Steerable inline skate

• US 20030227143A1
• Filed: 06/06/2003
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microinspection Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microinspection Incorporated
• Inventors: Eun, Tak, Yang, Sun-kyu
• Granted Patent: US 7,104,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/11.221
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/006 with wheels of different size or type
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/0073 with offset wheel, i.e. wheel contact point to surface offset from other associated wheel
• 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 2203/42 Details of chassis of ice or roller skates, of decks of skateboards

Abstract

The present invention relates to a steerable inline skate which allows user to change direction more easily and reduce the abrasion of wheels to thus lengthen the life of the wheels by allowing front and rear wheels 30 and 50 among a plurality of wheels arranged in a line to be steered within a predetermined angle utilizing the structure of a trapezoidal linkage.

Claims

1. An inline skate having a plurality of wheels rolling-contacted with the ground rotatably arranged on a wheel frame in a line, comprising:

a front wheel mounted on the front end of the wheel frame by first elastic supporting means extending forward and showing the behavior characteristics of a trapezoidal linkage;

a rear wheel mounted on the rear end of the wheel frame in the direction opposite to the front wheel by second elastic supporting means; and

a pressing means for deforming the front and rear wheels in an axial direction in order to steer of the inline skate.

2. The inline skate of claim 1, wherein the first elastic supporting means and the second elastic supporting means each comprises:

a pair of leaf springs where one end is fixed to the lateral surface of the wheel frame and which are extended in such a manner that the gap between the two leaf springs facing each other becomes gradually smaller; and

a axle shaft which is connected to the front end of the leaf springs across the gap between the facing leaf springs and on which the front and rear wheels are rotatably mounted.

3. The inline skate of claim 1, wherein the first elastic supporting means and the second elastic supporting means further comprises:

a wheel supporting unit consisting of a pair of supporting plates each having a hinge coupling protrusion formed on one outer surface, a axle shaft which is connected in parallel to the front end of the leaf springs across the gap between the facing leaf springs and on which the front and rear wheels are rotatably mounted and a supporting axis which is connectively mounted in parallel at a predetermined interval from the axle shaft across the gap between the pair of the facing supporting plates;

a pair of link bars with one end being hingeably coupled to the lateral surface of the wheel and the other end being hingeably coupled to the hinge coupling protrusion of the pair of supporting plates as they are extended in such a manner that the interval between the two facing link bars becomes smaller gradually; and

a tension spring which is connected between a fixing axis connected across the wheel frame and the supporting axis of the wheel supporting unit.

4. The inline skate of claim 2, wherein the leaf springs are formed in the shape of a pleat sheet with its outer surface forming a continuous flexure.

5. The inline skate of claim 2, wherein the first and second elastic supporting means further comprises:

a plurality of coupling holes formed at a predetermined interval on the outer surface of the front end of the leaf springs so that they can be selectively coupled between the facing leaf springs by means of a coupling member; and

a pair of wheel fixing plates arranged on the front end of the leaf springs for adjusting stiffness of the leaf springs, the axle shaft being connected in parallel across the gap between the wheel fixing plates.

6. The inline skate of claim 2, wherein an open cut groove is formed at one lateral surface of the leaf springs to thus offer higher flexibility to the leaf springs.

7. The inline skate of claim 3, wherein the first and second elastic supporting means further comprises a plurality of hinge coupling protrusions formed on the outer surface of the supporting plates at a predetermined interval so as to be selectively coupled to one end of the link bars.

8. The inline skate of claim 1, wherein the pressing means comprises one or plural middle wheels which have a sectional shape of a smaller curvature so that they have the same diameter as the front and rear wheels and have a shaper curve than the outer and inner curved surfaces of the front and rear wheels and which are fixed and supported on the wheel frame wherein their axle shaft is located on the same horizon as the axle shaft of the front and rear wheels.

9. The inline skate of claim 1, wherein the pressing means comprises:

one or plural middle wheels which are fixed and supported on the wheel frame wherein they have a sectional shape of the same diameter and same curvature as the front and rear wheels and their axle shaft is located on the same horizon as the axle shaft of the front and rear wheels; and

a first elastic member for providing elasticity so as to make the middle wheel vertically movable within a predetermined range.

10. The inline skate of claim 1, wherein the pressing means comprises one or plural middle wheels which are fixed and supported on the wheel frame wherein that they have a sectional shape of smaller diameter than and the same curvature as the front and rear wheels and their axle shaft is located on the same horizon as the axle shaft of the front and rear wheels,

11. The inline skate of claim 1, wherein the pressing means comprises one or plural middle wheels which are fixed and supported on the wheel frame wherein they have a sectional shape of the same diameter and same curvature as the front and rear wheels and their axle shaft is located higher than the axle shaft of the front and rear wheels.

12. The inline skate of claim 1, wherein the pressing means pressing the front and rear wheels to be rotatable comprises:

a hinge portion which is provided on the lower end of the rear end portion of each of the leaf springs so that the leaf springs each can be vertically rotated relative to the wheel frame;

a second elastic member which is provided on the upper end of the rear end portion of the leaf springs for providing elasticity to the leaf springs so that the leaf springs can be vertically rotated around the hinge portion; and

a plurality of middle wheels which are fixed and supported on the wheel frame wherein they have a sectional shape of the same diameter and same curvature as the front and rear wheels and their axle shaft is located on the same horizon as the axle shaft of the front and rear wheels with the leaf springs each being kept parallel,

13. The inline skate of claim 12, wherein a compression force is applied to the second elastic member in a state that the leaf springs each are kept parallel and the axle shaft of the front, rear and middle wheels is located on the same horizon.