Quad roller skate

Abstract

This is a description of a quad roller skate for use on outdoor surfaces, including a traditional roller skate boot with a stiff sole, with the sole bottom, and the heel bottom being in general alignment with an imaginary horizontal plane. The sole and boot of the skate have opposed side edges with the wheels being positioned in vertical planes spaced from the opposed side edges. The wheels of the quad skate are of such diameter that each wheel apex is at least as high as the imaginary horizontal plane. The wheels can have larger diameters with the apexes being higher than the horizontal plane. A support plate is secured to the sole bottom and the heel bottom. Double action forward and rearward trucks with front and rear axles are mounted to the support plate. The skate has thin lightweight wheels having profiles defining a semicircular surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the right quad roller skate of a pair of quad roller skates in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the quad skate shown in FIG. 1 with the apex of the front and rear wheels being vertically aligned with the generally horizontal plane of the bottom of the heel-sole of the skate boot.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the quad skate shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the apex of the front and rear wheels being positioned above the generally horizontal place of the bottom of the heel-sole of the skate boot;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the quad skate shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the quad skate shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the tangential contact point between the flat skating surface and the semicircular surface of the rim of the wheel of the quad skate when the wheel is in a vertical mode relative to an outdoor flat surface; and

FIG. 6A is a fragmentary sectional view showing the tangential contact point between the flat skating surface and the semicircular surface of the rim of the wheel of the quad skate when the wheel is in an angled or tilted mode relative to the flat surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference is now made to the drawings in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout.

An exemplary right quad shoe 10 of a pair of quad shoes for use on outdoor flat surfaces includes a boot 12 having a sole 14 and a heel 16. Sole 14 has a sole forward area 18 and a sole rearward area 20. Sole 14 has a sole bottom 22 and heel 16 has a heel bottom 24. Heel 16 is secured to sole bottom 22 at sole rearward area 20. Sole bottom 22 and heel bottom 24 are in general alignment with an imaginary horizontal plane 26. Boot 12 is a traditional boot known in the art of roller skates including sole 14 being stiff and thick and made of a stiff, or hard, leather or stiff hard leather-like material, such as molded polymer of vinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride.

A metal support plate 28 is secured to sole forward area 18 and heel bottom 24. A forward truck 30A and a rearward truck 30B are transversely mounted to support plate 28 at sole forward area 18 and at sole rearward area 20 by front and rear bolts 32A and 32B, respectively. Forward truck 30A is located in the area below the ball of the foot of the wearer and rearward truck 30B is located in the area below heel 16. Front bottom bolt 32A secures forward truck 30A to support plate 28. Rear bottom bolt 32B secures rearward truck 30B to support plate 28. Both forward truck 30A and rearward truck 30B are double action trucks.

Two rivets 33 secure forward area 18 of support plate 28 to sole 14 and two rivets 33 secure rearward area 20 of support plate 28 to heel 16. Front and rear axles 34A and 34B are rotationally mounted through forward truck 30A and rearward truck 30B, respectively. A toe stop 36 is secured to support plate 28. Axles 34A and 34B are preferably solid axles with external threads at the ends. A pair of left and right front wheels, 38A and 38B, respectively, are mounted to front axle 34A; and a pair of left and right rear wheels 40A and 40B, respectively, are mounted to rear axle 34B. Each wheel 38A,B and 40A,B is provided with a plastic hub 42 molded with seven plastic spokes 44. Hub 42 can alternatively be made of a lightweight metal such as aluminum. A lock nut 46 at the axle ends holds wheels 38A,B and 40A,B to axles 34A,B, and also holds axles 34A,B to trucks 30A,B.

Each wheel 38A,B and 40A,B includes a tire 48 having a rim 50 that has a rim outer surface, or profile, 52 configured as a semi-circle in cross-section as seen in FIGS. 6 and 6A. Rim 50 is connected to spokes 44.

Each of front wheels 38A,B and each of rear wheels 40A,B has a rim apex 54 that is at least as high as imaginary horizontal plane 26.

An expository alternative quad skate 56 analogous to quad skate 10 is shown in FIG. 3 and includes a boot 58 analogous to boot 12 of skate 10, with a stiff, thick sole 60 made of a stiff, or hard, leather or stiff, or hard, leather-like material analogous to sole 14 of skate 10. Boot 58 includes a heel 62, and a support plate 64. Quad skate 56 includes a left front wheel 66 and a left rear wheel 68 analogous to left front wheel 38A and left rear wheel 40A, respectively, of skate 10. Each left front wheel 66 and left rear wheel 68 has a wheel apex 70 that extends several millimeters above the imaginary horizontal plane 26 shown in FIG. 2 that is formed by the bottom of sole 60 and the bottom of heel 62. The diameter of the wheels of quad skate 56 is limited only by the horizontal space 72 required between front and rear wheels 66 and 68 wherein the rims of the wheels would not interfere in rotation.

The diameter of the wheels of quad skate 10 vary in the general range of 100 millimeters up to 135 millimeters or greater for skaters who wear larger boots. It may be also noted children with smaller feet would skate on a quad skate 10 configured identically but with proportionally smaller wheels. In theory 175 millimeter wheels would be possible for a skater who wears a size 20 boot. Also, a 90 millimeter wheel would be suitable for a child who wears a size 3 or 4 boot due to horizontal size limitations between the front and rear axles.

Each of front wheels 36A,B and rear wheels 38A,B is a thin-width wheel having a width in the general range of 24 to 25 millimeters. FIG. 6 shows a section of the bottom of front wheel 38B as typical of all wheels 38A,B and 40A,B wherein flat skating surface 74 meets profile 52 at a tangential point of contact 76 where a vertical line of force 78 is transmitted from flat skating surface 74 to the radial center 80 of profile 52 of wheel 38A.

FIG. 6A shows wheel 38A in a tilted, or angled, mode when skate to for any of several reasons, such a during cornering, or when the opposite right front wheel 38B has struck an obstacle, or when left front wheel 38A has entered a lateral crack in outdoor surface 74. A vertical line of force 78 is sent from flat outdoor surface 74 from tangential point of contact 76 to radial center 80.

FIG. 5 shows right boot 12 particularly including sole 14 and heel 16 having opposed left and right side edges 82A and 82B, respectively, that define opposed left and right side edges 82A and 82B that extend between forward area 18 and rearward area 20 of boot 12. Left and right side edges 82A and 82B are asymmetrical because of the characteristics of the human foot. Left front wheel 38A and left rear wheel 40A are positioned in a first vertical plane and right front wheel 38B; and right front wheel 38B and right rear wheel 40B are positioned in a second vertical plane that is parallel to the first vertical plane. The first and second vertical planes are spaced away from opposed left and right side edges 82A and 82B, respectively.

Forward and rearward trucks 30A and 30B comprise forward and rearward truck castings that define first and second borings, respectively, within which front and rear axles 34A and 34B are respectively rotationally positioned. As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, forward and rearward trucks 30A and 30B have ends that are positioned beyond boot side edges 82A and 82B, respectively. Alternatively, short forward and rearward trucks (not shown) generally analogous to forward and rearward trucks 30A and 30B can have truck ends that are positioned under boot 12, that is, positioned within boot side edges 82A and 82B, with axles 34A and 34B nonetheless being positioned beyond boot side edges 82A and 82B as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The technology for maintaining axles 34A and 34B into their lateral positions while mounted to such short forward and rearward trucks is known in the art.

The principles and description of a mating left quad skate are analogous to right quad skate 10 as set forth herein.

The aluminum truck castings 30A and 30B of the present invention must be at least 4 inches wide. Axles 34A and 34B are inserted thru the center of truck castings 34A and 34B. The length of axles 34A and 34B is in the range of 6 inches. Therefore 1.25 inch of axles 34A and 34B protrude from each end of truck casting 30A,B.

In general, the tire area 48 of each wheel 38A,B and 40A,B preferably has a durometer hardness factor in the range of 74A to 88A. The durometer reading is a measure of the hardness of the material that makes up wheel's tire. The higher the hardness, the harder the wheel. In addition, the harder the wheel, the longer it lasts, but the less it absorbs shock and vibration when skating. Most wheels on the market range from 74A (softest) to 88A (hardest), where the letter A denotes the durometer scale. However, recreational skaters are normally interested in a narrower range from 78A to 82A. This hardness range provides good control and a smooth roll for trail skating.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, it will, of course, be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the form, details, and arrangements of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A quad roller skate for use on outdoor flat surfaces, including, in combination, a boot having a boot forward area and a boot rearward area, said boot including a boot sole and a boot heel attached to said boot sole at said rearward area, said sole having a sole bottom and said heel having a heel bottom, said sole bottom and said heel bottom being in general alignment with a horizontal plane, said sole being a stiff sole,a support plate secured to said sole bottom and to said heel bottom,a forward truck and a rearward truck, said forward truck and said rearward truck being secured to said support plate, each said forward truck and said rearward truck being a double action truck,a front axle mounted within said front truck and a rear axle mounted within said rear truck,a pair of left and right front wheels mounted to said front axle and a pair of left and right rear wheels mounted to said rear axle, each of said front wheels and each of said rear wheels having an apex at least as high as said horizontal plane,each of said front wheels and each of said rear wheels being a thin-width wheel, each of said front and rear wheels including a rim defining a semicircular profile, andsaid boot including said sole and said heel defining opposed boot side edges extending between said boot forward area and said boot rearward area, said left front wheel and said left rear wheel being positioned in a first vertical plane, and said right front wheel and said right rear wheel being positioned in a second vertical plane parallel to said first vertical plane, each of said first and second vertical planes being spaced away from said opposed boot side edges.

2. The quad skate as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said thin-width wheels is in the range of 24 millimeters to 25 millimeters in width.

3. The quad skate as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said front and rear wheels has a diameter in the range of 100 millimeters.

4. The quad skate as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said front wheels and each of said rear wheels having an apex at least as high as said horizontal plane includes said apex of each of said front wheels and of each of said rear wheels being higher than said horizontal plane.

5. The quad skate as described in claim 4, wherein each of said wheels has a diameter in the range of between over 100 millimeters and 135 millimeters.

6. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein said stiff sole is made of a stiff leather.

7. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein said stiff and thick sole is made of polyvinyl chloride

8. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein each of said wheels includes a hub mounted to each of said axles and each of said wheels further includes a plurality of spokes extending from each said rim to each said hub.

9. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein each of said wheels is made of a lightweight hard plastic

10. The quad skate as described in claim 9, wherein said lightweight hard plastic is polyurethane.

11. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein each said rim of said wheels has a durometer hardness factor in the range of 78A to 82A.

12. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein said front axle and said rear axle are solid axles.

13. The quad skate as described in claim 1, further including a toe stop mounted to said support plate.

14. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein said a support plate is secured to said sole bottom and to said heel bottom by at least four bolts.

15. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein said a support plate is secured to said sole bottom and to said heel bottom by at least four rivets.

16. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein said stiff sole is also a thick sole.

17. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein said forward and rearward trucks include forward and rearward truck castings, respectively, that define first and second bores, respectively, said front and rear axles being rotatably positioned in said first and second bores, respectively, wherein said first and second axles having first and second axles ends, respectively, that are positioned beyond said first and second opposed side edges, respectively, of said boot, and further wherein said forward and rearward trucks have truck ends that are positioned beyond said opposed boot side edges.

18. The quad skate as described in claim 1, wherein said forward and rearward trucks include forward and rearward truck castings, respectively, that define first and second bores, respectively, said front and rear axles being positioned in said first and second bores, respectively, wherein said first and second axles having first and second axles ends, respectively, that are positioned beyond said first and second opposed side edges, respectively, of said boot, and further wherein said forward and rearward trucks have truck ends that are positioned under said boot.

19. The quad skate as defined in claim 1, wherein said stiff sole is a stiff, thick sole.