IMPROVEMENTS IN SKATES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles George Beddoe at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd August 1882.
CHARLES GEORGE BEDDOE of Lambeth Road in the County of Surrey
IMPROVEMENTS IN SKATES"
My Invention relating to improvements in skates has reference to the method of
attaching the skate to the boot of the skater, and consists chiefly in the
employment of improved means of causing the side claws for the sole to descend
so as to grip the welt and thus form with the heel claws an effective attachment to
the boot
According to one mode of carrying out my Invention the downward motion is
obtained by means of inclined slots formed (say for example) in the runner, in
which slots, work slides connected together by two pins inclined horizontally, these
pins pass through two blocks, which are arranged at opposite sides of the runner
and are capable of vertical movement; and to these blocks are respectively secured
transversely the side claws for the sole in such relation that when the blocks are
drawn in under the action of the inclined pins, they will at the same time be
drawn downwards under the action of the inclined slots, and the claws thus moved
inwards, and downwards simultaneously, so as to grip the welt. The parts are
operated by means of a connection with the back claws of the heel which are
movable with respect to the heel plate carrying the front heel claw, and are capable
of being adjusted to their proper position against the heel by means of a traversing
screw, and nut, the action being such that after the heel claws are properly adjusted
the continued motion of the screw causes the descent and contraction of the side
claws, thus firmly securing the skate to the boot. In lieu of the slots in the runner
or relatively stationary portion being inclined they may be horizontal and the pins
may be placed at an angle both horizontally, and vertically, the holes in the blocks
being inclined.

page_text: Or I may substitute for the inclined slots a bell crank lever, or levers, and for
the inclined pins, two other bell crank levers connected with the former, the parts
being operated in the same manner as before and producing a similar result, or I
may dispense with the two last mentioned bell crank levers and use the former
alone.
Or I may employ inclined slots in pendent projections from a sliding plate
working beneath the foot plate, the slides which work in such slots being coupled
together by a connecting rod which carries the side claws through the intervention
of a single block. In this case the side claws are by preference arranged at an
angle or obliquely and the back claws for the heel may form part of the stationary
heel plate; the front claw for the heel is made adjustable, and the sliding plate is
operated (after the skate is applied to the boot) by means of a lever having a cam
action, and which may be also formed with a spring to secure the sliding plate in
its adjusted position.
In lieu of placing the side claws at an angle, I may arrange them so as to be
adjustable transversely by providing slots in their stems or carrier block, and secure
them in their adjusted position by means of a set screw or tightening nuts.
Or I may form the inclined slots in the runner as in the modification first
herein before described, and operate the claws so as to produce the requisite vertical
motion by means of a lever the fulcrum of which connected with the incline slides,
works through a slot in the sole plate, the said lever carrying in a slot therein the
moving fulcrum of another lever which works in a slot in the fixed heel plate, and
terminates in the front claw for the heel, whilst the back claws for the heel are
formed in the fixed heel plate. A spring maintains the parts in position as before.
It is obvious that in lieu of the inclined slots being formed in the runner, they
may be made in pendent projections from the sole plate.
As a modification of the preceding arrangement the side claws may be mounted
loosely upon a vertical pivot and operated so as to be turned from a position at
right angles to the sole to an oblique position and simultaneously lowered by
means of rotatory cam surfaces working against or upon each other, and actuated
by the lever mechanism lastly hereinbefore described. This lever mechanism may
also be substituted for the arrangement of traversing screw and nut first
hereinbefore described.
Or a similar result to that attained by the last modification may be accomplished
by a slide acting upon incline or cam surfaces, on the boss of the claws and
operated by two levers jointed together and having their fulcra (which are
horizontal) working in slots. The sole plate is movable on a horizontal axis at the
front of the runner, and one of the said levers which carries the front claw for the
heel passes through a slot in the sole plate, and is provided with projections upon
which the sole plate may operate, so that by the act of stepping upon the sole
plate the parts before mentioned are actuated, after which they are secured in
position by a spring bolt holding the sole plate at the heel. A spring may also
be used for holding the side claws in position in the act of applying the skate to
the boot.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles George Beddoe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd February 1883.
