CA2127241C - In-line skate with adjustable brake - Google Patents
In-line skate with adjustable brakeInfo
- Publication number
- CA2127241C CA2127241C CA002127241A CA2127241A CA2127241C CA 2127241 C CA2127241 C CA 2127241C CA 002127241 A CA002127241 A CA 002127241A CA 2127241 A CA2127241 A CA 2127241A CA 2127241 C CA2127241 C CA 2127241C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- brake pad
- chassis
- brake
- pad support
- upper portion
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
- A43B5/16—Skating boots
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63C—SKATES; SKIS; ROLLER SKATES; DESIGN OR LAYOUT OF COURTS, RINKS OR THE LIKE
- A63C17/00—Roller skates; Skate-boards
- A63C17/04—Roller skates; Skate-boards with wheels arranged otherwise than in two pairs
- A63C17/06—Roller skates; Skate-boards with wheels arranged otherwise than in two pairs single-track type
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63C—SKATES; SKIS; ROLLER SKATES; DESIGN OR LAYOUT OF COURTS, RINKS OR THE LIKE
- A63C17/00—Roller skates; Skate-boards
- A63C17/14—Roller skates; Skate-boards with brakes, e.g. toe stoppers, freewheel roller clutches
Abstract
There is provided for an in-line skate comprising a boot and a wheel-carrying chassis mounted beneath said boot, a brake assembly comprising a brake pad support and a brake pad secured to the underside of the brake pad support. The brake pad support has a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion being pivotally connected to said chassis such that the brake pad is positioned rearwardly from the chassis. The upper portion is secured to the chassis at any selected one of a plurality of attachment points. Each attachment point is the same radial distance from the pivotal connection, whereby the position of the brake pad may be adjusted by rotation about the pivotal connection to one of the attachment points. The attachment points are provided by virtue of the upper portion having a plurality of lateral holes, such that a pin may be inserted through one of the holes and a corresponding hole in the chassis.
Description
2~2~4~
Title: IN-LINE SKATE WITH ADJUSTABLE BRAKE
Inventor: Bernard Daoust Assignee: Canstar Sports Group Inc., of Ville Mont-Royal, Quebec, Canada BACKGROUND OF THE lNV~N~l~lON
This invention relates to in-line skates, and specifically to an adjustable brake for same. The invention could also be readily adapted to conventional roller skates, if desired.
By far the most common braking arrangement for in-line skates is a heel brake, i.e. a brake pad mounted off the back of one or both skates. The skater brings the brake pad into contact with the ground by raising the toe of the skate to rotate it about the rear wheel and pressing down at the heel.
Friction generated between the brake pad and the ground provides the braking force to slow the skater. This friction also results in considerable wear to the brake pad particularly as the surfaces upon which most skating is done are quite hard such as pavement and concrete. The wear on the brake pad is generally quite significant requiring replacement of the brake pads at regular periodic intervals.
Many braking systems for in-line skates include a fixed brake support, not capable of any adjustment. In these systems wear on the brake pad quickly results in the skater having to rotate the skate further and further about the rear wheel in order for the brake pad to come in contact with the ground. This impedes normal skating to a certain degree and ~272~1 can also be dangerous and result in injury if the brake pad is so worn that excessive rotation is required by the skater to achieve contact with the ground. Specifically, additional time may be required to initiate braking or the balance of the skater may be adversely effected when extreme rotation is required.
There have been other prior attempts to include an adjustable braking system for in-line skates. The adjustment means in these prior attempts is typically more difficult and/or time consuming for a skater to perform, thereby reducing the likelihood of the skater performing such adjustments. This in turn makes it more likely that a worn brake pad will remain further from the ground than optimal to achieve efficient and safe braking.
Furthermore, the prior attempts to provide an adjustable braking system have resulted in components that are unnecessarily complex and relatively expensive to manufacture.
Hence it is desirable to have a brake assembly with an adjustable brake pad support so that as the brake pad wears and thus becomes shorter the support can be rotated closer to the ground. This would allow the amount of rotation required to achieve braking to remain relatively constant.
The present invention solves the problems inherent in these previous fixed and adjustable braking systems.
~1~7~
SUMMARY OF THE lNV~N~l~lON
It is an object of the invention to provide an adjustable brake pad support, which permits the brake to be adjusted as the brake pad wears down, so that the proper distance and angle may be maintained between the brake pad and the ground, until the wear reaches a level that the brake pad must be replaced.
