US20080191542A1

US20080191542A1 - In-Line Skates, Skate Wheels and Wheel Hubs

Info

Publication number: US20080191542A1
Application number: US11/673,068
Authority: US
Inventors: John A. Roderick; David R. Willis
Original assignee: Mearthane Products Corp
Current assignee: Mearthane Products Corp
Priority date: 2007-02-09
Filing date: 2007-02-09
Publication date: 2008-08-14
Also published as: WO2008097338A1

Abstract

A skate wheel for an in-line skate has a skate wheel hub with an inner hub, an outer rim, and a plurality of blade-form spokes extending therebetween, and a skate tire mounted upon an outer surface of the skate wheel hub. Opposed surfaces of adjacent spokes, in cooperation with opposed surfaces of the inner hub and outer rim, define airflow passageways through the skate wheel. Each blade-form spoke has a radially-aligned first spoke-edge surface exposed at a first face of the skate wheel, a radially aligned opposite, second spoke-edge surface exposed at an opposite, second face of the skate wheel, and a blade-form body extending smoothly therebetween. The first and second spoke-edge surfaces are offset in a direction of travel of the skater by a predetermined arc of rotation of the skate wheel and hub. Also described are in-line skates with skate wheels of the disclosure, and skate wheel hubs for such skates.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to in-line skates, and to skate wheels and skate wheel hubs for in-line skates.