CHARLES GEORGE BEDDOE of Lambeth Road in the County of Surrey.
IMPROVEMENTS IN SKATES
My Invention relating to improvements in skates has reference to the
method of attaching the skate to the boot of the skater and consists chiefly in
the employment of improved means of causing the side claws for the sole to
descend or otherwise move so as to grip the welt and thus form with the heel claws
which are or may be also adjustable, an effective attachment to the boot.
My Invention will be clearly understood by the annexed drawings in which
Figure 1 shows an elevation of a skate according to my first improvement.
A is the blade or runner formed at the toe end with two incline slots B C and
at about the middle of its length with a longitudinal slot D within which trans-
verse pins E F G, can be caused to move by a push in and a draw out action of a
rod H working in guides J J at the heel portion The transverse pins E F are of
different lengths and are connected by rods I I one being on each side of the
runner. The difference of length in the two pins E F causes the rods I I to be
set at an angle so as to be closer together at the pin E than at the pin For
inclined.
Between the two inclined slots B C is a vertical slot within which two arms
KK of side claws L L are guided both in a transverse to and fro movements and
in up and down movements both of which take place simultaneously under the
action of two blocks M M one of which on each side of the runner A is carried
by the rods I I. Each block has one claw arm K fixed to it by a pinch screw N
so that at each movement the arm of the opposite block slides transversely in it
and causes each side claw to approach the sole plate P and grip upon the upper
part or welt of the boot at the same time pulling the sole of the boot firmly down
upon the sole plate P. The transverse pin F is connected by two links QQ (one
being on each end thereof) whose opposite ends are loosely pinned to the block R
which slides in and is guided by the slot D when acted on by the rod H, the links
adjusting themselves to any part of the angled or inclined slots B C in their
motion.
The part of the rod H from x to y is screw threaded to enable it to be "sett" in
the block R for adjustment to suit the size of the boot heel which has to find a
sound bearing on and to the heel plate S and in close contact with the heel claw T
which is a fixture with the plate S. The rear end of the rod H carries two back
claws UU or it may be a single curved plate to fix the back of the boot heel in
position which is effected by the rod H being turned by a key on its square outer
end V or by other convenient means, this turning action of the rod also draws
the two side claws L L into closer contact with the welt and rigidly fixes the boot
in the skate.
In Figure 1 I have shown the skate with the side claws L L in position for the
reception of a boot, the rod H is then drawn back by hand to bring the clawa L L
down upon the welt which they do by reason of the pins E F riding down the
incline slots B C as indicated by Figure 2. This pulling out of the rod H carries
the back heel claws or curved plate U to the position shown at Figure 2, the boot
heel is then forced down upon the heel plate S and slightly forward to catch and
grip against the claw T the rod H is then turned to draw the claw or plate U up to
and in contact with the heel of the boot as at Figure 1 to nip it tight.

page_text: By this Invention the skate is applicable for any thickness of boot sole the side
claws L L being so arranged in conjunction with the angled or inclined slots BC
as to accommodate themselves to a thick sole or to a thin one.
Instead of the slots B C being formed at an angle or inclined as in Figures 1
and 2 they may be parallel but at different levels in the blade or runner A as at
Figure 3. The action of the claws L L are similar in consequence of the rods I I
being set at an angle or inclined the claws then rising and falling as the pins E F
approach the back end or the front end of the slots B C otherwise the action and
the method of fitting the skate to the boot is the same.
Figure 4 shows a modification of appliances for lowering and raising the sole
claws L L by the rod H the slots B C being dispensed with. In this modification
I pivot bell crank levers I I to the blade or runner A and connect the short arms
to the rod H which by a push in action causes the longer arms to descend and to
draw down the claws L L with them. The claws L L may in this case be hinged
to the block which rides in the vertical slot and be caused to approach and grip
upon the top of the sole or welt of the boot by riding in slots of the sole plate, the
claw shanks being gradually thickened towards their upper parts for the purpose,
or other bell cranks I' I can be "sett" to act transversely to the blade as at
Figure 5 and these may be caused to act in conjunction with the side bell
cranks II to ensure the claws L L gripping upon the welt in the descending
movement.
