Ice skate with interchangeable blades

• US 6,485,033 B2
• Filed: 07/15/1998
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bauer Italia SpA (Novation Tech S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Bauer Italia SpA (Novation Tech S.p.A.)
• Inventors: Nicoletti, Graziano, Favero, Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUM VANNUCCI, LEE SIN YEE
• Application Number:
  US09/115,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20020140186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 280/11.12, 280/11.16, 280/11.17, 280/11.18, 280/11.19, 280/11.2, 280/11.22, 280/11.27, 280/7.13, 280/7.15
• US Class Current: 280/11.18
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 1/303 removably fastened to the blade holder

Abstract

An ice skate with interchangeable blades. The ice skate comprises a body defining a seat for housing a blade-holder to be clamped against the body, and a plurality of sets of blades and respective blade-holders, in which at least the blades of the sets have different geometrical configurations and each set of a blade and a blade-holder is interchangeably replaceable in the seat of the body so that blades of different geometrical configurations can be mounted on the skate, preferably in order to use the skate for different disciplines.

Claims

1. An ice skate with interchangeable ice-skate blades, comprising:

a first set including a first ice-skate blade, with a first geometric configuration and a length, and a corresponding first blade-holder disposed along substantially the entire length of the first ice-skate blade;

at least one second set including a second ice-skate blade, with a second geometric configuration differing from the first geometric configuration of the first ice-skate blade and a length, and a corresponding second blade-holder disposed along substantially the entire length of the second ice-skate blade;

a body defining a seat receiving directly, without an intervening adapter, and alternatively any one of the blade-holders;

means for restraining one of the blade-holders in the seat and against the body; and

at least one tie engaging each ice-skate blade and extending between the ice-skate blade and the body through the corresponding blade-holder, the restraining means being interposed between the at least one tie and the body in order to clamp directly the corresponding ice-skate blade against the body with a clamping load;

the first set and the second set being interchangeably replaceable in the seat of the body so that ice-skate blades of different geometrical configurations can be mounted on the ice skate, thereby permitting use of the ice skate for different disciplines.

2. The ice skate according to claim 1, in which the blade-holders of the sets are molded on the respective blades.

3. The ice skate according to claim 1, in which each blade-holder comprises an attachment portion received and restrained in the seat of the body.

4. The ice skate according to claim 3, in which the attachment portion of the blade-holder has a wedge-shaped cross-section.

5. The ice skate according to claim 1, wherein the seat defined in the body extends along the length of the body corresponding to the length of each blade-holder.

6. The ice skate according to claim 1, wherein the body has holes affording access to the restraining means from outside the body for the purpose of clamping the blade-holder to the body or, alternatively, removing it therefrom.

7. The ice skate according to claim 6, in which the restraining means comprises:

(a) an externally-threaded portion fixed to one of the respective tie and the body; and

(b) an internally-threaded member engaged with the externally-threaded portion and abutting the other of the respective tie and the body,

at least one of the externally-threaded portion and the internally-threaded member being accessible from outside the body through the holes in order to clamp the blade-holder to the body or, alternatively, to remove it therefrom.

8. The ice skate according to claim 1, in which there are two ties arranged in longitudinally opposed regions of the body.

9. The ice skate according to claim 8, in which the ties extend in substantially parallel directions.

10. The ice skate according to claim 1, in which the restraining means comprises an eccentric clamping device operatively connected to the tie in order to move it from an inoperative position in which the blade-holder is removed from the body, to an operative position in which the blade-holder is clamped against the body as a result of the application of the clamping load by the tie.

11. The ice skate according to claim 10, in which the clamping device comprises a member supported for rotating about a first axis on the body, the at least one tie being articulated to the member about a second axis parallel to and spaced from the first axis, the tie being movable between the inoperative and operative positions as a result of a rotation of the member about the first axis, and the member being accessible from outside the body through the holes.

12. The ice skate according to claim 10, in which the at least one tie is fixed to the clamping device in an adjustable manner by a threaded coupling.

13. The ice skate according to claim 10, in which there are two ties each of which is operatively connected to a respective eccentric clamping device.

14. The ice skate according to claim 10, wherein each blade-holder has an attachment portion engaging the seat of the body in order to couple the blade-holder releasably to the body.

15. The ice skate according to claim 1, in which the seat comprises a groove formed in the body.

16. The ice skate according to claim 1, in which the first blade-holder and the second blade-holder have substantially identical geometric configurations.

17. An ice skate with interchangeable ice-skate blades, comprising:

a first set including a first ice-skate blade, with a first geometric configuration and a length, and a corresponding first blade-holder disposed along substantially the entire length of the first ice-skate blade and having an attachment portion;

at least one second set including a second ice-skate blade, with a second geometric configuration differing from the first geometric configuration of the first ice-skate blade and a length, and a corresponding second blade-holder disposed along substantially the entire length of the second ice-skate blade and having an attachment portion;

a body having shaped means for engaging directly and without an intervening adapter the attachment portion of one of the blade-holders;

at least one tie positioned between one of the ice-skate blades and the body; and

an eccentric clamping device operatively connected to the tie in order to move the tie from an inoperative position in which one of the blade-holders is removed from the body, to an operative position in which one of the blade-holders is restrained in the shaped engagement means and is clamped against the body as a result of the application of a clamping load by the tie, the device having;

(a) a member supported for rotating about a first axis on the body, and

(b) an element forming an extension of the tie and articulated to the member in an eccentric position relative to the first axis, the element being articulated to the member about a second axis parallel to and spaced from the first axis, the tie being movable between the inoperative and operative positions as a result of rotation of the member about the first axis;

the first set and the second set being interchangeably replaceable in the shaped engagement means of the body so that ice-skate. blades of different geometrical configurations can be mounted on the ice skate, thereby permitting use of the ice skate for different disciplines.

18. The ice skate according to claim 17, in which the shaped engagement means comprises a seat.

19. The ice skate according to claim 18, wherein the seat defined in the body comprises a groove extending along the length of the body corresponding to the length of each blade-holder.

20. The ice skate according to claim 17, in which the attachment portion of each blade-holder has a wedge-shaped cross-section.

21. The ice skate according to claim 17, in which the blade-holders of the sets are molded on the respective blades.

22. The ice skate according to claim 17, wherein the body has holes affording access to the member from outside the body for the purpose of clamping the blade-holder to the body or, alternatively, removing it therefrom.

23. The ice skate according to claim 17, in which there are two ties arranged in longitudinally opposed regions of the body.

24. The ice skate according to claim 23, in which the ties extend in substantially parallel directions.

25. The ice skate according to claim 17, in which the at least one tie is fixed to the clamping device in an adjustable manner by a threaded coupling.

26. The ice skate according to claim 17, in which there are two ties each of which is operatively connected to a respective eccentric clamping device.

27. The ice skate according to claim 17, in which the at least one tie engages each ice-skate blade and extends between the ice-skate blade and the body through the corresponding blade-holder in order to clamp directly the corresponding ice-skate blade against the body with a clamping load.

28. The ice skate according to claim 17, in which the first blade-holder and the second blade-holder have substantially identical geometric configurations.

29. An ice skate with interchangeable ice-skate blades, comprising:

a first set including;

(a) a first ice-skate blade with a first geometric configuration and a length, and

(b) a corresponding first blade-holder molded on the first ice-skate blade, disposed along substantially the entire length of the first ice-skate blade, and having an attachment portion with a wedge-shaped cross-section;

at least one second set including;

(a) a second ice-skate blade with a second geometric configuration differing from the first geometric configuration of the first ice-skate blade and a length, and

(b) a corresponding second blade-holder molded on the second ice-skate blade, disposed along substantially the entire length of the second ice-skate blade, and having an attachment portion with a wedge-shaped cross-section;

a body having holes and defining a seat that receives directly, without an intervening adapter, and alternatively any one of the blade-holders, the seat extending along the length of the body corresponding to the length of each blade-holder and receiving the attachment portion of the respective blade-holder;

means for restraining one of the blade-holders in the seat and against the body, the holes in the body providing access to the restraining means from outside the body for the purpose of clamping the blade-holder to the body in an adjustable manner or, alternatively, removing it therefrom; and

at least one tie engaging each ice-skate blade and extending between the ice-skate blade and the body through the corresponding blade-holder, the restraining means being interposed between the at least one tie and the body in order to clamp directly the corresponding ice-skate blade against the body with a clamping load;

the first set and the second set being interchangeably replaceable in the seat of the body so that ice-skate blades of different geometrical configurations can be mounted on the ice skate, thereby permitting use of the ice skate for different disciplines.