Land vehicles – Ski or skate appliance or attachment – Scabbards for ice or roller skates
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-20
2001-02-27
Swann, J. J. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Ski or skate appliance or attachment
Scabbards for ice or roller skates
C280S809000, C280S811000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193277
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to accessories for in-line roller skates and, more particularly, to a walking sole into which the wheels of a skate can be easily inserted, securely maintained while inserted, and then easily removed. The walking sole includes a planar bottom surface so that a user wearing a sole on each skate can walk freely, even on stairs, ramps, rough surfaces and hills.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent times, the roller skating public increasingly has come to prefer in-line-type skates over skates having tandem wheels. In-line skates are available under various brand names as, for example, ROLLERBLADE which is a trademark of Rollerblade, Inc. of Minnetonka, Minn. and are characterized by a shoe attached to a skate assembly having three or more linearly-aligned wheels centrally located beneath the shoe. The skate assembly typically includes a rigid undercarriage riveted or otherwise rigidly fastened to the bottom of the shoe. The wheels usually are adjustably secured to the undercarriage.
In-line roller skates are extremely unstable when a person attempts to walk on an uneven or irregular surface. For example, going up or down stairs may be dangerous if not infeasible, unless a handrail can be continuously gripped, since the skates may uncontrollably roll on and over the stair treads. Uncontrolled rolling may also occur when skates are worn while attempting to traverse a slippery or sand-covered surface. More than 100,000 serious accidents occur annually involving in-line skates. Many of the accidents happen to novices who encounter situations where they lose control of balance and suffer injury from the resulting fall. Because of the danger posed by skaters to themselves and bystanders and the consequent risk of lawsuits, commercial establishments and public facilities such as restaurants, convenience stores and post offices bar individuals wearing in-line skates from entering their premises. Even if no accident occurs, in-line skates can mar and permanently damage floor surfaces such as linoleum, due to the high pressure exerted by the small contact area of the wheels.
Our U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,643 (“'643”) discloses an in-line skate with an attached walker that is pivotable downward to interpose a flat walking surface between the skate wheels and ground, and pivotable upward away from the wheels and skate undercarriage so as not to interfere with skating. The walker includes a flange bolted to the undercarriage connected by a hinge to an angle member to which is attached a walking sole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,275 (“'275”) to B. C. Smith et al. discloses a guard device configured to closely fit over the wheels of an in-line skate. The device includes a wheel-receiving trough above a base member whose underside has a ground-contacting bottom surface, and whose top surface has concavities shaped to closely receive the wheels. The base member is bounded by forward and rearward blocking portions which prevent rolling motion fore and aft. The skate is secured to the device by loops around the rear and toe portions of the skate boot.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,224 (“'224”) to J. D. Anderson et al. discloses a removable wheel cover for an in-line skate. The cover includes a front boot adapted to receive the skate's front wheel, and a rear boot adapted to receive the skate's rear wheel. The two boots are connected by a pair of flexible, resilient straps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,090 (“'090”) to J. R. Davies discloses a scabbard which can fit over the blade of an ice skate when the blade's toe and heel are rounded. The scabbard includes a blade-receiving slot and gripping members along the slot to frictionally grip a blade inserted into the slot.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,725,821 (“'821”) to E. B. Nathan discloses a scabbard for an ice skate blade including two sliding fastening members each having an engagement portion formed of a resilient material such as sheet metal, and a holding means such as straps.
For users who prefer the comfort and stability of a solid, rigid walking surface, neither the '643 walker nor the '275 guard offers an ideal choice. The flanges of the '643 walker add weight which may contribute to fatigue, and some users may find the assembly cumbersome. The '275 guard is bulky and must be customized to a particular skate model. The '224 wheel cover provides only a thin, resilient surface between the wheels and ground. The '090 and '821 scabbards are adapted to ice skates rather than in-line skates. In view of the deficiencies of the existing art, what is needed is a walking sole which can provide solidity and rigidity, and which can be used with a wide variety of in-line skate brands and models.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a walking sole which can be removably attached to almost any in-line skate.
Another object of the invention is to provide a rigid sole that is simple, reliable and easy to use.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a sole that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
Other objects of the invention will become evident when the following description is considered with the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing a walking sole which in a first aspect includes a U-shaped angle member having a pair of opposed side walls attached and orthogonal to a base, thus determining a longitudinal trough for closely receiving the lower portion of each skate wheel. The base includes a planar top surface, and a planar bottom surface with a tread pattern. The walking sole further includes means for rigidly constraining fore and aft motion of the wheels when the wheel lower portions are inserted into the trough. The constraining means includes two alignment posts each having a bottom surface in slidable contact with the base top surface, and locking means for rigidly fixing each post at a position where it is in pressing contact against the rim of an outer wheel. The locking means for each post includes transverse corrugations in the post bottom surface which interface with transverse corrugations in the base top surface.
In a second aspect the invention provides a walking sole including a U-shaped angle member having a pair of opposed side walls attached and orthogonal to a base, thus determining a longitudinal trough for closely receiving the lower portion of each skate wheel. Each side wall has opposed arcuate ends and a horizontal slot disposed symmetrically between the two ends so that the slots are opposed. The base includes a planar top surface and a planar bottom surface with a tread pattern. The base further includes two outer portions symmetric with respect to a central portion. Each outer portion has a longitudinal slot bounded by transverse corrugations in the base top surface and circumscribed by a recess in the base bottom surface which terminates in an interior lip. The walking sole further includes two alignment posts each having an arcuate vertical portion, shaped to receive a wheel rim, attached and orthogonal to a horizontal portion having a bottom surface with transverse corrugations which interface with corrugations in the base top surface. Each horizontal portion has a bushing with a threaded bore. A bolt screwed into each bushing and tightened until its head tightens against the recessed lip secures the alignment post to the base. The walking sole further includes a strap inserted through the side wall slots whose ends are secured over the boot toe portion using mating hook-tape and loop-tape surfaces.
A more complete understanding of the present invention and other objects, aspects and advantages thereof will be gained from a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiment read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings provided herein.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 112078 (1938-11-01), Lewis
patent: 1725821 (1929-08-01), Nathan
patent: 4264090 (1981-04
Marasco Vincent
Mazzarino Edward
Diamond Donald
McClellan James S.
Swann J. J.
LandOfFree
Walking sole for in-line skate does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Walking sole for in-line skate, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Walking sole for in-line skate will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2593709