Skate with pivoting front wheels

• US 6,270,088 B1
• Filed: 06/25/1999
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Juraj George Tlucko
• Original Assignee: Juraj George Tlucko
• Inventors: Tlucko, Juraj George
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DRAPER, DEANN L
• Application Number:
  US09/344,589
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 280/11.15, 280/11.19, 280/11.22, 280/11.23, 280/11.26, 280/11.27, 280/11.28, 280/842, 280/221, 280/231
• US Class Current: 280/11.221
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/061 with relative movement of sub-parts on the chassis
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/062 with a pivotal frame or cradle around transversal axis for relative movements of the wheels
• 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

An in-line skate with a main skate frame, a skate boot coupled to the skate frame, a carriage frame pivotally coupled adjacent to an anterior end of the main skate frame, a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the carriage frame to form a pivoting wheel group, and at least one wheel rotatably coupled adjacent to the posterior end of the main skate frame to form a fixed wheel group. A pivot axis of the carriage frame can be horizontally located anterior to a reference point that is three-tenths of the length of the open inner volume of the skate boot from the anterior end of the open inner volume, and the pivot axis could be aligned with or anterior to the anterior end of the skate boot. The pivot axis can be vertically located immediately adjacent to the sole of the skate boot, or it can be coincident with or distal to the sole of the skate boot relative to the wheels of the in-line skate.

Claims

1. An in-line skate comprising:

a skate body with an anterior toe end and a posterior heel end;

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the skate body to pivot about a pivot axis wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position and a vertical position wherein the horizontal position of the pivot axis of the carriage frame is substantially coincident with or anterior to the anterior toe end of the skate body;

a plurality of wheels comprising a pivoting wheel group rotatably coupled to the carriage frame;

at least one wheel comprising a fixed wheel group rotatably coupled to the skate body;

whereby the pivoting wheel group can pivot with the carriage frame relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to the ground surface.

2. The in-line skate of claim 1 wherein the pivoting wheel group comprises two wheels.

3. The in-line skate of claim 1 further comprising a biasing means for exerting a biasing force for biasing the pivoting wheel group toward a position adjacent to the skate body.

4. The in-line skate of claim 3 wherein the biasing means comprises a spring interposed between the carriage frame and the skate body anterior to the pivot axis of the carriage frame.

5. The in-line skate of claim 4 further comprising a means for adjusting the biasing force of the biasing means.

6. The in-line skate of claim 1 wherein the skate body comprises a skate boot with an anterior toe end, a posterior heel end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skater'"'"'s foot and wherein the vertical position of the pivot axis of the carriage frame is distal to the sole of the skate boot relative to the wheels of the in-line skate.

7. An in-line skate comprising:

a skate body comprising a skate boot with an anterior toe end, a posterior heel end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skater'"'"'s foot;

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the skate body to pivot about a pivot axis wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position adjacent to the anterior end of the skate body and a vertical position wherein the vertical position of the pivot axis of the carriage frame is coincident with the sole of the skate boot;

a plurality of wheels comprising a pivoting wheel group rotatably coupled to the carriage frame;

at least one wheel comprising a fixed wheel group rotatably coupled to the skate body;

whereby the pivoting wheel group can pivot with the carriage frame relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to the ground surface.

8. An in-line skate comprising:

a skate body comprising a skate boot with an anterior toe end, a posterior heel end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skater'"'"'s foot,

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the skate body to pivot about a pivot axis wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position adjacent to the anterior end of the skate body and a vertical position wherein the vertical position of the pivot axis of the carriage frame is distal to the sole of the skate boot relative to the wheels of the in-line skate;

a plurality of wheels comprising a pivoting wheel group rotatably coupled to the carriage frame;

at least one wheel comprising a fixed wheel group rotatably coupled to the skate body;

whereby the pivoting wheel group can pivot with the carriage frame relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to the ground surface.

9. The in-line skate of claim 8 wherein the horizontal position of the pivot axis of the carriage frame is substantially coincident with or anterior to the anterior toe end of the skate body.

