US2553450A

US2553450A - Roller skate

Info

Publication number: US2553450A
Application number: US671156A
Authority: US
Inventors: Grant L Fuller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-05-21
Filing date: 1946-05-21
Publication date: 1951-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 1968-05-15

Description

. y 1951 s. L. FULLER 2,553,450

ROLLER SKATE Filed May 21, 1946 By GRANT HILLER.

6 j M f Patented May 15, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROLLER SKATE Grant L. Fuller, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application May 21, 1946, Serial No. 671,156

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to an improvement in roller skates, and it is particularly directed to the structure by which the foot plate is supported by the trucks.

. An object of the invention is to provide a structure by which the foot plate may be yieldingly tilted relative to the trucks supporting the foot plate and which structure offers a minimum of friction and resistance between parts interconnecting the trucks and the foot plate so that a' consistently smooth tilting action will result. Another object of the invention is to provide astructure for mounting a skate truck to the foot plate of the skate so that the truck will be returned to exact straight ahead position when the foot plate is returned to horizontal after being tilted for turning the truck one di-' rection or the other.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred form of the embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein;

' Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a roller skate embodying my invention;

, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of the skate; I

Fig. 3 is a view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of one of the trucks of the skate.

In a certain type of skate heretofore in common use, the skate consisted of a foot plate supported by two trucks in such a way that by tilting the foot plate relative to the trucks, the trucks would turn, according to the direction of tilt of the plate, whereby the skate could be steered by the skater. To provide accurate control of the skate, resilient blocks were mounted between'thefoot plate and each of the trucks so that the blocks would provide resiliency in the tilting of the. foot plate from its normal plane. In connecting the block to the skate,

one form of the invention embodied in a skate which will be seen to comprise a foot plate I having a toe plate portion la. and a heel plate portion lb.

Secured to the aforesaid toeand heel plate portions, as by means of rivets 2, are hangers a rod, generally in the form of a bolt, was rig-' 3, each of which is formed to provide a downwardly extending inclined socket portion 3a and a downwardly extending inclined pivot or thrust member 31), the lower end of which is smoothly -rounded. The member 312 of each hanger is inclined in an opposite direction to the socket 3a of that hanger, but the sockets and thrust members of each hanger are inclined oppositely to the corresponding socket and element of the other member.

The skate further includes trucks 4, each of which comprises an axle portion 5 in the form of a transversely extending tubular structure in which an axle or spindle 6 is mounted and secured against rotation as by means of a pin 1 (Fig. 2). Extending vertically upward from the axle portion 5 of each truck is an arm 8, which is formed integrally with such axle portion, and the upper end of which is recessed as at 9 for the reception of a socket element II], the element ll] being preferably made of a wear-resisting steel and being secured in such recess by a pressed fit. The socket element I0 is recessed to provide a smoothly rounded seat or thrust surface for the pivot member 3b. The lower end of the member 3b is preferably of hemispherical form, and the thrust surface of the socket element I0 is likewise of hemispherical form, so as to provide, in efiect, a ball and socket joint between these parts, permitting substantially universal movement of the truck relatively to the hanger. The upper portion of the wall of the recess in the socket element It! is flared to permit such universal movement.

Each of the trucks further includes, as an integral part thereof, a base plate II, the plane of which is substantially normal to the axis of the socket portion 3a of the hanger 3. The plate II is provided with an elongated opening or slot l2 extending generally longitudinally relative to the skate and-"at right angles to the axle, and the walls of which slot are flared for a purpose to be presently described. The plate II is further provided with a peripheral flange I3. The plate I I forms a seat for a resilient element, such as a body of rubber I4, the base of which is confined by the flange I3. The rubber body I4 is preferably, but not necessarily, of conical form and the upper end thereof is confined within an inverted metallic retaining cap or cup I6, between which and the lower end of the socket 311 a nut 11 is interposed. The body I4 has an axially extending opening therethrough that is in alignment with the slot I2 the openings through the body- I4 and cap. [6,:

I 4 may be adjusted by threading the rod into or out of the socket 311.. This changes the position of the head 24 of the rod relative to the foot plate and the base plate is also moved accordingly.