Accordingly, in the invention there is provided for an in-line skate comprising a boot and a wheel-carrying chassis mounted beneath the boot, a brake assembly comprising a brake pad support and a brake pad secured to the underside of the brake pad support. The brake pad support has a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion being pivotally connected to the chassis such that the brake pad is positioned rearwardly from the chassis. The upper portion is secured to the chassis at any selected one of a plurality of attachment points. Each attachment point is approximately the same radial distance from the pivotal connection, whereby the position of the brake pad may be adjusted by rotation about the pivotal connection to one of the attachment points. The attachment points are provided by virtue of the upper portion having a plurality of lateral holes, such that a pin may be inserted through one of the holes and a corresponding hole in the chassis.
Further features of the invention will be described or will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description.
~t272~
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, the preferred embodiment thereof will now be described in detail by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is side view of an in-line skate containing the adjustable brake assembly;
Fig. 2 is perspective view of the adjustable brake pad support showing connection to the chassis of the skate;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the brake pad support and brake pad showing in particular the attachment points; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the brake assembly as attached to the chassis showing the range of adjustment provided.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to Fig. 1 primarily, the main components of the skate 1 are: a chassis 3; which carries wheels 4; and a boot 2.
Suitable straps are used to tighten the skate 1 onto the user's foot, such as a cuff strap, and boot straps 5.
The braking system can be seen attached to the rear of the chassis 3 and comprises a brake mount 16, a brake pad 10 and the upper and lower attachments, 14 and 12 respectively.
Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3 primarily, an enlarged view of the brake assembly can be seen. The brake 2 ~ 27~
pad support 16 can be seen to include an upper section 18 and a lower section 20. The upper section 18 includes a plurality of holes 24 which reciprocate with a corresponding hole 26 in the chassis 3. The lower section 20 includes a single hole 22 that is used to attach the lower section to the axle (not shown) of the rearmost wheel 4. The mounting of the lower section 20 to the wheel is provided by a pivotal connection.
Referring now to Fig. 4, the operation of the adjustment mechanism can be seen. In particular, a retaining pin 28 engages the upper section of the brake pad support 18 and the chassis 3 via the holes in the brake pad support 24 and the hole in the chassis 26. As the brake pad 10 wears with use, the distance between the brake pad and the ground will necessarily increase. As stated, this leads to less efficient and potentially more dangerous braking. It is therefore desirable that the worn brake pad could be moved closer to the ground to maintain a relatively constant distance between the ground and the brake pad. This adjustment is permitted through the upper attachment means, and the plurality of attachment holes 26 provided in the brake pad support.
Referring again to Fig. 4 the brake pad support is shown to include three holes and thus three possible positions of adjustment for the brake support. Clearly, more holes could be provided to provide a wider range of adjustment, or as few as two holes could be provided if only two adjustment points were desired.
Fig. 4 depicts the brake support 16 adjusted in the 2 1~724~
median position. This would typically be the position the brake pad support would be adjusted to, after some use, and accordingly some wear of the brake pad 10. As further wear occurred, the pin 28 would be removed and the brake pad support 16 would be rotated downwardly towards the ground and the pin 28 reinserted in the uppermost hole, thereby lowering the brake pad 10 closer to the ground.
Conversely, a skate having a new brake pad 10 would typically be adjusted to the hole closest to the brake pad, thereby raising the brake pad in the furthest position from the ground. Again, as wear progressed the adjustment would then be made to the median position and finally to the lowermost position.
The arrangement of the present invention provides a constant distance between the brake pad and 10 and the rear wheel 4. This is desirable as the "feel" of the engagement of the braking system will remain fairly constant throughout the brake adjustment range. If a structure were to be provided that did not rotate the brake pad in a constant radial distance from the axis of the rear wheel, significant changes in the operation of the braking system could occur. This could be especially dangerous if more than one user employed the same pair of skates and adjustments were made that a user was unaware of.
It will be appreciated that the above description relates to the preferred embodiment by way of example only.
Many variations on the invention will be obvious to those knowledgeable in the field, and such obvious variations are ~7~4~
within the scope of the invention as described and claimed, whether or not expressly described.
For example, it might be possible to configure an adjustable brake system that pivoted about a point in the chassis other than the axle of the rearmost wheel. By further employing a hinged brake mount it would be possible to move the adjustable brake mount from an upper attachment point so that it moved downwardly in a non-concentric arc thereby maintaining the brake pad 10 at a constant radial distance from the rear wheel of the skate. While necessarily more complex than the preferred embodiment this structure would produce many of the same advantages.