BACKGROUND

In-line skates typically have a boot, shoe or other footwear device for attaching the skate upon the foot of a wearer, with an elongated wheel frame attached to the sole. The wheel frame often has a u-shape, with a pair of generally down-pending sidewalls defining a channel for receiving multiple skate wheels, e.g. 3 wheels to 5 wheels or more are typical. The skate wheels are mounted in a line on wheel axles extending between the sidewalls of the frame. In other skate models, the skate wheel may be mounted in cantilevered fashion from a single sidewall. In both designs, the combination of relatively large diameter skate wheels typical of an in-line skate, e.g. 72 mm to 110 mm (about 2.8 inches to about 4.3 inches), and the elongated, down-pending sidewalls (or sidewall), present a significant surface area of resistance to wind blowing from directions transverse to the direction of skater travel. These wind forces are closely focused on the region of skate wheel engagement with a travel surface, and can adversely affect skater stability, performance and efficiency.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, a skate wheel for an in-line skate comprises a skate wheel hub comprising an inner hub, an outer rim, and, extending therebetween, a plurality of blade-form spokes, opposed surfaces of adjacent blade-form spokes, in cooperation with opposed surfaces of the inner hub and the outer rim, defining airflow passageways through the skate wheel, each blade-form spoke having a radially-aligned first spoke-edge surface exposed at a first face of the skate wheel, a radially aligned opposite, second spoke-edge surface exposed at an opposite, second face of the skate wheel, and a body extending smoothly therebetween, the first spoke-edge surface and the second spoke-edge surface being relatively offset in a direction of travel of the in-line skate by a predetermined arc of rotation about a skate wheel axis, and a skate tire mounted upon an outer surface of the outer rim of the skate wheel hub.
Implementations of this aspect of the disclosure may include one or more of the following additional features. The skate wheel hub has between six and twelve blade-form spokes. The skate wheel hub preferably has nine blade-form spokes. The blade-form spokes are uniformly spaced about the inner hub. The first spoke edge surface and the opposite, second spoke edge surface are smoothly radiused. The blade-form spoke has a thickness of about 2.75 mm. The predetermined arc of rotation is between about 25° and about 180°, and preferably about 40°. Each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the inner hub at an angle of between about 70° and about 80°, and preferably about 75°, measured from the plane of the face of the skate wheel hub generally perpendicular to the wheel axis. Each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the outer rim at an angle of between about 60° and about 70°, and preferably about 65°, measured from the plane of the face of the skate wheel hub generally perpendicular to the wheel axis. The inner surface of the outer rim has a substantially constant diameter. The first spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated first end of the inner hub. The first spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated first end of the outer rim. The second spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated, opposite second end of the inner hub. The second spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated, opposite second end of the outer rim. The inner hub, the outer rim, and the plurality of blade-form spokes of the skate wheel hub are integrally molded. The inner hub, the outer rim, and the plurality of blade-form spokes of the skate wheel hub are integrally molded of thermoplastic urethane (TPU), for example. The skate tire is formed of urethane, for example.
According another aspect, a skate wheel hub for an in-line skate comprises an inner hub, an outer rim having an outer surface constructed and arranged for mounting of skate tire thereupon, and, extending between the inner hub and the outer rim, a plurality of blade-form spokes, opposed surfaces of adjacent blade-form spokes, in cooperation with opposed surfaces of the inner hub and outer rim, defining airflow passageways through the skate wheel, each blade-form spoke having a radially-aligned first spoke-edge surface exposed at a first face of the skate wheel, a radially aligned opposite, second spoke-edge surface exposed at an opposite, second face of the skate wheel, and a body extending smoothly therebetween, the first spoke-edge surface and the second spoke-edge surface being offset in a direction of travel of the in-line skate by a predetermined arc of rotation about a skate wheel hub axis.
Implementations of this aspect of the disclosure may include one or more of the following additional features. The skate wheel hub has between six and twelve blade-form spokes. The skate wheel hub has nine blade-form spokes. The blade-form spokes are uniformly spaced about the inner hub. The first spoke edge surface and the opposite, second spoke edge surface are smoothly radiused. The blade-form spoke has a thickness of about 2.75 mm. The predetermined arc of rotation is between about 25° and about 180°. The predetermined arc of rotation is about 40°. Each blade-form spoke intersects an opposed surface of the inner hub at an angle of between about 70° and about 80°, measured from a plane of the skate wheel hub generally perpendicular to the skate wheel hub axis. Each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the inner hub at an angle of about 75°, measured from the skate wheel hub generally perpendicular to the skate wheel hub axis. Each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the outer rim at an angle of between about 60° and about 70°, measured from a plane of the skate wheel hub generally perpendicular to the skate wheel hub axis. Each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the outer rim at an angle of about 65°, measured from the plane of the skate wheel hub generally perpendicular to the skate wheel hub axis. The inner surface of the outer rim has a