Patent Application
20210275898
The present invention generally relates to wheeled devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to rollerblade skates with wide roller wheels for increased stability.
Rollerblades with wide rollers are in demand. Currently, young and old people alike use a wide variety of wheeled devices such as rollerblades. Rollerblades are technically a type of inline skate (a special skate used by competitive speed skaters). A rollerblade skate typically has a single axle running down the length of the boot and three to five wheels secured in place that rotate within a common, vertical plane.
Many types of skating exist, such as roller derby, speed roller skating, artistic roller skating, roller hockey, jam skating, and more. Manufacturers are developing rollerblades in consideration of their specific use. However, these rollerblades have limitations and relative hazards in certain circumstances and when attempting certain maneuvers.
Roller skates require substantially the same bodily movements that users employ to operate ice skates in initiating and sustaining forward motion. Therefore, when roller skating on a wet or otherwise moderately slippery surface, users often lose their balance and find it difficult to recover on one or both feet as the skates are wheeled and therefore prone to slipping. Also, it is more difficult to recover on rollers that are too narrow to easily maintain balance. Currently available rollerblades are typically narrow in width. Moreover, narrow rollers make it difficult to effectively transfer pushing force without the roller stumbling on an uneven surface.
In addition, the rollers of conventional rollerblades may be integrated with a pair of boots, an inconvenient and bulky design when carrying and storing the skates. These devices are also expensive because a user may need to buy new rollerblades when different rollers are needed. Thus, there is a need to develop rollerblades with sufficient width to allow users to maintain an even balance.
The present invention is intended to address problems associated with and/or otherwise improve on conventional devices through an innovative roller device that is both less costly and designed to provide a convenient means for portability while incorporating other problem-solving features.
Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Additional advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the detailed description of the invention section. Further benefits and advantages of the embodiments of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description given with reference to the accompanying drawings, which specify and show preferred embodiments of the present invention.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention is to be described in detail and is provided in a manner that establishes a thorough understanding of the present invention. There may be aspects of the present invention that may be practiced or utilized without the implementation of some features as they are described. It should be understood that some details have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure focus of the invention. References herein to “the preferred embodiment”, “one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, or “alternative embodiments” should be considered to be illustrating aspects of the present invention that may potentially vary in some instances, and should not be considered to be limiting to the scope of the present invention as a whole.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, various embodiments, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, various embodiments, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those used in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and it is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or descriptions.
The present invention provides a foot-worn roller device, or skate, that incorporates a wide-wheel in-line roller skate design that allows stability superior to that of conventional in-line roller skates. The wide wheels are further tapered from their center to edges in order to maximize contact between the wheels and the ground as much as while executing a turn, for example, as while traveling in a straight line. While in real world use, roller skates are used in pairs, for simplicity's sake the present invention is referred to throughout as a singular skate.
The present invention reduces or eliminates the necessity to slow down to avoid skidding when turning at a high speed; therefore, the present invention provides increased safety compared to conventional in-line roller skates. Further, the present invention can incorporate wheels that are wide enough in diameter to allow the rollerblades to be used on grass or sand without the wheels sinking into the terrain. In addition, the present invention provides an attachment mechanism to allow the wheels to be easily exchanged for wheels with different styles or sizes.
In general, referring to
The chassis 2 is a fundamentally enabling member of the present invention, fulfilling the function of connecting the boot 1 to the plurality of wheels 3 and transferring the force of a user's body weight from the boot 1 to the plurality of wheels 3. The wheels 3 may be mounted to the chassis 2 so that the lowest points of their circumferences lie on a ground surface that supports the present invention and on which it would roll under normal conditions.
The chassis 2 is preferably an elongated structural member, wherein the chassis 2 is elongated in a longitudinal direction 7, or forward-rear direction, and wherein the chassis 2 is sized appropriately to accommodate the boot 1, the plurality of wheels 3, and a user's foot within the boot 1. More particularly, the chassis 2 comprises a posterior end 21 and an anterior end 22, such that the chassis 2 extends longitudinally between the posterior end 21 and the anterior end 22. The posterior end 21 is positioned adjacent to the heel of the boot 1, while the anterior end 22 is positioned adjacent to the toe of the boot 1.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the boot 1 is positioned atop the chassis 2. Moreover, the chassis 2 may be removably attached to a bottom of the boot 1. As the chassis 2 is a load-bearing component, the chassis 2 should be constructed of a suitably strong material, such as, but not limited to, a structurally tough polymeric material. Generally speaking, the chassis 2 may function as a wheel enclosure for each of the plurality of wheels 3, and each of the plurality of wheels 3 may be rotatably mounted in a respective wheel enclosure on an axle and bearing assembly, wherein the axle and bearing assembly is oriented laterally and may be supported by two laterally opposing sides of the chassis 2, between the upper and lower edges of the chassis 2. In some embodiments the laterally opposing sides of the chassis 2 are provided as skirt portions, such that the skirt portions hang from around the boot 1, a certain distance to the ground, surrounding the plurality of wheels 3.
