Skate with in-line rollers or ice blades

• US 7,871,086 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG), Nordica SpA (Tecnica Group S.P.A.)
• Original Assignee: Nordica SpA (Tecnica Group S.P.A.)
• Inventors: Zampieri, Claudio
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II; J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEYER, JACOB B
• Application Number:
  US11/664,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20080067763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• Field of Search: 280/11.19, 280/11.221, 280/11.223, 280/11.224, 280/11.225, 280/11.231, 280/11.232
• US Class Current: 280/11.221
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/0046 with shock absorption or suspension system
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/062 with a pivotal frame or cradle around transversal axis for relative movements of the wheels

Abstract

The present invention refers to a skate with in-line rollers or ice-skating blades, comprising: a boot provided with a sole comprising a heel portion, a central portion and a toe portion; a chassis acting as a support for said sole to rest thereupon, and including a first carriage and a second carriage that are capable of moving relative to each other and adapted to support at least a front roller or blade and at least a rear roller or blade respectively; the first carriage comprises a first plate for said heel portion to rest thereupon, from which there extends towards the front portion of the skate a first arm that is adapted to support at least said front roller or blade, and the second carriage comprises a second plate for the toe portion to rest thereupon, from which there extends towards the rear portion of the skate a second arm that is adapted to support at least said rear roller or blade; the first and second carriages overlap each other approximately at the central portion of the sole.

Claims

1. A skate with in-line rollers, comprising:

a boot or footwear item provided with a sole comprising a heel portion, a central portion, and a toe portion;

a chassis acting as a support for said sole to rest thereupon, and including a first carriage and a second carriage that are capable of moving relative to each other;

at least two front rollers provided at said toe portion and at least two rear rollers provided at said heel portion; and

said first carriage comprises a first plate for said heel portion to rest thereupon, from which there a first arm extends towards a front portion of said skate reaching up to said toe portion, said first arm supporting said at least two front rollers, and

said second carriage comprises a second plate for said toe portion to rest thereupon, from which a second arm extends towards a rear portion of said skate reaching up to said heel portion, said second arm supporting said at least two rear rollers; and

said first and said second carriage overlapping each other approximately at the central portion of said sole.

2. The skate according to claim 1, wherein said heel portion is attached to said first plate, said first arm extending downwards towards a running surface and longitudinally towards said toe portion, and said first arm supporting, at respective transverse axes thereof that are spaced longitudinally from each other, said at least two front rollers.

3. The skate according to claim 1, wherein said toe portion is attached to said second plate, said second arm extending downwards towards a running surface and longitudinally towards said heel portion, and said second arm supporting, at respective transverse axes thereof that are spaced longitudinally from each other, said at least two rear rollers.

4. The skate according to claim 1, wherein said sole is capable of bending.

5. The skate according to claim 4, wherein said sole is made as a unitary piece that is capable of yielding elastically at least at said central portion.

6. The skate according to claim 4, wherein said sole comprises a rear part and a front part that are pivotally connected to each other by means of a first hinge.

7. The skate according to claim 6, wherein said rear part includes said heel portion and a rear part of said central portion, and said front part includes a front part of said central portion and said toe portion.

8. The skate according to claim 7, wherein said first hinge is positioned in said central portion at a site corresponding roughly to an articulation zone of a foot.

9. The skate according to claim 1, wherein said first carriage is movably connected to said second carriage approximately in the area where the first carriage and the second carriage overlap each other.

10. The skate according to claim 9, wherein said first and said second carriage are pivotally connected to each other by means of a second hinge.

11. The skate according to claim 10, wherein at least one of said first and second carriages is slidably coupled to at least one of said heel portion and toe portion, respectively.

12. The skate according to claim 1, wherein said first and second carriages are pivotally and slidably connected to each other by means of a pin-and-slot arrangement.

13. The skate according to claim 1, wherein said first and second carriages comprise first and second appendixes extending upwards from said first and second arm, respectively, so as to interact with said second and first plate, respectively, via at least an elastic or vibration damping member interposed therebetween.

14. The skate of claim 1, wherein the rollers comprise the at least two front rollers and the at least two rear rollers,

wherein all the rollers at the toe portion are supported by the first arm and all the rollers at the heel portion are supported by the second arm.

15. The skate of claim 14, wherein the total number of rollers is four.

16. A method for transferring pushing force in a skate comprising a boot or footwear item provided with a sole comprising a heel portion, a central portion and a toe portion, at least two front rollers provided at said toe portion and at least two rear rollers provided at said heel portion, and a chassis acting as a support for said sole to rest thereupon, the chassis including a first carriage and a second carriage that are capable of moving relative to each other, the method comprising:

providing the first carriage comprising a first plate for said heel portion to rest thereupon and a first arm that supports said at least two front rollers, so as to transfer force from a first pressing portion located on a rear side of said skate to said at least two front rollers; and

providing the second carriage comprising a second plate for said toe portion to rest thereupon and a second arm that supports said at least two rear rollers, so as to transfer force from a second pressing portion located on a front side of said skate to said at least two rear rollers.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

applying a first force to the first pressing portion;

transferring, in response to the applied first force, the first force to the at least two front rollers;

applying a second force to the second pressing portion; and

transferring, in response to the applied second force, the second force to the at least two rear rollers.