substantially constant diameter. The outer surface of the outer rim is substantially convex in shape. The outer surface of the outer rim defines an upstanding, generally circumferential ridge. The outer surface of the outer rim defines a generally circumferential flat ring in a region adjacent to the generally circumferential ridge. The first spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated first end of the inner hub. The first spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated first end of the outer rim. The second spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated, opposite second end of the inner hub. The second spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated, opposite second end of the outer rim. The inner hub, the outer rim, and the plurality of blade-form spokes of the skate wheel hub are integrally molded. The inner hub, the outer rim, and the plurality of blade-form spokes of the skate wheel hub are integrally molded of thermoplastic urethane (TPU), for example. The skate tire is formed of urethane, for example.
According to still another aspect, an in-line skate comprises a skate boot or shoe, a skate wheel frame mounted to a sole surface of the skate boot or shoe, and a plurality of skate wheels mounted to the skate wheel frame, each skate wheel comprising a skate wheel hub comprising an inner hub, an outer rim, and, extending therebetween, a plurality of blade-form spokes, opposed surfaces of adjacent blade-form spokes, in cooperation with opposed surfaces of the inner hub and the outer rim, defining airflow passageways through the skate wheel, each blade-form spoke having a radially-aligned first spoke-edge surface exposed at a first face of the skate wheel, a radially aligned opposite, second spoke-edge surface exposed at an opposite, second face of the skate wheel, and a body extending smoothly therebetween, the first spoke-edge surface and the second spoke-edge surface being relatively offset in a direction of travel of the in-line skate by a predetermined arc of rotation about a skate wheel axis, and a skate tire mounted upon an outer surface of the outer rim of the skate wheel hub.
Implementations of this aspect of the disclosure may include one or more of the following additional features. The skate wheel hub has between six and twelve blade-form spokes. The skate wheel hub has nine blade-form spokes. The blade-form spokes are uniformly spaced about the inner hub. The first spoke edge surface and the opposite, second spoke edge surface are smoothly radiused. The blade-form spoke has a thickness of about 2.75 mm. The predetermined arc of rotation is between about 25° and about 180°. The predetermined arc of rotation is about 40°. Each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the inner hub at an angle of between about 70° and about 80°, measured from a plane of the skate wheel generally perpendicular to the skate wheel axis. Each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the inner hub at an angle of about 75°, measured from the plane of the skate wheel generally perpendicular to the skate wheel axis. Each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the outer rim at an angle of between about 60° and about 70°, measured from a plane of the skate wheel generally perpendicular to the skate wheel axis. Each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the outer rim at an angle of about 65°, measured from the plane of the skate wheel generally perpendicular to the skate wheel axis. The inner surface of the outer rim has a substantially constant diameter. The first spoke-edge surface is recessed from the plane of an associated first end of the inner hub. The first spoke-edge surface is recessed from the plane of an associated first end of the outer rim. The second spoke-edge surface is recessed from the plane of an associated, opposite second end of the inner hub. The second spoke-edge surface is recessed from the plane of an associated, opposite second end of the outer rim. The inner hub, the outer rim, and the plurality of blade-form spokes of the skate wheel hub are integrally molded. The inner hub, the outer rim, and the plurality of blade-form spokes of the skate wheel hub are integrally molded of thermoplastic urethane (TPU), for example. The skate tire is formed of urethane, for example.
Objects of the disclosure include providing in-line skates, skate wheels and skate wheel hubs defining air passageways through the hubs of the skate wheels, effective to diminish adverse effects of wind forces impinging against the surface area of skate wheels and wheel frame sidewalls transverse to the direction of skater travel.
The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings, and in the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one implementation of an in-line skate wheel of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a first face view of the in-line skate wheel of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an opposite face view of the in-line skate wheel of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the in-line skate wheel of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another implementation of an in-line skate wheel of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a first face view of the in-line skate wheel of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an opposite face view of the in-line skate wheel of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the in-line skate wheel of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are face views of still other implementations of in-line skate wheels of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the skate wheel hub of the in-line skate wheel of FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a first face view of the skate wheel hub of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an opposite face view of the skate wheel hub of FIG. 1.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the skate wheel hub of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15A is a top section view taken at the line 15A-15A of FIG. 12, and FIG. 15B is a top section view taken at the line 15B-15B of FIG. 12.

