WO1999007451A1

WO1999007451A1 - Skate frame

Info

Publication number: WO1999007451A1
Application number: PCT/EP1998/004743
Authority: WO
Inventors: Francesco Caeran
Original assignee: Benetton Group S.P.A.
Priority date: 1997-08-08
Filing date: 1998-07-29
Publication date: 1999-02-18
Also published as: ITTV970116A0; ITTV970116A1; IT1294158B1

Abstract

A skate frame comprising two rod members (10, 11) associated with a shoe (2) and having wheels (117) rotatably associated therewith. The frame is very light and has very low production costs.

Description

SKATE FRAME Technical Field

The present invention relates to a skate frame. Background Art

Roller skate frames are currently manufactured by using various technologies and various materials: for example, a usually U-shaped frame is conventionally manufactured by using plastic materials, optionally with a filler constituted by glass fibers, ultralight aluminum alloys, carbon fibers and other materials. A plurality of wheels are pivoted between the wings of the frame and are thus in-line to each other. The use of different materials is linked to the problem of having to produce frames which are rigid enough to allow correct maneuverability and control of the skate or to allow said skate to be sufficiently resistant to impacts in relation to specific uses, such as for example hockey or stunt skating. At the same time, the frames must also be light enough to avoid making the skate heavy and thus tiring the user.

The use of frames made of plastics and obtained by injection-molding is the most frequent, since it offers a good compromise between technical performance and production costs.

However, when the skate requires high technical properties, a frame made of plastics is not satisfactory and therefore ultralight metal alloys of aluminum or magnesium or carbon-fiber structures are used.

This solution, however, entails very high production costs due to the many treatment steps required by the alloys and by the time-consuming step for superimposing the carbon layers and then baking them in an oven.

A skate with in-line wheels is also known which has wheel supporting frames made of ultralight metals, such as aluminum alloys or others, and in which, in order to further reduce the weight of the frame and therefore the weight of the skate, several openings or cutouts of various shapes and sizes are formed. This skate, however, although reducing the weight of the frame, increases its total cost, since in addition to having to manufacture said frame by using said metals there is an additional step of removing the material in order to form said openings or cutouts. Accordingly, the amount of "waste" material, and therefore of material which is cut away in the lightened parts and must consequently be discarded, is great.

Moreover, the lightening step requires an additional mold and a new treatment step for cutting the material , further increasing the final cost of the frame for a limited gain in terms of weight. Disclosure of the Invention The aim of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, eliminating the drawbacks of the cited prior art, by providing a skate frame which combines the characteristic of being lightweight with low manuf cturing costs also if used for high-level performance.

Within the scope of this aim, an important object of the present invention is to provide a frame which requires a reduced number of manufacturing steps with respect to the cited prior art. A further object of the present invention is to provide a skate frame requiring a reduced number of tools and molds for its production.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a skate frame which allows to set up a smaller number of production lines, although it can be used for different skates.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a skate frame which can be used both with an in- line wheel configuration and in the paired-wheel configuration.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a skate frame which is aesthetically different from conventional skate frames. A further object of the present invention is to provide a skate frame which is reliable and safe in use.

This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by a skate frame, characterized in that it is constituted by at least one rod mamber which is associated with a shoe and with which at least one pair of wheels is rotatably associated. Brief Description of the Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the skate frame according to the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of some particular but not exclusive embodiments thereof, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a frame applied to a skate;

Fig. 2 is a first lateral perspective view of the skate frame;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the skate frame;

Fig. 4 is a second lateral perspective view of the skate frame; Fig. 5 is a lateral perspective view of another embodiment of the skate frame;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of the skate frame;

Fig. 7 is a lateral perspective view of a means for applying the skate frame of Fig. 1 at the sole of a shoe. Ways of carrying out the Invention

With reference to the above figures, the reference numeral 1 designates a skate constituted by a shoe 2 of the soft type or constituted by a shell made of plastics associated with a quarter, made in the same manner. A characteristic of the shoe 2 is that it has, at the sole region 3, a shell 4 which is made of a rigid or semirigid material and is for example associated with the rest of the shoe 2 by means of an overmolded or stitched or glued sidewall 5 or by means of other conventional methods. A frame, designated by the reference numeral 9, is associated with the shell 4 at the plantar arch region 6 and/or at the heel region 7 and at the toe region 8.

The frame 9 is constituted by a first rod member 10 and by a second rod member 11. Each rod member is formed by a rod having appropriate cross-section and dimensions, which is suitably curved so as to form a central body 12a and a central body 12b which is advantageously U- shaped.Said bodies lie on a plane which is approximately parallel to the plane of the ground. The central bodies 12a and 12b have different dimensions which allow one to be inserted in the other, although they are kept at a preset mutual distance.

First stems 13a and 13b and second stems 14a and 14b protrude from the ends of each central body 12a and 12b and are inclined in mutually opposite directions with respect to the ground.

The tip of the first and second stems is curved so as to form, respectively, first pivots 15a and 15b and second pivots 16a and 16b for wheels designated by the reference numeral 17.

The shape and arrangement of the first and second stems and of the first and second pivots are such as to allow to arrange the wheels 17 mutually in-line. Figs. 1 and 7 illustrate a means for associating said frame at the shoe and therefore at the shell 4 provided thereon.

Said means is constituted by at least one plate 18 on which at least one first seat 19 is provided, which is shaped complementarily to the lower surface of the central body 12a of the first rod member 10. Second seats 20a and 20b are formed adjacent to said first seat and transversely to the plate 18 in order to accommodate the lower surface of the wings of the central body 12b that constitutes the second rod member 11.

A complementarily shaped third seat 21 and complementarily shaped fourth seats 22a and 22b are formed respectively on said shell 4 at the first seat 19 and at the second seats 20a and 20b, so as to allow the vise-like clamping, between said shell and said plate, of said central bodies 12a and 12b or of at least part thereof.

The plate 18 can be locked to the shell 4 because in said plate 18 there are provided suitable holes 23a and 23b which accommodate screws or rivets or other temporary or permanent engagement means.

It has thus been observed that the invention has achieved the intended aim and objects, a skate frame having been provided which is extremely light, since it is formed by a much smaller metal surface than in conventional frames.

The illustrated solution further allows to reduce production costs, since it uses less material because said material is used only where really necessary, and because it is not necessary to form suitable wheel fixing pivots since they can be formed directly at the ends of the first and second stems simply by bending the first and second rod members which, if they have a round cross-section, can be constituted by gauged bars.

Cost reduction is also achieved owing to the reduced number of treatments required, since it is possible to start with an already-finished initial part, such as for example gauged bars which are already commercially available.

A further cost reduction is achieved because of the reduced number of tools and molds required to perform the treatment, since in fact only the step of bending the first and second rod members, so as to obtain the central body and the stems and the pivots, is required.

Another cost reduction is achieved because it is possible to have a smaller number of production lines for manufacturing frames for different skates and because it is possible to install wheels of different width on the frame simply by modifying the initial length of the first and second rod members before bending them, without altering the other parts of the frame in any way.

An entirely innovative aesthetic appearance, with respect to the prior art, is further achieved for the skate.

The skate frame according to the invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the same inventive concept.

Thus, for example, Fig. 5 illustrates a frame 109 constituted by a first rod member 110 and by a second rod member 111. Each rod member 110, 111 again has a central body 112a and 112b which is advantageously U-shaped. Said bodies are arranged approximately on the same plane but are spaced apart so that the first stems 113a and 113b and the second stems 114a and 114b and the corresponding first pivots 115a and 115b and second pivots 116a and 116b allow to arrange the wheels 117 mutually in-line, although the first rod member and the second rod member are arranged side by side.

Fig. 6 illustrates a further embodiment of a frame 209, again constituted by a first rod member 210 and by a second rod member 211 which are respectively provided with a central body 212a and 212b which is again U-shaped. Said bodies lie on the same plane and face each other.

