AN IMPROVED SKATE FASTENING
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick John Cheesbrough, of 15, Water
Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED SKATE FASTENING."-A communication from abroad
by Edward Lawson Fenerty, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the
Dominion of Canada.
Sealed the 29th April 1873, and dated the 18th November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick John
Cheesbrough at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 18th November 1872.
I, FREDERICK JOHN CHEESBrough, of 15, Water Street, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED SKATE FASTENING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in skate fastenings, which
shall be light, strong, simple in construction, conveniently adjusted, and
so constructed that they may be adjusted to different sized boots without
a key or wrench, and can be firmly secured to the boot by a single
motion, and it consists in the combination and construction of the

page_text: various parts by which the toe and heel fastenings are adjusted and
held, as herein-after more fully described.
A fastener, according to this Invention, may be thus described :-
A plate is attached to the rear end or heel of the skate runner, having
lugs or projections on the under surface of the same.
These lugs
are slotted to receive the skate runner, to which the heel plate is
attached by rivets or screws passing through the lugs. The forward
end of the heel plate is bent upward, and has rearwardly projecting teeth
formed upon its edge to take hold of the front side of the boot heel and
hold it securely. A second plate is placed upon the upper side of the
heel plate proper and secured to it by a rivet or screw, which passes
through a longitudinal slot in the said heel plate, so that upper plate
can slide back to receive and forward to clamp the boot heel, the
said slot being sufficiently long to adapt the fastenings to be used upon
larger or smaller boot heels. On this upper plate are projections or jaws
formed upon the side parts of the rear end of the plate, which are bent
or project upwards to rest against and clamp the boot heel at the back,
Upon one side of the forward end of the upper plate is formed a
projection which passes forward through a slot in the turned part of
the heel plate. This projection has teeth formed upon its lower side.
A lever is pivoted to the side of the skate runner by a screw or rivet.
The forward end of the lever is rounded off and has teeth formed upon
it, which take into the teeth on the projection before mentioned, so that
the upper plate may be removed back and forward to release and clamp
the boot heel by operating the lever. To the rear end of the lever is
pivoted a catch, which may be turned into a notch in the rear end of the
skate iron to lock the lever when on the boot heel. The teeth upon
the rounded forward end of the lever are so arranged that by turning
the rear end of the lever forward they may be thrown out of gear with
the teeth of the projections on the upper plate, so as to allow the plate
to be worked forward or back one, two, or more teeth to adjust it to the
size of the boot heel to be clamped. A block having a slotted lug or
projection formed upon its lower side receives the edge of the skate
runner, to which it is secured, forms the bearing for the foot or front.
The top of the block is recessed longitudinally to form a groove or
channel to receive sliding plates or jaws. The parts of the plates or jaws
that enter the groove in the top of the block are halved. An upper plate
is placed upon the top of the said plates or jaws, and made with side or

page_text: front projections, so that the plate may be grasped firmly to turn it.
To the centre of the upper plate is attached a screw which passes down
through the space between the edges of the plates or jaws, and screws
into the centre of the front or foot block, so that by turning the upper
plate one way the plates or jaws will be securely clamped and held by
and between the upper plate and the foot block, and by turning the said
plate an opposite way the plates or jaws will be released, so that they
may be readily adjusted to the width of the boot sole.
When the fastenings have been adjusted to the size of the boot the
skate is placed upon the boot sole with the rear side of the boot heel
resting against the jaws. The lever is then turned back, which draws
the plate and skate iron back, forcing the jaws against the forward side
of the boot heel, and drawing the forward fastening back from a
narrower to a wider part of the boot sole to clamp the edges of the said
sole and hold it firmly. The skate is thus secured to the boot by a single
movement of the lever. The catch on the lever is then turned into its
notch and the skate is locked upon the boot.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick John Cheesbrough in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 14th May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
JOHN CHEESBROUGH, of 15, Water Street, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,.
give and grant unto me, the said Frederick John Cheesbrough, Her
special licence, that I, the said Frederick John Cheesbrough, my.
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said.
Frederick John Cheesbrough, 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:

