Patent Application
20140345178
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to in-line skating, roller-skating and ice-skating. Specifically, this invention concerns a means of displaying and protecting the graphics on the chassis of in-line skates, roller-skates and ice-skates, a method of preventing wear to such chassis graphics which is induced by contact with abrasive surfaces, and providing the ability to change the graphics of an in-line skate, roller-skate and ice-skate chassis.
2. Description of the Related Art
In-line skating, roller-skating and ice-skating are a forms of recreation practiced for more then two hundred years in various areas of the world. In recent times, it has evolved into a multi-faceted activity. Included among such activities are speed skating, dance, hockey, cross training, freestyle, so-called “Aggressive” skating and many more. Aggressive skating comprises of a number of stunts, including but not limiting, curb and handrail “grinding”(sliding), stair riding, ramp skating, jumping, and “stalling”(coming to an abrupt stop). Many of these activities significantly and rapidly degrade the quality of the in-line skating, roller-skating and ice-skating equipment.
As a result of the many hazards, the incorporation of graphics to the in-line skate, roller-skate and ice-skate chassis has been limited. The present approaches have been to apply graphics with either a decal or by screen-printing directly onto the chassis. These techniques insure that chassis graphics are subject to the same types of damage as the chassis itself. Also, these methods do not allow for replacing or updating the graphics of your chassis.
The present invention concerns means of displaying graphics on in-line skates, roller-skates and ice-skates chassis and protecting those graphics from direct and/or abrasive contacts or impacts. The display means of the invention comprises any method of applying graphics to a protective shield and or a separate display inserted in between the chassis and protective shield. The protective means of the invention comprise two vertical members, each of which serves to shield all or a portion of the in-line skate, roller-skate and ice-skate chassis graphics.
It is the primary object of the instant invention to provide an improved means to display and prevent such impact or abrasive damage from occurring with or to the graphics of an in-line skate, roller-skate and ice-skate chassis.
To accomplish this, an in-line skate, roller-skate and ice-skate chassis graphics display and protector has been developed. When affixed to the chassis, the potential for such damaging contacts are substantially reduced as well as allowing the user to change or update the graphics, thus increasing the life of the graphics and adding the ability of changing the look of the chassis, without having to buy an entire new chassis which can be very expensive equipment.
The present invention relates to an in-line skate, roller-skate and ice-skate chassis, graphics display and protective means (“skate chassis graphic display(s) and protector(s)”) and methods for using such means to prevent damaging impacts to and/or abrasive contacts with skate chassis graphics. As used in this invention, a skate chassis display and graphic protective means is any means that displays graphics and prevents direct impact to or contact with the skate chassis graphics.
In alternate embodiments of the instant invention, the graphic display 30 and protection means 28 may be mounted to the skate chassis 14 using wheel mounting hardware, i.e., that hardware used to attach the wheels 16 to the skate chassis 14. Such hardware may be original equipment or may be obtained from one of several after market sources familiar to those in the art. In addition, the skate chassis display 30 and protection means 28 described herein may be mounted using other mounting means independent of, or in combination with, wheel mounting hardware. Other mounting means may include but are not limited to, various types of fasteners, such as bolts, screws, etc. Interlocking systems such as slot and groove, tongue and grove, dovetail joint, etc., and adhesives, such as epoxies, glues, and other chemical agents capable of bonding a skate chassis graphic display 30 and protection means 28 according to this invention to a chassis 14. The use of wheel mounting hardware and/or other fasteners to mount a skate chassis graphic display 30 and protection means 28 affords the possibility of later removal, such as to facilitate the addition of new graphic displays 30 as well as to replace the chassis graphic protector themselves. As a result, fasteners, interlocking systems and particularly wheel mounting hardware, are preferred for mounting the displays 30 and protection means 28 described herein, as the use of adhesives typically result in permanent attachment to the chassis 14. However, also envisioned by the present invention is a skate chassis display 30 and protection means 28 comprised of more then one component. The various components of such a display 30 and protection means 28 may all be permanently affixed, removable, or a combination thereof; the display 30 and protection means 28 may also be attached to areas of a chassis 14 instead of the entire chassis 14.
As described above, the skate chassis protection means 28 can be individual pieces that are attached to the inboard side 20, the outboard side 22 or both the inboard and outboard sides 20, 22 of the chassis 14 or joined together. If the individual pieces of the protection means 28 are joined together, they may be attached at either the top, bottom, side of the protection means 28, or any combination thereof. If using an interlocking system of attachment, they may be slid together from any direction.
The skate chassis protection means 28 according to this invention can be comprised of any impact or abrasion-resistant material. Such materials include plastics, metals, wood, composite materials, i.e., fiberglass, carbon fiber, etc., in combination with an appropriate resin, and ceramics. As a variety of skate chassis 14 configurations are possible, the protection means 28 for such according to this invention will be manufactured, and machined, if necessary, to compatibly mount to such configurations. In addition, the inboard and/or outboard sides 20, 22 of the skate chassis 14 may themselves be contoured to varying degrees. The present invention contemplates manufacture and/or machining of the disclosed protectors so as to conform, as closely as is necessary to achieve proper attachment, to the contour(s) of a given skate chassis 14.
The graphic displays 30 can be located on the inboard or outboard side 20, 22 of the protection means 28, the inboard or outboard side of the chassis 14, in between the protective means 28 and the chassis 14, or any combination. The graphic displays 30 according to this invention can be applied any number of ways, such as screen-printing, stickers or decals, removable inserts, video displays, any type of lighting, etc. The removable inserts are the preferred means since they allow for the replacing and updating of the chassis graphics. The inserts can be any type of computer printed graphics, handmade art such as drawings, paintings, etc., photographs, etc. These inserts can also be made out of any material such as plastics, metals, wood, composite materials, i.e., fiberglass, carbon fiber, etc., in combination with an appropriate resin, and ceramics.
Furthermore, the chassis 14 can be any of the many styles and types of skate chassis 14. They consist of but are not limited to in-line skating, roller-skating and ice-skating, etc. These chassis can be made out of many different materials. Such materials include plastics, metals, woods, composite materials, i.e., fiberglass, carbon fiber, etc., in combination with an appropriate resin, and ceramics.
In the preferred embodiment of the instant invention, the protection means 28 is an individual transparent plastic protector on both the inboard 20 and outboard sides 22 of each chassis 14. These protectors slide into groves 32 from the top of the chassis (see
Therefore, by attaching the graphic displays 30 and the protection means 28 as described throughout in this way, both the graphics 30 and the protection means 28 can inexpensively be replaced; this not only makes the product last longer but also gives the consumer the ability to change the look of the chassis without purchasing a whole new chassis which can be very costly.
This application is a continuation-in-part and claims priority from and takes the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/936,402 filed on Oct. 5, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12936402 | Oct 2010 | US |
| Child | 14455223 | US |
