SKATES

PATINS P.R.

English Abstract

A B S T R A C T
A wheeled skate has a rigid chassis secured to a
boot and comprising a heel plate, a sole plate and a pair of
downwardly depending parallel webs between which webs three
in-line wheels are mounted. Each wheel is at least half as wide
as its diameter and has its floor engaging surface formed by
a part of a sphere. The middle wheel is lower than the front
and rear wheels by a distance D of 2.5 to 4.5 cm. The rear
wheel does not project more than 10 mm behind the rearmost part
of the boot, the front wheel does not project forwardly of the
boot at all, the middle wheel is spaced a distance A from the
rear wheel and a distance B from the front wheel, A + B is at
least 70% of the overall length C and <IMG> lies in the range
0.06 to 0.09.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an
exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined
as follows:
1. A pair of skates wherein each skate of said pair of
skates has a rigid metal chassis including a sole plate and
a heel plate secured to a boot and two parallel webs depending
downwardly from said sole and heel plates, said skate further
comprises three wheels mounted in-line between said two parallel
webs, each of said wheels has a width equal to at least 50%
of its diameter and a floor engaging surface which is formed
substantially as a part of a sphere, the lowermost part of a
middle one of said wheels extends downwardly beyond a line joining
the lowermost parts of a front wheel and a rear wheel of said
wheels by between 2.5 and 4.5 cm, the rearmost part of said
rear wheel is located not more than 10 mm to the rear of the
rearmost part of said boot, said boot extends forwardly to
a position forward of the frontmost part of said front wheel,
the axis of said middle wheel is spaced a distance A from the axis
of said rear wheel and a distance B from the axis of said front
wheel, A + B is equal to at least 70% of the overall length of
said boot and <IMG> lies within the range 0.06 to 0.09.
2. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 1, wherein each
said chassis is formed by providing said sole and heel plates
with slots therein and providing said webs as two separate members
with tongue portions to be received in said slots, thereby
accurately to position said webs with respect to said sole and
heel plates before securing of said webs to said sole and heel
plates.
13

3. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 1, wherein each
said chassis is formed by stamping portions out of a flat
metal plate and then bending said flat metal plate along two
longitudinally extending bend lines to form said sole and
heel plates and said webs integral with one another.
4. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 1, wherein each
of said webs is formed to present apertures therein to receive
axles for said wheels and the lower edge of each of said webs
is cut-away between the locations of said apertures such that
portions of said lower edge of each of said webs immediately
beneath said apertures projects downwardly further than other
portions of said lower edge.
5. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 4, wherein each
of said webs, intermediate said apertures, is formed to present
a plurality of further apertures therein, in which apertures
projections from bumper members can be received to affix said
bumper members to said webs on the outer face thereof with said
bumper members being so proportioned and disposed relative to said
webs and said sole and heel plates that, upon sidewards tipping
of said skate in use, said bumper members will first contact a
floor over which said skate is travelling and will thereby
prevent portions of said webs and said sole and heel plates
engaging the floor in a manner which would damage the floor.
6. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
axle for each of said wheels is formed as a bolt having a shank
and at one end thereof a head and at the other end a screw
threaded portion and said bolt co-operates with a nut, each of
said head and nut comprising an inner cylindrical portion of a
diameter greater than the diameter of the shank, an outer disc
portion with a diameter greater than that of said cylindrical
14

portion and an axial extent as small as possible and
engagement means in said disc portion whereby said disc
portion can be engaged by a tool to rotate it.
7. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 6, wherein said
inner cylindrical portions engage in said apertures in said
webs of said skate, which said apertures are of a size to
accept said cylindrical portions with minimum clearance and
said disc portions engage the outer faces of said webs to
restrict inward movement towards one another of the portions
of said head and said nut engaged in said apertures in said
webs.
8. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 1, wherein
each of said wheels comprises a core member formed as a central
generally tubular portion having a bore through which a
respective axle passes, counterbores of a greater diameter than
said bore are provided at the ends of said bore, said counter-
bores receiving bearings, and a tyre of a urethane material is
engaged over said core member.
9. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 8, wherein said
core member has a circumferentially protecting rib at a mid-
portion in its length.
10. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 8, wherein both
said core member and said tyre are formed of a urethane material
with said core member formed of a harder urethane material than
said tyre and with said tyre bonded to said core member.
11. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 9, wherein
said rib has transversely extending apertures therein, which
said apertures are filled by the material of said tyre to lock
said tyre in position with respect to said core member.

