Land vehicles – Convertible
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-02
2001-04-10
Swann, J. J. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Convertible
C280S011227, C280S011270
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213479
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OE THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sporting goods, and particularly to skates. The field of the invention is that of skates having roller wheels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Skates having roller wheels are used for sporting, exercising, and recreational activities. Two varieties of roller skates are well known and used: in-line and parallel skates. These skate designs typically have four roller wheels, either all four in-line so that the planes of the wheels are all coplanar, or parallel in a two by two, or quad, arrangement. The skate also includes a foot or shoe enclosure with a base or chassis which rotatably supports the axles of the roller wheels. The in-line arrangement provides the wearer with the feel of an ice skate, while the parallel arrangement is more stable. Both arrangements are popular, with some activities being more suited for in-line skates, e.g., traveling over outdoor paths, playing field hockey, and other activities for quad or parallel skates, e.g., skating at roller domes, training skaters.
The foot or shoe enclosure portion of the skate is similar for both arrangements. However, the wheel support portions of the skates are typically made from a fixed frame that rotatably supports the axles of the roller wheels. The sharp contrast between the in-line and parallel arrangement requires that the wheel support portions of those skates be dramatically different. Also, the foot or shoe enclosure portion attaches to each type of wheel support arrangement differently. For example, with in-line skates, two elongated plates can serve as journals for all the roller wheel axles. However, it is impractical to provide parallel skates with common journals because of the increased width between the wheels of the parallel skates, although each pair of the parallel wheels may share a common axle. For a skater to utilize both arrangements, one pair of skates for each arrangement must be obtained.
One known convertible skate allows the substitution of a set of in-line roller wheels with a blade for ice skating. This structure actually requires that an assembly of roller wheels be removed and a separate blade assembly be attached to convert the skates. With this design, the same foot enclosure may be used with either arrangement. However, this design requires that the skater carry the spare parts that are removed and replaced. Further, while this design allows for the substitution of a support for in-line roller wheels and a support for an ice skating blade, it does not provide support for a parallel arrangement of roller wheels.
What is needed is a skate which may be readily converted from an in-line arrangement to a parallel arrangement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a skate that can be converted from an in-line wheel configuration in which all of the skate wheels are coplanar to a parallel wheel configuration, and vice versa. A pair of yoke chassis positions the wheels relative to the skate. In a simple operation, the wheel configuration may be manually converted using only repositioning of the equipment on the skate itself.
In this invention, the yoke-chassis functions as both the chassis and the connecting mechanism, which also has a predetermined position relative to the post and the wheels, so that the wheels are maintained in parallel to the longitudinal center of the post-base as the yoke-chassis rotates relative to the post. Thus, the connection keeps the wheels always parallel to the length of the foot or shoe enclosure at the predetermined positions.
Both in-line and quad skates are used for sporting and recreational purposes. The traditional quad skate has enjoyed long-standing popularity, while wide-spread commercialization of the in-line skate is relatively recent. The quad skate is particularly suitable for use in places such as roller rinks, while the in-line skate tends to prevail in outdoor use. Generally, the places and uses of the two types of skates are characteristic to each skate. A skater's choice of an in-line or a quad skate then often depends on the type of activity in which the skater wishes to engage. Thus, a skating enthusiast would require more than one pair of skates to fulfill all skating activities in which he might wish to engage. The skater would thus incur the expense of buying more than one pair of skates, and the inconvenience of having to change skates depending on the activity in which the skater desires to engage at a given time.
The present invention utilizes a wheel chassis mounted on posts attached to the bottom of the foot or shoe enclosure. The wheel chassis supports the wheels and is rotatable about the post. A positioning mechanism connects the post to the wheels which are supported by the wheel chassis. The wheel chassis is rotatable between at least two positions, and the connection of the wheels to the post through the positioning mechanism ensures that the angular orientation of the wheels are maintained. One positioning mechanism, namely tie rods, has a predetermined position relative to the post and the wheels so that the wheels are angularly positioned relative to the post. Thus, the tie rods keep the wheels always parallel to the length of the foot or shoe enclosure at the predetermined positions. By rotating the wheel chassis, the wheels may be positioned either in an in-line arrangement, wherein the planes of the wheels are coextensive, and a parallel arrangement, wherein the wheels are parallel and coaxial. Other positioning mechanisms include yokes, gear sets, and externally mounted rods.
By mounting the wheel chassis on the post, many different varieties of foot or shoe enclosures may be utilized with the invention. The posts, in conjunction with the wheel chassis, provide support for the foot or shoe enclosure portion to enhance the rigidity of the foot enclosure and enhance its structural integrity. In one embodiment, two posts are utilized with corresponding wheel chassis and each wheel chassis supports two wheels. This allows for four in-line roller wheels to be employed, which may be readily changed to a two by two parallel arrangement. One method of effecting the change is by loosening a nut which engages the wheel chassis, turning the chassis, and tightening the nut. Another method involves a post with a biasing mechanism for releasing and securing the chassis.
The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a skate with an enclosure, at least two wheels, and a wheel chassis attached to the enclosure and rotatably supporting the wheels, which is characterized by a positioning mechanism. The wheels are oriented by the positioning mechanism in one of at least two arrangements, a first in-line arrangement and a second parallel arrangement The enclosure includes a post extending from a bottom surface of the enclosure, and the wheel chassis is rotatably disposed about the post.
The post includes a threaded portion, and the skate further comprises a nut threadably engaging a threaded portion of the post to rotationally secure the position of the wheel chassis. The post may also include a portion of enlarged diameter supporting a spring which biases the chassis into the post. Another feature of the invention involves an aligning mechanism which orients the chassis relative to the post and may define a plurality of discrete aligned positions for the chassis relative to the post.
One embodiment of the positioning mechanism includes two tie rods connecting the post and the wheels. The tie rods have a predetermined length which maintains the angular position of the wheels relative to the post regardless of the angular position of the chassis. Another embodiment of the positioning mechanism includes gears disposed within the chassis and connecting the post and the wheels. One of the gear based positioning mechanism embodiments includes a belt operably connecting the gears. Still another embodiment of the positioning mechanism includes an elongated member disposed externally of the chassis which connects a wheel of one chassis with
Baker & Daniels
McClellan James S.
Swann J. J.
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