Skate with pivoting front carriage

• US 20030052463A1
• Filed: 08/12/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juraj George Tlucko
• Original Assignee: Juraj George Tlucko
• Inventors: Tlucko, Juraj George
• Granted Patent: US 6,883,811 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/11.223
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 1/28 Pivotally-mounted plates
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/062 with a pivotal frame or cradle around transversal axis for relative movements of the wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/064 comprising steered wheels, i.e. wheels supported on a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/065 with movements during use of the foot plate or shoe relative to the chassis, e.g. inline clap skate

Abstract

A skate with a main skate frame, a skate boot, and a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the main skate frame. At least one ground engaging member, such as a wheel or a runner blade, is coupled to the carriage frame for pivoting therewith. The main skate frame can pivot laterally, dorsally, or both laterally and dorsally relative to the carriage frame. Lateral pivoting can be achieved, for example, with a lateral pivot shaft or with an arcuate passage with a plurality of axles that also enable dorsal pivoting.

Claims

1. A skate comprising:

a skate body with an anterior toe end and a posterior heel end;

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the skate body to pivot about a pivot axis wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position and a vertical position wherein the horizontal position of the pivot axis of the carriage frame is substantially coincident with or anterior to the anterior toe end of the skate body;

at least one ground engaging element coupled to the carriage frame;

whereby the at least one ground engaging element can pivot with the carriage frame relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to the ground surface.

2. The skate of claim 1 wherein the ground engaging element comprises an ice skate runner member.

3. The skate of claim 1 further comprising a biasing means for exerting a biasing force for biasing the ground engaging element toward a position adjacent to the skate body.

4. The skate of claim 1 wherein the skate body comprises a skate boot with an anterior toe end, a posterior heel end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skater'"'"'s foot and wherein the vertical position of the pivot axis of the carriage frame is distal to the sole of the skate boot relative to the ground engaging element of the skate.

5. A skate comprising:

a skate body comprising a skate boot with an anterior toe end, a posterior heel end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skaters foot;

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the skate body to pivot about a pivot axis wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position adjacent to the anterior end of the skate body and a vertical position wherein the vertical position of the pivot axis of the carriage frame is coincident with the sole of the skate boot;

at least one ground engaging member coupled to the carriage frame;

whereby the at least one ground engaging member can pivot with the carriage frame relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to the ground surface.

6. The skate of claim 5 wherein the ground engaging element comprises an ice skate runner member.

7. A skate comprising:

a skate body comprising a skate boot with an anterior toe end, a posterior heel end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skater'"'"'s foot;

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the skate body to pivot about a pivot axis;

at least one ground engaging member coupled to the carriage frame;

wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position adjacent to the anterior end of the skate body and a vertical position wherein the vertical position of the pivot axis of the carriage frame is distal to the sole of the skate boot relative to the ground engaging member of the skate;

whereby the ground engaging member can pivot with the carriage frame relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to the ground surface.

8. The skate of claim 7 wherein the ground engaging element comprises an ice skate runner member.

9. The skate of claim 7 wherein the horizontal position of the pivot axis of the carriage frame is substantially coincident with or anterior to the anterior toe end of the skate body.

10. A skate comprising:

a skate body comprising a skate boot with an anterior toe end, a posterior heel end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skater'"'"'s foot;

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the skate body to pivot about a pivot axis wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position adjacent to the anterior end of the skate body and a vertical position;

at least one ground engaging element coupled to the carriage frame whereby the at least one ground engaging element can pivot with the carriage frame relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to the ground surface;

wherein the pivot axis of the carriage frame is located within a preferred axis location area that is defined at a first edge by a generally vertical line drawn from a given reference point and at a second edge by a line that extends from the reference point at a given downward angle relative to horizontal away from the posterior end of the skate body wherein the reference point has a horizontal location substantially coincident with or anterior to a location that is three-tenths of the length of the open inner volume of the skate boot from the anterior end of the open inner volume of the skate boot and a vertical location approximately coincident with or distal to the sole of the skate boot relative to the wheels of the skate.