Other arrangements could also be produced that would provide the same advantage of a quick means of adjustment as well as maintenance of the radial distance of the brake pad from the rear wheel. All such arrangements are within the scope of the invention as described and claimed.
Title: IN-LINE SKATE WITH ADJUSTABLE BRAKE
Inventor: Bernard Daoust Assignee: Canstar Sports Group Inc., of Ville Mont-Royal, Quebec, Canada BACKGROUND OF THE lNV~N~l~lON
This invention relates to in-line skates, and specifically to an adjustable brake for same. The invention could also be readily adapted to conventional roller skates, if desired.
By far the most common braking arrangement for in-line skates is a heel brake, i.e. a brake pad mounted off the back of one or both skates. The skater brings the brake pad into contact with the ground by raising the toe of the skate to rotate it about the rear wheel and pressing down at the heel.
Friction generated between the brake pad and the ground provides the braking force to slow the skater. This friction also results in considerable wear to the brake pad particularly as the surfaces upon which most skating is done are quite hard such as pavement and concrete. The wear on the brake pad is generally quite significant requiring replacement of the brake pads at regular periodic intervals.
Many braking systems for in-line skates include a fixed brake support, not capable of any adjustment. In these systems wear on the brake pad quickly results in the skater having to rotate the skate further and further about the rear wheel in order for the brake pad to come in contact with the ground. This impedes normal skating to a certain degree and ~272~1 can also be dangerous and result in injury if the brake pad is so worn that excessive rotation is required by the skater to achieve contact with the ground. Specifically, additional time may be required to initiate braking or the balance of the skater may be adversely effected when extreme rotation is required.
There have been other prior attempts to include an adjustable braking system for in-line skates. The adjustment means in these prior attempts is typically more difficult and/or time consuming for a skater to perform, thereby reducing the likelihood of the skater performing such adjustments. This in turn makes it more likely that a worn brake pad will remain further from the ground than optimal to achieve efficient and safe braking.
Furthermore, the prior attempts to provide an adjustable braking system have resulted in components that are unnecessarily complex and relatively expensive to manufacture.
Hence it is desirable to have a brake assembly with an adjustable brake pad support so that as the brake pad wears and thus becomes shorter the support can be rotated closer to the ground. This would allow the amount of rotation required to achieve braking to remain relatively constant.
The present invention solves the problems inherent in these previous fixed and adjustable braking systems.
~1~7~
SUMMARY OF THE lNV~N~l~lON
It is an object of the invention to provide an adjustable brake pad support, which permits the brake to be adjusted as the brake pad wears down, so that the proper distance and angle may be maintained between the brake pad and the ground, until the wear reaches a level that the brake pad must be replaced.
Accordingly, in the invention there is provided for an in-line skate comprising a boot and a wheel-carrying chassis mounted beneath the boot, a brake assembly comprising a brake pad support and a brake pad secured to the underside of the brake pad support. The brake pad support has a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion being pivotally connected to the chassis such that the brake pad is positioned rearwardly from the chassis. The upper portion is secured to the chassis at any selected one of a plurality of attachment points. Each attachment point is approximately the same radial distance from the pivotal connection, whereby the position of the brake pad may be adjusted by rotation about the pivotal connection to one of the attachment points. The attachment points are provided by virtue of the upper portion having a plurality of lateral holes, such that a pin may be inserted through one of the holes and a corresponding hole in the chassis.
Further features of the invention will be described or will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description.
~t272~
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, the preferred embodiment thereof will now be described in detail by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is side view of an in-line skate containing the adjustable brake assembly;
Fig. 2 is perspective view of the adjustable brake pad support showing connection to the chassis of the skate;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the brake pad support and brake pad showing in particular the attachment points; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the brake assembly as attached to the chassis showing the range of adjustment provided.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to Fig. 1 primarily, the main components of the skate 1 are: a chassis 3; which carries wheels 4; and a boot 2.
Suitable straps are used to tighten the skate 1 onto the user's foot, such as a cuff strap, and boot straps 5.
The braking system can be seen attached to the rear of the chassis 3 and comprises a brake mount 16, a brake pad 10 and the upper and lower attachments, 14 and 12 respectively.
Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3 primarily, an enlarged view of the brake assembly can be seen. The brake 2 ~ 27~
pad support 16 can be seen to include an upper section 18 and a lower section 20. The upper section 18 includes a plurality of holes 24 which reciprocate with a corresponding hole 26 in the chassis 3. The lower section 20 includes a single hole 22 that is used to attach the lower section to the axle (not shown) of the rearmost wheel 4. The mounting of the lower section 20 to the wheel is provided by a pivotal connection.
