In-line roller skate wheel and method of making same
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A narrow profile lightweight urethane in-line skate wheel comprising:
- a hub formed with a cylindrical bearing housing for mounting on bearings and including a radially outwardly projecting support disk;
annular support flanges projecting axially outwardly on opposite sides of said disk to form respective radially outwardly facing load support surfaces and cooperating to a predetermined combined axial width;
an annular urethane tire body mounted on said load bearing flanges and encasing the axially opposite sides of the radially outward portion of said disk, said tire body being configured with an annular tread section having oppositely disposed tread walls sloping axially outwardly and radially inwardly from a major radial diameter to a maximum axial width greater than said predetermined axial width; and
said tire body further including a narrowing body section interposed between said tread section and said load bearing surface and configured with opposite narrowing walls sloping axially and radially inwardly toward one another from said maximum axial thickness to the opposite ends of the respective said flanges and configured with radially inwardly facing beads abutting the respective said support surfaces.
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Abstract
A polyurethane in-line roller skate wheel including a narrow hub mounting a polyurethane tire body having side walls curving axially inwardly from a major thickness to a minor thickness at the hub flange interface. In one embodiment, the hub is made of sections locked together by either adhesive or mechanical interlocks.
18 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A narrow profile lightweight urethane in-line skate wheel comprising:
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a hub formed with a cylindrical bearing housing for mounting on bearings and including a radially outwardly projecting support disk;
annular support flanges projecting axially outwardly on opposite sides of said disk to form respective radially outwardly facing load support surfaces and cooperating to a predetermined combined axial width;
an annular urethane tire body mounted on said load bearing flanges and encasing the axially opposite sides of the radially outward portion of said disk, said tire body being configured with an annular tread section having oppositely disposed tread walls sloping axially outwardly and radially inwardly from a major radial diameter to a maximum axial width greater than said predetermined axial width; and
said tire body further including a narrowing body section interposed between said tread section and said load bearing surface and configured with opposite narrowing walls sloping axially and radially inwardly toward one another from said maximum axial thickness to the opposite ends of the respective said flanges and configured with radially inwardly facing beads abutting the respective said support surfaces. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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12. A lightweight narrow in-line roller skate wheel comprising:
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a hub constructed with a bearing housing and including a radially projecting annular support disk;
a pair of annular load bearing flanges projecting axially on the opposite sides of said disk and configured with respective radially outwardly facing load support surfaces;
an annular urethane tire body molded about the radially outer extent of said support disk and nesting against and bonded to said load bearing surface, said tire body being formed in its radially outer extent with an oval in cross section annular tread section having a maximum axial width greater than the axial width of said load bearing flange, said tire body further including a narrowing body section intermediate said tread section and said load bearing flange and formed with opposite side walls curving radially and axially inwardly toward one another to join the opposite axial ends of the respective said load bearing flanges.
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13. A narrow lightweight in-line roller skate wheel comprising:
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a hub including an annular housing and a centrally disposed radial disk, said hub including annular support flanges on the opposite sides of said disk cooperating to form a combined overall axial length no greater than 0.560 inches;
a urethane tire body formed about the radially outer extent of said disk, configured with a tread crown and sloped side walls sloping radially inwardly and axially outwardly from said tread crown to a maximum width of 0.850 inches, said side walls then sloping radially and axially inwardly toward one another to terminate at the respective axial ends of the respective said flanges, said body being further formed with radially inwardly facing bearing surfaces nested on the respective said support flanges.
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14. A narrow lightweight in-line roller skate wheel comprising:
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a hub including an annular housing and radial support disk;
an annular urethane tire body on said disk, having a maximum axial width less than 0.965 inches and including narrowing means having opposite side walls sloping radially and axially inwardly toward one another to terminate in a narrow width less that said maximum axial width;
said hub including an annular support means mounted on said disk and supporting said tire body.
