EP0932434A1

EP0932434A1 - Roller skate, to be fixed on the sole of a walking shoe

Info

Publication number: EP0932434A1
Application number: EP97910495A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Olivier Husson; Nicolas Husson; Armelle Husson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-10-16
Filing date: 1997-10-16
Publication date: 1999-08-04
Also published as: EP1011823A1; DE69720547D1; WO1998016283A1; EP1011823B1; FR2754461A1; FR2754461B1; WO1998016280A1

Abstract

The sport gear, in particular a roller skate, is to be fixed under the sole (18) of a walking shoe (19) comprising towards the front and the back orifices (20, 21) providing access to reinforcement catching zones. It is provided with catching means, projecting beyond a sole supporting plate (3) and capable of being engaged, when being mounted on the sole, into said orifices (20, 21) and an actuating system for moving at least one mobile catching element for fixing the gear to the sole. The catching elements(s) (5), by the operation of the actuating system, has or have a two-phase displacement, viz. a horizontal phase for placing the element (5) above the reinforced catching zone and a vertical phase for blocking it into position.

Description

ROLLER SKATE, MOUNTING ON THE SOLE OF A WALKING SHOE

The present invention relates to a sports apparatus fixing itself on the sole of a walking shoe, this apparatus being of the inline roller skate or possibly ice skate type.

The traditional skates are in molded shell integrating both the shoe and the skate part itself. This arrangement has the disadvantage of space and the obligation to completely change the pad in the event of a change in the size of the user's foot. Sports devices have already been proposed which are capable of being fixed, in a removable manner, under the sole of a shoe. More particularly in document FR 2 725 880, it is a question of fixing such a device under the sole of a walking shoe, a sole which must not be altered by the fixing means, in particular as regards its walking behavior. In addition, the fastening system makes it possible to compensate for the difference in thickness of the sole due to the natural wear thereof during use. According to this document FR 2 725 880, the sole comprises forwards and backwards orifices giving access to reinforced attachment zones. In addition, the device is fitted with hooking elements protruding from the plate which serves as a support for the sole, said hooking elements being able to engage in the orifices, when the device is mounted under the sole. The device comprises a movable part, carrying the hooking elements, and a manual clamping system, integral with the plate, which controls the vertical downward movement of the movable part. When the device is placed on the shoe, the user makes the hooking elements penetrate the holes of the sole so that the underside of the sole is in contact with the plate of the device, then it moves relatively one relative to the other, and horizontally the shoe and the plate so that the fastening elements are placed in the reinforced fastening zones; finally it activates the manual clamping system which moves the part mobile carrying the hooking elements down, locking the shoe in position on the plate.

The manual clamping system consists of a clamping wheel, or even a quick-release lever of the type used on bicycle wheels, which is located under the device. Such an arrangement is hardly practical to implement by the user. In addition, it may happen that during mounting the fastening element is not precisely positioned in the reinforced fastening zone due to insufficient relative horizontal movement between the shoe and the plate. The aim that the applicants have set themselves is to alleviate the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a sports apparatus which is fixed under the sole of a walking shoe which has the advantages of that described in the document FR 2 725

880 but which, on the other hand, is of absolute safety as regards the placement of the hooking elements in the reinforced hooking zones and which, in a second step, is of easy manipulation by the user.

This object is perfectly achieved by the sports apparatus, of the skate type in particular on rollers, according to the invention which is fixed under the sole of a walking shoe having the aforementioned known structure. This device, according to the invention, comprises an actuation system which is able to move at least one movable attachment element for fixing the device to the sole; typically the attachment element (s), under the effect of the actuation system, has or have a displacement with two components, namely a horizontal component for placing the element above the area reinforced attachment and a vertical component for locking in position. Thus, according to the invention, it suffices to pass the actuation system from a first to a second position to effect the combined horizontal and vertical displacement which makes it possible to obtain both the positioning of the hooking element on the corresponding reinforced zone and the tightening of the sole between the fastening element and the plate. According to a first alternative embodiment, in which the attachment element is integral with a guide disposed obliquely under the plate, the actuation system comprises, for a given attachment element, means for horizontal displacement of the movable attachment element and a stop disposed near said guide, so that, when implementing the horizontal displacement means, the guide comes to bear on the stop which forces the attachment element to follow the oblique direction of the guide. Thus during the implementation of the horizontal displacement means, the movable attachment element is pushed down due to the presence of the oblique guide. This element therefore has an oblique displacement which includes a horizontal component and a vertical component.