11. The skate of claim 10 wherein the ground engaging element comprises an ice skate runner member.

12. The skate of claim 10 wherein the horizontal location of the reference point is substantially coincident with or anterior to a location that is two-tenths of the length of the open inner volume of the skate boot from the anterior end of the open inner volume of the skate boot.

13. The skate of claim 12 wherein the line defining the second edge of the preferred axis location area extends from the reference point at a downward angle of approximately twenty-five degrees relative to horizontal.

14. The skate of claim 10 wherein the line defining the second edge of the preferred axis location area extends from the reference point at a downward angle of approximately twenty-five degrees relative to horizontal.

15. A skate comprising:

a skate body comprising a skate boot with an anterior toe end, a posterior heel end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skater'"'"'s foot;

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the skate body to pivot about a pivot axis wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position adjacent to the anterior end of the skate body and a vertical position;

at least one ground engaging member coupled to the carriage frame whereby the pivoting wheel group can pivot with the carriage frame relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to the ground surface;

wherein the pivot axis of the carriage frame is located within a preferred axis location area that is defined at a first edge by a generally vertical line drawn from a given reference point and at a second edge by a line that extends from the reference point at a given downward angle relative to horizontal away from the posterior end of the skate body wherein the reference point has a horizontal location substantially coincident with or anterior to a location that is approximately coincident with or anterior to the anterior end of the open inner volume of the skate boot and a vertical location approximately coincident with or distal to the sole of the skate boot relative to the wheels of the skate.

16. The skate of claim 15 wherein the ground engaging element comprises an ice skate runner member.

17. The skate of claim 15 wherein the line defining the second edge of the preferred axis location area extends from the reference point at a downward angle of approximately twenty-five degrees relative to horizontal.

18. A skate comprising:

a skate body with an anterior end and a posterior end;

a carriage frame with at least one ground engaging element;

a pivoting mechanism that pivotally couples the carriage frame to the skate body wherein the pivoting mechanism enables the carriage frame to pivot away from the skate body about an effective pivot axis that has a horizontal position and a vertical position and wherein the effective pivot axis is physically displaced from the pivoting mechanism;

whereby the carriage frame pivots about an effective pivot axis without requiring the pivoting mechanism to be located at the effective pivot axis and whereby the carriage frame can pivot relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to a ground surface.

19. The skate of claim 18 wherein the skate body comprises a main skate frame with a lower surface proximal to the pivoting mechanism and an upper surface distal to the pivoting mechanism and wherein the effective pivot axis is distal to the upper surface of the main skate frame relative to the carriage frame.

20. The skate of claim 19 wherein the horizontal location of the effective pivot axis is adjacent to the anterior end of the skate body.

21. The skate of claim 18 wherein the pivoting mechanism comprises a first curved surface that is fixedly associated with the skate body in relatively slidable contact with a second curved surface that is fixedly associated with the carriage frame whereby the first and second curved surfaces can slide relative to one another to allow the carriage frame to pivot relative to the skate body.

22. The skate of claim 21 wherein the first and second curves have substantially identical radii of curvature whereby the first and second curves can be closely and smoothly engaged for sliding relative to one another.

23. The skate of claim 21 wherein the first curved surface comprises an outside curve and wherein the second curved surface comprises an inside curve.

24. The skate of claim 23 further comprising a means for interlockingly engaging the first and second curves.

25. The skate of claim 24 wherein the means for interlockingly engaging the first and second curves comprises a pair of engaging shoulders in combination with a C-channel.

26. The skate of claim 18 wherein the pivoting mechanism comprises a laterally disposed arcuate passage in combination with a plurality of axles at least partially disposed in the arcuate passage whereby the carriage frame can pivot relative to the skate body by a traveling of the axles along the arcuate passage whereby the carriage frame pivots about an effective pivot axis without requiring that the pivoting mechanism be located at the effective pivot axis and whereby the carriage frame can pivot relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to a ground surface.

