Classifications

• • 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
  • A63C17/1409—Roller skates; Skate-boards with brakes, e.g. toe stoppers, freewheel roller clutches contacting one or more of the wheels
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/04—Ski or like boots
  • A43B5/0401—Snowboard boots
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/04—Ski or like boots
  • A43B5/0427—Ski or like boots characterised by type or construction details
  • A43B5/0466—Adjustment of the side inclination of the boot leg; Canting
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/16—Skating boots
  • A43B5/1625—Skating boots made from materials with different rigidities
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/16—Skating boots
  • A43B5/1641—Skating boots characterised by the sole ; characterised by the attachment of the skate
  • A43B5/165—Skating boots characterised by the sole ; characterised by the attachment of the skate with ventilation means in the sole
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/16—Skating boots
  • A43B5/1666—Skating boots characterised by the upper
  • A43B5/1691—Skating boots characterised by the upper characterised by the higher part of the upper, e.g. surrounding the ankle, by the quarter or cuff
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B7/00—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements
  • A43B7/14—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts
  • A43B7/28—Adapting the inner sole or the side of the upper of the shoe to the sole of the foot
• • 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

Definitions

• the boot upper of the in-line roller skate serves competing purposes of providing support and comfort; comfort in a boot upper not usually being associated with a high degree of support.
• the incorporation of rigid support structures in the boot upper tends to add stiffness and bulk, and, considering the warm-weather environments conducive to in-line roller skating, tends to make the skate, heavy, hot, and uncomfortable. Because serious ankle and other injuries can result if comfort is favored over support, providing proper support in an in-line roller skate boot upper has been the dominant design criterion in the past.
• in-line roller skate boot uppers are lightweight. When skating on a flat surface, the in-line roller skater must lift the boot with every stride to provide a forward impetus. Boots that are well-suited to skiing applications, wherein it is not necessary to raise and lower the boot with every movement of the foot (because the skier relies on gravity to provide the forward or downward motion) prove heavy and bulky when adapted to in-line roller skating. The heavy boot upper causes fatigue and reduces skating enjoyment. Alternative modes of providing both comfort and adequate support for in-line roller skating have been suggested. Specifically, U.S. Patents Nos.
• the present invention departs from the teachings of the prior art by forming a substantial part of the upper shoe portion of soft, pliable, breatheable materials capable of transmitting air and heat directly therethrough, while also properly supporting the user's foot.
• the support is provided in a few critical areas, such as the ankle and heel of the user's foot, using rigid materials. Semirigid materials may also be used in some support portions.
• the upper shoe portion of the present invention comprises a soft, pliable, breatheable shoe material in combination with a rigid or semirigid base portion and ankle support cuff.
• FIGURE 3B is a sectional side view of the footbed portion of FIGURE 3 A of the present invention, including the heel counter, toe portion, and frame mounting means;
• FIGURES 11 and 12 are diagrammatic partial side sectional views of a second embodiment of the speed control means of the present invention, illustrating a cable actuating means for the speed control;
• FIGURE 13 is an exploded perspective view of the lower frame portion of one embodiment of the present invention;
• FIGURE 19 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a means for attaching the base of the skate to the frame;
• FIGURE 20 is a perspective view of a base/frame position adjustment structure of the present invention.
• FIGURE 21 is a partially exploded perspective view of the structure of FIGURE 20;
• FIGURE 22 is a sectional view of a portion of the structure illustrated in
• FIGURE 20
• FIGURE 26 is a perspective view of another alternate embodiment of a boot according to the invention.
• the in-line roller skate 21 of the present invention includes a base portion 39, a heel counter 41, a soft, pliable, breatheable shoe portion 22, which in one embodiment includes a rigid or semirigid toe portion 24, and an ankle support cuff 23 having a conventional securing strap 26. While the preferred embodiments will be discussed in detail below, it is understood that the shoe portion 22 may integrally include both the toe portion 24 and the heel counter 41.
• the heel counter 41 and/or the toe portion 24 may be laminated externally of the shoe portion 22 or be integrally contained within the shoe portion 22.
• the heel counter 41 and/or the toe portion 24 may both be an integral part of the base portion 39 or one or the other may be attached to the base portion 39 while the other is attached to the shoe portion 22.
• the material comprising the heel counter 41 and the toe portion 24 may be rigid or semirigid materials, depending on the intended use of the in-line roller skate 21 and the desired degree of support.
• FIGURE 1 Also illustrated in FIGURE 1 is a lower frame portion 31 that is typically formed of injection-molded plastic or metal and a speed control 33, which will be described in detail hereinafter.
• the lower frame portion 31 may alternatively be made of fiberglass with an epoxy resin or graphite with an epoxy resin.
• a plurality of in-line wheels 35 are mounted on axle means 36, which will also be described in detail hereinafter.
• the in-line wheels 35 are mounted for rotation in a common longitudinal plane.
• Axle means 36 are shown fitted in upwardly extending notches 37 in lower frame portion 31 in a manner such that wheels 35 can be easily replaced or interchanged when worn.
• the sole portion 40 of base portion 39 is shown to include a pair of front mounting means 51a and at least one identical rear mounting means 51b.
