Land vehicles – Convertible – Wheel to or from runner
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-23
2001-04-17
Camby, Richard M. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Convertible
Wheel to or from runner
C280S011270, C280S011300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217035
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general to skates.
2. Description of the Art
Ice skates, roller skates and, more recently, in-line roller skates have been used by many for enjoyment as well as to play various sports, such as hockey. The recently popular in-line roller skates have also been used by serious hockey players for off season training as well as to play hockey using on a non-ice surface.
In all types of skates, the ice blades, the toe and heel roller skate assemblies, and the in-line assembly containing a plurality of urethane rollers are securely and generally permanently attached to the sole of a skate boot or shoe. This has resulted in the dedicated use of hockey skates, roller skates or in-line roller skates for a single activity or sport.
The advantages of providing such skates with easily attachable and detachable assemblies including ice blades, toe and heel roller assemblies, or an in-line roller assembly, has been noted.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a skate in which a skate or shoe body is capable of receiving attachments including ice blades, in-line roller assemblies, shoe soles, etc. It would also be desirable to provide a skate in which such attachments can be quickly and easily attached to and removed from the shoe body particularly without the need for a separate tool. It would also be desirable to provide a skate in which such attachments are securely attached to the shoe body without any relative movement in either longitudinal or lateral directions, with respect to the shoe body. Finally, it would be desirable to provide a skate which positions the sole of the skate and therefore the feet of the user as close as possible to the underlying use surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a skate which is capable of receiving one of various use attachments.
According to the present invention, a skate includes a shoe body and an adapter plate fixedly connected to the shoe body. The adapter plate has a central portion and a peripheral lip depending from the central portion away from the shoe body. An attachment is releasably mountable in the adapter plate. Means are provided for releasably connecting the attachment to the adapter plate.
Each attachment includes an attachment plate which has one of an ice skate blade, in-line roller assembly, shoe sole, snow shoe, ice claws, etc., attached thereto. The attachment plate is shaped to fit in registry with the central portion and the peripheral lip of the adapter plate. In a preferred embodiment, the peripheral lip of the adapter plate is disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to the central portion of the adapter plate. Similarly, the plate of the attachment has a peripheral edge which is disposed at a complimentary obtuse angle to fit in registry with the lip of the adapter plate so as to prevent any relative movement in either the longitudinal or lateral directions between the attachment and the adapter plate.
In one aspect, the means for connecting the attachment to the adapter plate preferably comprises fastener means carried by the adapter plate which are releasably engagable with the attachment plate. In one embodiment, the fastener means comprises cam means mounted on and depending from the adapter plate and rotatable with respect to the adapter plate. The cam means is insertable through apertures formed in the attachment plate and, when rotated, cammingly engage the attachment plate to fixedly connect the attachment plate to the adapter plate. In one embodiment, the apertures in the attachment plate are slots extending inward from a peripheral edge of the attachment plate.
In another aspect, the adapter plate is again fixedly connected to or integrally molded with the shoe and has a depending peripheral sidewall extending therefrom. The attachment plate carrying one of the interchangeable accessories has a shape and size to fit snugly within the confines of the peripheral sidewall of the adapter plate. A plurality of fasteners are mounted on the attachment plate and releasably engage fastener receiving means mounted in the adapter plate for releasably attaching the attachment plate to the adapter plate. Preferably, the fastener receiving means comprise a plurality of inserts or nuts having an internally threaded bore. The fastener receiving means are preferably fixedly mounted between the adapter plate and the shoe sole. In a preferred embodiment, when the adapter plate is integrally formed as a unitary molded piece with the shoe, the fastener receiving means is molded within the attachment plate. A depending clip may also be mounted in and extending below one end of the adapter plate for fixedly engaging a forward edge of the attachment plate.
Each fastener preferably includes an intermediate frustoconical surface which engages a conically shaped bore formed within the attachment plate to minimize lateral and longitudinal movement of the attachment plate relative to the adapter plate. Further, the fasteners carry a user engagable member, such as a disk having a serrated edge which permits manual tightening and loosening of the fasteners during attachment and detachment of the attachment plate with respect to the adapter plate. This eliminates the need for a separate tool to releasably mount the various attachments in the adapter plate. Alternately, a nut may be mounted on the exterior end of the fastener for receiving a suitable tool, such as a wrench, for further tightening of the fasteners if desired.
The plurality of attachments include an ice skate blade mounted in a support or housing which is fixedly connected to the attachment plate. Alternately, the attachment includes an in-line roller assembly including a plurality of in-line arranged rollers mounted in a support which is fixedly attached to the attachment plate. Further, the attachment may be a shoe sole which is fixedly attached to the attachment plate. Additional attachments may also include a speed skate blade, a figure skate blade, a snow ski, snow shoe, ice claw, etc.
In one aspect, a sole is attached to the shoe body, with the adapter plate being fixedly connected to the sole. The sole may be formed as an integral molded part of the shoe body.
In another embodiment, the adapter plate is integrally molded as a unitary part of the sole of the shoe body or as the sole of the shoe body. In this embodiment, the connecting means comprises a plurality of inserts mounted in the adapter plate, each insert having an internal, threaded bore. A plurality of fasteners are extendible through the apertures in the attachment plate into the inserts to fixedly connect the attachment plate to the adapter plate.
The skate of the present invention provides, for the first time, a commercially viable skate which is capable of easily receiving a use attachments. The skate of the present invention enables the attachment to be quickly and easily attached to and removed from the shoe body.
The complimentary-shaped design of the adapter plate and the attachment plate ensures that the attachment plate is fixedly connected to the adapter plate and is prevented from any relative movement, in either longitudinal or lateral directions with respect to the adapter plate fixedly mounted on the shoe body. This provides the rigid attachment of the ice blade, in-line roller assembly, etc., to the shoe body required by a serious sportsman or anyone using skates for various activities.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3526976 (1970-09-01), Jacobs
patent: 5193827 (1993-03-01), Olsen
patent: 5314199 (1994-05-01), Olsen et al.
patent: 5503412 (1996-04-01), Hill
patent: 5531462 (1996-07-01), Ga
patent: 5662338 (1997-09-01), Steinhauser, Jr.
patent: 5810368 (1998-09-01), Steinhauser, Jr.
patent: 5845927 (1998-12-01), Steinhauser, Jr.
patent: 6065758 (2000-05-01), Steinhauser, Jr.
Camby Richard M.
Victor Posa
Young & Basile, PC.
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