Brakes – Vehicle – Ground-engaging
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-04
2001-03-13
Graham, Matthew C. (Department: 3613)
Brakes
Vehicle
Ground-engaging
C188S032000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199668
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for regenerating a brake, particularly for skates.
The problem of achieving optimum braking is common to all currently conventional skates. In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 337,161 discloses a skate which is provided with a shoe supporting plate having two lower supports for two pairs of mutually parallel wheels. A support for a brake is associated at the rear pair of wheels; the brake is constituted by a pad, having a surface which interacts with the ground and which is generally made of rubber-like material. The position of the pad can be adjusted by means of a screw which reduces the distance of the surface of the pad from the facing ground.
A drawback of this conventional type is that as the pad gradually wears, the user must remove the skate and operate the screw, pushing the pad so that it returns closer to the ground.
This operation must be repeated whenever required by the amount of wear of the pad. Moreover, the direct intervention of the user implies suspending the sports activity.
The need to restore the initial condition of the pad, and therefore its position with respect to the ground at a preset height, is in any case indispensable in order to ensure that the user achieves optimum braking.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,120 discloses a skate in which the threaded stem of a brake, provided with a pad towards the ground, is rotatably associated in the rear region of the shoe supporting plate, adjacent to the pair of rear wheels.
An adjustment washer is associated with the threaded stem; as in the previously illustrated case, during the use of the skate the pad wears at the region that interacts with the ground: as the thickness of the pad, and accordingly the distance of the pad from the ground, decreases, the user is forced to stop his other sports activity, optionally remove the skate to perform the operation more easily, and turn the pad so as to move it closer to the ground; the position can be determined by the adjustment washer.
The above skate also, however, suffers the above noted drawbacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,572 discloses a skate provided with a brake comprising a support for a pad.
The brake further comprises an element for fixing and adjusting the support which is accordingly connected between the wheel pivoting frame and the pad support.
Adjustment occurs by means of the interaction between two toothed surfaces formed on the pad support and on the support fixing and adjustment element. This position can be preset by means of a screw, thus allowing the user to move the pad closer to the ground whenever required by gradual wear.
However, this skate also suffers the above-mentioned drawbacks, since this adjustment must be performed by the user whenever he detects a decrease in the braking effect and because this adjustment must be performed by interrupting sports practice, optionally removing the skate and using suitable tools.
Variations are also provided in which the adjustment can occur by activating suitable nuts and lock nuts; this increases the difficulty of the operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,099 discloses a skate provided with a supporting frame for in-line wheels which has, at its rear end, two tabs for the pivoting of the last rear wheel; said tabs can move elastically closer to the overlying part of the frame when the user shifts his weight backward.
In this skate, the braking action is achieved because a pad is arranged transversely to the frame in the region above the last wheel and therefore interacts with the wheel when the skate is tilted backward.
In order to compensate for the wear of the pad, the pad is associated with a system for adjusting its vertical position which however, like the previously described skates, requires manual intervention of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,320 discloses a skate which comprises a supporting frame for mutually in-line wheels, to the rear of which the support for a pad which interacts with the ground during braking is slidingly associated.
The connection between the wheel support and the pad support is adjustable, in that there is a screw whose tightening locks two complementarily toothed surfaces formed respectively on the pad support and on the wheel support.
However, this skate also suffers the same drawbacks noted in the previous skates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, eliminating the drawbacks of the cited prior art and thus providing an invention which allows the user to always achieve the braking action in optimum conditions even as the degree of wear of the braking element that interacts with the ground varies.
An important object is to provide an invention which allows to achieve, over time, a constantly optimum braking action without requiring the user to temporarily suspend sports practice or to intervene directly to restore the optimum conditions.
A further important object is to provide an invention which allows to keep the effectiveness of the braking action constant over time and to extend the life of the braking element.
A further object is to provide an invention which is reliable and safe in use and has low manufacturing costs.
This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by a device for regenerating a brake, particularly for skates comprising a supporting frame for a plurality of wheels, a pad or block being associated, in a rear region, with said frame, said pad having a surface which is initially intact and interacts with the ground during braking, characterized in that a sensor for detecting the degree of wear of said surface of said pad is connected to a means which is adapted to modify the initial position of said pad.
Advantageously, this modification of the initial position of said pad or block is achieved by restoring an intact condition for said surface that interacts with the ground.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2191018 (1940-02-01), Ickenroth
patent: 5052701 (1991-10-01), Olson
patent: 5375859 (1994-12-01), Peck et al.
patent: 5388844 (1995-02-01), Pellegrini, Jr. et al.
patent: 5465984 (1995-11-01), Pellegrini, Jr. et al.
patent: 5505469 (1996-04-01), Zorzi et al.
patent: 5570759 (1996-11-01), Zorzi
patent: 2122526 (1995-10-01), None
patent: 0 687 487 (1995-12-01), None
patent: 0928623 (1999-07-01), None
patent: 97 03736 (1997-02-01), None
Bertolo Luca
Gorza Roberto
Benetton Group S.p.A.
Graham Matthew C.
Josif Albert
Modiano Guido
O'Byrne Daniel
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