Each of the plurality of wheels 3 may be constructed from any suitable material, such as, but not limited to, a polyurethane material similar to some typical skateboard and in-line skate wheels 3. It may be desirable to determine a minimum or maximum Shore hardness value for the material of the plurality of wheels 3, as their novel geometry may call for various material properties such as Shore hardness to be specified within a particular range in order to ensure optimal real-world performance.
In the preferred embodiment, each of the plurality of wheels 3 is rotatably connected to the chassis 2 opposite the boot 1. Alternatively stated, the chassis 2 is positioned between the boot 1 and the plurality of wheels 3 and serves to link them together. The plurality of wheels 3 is serially distributed between the posterior end 21 and the anterior end 22 and laterally aligned with each other. Alternatively stated, the plurality of wheels 3 is arranged in a single file line along an underside of the chassis 2, along the longitudinal direction 7. Moreover, in order to properly function as a roller skate, the plurality of wheels 3 must be oriented laterally; more particularly, each wheel has a central axis about which it rotates, and the central axis is oriented laterally, or side to side, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 7 and parallel to the ground. Thus, each wheel is capable of the forward-reverse rolling motion necessary to enable the present invention's function as a roller skate. The axes of the aforementioned axle and bearing assemblies can be parallel to each other, and all the wheels 3 can be configured to rotate in the same rotational plane, which extends in a direction that is perpendicular to the boot 1 and essentially bisects the boot 1.
It should be noted that in general, the particular dimensions of the plurality of wheels 3 may vary as desired in different embodiments. In some embodiments, for example, each wheel may have a lateral width, or an axial length, of around four to five inches, while the diameter of each wheel may measure approximately two to three inches. However, the foregoing exemplary dimensions should not be considered limiting to the present invention, and any suitable dimensions may be employed for the wheels 3 in different embodiments of the present invention as desired without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as disclosed herein. Moreover, in some embodiments, the axial or lateral length of each wheel exceeds its diameter by a factor of approximately two or more, with each wheel being an elongated radial member.
As previously mentioned, each of the plurality of wheels 3 is tapered, decreasing in diameter from the middle of the wheel to the outer lateral edge of the wheel. This has the result of increasing the surface area of a wheel in contact with the ground at any given time, and in addition serves to preserve as much the maximum ground contact area, as when traveling in a straight line, as when executing a turning maneuver.
More specifically, each of the plurality of wheels 3 is bi-directionally tapered from a medial diameter 4 laterally outward to a lateral diameter 5, wherein the medial diameter 4 is larger than the lateral diameter 5. The medial diameter 4 is the maximum diameter of the wheel and is present at the lateral center of the wheel, equidistant from the wheel's outer edges, where the lateral diameter 5 is located. Thus, it may be understood that in the preferred embodiment, each wheel is laterally symmetric about its medial diameter 4. Even more specifically, each of the plurality of wheels 3 is bi-directionally and symmetrically tapered from the medial diameter 4 laterally outward to the lateral diameter 5. Thus, on some area of the wheels 3 near the wheel's rotating axis, the lowest point of the circumference of the wheel can be above the ground surface, between the ground surface and the boot 1. This taper is implemented in the preferred embodiment of the present invention so that the plurality of wheels 3 can retain as much contact with the ground during a turn—when the rollerblade must lean—as when they are going straight. It should be noted that the wheels 3 may include other suitable slope angles.