Referring now to Fig. 4, the operation of the adjustment mechanism can be seen. In particular, a retaining pin 28 engages the upper section of the brake pad support 18 and the chassis 3 via the holes in the brake pad support 24 and the hole in the chassis 26. As the brake pad 10 wears with use, the distance between the brake pad and the ground will necessarily increase. As stated, this leads to less efficient and potentially more dangerous braking. It is therefore desirable that the worn brake pad could be moved closer to the ground to maintain a relatively constant distance between the ground and the brake pad. This adjustment is permitted through the upper attachment means, and the plurality of attachment holes 26 provided in the brake pad support.
Referring again to Fig. 4 the brake pad support is shown to include three holes and thus three possible positions of adjustment for the brake support. Clearly, more holes could be provided to provide a wider range of adjustment, or as few as two holes could be provided if only two adjustment points were desired.
Fig. 4 depicts the brake support 16 adjusted in the 2 1~724~
median position. This would typically be the position the brake pad support would be adjusted to, after some use, and accordingly some wear of the brake pad 10. As further wear occurred, the pin 28 would be removed and the brake pad support 16 would be rotated downwardly towards the ground and the pin 28 reinserted in the uppermost hole, thereby lowering the brake pad 10 closer to the ground.
Conversely, a skate having a new brake pad 10 would typically be adjusted to the hole closest to the brake pad, thereby raising the brake pad in the furthest position from the ground. Again, as wear progressed the adjustment would then be made to the median position and finally to the lowermost position.
The arrangement of the present invention provides a constant distance between the brake pad and 10 and the rear wheel 4. This is desirable as the "feel" of the engagement of the braking system will remain fairly constant throughout the brake adjustment range. If a structure were to be provided that did not rotate the brake pad in a constant radial distance from the axis of the rear wheel, significant changes in the operation of the braking system could occur. This could be especially dangerous if more than one user employed the same pair of skates and adjustments were made that a user was unaware of.
It will be appreciated that the above description relates to the preferred embodiment by way of example only.
Many variations on the invention will be obvious to those knowledgeable in the field, and such obvious variations are ~7~4~
within the scope of the invention as described and claimed, whether or not expressly described.
For example, it might be possible to configure an adjustable brake system that pivoted about a point in the chassis other than the axle of the rearmost wheel. By further employing a hinged brake mount it would be possible to move the adjustable brake mount from an upper attachment point so that it moved downwardly in a non-concentric arc thereby maintaining the brake pad 10 at a constant radial distance from the rear wheel of the skate. While necessarily more complex than the preferred embodiment this structure would produce many of the same advantages.
Other arrangements could also be produced that would provide the same advantage of a quick means of adjustment as well as maintenance of the radial distance of the brake pad from the rear wheel. All such arrangements are within the scope of the invention as described and claimed.
Claims (2)
1. For an in-line skate comprising a boot and a wheel-carrying chassis mounted beneath said boot, a brake assembly comprising a brake pad support and a brake pad secured to an underside of said brake pad support, said brake pad support having a lower portion and an upper portion, said lower portion being pivotally connected to said chassis such that said brake pad is positioned rearwardly from said chassis, and said upper portion being securable to said chassis at any selected one of a plurality of attachment points, each said attachment point being at the same radial distance from said pivotal connection, whereby the position of said brake pad may be adjusted by rotation of said brake pad support about said pivotal connection to a selected one of said attachment points.
2. A brake assembly as recited in claim 1, where said plurality of said attachment points is provided by virtue of said upper portion having a plurality of lateral holes, such that a pin may be inserted through one of said holes and a corresponding hole in said chassis.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002127241A CA2127241C (en) | 1994-06-30 | 1994-06-30 | In-line skate with adjustable brake |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002127241A CA2127241C (en) | 1994-06-30 | 1994-06-30 | In-line skate with adjustable brake |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2127241A1 CA2127241A1 (en) | 1995-12-31 |
| CA2127241C true CA2127241C (en) | 1997-10-21 |
Family
ID=4153939
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002127241A Expired - Fee Related CA2127241C (en) | 1994-06-30 | 1994-06-30 | In-line skate with adjustable brake |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2127241C (en) |
-
1994
- 1994-06-30 CA CA002127241A patent/CA2127241C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2127241A1 (en) | 1995-12-31 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |