WO1997009099A1

WO1997009099A1 - In-line skate with liner-attached brake actuator

Info

Publication number: WO1997009099A1
Application number: PCT/CA1996/000595
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bernard Daoust
Original assignee: Bauer Inc.
Priority date: 1995-09-08
Filing date: 1996-09-06
Publication date: 1997-03-13
Also published as: CA2231355A1; AU6784096A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a brake system for use on roller skates. The brake system is mounted at the rear of the skate and activated by the movement of the leg. In contrast to traditional designs, where the brake actuator is mechanically connected to the cuff of the skate, the present invention provides a design where the actuator is linked to the liner of the skate. This arrangement allows a more direct transmission of braking efforts thus allowing to better modulate the brake. In addition, a better brake feedback is possible so the user can have a more accurate feel of the amount of braking effort that is being applied. The invention also provides an improved cuff for a roller skate and an improved liner therefor.

Description

_________ IN-LINE SKATE WITH LINER-ATTACHED BRAKE ACTUATOR

FIE P PF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to roller skates, including both in-line and conventional skates, and more particularly, to a braking system for same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Over the past few years roller skating has greatly increased in popularity and the nature of the activity has changed. Skating has moved from indoor arenas specifically constructed for that purpose, to the streets, sidewalks and parks of modern urban centres. As such, skaters are no longer confined to a relatively dull oval path, but are generally free to travel outdoors to a destination, and along a course, of their choosing. This has allowed skating to become at once, an enjoyable leisure-time activity, an excellent means of exercise and an economical method of transportation.

The transition, however, has at times not been a simple one. New outdoor skating environments do not have the smooth, level skating surfaces of a traditional skating rink nor are they necessarily free of debris. Each of these factors contributes to an increased level of difficulty for the activity. Skating outdoors further presents the skater with obstacles and hazards, such as cars, animals, and cyclists, all of which require him to have excellent stability, both while skating and while braking, to avoid harm. In addition, sports associated to skating such as roller hockey and competitive racing have transformed skating from a casual hobby into a rigorous sporting event. This transformation has increased the need for even higher high- performance skates.

For skaters at all levels of expertise, there is a particular need for improved braking systems. By far the most common braking arrangement today is a heel-mounted ground engaging brake pad, i.e. a brake pad mounted off the back of one or both skates. The skater brings the brake into contact with the ground by raising the toe of the skate to rotate it about the rear wheel and pressing down at the heel. Other known but less common braking arrangements involve using brake shows to bring brake pads directly into contact with one or more wheels, or using the equivalent of an automatic disc brake, i.e. braking the brake pad into contact with another element which is connected to the wheel. United States Patent 5,232,231 (Carlsmith) provides an excellent general review of the relevant prior art.

Most braking systems are actuated by changing the orientation, as is the case with heel brakes. However, other actuation means are known. For example, many patents teach the use of hand-activated brake controls connected to various braking means via cables which run down one or both legs of the skater. Some relevant examples are provided in Unites States Patents 182,835 (Lockwood) ; 1,801,205 (Mirick) ; 2,027,487 (Means); 2,140,955 (Goettie) , 4,943,075 (Gates); 5,171,032 (Dettmer) ; 5,226,673 (Cech); and 5,251,934 (Gates).

Such cable arrangements achieve a highly desirable object, namely to permit braking while enabling the skater to keep all wheels on the ground. In practice, however, they are fundamentally impractical, since either the brake is not instantaneously available, or the skater has to have a brake control held in his or her hand, which restricts freedom of movement, interferes with balance, and increases the possibility of injury during inevitable falls.

It would be highly advantageous to have a braking system which permitted braking with all wheels essentially on the ground, but which did not require hand controls. Several rather old patents show early attempts to achieve this, but they are ineffective and impractical by today's standards. As an example,. United States Patents 920,848 (Eubank); 1,402,010 (Ormiston) and 1,497,224 (Ormiston) all show straps which are adapted to buckle about the ankle of the skater, and which are connected to actuate the brake when the ankle is rotated forwardly (Eubank) or rearwardly (Ormiston) relative to the skate. While somewhat effective, the braking systems illustrated in these patents are not optimal, as they are awkward for the skater, and could be simpler to use and to manufacture.

