Devices and methods for cleaning and drying ice skate blades

• US 8,273,182 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2009
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WLR Enterprises LLC
• Original Assignee: WLR Enterprises LLC
• Inventors: Mixdorf, Brian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kornakov, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNLAP, CAITLIN NOELLE DENNI
• Application Number:
  US12/503,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20100012150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 134/6, 152/360.1, 152/360.6, 152/37, 152/45
• US Class Current: 134/6
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 3/00 Accessories for skates

Abstract

A handheld device for removing moisture from a skate blade, the device including a body and multiple wiper blades. The body includes a front end and a rear end and defines a skate blade pathway substantially parallel to an axis extending from the front end to the rear end. The multiple wiper blades are located within the body along an axis extending from the front end to the rear end, and are adapted to contact a surface of a skate blade traversing the skate blade pathway.

Claims

1. A handheld device for removing moisture from a skate blade, comprising:

a body, including a front end and a rear end, the body defining a skate blade pathway substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis extending from the front end to the rear end, and defining a front skate blade receiving slot and a rear skate blade receiving slot; and

a plurality of flexible wiper blades disposed within the body and distributed along the longitudinal axis extending from the front end to the rear end, each of the plurality of flexible wiper blades having a height greater than a width, the height being transverse to the longitudinal axis;

a plug disposed within the body and adapted to contact a bottom surface of the skate blade;

wherein each of the plurality of flexible wiper blades flexes forward or backward along the longitudinal axis and contacts a surface of a skate blade when the skate blade is traversing the skate blade pathway.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wiper blades comprises a plurality of opposing pairs of wiper blades.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of opposing pairs of wiper blades comprises three pairs of wiper blades.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the wiper blades comprise a rubber material having a hardness durometer of 60.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second plug disposed within the body and adapted to contact the bottom surface of the skate blade, wherein the first plug is located adjacent the front end, and the second plug is located adjacent the rear end.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the plug comprises an absorbent material adapted to absorb moisture collected on a bottom surface of the skate blade.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the plug comprises felt.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein one or both of the front end and rear end comprises a projection adapted to remove moisture from a bottom surface of the skate blade.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the body is generally rectangular in shape.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a plastic material.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the front skate blade receiving slot has a height substantially equal to a height of the rear skate blade receiving slot.