Skate blade sharpening apparatus and method

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6726543
  • Patent Number
    6,726,543
  • Date Filed
    Friday, April 18, 2003
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 27, 2004
    21 years ago
Abstract
An apparatus for use in sharpening a skate blade includes a handle and a cartridge connected to one end of the handle. The cartridge includes a casing and a sharpening blade. The sharpening blade has an arcuate cutting edge with a radius of curvature which corresponds to a radius of hollow of a skate blade to be sharpened. The casing at least partially defines a slot which has a thickness which corresponds to a thickness of the skate blade to be sharpened. The arcuate cutting edge on the sharpening blade extends across the bottom of the slot.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a new and improved apparatus and method for use in sharpening a skate blade having a thickness and radius of hollow.




A known skate blade sharpening apparatus includes a hand held housing which encloses a cylindrical abrasive member, that is, a honing stone. A slot is provided in the housing to position the blade of a skate relative to the honing stone. A skate blade sharpening apparatus having this construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,283.




Another skate blade sharpening apparatus includes a manually engagable body or housing having a slot which receives a skate blade. Carbide cutting inserts are disposed in the housing and are engaged by a skate blade when the blade is disposed in the slot. A skate blade sharpening apparatus having this construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,880.




Still another known skate blade sharpening apparatus includes a file and a body of abrasive material. A first slot is provided to position the skate blade relative to the file. A second slot is provided to position the skate blade relative to the abrasive material. A skate blade sharpening apparatus having this construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,006,000.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a new and improved apparatus and method for use in sharpening a skate blade. The apparatus may include a handle and a sharpening cartridge which is connected with the handle. The sharpening cartridge may include a casing and a sharpening blade which is connected with the casing. A slot may be formed in the casing and is engagable with opposite sides of a skate blade to position the skate blade and sharpening apparatus relative to each other. The sharpening blade may have an arcuate cutting edge which extends across the bottom of the slot in the casing. The arcuate cutting edge is engagable with the skate blade during sharpening of the skate blade.




A plurality of sharpening cartridges may be provided to sharpen skate blades having different dimensions. The thickness of a skate blade to be sharpened may be gauged. A sharpening cartridge having a slot with a width corresponding to the gauged width of the skate blade is then selected. The selected sharpening cartridge is connected with the handle and is utilized to sharpen the skate blade.




The present invention has a plurality of different features. The different features of the present invention may be used either separately or in combination with each other or in combination with features of the prior art. It should be understood that various combinations of features of the present invention and/or features of the prior art may be combined to provide a skate blade sharpening apparatus.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:




FIG.


1


. is a schematic pictorial illustration depicting the manner in which a skate blade sharpening apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention is utilized to sharpen a skate blade;




FIG.


2


. is a fragmentary sectional view, taken generally along the line


2





2


of

FIG. 1

, illustrating the thickness and radius of hollow of the skate blade;




FIG.


3


. is a fragmentary schematic sectional view, generally similar to

FIG. 2

of a portion of a skate blade having a greater thickness than the skate blade of

FIG. 2 and a

larger radius of hollow than the skate blade of

FIG. 2

;




FIG.


4


. is a schematic pictorial illustration depicting the relationship between a manually engagable base and a cartridge of a skate blade sharpening apparatus of

FIG. 1

;




FIG.


5


. is a schematic pictorial illustration further depicting the relationship between the base and cartridge of the skate blade sharpening apparatus of

FIG. 4

;




FIG.


6


. is a schematic pictorial illustration of a sharpening cartridge, constructed in accordance with the present invention, to sharpen a relatively thin skate blade having a relatively small radius of hollow, similar to the skate blade of

FIG. 2

;




FIG.


7


. is a schematic pictorial illustration of a sharpening cartridge, constructed in accordance with the present invention, to sharpen a relatively thick skate blade having a relatively large radius of hollow, similar to the skate blade of

FIG. 3

;




FIG.


8


. is a schematic plan view of one specific skate blade thickness gauge;





FIG. 9

is a plan view, taken generally along the line


9


-


9


of

FIG. 6

, illustrating the construction of a sharpening blade and casing of the sharpening cartridge;





FIG. 10

is a schematic sectional view, taken generally along the line


10


-


10


of

FIG. 9

, further illustrating the relationship between the casing and the sharpening blade in the sharpening cartridge; and





FIG. 11

is a plan view, similar to

FIG. 9

, of a sharpening blade having a noncircular configuration.











DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION




General Description




The use of a skate blade sharpening apparatus


20


to sharpen a runner or blade


22


of an ice skate


24


is illustrated schematically in FIG.


1


. The ice skate


24


includes a shoe


26


which is connected to the skate blade


22


in a known manner. It should be understood that the ice skate


24


is representative of many different known types of skates including hockey skates, figure skates, and speed skates.




The skate blade


22


is relatively thin and has a long narrow edge


28


which is sharpened. The blade edge


28


has a longitudinally extending groove with a relatively small radius of hollow. Thus, the skate blade


22


has parallel major side surfaces


30


and


32


(

FIG. 2

) which are separated by relatively small distance. Therefore, the skate blade


22


has a relatively small thickness, indicated by an arrow


34


in FIG.


2


.




The sharpened edge


28


of the skate blade


22


has a minor side surface


36


which extends between the major side surfaces


30


and


32


of the skate blade


22


. The minor side surface


36


of the skate blade is hollow to provide a groove, which may be referred to as a radius of hollow, along the center of the skate blade


22


. By forming the hollow or groove in the minor side surface


36


of the skate blade


22


, an inside edge


38


and an outside edge


40


are formed on the bottom of the skate blade


22


. The skate blade


22


has a relatively small radius of hollow, as indicated by an arrow


44


in FIG.


2


. The radius of hollow


44


is the distance from the center of curvature of the arcuate bottom surface


36


to the bottom surface.




A second skate blade


50


is illustrated schematically in FIG.


3


. The skate blade


50


is connected with the shoe of an ice skate in the same manner as is indicated schematically in

FIG. 1

for the skate blade


22


. The skate blade


50


differs from the skate blade


22


in that it is thicker and has a greater radius of hollow. Since the skate blade


50


has a greater radius of hollow, it will, generally speaking, tend to have less bite into the ice. However, the greater radius of hollow of the skate blade


50


will tend to make it easier for the skater to glide on the ice with exertion of less energy than with the skate blade


22


.