FIG. 16 is a side section view taken at the line 16-16 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the skate wheel hub of the in-line skate wheel of FIG. 5.

FIG. 18 is a first face view of the skate wheel hub of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is an opposite face view of the skate wheel hub of FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is a side view of the skate wheel hub of FIG. 17.

FIG. 21A is a top section view taken at the line 21A-21A of FIG. 17, and FIG. 21B is a top section view taken at the line 21B-21B of FIG. 17.

FIG. 22 is a side section view taken at the line 22-22 of FIG. 17.

FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 are face views of still other implementations of in-line skate wheel hubs of the disclosure.

FIG. 25 is a partial face view and FIG. 26 is a toe end view of an in-line skate having in-line skate wheels, e.g., as in FIGS. 1-4, with skate wheel hubs, e.g., as in FIGS. 11-16.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the implementations of FIGS. 1-4 and FIGS. 5-8, an in-line skate wheel 10 of the disclosure has a skate wheel hub 12 to which is mounted a in-line skate tire 14. The tire 14 may be constructed of urethane or other suitable materials, and formed according to the methods of U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,278 and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,622, the complete disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Referring also to the implementations of FIGS. 11-16 and FIGS. 17-22, the skate wheel hub 12 has an inner hub 16 and an outer rim 18, with a plurality of blade-form spokes 20 extending therebetween. For example, nine spokes are shown in the implementations of FIGS. 12 and 18, while the implementations of FIGS. 9 and 23 and 10 and 24 have six and twelve spokes, respectively. The blade-form spokes 20 are uniformly spaced about the in-line skate wheel axis, X, e.g. in the implementations of FIGS. 1 and 6, the blade-form spokes are spaced at regular, uniform intervals, S, e.g. about 40°. In implementations with other numbers of blade-form spokes 20, the intervals are different, e.g. in the implementation of FIG. 9, with six spokes, the interval, S, is about 60°, and in the implementation of FIG. 10, with twelve spokes, the interval, S, is about 30°. The inner hub 16, outer rim 18 and blade-form spokes 20 may be integrally molded, e.g. of thermoplastic urethane (TPU) or other suitable material.
Each blade-form spoke 20 has a radially-aligned first spoke-edge surface 22 exposed at a first face 24 of the in-line skate wheel 10 (FIG. 2), and a radially-aligned, opposite, second spoke-edge surface 26 exposed at an opposite, second face 28 of the in-line skate wheel 10 (FIG. 3), with a spoke body 30 extending smoothly therebetween. Referring to FIGS. 15A and 21A, the first spoke edge surface 22 and the opposite, second spoke edge surface 26 are smoothly radiused (see, e.g., FIGS. 15A/B and 21A/B). The first and opposite, second spoke- edge surfaces 22, 26 are generally aligned with radii, I, of the in-line skate wheel 10 and hub 12, and disposed perpendicular to the axis, X, of in-line wheel rotation. The first spoke-edge surface 22 and the second spoke-edge surface 26 of each blade-form spoke 20 are relatively offset from each other in a direction of travel of in-line skate (arrow, T; FIG. 25) by a predetermined arc of rotation, A, of the in-line skate wheel about its axis, X. The magnitude of the arc of rotation of the offset may be in the range of about 25° to about 180°, e.g. about 40°. The body 30 of each blade-form spoke 20 has a uniform thickness, B, e.g. about 2.75 mm.
The blade-form spokes 20 extend between the outer surface 32 of the inner hub 16 and the opposed inner surface 34 of the outer rim 18. At the inner ends, relatively closer to the axis, X, of the in-line skate wheel 10 and hub 12, the blade-form spokes 20 intersect with the outer surface 32 of the inner hub 16 at an angle, H (FIGS. 15A, 21A), e.g. between about 70° and about 80°, and preferably about 75°, measured from a plane, V, of the first face 24 of the in-line skate wheel 10. At the outer ends, relatively further from the axis, X, of the in-line skate wheel 10 and hub 12, the blade-form spokes 20 intersect with the inner surface 34 of the outer rim 18 at an angle, R, (FIGS. 15B, 21B), e.g. between about 60° and about 70°, and preferably about 65°, measured from plane, F of the face 28 of the in-line skate wheel. Referring, e.g., to FIGS. 12 and 15, the opposed surfaces 36, 38 of adjacent blade-form spokes 20, in cooperation with opposed surfaces 32, 34 of the inner hub 16 and the outer rim 18, respectively, define airflow passageways 40 (FIG. 11) through the skate wheel 10, e.g. for reducing the combined effective surface area of the skate wheels 10 and the skate wheel frame 104 (FIGS. 25, 26) and thus the resistance to wind blowing from directions transverse to the direction of skater travel (arrow, T), thereby to reduce potentially adverse effects, e.g. on skater stability, performance and efficiency. Air passing through the airflow passageways 40 cool the wheel 10. In some examples, the air cools the skate wheel tire 14, thereby reducing adverse tire characteristics associated with elevated temperatures.
The first spoke-edge surface 22 is recessed from the plane, C, of an associated first end 44 of the inner hub 16, and recessed from the plane, D, of an associated first end 46 of the outer rim 18. The second spoke-edge surface 26 is recessed from the plane, E, of an associated, opposite second end 45 of the inner hub 16, and from the plane, V, of an associated, opposite second end 47 of the outer rim 18. The face planes (V) and the planes (C, D; E, F) of the respective inner hub ends 44, 45 and outer rim ends 46, 48 at each face 24, 28 of the skate wheel 10 may coincide, as shown. All are generally perpendicular the axis, X, of the skate wheel 10 and skate well hub 12, which also coincide.
Referring again to FIGS. 11-22, and also to FIGS. 23 and 24, the inner surface 34 of the outer rim 18 has a substantially constant diameter. The outer surface 50 of the outer rim 18 is substantially convex in shape, with an upstanding, generally circumferential ridge 52 and a generally circumferential flat ring 54 in a region adjacent to the generally circumferential ridge 52, e.g. to enhance securement of the skate wheel tire 14 upon the skate wheel hub 12.
In some implementations, the skate wheel 10 has an outer diameter, J, of between about 72 mm and about 110 mm, and a maximum width, K, measured in the region of the outer rim 18 of the skate wheel hub 12, of about 24 mm (FIG. 4). The skate wheel hub has a similar width, L, e.g. about 24 mm (FIG. 14). The outer rim 18 of the skate wheel hub 12 has an diameter, M, e.g. about 62 mm, at the edges, and an overall diameter, N, e.g. about 70 mm at the crown. The inner hub 16 of the skate wheel hub 12 has an outer diameter, P, e.g. about 29 mm, and defines an inner bore 56 having an inner diameter, Q, e.g. about 22 mm (FIG. 23), for mounting to the axle 112 of an in-line skate 100 (FIGS. 25, 26). The inner wall 58 of the bore 56 defines multiple lands or pads 60 for engagement of with an axle.
Turning finally to FIGS. 25 and 26, a typical in-line skate 100 has a boot, shoe or other footwear device 102 for attaching the skate 100 upon the foot of a wearer, with an elongated wheel frame 104 attached to the footwear device sole 106. The wheel frame 104 often has a u-shape, with a pair of generally down-pending sidewalls 108, 109 defining a channel 110 for receiving multiple skate wheels 10 of the disclosure, e.g. three wheels to five wheels or more are typical. The skate wheels 10 are mounted in a line on wheel axles 112 extending between the sidewalls 108, 109 of the wheel frame 104. In other skate models (not shown), the skate wheel may be mounted in cantilevered fashion from a single sidewall. In both designs, the combination of relatively large diameter skate wheels 10 typical of an in-line skate 100, e.g. 72 mm to 110 mm (about 2.8 inches to about 4.3 inches) and the elongated, down-pending sidewalls 108, 109 (or sidewall) present a significant surface area of resistance to winds blowing from directions transverse to the direction of skater travel. These wind forces are closely focused on the region of skate wheel engagement with a travel surface, G, and can adversely affect skater stability, performance and efficiency, but the effect is diminished according to the in-line skate 100, skate wheel 10 and skate wheel hub 12 of the disclosure, as the airflow passageways 40 defined through the skate wheel 10 serve to reduce the combined effective surface area of the skate wheels 10 and the skate wheel frame 104, and thus the resistance to wind blowing from directions transverse to the direction of skater travel (arrow, T).
A number of implementations of the disclosure have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A skate wheel for an in-line skate, comprising: a skate wheel hub comprising:

