Land vehicles – Skates – Wheeled skate
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-04
2004-05-18
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Skates
Wheeled skate
C280S011140, C280S011270
Reexamination Certificate
active
06736412
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to skates, and more particularly to klop skates having pushing and pulling capabilities.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In competitive sports where a fraction of a second could mean the difference between winning gold and being out of the race for a medal, highly sophisticated sports equipment is a must for gaining an advantage over the competition. Ice speed skating records have recently been set by Olympic competitors competing with a new type of skate commonly referred to as a klop skate. A klop skate is a skate having a hinge which connects the frame, carrying the ice blade or wheels, with the shoe. The shoe generally sits on a rigid base. In some skates, it is the base that is pivotably connected to the frame at the hinge. A klop skate gets its name because of the “clapping” sound it makes when the lower frame portion and the base portion return forcibly to the closed position.
Before the introduction of klop skates, skater technique was highly emphasized in order to decrease a skater's time over a given distance. For example, a technique frequently used prior to the introduction of klop skates was to refrain from plantar flexing at the ankle. Plantar flexion is the term used to describe rotation of the ankle distally from the leg. A common example of plantar flexion is when a person pushes on a car accelerator. Skaters were coached to dorsiflex (opposite of plantar flex) the ankle when extending their leg during the power generating push stroke. In a normal person, as the leg is being pushed away from the body, the tendency is to plantar flex. However, plantar flexion for speed skaters is detrimental. Plantar flexion causes the ice skating blade or wheels to lose contact with the surface and the tip of the skate to point downward, potentially causing the tip to drag on the surface, thus slowing the skater. It has also been shown that the longer the skate glide member is in contact with the surface, the faster a skater is likely to go. Generally, by dorsiflexing, the skater can maintain longer contact between the skate and the ground as the power generating push stroke is effectively lengthened.
However, avoiding plantar flexion also means that the skater is prevented from using his or her calf muscles to assist in pushing. A skater using this technique does not realize the full potential of all of his or her muscle groups. Therefore, the klop skate, allowing the skater to plantar flex, was developed to aid the speed skater in achieving the goals of lengthening contact time between the skate with the surface, and utilizing the calf muscles during the pushing stroke.
Although the klop skate was a substantial achievement in the skating sport, the conventional klop skates do not address another problem typically regarded as inherent to skating. That is, a skater generally only utilizes one half of the potentially available power strokes which are possible. Normally, when a speed skater has completed the push stroke, and when the power leg is being returned to its resting position for the next push stroke with the opposite leg, the skater is merely gliding on the opposite leg. Therefore, nearly half of the time is spent gliding rather than positively generating a driving force. In order to overcome this problem, as with refraining from plantar flexion, skaters have been coached to assume a wholly unnatural body position by rotating the foot slightly about the ankle to an inward pointing alignment enabling the skater to maintain contact between the skate and the surface as the skater drew the leg inward in a pulling rather than pushing stroke. An inwardly aligned skate enables the skater to maintain contact between the glide member and the surface and return the foot to a position beneath the skater's body, while pulling himself forward. However, a skater may soon tire of this awkward position. In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, there exists a need for a klop skate which will allow a skater to utilize both a pushing and a pulling stroke.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to klop skates which enable the skater to be able to plantar flex at the ankle. The skate boot is able to flex or pivot relative to the skate frame. The skates of the present invention permit a skater to utilize a pushing and pulling stroke. Push/pull skates facilitate propulsion through not only pushing during a stroke, but also through an inward pulling motion at the completion of a stroke by including either a canted hinge device connecting the skate frame to the shoe or by including devices that positively bias the frame away from the base, and also by devices that do not automatically bias the frame towards the shoe base. The latter is accomplished by either physically coupling a control device to the skater that counteracts biasing of the frame or by providing a shoe base that is constructed having a substantially neutral flexing base or a balanced frame, neither of which forcibly “klops” the frame or allows it to swing freely.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a skate includes a glide member for traversing a surface. The skate includes a shoe portion for receiving a skater's foot. The skate has a base secured to the shoe portion and underlying the received foot. The skate includes a base lever attached to the shoe portion base. The base lever has a forward end portion and a forward base lever attachment structure defined by the forward end portion. The base lever has a longitudinal base lever axis aligned and underlying a longitudinal axis of the received foot. The base lever defines a base lever plane, passing through the longitudinal base lever axis and perpendicular to the lower surface of the base. The skate also includes an elongate frame for mounting the glide member. The frame has a longitudinal axis, a forward end portion, and a forward frame attachment structure. The frame defines a frame plane passing through the frame longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the ground when the skate frame is fully upright. The skate includes a hinge that pivotally connects the forward end portion of the base lever to the forward end portion of the frame. The hinge is arranged such that upon pivoting of the base lever away from the frame, the base lever plane defines an angle of canting with respect to the frame plane. Stated another way, the longitudinal axis of the base lever, projected onto a horizontal plane (as defined with the skate frame in a fully upright position) passing through the longitudinal axis of the frame, defines the angle of canting with respect to the longitudinal frame axis.
In another embodiment of the invention, the base lever forward attachment structure is pivotably connected to the frame forward attachment structure. The hinge used to secure both structures is canted vertically, such that the pivot axis of the hinge forms an angle with respect to a horizontal plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the frame.
In another embodiment, the vertically canted hinge is adjustable, such that the angle of canting may be varied vertically.
In another embodiment, the base lever forward attachment structure is pivotably connected to the frame forward attachment structure. The hinge used to connect both structures is horizontally canted, such that the pivot axis of the hinge forms an angle with respect to a vertical plane extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the frame.
In another embodiment, the horizontally canted hinge is adjustable, such that the angle of canting may be varied horizontally.
In another embodiment, the hinge may be horizontally and vertically canted, such that the hinge is adjustable both vertically and horizontally.
In a preferred embodiment, the frame forward attachment structure is formed from the forward end portion of the frame, the frame defining medial and lateral sides. The inner surfaces of the medial and lateral sides create a space for placement of the base lever forward attachment structure. The respective inner surfaces of the medial side
Christensen O'Connor Johnson & Kindness PLLC
Johnson Brian L.
K-2 Corporation
Shriver J. Allen
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