The skate blade


50


has major side surfaces


52


and


54


which are spaced apart by a relatively large distance, compared to the distance between the major side surfaces


30


and


32


of the skate blade


22


. Therefore, the skate blade


50


has a greater thickness, indicated by an arrow


56


in FIG.


3


.




A minor side surface


60


of the skate blade


50


extends between the major side surfaces


52


and


54


. Inside and outside edges


62


and


64


are formed at the intersection of the arcuate minor side surface


60


and the major side surfaces


52


and


54


of the skate blade


50


. The skate blade


50


has a relatively large radius of hollow, indicated by an arrow


66


in FIG.


3


. The radius of hollow


66


is the distance from the center of curvature to the bottom side surface


60


of the sharpened edge of the skate blade


50


.




The thickness


34


and


56


of the skate blades


22


and


50


may be any one of a substantial number of thickness. Thus, the thickness of skate blades may vary between 2.7 and 3.1 millimeters in 0.25 millimeters increments. It should be understood that the foregoing specific dimensions for the thicknesses


34


and


56


of the skate blades


22


and


50


have been set forth herein for purposes of clarity of the description and not for purposes of limitation of the invention. It is contemplated that the skate blades


22


and


50


may have any desired thickness within a large range of thicknesses.




Similarly, the radiuses of hollow


44


and


66


of the skate blades


22


and


50


may vary within a large range of radiuses of hollow. For example, the radiuses of hollow may vary between ⅜


th


of an inch and 1¼ of an inch in eighth inch increments. It should be understood that a greater range of radiuses of hollow may be provided on skate blades and that they may vary within increments which are smaller than one eighth of an inch. Although the relatively thin skate blade


22


has been illustrated schematically in

FIG. 2

as having a relatively small radius of hollow


44


and the relatively thick skate blade


50


has been illustrated schematically in

FIG. 3

as having a relatively large radius of hollow, a thin skate blade


22


may have a large radius of hollow and a thick blade


50


may have a small radius of hollow.




A particular skater may wish to have one radius of hollow on a blade


22


or


50


when skating on one type of ice and a different radius of hollow on the same blade when skating on a different type of ice. Other skaters may wish to maintain a constant radius of hollow on a blade


22


or


50


during skating on different types of ice. Regardless of whether a particular skater prefers to maintain the radius of hollow of a particular blade


22


or


50


constant, the skater will occasionally want to sharpen the blade.




The improved sharpening apparatus


20


constructed in accordance with the present invention is manually moved along the edge


28


of the skate blade


22


in the manner indicated schematically by an arrow


72


in FIG.


1


. Although the sharpening apparatus


20


is illustrated in

FIG. 1

as being manually moved along the edge


28


of the skate blade


22


to sharpen the blade, the skate blade may be moved relatively to the sharpening apparatus if desired. It is contemplated that there may be a combination of movement of the sharpening apparatus


20


along the skate blade


22


and movement of the skate blade


22


relative to the sharpening apparatus


20


during sharpening of the skate blade.




The sharpening apparatus


20


includes a base


76


. The base


76


has a handle


78


and mounting portion


80


. A sharpening cartridge


84


is constructed in accordance with the present invention and is fixedly connected to the mounting portion


80


of the base


76


. The sharpening cartridge


84


may be supplied separately from the base


76


.




When the sharpening apparatus is to be utilized, the handle


78


may be manually grasped, in the manner illustrated schematically in FIG.


1


. The sharpening cartridge


84


is positioned in engagement with the blade


22


on the ice skate


24


. The sharpening apparatus


20


is then moved along the skate blade


22


in the manner indicated by the arrow


72


while the skate blade


22


engages the sharpening cartridge


84


.




The sharpening cartridge


84


has a generally cylindrical configuration (

FIG. 6

) and includes a casing


90


which encloses a sharpening blade


92


. The sharpening blade


92


has an arcuate cutting edge (FIG.


10


). The arcuate cutting edge


96


extends across the bottom of a slot


100


formed in the casing


90


(

FIGS. 6

,


9


and


10


). The cutting edge


96


forms a chip by fracturing or shearing the material of the skate blade


22


during sharpening of the edge


28


. The sharpening blade


92


does not grind the edge


28


of the skate blade


22


.




The slot


100


has a width which corresponds to the thickness of the blade


22


of a skate


24


to be sharpened with the sharpening apparatus


20


(FIG.


1


). The width of the slot


100


is only slightly greater than the thickness


34


of the blade


22


(FIG.


2


). Therefore, flat parallel opposite sides


106


and


108


(

FIGS. 6 and 9

) of the slot


100


are effective to engage the flat parallel opposite sides


30


and


32


(

FIG. 2

) of the skate blade to position the skate blade


22


relative to the sharpening blade


92


in the cartridge


84


.




The arcuate cutting edge


96


(

FIGS. 9 and 10

) of the sharpening blade


92


has a radius of curvature which corresponds to the desired radius of hollow


44


(

FIG. 2

) of the of the groove in the edge


28


of the skate blade


22


. Therefore, the arc of curvature of the arcuate cutting edge


96


on the sharpening blade


92


matches the desired arc of curvature of the minor side surface


36


of the skate blade


22


. The arcuate cutting edge


96


of the sharpening blade


92


cuts, rather than grinds, the edge


28


of the skate blade


22


to obtain a minor side surface


36


with a concavity corresponding to the desired radius of hollow. The radius of hollow


44


of the skate blade


22


may be changed by sharpening the skate blade with a sharpening blade


92


which has a radius of curvature which is different than the existing radius of hollow of the skate blade.




The skate blade


22


is accurately positioned relative to the sharpening blade


92


by engagement with opposite side surfaces


106


and


108


of the slot


100


. This results in the center of curvature of the concave arcuate minor side surface


36


(

FIG. 2

) of the skate blade


22


being disposed in a radial plane through the center of curvature of the arcuate cutting edge


96


(

FIGS. 9 and 10

) on the sharpening blade


92


during movement of the sharpening apparatus


20


along the edge


28


of the skate blade


22


. During sharpening of the edge


28


of the skate blade


22


, a radial plane extending through the center of curvature of the arcuate cutting edge


96


and parallel to the side surfaces


106


and


108


is disposed midway between the opposite major sides


30


and


32


of the blade


22


and midway between the side surfaces


106


and


108


of the slot


100


.