an inner hub,

an outer rim, and,

extending therebetween, a plurality of blade-form spokes, opposed surfaces of adjacent blade-form spokes, in cooperation with opposed surfaces of the inner hub and the outer rim, defining airflow passageways through the skate wheel, each blade-form spoke having a radially-aligned first spoke-edge surface exposed at a first face of the skate wheel, a radially aligned opposite, second spoke-edge surface exposed at an opposite, second face of the skate wheel, and a body extending smoothly therebetween, said first spoke-edge surface and said second spoke-edge surface being relatively offset in a direction of travel of the in-line skate by a predetermined arc of rotation about a skate wheel axis, and

a skate tire mounted upon an outer surface of the outer rim of the skate wheel hub.

2. The skate wheel of claim 1, wherein the skate wheel hub has between six and twelve blade-form spokes.

3-6. (canceled)

7. The skate wheel of claim 1, wherein the predetermined arc of rotation is between about 25°and about 180°.

8. (canceled)

9. The skate wheel of claim 1, wherein each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the inner hub at an angle of between about 15°and about 85°, measured from a plane of a face of the skate wheel hub generally perpendicular to the wheel axis.

10. (canceled)

11. The skate wheel of claim 1, wherein each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the outer rim at an angle of between about 15°and about 85°, measured from a plane of a face of the skate wheel hub generally perpendicular to the wheel axis.

12-13. (canceled)

14. The skate wheel of claim 1, wherein the first spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated first end of the inner hub.

