Frame for a Clap Skate, and Clap Skate with Such a Frame

• US 20100264638A1
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Widee B.V.
• Original Assignee: Widee B.V.
• Inventors: Meijer, Jan-Willem
• Granted Patent: US 8,333,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/841
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 1/28 Pivotally-mounted plates
• 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 frame for a clap skate comprises: a lower frame part; an upper frame part with means for coupling to the sole and heel of a skate shoe; hinge which couples the two frame parts hingedly to each other and which are situated at a distance above the foremost zone of the lower frame part and define a first free degree of freedom of rotation, or a plane varying a maximum of about 30° therefrom of the runner; and resetting means for urging the upper frame part to a rest position determined by positioning means, in which rest position the frame parts have the smallest possible mutual distance. The hinge defines a second free degree of freedom of ±30° perpendicularly of the first free degree of freedom. The upper frame part performs an up and downward and lateral pivoting movement relative to the lower frame part.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A frame for a clap skate, which frame comprises:

a lower frame part for carrying a runner or wheels;

an upper frame part with means for coupling to a sole and a heel of a skate shoe;

a hinge which couples the two frame parts hingedly to each other, which hinge is situated at a distance above the foremost zone of the lower frame part and defines a first free degree of freedom of rotation in a main plane, or a plane varying a maximum of about 30°

therefrom, of the runner or the wheels; and

a resetting means for urging the upper frame part relative to the lower frame part to a rest position determined by a positioning means, in which rest position the frame parts have a smallest possible mutual distance;

wherein

the hinge defines a second free degree of freedom of rotation within a range of ±

30°

perpendicularly of the first free degree of freedom, such that the upper frame part can perform an up and downward as well as a lateral pivoting movement relative to the lower frame part.

15. The frame as claimed in claim 14, wherein the hinge takes a cardan form.

16. The frame as claimed in claim 14, wherein the hinge comprises a ball joint.

17. The frame as claimed in claim 14, wherein the resetting means are adjustable.

18. The frame as claimed in claim 17, wherein the resitting means comprises at least one spring, the length and thereby the resilient bias of which can be adjusted continuously or in steps.

19. The frame as claimed in claim 14, wherein the time required by the resetting means to reset the frame parts from a maximum angular displacement in the first degree of freedom and/or in the second degree of freedom to mutual rest position amounts to a maximum of 400 ms.

20. The frame as claimed in claim 14, wherein the time required by the resetting means to reset the frame parts from a maximum angular displacement in the first degree of freedom and/or in the second degree of freedom to mutual rest position amounts to 300 ms.

21. The frame as claimed in claim 14, wherein the positioning means comprises:

a block with a generally V-shaped, narrowing recess present on the one frame part; and

a protrusion co-acting therewith present on the other frame part.

22. The frame as claimed in claim 14, comprising a damping means for damping the shock which occurs during the displacement by the resetting means of the lower frame part to the rest position relative to the upper frame part.

23. The frame as claimed in claim 20, wherein the damping means comprises a block of rubber or a rubber-like material with a hardness in the order of magnitude of (90±

20) Shore A.

24. The frame as claimed in claim 14, comprising a first bounding means for bounding the angular displacement in the first degree of freedom to a maximum of 25°

.

25. The frame as claimed in claim 24, comprising a first bounding means for bounding the angular displacement in the first degree of freedom to about 20°

.

26. The frame as claimed in claim 14, comprising second bounding means for bounding the angular displacement in the second degree of freedom to a maximum of 50°

.

27. The frame as claimed in claim 26, comprising second bounding means for bounding the angular displacement in the second degree of freedom to about 40°

.

28. A clap skate, comprising a skate shoe and a frame as claimed in claim 14 coupled to the sole and the heel thereof.