Axle shock absorber
First Claim
1. An inline skate having a plurality of wheels, each of which includes a non-rotating hub inside a rotating tire, each of said hubs having an axle passing therethrough, the hub for at least one of said wheels having a shock absorber therein, said shock absorber including an outer tube and an elastomer between said outer tube and said axle, an array of holes being formed in at least a portion of said outer tube through which said elastomer may partially pass.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to a hub mounted shock absorber suitable for use in the wheels of in-line skates or other small wheel transportation devices such as scooters, street skis, etc. and to in-line skates utilizing wheels with such hub mounted shock absorbers. The hub mounted shock absorbers include an outer tube with an elastomer, preferably a low durometer elastomer between the outer tube and the axle of the wheel. The elastomer is prefereably sandwiched between the inner and outer tube with the axle passing through the inner tube. Openings may be selectively provided in the outer tube to further reduce the stiffness of the elastomer and flexure or other appropriate mechanism may be included which result in minimum stiffness for the shock absorber in the vertical direction only. A modified hub design to accommodate the hub mounted shock absorber without changing the overall size of the wheel and a novel tire for the wheel to achieve the same objective, and to also increase wheel stiffness are also provided.
63 Citations
28 Claims
- 1. An inline skate having a plurality of wheels, each of which includes a non-rotating hub inside a rotating tire, each of said hubs having an axle passing therethrough, the hub for at least one of said wheels having a shock absorber therein, said shock absorber including an outer tube and an elastomer between said outer tube and said axle, an array of holes being formed in at least a portion of said outer tube through which said elastomer may partially pass.
- 5. An inline skate having a plurality of wheels, each of which includes a non-rotating hub inside a rotating tire, each of said hubs having an axle passing therethrough, the hub for at least one of said wheels having a shock absorber therein, said shock absorber including an outer tube, an elastomer between said outer tube and said axle and a mechanism which inhibits movement in rotational degrees of freedom and in all translational degrees of freedom except vertical, there being reduced stiffness for the shock absorber in the vertical degree of freedom.
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10. A wheel for a small-wheeled transportation device including a non-rotating hub inside a rotating tire, said hub having an axial channel therethrough;
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a shock absorber positioned in said hub, said shock absorber including an outer tube and an elastomer between said outer tube and said axial channel, an array of holes being formed in at least a portion of said outer tube through which said elastomer may partially pass. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A wheel for a small-wheeled transportation device including a non-rotating hub inside a rotating tire, said hub having an axial channel therethrough;
- a shock absorber positioned in said hub, said shock absorber including an outer tube and an elastomer between said outer tube and said axial channel; and
a mechanism which inhibits movement in rotational degrees of freedom and in all translational degrees of freedom except vertical, there being reduced stiffness for the shock absorber in the vertical degree of freedom. - View Dependent Claims (21)
- a shock absorber positioned in said hub, said shock absorber including an outer tube and an elastomer between said outer tube and said axial channel; and
- 22. A hub mounted shock absorber for use in a wheel of a small-wheeled transport device including an outer tube, an elastomer mounted in said tube and having an axial channel formed therethrough, and a mechanism which inhibits movement in rotational degrees of freedom and in all translational degrees of freedom except vertical, there being reduced stiffness for the shock absorber in the vertical degree of freedom.
Specification