15. (canceled)

16. The skate wheel of claim 1, wherein the second spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated, opposite second end of the inner hub.

17-20. (canceled)

21. A skate wheel hub for an in-line skate, comprising

an inner hub,

an outer rim having an outer surface constructed and arranged for mounting of skate tire thereupon, and,

extending between the inner hub and the outer rim, a plurality of blade-form spokes, opposed surfaces of adjacent blade-form spokes, in cooperation with opposed surfaces of the inner hub and outer rim, defining airflow passageways through the skate wheel, each blade-form spoke having a radially-aligned first spoke-edge surface exposed at a first face of the skate wheel, a radially aligned opposite, second spoke-edge surface exposed at an opposite, second face of the skate wheel, and a body extending smoothly therebetween, said first spoke-edge surface and the second spoke-edge surface being offset in a direction of travel of the in-line skate by a predetermined arc of rotation about a skate wheel hub axis.

22. The skate wheel hub of claim 21, wherein the skate wheel hub has between six and twelve blade-form spokes.

23-26. (canceled)

27. The skate wheel hub of claim 21, wherein the predetermined arc of rotation is between about 25°and about 180°.

28. (canceled)

29. The skate wheel hub of claim 21, wherein each blade-form spoke intersects an opposed surface of the inner hub at an angle of between about 15°and about 85°, measured from a plane of the skate wheel hub generally perpendicular to the skate wheel hub axis.

30. (canceled)

31. The skate wheel hub of claim 21, wherein each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the outer rim at an angle of between about 15°and about 85°, measured from a plane of the skate wheel hub generally perpendicular to the skate wheel hub axis.

32. (canceled)

33. The skate wheel hub of claim 21, wherein the inner surface of the outer rim has a substantially constant diameter.

34. The skate wheel hub of claim 21, wherein the outer surface of the outer rim is substantially convex in shape.

35. The skate wheel hub of claim 34, wherein the outer surface of the outer rim defines an upstanding, generally circumferential ridge.

36. The skate wheel hub of claim 35, wherein the outer surface of the outer rim defines a generally circumferential flat ring in a region adjacent to the generally circumferential ridge.

37. The skate wheel hub of claim 21, wherein the first spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated first end of the inner hub.

38. The skate wheel hub of claim 21, wherein the first spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated first end of the outer rim.

39. The skate wheel hub of claim 21, wherein the second spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated, opposite second end of the inner hub.

40. The skate wheel hub of claim 21, wherein the second spoke-edge surface is recessed from a plane of an associated, opposite second end of the outer rim.

41-43. (canceled)

44. An in-line skate comprising:

a skate boot or shoe,

a skate wheel frame mounted to a sole surface of the skate boot or shoe, and

a plurality of skate wheels mounted to the skate wheel frame,

each skate wheel comprising:

a skate wheel hub comprising:

an inner hub,

an outer rim, and, extending therebetween,

a plurality of blade-form spokes, opposed surfaces of adjacent blade-form spokes, in cooperation with opposed surfaces of the inner hub and the outer rim, defining airflow passageways through the skate wheel, each blade-form spoke having a radially-aligned first spoke-edge surface exposed at a first face of the skate wheel, a radially aligned opposite, second spoke-edge surface exposed at an opposite, second face of the skate wheel, and a body extending smoothly therebetween, said first spoke-edge surface and the second spoke-edge surface being relatively offset in a direction of travel of the in-line skate by a predetermined arc of rotation about a skate wheel axis, and

45. The in-line skate of claim 44, wherein the skate wheel hub has between six and twelve blade-form spokes.

46-49. (canceled)

50. The in-line skate of claim 44, wherein the predetermined arc of rotation is between about 25°and about 180°.

51. (canceled)

52. The in-line skate of claim 44, wherein each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the inner hub at an angle of between about 15°and about 85°, measured from a plane of the skate wheel generally perpendicular to the skate wheel axis.

53. (canceled)

54. The in-line skate of claim 44, wherein each blade-form spoke intersects the opposed surface of the outer rim at an angle of between about 15°and about 85°, measured from a plane of the skate wheel generally perpendicular to the skate wheel axis.

55-63. (canceled)