Untitled record

Application filed April 4, 1885.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John Ξ. Thompson, of the city of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented certain e new and useful Improvements in RollerSkates, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention consists in an improved construction of the mounting for the rolls of _IO roller-skates, - whereby said rolls, while permitted the usual rocking motion, are held comparatively rigid in their normal position. This construction consists in flat surfaces on the hangers and wheel-frames, which come 15 together and are held in contact by a spring, ° as will be hereinafter more fully described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof, and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar 2o parts, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a skate embodying my invention, one of the rollers being removed; Fig^-. 2, a rear elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a central section on the dotted line 3 3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a sectional view 25 looking toward the left from the dotted line ³ 4 4 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 a sectional view looking downwardly from the dotted line 5 5 in Fig. 3.

In said drawings the portions marked A 50 represent the foot-plate of the skate; B, the hangers; C, the wheel-frames; D, the pivotshafts; E, the springs, and F an arch-shaped spring extending from one wheel-frame to the other underneath the foot-plate.

,- The foot-plate A is of any ordinary or preferred form, and carries the hangers B, which are secured thereto in the ordinary and wellknown manner. Said hangers B have the ordinary bearings for the diagonally-set pivot40 shafts, and also have flattened surfaces, δ, against which similar surfaces on the wheelframes rest, and other flattened surfaces δ', which serve as a guide to the nuts by which the tension of the springs is regulated. The 45 flattened surfaces δ are preferably V-shaped, as shown mostplainly in Fig. 3, and the wheelframes are thus always guided back to their normal positions when acted upon by the force of the springs.

The wheel-frames C carry the wheels or roll ers on shafts secured therein in the ordinary manner. The upwardly-extended portions, c' c²,have bearings for the diagonally-set pivotshafts, and the portions c' have, in’ addition, flattened surfaces corresponding to the flat- 55 tened surfaces δ of the hangers, and which fit against and operate upon said flattened surfaces δ, as shown.

The pivot-shafts D extend through the bearings in the hangers and wheel-frames, and se- 60 cure said wheel-frames to said hangers. They are screw-threaded for a portion of their length, . and carry nuts d, which are prevented from turning thereon by the flattened surfaces b' on the hangers, whereby the springs may be com- 65 pressed, and the rigidity of the movement thus regulated by simply turning said pivot-shafts with a wrench or screw-driver.

The springs E surround thepivot-shafts,and are interposed between the lower portions of 70 the hangers and the nuts d, as shown, and thus tend to force the pivot-shafts upwardly and hold the wheel-frames in close contact with the hangers, said pivot-shafts being provided on the outer ends with heads or nuts d'. 75

The flat or arched spring F has holes in its ends, through which the pivot-shafts D pass, mid said ends thus serve as washers for the heads or nuts on the outer ends of said pivotshafts in addition to their function of re-en- 80 forcing or aiding the springs E in holding the wheel-frames in close contact with the hangers. This spring, however, may be dispensed with, and short metal strips secured to the hangers be used instead, which will answer 85 the purpose of washers quite as well, which is the principal use of this device. I prefer the form shown, however, as it not only supplements and re-enforces the spring E, but also serves to some extent to brace and strengthen 90 the foot-plate.

The operation is as follows: When the skate is in use, the skater in turning,as is well known, rocks or cants his foot. This operates to rock the wheel-frames on the hangers, and the flat- 95 tened surfaces on said hangers and frames, aided by their V-shaped formation, operate to draw the pivot-shafts endwise, compressing the springs. Whenthe force of this movement is relaxed, the spring draws the wheel-frames 100

322,504 back into their normal position, the Λ-shaped Surfaces thereon fitting back closely into the V-shaped surfaces on the hangers.