Advantageously, the hooking element and the guide are integral with a sliding part, arranged horizontally under the plate, which is subject to the horizontal displacement means; moreover a compression spring applies said sliding part and / or the guide against the stop.

According to a preferred version of this first variant, the horizontal displacement means comprise a lever which is provided with a handle and which is pivotable about an axis perpendicular to the plate between two angular positions, namely a first mounting position where the handle extends well outside the plate and is easily manipulated by the user and a second locking position where the handle is retracted under the plate while being accessible. Thus in the skating position, once the shoe is fixed on the device, the handle used to actuate the fixing is not visible but is located longitudinally under the plate. It can be envisaged that a hooking element, in particular that arranged at the front, is fixed while the second is mobile.

However preferably the two hooking elements are movable and consist of bent pieces, forming a hook, with horizontal components of antagonistic displacement. Advantageously, in this case, the lever is connected to a cam with an oval outline comprising in its middle the pivot axis perpendicular to the plate located between the two hooking elements; in addition, each sliding part consists of a plate, one transverse edge of which bears on the cam, on either side of the latter, and the other edge of which is terminated by the oblique guide downwards and by the hooking element upwards.

In this case, the compression spring may consist of a curved leaf spring, fixed along the pivot axis and the end portions of which are applied to the two sliding plates near the oblique guides. In this first variant embodiment, the actuation system remains manual, even if it is particularly simplified compared to the manual clamping system provided for in document FR 2 725 880.

In a second variant embodiment, the actuation system comprises, for a given movable attachment element, a stirrup which supports a wheel, which stirrup is articulated under the plate along a first horizontal axis and has a bearing surface intended to come to apply, during skating, on the underside of the plate; moreover the movable attachment element is articulated on said stirrup along a second horizontal axis; finally, the device comprises a fixed stop under the plate and a spring pushing the attachment element in the direction of the reinforced attachment zone. All of these elements are arranged so that the bracket can take two positions, namely: a. a first mounting position in which the bearing surface of the stirrup is angularly offset from the underside of the plate and in which the hooking element, pushed back by the stop, is capable of penetrating into the orifice of the sole , b. a second fixing position in which, the stirrup having pivoted about its axis, the bearing surface is applied against the underside of the plate and in which the hooking element, pushed back by the spring and released from the stop , is applied against the reinforced attachment area of the sole.

Thus in this second variant, the actuation system does not consist not a joystick manipulated by the user but consists of two stirrups and their accessories which are applied to the ground by the user between the two aforementioned angular positions.

The present invention will be better understood on reading the description which will be given of three exemplary embodiments of a sports device of the roller skate type, attaching to the sole of a walking shoe, with actuation system. integrated, illustrated by the appended drawing in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of the device attached to the shoe, with cutaway views in section of the locations corresponding to the fastening system.

Figures 2 and 3 are partial bottom views of the stage of the apparatus of Figure 1 with the actuator having a first position (Fig. 2) and a second position (Fig. 3). Figures 4 and 5 are partial representations from below of a plate of a second embodiment with an actuating handle in a first position (Fig. 4) and a second position (Fig. 5).

Figures 6 and 7 are partial sectional representations of the plates of Figures 4 and 5. Figure 8 is a side representation of the bracket of a third embodiment, in the mounting position.

Figure 9 is a schematic side view of the bracket of Figure 8 in the fixing position on the sole.

