WO2009023958A1

WO2009023958A1 - Team skate system with battery heated skates

Info

Publication number: WO2009023958A1
Application number: PCT/CA2008/001463
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tory Weber; Benoit Talbot; David Croteau; Stephan Lachevrotiere; Pierre Harvey
Original assignee: Therma Blade Inc.
Priority date: 2007-08-17
Filing date: 2008-08-15
Publication date: 2009-02-26

Abstract

A team skate system of skates electrically heated by battery power has a plurality of pairs of electrically heated ice skates where an electrical heating system for heating the blade is mounted in the blade support with a battery power pack mounted in the rear tower of the support. A group charging system for charging all of the battery power packs of the pair of skates includes a transportable case with a handle and lid which defines for battery power packs a series of receptacles in rows and columns and group charging electronics in the container for receiving electrical power from a voltage source and supplying current at a charging voltage to all of the connector terminals for charging all of the battery power packs in the receptacles.

Description

TEAM SKATE SYSTEM WITH BATTERY HEATED SKATES

The present invention relates to a system of providing skates to a team of players where the skates are heated by battery power. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Common ice skates used in skating have an elongate blade which is arranged to slide along the ice surface. Attempts to minimise the friction between the blade and the ice using heat are shown a number of US patents. The blade when of the heated type also must be mounted in an effective manner which takes into account the provision of the heating and control circuits which become part of the system. A number of prior patents show mounting systems.

US Patent 3,119,921 (Czaja) issued November 2^nd 1962 discloses a resistant heating element attached along a top of the blade on a skate with a battery mounted in the open area above the blade underneath the connection of the blade to the boot. US Patent 3,866,927 (Tvengsberg) issued February 18^th discloses a similar arrangement.

US Patent 5,441 ,305 (Tabar) issued August 15^th 1995 discloses a heating system primarily for skis which appears to be speculative in nature and includes a number of different arrangements which could be used. US Patents 6,669,209 issued December 30^th 2003, 6,817,618 issued November 16^th 2004 and 6,988,735 issued January 24^th 2006 all by Furzer and all assigned to the present assignee disclose various arrangements of heated skate blade.

US Patent 5,088,749 (Olivieri) issued February 18^th 1992 discloses a skate blade mounting system where a metal blade has hook portions along its top edge which are pulled tight onto the molded plastic base by a screw and lever arrangement.

US Patent 5,248,156 (Cann) issued September 28^th 1993 discloses a skate blade with a replaceable runner which is hooked at the font end and fastened by a screw at the rear.

US Patent 5,769,434 (Wurthner) issued July 23rd 1998 discloses a skate blade formed of a plastics material with a metal runner.

US Patent 6,523,835 (Lyden) issued February 25^th 2003 discloses a skate blade system where the blade can be manufactured from various composites and can be mounted using a hinging system.

US Published Application 2005/0029755 (Fask) published February 10^th 2005 discloses a skate blade including an injection molded steel runner which is screw fastened onto a plastic holder. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system of providing skates to a team of players where the skates are heated by battery power. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a system of providing skates to a team of players where the skates are electrically heated by battery power, the system comprising: a plurality of pairs of electrically heated ice skates; each skate comprising: a skate blade member; a support for the skate blade member having a bottom member for receiving the blade member in fixed position and a top portion for attachment to a skate boot; an electrical heating system for heating the blade member; a battery power pack for supplying power to the heating system having terminals for supplying electric power and through which the battery power source can be charged; the support having an opening for receiving the battery power pack therein; and a group charging system for charging all of the battery power packs of the pair of skates comprising: a container for receiving the battery power packs from all of the pairs and defining for each battery power pack a receptacle into which the battery power pack can be located and a pair of connector terminals arranged to contact the terminals of the battery power pack when inserted into the receptacle; and group charging electronics in the container for receiving electrical power from a voltage source and supplying current at a charging voltage to all of the connector terminals for charging all of the battery power packs in the receptacles.

Preferably there is provided a support for the skate blade member having a bottom member for receiving the blade member in fixed position, a front tower member and a rear tower member each extending upwardly from the bottom member to a top portion for attachment to a skate boot and wherein the battery power pack is mounted in one of the front and rear hollow tower members.

Preferably said one of the front and rear hollow tower members has the opening therein through which the battery power pack can be removed for recharging.

Preferably each battery power source includes a battery and a battery control circuit which are connected by an encapsulating material.

Preferably the encapsulating material is an over-molding having the positive and negative terminals for the battery power source exposed at an outside location on the over-molding.

Preferably the opening for removing the battery power source is located in an inwardly facing surface of the tower containing the battery power source, that is the front face of the rear tower or the rear face of the front tower to protect that opening from impact damage. Preferably the container has a cover so as to enclose the receptacles and the battery power sources therein.

Preferably the container is transportable.

Preferably the container has a handle for transportation with the battery power sources in place. Preferably the receptacles are arranged to cooperate with the battery power sources to hold the battery power sources in place during transportation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a heated skate blade, to be used with the charging stand of the present invention, showing the blade and mounting for attachment to a skate boot which is shown in outline only for convenience of - A - illustration.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of Figure 1 with the boot omitted for convenience of illustration and showing an opening through which the battery power source can be removed for re-charging. Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional of the embodiment of

Figure 1 and showing the opening through which the battery power source can be removed for re-charging.

Figure 4 is an isometric view from one side of the skate blade member of the embodiment of Figure 1. Figure 5 is cross sectional view along the lines 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is cross sectional view along the lines 6-7 of Figure 4. Figure 7 is an isometric view from the rear and bottom of the battery power source including the battery itself connected to the control circuit which includes a pair of connection terminals. Figure 8 is an isometric view from the front and one side of the battery power sources of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is an isometric view of a group charging device for charging a plurality of pairs of the battery power sources of Figure 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2, there is illustrated an ice skate blade assembly 1. The skate blade assembly is of the conventional ice skate type having a blade 2 and a holder 3 to support the blade. The holder has a hollow heel tower 4 and a hollow toe tower 5 each having a top flange 6, 6A around the peripheral edge of the tower which fastens to the skate boot by a series of holes 7 around the flange.

The skate blade assembly 1 is generally fastened through the sole plate flange holes 7 through matching holes in the sole of an ice skate boot (not shown) with mechanical fasteners (not shown). The heel 4 and the toe 5 of the skate blade holder 3 generally are hollow. A heating arrangement 8 is arranged to heat the skate blade 2 such that the heat reduces the coefficient of friction of the blade 2 on an ice surface. The heating arrangement 8 has a heat control circuit board 9 mounted on the top edge of the blade and a battery 14 and battery control circuit board 14A in the hollow heel tower 4 of the holder 3.

The holder 3 defines an elongate bottom section 15 which extends along the full length of the holder and defines along a center thereof a slot 16 for receiving the blade. The elongate member 15 is connected to the hollow towers 4 and 5 so that the towers converge downwardly and inwardly from the top flange 6, 6A toward the bottom elongate member 15. At the bottom member 15, the moulded body forming the holder is solid and this solid structure extends upwardly into the structure of the holder until the width expands sufficiently to allow the structure to be formed into the hollow towers 4 and 5 while providing sufficient strength within the holder body from the moulded plastics material.

Between the hollow towers, the holder includes a U-shaped area 17 defining a top edge 18 which is the top edge of the solid part of the body on which the bottom member 15 is formed. The top surface 18 curves upwardly at the forward end to form a wall 18A which is the rear wall of the front tower 5. Similarly the top 18 at its rear curves upwardly to form a upward and forwardly extending portion 18B which forms the front wall of the rear tower 4. The front tower 5 thus has a rear end at the rear end of the flange 6 which overlies the surface 18 and symmetrically a forward end of the flange 6A of the tower 4 also overlies the surface 18. The front tower 5 has a front wall 21 which extends downwardly to a forward end 22 of the member 15. The rear tower 4 has a rear wall 23 which extends downwardly to a rear end 24 of the member 15. The wall extending upwardly from the member 15 to the base of the towers includes side ribs 25 which extend upwardly and rearwardly as indicated at 25 and 25A together with downwardly extending ribs 26 which connect from the inclined ribs 25 and 25A to the bottom end 15 to provide an attractive appearance.

As best shown in the cross sectional views 5 and 6, the member 15 defines a slot 16 in its bottom surface with the slot 16 extending upwardly to an upper end 27 and defining two side walls 28 and 29 of the slot. The slot extends only partly across the width of the member 15 so that two shoulders 30 and 31 are formed at the bottom of the member 15 on either side of the slot 16. This slot provides a receptacle for the blade so that the blade may be inserted into this slot and pulled up into the slot to be held in fixed position on the bottom of the member 15 and held against side to side movement by engagement between the blade and the slot.

The blade 2 includes a steel blade portion 32 and an over-molded portion 33 of a plastics material. The over-moulded portion is moulded onto the sides of the steel blade 32 and across the top edge of the steel blade 32 so as to form a structural member rigidly and permanently attached to the steel blade and extending out to each side of the steel blade. Thus as shown for example in Figure 7, the steel blade 32 engages into the over-molded plastics portion 33 so that it is held in place within that plastics portion. The plastics portion 33 includes a projecting element 34 with sides 35 and 36 which engage into the slot 16. The over-molded portion 33 includes top shoulders 37 and 38 which engage against the shoulders 30 and 31 of the bottom surface of the member 15.

The steel blade 32 includes a top edge 40 which has a complex shape for engagement into the over-molded plastics portion 33. The steel blade 32 has a bottom edge 41 which forms the skate blade edge of a conventional shape with slightly upwardly curved front and rear portions 41 A and 41 B.

The complex upper edge 40 of the steel blade portion is shaped to define a series of hooks which engage into the over-molded plastics portion 33 to maintain permanent engagement therewith. Thus there is a front hook 42 at the forwardmost end of the steel blade and this is received just behind the front edge 43 of the over-molded plastics piece so that it is embedded in the plastics piece and acts to retain the blade within that plastics piece. Similarly there is a rear hook 44 which engages into the plastics piece just in front of the rear edge 45 of the over-molded plastics piece. Thus as best shown in Figure 4, the steel blade includes a front engagement portion 55 which projects through the over-molded plastics portion 33 to provide an engagement hook member which extends into a receptacle 56 in the support. The hook member 55 has a rear surface 57 which extends upwardly and rearwardly so as to butt against a correspondingly inclined surface of the receptacle 56. It will be appreciated therefore that rearward pulling action on the blade 2 will cause the inclined surfaces to pull the blade upwardly into the slot 16 so as to force the shoulders of the blade against the shoulders at the base of the member 15. The rearward pulling action on the blade is provided by a rear mounting member 58 of the blade. The rear mounting member 58 also projects upwardly through the over-molded plastics member 33 to provide an upwardly extending portion above that member. The rear mounting 58 includes two arms 59 and 60 between which is mounted a nut 61 received in a cylindrical bearing surface 62 allowing the nut to swivel about an axis at right angles to the axis of the nut. Thus the nut has a cylindrical outer surface which is contained within the cylindrical bearing surface 62 allowing this pivotal action to accommodate slight inaccuracies in the positioning of the blade relative to the holder. The rear wall 23 of the rear tower 4 has a recesses hole 63 for receiving a screw 64. The screw has a head which engages against a base of the recessed hole so that the screw can engage into the nut and by turning the screw the nut is pulled upwardly and rearwardly as the screw head butts against the shoulders on either side of the hole. Thus the turning of the screw 64 acts to pull the blade upwardly and rearwardly along the slot 16 so as to pull the rear part of the blade into the slot and so as to pull the blade rearwardly along the slot to force the front mounting portion 55 into the receptacle 56.

Thus the blade can be mounted on the holder by releasing the screw and by removing the projecting portion of the moulded plastics portion 33 from the slot by pulling the blade downwardly. The blade can be reinserted by simply inserting the blade approximately into its required position thus sliding the front member 55 into the receptacle 56 whereupon the screw and be inserted into the nut and the blade pulled up into place both longitudinally and upwardly.

The sides of the portion 33 within the slot are slightly tapered and the side walls of the slot itself are slightly tapered so as to provide a friction fit between the plastics parts as the blade is pulled upwardly. Thus the blade is pulled upwardly until the shoulders engage between the shoulders on the side of the plastics portion 33 and the shoulders at the base of the member 15. In this way a rigid mounting is provided by the engagement of the shoulders which prevent further upward movement and by the engagement of the tapered sides which prevent side to side slopping movement of the blade within the slot at the base of the member 15. In other words the top part of the moulded member 33 which engages into the sides of the slot provides a wedging action which resists side to side movement.

As best shown in Figure 2, the bottom edge 41 of the blade curves upwardly and forwardly at the front end 41A and curves upwardly and rearwardly at the rear end 41 B. The over-molded portion 33 similarly is curved upwardly at the forward end at 33A and is curved upwardly at the rearward end as indicated at 33B. Also following the same curvature, the bottom edge of the member 15 also curves upwardly and forwardly at the forward end indicated at 15A and upwardly and rearwardly at the rearward end indicated at 15B. In this way the blade and the over-molded portion 33 fit effectively into the slot 16 of the member 15 along the full length of the blade.

As best shown in Figure 4, that part of the over-molded portion 33 which projects above the top edge of the blade 40 in the region of the front curved section 33A has the sides of the over-molded portion 33 castellated as indicated at 33C to provide a series of upstanding slots 33D in the sides. The slots 33D are provided in each side of the over-molded portion and extend down to a depth between the slots approximately equal to the width the blade. These slots are thus formed in the plastic part above the top edge of the blade and extend downwardly to the top edge of the blade. Further slots 33E forming a further castellated section 33F are provided behind the front mounting member 55. These castellated slots have been found to allow the mounting of the blade into the slot 16 in a manner which reduces vibration of the blade during vigorous stopping actions by the skater. They also add to the stiffness of the blade without adding too much weight.

Turning now to Figures 1 and 2, the towers 4 and 5 are arranged to extend upwardly to a position to engage the bottom of a conventional skate boot. It will be appreciated that in practice the heated skate blade arrangement of the present invention can be constructed as a separate item for attachment to boots manufactured by skate manufacturers so that the heated skate itself can be supplied to a number of different manufactures for use with their skate boots. The tower 5 at the front is of reduced height relative to the tower 4 at the rear. Thus as is conventional the heel part of the boot is elevated above the toe part of the boot allowing the top flanges 6 and 6A to be attached directly to the bottom surface of the boot without the presence of a heel structure underneath the boot between the rear part of the boot and the top flange 6A.

The flange 6 surrounding the tower 5 is shaped so as to follow approximately the shape of the sole part of the boot and thus is slightly wider than the heel part of the boot at the flange 6A of the tower 4. Each of the flanges includes a series of holes along the flanges on each side of the hollow tower and these holes are arranged to be fastened to the boot by rivets engaged through the flange from the underside and engaging into the receiving holes in the base of the boot.

Thus the sole has four receiving holes along each side for receiving the four holes of the flange 6. The rear part of the boot has three receiving holes on each side for receiving the rivets from the flange 6A.

The holes 7 in the front tower include some oblong holes or elongate holes 7A on the front flange 6 which are elongated in a direction side to side which are the third ones from the front of the tower 5. The holes 7 in the rear tower 4 include some oblong holes or elongate holes 7B on the rear flange 6A which are elongated in a direction front to rear direction which are the middle ones of tower 4). This allows adjustment of the position of the flange on the base of the boot so as to allow slight side to side and front to rear movement of the mount for the skate blade relative to the boot for improved alignment and ease of installation.

The battery power supply 14 includes a battery 71 and a battery control circuit board 72 located underneath the battery. A conventional battery protection circuit 14A is part of the battery since the batteries are sold with this little circuit incorporated in the battery enclosure. The battery control circuit 72 carries the components for controlling the supply of power from the battery including a low power indicator. The battery 71 and the circuit board 72 are contained within an encapsulating material as an enclosed separate item which can be inserted into the hollow tower as an integral element to be contained therein. The encapsulated battery power supply includes a pair of terminals 74 and 75 which are arranged to be connected to the blade for communication of current from the battery power supply to the heat control circuit carried on the blade.

As previously described, the blade itself can be removed from the mounting and thus the terminal 74 and 75 comprise terminals of the spring-finger type which engage onto fixed terminals on the blade simply by pressing the blade into the gap between the spring fingers of the terminal 74 and 75. Thus simple upward pressure of the blade onto the spring fingers at the required location causes the engagement between the terminals 74 and 75 and the requisite terminal on the blade. The battery power supply further includes a further terminal 76 in the form of a spring finger which extends from one end of the battery control circuit board for engagement with a stud or rivet 77 carried in the tower as best shown in Figure 3 where the stud has a head 78 exposed at the rear wall 23 of the tower for engaging a charging system.

The encapsulated circuit board is thus contained within the slot 16 above the shoulders 37 and 38. The control circuit 70 is also contained below the wall 18 of the support so that it is fully enclosed both by its own encapsulation and by the surrounding structure of the support. The battery power supply 14 is contained within the rear tower 4 above the elongate member 15 of the support and within the enclosed tower 4. The flange 6A is sealed to the underside of the skate boot with the battery power supply 14 in place. The sealing action can be provided by a gasket which overlies the flange 6A to provide an effective sealing action to prevent the penetration of moisture from the ice or from the environment into the rear tower 4 and thus into the area of the battery power supply.

In order to avoid unnecessary openings into the hollow rear tower 4, the manually operable switch arrangement for activating the power supply is defined by a pair of proximity switches 79 and 80 mounted on the inside surface of the hollow rear tower 4 at sides of the tower at a position where the fingers and thumb of a user can reach around the rear wall 23 to squeeze together on respective side of the hollow rear tower to engage the areas of the tower at the proximity switches 79 and 80. The use of two proximity switches one on each side prevents inadvertent operation of the switch actuating the power supply by contact with an extraneous item such as a puck or other elements such as an opponent's stick. Thus the actuation of the switch occurs only in the event that both proximity switches are activated simultaneously and are touched in a particular predetermined pattern This the microprocessor may be programmed that the sensors must be touched for a predetermined minimum period of time or in a pattern like a computer mouse double click, that is they may be touched for at least predetermined minimum period of time but not more than a predetermined maximum period of time then released for at least predetermined minimum period of time but not more than a predetermined maximum period of time and then touched for at least a predetermined period of time which is an extremely unlikely event unless controlled by the user reaching to the proximity switches by a finger and thumb.

An indicator light or LED for indicating the activation of the power supply is visible on the exterior of the tower 4 and is provided at the location 81 visible on both sides of the blade indicated on Figure 2. At this location the plastics material forming the moulded skate support is made sufficiently thin that the illumination from the LED is visible on both sides through the plastics material without the necessity for a penetration of the LED itself through the plastics material. In the arrangement shown the LED is located at a position just above the top edge of the blade 32 in the area just above the elongate support 15 and just behind the central heated area of the skate blade. The LED may itself be located within the tower on one or other side adjacent the proximity switches 79 and 80. Turning now to Figures 3 to 6, a resistance heating member 100 is formed by an elongate electrically conductive cylindrical wire 101 of constant cross-section along which the current from the battery power source is conducted with a layer 102 of electrically insulating material applied onto an outside peripheral surface of the wire. The wire is formed of a high resistance alloy so that the resistance is significantly greater than a comparable wire of copper so generate a significant heat output. Typical heating wires of this type are available from lsabellenhutte and are typically used for floor heating. In a suitable example the wire has a thickness of 32 gauge, 150 mm long, which in conjunction with a battery voltage of 7.4V typical can produce a heat output of 7.4 watts which is suitable for applying the required heat to the skate blade.

The wire 101 extends in a substantially straight path along the side surfaces of the skate blade member and the wire is held against the side surfaces 103 and 104 of the blade 32 so that the layer 101 is held in direct contact with the surface of the blade to transfer heat thereto.

The wire 101 includes a first portion 105 along the first side surface 103 of the skate blade member and a second portion 106 along a second opposed side surface 104 of the skate blade member, both being arranged close to the top edge 40 but spaced slightly downwardly from the top edge. The wire extends in a loop from a first electrical connection 108 on one side of the heating control circuit board 9 along the first side surface of the skate blade member, wraps around the end 46A of the raised section 46 of the blade 40 and returns along the second opposed side surface of the skate blade member to a second connection 109 on the other side of the heating control circuit board 9. The circuit board 9 is located directly at the end of the raised portion 46 at the top of the blade at a location where the top edge 40 of the blade 32 is recessed downwardly as shown in Figure 15.

The over-molding 33 of plastics material is shaped in the molding to define a longitudinally extending groove 110 on each side with a base 1 11 of the groove at the surface of the metal skate blade. The groove is formed between a bottom piece of the over-mold 33 and a top piece 112 which extends across on top of the blade over the top edge 40. The top piece 112 and the remainder of the over-molding 33 are integrated at the end 46A of the raised portion 46 of the blade opposite the board 9 as indicated at 113 where the wire loops around the end 46A of the portion 46 cross the over-molding 33.

The groove has a width equal roughly to the diameter of the wire and the resistance heating member in the form of the wire is received in the groove at the base 111 in contact with the respective side surface of the blade. The resistance heating member in the form of the wire 101 is compressed into the groove against the surface of the blade at the base by a deformable bead 115 of a resilient plastics material. The deformable bead 115 of resilient material is compressed by insertion of the over-molding into the slot 16 of the support 15 so that the sides 28 and 29 of the slot apply pressure against an outwardly projecting portion of the bead to apply pressure on the deformable bead. In this way the resistance heating member in the form of the wire is compressed against the surface of the skate blade member at the base of the groove by the deformable bead, which is formed of a heat insulating resilient material of a hardness of for example 73 Shore A.

In this way, the resistance heating wire has one side in contact with the skate blade member and all other sides surrounded by heat insulating plastics material defined by the over-molding 33 and the bead 115. A thermally conductive adhesive is located on the side of the heating wire at the blade to improve contact and heat transfer.

As an alternative to the provision of two wire portions along the side surfaces of the blade, there may be provided only a single wire in a single groove with that groove located at one side or on top of the blade The battery power supply 14 includes a battery 71 and the battery control circuit board 14A located underneath the battery and including a conventional battery protection circuit which is part of the battery since the batteries are sold with this little circuit incorporated in the battery enclosure. The battery control circuit 14A carries the components for controlling the supply of power from the battery including a low power indicator. The battery 71 and the circuit board 14A are contained within an encapsulating material 116 to form an enclosed separate item which can be inserted into the hollow tower as an integral element to be contained therein. The encapsulated battery power supply includes a pair of terminals 74 one of which can be seen in Figure 15 which extend downwardly from the battery side by side as spring wire contacts and which are arranged to be connected to the board 9 for communication of current from the battery power supply to the heat control circuit 9 carried on the blade.

As previously described, the blade itself can be removed from the mounting and thus the terminals 74 may comprise spring-finger type wires or fingers which engage onto fixed terminals on the circuit 9. Thus simple upward pressure of the board 9 onto the spring fingers 74 as the skate blade member is inserted into the support at the required location causes the engagement between the terminals 74 and the requisite terminal on the circuit 9. Alternatively conventional wires and clip type terminals can be used. The battery power supply further includes a further terminal 76 in the form of a spring finger which extends from one end of the battery control circuit board for engagement with a stud or rivet 77 carried in the tower as best shown in Figure 12 where the stud has a head 78 exposed at the rear wall 23 of the tower for engaging a charging system. A charging system for the skate can therefore comprise components which have a first terminal for engagement with the blade 32 and a second terminal for engagement with the head 78 of the stud 77. This provides a connection to the battery power supply through the battery control circuit 14A. In another arrangement, the battery and control board can be removable from the tower and charged in a separate charger unit, which can be a team charger containing a series of such battery packs or can be a single unit charger. In this arrangement the stud 77 is omitted and becomes the location of the LED indicating operation of the unit. The circuit board 9 is thus contained within the slot 16 above the shoulders 37 and 38 and is encapsulated in this area by a suitable low pressure molding material which engages over the board 9 on top of the high pressure structural over-molding 33. The board 9 is also contained within the tower 4 of the support so that it is fully enclosed both by its own encapsulation and by the surrounding structure of the support.

The arrangement described above provides a number of advantages as follows:

The heating wire has both its ends protected against moisture by the over-molding low pressure encapsulating plastic material covering the board 9. The wire is continuous and unbroken in its loop from the ends.

The heating element, in the form of the wire or other resistance heating element is compressed against the steel blade with the extrusion or bead compressed between it and the holder.

The battery 14 and electronics 14A are protected against moisture with plastic over-moulding. As an alternative to the over-molding using low pressure molded plastics material it is also possible to use conventional potting materials.

The two proximity sensors are used to actuate the power to avoid inadvertent action. They have a pattern so that the player must hold his fingers there for a given amount of time (minimum X seconds, maximum Y seconds) so that it eliminates turning on or off accidentally.

The connections provided can use the steel blade and a rivet to transfer the electricity from a charger to charge the battery. The spring loaded contacts 74 or the terminal type connectors act to transfer the electricity from the battery pack to the heating device but can be readily separate when required. This allows the blade to be easily changed when it has been sharpened too many times. The spring loaded contact 77 acts to transfer the electricity from the battery to the rivet.

The mechanical features of the slotted holes 7A in the flanges, the tapered joint 16 between over-molded steel blade and the support or holder and the anti-vibration ribs 33C on the over-molded steel blade provide an effective mounting of the blade on the boot.

The battery pack shown in Figures 7 and 8 is arranged to be inserted into the rear tower. This includes a rectangular housing 80 shaped to be inserted into the hollow interior of the tower with a face cover 81 which is larger than the front face of the housing and forms a cover plate for covering or closing the opening in the front face 18B of the rear tower. The face cover 81 has edges 83 which engage into the opening 82 in the tower so that when inserted it forms a smooth face of the tower. The battery pack has a rear screw 84 which engages into the pack and provides a fastening for the rear end of the housing at the screw opening 77. Thus the battery pack is fixedly held in place and the mounting prevents movement of the battery pack if the rear tower is impacted by another skate or puck or stick. The housing 80 is formed by over-molding the battery and associated charging circuit to form an integral structure which can be readily handled and inserted into the skate or the charger. The battery pack includes bottom terminals 85 and 86 for engaging contacts in the re-charging system and for engaging the components of the skate for supplying the power to the heating system.

The group charging system for charging all of the battery power packs of the pairs of skates of a group or team of skaters is shown in Figure 9 and comprises a container 90 for receiving the battery power sources from all of the pairs and defining for each battery power source a receptacle 91 into which the battery power source can be located and a pair of connector terminals (not visible) arranged to contact the terminals of the battery power source when inserted into the receptacle. The container includes group charging electronics for receiving electrical power from a voltage source and supplying current at a charging voltage to all of the connector terminals for charging all of the battery power sources in the receptacles. The container is in the form of a transportable case with a handle

94 which has a base portion providing the rows of receptacles and a cover 95 so as to enclose the receptacles and the battery power sources therein.

The receptacles are arranged as a friction fit with the battery power packs to hold the battery power packs in place during transportation. This may allow continuing the charging process if power is available, for example 12V power from a vehicle supply.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A system of providing skates to a team of players where the skates are electrically heated by battery power, the system comprising: a plurality of pairs of electrically heated ice skates; each skate comprising: a skate blade member; a support for the skate blade member having a bottom member for receiving the blade member in fixed position and a top portion for attachment to a skate boot; an electrical heating system for heating the blade member; a battery power pack for supplying power to the heating system having terminals for supplying electric power and through which the battery power source can be charged; the support having an opening for receiving the battery power pack therein; and a group charging system for charging all of the battery power packs of the pair of skates comprising: a container for receiving the battery power packs from all of the pairs and defining for each battery power pack a receptacle into which the battery power pack can be located and a pair of connector terminals arranged to contact the terminals of the battery power pack when inserted into the receptacle; and group charging electronics in the container for receiving electrical power from a voltage source and supplying current at a charging voltage to all of the connector terminals for charging all of the battery power packs in the receptacles.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a support for the skate blade member having a bottom member for receiving the blade member in fixed position, a front tower member and a rear tower member each extending upwardly from the bottom member to a top portion for attachment to a skate boot and wherein the battery power pack is mounted in one of the front and rear hollow tower members.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein said one of the front and rear hollow tower members has the opening therein through which the battery power pack can be removed for recharging.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein the opening for inserting the battery power pack is in an inner face of the tower.

5. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein each battery power pack includes a battery encapsulated in encapsulating material.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein the encapsulating material is an over-molding having the terminals for the battery power source exposed at an outside location on the over-molding.

7. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein there is provided a cover member for covering the opening.

8. The system according to claim 7 wherein the cover member for covering the opening comprises a flange which is attached to an end of a housing of the battery power pack.

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the battery pack has a rear fastener which engages a rear wall of the tower and provides a fastening so that the battery pack is fixedly held in place within the tower.

10. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the container of the group charging system has a cover lid so as to enclose the receptacles and the battery power packs therein.

11. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the container of the group charging system is transportable.

12. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 1 1 wherein the container of the group charging system has a handle.

13. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the receptacles are arranged to cooperate with the battery power sources to hold the battery power sources in place during transportation.