Generation of in-line skates and skate-boards with safety “EDGING FRICTION CONTROL™”
First Claim
1. A wheel assembly comprising:
- at least one wheel member,roller bearing structure permitting the wheel member to rotate about an axle with respect to a vertical axis,canting structure constructed and arranged to permit the wheel member to rotate about the axle at an angle with respect to the vertical axis, andelastomer structure constructed and arranged to bias the wheel member in opposing directions towards the vertical axis.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention discloses a technology to safely control speed and brake on in-line skates using a ski-like technique, wherein in-line skate wheels can rotate both vertically and at an angle. When angled (or “canted”) the wheels contact a friction strip within the wheel frame or a friction disk on the axle. The friction caused by the angled wheels contacting friction strips or friction disks is comparable to the canted “edging friction control” action of skis. The novel means that allows both vertical and angular rotation is a cohesive 2-element plastic hub shown in FIG'"'"'s 1–C & D. The inner element 2a has a convex perimeter and fits inside outer element 2'"'"'s convex bore, allowing 2a to rotate freely within outer element 2. Within inner element 2a are axle bearings 5 or 9 and axle 8. External elastomer springs 7a or internal elastomer spring 7b keep each wheel in a vertical coasting position. When in the canting (edging) position for control and braking, the self-aligning “springs” (7a or 7b) force the canted wheels back into the vertical coasting (gliding) position. Since the self-aligning elastomer “springs” can be made soft to hard and be interchangeably arranged, the skates can effectively have models that would satisfy a beginner to a pro.
43 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A wheel assembly comprising:
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at least one wheel member, roller bearing structure permitting the wheel member to rotate about an axle with respect to a vertical axis, canting structure constructed and arranged to permit the wheel member to rotate about the axle at an angle with respect to the vertical axis, and elastomer structure constructed and arranged to bias the wheel member in opposing directions towards the vertical axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A wheel assembly comprising:
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at least one wheel member, roller bearing structure permitting the wheel member to rotate about an axle with respect to a vertical axis, canting structure constructed and arranged to permit the wheel member to rotate about the axle at an angle with respect to the vertical axis, and elastomer spring structure constructed and arranged within canting structure to bias the wheel member in opposing directions towards the vertical axis. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A spherical bearing assembly comprising:
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an outer element defining a vertical axis and having a bore there-through, an inner element mounted in the bore of the outer element to permit inclined rotation of the inner element with respect to the vertical axis, and spring structure constructed and arranged to bias the inner element towards the vertical axis. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A wheel assembly comprising:
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at least one wheel member, roller bearing structure permitting the wheel member to rotate about an axle with respect to a vertical axis, canting structure constructed and arranged to permit the wheel member to rotate about the axle at an angle with respect to the vertical axis, and biasing structure constructed and arranged to bias the wheel member in opposing directions towards the vertical axis.
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Specification