12. A pair of skates as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
middle wheel of each said skate is formed in two equal halves
with the plane of the joint between said two halves extending
perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said wheel.
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Description

.5~4~3
The invention relates to skates and particularly
to skates of the kind having in each skate, three in-line
wheels. "~
As early as 1867 it was proposed that each skate
of a pair of wheeled skates should have three wheels mounted
in line. Quite a large number of patent pecifications have
been published since then relating to similar skates but the
proposals for such skates set out therein seem mainly to have
been mere paper proposals and there is little evidence of
any of such skates being marketed and sold in commercial
quantities.
While skates of the kind referred to are at first
sight very attractive in that it appears that with such skates
a skater could effect jumps and turns of the kind possible on
ice skates, they are not a practical proposition unless they
include a numher of features, mostly known individually from
previously published proposals, combined together in a very
particular relationship.
According to the invention, there is provided a
pair of skates wherein each skate of the pair of skates is
formed with a rigid metal chassis comprising separate or
combined sole and heel plates secured to a boot and two
~parallel webs depending downwardly from the sole and heel
plates, the skate further comprises three wheels mounted
in-line between the two paralleI webs, each wheel has a width
equal to at least 50~ of its diameter and a floor engaging
surface which is formed substantially as a part of a sphere,
the lowermost part of a middle one of the wheels extends
downwardly beyond a line joining the lowermost parts of the
front wheel and the rear wheel by between 2.5 and 4.5 cm,
the rearmost part of the rear wheel is located not more than
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10 mm to the rear of the rearmost part of the boot, the
boot extends forwardly to a position forward of the frontmost
part of the front wheel, the axis of the middle wheel is
spaced a distance A from the axis of the rear wheel and a
distance B from the axis of the front wheel, A ~ B is equal
to at least 70~ of the overall length of the boot and AA +
lies within the range 0.06 to 0.09.
` The chassis may be formed in a number of different
ways but is preferably formed by providing the sole and heel
plates, separate or combined, with slots therein and providing
the webs as two separate members with tongue portions to be
received in the slots, thereby accurately-to position the webs
with respect to the sole and heel plates before securing of
the webs to the sole and heel plates, for example by welding
effected from the upper side of the sole and heel plates.
Alternatively the chassis may be for]med by stamping portions
out of a flat metal plate and then bending the flat metal
plate along two longitudinally extending bend lines to form the
sole and heel plates and the webs integral with one another.
Preferably the lower edge of each of the webs of the
pair of webs is cut-away between the locations of apertures
therein to receive axles from the wheels such that portions of
the lower edge of each web immediately beneath the apertures
for the axles project downwardly further than other portions
of the lower edge.
Advantageously each web, intermediate the apertures
for the axles, is provided with a plurality of further
apertures and bumper members, preferably of plastics material,
`a~
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are provided with projections to be received in said
further apertures to affix said bumper members to said
webs on the outer face thereof, the bumper members being
so proportioned and disposed relative to the webs and the
sole and heel plates that, upon sidewards tipping of the
skate in use, the bumper members will first contact the
floor over which the skate is travelling and will thereby
prevent portions of the webs or the sole and heel plates
engaging the floor in a manner which would damage the
floor.
The bumper members can if desired be of elongate
form and used to carry display matter, for example the name
or trade mark of the manufacturer of the skates.
Preferably a bolt or stud to form an axle for a
wheel of the skate has at least one screw threaded end
portion and has a head and co-operates with a nut or co-operates
with two nuts, each of the head, the nut or the nuts comprising
an inner cylindrical portion of a diameter greater than the
diameter of the stud or bolt, an outer disc portion with a
diameter greater than that of said cylindrical portion and an
axial extent as small as possible and engagement means in or
on said disc portion whereby said disc portion can be engaged
by a tool to rotate it or to prevent it from rotating.
The inner cylindrical portions advantageously engage
in said apertures in the webs of the skate, which said
apertures are of a size to accept said cylindrical portions
with minimum clearance and the disc portions engage the outer
faces of the webs to restrict inward movement towards one
another of the head and the nut or the two nuts engaged in
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115~ 3
the apertures in the webs.
Thus each axle can be secured to extend between the
pair of webs and mount one of the wheels for rotation with a
minimum external lateral projection beyond the webs of the
head of the bolt, a nut engaged thereon or two nuts engaged on
a stud.
Advantageously a wheel for a skate comprises a core
member formed as a central generally tubular portion through
which a respective axle passes and having in its end portions
counter-bores of a greater diameter than the bore of the
tubular portion, which counter-bores can receive bearings, and
a tyre of a urethane material engaged over the core member.
The core member may have a circumferentially projecting rib
at a mid portion in its length.
Both core member and the tyre can be formed of a
urethan material with the core member formed of a harder urethane
material than the tyre and with the t;yre bonded to the core
member.
Preferably the rib has transversely extending apertures
thereln, which apertures are filled by the material of the
tyre to lock the tyre in position with respect to the core member.
sy suitably choosing the outside diameter of the rib,
the resi~ence of the wheel when under load can be controlled,
that is to say a smaller diameter rib will give a relatively
large resilience and a large diameter rib will give a relatively
small resilience. Preferably a distance piece extends between
the inner races of the bearings engaged in the counter-bores,
the distance piece being tubular and surrounding the axle.
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~IL5C~7~L3
One or more of the wheels, particularly the middle
wheel of each skate, may be formed in two equal halves with
the plane of the joint between the two halves extending
perpendicular to the axis of rotation. Such a wheel can assist
a skater to rotate about a vertical axis without moving over
a floor. If desired the abutting faces of the two halves of
the wheel can be faced with a low friction material or a shim
of low friction material may be located therebetween.
The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by
way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of askate according to the invention;
Figure 2 is an u~derneath plan view corresponding to
Figure l;
Figure 3 is a sectional view on line I~I-III of
Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a side view of one of a pair of webs;
Figure 5 is a corresponding plan view;
Figure 6 is a plan view of a heel plate of a deck;
Figure 7 is a plan view of a sole plate of a deck;
Figure 8 is an elevation of an axle bolt;
Figure 9 is an end view of the axle bolt of Figure 8;
~ Figure 10 is a sectional view through a nut for the
axle bolt of Figures 8 and 9;
Figure 11 is an end view corresponding to Figure 10;
Figure 12 is a sectional view through a wheel for a
skate according to the invention;
Figure 13 is an end view corresponding to Figure 12;

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Figure 14 is a sectional view of a distance piece
for the wheel of Figures 12 and 13; ~
Figure 15 shows another embodiment of an axle for a
skate together with screw nuts to co-operate therewith;
Figure 16 is a side view of a second embodiment of
a skate according to the invention;
Figure 17 is a sectional view taken on line XVII-XVII
of Figure 16;
Figure 18 is a plan view corresponding to Figure 16; and
Figure 19 is a plan view of a blank from which the
chassis of Figures 16, 17 and 18 is formed, shown before bending
thereof.
Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figures 1 to 7,
a skate has a heel plate 1, a sole plate 2 and a pair of parallel
webs 3 and 4 all of steel. With reflerence to Figures 4 to 7,
it can be seen that each web 3 or 4 comprises an elongate lower
portion and three upwardly projecting portions 5, 6 and 7, the
portions 5, 6 and 7 each having at their upper end a respective
tongue 8 to be engaged in a respective slot 9 in the sole plate
2 or slot 10 in the heel plate 1. After engagement of the
tongues 8 in the slots 9 and 10 the tongues 8 are welded to the
sole plate 2 or heel plate 1 from above the respective plate.
Each web 3 or 4 has three apertures 11 to receive wheel axles
such that wheels 12, three in-line, can be secured between the
webs 3 and 4. Portions of each web 3 or 4 immediately beneath
the apertures 11 extend downwardly below the level to which
the remainder of the web extends. In between the rear aperture
11 and the middle aperture 11 are four further apertures 13 and
in between the middle aperture 11 and the front aperture 11 are
three further apertures 13. Each further aperture 13 can receive
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1~S07~3
the head 13a of a projection from a bumper formed either asa generally hemispherical button 13b or as an elongate strip
13c shown only in Figure 5 and formed of a plastics material.
The bumpers 13b or 13c are held onto the outer face of the
web 3 or the web 4 by the heads 13a and project from the outer
face of the web 3 or the web 4 so that if in use the skate is
tipped over sideways, the plastics bumpers will abut the floor
and will prevent the steel portions of the skate from engaging
the floor and damaging it. The bumper strips where they
extend at their ends beyond the further apertures 13, can have
said ends tapering in thickness, i.e. the dimension by which
they extend outwardly from the respective web 3 or 4.
Figure 3 shows that the wheels 12 are each mounted on
a respective axle comprising a bolt with a head 14 and a
threaded free end 15 engaged in a nut 16. Ball or roller bearings
17 are engaged in counter-bored end portions of a bore 18
of the wheel, are spaced apart by a tubular distance piece 19
and at their outer ends have their inner races bearing against
the inner end faces of a cylindrical portion 20 of the head 14
or a cylindrical portion 21 of the nut 16. The head 14 and
the nut 16 each have an outer disc-like portion 22, 23
respectively to bear against the outer face of the respective
web 3 or 4 with the cylindrical portion 20 or 21 a close
clearance fit in the respective aperture 11. Diametrically
opposite bores 24 are provided in each end face of the head or
nut 16 whereby a tool with a pair of projectiolls thereon can
be engaged with the head 13 or nut 16 to rotate it or to prevent
it from being rotated.
Further details of the bolt with its head 14 and the
nut 16 are shown in Figures 8 to 11.

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Instead of the bores 24 a transverse groove could
be provided in which a conventional screwdriver could be
engaged.
Figures 12 and 13 show that a wheel 12a may comprise
an inner core member 25 having a bore 26 at its mid portion,
counter-bores 27 and 28 at its ends and a circumferentially
extending rib 29 around its mid portion. A tyre 30 is provided
around the core member 25. The core member 25 and tyre 30 can
both be fored of a urethane material such that the tyre 30 can
be bonded to the core member 25 to prevent relative movement
therebetween. Thus, upon forming of the tyre 30 on the
previously formed core member 25, the material at the surface
of the core member 25 to which the tyre is applied, melts and
fuses with the tyre material. It is not however essential
that the core member 25 and tyre 30 bond together and other
materials than urethane may be used, for example glass filled
nylon.
The extent by which the circumferentially extending
rib 29 extends radially can be varied to suit the use for which
the wheel is intended, that is to say by having only a short
radial projection for the rib 29, the wheel can have a
considerable portion of the tyre 30 covering the radially outer
face of the rib 29 to give a relatively resilient wheel or by
increasing the radial extent of the rib 29 to that shown in
Figure 12 or even completely to the tread surface of the tyre 30,
the resilience of the wheel can be reduced thereby assisting
high speed skating. If the radial extent of the rib 29 is
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liS~743~
sufficiently large, transverse bores 35, that is to say
extending parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel,
may be provided in the rib 29. Upon moulding of the tyre 30,
the material of the tyre will fill the transverse bores 35
to hold the two side portions of the tyre together. With
such a construction, bonding of the tyre 30 to the core
member 25 may not be required.
The tubular distance piece 19 for the wheel 12 of
Figure 3, or the wheel 12a of Figure 12 and 13 is shown in
Figure 14.
A further embodiment of an axle is shown in
Figure 15 comprising a stud 31 with a screw threaded socket
32 in each end and a pair of screw nuts 33 each having a head
34 with only a small axial extent. q'he stud 31 is of a length
equal to the distance between the outer faces of the webs 3
and 4 and the apertures in the webs 3 or 4 to receive the
axle 31 are of a size to receive the axle 31 with minimum
clearance. The heads oE the screw nuts 33 bear against the
outer faces of the webs 3 and 4. Apertures of the kind shown
at 24 in Figures 1, 9 and 11 are provided in the outer faces
of the heads 34 of the screw nuts 33 and washers (not shown)
are providèd between the inner faces of the webs 3 and 4 and the
bearings for the wheels~
Table X shows the dimensions in millimeteres of the
distance A between the axis of the rear axle and the axis
of the middle axle, the distance B between the axis of the
middle axle and the axis of the front axle~ the overall length C
from the back of the heel plate 1 to the front of the sole plate
2 and the distance D by which the axis of the middle axle is
spaced below a line joining the axes of the front and rear

~15~ 3
axles. It further shows the sum of A and B, the difference
between A and B, the resultant of A I B and also A ~ B
expressed as a percentage of C for each of seven different
sizes of chassis for different sizes of boot.
The dimension between the inner faces of the webs
3 and 4 is preferably 39 mm. Each wheel preferably has a
width of 36 mm, the outside diameter of the core 25,
neglecting the rib 29, is 25 mm and the outside diameter -
of the wheel is either 55 mm or 61 mm. The outside diameter
of the rib 29 is preferably 45 mm or less leaving at least
8 mm thickness of tyre 30 thereover for the 61 mm diameter
wheel and 5 mm thickness of tyre for the 55 mm diameter
wheel. The material used for moulding the tyre 30 will vary
according to the particular application intended for the
wheel but for the hardest wheels preferably has a Shore
hardness of 85. The distance D is preferably 3 mm.
Referring to Figures 8 to ].1, the head 14 of the
bolt and the nut 16 each have a maximum diameter of 18 mm,
the portion 22 is of 1 mm thickness, the portion 20 has an
axial length of 4 mm and a diameter of 12 mm and the bolt
has an overall length of 45 mm.
Referring to Figures 16 to 19, and firstly to
Figure 19, a blank 51 is shown as stamped from a planar
steel plate. Subsequent to ~amping out the plate 51, the
plate is bent along two parallel bend lines indicated at
52 and 53 to form the shape shown in Figures 16 to 18, that
is to say having a heel plate 54, a sole plate 55 and
downwardly directed parallel webs 56 and 57. It will be seen
that portions 58 of the sole plate 55 project laterally
beyond the final positions of the webs 56, 57. Subsequent
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~IL50~7~3
to bending the webs 56, 57 out of the plane of the sole plates
54 and 55, apertures 59 are drilled to form mountings for axles
for wheels 12a, the positions of which wheels 12a are indicated
by dotted lines in Figure 16. The apertures 59 are drilled
with the skate held in a jig such that axles extending through ~ -
the aligned pairs of the apertures 59 will be accurately
parallel to one another. Weight reducing apertures 61 are
formed in the sole plate 55 and heel plate 54 ky the original
stamping as are holes 62 to receive screws whereby the skate
may be secured to a boot. Initial stamping also deforms a
front end portion of the sole plate 55 to form a recess 63 in the
upper face, the recess being angles so that a mount for a toe
stop can subsequently be secured by screwing, welding or riveting
to the front end of the sole plate 55 at the underside thereof
in a manner and at a location similar to that shown in Figures 1
and 2.
me skate of Figures 16 to 19 is in accordance with the
dimensions of Table X.
Figure 2 shows that at least the middle wheel ~2 of each
skate may be forcedin two equal halves with the plane of the
joint 12b between the two halves extending perpendicular to
the axis of rotation of the wheel and with each half wheel
preferably being provided with two bearings.

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TABLE X "~
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DIMENSIONS IN
A ~ B
A ~ B as %
Boot Size A B C DA ~ B A - B A-~ B of C
9 to 11~ 78 66 190 2.5 - 4.5 144 12 .083 75.8
12 to 1~ 86 73 210 2.5 - 4.5 159 13 .082 75.7
2 to 4~ 94 80 230 2.5 - 4.5 174 14 .081 75.6
5 to 7~ 102 87 205 2.5 - 4.5 1~9 15 .079 75.~
8 to 10 111 94 270 2.5 - 4.5 205 17 .082 75.9
10~to 11~118 101 290 2.5 - 4.5 219 17 .078 75.5 `
12 to 13127 108 310 2.5 - 4.5 235 19 .081 75.8
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