The skate further includes the frame bar 20 having upturned ends 2| which are interposed between the nuts I! and the retainer caps I6.

Due to the aforesaid pivotal connections, the foot plate and other portions of the skate which are rigidlyfconnected to the foot plate may tilt in all directions relatively to the trucks, this -tilting movement being resisted and controlled by therubber body I4.

--It will be apparent, that by my invention,

thef'sk'at'e can be effected, thereby offering the skater more accurate maneuverability and through an opening through a frame bar 20 and is threaded into the :socket 3a and extends at right an les relative to the base plate. The lock'nut I! is threaded on the rod intermediate the socket 3a and the frame bar 28 for locking the rod I8 against unintentional rotation. The lower end of the rod I8' is provided with a slotted head 24 and the under side 25 of the head isv in the form of a spherical section, the radius of which is indicated at 26, as is illustrated in Fig. 3. The central portion of the undersuriace of'the plate II is in the form of a cylindrical section 21 with the slot I2 extending parallelv with the axis of the section. In the present fPlm f the invention I prefer to use a steel washer which is. oval shaped and has an opening corresponding to the slot I2. The washer 28 is cylindriform so'that it nests in the concave' section 21 and presents a hard cylindr ical sectional surfacefor engagement by the head 24 of the rod i8. The radius of the cylindricalsurface of the washer is indicated at' 2 9 and it is longer than that of the spherical.

24 and the surface of the washer being tangen-j tialor a pivoting contact, resistance to tilting of'the footplate. I bythe engagement between the head 2 of rod 58. and the'base plate II is at a minimum and what resistance that does exist will be constant. This cylindrical sectional surface 21' also causes the truck to center itself with respect to rod 18 when the foot plate ishorizontal, the curved surfaces exerting com' ponents of'force on the rod head until equilibachieved. "Thus the skate irlay lpewaccurately steered and greater control is aiforded;

. In order to eliminate friction between the rod I8 andthe rubber body I4, the body it is undercut at .30 to form a circular recessabout the opening therethrough, and the rod I3 is undercut at.3I to avoid contact withrubber which may bulgeinwardly. The undercut portion BI, together with the flared walls of slot l2, also enables considerable swinging of the rod Without abutting the base plate iI. Also, by undercutting the rubber body at 39, when thebody' I4 is compressed, the rubber thereof may press downwardly but will not enter the slot I2;

Otherwise, a rigid washer would be required to prevent entrance 01: the rubber into the slot.

"It will be seen that compression of It will be seen that when the 'rod I8 th q f stability than can be had with previously known skates.

Although Ihave described but one form, of my invention, it will be understood that other forms might be adopted, all falling within the scope of the claim which follow.

I claim:

opening therethrough, the under surface of the base plate .adjacent to the slotted opening being concave and cylindriform; a resilient body intermediate the base plate and the foot plate" for yieldingly resisting tilting of the footplate,

said body having an opening therethrough inf registration with the opening; in said :base plate;; and a rod having one end connected'to the foot plate and extending through said opening" through the body and the base plate, said rod beingin frictional contact with the walls of; the v w I substantially throughout the length of the opening, saidrod; also having a head at the other end thereof. engageable with the base plate for positioning; the base plate relative to the foot plate, thesurface of said head engaging the base plate. being spheriforrn and having a radius less than that of said cylindriform base plate surface whereby a pivotal contact is established between the engaging surfaces of the head and base opening through 7 said body plate when the rod'is tilted relative to the base plate, the resilient body having a recess therein about the opening therein and in the face of the body resting on said base plate, and said rod having an undercut portion extending from the head thereof substantially into the re"cess' into said resilient body.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the? file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS GRANT L. FUL ER.

L i h. Nov 11. .1941: