WO2003097187A1

WO2003097187A1 - A roller skate with in-line wheels

Info

Publication number: WO2003097187A1
Application number: PCT/IT2003/000302
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mario Di Giovanni
Original assignee: Teknostar S.R.L.
Priority date: 2002-05-21
Filing date: 2003-05-20
Publication date: 2003-11-27
Also published as: ITRE20020042A0; YU6504A; AU2003234071A1; ITRE20020042A1

Abstract

An intermediate wheel (13) of an in-line skate with suspension is smaller than front and back external wheels (12, 14) of the skate, is projectingly mounted on a hinge structure (35), and is rotatable about a vertical suspension axis. The intermediate wheel (13) is advantageously provided with means for suspension which are more rigid than means for suspension of the front and back end wheels (12, 14), in order to grant the skates special dynamic response characteristics, which are particularly useful in the field of artistic skating.

Description

Description A Roller Skate with in-line Wheels

Technical Field

The invention relates to a roller skate with in-line wheels. The invention relates in particular to a roller skate having at least three wheels which are aligned and suspended on elastic suspension means, in which at least one of the intermediate wheels exhibits characteristic structural and functional innovations.

Background Art

Among the various types of known roller skates is, for example, US patent US 5,701,621, which describes skates with in-line wheels having elastic means interpositioned between the axes of the wheels and the bearing structure of the skate itself. The elastic means are useful, especially in the field of competitive skating, and in the sporting field in general, for dampening and reducing transmission of small knocks and vibrations, inevitably generated during use, to the legs of the skater. The skates are often provided with suspension systems mcluding a dampening mechanism for the oscillations of the elastic means, for preventing instabihty or slightly anomalous behaviour of the skate which would be perceived and not found acceptable by expert users.

The main aim of the present invention is to provide a roller skate, with at least three aligned and elastically suspended wheels, which exhibits particularly satisfactory dynamic behaviour, optimized for use by high-level users, and in particular by skater artistes. A further aim of the invention is to provide a roller skate having an innovative and rational distribution and configuration of aligned wheels. An advantage of the invention is that it provides an in-line roller skate which is in particular suitable for artistic skating, aiding the skater to perform even difficult manoeuvres with some ease, such as, for example, a spin.

The above aims and advantages, and others besides, are all achieved with skates with three or more aligned wheels connected to a main skate structure by elastic suspension means, in which at least one of the intermediate wheels is mounted on a rotatable hinge support pivoted about a vertical rotation axis. The dimensions of the intermediate wheel (or two or more of the intermediate wheels, but neither the front nor the back wheel), in the illustrated embodiment are smaller than those of the end wheels i.e. the front and back wheels, even though there may be other embodiments in which the intermediate wheels are not smaller, but are, for example, of a same size. The means for elastic suspension of one or more of the intermediate wheels exhibits a greater rigidity than that of the elastic suspension means of the front and back wheels.

A series of advantages emerge from the above-described characteristics, with respect to the prior art in skates presently in use, which advantages relate especially to the opportunity the user has to perform spins and pirouettes, either continuous or alternate and incorporating lateral displacements. Other advantages of a more general nature are connected with the rational structural configuration of the elastic attachments both of the peripheral wheels, i.e. the front and back wheels, and the intermediate wheels to the body of the skate.

Disclosure of Invention

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will better emerge from the detailed description that follows, of a preferred but nonexclusive embodiment of the invention, illustrated purely by way of example in the figures of the drawings, in which: figure 1 is an overall perspective view of a roller skate according to the invention; figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the skate of figure 1 ; figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a component of the skate of the invention; figures 4 and 5 are two transversal sections of the skate of figure 1, relating to two different attachments of the wheels to the component of figure 3. With reference to figure 1, 10 denotes in its entirety the roller skate of the invention, in which the main body 11 is only schematically represented. In this embodiment, three in-line wheels 12, 13, 14 are illustrated, together with an element 15, set at an inclined angle at an end 16 of the main body 11, which functions both as a brake and as an anchor which the user will use as a bearing- point when springing or jumping. At one end 16 of the skate 10 and at the opposite other end 17 thereof are two wheels 12, 14, arranged in the longitudinal median plane of the skate 10, axes of the two wheels 12 and 14 being pivoted to vertically-translatable supports 18 and 19. The section view of figure 5, relating to one of the attachments of the two wheels 12 and 14, shows that the supports 18 are forked, u-shaped and sohdly constrained to blocks 20 and 21 which are vertically shdable between guides 22 and 23. The guides 22 and 23 are constrained to the bottom side of the main body 11 of the skate and located either side of the wheels 12 and 14. The forked conformation of the supports 18 enables the wheels to turn even when there is an overload, preventing any contact of the wheels with the bearing structure of the skate 10. The slidable blocks 20 and 21 are also guided, centrally, by screws 24 and 25, fixed at top ends thereof to the main body 11 of the skate 10. The screws are also guides for the elastic elements, which are helix springs 26 and 27, interacting between the screws 24 and 25 and the main body 11 of the skate 10. In an intermediate central position the main body 11 exhibits a cylindrical seating 30 to which a threaded first bush 31 is anchored, conformed in such a way as to exhibit inferiorly a passage section having a smaller diameter than an internal diameter of the cylindrical body of the first bush 31. A second bush 32 can slide internally of the first bush 31, which second bush 32 have an external shape which is complementary to an internal shape of a cavity of the first bush 31. The internal cavity of the second bush 32 houses a cylindrical spring 40 interacting between the second bush 32 and the main body 11 of the skate 10, which keeps the second bush 32 in a rest configuration, resting against the external first bush 31. A hinge support 35 for the central or intermediate wheel 13 is constrained to the lower surface of the second shdable bush 32, by means of a counterplate 33 and screws 34. The intermediate wheel 13 is mounted with the hinge axis 36 of the intermediate wheel 13 (see figure 4) out of alignment with the vertical or nearly- vertical axis 37. The intermediate wheel 13 can rotate both internally of the horizontal axis 36 thereof, and about the vertical axis 37. This second rotation ability is preferably not possible for the front and back end wheels 12 and 14. The rotation axis is vertical or nearly so.

The vertical oscillation of the hinge supports 18, 19 and 35 of the wheels 12, 14 and 13, can be dampened during manufacture by design choices relating to the sliding hinged and cylindrical couples, as well as to the relative friction coefficients, by carefully choosing the materials used.

The end wheels (front and back) are preferably not susceptible to rotating about a vertical axis, as happens for the intermediate wheel in cases where there are three in-line wheels (in the case of skates with four or more in-line wheels, this is true of one or more of the intermediate wheels).

The above specifications, together with the fact that the rigidity of the central spring 40 is considerably greater than that of the lateral springs 26 and 27, enables a user to perform pirouettes with undoubtedly greater ease and immediacy than what is possible with existing solutions in the prior art. During use, the skater desiring to perform a pirouette or spin, pivots on one of the end wheels (back or front), with his or her weight bearing down on this wheel; in this configuration the elastic suspension on the pirouette-pivot-wheel is considerably more loaded than the suspensions of the other wheels, especially with respect to the end wheel situated on the opposite side, which in fact might be almost completely unloaded; when the skater makes the sideways push to perform the pirouette, the intermediate wheels spontaneously enters into a 90°-rotated configuration about the vertical axis, favouring the approximately cήcumferential description which occurs during the performance of the pirouette about the end wheel-pivot.

The best results are obtained with skates having three aligned wheels. The advantages connected with the structural characteristics of the roller skate according to the present invention are as above-described, and even in the event o f modifications and variations being introduced, the advantageous characteristics of the invention remain intact.

The conformation of the base structure of the skate might, for example, be varied, both in shape and profile, as well as in the longitudinal section of the structure. Also, the number and size of the intermediate wheels could be changed, as could the external conformation of the attachments to the body of the skate and the conformation of the hinge structure 35, according, for example, to what is illustrated in figures 1 and 2 in comparison with figure 4. The elastic means 40, destined for use with the intermediate wheels, can be of very different rigidities according to applications thereof; the dampening of the oscillations of the different attachments of the wheels to the body of the skate can also be various. A further embodiment might have the intermediate wheel (or wheels, in cases of skates with more than three m-line wheels) having, as mentioned above, a more rigid elastic suspension with respect to the end wheels, but unable to rotate about a vertical axis thereof; in this case (in which the support of the intermediate wheel can be of the forked type, similar to the illustrated support of the end wheels) two sub-designs are possible: a first in which the intermediate wheel is smaller than the end wheels; a second in which the intermediate wheel is not smaller than the others, but is, for example, of the same size.

In other possible embodiments, the intermediate wheel is rotatably about a vertical axis (or more-or-less vertical) and at the same time the suspensions of all the wheels have the same elastic rigidity. The intermediate wheel can be smaller, or the same size, as the end wheels.

The materials of the various components of the above-described skate can certainly be varied. The invention can be advantageously applied not only to roller skates but also to skateboards, roUer blades and the like.

Claims

Claims.

1). A roller skate with in-line wheels, comprising at least three aligned wheels (12, 13, 14) each of which is suspended on elastic means, wherein the elastic means for suspension of at least one intermediate wheel (13) of the at least three wheels (12, 13, 14) are more rigid than the elastic means for suspension of end wheels (12, 14) of the at least three wheels.

2). The roller skate of claim 1, wherein at least one intermediate wheel (13) can rotate about a vertical rotation axis (37) thereof.

3). The roller skate of claim 2, wherein the at least one intermediate wheel (13) is mounted, preferably projectingly, on a hinge support (35) which is rotatable about the vertical axis of rotation (37).

4). The roller skate of claim 3, wherein the at least one intermediate wheel (13) is anchored to a base body (11) by means of attachments comprising elastic means (40) interpositioned between the hinge support (35) and the base body (11) in order to enable vertical shding of the hinge support (35) with respect to the base body (11).

5). The roller skate of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one intermediate wheel (13) is smaller in size than the end wheels (12, 14). 6). A roller skate with in-line wheels, comprising at least three aligned wheels (12, 13, 14), each of which is suspended on elastic means, wherein at least one intermediate wheel (13) can rotate about a vertical rotation (37) axis thereof. 7). The roller skate of claim 6, wherein the at least one intermediate wheel (13) is mounted, preferably projectingly, on a hinge support (35) which is rotatable about the vertical rotation axis (37). 8). The roller skate of claim 7, wherein the at least one intermediate wheel (13) is anchored to a base body (11) by means of attachments comprising elastic means (40) inte ositioned between the hinge support (35) and the base body (11) in order to enable vertical sliding of the hinge support (35) with respect to the base body (11). 9). The roller skate of any one of preceding claims from 6 to 8, wherein the at least one intermediate wheel (13) is smaller in size than the end wheels (12, 14). 10). A roller skate with in-line wheels comprising at least three aligned wheels (12, 13, 14) connected to a main structure by elastic means of suspension, wherein at least an intermediate wheel (13) is smaller than end wheels (12, 14) of the at least three wheels (12, 13, 14).

11). The roller skate of claim 10, wherein the elastic means of suspension (40) associated to at least one intermediate wheel (13), preferably a smallest wheel , are more rigid than elastic means of suspension (26, 27) associated to the end wheels (12, 14). 12). The roller skate of claim 10 or 11, wherein the at least one intermediate wheel (13) preferably the smallest wheel, can rotate about a vertical rotation axis (37) thereof.