Ice skating treadmill

• US 5,385,520 A
• Filed: 01/18/1994
• Issued: 01/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hockey Acceleration Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hockey Acceleration Incorporated
• Inventors: Frappier, John P., Lepine, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reichard, Lynne A.
• Application Number:
  US08/183,294
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 482/54, 482/51, 472/90, 198/803.2, 198/850
• US Class Current: 482/54
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2022/0278 with reversible direction of the running surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0023 the inclination of the main axis of the movement path being adjustable, e.g. the inclination of an endless band
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/02 with movable endless bands , e.g. treadmills other training appliances for running on the spot A63B69/0028
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/025 electrically, e.g. D.C. motors with variable speed control
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0285 Physical characteristics of the belt, e.g. material, surface, indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0022 for skating
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 19/10 Ice-skating or roller-skating rinks; Slopes or trails for skiing, ski-jumping or tobogganing chutes A63G21/00; ski-lifts B61B11/00; making or maintaining surfaces of snow or ice suitable for traffic or sporting purposes E01H4/00; removing snow or ice E01H5/00; production of ice or snow F25C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 3/00 Accessories for skates

Abstract

An artificial ice skating treadmill for forward and backward ice skating, specifically designed to allow an ice skater to practice normal ice skating behavior while in a relatively fixed position. The general elements of the present design allow for the ice skater'"'"'s form to be observed and coached from very close range, thus promoting rapid improvement in technique. The present ice skating treadmill allows for uphill or downhill skating, thus causing rapid loading of specific muscle groups and in turn the strengthening of those groups. A variable speed element in the present ice skating treadmill also allows muscle group conditioning at all skating speeds.

The essential features of the present apparatus are the support base with a screw type tilt mechanism. The platform consists of two side rails, two roller drums, an endless belt covered with ridged slats of plastic, a variable speed drive system, a remote electrical enclosure housing an inverter and the necessary electrical devices, and a remote control panel.

Claims

1. An ice skating treadmill comprising in combination:

a base frame having a skating deck lifting mechanism;

a skating deck having

side rails supported in parallel and apart from each other, said side rails mounted to the lifting mechanism of the base frame by a hinged support means, thus providing a tiltable skating deck,

a belt drive drum operably attached by a drive shaft between the side rails rotatable by means of a drive motor;

and

a main belt engaged by said drive drum to rotate around said drive drum, said belt fitted with T-lock brackets arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to a direction of rotation of said belt, said T-lock brackets each slidingly engaging T-lock channeled slats allowing the slats to individually articulate as the belt rotates around the drive drum, edges of said slats abutting together while in a level configuration and forming a flat smooth high density ice skating surface, the skating surface having a lubricant to provide a coefficient of friction approximately the same as that of a natural ice surface.

4. An ice skating treadmill according to claim 1, the skating deck further comprising three to five rows of support rollers mounted along the length of the support frame to provide rolling support for the skating surface and are staggered to provide a flat smooth bed for the belt.

5. An ice skating treadmill according to claim 1, wherein the main belt is rubberized polyester with vulcanized seams, and wherein the T-lock brackets are formed of aluminum and are attached to the belt by means of flat head bolts or rivets through the belt and fastened into the T-lock brackets.

6. An ice skating treadmill according to claim 1, wherein the slats are machined from high-density, high molecular weight polyethylene.

7. An ice skating treadmill according to claim 1, wherein a handrail is provided across a forward end of the treadmill.

2. An ice skating treadmill comprising in combination:

a base frame having a lubricant to provide a skating deck lifting mechanism, said lifting mechanism including an electric motor gear drive unit, a screw block mechanism, and synchronous chains and sprockets;

a skating deck having

side rails supported in parallel and apart from each other by cross supports, said side rails mounted to the base frame by hinged support means, said lifting mechanism attached to opposite side rails with a pivot yoke means, thus providing a tiltable skating deck,

a belt drive drum operably attached by a shaft between the side rails at a proximal end of said side rails, the belt drive drum rotatable by means of a drive motor, said belt drive motor controlled by an inverter to control speed and direction of belt rotation,

support rollers mounted along the side rails to provide rotational support for a skating surface;

and

a main belt fitted with T-lock brackets arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to a direction of rotation of said belt, said T-lock brackets each slidingly engaging high-density T-lock channeled slats, edges of said slats abutting together while in a level configuration and forming a flat smooth high density ice skating surface, having flexibility to articulate around each drum and having a coefficient of friction approximately the same as that of a natural ice surface.

3. An ice skating treadmill according to claim 2, the base frame further comprising parallel spaced apart outer rails, cross rails, which are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the outer rails, and levelling pads.

8. An ice skating treadmill comprising in combination:

a base frame for supporting a continuous skating deck, said skating deck operatively coupled to a drive means for rotation thereby, said skating deck formed of interengaging, individually articulable high-density slats oriented perpendicular to a direction of rotation of said deck, said slats abutting while in a level configuration and together forming a flat smooth hard and high-density ice skating surface having a lubricant to provide a coefficient of friction approximately the same as that of a natural ice surface.

9. An ice skating treadmill according to claim 8, wherein the slats are machined from high density, high molecular weight polyethylene.

10. In a treadmill of the type comprising:

a base frame having a treadmill deck lifting mechanism;

a treadmill deck having

side rails supported in parallel and apart from each other, said side rails mounted to the lifting mechanism of the base frame by a hinged support means, thus providing a tiltable treadmill deck,

a belt drive drum operably attached by a drive shaft at a proximal end of the skating deck and between the side rails rotatable by means of a drive motor; and

a main belt engaged by said drive drum to rotate around said drive drum, said belt fitted with T-lock brackets arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to a direction of rotation of said belt, said T-lock brackets each slidingly engaging T-lock channeled slats and allowing the slats to individually articulate as the belt rotates, said slats together forming a treadmill surface;

the improvement comprising;

said slats formed of a high-density material and abutting together while in a level configuration and forming a flat smooth and hard treadmill surface having a lubricant to provide a coefficient of friction approximately the same as that of a natural ice surface.

11. The invention as described in claim 10, wherein the slats are machined of high density, high molecular weight polyethylene.

12. In a treadmill of the type comprising:

a base frame having a treadmill deck lifting mechanism, said lifting mechanism including an electric motor gear drive unit, a screw block mechanism, and synchronous chains and sprockets;

a treadmill deck having

side rails supported in parallel and apart from each other by cross supports, said side rails mounted to the base frame by hinged support means, said lifting mechanism attached to opposite side rails with a pivot yoke means, thus providing a tiltable treadmill deck,

a belt drive drum operably attached by a shaft between the side rails at a proximal end of said side rails, the belt drive drum rotatable by means of a drive motor, said belt drive motor controlled by an inverter to control speed and direction of belt rotation,

a rotatable belt idler drum attached between the side rails and at a distal end of the skating deck,

support rollers mounted along the side rails to provide rotational support for a treadmill surface; and

a main belt fitted with T-lock brackets arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to a direction of rotation of said belt, said T-lock brackets each slidingly engaging T-lock channeled slats, said slats together forming a treadmill surface having flexibility to articulate around each drum;

the improvement comprising;

said slats formed of a hard, high-density material and abutting together while in a level configuration and in an area of the belt intermediate the drive drum and the idler drum and forming a flat smooth and hard treadmill surface having a coefficient of friction approximately the same as that of a natural ice surface.

13. The invention as described in claim 12, wherein the slats are machined of high density, high molecular weight polyethylene, the treadmill surface being lubricated with a silicone lubricant.