With the recent popularity of skates with boots having an articulated cuff, newer leg-activated braking systems have been put into use. In such systems, a pivotally mounted ground engaging brake pad is mounted on the rear of the skate and is caused to engage the ground when the cuff of the skater is pivoted rearwardly. Such systems have been described in recently issued, patents and, like their predecessors, allow the skater to brake without having to remove some of the wheels from the ground and yet, do not require the use of a hand-activated brake.

Such systems are not free of some difficulties themselves, however, as they are not entirely responsive to the movement of the skater's leg. Owing to the size of the cuff, and the possible slipage of the boot liner against the cuff, leg movements intended to cause engagement of the brake against the ground surface may not be fully transmitted to the brake mechanism. It is thus hard for a skater to have accurate control over the force exerted by the brake, thus rendering brake modulation difficult and brake feedback imprecise.

There is thus still a need in the art for a braking system that does not require the skater to lift the skater wheels from the ground during braking, is not hand-activated, allows for maximum control over braking manoeuvres including brake modulation, and provides more accurate brake feedback.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a roller skate with an improved braking system allowing for more control during braking manoeuvres, better brake force modulation, and improved brake feedback. It is another object of the present invention to provide a roller skate with a braking system wherein it is not necessary for the skater to lift some of the wheels of the skate from the ground during braking and yet is not hand-activated.

As embodied and broadly described herein the invention provides A cuff for a roller skate that has a boot portion for receiving the foot of the skater, a liner for at least partially encircling the lower leg portion of the foot of the skater, a braking element and a member for delivering force from the liner to the braking element whereby movement of the liner causes actuation of the braking element, said cuff being capable being pivotally connected to the boot portion about an axis generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the boot and said cuff being capable of receiving said liner, said cuff comprising a passage capable of receiving a the member for delivering force from the liner to the braking element.

Roller skate braking systems of the present invention can be employed in almost any kind of skate, including both the modern "in-line" skates wherein the wheels are all secured within a chassis and rotate within a single common plane, and the older conventional" quad-wheel bi-axles skates.

Generally such skates are comprised of a boot portion which surrounds at least the foot of the skater and extend along the leg of the skater above the ankle forming a whole boot.

Located inside the boot portion is a generally boot-shaped liner, which serves several functions. Primarily, the liner serves to protect the leg and foot of the wearer from the inner surfaces of the boot itself. In this respect the liner is capable of absorbing shocks while the skater is skating and provides a protective surface to prevent abrasions. It must thus be made of a relatively flexible and comfortable material. The liner may be removable from the boot portion or may be permanently attached thereto. Preferably, the leg-engaging portion of the liner is close- fitting and capable of relatively free movement with the leg of the skater. The relationship of the liner to the skater's leg is "close-fitting" and "capable of relatively free movement", if when the leg of the skater is pivoted about his ankle the liner there is minimal slip between the liner and the leg (i . e . the relative position of the liner with respect to the leg is unchanged.) Depending on the material of which the liner is manufactured, the construction thereof may vary, as will the amount of slip. It is advantageous if the liner is made of a flexible material that is able to dynamically conform to the conformation of the leg of the skater. Liner constructions which unduly restrict the blood circulation of the skater should be avoided.

Preferably, a connector is mounted on the liner by any number of a variety of conventional methods, although sewing is preferred. The connector should not however interfere with the properties of the liner described above. The mounting of the connector to the liner should not detract from the close- fittingness of the liner nor materially increase the slipage of the liner with respect to the leg of the skater. During the operation of the braking system, when the braking element is being moved into an operative position the connector, and thus the liner and the leg of the skater will be subjected to a compression forces. The liner and the connector must be constructed of materials and in such a manner so as to be able to cope with such force without unduly compromising the relationship of the liner to the leg of the skater. In this respect, connectors constructed out of lightweight durable plastic materials are thus preferred.

The connector will have a liner-engaging portion which should be constructed so as to distribute the compressive forces generated during braking over a relatively large area of the leg of the skater so as to avoid pressure points in the leg. The connector will also have a portion which connects with the braking-element actuator. In most constructions this portion will be comprised of an extending-portion projecting away from the leg of the skater.

Preferably, the boot of the skate has a cuff which extends upwardly from the skater's ankle and encircles the leg of the skater, the liner thus being disposed therein. The cuff is articulated and jointed to the lower "boot-portion" of the skate at two pivot points located on either side of the skater's leg (inside and outside) and preferably are over the malleoli. The leg-portion of the liner is disposed within the cuff and thus the cuff must be capable of pivoting forward and rearward when urged by the leg of the skater. The cuff itself, however, is not part of the braking system, it provides additional support for the leg and ankle of the skater. The cuff should not interfere with liner the connector or the pitvotal movement of the skater's leg.

