Generation of In-Line skates and skate-boards with safety "EDGING FRICTION CONTROL TM"

• US 20040026984A1
• Filed: 06/17/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Myron Stuart Hurwitz
• Original Assignee: Myron Stuart Hurwitz
• Inventors: Hurwitz, Myron Stuart
• Granted Patent: US 6,848,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 301/5.301
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/0066 with inclined wheel, i.e. not perpendicular to the surface it rolls on
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/06 single-track type
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/1427 the brake contacting other wheel associated surfaces, e.g. hubs, brake discs or wheel flanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/223 Wheel hubs

Abstract

The frame of an in-line skate (FIG. 8B) supports a wheel (10), allowing a skater to effectively slow down and stop, using an athletic stance that skiers on snow and ice skaters on ice use. The wheel (10) has a hub (20A), allowing a wheel to rotate around the axle (13A) vertically and at an inclination. The hub has axle roller bearings (23B). The wheel (10) includes friction band surfaces (11A) on the sides of the wheel. When rotating at an inclination the wheel'"'"'s friction surface contacts a friction surface (11B), inside the wheel-well or an axle friction surface or a combination thereof to slow or break the wheel. The wheel (10) assembly includes self-aligning springs (14A/B). Individual parts can be technically designed to allow various model solutions that will satisfy the abilities of a beginner to an expert. The wheel assembly frame can be attached to an in-line skate, an in-line skateboard, a downhill in-line ski and a downhill in-line skateboard.

Claims

1. A wheel assembly comprising:

a roller member;

roller bearing structure permitting the roller member to rotate about an axle with respect to a vertical axis;

a spherical bearing constructed and arranged to permit the roller member to rotate about the axle at an angle with respect to the vertical axis; and

,

spring structure constructed and arranged to bias the roller member towards the vertical axis.

2. The wheel assembly of claim 1, wherein the roller member is of a generally parabolic shape.

3. The wheel assembly of claim 2, wherein the roller member is configured for use as a wheel for an in-line skate.

4. The wheel assembly of claim 1, wherein the roller bearing structure includes at least one of a roller ball bearing and a needle roller bearing.

5. The wheel assembly of claim 1, wherein the spring structure comprises a pair of constant force self-aligning springs being located at each end of said axle.

6. The wheel assembly of claim 5, wherein each pair of springs are comprised of one of open coil springs and accordion pleated material springs.

7. The wheel assembly of claim 1 in combination with an in-line roller skate, the wheel assembly being coupled to the in-line roller skate via an axle, the wheel assembly being disposed within a wheel frame of the in-line roller skate, the wheel frame having friction contact surfaces operatively associated with friction control surfaces of the roller member, such that when the roller member rotates at a certain angle with respect to the vertical plane, a friction control surface of the roller member contacts a friction contact surface of the wheel frame to cause slowing down and braking of the roller member.

8. The wheel assembly of claim 1, wherein the spherical bearing defines a hub of said roller member and wherein the spring structure is made integral within said hub.

9. The wheel assembly of claim 8, further comprising an axle received by the roller bearing structure.

10. The wheel assembly of claim 9, further comprising friction structure fixed to the axle and friction control surfaces on said roller member operatively associated with friction contact surfaces of the friction structure, such that when the roller member rotates at a certain angle with respect to the vertical axis, a friction control surface of the roller member contacts a friction contact surface of the friction structure to cause slowing down and braking of the roller member.

11. A spherical bearing assembly comprising:

an inner ring member defining a vertical axis and having a bore extending in a direction transverse with respect to the vertical axis;

an outer ring member mounted with respect to the inner ring to permit inclined rotation of the outer ring with respect to the vertical axis; and

,

a spring structure constructed and arranged to bias the outer ring towards the vertical axis.

12. The bearing assembly of claim 11, wherein the spring structure comprises a compression spring between the inner and outer ring member.