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15. The method of manufacturing an in-line roller skate wheel including the following steps:
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selecting a hub with an annular bearing housing having a pair of annular load bearing flanges of a combined predetermined axial width;
selecting a mold having upper and lower mold sections, said lower mold section configured with an annular mold cavity section defining a central lower hub cavity section and an outer lower tire body cavity section, said tire cavity section including a bottom wall extending radially outwardly from said hub section and formed with a downwardly and outwardly sloped narrowing section extending to a bottom maximum width ring and then turning radially outwardly to curve upwardly and radially outwardly to a juncture surface, said upper mold section being constructed to mate with said lower mold section and formed with a downwardly opening tire body cavity section having a wall aligned with said terminus and curving upwardly and radially inwardly to a top maximum width ring spaced from said bottom maximum width ring to form a maximum body width greater than said predetermined load bearing flange axial width and projecting radially inwardly to terminate in an annular sprue wall;
placing said hub in said lower hub cavity section;
positioning said upper mold section on said lower mold section;
selecting a back pin and engaging it with said hub to position an annular back pin sculpture shoulder angling upwardly and axially outwardly from said load bearing flange to terminate in an annular sprue wall spaced annularly from said first sprue wall to form an annular sprue inlet;
introducing prepolymers, curatives and pigment additives through said sprue inlet to fill said body cavity and surround and bond to said support disk to cooperate in forming a wheel;
removing said back pin and said upper mold section; and
removing and trimming said wheel. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An annular mold for molding a sculptured in-line roller skate wheel tire body to a wheel hub having an annular bearing housing and radially outwardly projecting annular mounting disk formed medially with an annular load bearing flange having a predetermined axial width and terminating in, when said hub is laid on its side, respective lower and upper annular edges;
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said annular mold including upper and lower mold sections connected together and severable along a mold mating surface;
said lower mold section being configured with a lower mold cavity including an annular hub mold section for receiving one axial side of said hub and configured with a radially exterior wall terminating at a top edge in an annular sealing lip configured to engage said lower edge of said load bearing flange, said lower mold section being further formed with a lower mold section tire body cavity circumscribing said lower mold hub section cavity and formed with an annular bottom wall curving downwardly and outwardly from said sealing lip to then turn and project radially outwardly and curve upwardly and radially outwardly to terminate in an annular terminus at said mating surface;
said upper mold section being configured with an upper section mold cavity cooperating with said hub mold section and said tire mold cavity and having an upper wall curving upwardly and axially inwardly from said terminus to terminate in an annular sprue wall edge; and
a back pin constructed with a downwardly opening hub cavity for, when said hub is in said lower mold cavity, receipt of the upper portion of said hub and configured with an annular sealing lip for sealingly engaging said upper edge of said load bearing flange, said back pin further including a sculpture cavity surface angling upwardly and outwardly from said sealing lip to terminate in a back pin sprue wall spaced radially inwardly from said first sprue edge to form a sprue opening for receipt of prepolymers, curatives and pigment additives.
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21. A mold for molding a soft urethane tire body to a hard urethane hub to form a urethane wheel configured with sculptured said tire body section having axially opposite sides angling axially outwardly from a mounting flange on said hub to angle axially and radially outwardly and to then curve radially outwardly and axially inwardly toward one another forming a tread surface, said mold apparatus comprising:
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a lower mold section having a lower hub cavity for nesting therein of said hub to position said hub'"'"'s radial plane in a generally horizontal plane;
said lower hub section further including a lower tire body cavity concentric about said lower hub cavity configured to form one side wall of said tire body; and
an annular upper mold section and central back pin configured to cooperate in forming an upper mold tire body cavity section cooperating with said lower hub cavity and tire body cavity to form the shape of said tire body about said hub, said back pin being configured to engage the top side of said hub and formed with a downwardly and outwardly facing sculpture surface to cooperate in forming the second side wall of said tire body.
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35. A narrow profile lightweight urethane in-line skate wheel comprising:
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an annular urethane tire body formed with a radially distal narrow tread crown and having side walls tapering radially inwardly and axially outwardly away from one another to a major thickness and then tapering radially and axially inwardly toward one another to terminate in respective radially inwardly facing beads; and
hub means including a radially outwardly projecting support disk formed with annular support flange means having radially outwardly facing tire body bead receiving means engaging said tire body bead means. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A urethane in-line skate wheel comprising:
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a hub fitting forming a bearing housing, a concentric lightening shell spaced radially therefrom and an annular disk interposed between said housing and shell;
said hub fitting being formed by first and second annular hub sections configured with respective first and second half tubes cooperating to form said shell and terminating in respective confronting concentric edges, said edges being formed with respective interfitting tongues and grooves configured to fit frictionally together in interlocking relationship; and
a urethane tire body formed about said shell and disk. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40)
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Specification