Pneumatic in-line skate wheel

• US 5,632,829 A
• Filed: 07/14/1995
• Issued: 05/27/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bravo Sports
• Original Assignee: HYPER Corp.
• Inventors: Peterson, Tom, Piper, Neal
• Primary Examiner(s): Knable, Geoffrey L.
• Application Number:
  US08/502,828
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 152/7, 152/9, 152/165, 152/166, 152/325, 152/329, 152/327, 152/320, 152/322, 152/452, 152/302, 152/344.1, 152/345.1, 152/384, 152/501, 152/339.1, 152/511 , 152/DIG. 18, 301/5.3, 301/35.51, 280/11.22, 280/11.23, 137/223, 251/82, 251/324, 251/325, 251/320, 251/353, 273/65 C
• US Class Current: 152/165
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/223 Wheel hubs
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/24 with ball-shaped or spherical running surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/74 Moulding material on a relatively small portion of the preformed part, e.g. outsert moulding B29C70/845 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/084 Placing two side portions of the tyre into the mould and introducing, e.g. by extrusion or injection moulding, the tread material to create the toroidal tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 2007/005 made by casting, e.g. of polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 5/007 made from other material than rubber
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 5/01 without substantial cord reinforcement, e.g. cordless tyres, cast tyres
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 5/02 having separate inflatable inserts, e.g. with inner tubes; Means for lubricating, venting, preventing relative movement between tyre and inner tube B60C5/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 5/04 Shape or construction of inflatable inserts B60C5/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 152/18 Hub tires
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 152/10117 Integral

Abstract

A pneumatic in-line skating wheel having a tire body and central hub chemically bonded during a polyurethane casting process and further including an annularly encapsulated air bladder centrally spaced within the tire body to provide shock absorption. The bladder in one embodiment is in communication with a valve for inflation and deflation thereof such that the overall tire resiliency may be adjusted, enabling adjustable performance characteristics of the wheel. One embodiment of the valve incorporates a resilient core within a rigid barrel and stretchable to allow an inflation needle to stretch the core and drive a poppet off a seat at the interior end of the barrel.

Claims

1. A pneumatic in-line roller skate wheel comprising:

a relatively rigid urethane hub formed with an annular drop-center having axially spaced apart retainer flanges;

stand off ribs disposed in annular spaced relation about said drop center;

an annular bladder surrounding said drop center and stood off from said drop center by said ribs to form an air chamber; and

a relatively soft molded urethane tire body substantially surrounding said bladder and formed with laterally opposite sides bonded to said retainer flanges.

2. A pneumatic in-line roller skate wheel according to claim 1 wherein:

said bladder comprises a resilient annular bladder formed with a plurality of pre-pressurized individually sealed annular air chambers disposed substantially about a common axis.

3. A pneumatic in-line roller skate wheel according to claim 2 wherein:

said bladder is formed of a substantially triangular cross section.

4. A pneumatic in-line roller skate wheel according to claim 2 wherein:

said bladder is in the form of an extruded thermoplastic material.

5. A pneumatic in-line roller skate wheel according to claim 1 to be inflated by an inflation needle carried from a needle housing wherein:

said hub is formed with side flanges that angle radially and axially outwardly at a predetermined angle;

said bladder is configured with a triangular cross section to define said walls projecting radially and axially outwardly at said predetermined angle from an apex seated on said hub;

a valve bore angling axially inwardly and radially outwardly through one of said side flanges, through said tire body and through one of said side walls;

a valve including a rigid barrel received in said bore and terminating at its interior end within said bladder in an annular valve seat, and at its opposite end in a needle housing socket, a resilient core in said barrel and projecting interiorly therefrom past said seat to form a circular poppet normally seated on said seat, said resilient core further formed with an axial bore projecting inwardly from said socket to terminate in a stop, a cross bore leading from said axial bore to the periphery of said resilient core behind said poppet, said resilient core having sufficient resiliency to normally draw said poppet against said seat and to, upon insertion of said needle in said axial bore and engagement with said stop, lift said poppet off said seat to establish an air communication path from said cross bore to exhaust in the space between said poppet and said seat.

6. A pneumatic in-line roller skate wheel according to claim 5 wherein:

said bladder is formed with a substantially triangular cross section having a rounded interior corner spaced from said valve seat.

7. A pneumatic in-line roller skate wheel according to claim 5 wherein:

said hub, said tire and said bladder are formed of thermoplastic polyurethane.

8. A pneumatic in-line roller skate wheel according to claim 5 wherein:

said valve barrel is formed of a metal, and said resilient core is formed of thermoplastic.

9. An adjustably resilient pneumatic in-line roller skate wheel to be inflated by an inflation needle and comprising:

a relatively rigid urethane hub formed with an annular drop-center and axially spaced apart retainer flanges, one of said flanges including a throughbore;

a plurality of stand off ribs disposed in annular spaced relation about said drop center and formed with pairs of nub tabs spaced axially from a central plan in said drop center;

an annular air bladder surrounding said drop center and formed of a substantially triangular cross section and stood off from said drop center by said ribs and aligned axially between the tabs of the respective said pairs surrounding said drop center, said bladder formed with a bladder bore aligned axially with said throughbore;

a relatively soft molded urethane tire body formed with laterally opposite sides bonded to said retainer flanges and configured to surround said bladder, said tire body being further formed with a valve bore aligned axially with said bladder bore and said throughbore; and

a pneumatic valve sealably received in said throughbore bladder bore and valve bore and including a rigid valve barrel formed with a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end being formed with an annular seat, and a resilient core fixed medially in said barrel and free of said barrel on said distal end, said resilient core being formed at said distal end with an enlarged in cross section poppet normally seated in said seat, said resilient core being further formed with a blind axial bore open to its proximal end for receipt of said needle and closed at its distal end to define a stop and a cross bore leading from said axial bore to the lateral side of said resilient core, said resilient core having sufficient resiliency to, upon insertion of said needle through said axial bore, engage said stop and push said poppet to be spaced away from said seat for fluid communication between said needle and the space between said poppet and seat.