Different skate blades may have different thicknesses. Thus the skate blade


50


(

FIG. 3

) is thicker than the skate blade


22


(FIG.


2


). A sharpening cartridge


120


(

FIG. 7

) for the relatively thick skate blade


50


is constructed in accordance with the present invention and has the same general construction as the sharpening cartridge


84


of FIG.


6


. The sharpening cartridge


120


may be supplied separately from the base


76


.




The sharpening cartridge


120


includes a casing


124


which at least partially encloses a sharpening blade


126


. The casing


124


has a slot


130


. The slot


130


has flat parallel opposite side surfaces


132


and


134


which engage opposite major side surfaces


52


and


54


on the skate blade


50


(

FIG. 3

) to position the skate blade relative to the sharpening cartridge


120


. Thus, the width of the slot


130


corresponds to the thickness


56


of the skate blade


50


.




The sharpening blade


126


(

FIG. 7

) has a cutting edge with an arc of curvature which corresponds to the desired radius of hollow


66


of the skate blade


50


(FIG.


3


). Therefore, the convex cutting edge on the sharpening blade


126


matches the desired concavity of the minor side surface


60


on the skate blade


50


. By having the radius of hollow


66


correspond to the arc of curvature of the edge on the sharpening blade


126


, the sharpening cartridge


120


can be utilized to sharpen the skate blade


50


without changing the radius


66


of hollow of the skate blade. The radius


66


of hollow of the skate blade


50


may be changed by sharpening the skate blade with a sharpening blade


126


having a radius of curvature which is different than the existing radius of hollow.




When the sharpening cartridge


120


(

FIG. 7

) is to be utilized to sharpen the skate blade


50


(FIG.


3


), the sharpening cartridge is connected with the base


76


(

FIGS. 4 and 5

) of the sharpening apparatus


20


. To connect the sharpening cartridge


120


with the base


76


, the sharpening cartridge


84


must first be disconnected from the base. To disconnect the sharpening cartridge


84


from the base


76


, a pair of fasteners


140


and


142


(

FIG. 5

) are disengaged from the sharpening cartridge


84


.




The fasteners


140


and


142


are threaded screws which extend through the mounting portion


80


of the base


76


into engagement with threaded openings


144


and


146


(

FIG. 10

) in the sharpening cartridge


84


. Thus, the fastener


140


(

FIG. 5

) engages the threaded opening


144


in the sharpening cartridge


84


while the fastener


142


engages the threaded opening


146


in the sharpening cartridge


84


. Although threaded fasteners are utilized to connect the sharpening cartridge


84


with the base


76


, it is contemplated that the sharpening cartridge


84


may be connected with the base in a different manner. For example, a clamp assembly may be provided on the base to grip the sharpening cartridge


84


.




When the sharpening cartridge


84


has been disconnected from the base


76


, the sharpening cartridge


120


(

FIG. 7

) is connected to the base. To connect the sharpening cartridge


120


with the base


76


, the threaded fasteners


140


and


142


(

FIG. 5

) are inserted through the mounting portion


80


of the base


76


into engagement with internally threaded openings, corresponding to the openings


144


and


146


of

FIG. 10

, in the sharpening cartridge


120


.




The slot


130


(

FIG. 7

) in the sharpening cartridge


120


is then aligned with the skate blade


50


. The sharpening cartridge


120


is then moved along the concave minor side surface


60


(

FIG. 3

) of the skate blade


50


. The manner in which the sharpening cartridge


120


is moved along the skate blade


50


is the same as is illustrated schematically in FIG.


1


.




As the sharpening cartridge


120


is moved along the skate blade


50


, opposite side surfaces


132


and


134


(

FIG. 7

) of the slot


130


engage opposite major side surfaces


52


and


54


(

FIG. 3

) of the skate blade


50


to center the sharpening blade


126


relatively to the minor side surface


60


of the skate blade


50


. This results in the center of curvature of a cutting edge on the sharpening blade


126


being coincident with the center of the desired radius of hollow


66


of the minor side surface


60


of the skate blade. Therefore, a concave groove formed in the minor side surface


60


of skate blade


50


is centered between opposite major side surfaces


52


and


54


of the skate blade.




It is contemplated that the radius of hollow of the skate blades


22


and/or


50


may be changed during sharpening. Thus, by using a sharpening blade having a cutting edge with a larger radius of curvature than the radius of hollow


44


(

FIG. 2

) for the skate blade


22


, the radius of hollow of the skate blade


22


may be increased from the relative small radius of hollow illustrated in FIG.


2


. Similarly, by using a sharpening blade


126


(

FIG. 7

) having a cutting edge with a radius of curvature which is smaller than the radius of hollow


66


(

FIG. 3

) of the skate blade


50


, the radius of hollow of the skate blade


50


may be decreased during sharpening of the skate blade. Of course, the sharpening blade may be selected to match the existing radius of hollow of a skate blade


22


or


50


to enable the skate blade to be sharpened without changing the radius of hollow.




A gauge


152


(

FIG. 8

) may be utilized to determine the thickness of a skate blade. The gauge


152


has a plurality of slots


154


,


156


,


158


and


160


which have different widths. Indicia


162


,


164


,


166


, and


168


is provided adjacent to the slots


154


-


160


to indicate the widths of the slots. Thus, the indicia


162


indicates that the slot


154


has a width of 2.9 millimeters. Similarly, the indicia


166


indicates that the slot


158


has a width of 3.1 millimeters. Rather than using numerical indicia which indicates the width of the slots


154


-


160


in the gauge


152


, alphabetical indicia which does not indicate the width of the slots may be utilized if desired.




The sharpening cartridges are provided with similar indicia


172


and


174


(

FIGS. 6 and 7

) to indicate the corresponding size of the slots


100


and


130


in the sharpening cartridges


84


and


120


. Thus, the relatively narrow slot


100


(

FIG. 6

) in the sharpening cartridge


84


has indicia


172


which indicates that it corresponds to a blade width of 2.8 millimeters. This is the same as the width of the slot


154


(

FIG. 8

) in the gauge


152


. Similarly, the indicia


174


(

FIG. 7

) on the sharpening cartridge


170


indicates that the slot


130


has a width corresponding to the width of the slot


158


(

FIG. 8

) in the gauge


152


. If alphabetical symbols were utilized rather than numerical symbols to indicate the width of the slot on the gauge


152


, alphabetical symbols would also be utilized to indicate the width of the slots on the sharpening cartridges


84


and


120


.




