Cushioned wheel for roller skates

• US 5,560,685 A
• Filed: 09/15/1994
• Issued: 10/01/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Giuseppe D.E. Bortoli
• Original Assignee: Giuseppe D.E. Bortoli
• Inventors: De Bortoli, Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): Stormer, Russell D.
• Application Number:
  US08/305,969
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 301/5.3, 301/5.7, 301/64.7, 280/11.19, 280/11.22, 280/11.23, 152/40, 152/42, 152/46, 152/47, 152/48, 152/50, 152/59, 152/92
• US Class Current: 301/5.304
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/1454 Freewheel roller clutches
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/24 with ball-shaped or spherical running surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 9/00 Wheels of high resiliency , e.g. with conical interacting pressure-surfaces resilient wheels comprising rail-engaging elements B60B17/0027
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 9/06 in helical form

Abstract

The invention discloses a wheel for roller skates, comprising: a tubular central body (1, 15) suited to lodge in its interior one or two bearings (2, 3) inserted in the supporting pivot (4) of said wheel and a toroidal covering layer (5) wrapped around said central body and co-axial with it, made of material suited to allow the rolling of said wheel on the contact surface. Said wheel presents at least one annular element made of shock-absorbing material, said annular element being placed between said central body (1, 15) and said toroidal covering layer (5), such as to permit the out-of-alignment between the central body and the toroidal covering layer, whenever said wheel bumps into the irregularities of the rolling surface.

Claims

1. A wheel for roller skates adapted to be rotatable on an axial shaft against a contact surface, comprising:

a tubular central body having a central axial opening, wherein said central body includes a disc extending radially outwardly in a plane perpendicular to the central axial opening thereof;

at least one bearing located in the central opening for receiving the axial shaft therein;

a toroidal covering layer wrapped around said central body and co-axial therewith formed of material suited to allow the rolling of said wheel on the contact surface;

a pair of half-shells connected to each other forming an annular cavity therein for slidably receiving the disc therein, each of said half-shells forming a corresponding cavity defined by an outer surface of the central body, a radial surface of the disc and an inner surface of each half-shell said half-shells being formed with a plurality of holes interconnecting the half-shells, and a portion of the toroidal covering extending within the holes for securing the half-shells together; and

an annular element formed of shock absorbing material located in each of said chambers, for accommodating misalignment of the central body and the toroidal covering layer when the wheel bumps the contact surface.

2. A wheel according to claim 1, wherein the material of which the shock-absorbing annular element is made, comprises a single component elastomer.

3. A wheel according to claim 1, wherein the material of which the shock-absorbing annular element is made, comprises an air tube.

4. A wheel according to claim 1, wherein the material of which the shock-absorbing annular element is made, comprises a ring spring.

5. A wheel for roller skates adapted to be rotatable on an axial shaft against a contact surface, comprising:

a tubular central body having a central axial opening, wherein said central body includes a disc extending radially outwardly in a plane perpendicular to the central axial opening thereof;

at least one bearing located in the central opening for receiving the axial shaft therein;

a toroidal covering layer wrapped around said central body and co-axial therewith;

a pair of half-shells connected to each other forming an annular cavity therein for slidably receiving the disc therein, each of said half-shells forming a corresponding cavity defined by an outer surface of the central body, a radial surface of the disc and an inner surface of each half-shell;

an annular element formed of shock absorbing material located in each of said chambers for accommodating misalignment of the central body and the toroidal covering layers where the wheel bumps the contact surface;

said annular element being formed with at least three cylindrical openings, each having an axis parallel to the axis of the wheel, said openings being arranged at about 120°

circumferential intervals from each other and having a diameter corresponding to a space between the outer wall of the central body and an inner wall of the half-shell; and

a pin secured in each of said openings for neutralizing the shock-absorbing affect of the wheel.

6. A wheel for roller skates adapted to be rotatable over an axial shaft against a contact surface, comprising:

a tubular central body having a central axial opening, wherein said central body includes a disc extending radially outwardly in a plane perpendicular to the central axial opening thereof;

an axial shaft located in the opening;

bearing means located in the central opening for receiving the axial shaft therein;

a toroidal covering layer formed around the central body and coaxial therewith;

a pair of half-shell members located about the disc and having an annular opening for slidably receiving the disc therein for accommodating misalignment of the central body and the toroidal covering layer when the wheel bumps the contact surface, the disc and the half-shell members each forming a chamber on each lateral side of the disc; and

an elastomeric member secured in each lateral chamber.

7. The wheel of claim 6 wherein the tubular central body includes an upstanding radially extending first wall portion at an outer marginal edge thereof and wherein each half-shell member includes a depending radially extending second wall portion at an inboard edge thereof adjacent the disc, said radially first and second wall portions members for securing the annular elements within the corresponding chambers.

8. The wheel of claim 6 wherein the bearing means comprises a pair of bearings secured in the central opening.