More preferably, the cuff of the boot has a passage therein and the actuator-connecting portion of the connector projects therethrough. Such a construction will enable the boot and the liner to extend the same relative length along the leg of the skater upwardly from the ankle. Depending on the construction of the connector the passage may be comprised of a single or multiple apertures in the cuff. Alternatively the passage may be comprised of an indentation in an upper portion of the cuff. .

It is preferred that the braking element be comprised of a ground-engaging brake pad and thus the braking surface constitutes of the skating surface. Alternatively the braking element may be comprised of a wheel-engaging brake pad and thus the braking surface is formed by the surface a wheel of the skate. A number of configurations of each type of such systems are known. In either case, the brake pad may be either pivotally or slidably attached to a portion of the chassis,

As embodied and broadly described herein the present invention provides a roller skate boot liner, comprising:

(A) a leg-engaging portion that at least partially encircles the leg of the skater;

(B) a connector secured to said leg engaging portion, said connector being capable of receiving a braking element actuator Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following specification and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following is a description of preferred embodiments reference being made to the following drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rear of the skate of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational side view of the skate with the braking element in an inoperative position;

Figure 3 is an elevational side view of the skate with the braking element in an operative position;

Figure 4 is an elevational side view of the skate with a portion of the cuff removed, showing the attachment of the connector to the liner;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the passage in the cuff is comprised of a single aperture;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein the passage in the cuff is comprised of an indentation in the upper portion of the cuff;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein the connector is attached to the liner above the cuff;

Figure 8 is an elevation side view of a skate of the present invention with a wheel-engaging brake pad. In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intending as a definition of the limits of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In Figure 1 there is shown an in-line roller skate 10 comprised of a boot 12, a set of wheels 14, a chassis 16 for supporting the wheels, and a braking system 18.

The boot 12 is comprised of an articulated cuff 20 pivotally mounted to a foot portion 22, at pivot joints 24. The pivot joints are located on both the lateral and median sides of the skate, preferably, in alignment with the user's malleoli, to permit dorsal/planar flexion with minimal resistance. Suitable means, such as a foot-portion buckle 26 and a cuff buckle 28, are used to tighten the skate to the skater's foot during use. Preferably the cuff 20 and the foot portion 22 are manufactured separately from plastic materials via injection moulding, and later assembled together to form the boot 12. Alternatively, other materials such as leather may be used in their construction. The buckles 26 and 28 are of conventional construction. Alternatively, they may be replaced by lacing closure system, or any other suitable equivalent.

Secured to the bottom of the skate 10 is a chassis 16 for supporting the wheels 14. Preferably the wheels 14 are supported within the chassis 16 in an in-line configuration. When such is the case, the chassis 16 will be generally U-shaped, comprised of two side rails 30 (only one is shown) that are generally parallel and run along the longitudinal axis of the skate. The rails 30 are in a spaced apart relationship and are connected to one another via one or more bridging portions (not shown) . The side rails are provided with a plurality of apertures 32 in a spaced apart relationship and support a plurality of wheel axles (not shown) on which the wheels 14 are mounted. The chassis 16 may be made of any number of materials known to those skilled in the art, however, light-weight plastic materials or aluminum are preferred. The chassis 16 is secured to the bottom of the skate boot, preferable being rivetted thereto. It is possible for the chassis 16 to be an integral part of the foot portion 22 of the boot 10.

Disposed within the boot 10 is a liner 34. The liner 34 is foot-shaped and has a leg-portion 36 extending upwardly from the ankle of the skater. The liner 34 is a generally conventional padded sock-like structure, which may be constructed of a variety of materials, although synthetic materials are preferred. Advantageously the liner 34 is removable from the boot 10, so it can be periodically cleaned.

As best seen in Figure 4, attached to the liner 34 is a connector 36. The connector 36 is comprised of a plate 38 which is shaped to conform to the outer contour of the liner 34. The plate 38 is constructed preferably of a lightweight, flexible plastic, and is securely attached to the rear of the liner 34, preferably by stitching 35. The plate is of such a size to as to distribute the compressive forces generated during braking over a sufficient area of the leg of the skater to prevent the occurrence of an unpleasant pressure point against the leg particularly under heavy braking effort.