13. The bearing assembly of claim 12, wherein said compression spring is one of a self-lubricated:

wire coil spring;

an accordion pleated sheet alloy spring;

an accordion pleated reinforced sheet rubberized spring; and

, a urethane compression spring.

14. A wheeled device comprising:

a wheel frame;

at least one wheel mounted on an axle associated with the wheel frame; and

,

wherein said wheel is constructed and arranged to rotate around said axle both vertically and at an inclination with respect to the axle.

15. The wheeled device as defined in claim 14, wherein said wheel is of generally a parabolic shape.

16. The wheeled device as defined in claim 14, wherein the wheel frame has a wheel-well contoured to compliment said wheel.

17. The wheeled device as defined in claim 15, wherein said wheel has concave depressions on each side of said wheel, providing clearance to allow inclined wheel rotation around said axle.

18. The wheeled device as defined in claim 17, wherein said wheel has conforming concave depression frames.

19. The wheeled device as defined in claim 14, wherein said wheel has a dynamic spherical bearing, having outer and inner rings, each ring being omnidirectional to each other, allowing said wheel to rotate both vertically and at an inclination and wherein said spherical bearing'"'"'s inner ring has a concentric opening defining a bore.

20. The wheeled device as defined in claim 19, wherein the bore has at least one axle bearing therein that enables said wheel to rotate with minimal friction around said axle.

21. The wheeled device as defined in claim 20, wherein the axle bearing is one of a roller ball axle bearing and needle roller axle bearing.

22. The wheeled device as defined in claim 19, wherein said wheel has friction members on each side thereof.

23. The wheeled device defined in claim 22, wherein the wheel frame has a wheel-well and the wheel-well has a friction surface within opposite sides of said wheel-well.

24. The wheeled device as defined in claim 23, wherein said wheel, when rotating vertically has predetermined clearance between the friction members and said friction surfaces in said wheel-well.

25. The wheel device as defined in claim 23, wherein said wheel, when rotating at a certain inclination, has one friction member in contact with a friction surface of said wheel-well to cause slowing down and braking of said wheel.

26. The wheel device as defined in claim 18, wherein said conforming concave depression frames have indentations to retain self-aligning springs to reposition an inclined wheel back into a vertical position.

27. The wheeled device as defined in claim 26, wherein said self-aligning springs are one of constant force open coil springs, accordion pleated sheet metal alloy springs, and accordion pleated reinforced rubberized springs, wherein the pleated springs are configured to serve a dual purpose as a dust cover.

28. The wheeled device as defined in claim 18, wherein said conforming concave depression frames include means for securing a dust cover to the wheel.

29. The wheeled device as defined in claim 28, wherein a dust cover is coupled with the securing means and said dust cover is an accordion pleated rubberized component with a self-lubricated collar.

30. The wheeled device as defined in claim 14, wherein the wheel frame is attached to one of an in-line skate, an in-line skateboard, a downhill in-line ski and a downhill in-line skateboard.

31. The wheeled device as defined in claim 19, wherein said spherical bearing further includes an integral compression spring to bias the wheel towards vertical rotation thereof.

32. A wheeled device comprising:

a wheel frame;

at least one wheel mounted for rotation with respect to the wheel frame via an axle;

the axle including friction contact surfaces;

the wheel including friction control surfaces; and

,

wherein the at least one wheel is constructed and arranged to rotate around the axle both vertically and at an inclination, such that when the wheel is at a certain inclination, the friction control surfaces of said wheel engage the friction contact surfaces of said axle to cause slowing down and braking of said wheel.

33. The wheeled device as defined in claim 32, wherein said wheel has concave depressions on each side of said wheel, providing clearance to allow inclined wheel rotation around said axle.

34. The wheeled device as defined in claim 33, wherein the wheel has conforming concave depression frames.

35. The wheeled device as defined in claim 34, wherein the wheel has an indentation in said conforming concave depression frames retaining a friction element defining the friction control surface.

36. The wheeled device as defined in claim 35, wherein said wheel includes a spherical bearing hub having an integral compression spring, thereby not only providing for inclined wheel position but also providing the added function of self-alignment of the wheel, thereby serving a dual purpose.