page_text: Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED SKATE FASTENING," a com-
munication to me from abroad by Edward Lawson Fenerty, of Halifax,
Nova Scotia, in the Dominion of Canada, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Frederick John Cheesbrough, my exccutors 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 Frederick John Cheesbrough, 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, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, of which,-
Figure 1 is a bottom view of a skate to which this improved fastening
can be applied; Figure 2 is a side view of same; Figure 3 is a top
view of the forward fastening, the middle part of the top plate being
broken away to show the construction.
This Invention relates to improvements in skate fastenings which shall
be light, strong, simple in construction, conveniently adjusted, and so
constructed that it may be adjusted to different sized boots without a key
or wrench, and can be firmly secured to the boot by a single motion, and
it consists in the combination and construction of the various parts by
which the toe and heel fastenings are adjusted and held, as herein-after
more fully described.
A is a plate attached to the rear end or heel of skate runner C, C;
B, B, B, B, are lugs or projections on the under surface of the same, and
are slotted to receive the skate runner C, C, to which the heel plate is
attached by rivets or screws passing through the lugs. The forward
end A¹ is bent upward, and has rearwardly projecting teeth formed upon
its edge to take hold of the front side of the boot heel and hold it
securely. D is a plate placed upon the upper side of the plate A, and
secured to it by a rivet or screw which passes through a longitudinal
slot in the said plate A, so that the said plate D can be slid back
to receive forward to clamp the boot heel, the said slot being suffi-
ciently long to adapt the fastenings to be used upon larger or smaller
.

page_text: boot heels. D are projections or jaws formed upon the side parts of the
rear end of the plate D which are bent or project upwards to rest against
and clamp the boot heel at the rear. Upon one side of the forward end
of the plate D is formed a projection D³, which passes forward through a
slot in the jaw A', and has teeth formed upon its lower side, as shown in
Figures 1 and 2. E is a lever, which is pivoted to the side of the skate
iron C, C, by a screw or rivet. The forward end of the lever E is
rounded off, and has teeth formed upon it to mesh into the teeth of the
projections D³, so that the plate A may be moved back and forward to
release and clamp the boot heel by operating the lever E. To the rear
end of the lever E is pivoted a catch, which may be turned into a notch
in the rear end of the skate iron C, C, to lock the lever when on the boot
heel. The teeth upon the rounded forward end of the lever E are so
arranged that by turning the rear end of the lever forward they may be
thrown out of gear with the teeth of the projections D³ to allow the
plate D to be slid forward or back one, two, or more teeth to adjust it to
the size of the boot heel to be clamped. L is a block having a slotted
lug or projection formed upon its lower side to receive the edge of the
skate iron C, C, to which it is secured. The top of the block is recessed
longitudinally to form a groove or channel to receive the sliding plates
or jaws K, K. The parts of the plates K, K, that enter the groove in
the top of the block L are halved, as shown in Figure 3. M, M, is a
plate placed upon the top of the jaws or plates K, K, and made with
side or front projections or other irregular form, so that it may be
3 grasped firmly to turn it. To the centre of the centre of the plate M, M,
is attached a screw T, which passes down through the space between the
edges of the inner parts of the plates or jaws K, K, and screws into the
centre of the toe block L, so that by turning the plate M, M, one way"
the plates or jaws K, K, will be securely clamped and held by and
between the plates M and the toe block L, and by turning the said
plate M, M, an opposite way the plates or jaws K, K, will be released,
so that they may be readily adjusted to the width of the boot sole.
When the fastenings have been adjusted to the size of the boot the skate
is placed upon the boot sole with the rear side of the boot heel resting
against the jaws D. The lever E is then turned back, which draws the
plate A and skate iron C, C, back, forcing the jaws A' against the
forward side of the boot heel, and drawing the forward fastening back
from a narrower to a wider part of the boot sole to clamp the edges of
the said sole and hold it firmly. The skate is thus secured to the boot

page_text: by a single movement of the lever E, the catch on the lever E is then
turned into its notch, and the skate is locked upon the boot.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature, object, and
purposes of this Invention, and how the same may be carried out into
practical effect, I wish it to be understood that what I claim as the
Invention communicated to me by my foreign correspondent is,―
First. The plate A, A¹, B, B, B, B, and plate D, D³, D³, constructed
and operating in connection with each other, and the skate iron C, C, as
herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.
Second. The combination of the lever E, having the catch H pivoted
to its rear end, and provided with teeth upon its rounded forward end
meshing into teeth formed upon the lower side of the projection D* with
the plate D, D³, D³, plate A, A¹, B, B, B, B, and skate iron C, C, as
herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.
Third. The combination of the plate M, M, having the screw T with
the block L and plates K, K, skate iron C, C, and heel fastening A, A¹
B, B, B, B, D, D³, D³, E, H, and skate iron C, C, substantially as herein
shown and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick John Cheesbrough, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
Witness,
FREDERICK JOHN (L.S.) CHEESBROUGH.
JOHN H. REDMOND,
of the Office for Patents,
15, Water Street,
Liverpool.