According to the characteristic of the invention, the system for fixing the sports apparatus, of the skate type in particular on wheels, on the sole of a walking shoe comprises, compared to the document FR 2 725 880, an actuation system integrated, which, passing from one position to another, drives the movable fastening element (s) in a two-component movement, namely a horizontal component positioning the fastening element at the reinforced attachment zone provided in the sole and a vertical component which blocks the boot in position on the device by crushing the sole between the fastening element and the plate supporting the sole.

In Figure 1, there is shown a first embodiment which has only one movable attachment element, located on the rear of the device 1, a second fixed attachment element which is located on the front of unit 1.

More precisely, the attachment element 2, located at the front, is a fixed element which protrudes above the plate 3 and which is directed obliquely forward. The second hooking element 5 is the upper end of a movable part 4, passing through a recess 25 formed in the plate 3. This upper end, protruding above the plate, is bent backwards, slightly inclined downwards, while the part 4 has two extensions under the plate, namely a first extension 6 towards the front, arranged horizontally under the plate, and a rear extension 7, forming an oblique guide, which is inclined downwards. A spring 8 fixed to the lateral uprights 9 disposed under the plate 3 has the function of maintaining the front extension 6 in height.

An actuating handle 10, visible in Figures 2 and 3, is pivotally mounted along an axis 11 perpendicular to the plate. This lever comprises on the one hand a handle 12 operable by the user and on the other hand a substantially circular part 13 which has a lug 14 offset relative to the pivot axis 11. This lug 14 passes through an oblong recess 15 formed in the front end 6a of the front extension 6 and which is held in this recess by a holding piece 16.

A stop 17 is provided under the plate 3 just behind the recess 25 formed in said plate and allowing the passage of the second hooking element 5. This stop 17 faces the oblique guide 7.

The sole 18 of the shoe 19 has two holes 20, 21, one at the front and the other at the back. Metal plates 22, 23 are included in the sole 18 and surround said orifices 20, 21, as illustrated in FIG. 1. As regards more specifically the orifice 21, located at the rear of the sole 18, this orifice has, in longitudinal section, an inverted L shape with an internal cavity partially overhanging the metal plate 23, this portion of the metal plate constituting the reinforced attachment zone 24.

For mounting the shoe 19 on the device 1, it is first necessary that the handle 12 is in the position illustrated in FIG. 3. The front extension 6 is then in an advanced position so that the element d 'hooking 5 is located in front in the recess 25 formed in the plate 3. The user introduces the first hooking element 2 into the front hole 20 of the sole, then he presses the sole on the plate so that the fastening element 5 penetrates into the rear orifice 21. The user then only has to fold the handle 12 along the plate as illustrated in FIG. 3 to obtain the fixing of the shoe 19 on the device 1. Indeed, during the angular pivoting of the handle

12, at an angle of approximately 90 °, the lug 14 rotates by the same angle inside the oblong recess 16, forcing the latter and therefore the front end 6a of the front extension 6 to move towards the back. During this movement, the rear extension 7, forming a guide, is applied to the stop 7 which forces it to adopt a direction inclined downward, at an angle depending on the inclination of said rear extension 7 relative to the horizontal and the configuration of the stop 17. These movements have repercussions on the hooking element 5, which from its original position therefore undergoes a first horizontal movement towards the rear and then an oblique movement towards the bottom, during which portion 5a forming a hook is applied to the metal part 23 in the reinforced zone 24 until effective blocking of the sole 18 on the plate 3.

To compensate for the wear of the sole, it is possible to adjust the height of the stop 17 so as to increase the vertical component of the movement of the fastening element 5. The second exemplary embodiment, illustrated by FIGS. 4 to 7, is an extension of the first example, differing from the latter only in that the two front and rear hooking elements are movable, with an actuating handle. single, arranged in a median way with respect to the plate. In this example, the two hooking elements are bent pieces, forming a hook, as in the previous example but with antagonistic horizontal displacement.