37. The wheeled device as defined in claim 36, further including at least one axle bearing in a bore of the spherical bearing hub that enables said wheel to rotate with minimal friction around said axle.

38. The wheeled device as defined in claim 37, wherein said axle bearing is one of a roller ball axle bearing and a needle roller axle bearing.

39. The wheeled device as defined in claim 37, wherein said axle is threaded on the outside surface at each end of said axle to an outside face thereof.

40. The wheeled device as defined in claim 39, wherein the axle has a washer spacer disposed over said axle at each end thereof.

41. The wheeled device of claim 40, wherein a round friction disk, with a center bore having inside threads that match-the outside threads on the surface of said axle, is screwed onto said axle at each end and locked to said washer spacer.

42. The wheeled device as defined in claim 41, wherein said axle has inside threads set into each end of the axle to receive outside cap screws that are set tight against the outside face of said wheel frame, effectively double locking said friction disk securely in place to prevent it from turning.

43. The wheeled device as defined in claim 41, wherein said friction disk has a friction material on a perimeter thereof defining a friction contact surface.

44. The wheeled device as defined in claim 43, wherein when rotating vertically, said concave depression frame'"'"'s friction element has predetermined clearance with respect to said friction disk'"'"'s perimeter friction material.

45. The wheeled device as defined in claim 43, wherein when the wheel is rotating at an inclination, surfaces of the concave frame'"'"'s friction element simultaneously contact with said friction material of the friction disk at two contact locations, one contact location being at the top of the friction disk at one side of the wheel and the other contact location being at the bottom of the friction disk at the opposite wheel side, and wherein realignment of said wheel to vertical rotation is achieved by the force of the integral compression spring.

46. The wheeled device as defined in claim 32, wherein the wheel frame is attached to one of an in-line skate, an in-line skateboard, a downhill in-line ski and a downhill in-line skateboard.

47. The wheeled device as defined in claim 35, wherein said wheel has a friction surface material included on each side of said wheel.

48. The wheeled device as defined in claim 47, wherein the frame includes a wheel-well, the wheel-well having opposing friction surfaces arranged such that, when the wheel is rotating vertically, there is predetermined clearance between the wheel'"'"'s friction surface material on the sides of the wheel and said friction surfaces in the wheel-well and between the wheel'"'"'s concave depression frame'"'"'s friction element and said friction disk'"'"'s perimeter friction material.

49. The wheeled device as defined in claim 47, wherein the frame includes a wheel-well, the wheel-well having opposing friction surfaces arranged such that;

when the wheel is rotating at an inclination, there are three simultaneous friction contacts;

one with said wheel-well friction surface and the wheel'"'"'s friction member and two simultaneously with said friction disk and wheel'"'"'s friction element on each side of said wheel, realignment of said wheel to vertical rotation is achieved by the force of the integral compression spring.

50. The wheeled device as defined in claim 49, wherein said wheel includes external self-aligning springs that are attached to said concave depression frames, said springs being located at each end of said axle such that:

when the wheel is rotating at an inclination, there are two simultaneous self-aligning spring locations;

one at the wheel hub'"'"'s integral compression spring and one by the pair of said self-aligning springs located at each end of said axle.

51. The wheeled device as defined in claim 49, wherein said wheel is in a generally parabolic shape.

52. The wheeled device as defined in claim 50, wherein said external self-aligning springs are one of an accordion pleated sheet metal alloy spring and an accordion pleated reinforced rubberized spring, wherein the pleated springs are configured to serve a dual function as dust covers.

53. The wheeled device as defined in claim 49, wherein the wheel frame is mounted to one of an in-line skate, an in-line skateboard, a downhill in-line ski and a downhill in-line skateboard.

54. The wheeled device as defined in claim 50, wherein the wheel frame is mounted to one of an in-line skate, an in-line skateboard, a downhill in-line ski and a downhill in-line skateboard.