27. The skate of claim 26 further comprising at least one upper surface engaging roller surrounding at least one axle of the plurality of axles for rolling along an upper surface adjacent to the first axle but not in contact with a lower surface and at least one lower surface engaging roller surrounding at least one of the plurality of axles for rolling along the lower surface adjacent to that axle but not in contact with the upper surface.

28. The skate of claim 27 wherein the upper surface engaging roller and the lower surface engaging roller have different radii and wherein a distance between the upper surface against which the upper surface engaging roller rolls and the lower surface against which the lower surface engaging roller rolls as measured perpendicularly from the longitudinal axis of the at least one axle approximately equals a sum of the radii of the upper and lower surface engaging rollers whereby the carriage frame can pivot smoothly relative to the main skate frame but with substantially no play therebetween.

29. The skate of claim 26 wherein there are at least three axles and wherein the axles are disposed in a triangular arrangement that has a given effective height.

30. The skate of claim 26 wherein there are at least two axles disposed in alignment in the arcuate passage to have a given effective height with a forward axle and a rearward axle, wherein each axle has at least one single diameter roller bearing disposed thereon, and wherein the each roller bearing has a diameter just slightly less than the height of the arcuate channel.

31. The skate of claim 18 wherein the pivoting mechanism comprises at least first and second pivot arms wherein each of the first and second pivot arms has a first end pivotally coupled to the main skate frame and a second end pivotally coupled to the carriage frame.

32. The skate of claim 18 wherein the ground engaging element comprises an ice skate runner member.

33. A skate comprising:

a main skate frame with an anterior end and a posterior end;

a carriage frame with at least one ground engaging element; and

a lateral pivoting mechanism that couples the main skate frame to the carriage frame wherein the lateral pivoting mechanism enables the posterior end of the main skate frame to pivot laterally relative to the carriage frame.

34. The skate of claim 33 wherein the lateral pivot mechanism comprises a lateral pivot shaft with a first end coupled to the carriage frame and a second end coupled to the carriage frame.

35. The skate of claim 33 further comprising a dorsal pivoting mechanism that couples the main skate frame to the carriage frame wherein the dorsal pivoting mechanism enables the posterior end of the main skate frame to pivot dorsally away from the carriage frame.

36. The skate of claim 35 wherein the dorsal pivot mechanism comprises a laterally disposed arcuate passage in combination with a plurality of axles at least partially disposed in the arcuate passage whereby the main skate frame can pivot dorsally relative to the carriage frame by a traveling of the axles along the arcuate passage.

37. The skate of claim 36 wherein the lateral pivot mechanism comprises a lateral pivot shaft with a first end coupled to the carriage frame and a second end coupled to the carriage frame.

38. The skate of claim 36 wherein the lateral pivot mechanism comprises the laterally disposed arcuate passage in combination with the plurality of axles by means of a tilting of at least a portion of the laterally disposed arcuate passage at a tilting angle.

39. The skate of claim 38 wherein the tilting angle of the arcuate passage varies over the arcuate passage.

41. The skate of claim 34 further comprising a means for preventing excessive lateral pivoting of the main skate frame relative to the carriage frame.

42. The skate of claim 41 wherein the means for preventing excessive lateral pivoting of the main skate frame relative to the carriage frame comprises a pivot depression of a given length in combination with a pivot member disposed in the pivot depression wherein the pivot member has a length slightly less than the length of the pivot depression whereby the main skate frame can pivot through a given range until the pivot member contacts an end or the ends of the pivot depression.

43. The skate of claim 33 wherein the main skate frame pivots relative to the carriage frame about a pivot axis that is adjacent to the anterior end of the main skate frame.

44. The skate of claim 43 further comprising a means for controlling a degree of lateral pivoting of the main skate frame relative to the carriage frame.

45. The skate of claim 44 wherein the means for controlling the degree of lateral pivoting comprises a sloped member whereby the degree of lateral pivoting is dependent on a degree of dorsal pivoting.

46. The skate of claim 45 further comprising a means for adjusting an angle at which the sloped member is disposed whereby the degree of lateral pivoting per degree of dorsal pivoting can be adjusted.

40. The skate of claim 40 wherein the tilting angle of the arcuate passage follows a portion of a generally conical path.