The sharpening cartridges


84


and


120


(

FIGS. 6 and 7

) are provided with indicia


176


and


178


to indicate the arc of curvature of the sharpening blades


92


and


126


. Thus, the relatively small sharpening blade


92


(

FIG. 6

) has a relatively small radius of hollow corresponding to the indicia


176


. Similarly, the relatively large sharpening blade


126


has a relatively large radius of hollow corresponding to the indicia


178


. If desired, alphabetical symbols may be utilized to indicate the radius of curvature of the blades


92


and


126


.




Although only two sharpening cartridges


84


and


120


have been illustrated in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, it is contemplated that a greater number of sharpening cartridges will be provided. For example, four sharpening cartridges having slots with widths corresponding to the widths of each of the slots


154


-


160


on the gauge


152


may be provided. Of course, a plurality of gauges with different size slots or a greater number of slots may be utilized to gauge the thickness of skate blades. If this was done, the number of sharpening cartridges provided would correspond to the number of different widths of skate blades indicated by the gauges. It is contemplated that the gauge


152


may have a construction which is different than the specific construction illustrated in FIG.


2


.




It is contemplated that sharpening cartridges


84


or


120


having sharpening blades


92


or


126


with different radiuses of curvature may be used to sharpen a skate blade


22


. Therefore, after determining the width of a skate blade


22


to be sharpened, a person who intends to the sharpen the skate blade would select a sharpening cartridge having a slot


100


or


130


corresponding to the skate blade width and a sharpening blade


92


or


126


having a radius of curvature corresponding to the desired skate blade radius of hollow.




When a skate blade, for example the skate blade


22


is to be sharpened, the gauge


152


is utilized to determine the thickness of the skate blade


22


. The specific skate blade


22


illustrated in

FIG. 2

has a thickness, indicated by the arrow


34


, of approximately 2.8 millimeters. Therefore, a person utilizing the gauge


152


(

FIG. 8

) would find that the slot


154


would fit over the skate blade


22


with very little tolerance. The person desiring to sharpen the skate blade


22


would note that the indicia


162


indicates that the skate blade had a width of 2.8 millimeters. The person utilizing the sharpening apparatus


20


would then select the cartridge


84


having indicia


172


corresponding to the indicia


162


. The selected cartridge


84


would also have indicia


176


corresponding to the desired radius of hollow.




The selected cartridge


84


would then be connected with the base


76


with the threaded fasteners


140


and


142


. Once the sharpening cartridge


84


has been connected with the mounting portion


80


of the base


76


, in the manner illustrated in

FIGS. 4 and 5

, the sharpening apparatus


20


would be utilized to sharpen the blade


22


on the skate


24


.




If an individual is desirous of sharpening a skate having a blade


50


(FIG.


3


), the individual would find that the blade would not fit into the slot


154


(

FIG. 8

) of the gauge


152


. However, the skate blade


50


would fit into the slot


158


of the gauge


152


with little or no tolerance. Therefore, the individual would select the sharpening cartridge


120


(

FIG. 7

) having indicia


174


which corresponds to the indicia


166


adjacent to the slot


158


in the gauge


152


. The selected sharpening cartridge


120


would have indicia


178


corresponding to the desired radius of hollow. The sharpening cartridge


120


would then be connected to the mounting portion


80


of the base


76


with the threaded fasteners


140


and


142


.




It should be understood that although only two sharpening cartridges


84


and


120


have been illustrated in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, a greater number of sharpening cartridges may be utilized in association with the base


76


. For example, a person having a relatively large number of skates with different blade thicknesses may have a sharpening cartridge for each of the blade thicknesses. In addition, if an individual has blades with the same thicknesses and different radiuses of hollow, sharpening cartridges would be provided for each of the radiuses of hollow.




An individual may wish to change the radius of hollow of a skate blade by sharpening a skate blade with a cartridge having a sharpening blade with a cutting edge having an arc of curvature corresponding to the desired radius of hollow. By selecting a sharpening cartridge with a sharpening blade having a cutting edge with a small radius of curvature, the radius of hollow of a skate blade may be changed from a relatively large radius of hollow to a relatively small radius of hollow. Similarly, by selecting a sharpening cartridge with a sharpening blade having a relatively large radius of curvature, a radius of hollow of a skate blade may be changed from a relatively small radius of hollow to a relatively large radius of hollow by sharpening the skate blade. Of course, the radius of hollow may be maintained constant during sharpening of a skate blade.




Base




The base


76


of the sharpening apparatus


20


(

FIGS. 4 and 5

) includes a longitudinally extending handle


78


. The handle


78


is provided with a plurality of recesses or grooves in which the fingers on the hand


180


(

FIG. 1

) of a person utilizing the sharpening apparatus are received. The mounting portion


80


(

FIGS. 4 and 5

) is connected to one end of the handle


78


. The mounting portion


80


may be offset from the handle


78


to provide space between the bottom or minor side surface


36


of a skate blade


22


and fingers on the hand


180


(

FIG. 1

) of a person using the sharpening apparatus


20


.




The handle


78


has a longitudinal central axis


182


(FIG.


4


). The mounting portion


80


of the base


76


is disposed along the central axis


182


of a handle


78


. However, the mounting portion


80


of the base


76


is offset to one side, that is towards the right as viewed in

FIG. 4

, from the central axis


182


of the handle


78


. Of course, if desired, the mounting portion


80


may be configured such that the central axis


182


of the handle


78


would extend through the mounting portion. By having the mounting portion offset from the central axis


182


of the handle


78


, in the manner illustrated in

FIG. 4

, the fingers on the hand


180


of a person utilizing the sharpening apparatus


20


are spaced a substantial distance from a skate blade


22


during movement of the sharpening apparatus


20


along the skate blade, in the manner indicated by the arrow


72


in FIG.


1


.




The handle


78


and mounting portion


80


of the base


76


(

FIGS. 4 and 5

) are integrally formed as one piece of metal. Although the base


76


of the sharpening apparatus


20


may be formed of many different materials, the specific base


76


described herein is formed of aluminum having a hard anodized code. Specifically, the base


76


is formed of MILL-A-8625 Type III. Of course, the base


76


may be formed of other metals, for example steel, if desired.




The mounting portion


80


of the base


76


is provided with a rectangular recess


190


in which sharpening cartridges are received. The recess


190


includes a pair of flat parallel end surfaces


192


and


194


(

FIGS. 4 and 5

) which engage opposite ends of the sharpening cartridges. Although the sharpening cartridges have different size slots


100


or


130


(

FIGS. 6 and 7

) and different size sharpening blades


92


or


126


, the sharpening cartridges all have the same axial extent. Therefore, regardless of the width or radius of curvature of the skate blade to be sharpened with a sharpening cartridge, the sharpening cartridge is securely held in the recess


190


in the mounting portion


180


of the base


76


.




The recess


190


in the mounting portion


80


of the base


76


has a flat bottom surface


196


(

FIG. 5

) which engages a longitudinal side of a sharpening cartridge. The threaded fasteners


140


and


142


extend through the bottom surface


196


of the recess


190


into engagement with a selected sharpening cartridge to be held in place on the base


76


. The selected sharpening cartridge is securely held by the recess


190


and the fasteners


140


and


142


so that the sharpening cartridge can not move relative to the base


76


during sharpening of a skate blade.




Sharpening Cartridge




The sharpening cartridge


84


(

FIG. 6

) has a generally cylindrical configuration. However, it is contemplated that the sharpening cartridge


84


could have a different configuration if desired. For example, the sharpening cartridge


84


may have a generally polygonal configuration.




The sharpening cartridge


84


includes the cylindrical casing


90


which firmly supports the sharpening blade


92


and at least partially encloses the sharpening blade. The base


90


has a circular front end surface


202


(

FIG. 10

) and a circular rear end surface


204


which are disposed in a coaxial relationship and extend parallel to each other. When the sharpening cartridge


84


is positioned in the recess


190


(

FIG. 5

) in the mounting portion


80


of the base


76


, the flat end surface


192


of the recess is disposed in engagement with the front end surface


202


of the sharpening cartridge


84


. Similarly, the end surface


194


of the recess


190


is disposed in engagement with the rear end surface


204


of a casing


90


.




The casing


90


has a cylindrical outer side surface


206


which extends between the front and rear end surfaces


202


and


204


(FIGS.


4


and


10


). The cylindrical side surface


206


of the casing


90


is disposed in engagement with the bottom surface


196


(

FIG. 5

) of the recess


190


in the mounting portion


80


of the base


76


. Tightening of the threaded fasteners


140


and


142


pulls the cylindrical outer side surface of the casing


90


firmly against the bottom surface


196


of the recess


190


.




The recess


190


is sized so that there is a tight fit of the casing


90


in the recess. This results in the casing


90


being securely attached to the base


76


by the threaded fasteners


140


and


142


. When the casing


90


is secured to the base


76


by the fasteners


140


and


142


, the casing cannot move relative to the base


76


.




The illustrated sharpening blade


92


has a circular configuration (FIG.


9


). This results in the arcuate cutting edge


96


of the sharpening blade


92


being circular. However, the sharpening blade


92


may have a different configuration if desired.




A recess


212


(

FIG. 10

) is formed in the casing


90


to receive the sharpening blade


92


. The illustrated sharpening blade


92


has a circular configuration. Therefore, the recess


212


has a cylindrical configuration. However, if the sharpening blade has a different configuration, the recess


212


may also have a different configuration.




For example, the sharpening blade


92


may have a polygonal configuration and the recess


212


may have a polygonal configuration. Alternatively, the sharpening blade


92


may be formed with arcuate segments. The arcuate segments may be provided on opposite sides of the sharpening blade. If desired, a series of arcuate segments may be arranged in a circular array about the periphery of the sharpening blade. The arcuate segments may have the same radius of curvature or may have different radiuses of curvature so as to correspond to different radiuses of hollow. The recess


212


may have a configuration corresponding to the peripheral configuration of the sharpening blade or a configuration which is different from the configuration of the sharpening blade.




In the embodiment of the casing


90


illustrated in

FIGS. 9 and 10

, the recess


212


has a flat circular bottom surface


216


(

FIG. 10

) which is engaged by a flat circular major side surface


218


of the sharpening blade


92


. The bottom surface


216


of the recess


212


is skewed at an acute angle to a central axis of the casing


90


. The bottom surface


216


of the recess


212


slopes from the slot


100


in a direction away from the open end of the recess


212


, that is, in a direction toward the back end surface


204


of the casing


90


.




The fastener


222


extends through the sharpening blade


92


and into engagement with a threaded opening


226


in the casing


90


. The central axis of the threaded opening


226


extends perpendicular to the bottom surface


216


of the recess


212


and is skewed at an acute angle relative to the central axis of the casing


90


. When the fastener


222


is tightened, the flat major side surface


218


on the sharpening blade


92


is pressed firmly against the bottom surface


216


of the recess


212


. This results in the sharpening blade


92


being securely held so that it cannot vibrate relative to the casing


90


during sharpening of a skate blade.




In order to enable the side surfaces


106


and


108


(

FIG. 9

) of the slot


100


to have an extent sufficient to guide and orient the sharpening cartridge


84


relative to the skate blade, the recess


212


is offset from the central axis of the casing


90


in a direction away from the slot


100


. This enables the slot


100


to be relatively deep and the side surfaces


106


and


108


to have a relatively large radial extent. By maximizing the radial extent of the side surfaces


106


and


108


of the slot


100


, the extent of engagement of the side surfaces


106


and


108


of the slot with the side surfaces


30


and


32


(

FIG. 2

) of the skate blade


20


tends to be maximized.




The slot


100


has a central axis


228


(

FIG. 9

) which extends perpendicular to and intersects a central axis of the casing


90


. The axis


228


is disposed midway between the side surfaces


106


and


108


of the slot


100


and is disposed in a plane which contains a radius of the sharpening blade


92


and the center of curvature of the arcuate cutting edge


96


. By having a radial plane through the cutting edge


96


extend through the center of the slot


100


(FIG.


9


), the center of curvature of the minor side surface


36


(

FIG. 2

) of the blade


22


is disposed midway between parallel planes containing the major side surfaces


30


and


32


of the blade


22


when a sharpening operation is completed. This results in the groove or hollow formed by the minor side surface


36


being centered between the major side surfaces


30


and


32


of the skate blade


22


. By having the groove or hollow centered between the major side surfaces


30


and


32


, the inner and outer edges


38


and


40


of the blade


22


are aligned in a plane which is tangent to the edge


28


of the blade


22


and which extends perpendicular to the side surfaces


30


and


32


.




The slot


100


has a bottom surface


232


(

FIG. 10

) which slopes away from the arcuate cutting edge


96


on the sharpening blade


92


toward the back end surface


204


of the casing


90


. The bottom surface


232


of the slot


100


also slopes downward (as viewed in

FIG. 10

) away from the arcuate cutting edge


96


toward the central axis of the casing


90


and towards the central axis of the sharpening blade


92


. The central axis of the sharpening blade


92


extends through the center of curvature of the arcuate cutting edge


96


.




When the cartridge


84


is being utilized to sharpen the skate blade


22


, the bottom of the skate blade engages the bottom surface


232


of the slot


100


adjacent to the end surface


204


of the casing


90


. This orients the edge


28


of the skate blade


22


longitudinally relative to the sharpening blade


92


. The arcuate cutting edge


96


projects upward (as viewed in

FIG. 10

) from the bottom surface


232


of the slot


100


throughout the transverse extent of the bottom surface. This results in the arcuate cutting edge


96


being exposed between the side surfaces


106


and


108


at the bottom of the slot


100


. The edge


28


of the skate blade


22


engages the exposed portion of the cutting edge


96


.




When the skate blade


22


is being sharpened, the cartridge


84


is moved toward the right (as viewed in

FIG. 10

) relative to the skate blade. This results in the arcuate cutting edge


96


being pulled rightward (as viewed in

FIG. 10

) along the bottom of the skate blade to sharpen the skate blade. As the cutting edge


96


is pulled along the bottom of the skate blade, small chips are formed by a cutting action between the sharpening edge


96


and the skate blade


22


. The skate blade


22


is sharpened with a cutting action rather than a grinding action.




The sharpening blade


92


has a minor side surface


238


which is formed as a frustrum of a right circular cone having a central axis coincident with a central axis of the circular sharpening blade


92


. The minor side surface


238


extends between flat parallel circular major side surfaces


218


and


240


on the sharpening blade


92


. The frustoconical configuration of the minor side surface


238


of the sharpening blade


92


results in the sharpening blade having a back cut or rake angle of approximately eight degrees. Thus, the included angle between the minor side surface


238


and the flat major side surface


218


of the sharpening blade


92


is approximately eighty-two degrees. Of course, a different rake angle may be provided if desired.




The arcuate cutting edge


96


is circular in configuration. Therefore, when the portion of the arcuate cutting edge


96


which spans the bottom of the slot


100


becomes dull, it is merely necessary to loosen the fastener


222


and to rotate the sharpening blade


92


about its central axis to move the portion of the arcuate cutting edge which has become dull out of the slot


100


. As this occurs, a sharp portion of the arcuate cutting edge


96


, that is, a portion of the arcuate cutting edge which has not been utilize to sharpen a skate, is moved into position spanning the bottom of the slot


100


. The fastener


222


is then tightened to firmly press the sharpening blade


92


against the bottom surface


216


of the recess


212


to lock the blade in place with the new portion of the arcuate cutting edge


96


extending across the bottom of the slot


100


. As was previously mentioned, the arcuate cutting edge


96


may not be formed as a portion of a circle.




In order to enhance the durability of the sharpening blade


92


, the sharpening blade is formed of carbide. If desired, the sharpening blade may be formed of micro carbon carbide. Of course, the cutting blade


92


may be formed of other known materials having a hardness sufficient to sharpen the skate blade


22


.




Since the side surfaces


106


and


108


of the slot


100


engage opposite major side surfaces


30


and


32


(

FIG. 2

) of the skate blade


22


during sharpening of the skate blade, the side surfaces


106


and


108


of the casing


90


are effective to polish the sides


30


and


32


of the skate blade


22


and to remove any burrs which may form adjacent to the inside and outside edges


38


and


40


of the skate blade. Although the casing


90


may be formed of many different materials, it is contemplated that the casing


90


may advantageously be formed of a harden aluminum.




Noncircular Sharpening Blade




In the embodiments of the invention illustrated in

FIGS. 1-10

, the sharpening blade


92


has a circular configuration. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in

FIG. 11

, the sharpening blade has a noncircular configuration. Since the embodiment of the invention illustrated in

FIG. 11

is generally similar to the embodiments of the invention illustrated in

FIGS. 1-10

, similar numerals will be utilized to designate similar components, the suffix letter “a” being added to the numerals of

FIG. 11

to avoid confusion.




A cylindrical sharpening cartridge


84




a


has a casing


90




a


with a noncircular recess


212




a


in which a noncircular sharpening blade


92




a


is disposed. The sharpening blade


92




a


is held against movement relative to the casing


90




a


by a fastener


222




a


. The sharpening blade


92




a


has a minor side surface


238




a


which extends between a flat front major side surface


240




a


and a flat rear major side surface corresponding to the major side surface


218


of FIG.


10


. The minor side surface


238




a


is skewed relative to the front and rear major side surfaces so that the sharpening blade


92




a


has a back cut or rake angle of approximately eight degrees. Of course, a different rake angle may be provided if desired.




The sharpening blade


92




a


has an arcuate cutting edge


96




a


. The arcuate cutting edge


96




a


extends across the bottom of a slot


100




a


formed in the casing


90




a


(FIG.


11


). The cutting edge


96




a


forms a chip by fracturing or shearing the material of the skate blade during sharpening of the blade in the manner previously described in conjunction with the embodiments of the invention illustrated in

FIGS. 1-10

.




The width of the slot


100




a


is only slightly greater than the thickness of a skate blade. Therefore, flat parallel opposite sides


106




a


and


108




a


of the slot


100




a


are effective to engage opposite sides of the skate blade to position the skate blade relative to the sharpening blade


92




a


in the cartridge


84




a.






In accordance with a feature of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in

FIG. 11

, the sharpening blade


92




a


has an oval configuration. When a portion of the cutting edge


96




a


exposed at the slot


100




a


becomes dull, the fastener


222




a


is loosened and the sharpening blade


92




a


is rotated through 180 degrees relative to the casing


90




a


. This moves the portion of the cutting edge


96




a


which is disposed adjacent to the lower portion of the casing


90




a


in

FIG. 11

into alignment with the slot


100




a.






Although the illustrated noncircular sharpening blade


92




a


has an oval configuration, it is contemplated that the sharpening blade


92




a


may have a different configuration if desired. For example, the sharpening blade


92




a


may have a polygonal configuration. If the sharpening blade


92




a


was formed with a polygonal configuration, the recess


212




a


in the casing


90




a


would have a corresponding polygonal configuration. It is contemplated that a polygonal sharpening blade may be incrementally rotated to move one linear portion of a sharpening edge on the blade out of alignment with the slot


100




a


and to move a next adjacent portion of the cutting edge on the sharpening blade into alignment with the slot.




Conclusion




The present invention relates to a new and improved apparatus


20


and method for use in sharpening a skate blade. The apparatus


20


may include a handle


78


and a sharpening cartridge


84


which is connected with the handle. The sharpening cartridge


84


may include a casing


90


and a sharpening blade


92


which is connected with the casing. A slot


100


may be formed in the casing


90


and is engagable with opposite sides


30


and


32


of a skate blade


22


to position the skate blade and sharpening apparatus relative to each other. The sharpening blade


92


may have an arcuate cutting edge


96


which extends across the bottom


232


of the slot


100


in the casing


90


. The arcuate cutting edge


96


is engagable with the skate blade during sharpening of the skate blade.




A plurality of sharpening cartridges may be provided to sharpen skate blades having different dimensions. The thickness


34


of a skate blade to be sharpened may be gauged. A sharpening cartridge


84


having a slot


100


with a width corresponding to the gauged width of the skate blade is then selected. This sharpening cartridge


84


is connected with the handle


78


and is utilized to sharpen the skate blade.




The present invention has a plurality of different features. The different features of the present invention may be used either separately or in combination with each other or in combination with features of the prior art. It should be understood that various combinations of features of the present invention and/or features of the prior art may be combined to provide a skate blade sharpening apparatus.



Claims
  • 1. A sharpening apparatus for use in sharpening a skate blade having a thickness and radius of hollow, said sharpening apparatus comprising a base having a mounting portion and a longitudinally extending handle which extends longitudinally from said mounting portion of said base, said handle having a longitudinal axis which extends along said mounting portion, and a cartridge connected to said mounting portion of said base, said cartridge includes a case having a first end which faces toward said handle and is spaced from said handle along the longitudinal axis of said handle and a second end which faces away from said handle, said cartridge further includes a sharpening blade having an arcuate cutting edge with a radius of curvature which corresponds to a desired radius of hollow of the skate blade, said case at least partially defining a slot which extends between said first and second ends of said case and has a width which corresponds to the thickness of the skate blade, said arcuate cutting edge extends across a bottom of the slot at a location between the first and second ends of said case.
  • 2. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said case has a cylindrical configuration.
  • 3. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the longitudinal axis of said handle is offset to one side of said cartridge.
  • 4. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cartridge has a central axis which extends transverse to the longitudinal axis of said handle.
  • 5. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sharpening blade has a circular configuration.
  • 6. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sharpening blade has a side surface which slopes away from said arcuate cutting edge in a direction toward a center of curvature of said arcuate cutting edge and toward the second end of said case.
  • 7. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the slot slopes away from said arcuate cutting edge in a direction toward said first end of said case and toward a central axis of said cartridge, the skate blade being engagable with the bottom of the slot to orient the skate blade relative to said arcuate cutting edge.
  • 8. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mounting portion of said base includes a recess having side surfaces which engage said first and second ends of said case.
  • 9. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sharpening blade has a flat side surface which engages a flat positioning surface disposed in said case at a location between said first and second ends of said case.
  • 10. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including a plurality of fasteners which extend between said mounting portion and said case to connect said cartridge with said case.
  • 11. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including a recess extending into said case from said second end of said case, said sharpening blade being disposed in said recess.
  • 12. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said second end of said case includes a flat end surface, said recess having a flat bottom surface which is disposed in a plane extending transverse to a plane containing said flat end surface of said case.
  • 13. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said sharpening blade includes a flat major side surface which is disposed in engagement with said flat bottom surface of said recess.
  • 14. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said flat major side surface of said sharpening blade has a circular configuration and said flat bottom surface of said recess has a circular configuration.
  • 15. A sharpening apparatus for use in sharpening a skate blade having a thickness and a radius of hollow, said sharpening apparatus comprising a base having mounting portion and a handle which extends from said mounting portion, a plurality of cartridges each of which is connectable with said mounting portion of said base, each of said cartridges of said plurality of cartridges includes a sharpening blade having an arcuate cutting edge with a radius of curvature which corresponds to a different skate blade radius of hollow of a plurality of radiuses of hollow, each of said cartridges of said plurality of cartridges at least partially defining a slot which has a width which corresponds to a different skate blade thickness of a plurality of thicknesses, said arcuate cutting edge of said sharpening blade of each cartridge of said plurality of cartridges extends across a bottom of the slot in one of said cartridges of said plurality of cartridges, and a fastener for connecting a selected cartridge of said plurality of cartridges with said mounting portion of said base.
  • 16. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said handle extends longitudinally from said mounting portion and has a longitudinal axis which extends along said mounting portion.
  • 17. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein each of said cartridges of said plurality of cartridges has a cylindrical configuration.
  • 18. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said sharpening blade in each cartridges of said plurality of cartridges has a circular configuration.
  • 19. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said sharpening blade in each cartridge of said plurality of cartridges has a side surface which slopes away from said arcuate cutting edge in a direction toward a center of curvature of said arcuate cutting edge.
  • 20. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said mounting portion of said base includes a recess having side surfaces which are engagable with opposite ends of a selected cartridge of said plurality of cartridges.
  • 21. A sharpening apparatus for use in sharpening a skate blade having a thickness and a radius of hollow, said sharpening apparatus comprising a handle, and a cartridge connected with said handle, said cartridge includes a sharpening blade having an arcuate cutting edge which is engagable with the skate blade, said sharpening blade having a side surface which slopes away from said arcuate cutting edge in a direction toward a center of curvature of said arcuate cutting edge and toward one end of said cartridge, said cartridge having a slot with opposite side surfaces which are engagable with opposite sides of the skate blade, said arcuate cutting edge extends across a bottom of the slot.
  • 22. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said sharpening blade has first and second major side surfaces, said arcuate cutting edge being formed at an intersection of said first major side surface and said side surface which slopes away from said arcuate cutting edge.
  • 23. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 22 wherein said first major side surface of said sharpening blade is disposed in flat abutting engagement with a positioning surface disposed within said cartridge.
  • 24. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 22 wherein said sharpening blade has a circular configuration.
  • 25. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said cartridge at least partially defines a recess in which said sharpening blade is disposed, said recess having a bottom surface which is engaged by said sharpening blade and is disposed between opposite ends of said cartridge.
  • 26. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 25 wherein said bottom surface of said recess is disposed in a plane extending transverse to a plane containing an end surface of said cartridge.
  • 27. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 26 wherein said sharpening blade has a central axis which extends perpendicular to a central axis of said bottom surface of said recess and is skewed at an acute angle to a central axis of said cartridge.
  • 28. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said bottom surface of said recess and said sharpening blade both have circular configurations.
  • 29. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said cartridge has a cylindrical configuration and said sharpening blade has a circular configuration, said sharpening blade being disposed between opposite ends of said cartridge.
  • 30. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said circular sharpening blade has a central axis which is offset from a central axis of said cylindrical cartridge.
  • 31. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said arcuate cutting edge has a radius of curvature which corresponds to a desired radius of hollow of the skate blade.
  • 32. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein the slot has a width which corresponds to the thickness of the skate blade.
  • 33. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said cartridge includes a casing which extends around a portion of said sharpening blade and a fastener which extends through said sharpening blade and secures said sharpening blade to said casing.
  • 34. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein the bottom of the slot slopes away from said cutting edge in a direction toward a central axis of said cartridge and toward said handle.
  • 35. A sharpening apparatus for use in sharpening a skate blade having a thickness and a radius of hollow, said sharpening apparatus comprising a casing which is connectable with a handle, said casing having first and second end surfaces, said casing having a circular recess which extends into said casing from said second end surface of said casing, said recess having a flat circular end surface, a circular sharpening blade disposed in said recess in engagement with said flat circular end surface of said recess, said casing having slot with opposite side surfaces which are engagable with opposite sides of the skate blade, said sharpening blade having an arcuate cutting edge which extends across a bottom of the slot and is engagable with the skate blade when opposite side surfaces of the slot engage opposite sides of the skate blade.
  • 36. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 35 further including a fastener which extends through said sharpening blade and connects said sharpening blade to said casing.
  • 37. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 35 wherein the slot slopes away from said cutting edge toward a central axis of said casing and toward said first end surface of said casing.
  • 38. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 35 wherein said circular sharpening blade has a central axis which is offset from a central axis of said casing.
  • 39. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 35 wherein said arcuate cutting edge has a radius of curvature which corresponds to a desired radius of hollow of the skate blade and said slot in said casing has a width which corresponds to the thickness of the skate blade.
  • 40. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 35 wherein said casing has a cylindrical configuration.
  • 41. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 35 wherein said circular sharpening blade has a side surface which slopes away from said arcuate cutting edge in a direction toward a center of curvature of said arcuate cutting edge and away from said circular end surface of said recess.
  • 42. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 41 wherein said side surface of said circular cutting blade has configuration corresponding to the configuration of a portion of a cone.
  • 43. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 35 said circular flat end surface of said recess is disposed in a plane which extends transverse to a plane containing said second end surface of said casing.
  • 44. A method of sharpening a skate blade having a thickness and a radius of hollow, said method comprising the steps of providing a plurality of sharpening cartridges each of which has a slot with a different width corresponding to a different thickness of skate blade, gauging the thickness of the skate blade with a gauge, selecting a sharpening cartridge having a slot with a width corresponding to the gauged width of the skate blade, connecting the selected sharpening cartridge with a handle, and sharpening the skate blade by providing relative movement between the skate blade and the selected sharpening cartridge with the skate blade disposed in the slot in the selected sharpening cartridge.
  • 45. A sharpening apparatus for use in sharpening a skate blade, said apparatus comprising a longitudinally extending handle, a mounting portion connected to one end of said handle, a blade support connected to said mounting portion, and a sharpening blade connected to said blade support, said blade support at least partially defines a slot having opposite side surfaces which are engagable with opposite sides of the skate blade when a portion of the skate blade is disposed in the slot, said sharpening blade having an arcuate cutting edge which extends across a bottom of the slot and is engagable with the skate blade when a portion of the skate blade is disposed in the slot.
  • 46. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 45 wherein said sharpening blade has first and second parallel major side surfaces and a minor side surface extending between said first and second major side surfaces, said arcuate cutting edge being at least partially formed at an intersection of said first major side surface and said minor side surface.
  • 47. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 46 wherein said minor side surface of said sharpening blade slopes away from said first major side surface of said sharpening blade in a direction toward a center of curvature of said arcuate cutting edge.
  • 48. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 45 wherein said blade support has a recess with a flat surface, said sharpening blade being disposed in said recess in engagement with said flat surface of said recess, said slot in said blade support intersects said recess in said blade support at a location adjacent to said arcuate cutting edge on said sharpening blade.
  • 49. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 45 wherein said blade support has a cylindrical configuration and said sharpening blade has a circular configuration, said sharpening blade being at least partially enclosed by said blade support.
  • 50. A sharpening apparatus as set forth in claim 45 wherein the bottom of the slot in said blade support slopes away from said arcuate cutting edge in a direction toward a central axis of said blade support, the skate blade being engagable with the bottom of the slot to orient the skate blade relative to said arcuate cutting edge.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Number Name Date Kind
1006000 Oosdyke Oct 1911 A
3585880 Kabriel Jun 1971 A
3921341 Thompson Nov 1975 A
5189845 Courchesne Mar 1993 A
5195277 Courchesne Mar 1993 A
5445050 Owens Aug 1995 A
5499556 Exner et al. Mar 1996 A
5704829 Long Jan 1998 A
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Entry
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