• Mounting means 51a and 51b are adapted to allow the upper shoe portion to be mounted to the lower frame portion 31 in a manner such that the upper shoe portion may be moved both laterally and longitudinally with respect to lower frame 31 as desired by the user.
• mounting means 51a and 51b each include a plate 53 having a threaded opening 54a formed therein and adapted to receive a complementary threaded fastener such as 54b (FIGURE 3 A), which is sized to extend upwardly through a portion of the lower frame portion 31.
• the ankle support cuff 23 in combination with the base portion 39 and the heel counter 41, supports the skater's ankle and foot and assists the skater in maintaining a substantially upright ankle position.
• the ankle support cuff 23 is preferably made of a semirigid plastic and may be made of a heat-moldable plastic similar to the heat-moldable plastics described above with respect to the footbed supports 45, 47, and 49. As with the heat-moldable plastics in the base portion 39, the heat-moldable plastic ankle support cuff 23 can also be heated with hot air and formed for a better fit.
• the canting mechanism includes a cap nut 101 mounted to or within the heel counter 41 such that its internally threaded barrel 103 extends into a slot 117 in the heel counter 41.
• the outer surface of the heel counter 41 in the region adjacent the slot 117 includes a plurality of surface grooves 109 arranged on opposite sides of the slot, so that the grooves on one side of the slot are angled relative to those on the opposite side in a chevron-like configuration.
• the ankle support cuff 23 includes an opening 104 outwardly adjacent the internally threaded barrel 103 into which is inserted a plug 111 having surface grooves 113 sized and configured to engage the surface grooves 109.
• the actuating lever 59 is mounted to pivot about a fulcrum pin 73, which is in turn mounted between the frame rails 57a and 57b by means of a fastener 69, and is attached at its inner end to a pressure plate 71. Accordingly, when the actuating lever 59 is raised, pressure is applied to the pressure plate 71 in a downward direction.
• the pressure plate 71 being directly connected to the contoured speed control plate 61, causes the contoured speed control plate 61 to move in a downward direction toward the lower mounting bracket 67. This downward movement results in contact of the contoured speed control plate 61 with the in-line wheels 35.
• the cable 75 can apply force to the in-line wheels 35 as needed to control the speed of or bring the in-line wheels 35 to a stop. It will be understood that the cable 75 can run upward to the area of the skater's knee or belt where it can be easily grasped, or held in the skater's hands so that the skater can continuously apply speed control pressure as needed. A conventional handgrip can be attached to the cable to allow it to be more easily held and pressure applied by the skater.
• the contoured speed control plate 61 can be applied to as many wheels as desired for adequate speed control. While not illustrated, it is also possible and considered to be within the scope of this invention, using either the actuating lever, or the cable of the present invention to have more than one speed control 33 applying downward pressure to a single contour speed control plate 61, or multiple contoured speed control plates, in more than one position along the frame rails 57a and 57b.
• Lower frame 235 is attached to base portion 239 with frame fasteners 263 and base fasteners 265.
• Frame fasteners 263 are screws with fastener shoulders 267 and threaded shafts 269. Two such frame fasteners 263 are preferably used, one for forward bracket 246 and one for rearward bracket 248.
• Fastener shoulders 267 are disposed adjacent the heads of frame fasteners 263. The diameter of fastener shoulders 267 is only slightly smaller than the width of bracket slots 251, as fastener shoulders 267 are engaged within slots 251 when in use.
• Threaded shafts 269 project upwardly from fastener shoulders 267 to threadably engage base fasteners 265.
• the thickness of wide slot portion 283 is slightly greater than the thickness of heads 271 of base fasteners 265 such that base fasteners 265 are free to slide back and forth within forward and rearward base slots 251 and 253 when not tightened to frame fasteners 263.
• base slots 275 and 277 are disposed directly above and transverse to the longitudinal axis of bracket slots 251. This arrangement allows for a wide range of longitudinal or lateral adjustments or a combination of both, depending on the preferences of the individual skater. Adjustment is accomplished by loosening frame fasteners 263. While frame fasteners 263 are loosened, base fasteners 265 are not allowed to turn, since the flat sides of heads 271 are restrained by wide slot portions 283. Thus, loosening of the fasteners can be accomplished with only one tool. Once fasteners 263 and 265 are loosened, longitudinal and lateral adjustment is made, after which, fasteners 242 and 244 are again tightened. The tightening of fasteners 263 and 265 creates enough friction between the top surface of brackets 246 and 248 and the bottom surface of ridges 257 and 259 so that movement of one with respect to the other is prevented.

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (11)

Publications (3)

Family

ID=27536712

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (25)

Citations (8)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 1994
  • 1994-07-19 EP EP94923975A patent/EP0710141B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1994-07-19 AU AU74004/94A patent/AU7400494A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1994-07-19 DE DE69419612T patent/DE69419612T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1994-07-19 CN CN94192815.2A patent/CN1106872C/zh not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1994-07-19 JP JP7505276A patent/JPH09500306A/ja active Pending
  • 1994-07-19 AT AT94923975T patent/ATE182277T1/de active
  • 1994-07-19 DE DE0710141T patent/DE710141T1/de active Pending
  • 1994-07-19 WO PCT/US1994/008155 patent/WO1995003101A1/fr active IP Right Grant

Patent Citations (8)

Non-Patent Citations (5)

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