The connector 36 is further comprised of two generally planar segments 40 and 42 projecting away from the plate 38, in a spaced apart relationship. The segments 40 and 42 project through two rectangular apertures 44 and 46 forming a passage in the cuff 20. The apertures 44 and 46 are of sufficient dimension to allow for the segments 40 and 42 to accommodate any slight shift of the liner 34 relative to the cuff 20 that arises when the leg of the skater is pivoted, so as to avoid any interference between the liner and the cuff during the delivery of the braking effort.

The roller skate 10 features a brake system designated by the reference numeral 48. The brake system is mounted at the rear of the skate and includes three main components namely, an actuation lever 50, a brake support arm 52 and a brake pad assembly 54. The actuation lever 50 is designed to interact with the liner 34 to urge the brake arm 52 down when the liner 34 is pivoted rearwardly for, in turn, bringing the brake pad assembly 54 against the ground surface. The actuation lever 50 includes an upper extremity 56 pivotally connected to the segments 40 and 42. The distance separating the segments 40 and 42 should be sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the actuation lever 50 and thus allow the actuation lever to freely pivot. Excessive clearance at the pivot joint is not desirable because it may generate rattling noises particularly when the skate is used on somewhat uneven terrain. A pivot pin 58 links the segments 40 and 42 and the actuation lever 50. The pivot pin may be a rivet or any other suitable fastener.

The lower extremity 60 of the actuation lever is connected to the brake element 54 through a similar pivot joint. More specifically, the brake element 54 includes a brake pad component 62 made of rubber or any other type of high friction material from which projects a rod 64 having a square cross-sectional shape. The preferred mode of connection between the brake pad 62 and the rod 64 is by means of a fastener, such as a screw passing through the brake pad 62 and engaging the rod 64. This can be accomplished by providing in the rod 64 a vertically extending bore which is threaded to engage the fastener. A hole registering with the bore in the rod 64 is then formed on the brake pad 62. The shank of the fastener is inserted through the hole of the brake pad 62 and tightened in the rod 64. To prevent the head of the fastener from bearing against the ground surface a countersink hole should be provided in the brake pad 62 so the head of the fastener rests above the surface of the pad that endages the ground.

The rod 64 is made of rigid plastic material and includes a lower body segment 66 that slides in the brake support arm 52. Above the body section is provided the yoke including a pair of parallel upwardly projecting segments 68 spaced from one another to accommodate the thickness of the actuation lever 50. A pivot joint, such as a rivet 70 links the yoke to the actuation lever 50. The brake support arm 52 is integrally formed with the chassis 20 and includes a bore 72 in which the rod 64 is received. The bore 72 conforms to the cross-sectional shape of the rod 64 so as to allow the rod to move therein and be guided therein without undue friction. In the example of the invention depicted in the drawings the bore 72 has a square shape. This, however, is not a critical element of the invention as the shape of the bore and the cross-sectional shape of the rod 64 can vary. For instance, the rod/bore assembly can be made circular or rectangular if desired. In addition, it can be envisaged to place in the bore a sleeve of low friction material to facilitate the sliding movement of the rod 64 As an example, a sleeve made of Teflon (trade mark) could be placed in the bore 72, the internal dimensions of the slave configured to accept the rod 64. Most preferably, the fit between the rod 64 and the bore 72 or low friction material sleeve, should be tight to avoid rattling noises. On the other hand the fit should be sufficiently loose to avoid undue friction.

In most applications it is desirable to allow the length of the actuation lever 50 to be adjusted so as to vary the angular position of the cuff at which brake engagement will occur and also to compensate for wear of the brake pad 62. The actuation lever 50 can be made adjustable by forming it as a pair of two telescopically engaged sections 50A and 50B. A series of equidistant apertures 51 vertically spaced on section 50A are designed to individually register with an aperture 53 on section 50B. A pin, not shown in the -drawings allows to secure the sections of the actuation rod at the desired length. This adjustment system is simple and effective. Other possibilities exist, however. One could envisage to provide a screw-type adjustment mechanism where the sections of the actuation rod are threadedly received in a common nut, located at mid-point on the actuation lever. By rotating the nut the length of the actuation rod can be extended or reduced, as desired.