10. An in-line skate comprising:

a skate body comprising a skate boot with an anterior toe end, a posterior heel end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skater'"'"'s foot,

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the skate body to pivot about a pivot axis wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position adjacent to the anterior end of the skate body and a vertical position;

a plurality of wheels comprising a pivoting wheel group rotatably coupled to the carriage frame;

at least one wheel comprising a fixed wheel group rotatably coupled to the skate body;

whereby the pivoting wheel group can pivot with the carriage frame relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to the ground surface;

wherein the pivot axis of the carriage frame is located within a preferred axis location area that is defined at a first edge by a generally vertical line drawn from a given reference point and at a second edge by a line that extends from the reference point at a given downward angle relative to horizontal away from the posterior end of the skate body wherein the reference point has a horizontal location substantially coincident with or anterior to a location that is three-tenths of the length of the open inner volume of the skate boot from the anterior end of the open inner volume of the skate boot and a vertical location approximately coincident with or distal to the sole of the skate boot relative to the wheels of the in-line skate.

11. The in-line skate of claim 10 wherein the horizontal location of the reference point is substantially coincident with or anterior to a location that is two-tenths of the length of the open inner volume of the skate boot from the anterior end of the open inner volume of the skate boot.

12. The in-line skate of claim 11 wherein the line defining the second edge of the preferred axis location area extends from the reference point at a downward angle of approximately twenty-five degrees relative to horizontal.

13. The in-line skate of claim 10 wherein the line defining the second edge of the preferred axis location area extends from the reference point at a downward angle of approximately twenty-five degrees relative to horizontal.

14. An in-line skate comprising:

a skate body comprising a skate boot with an anterior toe end, a posterior heel end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skater'"'"'s foot,

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the skate body to pivot about a pivot axis wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position adjacent to the anterior end of the skate body and a vertical position;

a plurality of wheels comprising a pivoting wheel group rotatably coupled to the carriage frame;

at least one wheel comprising a fixed wheel group rotatably coupled to the skate body;

whereby the pivoting wheel group can pivot with the carriage frame relative to the skate body to maintain contact with a ground surface throughout a range of pivoting of the skate body relative to the ground surface;

wherein the pivot axis of the carriage frame is located within a preferred axis location area that is defined at a first edge by a generally vertical line drawn from a given reference point and at a second edge by a line that extends from the reference point at a given downward angle relative to horizontal away from the posterior end of the skate body wherein the reference point has a horizontal location substantially coincident with or anterior to a location that is approximately coincident with or anterior to the anterior end of the open inner volume of the skate boot and a vertical location approximately coincident with or distal to the sole of the skate boot relative to the wheels of the in-line skate.

15. The in-line skate of claim 14 wherein the line defining the second edge of the preferred axis location area extends from the reference point at a downward angle of approximately twenty-five degrees relative to horizontal.

16. An in-line skate comprising:

a unitary, rigid main skate frame with an anterior end and a posterior end;

a carriage frame pivotally coupled to the main skate frame to pivot about a pivot axis adjacent to the anterior end of the main skate frame wherein the pivot axis has a horizontal position and a vertical position;

a plurality of wheels comprising a pivoting wheel group rotatably coupled to the carriage frame;

at least one wheel comprising a fixed wheel group rotatably coupled to main the skate frame in alignment with the pivoting wheel group;

whereby the rigidity and unitary construction of the main skate frame will tend to prevent the pivoting wheel group from becoming misaligned relative to the fixed wheel group and will ensure an overall rigidity of the in-line skate; and

wherein the anterior end of the rigid skate frame comprises a base portion and an elevated retaining plateau disposed adjacent to the anterior end of the rigid skate frame and wherein the pivot axis of the carriage frame is retained by the elevated retaining plateau wherein the pivot axis is vertically disposed coincident with or distal to the base portion of the rigid skate frame relative to the pivoting wheel group and the fixed wheel group.

17. The in-line skate of claim 16 wherein the main skate frame essentially comprises a single piece of material.

18. The in-line skate of claim 17 wherein the main skate frame is formed by a process of extrusion and cutting.

19. The in-line skate of claim 17 wherein the main skate frame is formed by a process of stamping and bending.

20. The in-line skate of claim 16 further comprising a skate boot with an anterior end, a posterior end, a sole, and an open inner volume of a given length for receiving a skater'"'"'s foot wherein the pivot axis is located anterior to the anterior end of the skate boot.