AN IMPROVEMENT IN SKIPPING ROPES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We, EDWARD TOMLINSON, and JOHN GEORGE STRONG, Engineers, both of
23 Rood Lane, in the City of London, do hereby declaro, the nature of our
Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN SKIPPING ROPES" to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to an Improvement in the attachment of Ropes to the
handles by which such ropes are turned and is designed to prevent the twisting of
the said ropes, when in use.
Our invention consists of attaching to each of the handles a swivel, preferably
constructed of metal, one part of which is rigidly fixed to the handle, and the
other part, (which is free to turn in that part which is fixed to the handle) is
attached to the rope.
!
...
The rope is thus free to turn on its own axis relatively to the handles and will
not become twisted when in use.
We are aware that skipping ropes are at present passed through hollow handles
and secured with knots outside and inside the said handles, with probably the
same object in view as that attained by our invention, but it is found in practice
that the frictional resistance of such an attachment is too great to permit the rope
to turn freely on its axis, and that consequently the rope soon twists upon itself,
deforming the shape of the loop of the rope, and thus shortly interfering with the
movements of the skipper.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
We EDWARD TOMLINSON and JOHN GEORGE STRONG, Engineers both of 23 Rood
Lane in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN SKIPPING ROPES" and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
Our invention relates to an improvement in the attachment of ropes to the
handles by which such ropes are turned, and is designed to prevent the twisting of
the said ropes when in use,

page_text: Our invention consists in attaching to each of the Handles a swivel preferably
constructed of metal or other suitable material one part of which is rigidly fixed
to the handle, and the other part, (which is free to turn in that part which is fixed
to the handle,) is attached to the rope. The rope is thus free to turn on its own
axis relatively to the handles and will not become twisted when in use.
In order that our said invention may be clearly understood and carried into
practice we will now describe the drawings hereto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig 1 shows a section of the working parts of our swivel attachment. D represents
the rope attached to swivel part-C, which revolves in chamber B, which is rigidly
attached to handle A.
Fig. 2 is another form of our swivel action, D is the rope, B is a ring, not in
section, C is a ball to which the rope is attached revolving in the ring B which is
rigidly attached to handle A.
Fig. 3 shows another section of top part of handle with swivel action C in
hollow chamber B, in which revolves ball E, attached to ropo D.-The hollow
chamber B is in two parts for the convenience of inserting revolving ball actuated
by rope D-Divisions of chamber B are firmly fixed together.
Fig. 4 is a section showing rope D'inserted in solid ball B fastened by moveable
pin E through rope D,-ball B revolves on swivel F which is rigidly fixed to the
bandle.
We do not limit ourselves to any special form of handle as they may be greatly
varied and we do not lay any special claim to the swivel action which is well
known and in common use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
The combination, application, and attachment, by the said swivel action in
various forms to the said handles of skipping ropes, for the purpose of preventing
the said ropes from twisting when in action and to act substantially in the manner
and for the purpose herein before fully described and represented by Figures N° 1.
2. 3 and 4.