First stems 213a and 213b and second stems 214a and 214b protrude from the central bodies, in a direction which is perpendicular to the respective wings, and are arranged approximately parallel to each other in pairs. First pivots 115a and 115b and second pivots 116a and 116b are formed at the ends of said stems and are arranged mutually opposite in pairs; suitable wheels 217 are associated with said pivots and are thus arranged side by side in pairs.

These embodiments, too, achieve the intended aim and objects.

The materials and the dimensions that constitute the individual components of the frame may of course be the most pertinent according to specific requirements.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. TV97A000116 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A skate frame, characterized in that it comprises at least one rod member (10,11,110,111,210,211) which is associated with a shoe (2) and with which at least one pair of wheels (17,117,217) is rotatably associated. 2. The frame according to claim 1, characterized in that it is associable at one or more chosen lower regions of said shoe, such as the plantar arch and/or the heel and the toe . 3. The frame according to claim 2, characterized in that said shoe has, at the sole region, a rigid or semirigid shell. 4. The frame according to claim 2, characterized in that each of said first rod member (10,110,210) and said second rod member (11,111,211) is obtained from a rod having suitable cross-section and dimensions. 5. The frame according to claim 4, characterized in that each of said first and second rod members is bent so as to form a central body (12a, 12b) which is U-shaped and lies on a plane which is approximately parallel to the plane of the ground. 6. The frame according to claim 5, characterized in that said central bodies (12a, 12b) of said first and second rod members have different dimensions, such as to allow to insert one in the other although they are kept at a preset mutual distance. 7. The frame according to claim 6, characterized in that first and second stems ( 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b ) protrude respectively from the ends of each one of said central bodies (12a, 12b) and are inclined in opposite directions with respect to the ground. 8. The frame according to claim 7, characterized in that a free tip of said first and second stems is bent so as to form, respectively, first and second pivots ( 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b) for pivoting said wheels (17). 9. The frame according to claim 8, characterized in that the shape and arrangement of said first and second stems ( 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b) and of said first and second pivots ( 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b) is such as to allow to arrange said wheels (17) mutually in-line. 10. The frame according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means for associating said frame with said shell (4) of said shoe, said means comprising at least one plate (18) on which at least one first seat (19) is formed, said seat being shaped complementarily to the lower surface of said central body (12a) of said first rod member (10). 11. The frame according to claim 10, characterized in that at least one second seat (20a, 20b) is formed in said plate (18), adjacent to said first seat (19), said second seat being shaped complementarily to the lower surface of the wings of said central body that constitutes said rod member ( 10 ) . 12. The frame according to claim 11, characterized in that a complementarily shaped third seat (21) and complementarily shaped fourth seats (22a, 22b) are formed on said shell (4) respectively at said first seat and at said at least one second seat, said third and fourth seats allowing the vise-like clamping of said central bodies (12a, 12b), or of at least part thereof, between said shell ( 4 ) and said plate ( 18 ) . 13 . The f rame acco rding to one o r more o f the preceding claims , characteri zed in that said pl ate os locked to said shell by means of holes ( 23a, 23b ) provided in said plate ( 18 ) and adapted to accommodate suitable screws or rivets or other temporary or f ixed engagement means . 14. The frame according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said first rod member (110) and second rod member (111) has a central body (112a, 112b) which is U-shaped, said members being arranged on the same plane but being spaced from each other so that first (113a, 113b) and second (114a, 114b) stems and first (115a, 115b) and second (116a, 116b) pivots allow to arrange said wheels (117) mutually in-line although said first and second rod members are arranged side by side. 15. The frame according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said first rod member (210) and second rod member (211) has a U-shaped central body (212a,212b), said rod members being arranged on the same plane and being mutually opposite. 16. The frame according to claim 14, characterized in that first and second stems (213a, 213b, 214a, 214b) protrude from said central bodies (212a, 212b), in directions which are perpendicular to the respective wings, and are arranged in pairs approximately parallel to each other, first and second pivots ( 115a, 115b, 116a, 116b) being formed at their ends and being arranged mutually opposite in pairs, wheels (217) being associated with said stems and being thus arranged side by side in pairs.