To obtain such a displacement, a central cam 30 is fixed under the plate 3, pivoting with respect to an axis 31 perpendicular to the plate. This cam 30 has an oblong shape with two curved ends 30a and two elongated and substantially flat sides 30b. This cam 30 is connected to the actuating handle 32. This cam 30 will cause the two parts forming a horizontal extension 6, 6 'of the two hooking elements to move horizontally.

5, 5 '. The front extensions 6, 6 'have a raised edge 33, 33' which comes into contact with the cam 30. Fastening parts 34, 34 'have on the one hand a bend coming into engagement with the bent edge 33, 33' the corresponding front extension

6, 6 'and on the other hand a hole through which a lug 35, 35' located on the cam 30 near the curved edges 30a, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. A leaf forming a spring 36 extends under the cam 30 and the two extensions 6, 6 ', the ends 36a, 36b of the cam 36 coming to bear at the rear extensions 7,7'. This blade 36 is fixed on the pivot axis 31. It therefore also maintains the parts 34, 34 'in position.

For mounting the shoe on the device, the handle 32 is in the position illustrated in FIG. 4 with the edges 33, 33 'of the front extensions 6, 6' resting on the elongated sides 30b of the cam 30. In these conditions the hooking elements 5.5 ′ leaving the plate 3 can penetrate the orifices 21, 21 ′ made in the sole 18. The front orifice 21 ′ has the same configuration as the orifice 21 which has been described in the first example but arranged in an antagonistic manner, the reinforced attachment zone 24 'being located towards the front of hole 21 '.

When the user pivots the handle of the lever 32 so that it occupies the position illustrated in FIG. 5, this handle being retracted under the plate 3 but nevertheless accessible, the cam 30 has pivoted 90 ° around its axis 31. During this pivoting, the cam has pushed back the two edges 33, 33 ′ of the front extensions 6.6 ′, correlatively displacing the two hooking elements 5.5 ′ in the orifices 21,21 ′. During this movement, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rear extensions 7,7 ′, forming guides, came to bear on the stops 17,17 ′ arranged under the plate 3 just set back from the recess 25 formed in said plate for the passage of the hooking elements 5.5 ′. The presence of the stop 17,17 'and the inclination of the rear extension 7,7' force the hooking element 5,5 'to take an oblique movement until it comes to bear force on the metal plate 23.23 'of the reinforced attachment zone 24.24'. The combination of these oblique displacements and their antagonistic nature makes it possible to obtain a secure fixing of the shoe 19 on the plate 3 of the device.

The third exemplary embodiment which is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 is of a design different from the first two insofar as the movement with horizontal and vertical components is no longer controlled by a joystick by the user but is obtained by the relative movement of two stirrups supporting two wheels of an apparatus 40 of the roller skate type. Referring to FIG. 9, the stirrup 40 in question supports the wheel 41 and is mounted articulated with respect to the chassis 42 of the apparatus 43 along an axis 44 transverse to the chassis 42. This stirrup 40 is, in the position of skating, bearing on the underside 42a of the chassis 42 by a bearing surface 45. The hooking element 46 which penetrates into a recess 47 formed in the plate 48 is articulated on the stirrup 40 along a pivot axis 49, parallel to the first axis 44. A spring, not shown in the figures, pushes the hooking element 46 in the direction of the reinforced zone attachment, ie in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 10. A stop 50 is provided under the plate 48.

In the mounting position, the stirrup is in the position which is illustrated in FIG. 10, under the weight of the wheel 41. In this position, the stop 50 comes to bear on the hooking element 46 and pushes it back. such that this element is located opposite the orifice made in the sole and can easily penetrate there.

Once this placement has been made for all the fastening elements, the user need only press the plate towards the ground with the shoe, which forces the stirrup 40 to pivot until the bearing surface 45 comes to bear on the lower face 42a of the chassis 42. During this pivoting the hooking element

46 has been released from the stop 50 and has also pivoted at the same time as the bracket 40.