The operation of the braking system of the skate 10 is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 . In Figure 2 , the braking element 54 is in an inoperative position and is thus not in frictional engagement with the skating surface 74. When the skater desires to brake, he extends his leg forward of his body, thus pivoting his leg about his ankle rearward with respect to his foot. As shown in Figure 3, this pivoting motion will thus be transmitted to the braking-element actuator 50 by the liner 34 and the connector 36. (The cuff 20 of the skate will pivot as well, however it plays a minimal or no role at all in the brake movement delivery.) The actuator 50 will pivot about its point of attachment to the segments 40 and 42 of the connector, and the actuator 50 will be urged downward with respect to the skate 10. The actuator will also pivot about its point of attachment to the segments 68 of the braking-element 54, and will urge the braking- element XX, downward, through the bore 72. The brake pad 62 of the braking element 54 will thus bear on the skating surface 74, slowing the motion of the skater by the frictional forces generated thereby. The greater the pivoting of the leg of the skater, the greater the force exerted by the brake pad 62 on the skating surface 74, the more frictional force will be generated thereby, the more rapidly the motion of the skater will be slowed. When the skater desires to decrease or cease braking he decreases the angle at which his leg is pivoted thus lessing (or eliminating) the frictional force of the pad 62 against the skating surface 74.

In Figure 5 there is shown a second embodiment of the present invention wherein the passage through which the segments 40 and 42 project is constituted by a single aperture 144. In Figure 6 there is shown a third embodiment of the present invention wherein the passage is an indentation 244 from the upper portion of the cuff 20. In Figure 7 there is shown a fourth embodiment of the present invention wherein the connector 36 is attached to the liner 34 above the cuff 20 with enough clearance such that the cuff 20 will not interfere with the pivoting of the skate's foot.

Although it has been illustrated that the connector is mounted to the liner at its rear, it could be possible to mount the connector in other positions where different brake actuators familiar brake actuators familiar to those skilled in the art are employed. Different locations of the connector may necessitate different positions of the passage through the cuff 20.

Figure 8 illustrates a skate of the present invention wherein a wheel-engaging brake pad 362 is employed. In this embodiment a brake pad 362 configured to engage the rolling surface of the rearmost wheel, moves down when the liner is pivoted rearwardly by the leg. When the brake pad engages the wheel a frictional force is generated to slow down or stop altogether the movement of the skate.

The above description of a preferred embodiment should bot be interpreted in any limiting manner since variations and refinements are possible which are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

I CLAIM;

1. A cuff for a roller skate that has a boot portion for receiving the foot of the skater, a liner for at least partially encricling the lower leg portion of the foot of the skater, a braking element and a member for delivering force from the liner to the braking element whereby movement of the liner causes actuation of the braking element, said cuff being capable being pivotally connected to the boot portion about an axis generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the boot and said cuff being capable of receiving said liner, said cuff comprising a passage capable of receiving a the member for delivering force from the liner to the braking element.

2. A cuff for a roller skate as defined in claim 1 wherein said passage is formed at a rear portion of said cuff.

3. A cuff for a roller skate as defined in claim 1 wherein said passage comprises a single apperture in said cuff.

4. A cuff for a roller skate as defined in claim 1 wherein said passage comprises multiple appertures formed in said cuff.

5. A cuff for a roller skate as defined in claim 1 wherein said passage comprises an indentation in an upper portion of said cuff.

6. A roller skate boot liner, comprising:

(B) a connector secured to said leg engaging portion, said connector being capable of receiving a braking element acturator.

7. A roller skate boot liner as defined in claim 6 wherein said connector includes a plate member affixed to said leg- engagaing portion.

8. A roller skate boot liner as defined in claim 7 wherein said plate member is curved to conform to an outer contour of εaid leg-engaging portion.

9. A roller skate boot liner as defined in claim 8 wherein said plate member is affixed to said leg-engaging portion by stiches.

10. A roller skate boot liner as defined in claim 9 wherein said connector includes a yoke-like member projecting from said plate for receinving the braking element actuator.

11. A roller skate, comprising:

(A) a boot for receiving the foot of the skater;

(B) a cuff pivotally connected to said boot about an axis generally transverse to longitudinal axis of said boot;

(C) a liner comprising a leg engaging portion for at least partially encircling the leg of a skater, said leg engaging portion being at least partially received in said cuff; (D) a braking element, said element being moveable toward an operative position in which said element is in frictional engagement with a braking surface; and (E) an actuator mounted to said leg engaging portion and operatively connected to said braking element for causing said braking element to move in response to movement of said leg engaging portion.