Land vehicles – Skates – Wheeled skate
Patent
1994-12-05
1997-05-20
Camby, Richard M.
Land vehicles
Skates
Wheeled skate
280 1122, A63C 1714
Patent
active
056305958
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to braking device for roller skates, particularly in-line (i.e. "single-track") roller skates, comprising a removable brake block pivotably connected to the frame or skate against the force of a spring, with the pivot axis of said brake block being essentially parallel to the axis of the rollers.
Roller-skate braking devices in which brake blocks, arranged between the rollers and the sole, can be shifted in the longitudinal direction of the skate so as to co-act directly with the rollers, can be inferred from e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,387 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,032. Whereas the brake block in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,387 is shifted by curling the toes inside the boot, U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,032 on the other hand discloses a sheathed cable with a handle for shifting the brake block, as is common with motor-cycle brakes, for example. In both these known devices the brake blocks, similarly to motor-cycle brakes, only act directly on the rollers.
Conventional roller skates have removable brake blocks mounted rigidly on the frame or boot; the braking effect is achieved by positioning the roller skate relative to the ground in such a way that, instead of the rollers, the brake block comes into frictional connection with the ground. This conventional method of braking roller-skates has become generally established; however, the braking effect caused by tilting the brake block relative to the ground and pressing it against the ground can occur with varying abruptness. A disadvantage with known roller-skate braking devices with this type of removable brake block--which can for example be designed as a stopper connected to the frame or boot with screws--is thus the fact that the braking effect can by no means be applied gradually, but commences relatively abruptly, and thus a controlled, gentle slowdown is not readily possible, although on the other hand strong braking-power is available if required.
In another design, disclosed in GB-PS 11,117 (A.D. 1909), a projecting part is connected to a brake block, which can be turned pivotally against the force of a tension spring, whereupon the projecting part co-acts with the rollers. The projecting part is pressed against the rollers more or less resiliently depending on the possible choice of type and gauge of material used for the connecting part, so that an additional, but limited, braking force is exerted, which only becomes great enough to be effective in the case of multi-track roller skates and with braking applied simultaneously to a number of rollers.
The present invention aims to further develop a braking device of the type mentioned initially, using conventional stoppers and brake blocks, so that on the one hand a gentle commencement of the braking process is possible and, on the other hand, maximum possible braking force is available in case of need, but without there being any danger of the roller-skater being put off balance by the braking. In fact, whereas roller-skates with braking applied only to the rollers require the weight to be shifted simultaneously with the commencement of the braking operation, in order to prevent stumbling and hence falling, such weight distribution always occurs automatically with the use of stopper-type brake blocks, thereby considerably reducing the risk of a fall. To achieve this aim, the design according to the invention, starting out from the design of roller-skate with brake block described initially, consists essentially in that the brake block, or the holder-part for the brake block, is guided in or on a guide located at a distance from the pivot axis, and that when the brake block is turned on its pivot axis, during which operation it is supported in or on the guide, the brake block or a projecting part connected to the brake block comes into frictional contact with the running surface of at least one of the rollers. Such a design is advantageous in that once the force of the spring has been overcome, and thus suitably-gradual commencement of the braking operation has occurred, with the required weight-tra
REFERENCES:
patent: 2744759 (1956-05-01), Sternbergh
patent: 4181227 (1980-01-01), Balstad
patent: 4807893 (1989-02-01), Huang
patent: 5067736 (1991-11-01), Olson etal.
patent: 5088748 (1992-02-01), Koselka et al.
patent: 5183275 (1993-02-01), Hoskin
patent: 5192099 (1993-03-01), Riutta
patent: 5257795 (1993-11-01), Babcock
Camby Richard M.
Koflach Sport Gesellschaft m.b.H. & Co. KG
LandOfFree
Braking device for roller skates does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Braking device for roller skates, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Braking device for roller skates will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1718950