This double displacement, which corresponds to a displacement with two horizontal and vertical components, allowed the hooking element 46 to come to take the position illustrated in FIG. 9, with the end part forming a hook, of this hooking element 46 applying to the metal plate arranged inside the orifice of the soleplate at the reinforced attachment zone.

Claims

1. Sports apparatus, of the skate type in particular on rollers, fixing under the sole (18) of a walking shoe (19), said sole (18) having holes (20, forwards and backwards) 21) giving access to reinforced attachment zones and the device being equipped with attachment elements, protruding from a plate (3) sole support and capable of engaging, when the device is mounted on the sole, in said orifices (20,21) and an actuating system which is capable of moving at least one movable attachment element for fixing the device to the sole, characterized in that the element (s) ( s) attachment (5), under the effect of the actuation system, has or have a displacement with two components, namely a horizontal component for placing the element (5) above the reinforced zone d 'hooking and a vertical component for locking in position.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that the attachment element (5) is integral with a guide (7) arranged obliquely under the plate (3) and the actuation system comprises, for an element of hooking (5) given, means for horizontal displacement of the movable hooking element (5) and a stop (17) disposed near said guide (7), so that, during the implementation of the means of horizontal movement, the guide (7) comes to bear on the stop (17) which forces the hooking element (5) to follow the oblique direction of the guide (7).

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 characterized in that the attachment element (5) and the guide (7) are integral with a sliding piece (6), arranged horizontally under the plate (3), which is subject to horizontal displacement means and in that a compression spring (8) applies said sliding part (6) and / or the guide (7) against the stop (17).

4. Apparatus according to one of claims 2 or 2 characterized in that the horizontal displacement means comprise a handle (10) which is provided with a handle (12) and which is pivotable about a perpendicular axis (11) at the turntable (3) between two angular positions, namely a first mounting position where the handle (12) protrudes far outside the plate (3) and is easily manipulated by the user and a second locking position where the handle (12 ) is retracted under the plate (3) while being accessible. 5. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that it comprises two movable hooking elements (5,5 ') which consist of bent pieces, forming a hook, with horizontal components of antagonistic movement. 6. Apparatus according to claims 2 to 5 characterized in that the handle (32) is connected to a cam (30) with an oval outline having in its middle the pivot axis (31) perpendicular to the plate (3) located between the two hooking elements (5.2 ') and in that each sliding part (6.6') consists of a plate of which a transverse edge (33.33 ') is supported on the cam (30), on either side thereof, and the other edge of which is terminated by the oblique guide (7,7 ') downwards and by the hooking element (5,

5 ') upwards. 7. Apparatus according to claim 6 characterized in that the compression spring consists of a curved spring blade (36), fixed along the pivot axis (31) and whose end portions (36a, 36b) are applied to the two sliding plates (6,

6 ') near the oblique guides (7,

7 ').

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that the actuation system comprises for a given movable attachment element, a stirrup (40) which supports a wheel (41), which stirrup is articulated under the plate (42) according to a first horizontal axis (44) and has a bearing surface (45) intended to be applied, during slippage, on the underside (42a) of the plate (42); in that the movable fastening element (46) is articulated on said stirrup (40) along a second horizontal axis (49); in that it comprises a fixed stop (50) under the plate (42) and a spring pushing the attachment element (46) in the direction (F) of the reinforced attachment zone, and in that the 'all of these elements is arranged so that the bracket (40) can take two positions, namely: a. a first mounting position in which the bearing surface (45) of the stirrup (40) is angularly offset from the bottom (42a) of the plate (42) and in which the hooking element (46), pushed back by the stop (50), is able to penetrate into the orifice the sole, and b. a second fixing position in which, the stirrup (40) having pivoted about its axis (44), the bearing surface (45) is applied against the underside (42a) of the plate (42) and in which the 'latching element (46), pushed back by the spring and released from the stop (50), is applied against the reinforced latching area of the sole.