This modified arrangement causes the back heel claws or back curved plate U to
be a fixture to the heel plate S and the front heel claw T to be moveable because
the action of the rod H is the reverse of that described with reference to the
methods described for Figures 1, 2 and 3.
According to Figure 6 I form the inclined slots B C in a vertical plate X which
I arrange to slide to and fro under the sole plate P so as to lower the pins E, F,
and connecting links I I and also the side claws L L when the plate X is pushed
forward which may be by the rod H shown at Figure 1 or by an eccentrically
pivotted finger piece Y as at Figure 6 the front heel claw T moving simultaneously
to grip the front of the boot heel as the finger piece is thrown towards the front of
the skate.
The finger piece is of spring steel and its front end is formed to grip over the
top edge of the blade or runner as shown.
The bell cranks II referred to with reference to Figure 4 by a slight modification
are applicable to the eccentrically pivotted lever shown at Figure 6, by arranging
or pivotting the lever Y loosely in a slotted hole in the sole plate P as at Figure 7.
In this view the side claws L L rise and fall only but they can be "sett" to suit
the width of boot sole so that as they descend they impinge upon and grip the welt
portion.
Figure 8 represents a skate with the spring steel finger piece Y eccentrically and
loosely pivotted to the sole plate P and working in conjunction with the rods I I
whose pins E F ride in inclined slots B C of the blade or runner A to produce the
up and down motions of the side claws L L the front heel claw T having a direct
fore and aft motion given to it by the lever H.
In the methods hereinbefore described I have mentioned that the side claws L L
are lowered to grip the welt of the boot but I can obtain the same purpose by
giving a swinging action to those claws or to one of them only the other of which
may or may not be a fixture to the sole plate.
I have illustrated in diagram Figure 9 the two side claws L L pivotted on a
centre pin Z as to be moved round from the position shown in dotted lines to that
shown by the full lines to catch over the broadest part of the boot sole and upon
the welt when the lever H¹ is pulled round towards the heel portion where it can
be fixed in position, the front heel claw T moving back simultaneously to grip
the heel.
Figure 10 shows an elevation of a skate provided with swing front or sole
claws L L which are brought into a transverse position by a sliding forward action

page_text: of the boot pressing and pushing against one claw, the other claw coming back
simultaneously so that the claws present themselves over the welt at each side of
the boot. The sole plate P in this arrangement is pivotted to the toe a of the
blade or runner A so that it can be lifted at the rear as shown by the dotted lines.
I fix a slotted plate ✗¹ to the under surface of the sole plate P and arrange an
adjustable set screw N in the slot to allow of the front heel claw T being set to
suit the size of the boot heel, the two links I I being pivotted on the pin 6 which
rides in a slotted hole of the blade or runner for the purpose. The front heel
claw T is formed at the end of the link I and moves in a slot in the sole plate Pa
stud c serving as the guide.
At the rear of the blade or runner A I arrange a sliding spring bolt d to engage
in a hole of a curved lock plate e when the sole plate P is down to lock it in that
position, the bolt & being pushed back by the curved catch and guide plate e
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my improvements in skates:-
First: The employment of side claws having a downward travel and simul-
taneously moving to and upon the welt of a boot by the pull back action of
a rod or its equivalent as described and substantially as shown at Figures 1
2 and 3 of the annexed drawings.
Secondly: The modifications herein before described with reference to Figures 4
and 5 in which the rod acts through the intermediation of bell crank levers
upon the side claws to ensure in their lowering action to grip upon the welt
portion of a boot as and for the purposes set forth.
Thirdly: The combination of the back lever and moveable front heel claw acting
in conjunction with the lowering side claws as described with reference to
Figures 6, 7 and 8 of the annexed drawings for the purpose set forth.
Fourthly; The swivelled or centred and downward moving side claws described
with reference to Figure 9 and its modification Figure 10 in which the sole
plate is pivotted at the toe end of the skate and acting upon a drop front
heel claw as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Charles George Beddoe have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twentieth day of February in the year of our Lord, One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
Witness
H GARDNER
Patent Agent
166 Fleet St.
London
CHARLE GEORGE BEDDOE (L.S.)