As previously mentioned, in the preferred embodiment, each of the plurality of wheels 3 is tapered according to a specified taper angle 6, starting at the lateral center of the wheels 3 where the medial diameter 4 is located and traveling outward toward the wheels 3′ lateral edges, where the smaller lateral diameter 5 is located. In some embodiments, the value of the specified taper angle 6 is greater than five degrees and less than ten degrees, though the value of the specified taper angle 6 may vary in different embodiments as desired.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the boot 1 may be permanently connected atop the chassis 2. However, in the preferred embodiment, the boot 1 is removably attached atop the chassis 2 through a binding mechanism. The binding mechanism enables the boot 1 to detach from the chassis 2 (and therefore, the wheels 3 as well) so that the user may use the same boot 1 interchangeably with various different sets of wheels 3 with various different qualities, depending on their intended use.
The binding mechanism may be similar to the “click-in” buckle design characteristic of skis and snowboards. For example, the binding mechanism may comprise a mount body and an insert, which can be configured to bind so that the binding system can attach or detach the boot 1. The mount body can be sized and shaped to receive the insert, which can be configured to be attached to the mount bodies via a “click-in” buckle-type binding.
In one embodiment, the binding mechanism can also include a pin, a socket for the pin, and a spring, where the spring can be operably connected to the insert and the pin. The spring connected to the pin can be secured in the socket to allow the pin to be moved in and out of the socket with the tension of the spring. The socket can be placed on the insert in a suitable place such as the front and rear to bind the insert to the mount body, and the socket can be configured in such a way that a slight extension or compression of the spring can increase or decrease the force required to displace the pin within its corresponding socket when positioned in the insert, thus allowing the user to fasten the binding conveniently.
In some embodiments, the roller device may include mount bodies secured on the upper surface of the support frame via suitable fasteners such as nuts and bolts, and the insert can be mounted to the bottom of the boot 1 via nuts and bolts, or the boot 1 could be manufactured with an integrated insert built as part of the sole. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the mount bodies may be secured directly to the boot 1, and the insert can be secured to the upper surface of the support frame.
It is noted that in various embodiments, the quantity of the plurality of wheels 3 may vary as desired. However, in the preferred embodiment, the plurality of wheels 3 comprises a front wheel 31, a middle wheel 32, and a rear wheel 33. The front wheel 31 is positioned longitudinally adjacent to the anterior end 22 of the chassis 2. The rear wheel 33 is positioned longitudinally adjacent to the posterior end 21 of the chassis 2. The middle wheel 32, therefore, is positioned longitudinally between the front wheel 31 and the rear wheel 33. In some embodiments, the rear wheel 33 may be positioned equidistant between the front wheel 31 and the rear wheel 33. In various other embodiments, the longitudinal position of the middle wheel 32 may vary as desired, being positioned either closer to the front wheel 31 or to the rear wheel 33.
It is contemplated that the chassis 2 may take various different forms and implement various different features in various embodiments of the present invention in order to properly perform its task in accordance with the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, it is similarly contemplated that the plurality of wheels 3 may be affixed to the chassis 2 by any suitable means and arrangement of components. In some embodiments, however, the chassis 2 comprises a first side portion 23, a second side portion 24, and a middle portion 25. The boot 1 is removably attached atop the middle portion 25, opposite the plurality of wheels 3. The first side portion 23 is laterally connected adjacent to the middle portion 25 and may further be positioned laterally adjacent to the boot 1. Similarly, the second side portion 24 is connected adjacent to the middle portion 25 opposite the first side portion 23 and may further be positioned laterally adjacent to the boot 1, being positioned laterally opposite the first side portion 23.
Further, in the preferred embodiment, the first side portion 23 and the second side portion 24 extend outward from the middle portion 25, away from the boot 1. Alternatively stated, the first side portion 23 and the second side portion 24 resemble skirt members, as previously described, wherein the first side portion 23 and the second side portion 24 hang down from the area of the chassis 2 and boot 1 to substantially laterally enclose the plurality of wheels 3. At minimum, the first side portion 23 and the second side portion 24 must extend downward far enough to be able to support the aforementioned axles upon which the plurality of wheels 3 spin when in use.
The axle and bearing assemblies can be of conventional or construction in various embodiments. These typically consist of a ball bearing assembly that is supported rotatably on an axle. Any other suitable type of bearings, including needle bearings, may additionally or alternatively be used as desired.
In some embodiments, the present invention can include a brake in a suitable location on the present invention. For example, the brake may be positioned on the back of the present invention.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 62/987,272 filed on Mar. 9, 2020.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62987272 | Mar 2020 | US |
