CA2230635A1 - In-line roller skate with a lace cover - Google Patents

Abstract

A roller skate comprising an elongated frame, a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted to said frame, a footwear element mounted to said frame to accommodate a skater's foot, said footwear element being provided with a sole, wherein said boot is provided with a lace cover. The lace cover is made of wear resistant material.

Description

In-line roller skate with a lace cover Field of the invention The inventiion relates to in-line roller skates, and more particularly to an in-line roller skate having a lace cover.
Back4round of the invention Over the past few years roller skating and particularly in-line roller skating has enjoyed any immense resurgence in popularity. No longer limited to indoor rings specifically designed for that purpose, skating today has become an outdoor leisure activity, an economic and healthy means of transportation, and a competitive sport.
The changes in the nature of skating have necessitated appropriate changes in the design and manufacture of the skates themselves. Today's skaters demand skates which are much lighter in weight and easier to control than the traditional bi-axle qu2~d-wheeled skates of the past.
The original design of the modern in-line skate was relatively simple.
Generally, such skate, consisted of a wheel frame attached to a skate boot. The skate boot itself was based on either an ice skate boot or on a downhill ski boot.
The former had a relatively flat sole interfacing with the planar surface of the foot and made from conventional material such as a thermoplastic rubber, while the latter was i:ypically a molded plastic boot having an integral structure.
A first types of conventional roller skate boot comprises a boot upper sewn to a sole. The sole interfaces with and protects the plantar surface of the foot while the boot upper surrounds and secures the remaining portions of the foot (e.g.

dorsal porllion) instep. Soles may either be formed from a layer of a single material or' from several layers of a single or different materials. In the latter case, the Layers are bonded together to form a laminate. In both cases, at any particular point on the sole, the materials) of which the sole is formed is (are) identical to that (those) at every (or almost every) other point on the sole.
The second type of boot comprises a molded lower, attached to a frame, and a molded upper, provided on top of the lower.
The wheel frame typically consisted of two parallel rails connected by a bridging l0 portion to form a long inverted "U"-shaped structure. The wheels would be mounted within the frame by being rotatably mounted on the rails. The bridging portion served to connect the rails together and acted as a point of attachment for the wheel frame to the skate boot. In this respect, the bridging portion was also generally flat. It would interface with the underside of the boot sole and would be secured thereto by suitable fasteners, such as bolts or rivets. A
relatively thin planar attachment plate might have been placed between the frame and the sole in some skates.
Today, several types of in-line roller skates are manufactured, each one corresponding to a specific use. For instance, one can find skates specifically designed for speeding.
Among they newest types of skates, the so-called "aggressive" skate is probably the one that is the most subject to severe and though conditions. Indeed, the skaters use their skates to slide on ramps or other similar structure types for instance. The most performing skaters even realize style figures while sliding down. Such uses are very demanding for the skates, in particular for the boot and frame, which must bear very intensive friction forces. If standard skates are chosen for such a use, premature wear appears very quickly.

The laces are particularly exposed to such premature wear. This could even lead to hazardous situations in which the lace breaks, leaving the boot unsecured.
Considering the popularity of this type of skating, there is a strong demand for an in-line roller skate better adapted to these extremely severe conditions, in particular v~rith enhanced protection for the lace.
Objects and statement of the invention It is thus an object of the invention to provide a roller skate specifically adapted to the "aggressive" type of skating.
It is another object of the invention to provide a roller skate offering protection against wear for the lace.
As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a roller skate comprising an elongated frame, a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted to said frame, and a footwear element mounted to said frame to accommodate a skater's foot, wherein said boot is provided with a lace cover. The lace cover is preferably made of wear resistant material.
This arrangement is of particular interest with a skate designed for a rough environment or rough conditions, for instance to slide along ramps.
Considering the extreme friction forces to which the footwear element is subject, it is highly required to~ have a protection over the lace. The cover avoids any damage that might occur to the lace. It also avoids that the lace hits any obstacles or the like, that might .stand on the sliding or skating path.
The cover is preferably made of woven material, for increased resistance.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and the drawings.
Brief description of the drawings A detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is provided hereinbelow, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
l0 Figure 1 is. a perspective view illustrating a skater sliding along a ramp;
Figure 2 is~ an enlarged perspective view of a skate sliding along a ramp;
Figure 3 is a side elevational view illustrating an in-line skate sliding along a ramp or the like;
Figure 4 is. a perspective view of the in-line skate according to the invention.
In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of examples. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and are an aid for understanding.
They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.
Detailed description of preferred embodiments In figures 1 to 3 examples of skating surfaces used with "aggressive skating"
are shown. For instance, various positions are shown of a skate sliding along a ramp or other similar structure. In such positions, the standard load supporting elements, namely the wheels, are less or not used. The load is for instance supported by the frame andlor the boot. The rolling motion is also replaced by a sliding motion. The components in contact with the sliding surface are thus subject to wear. In some situations, the lace could be temporarily in contact with the sliding surface, causing important wear.
Figure 4 better illustrates the skate according to the invention. A roller skate 10 comprises a footwear element 20 and a wheel frame 50 connected to the footwear element. The footwear element may comprise a liner 20 and a shell 30 surrounding the lower portion of the liner. The frame comprises two parallel rails and the wheels 14 are conventionally rotatably mounted within the frame. The frame may be made with any lightweight material providing sufficient rigidity, for to instance aluminum, plastic, composite, etc.
The boot 20 is provided with a lace cover, preferably made of wear resistant material, such as a composite, for instance a neoprenlplastic material. In other embodiments, the cover is preferably made of plastic or metallic woven material. The cover is preferably made of woven material. It is preferably connectedl to the boot in the lower portion of the lacing area. It could also be connected laterally to the boot on one side of the lacing area.
Attachment straps 37 may be provided, for instance at the top portion of the cover, to secure it over the lace. Otherwise, the cover could also be provided with other types of securing means, such as hoop and loop fasteners (Velcro) or the like.
The abovE: description of preferred embodiments should not be interpreted in a limiting manner since other variations, modifications and refinements are possible vvithin the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (3)

1. A roller skate comprising an elongated frame, a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted to said frame, a footwear element mounted to said frame to accommodate a skater's foot, wherein said boot is provided with a lace cover.

2. A roller skate according to claim 1, wherein the lace cover is made of wear resistant material.

3. A roller skate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said cover is made of woven material.