Skate With In-Line Rollers Or Ice Blades

• US 20080067763A1
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG), Nordica SpA (Tecnica Group S.P.A.)
• Original Assignee: Nordica SpA (Tecnica Group S.P.A.)
• Inventors: Zampieri, Claudio
• Granted Patent: US 7,871,086 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/11.224
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/0046 with shock absorption or suspension system
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/062 with a pivotal frame or cradle around transversal axis for relative movements of the wheels

Abstract

The present invention refers to a skate with in-line rollers or ice-skating blades, comprising: a boot provided with a sole comprising a heel portion, a central portion and a toe portion; a chassis acting as a support for said sole to rest thereupon, and including a first carriage and a second carriage that are capable of moving relative to each other and adapted to support at least a front roller or blade and at least a rear roller or blade respectively; the first carriage comprises a first plate for said heel portion to rest thereupon, from which there extends towards the front portion of the skate a first arm that is adapted to support at least said front roller or blade, and the second carriage comprises a second plate for the toe portion to rest thereupon, from which there extends towards the rear portion of the skate a second arm that is adapted to support at least said rear roller or blade; the first and second carriages overlap each other approximately at the central portion of the sole.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. Skate with in-line rollers or ice-skating blades, comprising:

a boot or footwear item provided with a sole comprising a heel portion, a central portion and a toe portion;

a chassis acting as a support for said sole to rest thereupon, and including a first carriage and a second carriage that are capable of moving relative to each other;

at least one front roller or blade and at least one rear roller or blade;

said first carriage and said second carriage being adapted to support at least one of said rollers or blades each;

wherein;

said first carriage comprises a first plate for said heel portion to rest thereupon, from which there extends towards the front portion of said skate a first arm that is adapted to support said at least one front roller or blade, and

said second carriage comprises a second plate for said toe portion to rest thereupon, from which there extends towards the rear portion of said skate a second arm that is adapted to support said at least one rear roller or blade;

said first and said second carriage overlapping each other approximately at the central portion of said sole.

17. Skate according to claim 16, wherein said first carriage supports a first pair of front rollers and said second carriage supports a second pair of rear rollers.

18. Skate according to claim 17, wherein said heel portion is attached to said first plate, said first arm extending downwards towards a running surface and longitudinally towards said toe portion, and being adapted to support, at respective transverse axes thereof that are spaced longitudinally from each other, said first pair of front rollers.

19. Skate according to claim 17, wherein said toe portion is attached to said second plate, said second arm extending downwards towards a running surface and longitudinally towards said heel portion, and being adapted to support, at respective transverse axes thereof that are spaced longitudinally from each other, said second pair of rear rollers.

20. Skate according to claim 16, wherein said sole is pliable, i.e. capable of bending.

21. Skate according to claim 20, wherein said sole is made as a unitary piece that is capable of yielding elastically at least at said central portion.

22. Skate according to claim 20, wherein said sole comprises a rear part and a front part that are pivotally connected to each other by means of a first hinge.

23. Skate according to claim 22, wherein said rear part includes said heel portion and a rear part of said central portion, and said front part includes a front part of said central portion and said toe portion.

24. Skate according to claim 23, wherein said first hinge is positioned in said central portion at a site corresponding roughly to the articulation zone of the foot.

25. Skate according to claim 16, wherein said first carriage is movably connected to said second carriage approximately in the area where they overlap each other.

26. Skate according to claim 25, wherein said first and said second carriage are pivotally connected to each other by means of a second hinge.

27. Skate according to claim 26, wherein at least one of said first and second carriages is slidably coupled to at least one of said heel portion and toe portion, respectively.

28. Skate according to claim 16, wherein said first and second carriages are pivotally and slidably connected to each other by means of a pin-and-slot arrangement.

29. Skate according to claim 16, wherein at least one of said first and second carriages has an appendix extending upwards from said first and/or second arm, respectively, so as to interact with said second and/or first plate, respectively, via at least an elastic or vibration damping member interposed therebetween.

30. Method for transferring pushing force in a skate comprising a boot or footwear item provided with a sole comprising a heel portion, a central portion and a toe portion, at least one front roller or blade and at least one rear roller or blade and a chassis acting as a support for said sole to rest thereupon, and including a first carriage and a second carriage that are capable of moving relative to each other and adapted to support at least one of said rollers or blades each, wherein at least the following steps are provided:

providing a first carriage comprising a first plate for said heel portion to rest thereupon and a first arm that is adapted to support said at least one front roller or blade, so as to transfer force from a first pressing portion located on the rear side of said skate to at least one of said front rollers or blades; and

providing a second carriage comprising a second plate for said toe portion to rest thereupon and a second arm that is adapted to support said at least one rear roller or blade, so as to transfer force from a second pressing portion located on the front side of said skate to at least one of said rear rollers or blades.