combined with any of the
appliances previously described, and india-rubber or other tyres may be
applied to the rollers of any of the skates herein described.
Figures 8, 9, and 10, shew a different roller skate to either of those
previously described, being a bicycle skate. Figure 8 shows a section ;
Figure 9, an under side view; and Figure 10, a side elevation of this
skate with the ancle protector p attached. a is the foot plate; b, b, are
the wheel carriers secured to a bent piece of steel c (let into the foot
plate a) by a rivet f; d, d, are steel springs fixed to the foot plate a by
the brackets g, g9; these springs act on both edges of the pegs e, e,
which are cast on the wheel carriers b, b; i, i, are the axles which are
not placed immediately under the rivet ƒ but a little way inside.
The action of this skate is as follows:-The points where the wheel
carriers are fixed being out of the centre line of the axle, when any
pressure is put on the side of the skate the axles will assume different
angles so as to alter the direction of the motion as required.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner
of performing or carrying the same into practice, I would have it
understood that I do not limit myself to the exact details herein-
before described and represented in the Drawings, as they may be
considerably varied without departing from the true character of my
Invention, but what I claim is,―--
First. The improved arrangement and construction of roller skates
with an upper and a lower foot plate combined with roller carriages or

page_text: •
frames capable of being controlled in their movement and action by
the lever d, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-
before described and shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the Drawings
annexed.
Secondly. I claim the improved arrangement and construction of
roller skates with a central rib g in the wheel carriers, the movement
of the rollers being controlled and arranged to act substantially in the
manner herein-before described and represented in Figures 6 and 7 of
the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Thirdly. I claim the improved arrangement and construction of
roller skates, the movements of the rollers being controlled and arranged
to act substantially in the manner herein-before described and represented
in Figures 8 and 9 of the Drawings annexed.
Fourthly. I claim the improved arrangement and construction of
roller skates with an ancle guard or protection, substantially in the
manner herein-before described and represented in Figure 10 of the
Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Bliss, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
W.C.
W. H. BLISS. (L.S.)