Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02230635 1998-02-27
In-line roller skate with a lace cover
Field of the invention
The inventiion relates to in-line roller skates, and more particularly to an
in-line
roller skate having a lace cover.
Back4round of the invention
Over the past few years roller skating and particularly in-line roller skating
has
enjoyed any immense resurgence in popularity. No longer limited to indoor
rings
specifically designed for that purpose, skating today has become an outdoor
leisure activity, an economic and healthy means of transportation, and a
competitive sport.
The changes in the nature of skating have necessitated appropriate changes in
the design and manufacture of the skates themselves. Today's skaters demand
skates which are much lighter in weight and easier to control than the
traditional
bi-axle qu2~d-wheeled skates of the past.
The original design of the modern in-line skate was relatively simple.
Generally,
such skate, consisted of a wheel frame attached to a skate boot. The skate
boot itself was based on either an ice skate boot or on a downhill ski boot.
The
former had a relatively flat sole interfacing with the planar surface of the
foot
and made from conventional material such as a thermoplastic rubber, while the
latter was i:ypically a molded plastic boot having an integral structure.
A first types of conventional roller skate boot comprises a boot upper sewn to
a
sole. The sole interfaces with and protects the plantar surface of the foot
while
the boot upper surrounds and secures the remaining portions of the foot (e.g.
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dorsal porllion) instep. Soles may either be formed from a layer of a single
material or' from several layers of a single or different materials. In the
latter
case, the Layers are bonded together to form a laminate. In both cases, at any
particular point on the sole, the materials) of which the sole is formed is
(are)
identical to that (those) at every (or almost every) other point on the sole.
The
second type of boot comprises a molded lower, attached to a frame, and a
molded upper, provided on top of the lower.
The wheel frame typically consisted of two parallel rails connected by a
bridging
l0 portion to form a long inverted "U"-shaped structure. The wheels would be
mounted within the frame by being rotatably mounted on the rails. The bridging
portion served to connect the rails together and acted as a point of
attachment
for the wheel frame to the skate boot. In this respect, the bridging portion
was
also generally flat. It would interface with the underside of the boot sole
and
would be secured thereto by suitable fasteners, such as bolts or rivets. A
relatively thin planar attachment plate might have been placed between the
frame and the sole in some skates.
Today, several types of in-line roller skates are manufactured, each one
corresponding to a specific use. For instance, one can find skates
specifically
designed for speeding.
Among they newest types of skates, the so-called "aggressive" skate is
probably
the one that is the most subject to severe and though conditions. Indeed, the
skaters use their skates to slide on ramps or other similar structure types
for
instance. The most performing skaters even realize style figures while sliding
down. Such uses are very demanding for the skates, in particular for the boot
and frame, which must bear very intensive friction forces. If standard skates
are
chosen for such a use, premature wear appears very quickly.
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The laces are particularly exposed to such premature wear. This could even
lead to hazardous situations in which the lace breaks, leaving the boot
unsecured.
Considering the popularity of this type of skating, there is a strong demand
for
an in-line roller skate better adapted to these extremely severe conditions,
in
particular v~rith enhanced protection for the lace.
Objects and statement of the invention
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a roller skate specifically
adapted
to the "aggressive" type of skating.
It is another object of the invention to provide a roller skate offering
protection
against wear for the lace.
As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a roller
skate
comprising an elongated frame, a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted to said
frame, and a footwear element mounted to said frame to accommodate a
skater's foot, wherein said boot is provided with a lace cover. The lace cover
is
preferably made of wear resistant material.
This arrangement is of particular interest with a skate designed for a rough
environment or rough conditions, for instance to slide along ramps.
Considering
the extreme friction forces to which the footwear element is subject, it is
highly
required to~ have a protection over the lace. The cover avoids any damage that
might occur to the lace. It also avoids that the lace hits any obstacles or
the like,
that might .stand on the sliding or skating path.
The cover is preferably made of woven material, for increased resistance.
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Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent by reference
to the following description and the drawings.
Brief description of the drawings
A detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention
is
provided hereinbelow, by way of example only, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
l0 Figure 1 is. a perspective view illustrating a skater sliding along a ramp;
Figure 2 is~ an enlarged perspective view of a skate sliding along a ramp;
Figure 3 is a side elevational view illustrating an in-line skate sliding
along a
ramp or the like;
Figure 4 is. a perspective view of the in-line skate according to the
invention.
In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way
of examples. It is to be expressly understood that the description and
drawings
are only for the purpose of illustration and are an aid for understanding.
They
are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.
Detailed description of preferred embodiments
In figures 1 to 3 examples of skating surfaces used with "aggressive skating"
are shown. For instance, various positions are shown of a skate sliding along
a
ramp or other similar structure. In such positions, the standard load
supporting
elements, namely the wheels, are less or not used. The load is for instance
supported by the frame andlor the boot. The rolling motion is also replaced by
a
sliding motion. The components in contact with the sliding surface are thus
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subject to wear. In some situations, the lace could be temporarily in contact
with
the sliding surface, causing important wear.
Figure 4 better illustrates the skate according to the invention. A roller
skate 10
comprises a footwear element 20 and a wheel frame 50 connected to the
footwear element. The footwear element may comprise a liner 20 and a shell 30
surrounding the lower portion of the liner. The frame comprises two parallel
rails
and the wheels 14 are conventionally rotatably mounted within the frame. The
frame may be made with any lightweight material providing sufficient rigidity,
for
to instance aluminum, plastic, composite, etc.
The boot 20 is provided with a lace cover, preferably made of wear resistant
material, such as a composite, for instance a neoprenlplastic material. In
other
embodiments, the cover is preferably made of plastic or metallic woven
material. The cover is preferably made of woven material. It is preferably
connectedl to the boot in the lower portion of the lacing area. It could also
be
connected laterally to the boot on one side of the lacing area.
Attachment straps 37 may be provided, for instance at the top portion of the
cover, to secure it over the lace. Otherwise, the cover could also be provided
with other types of securing means, such as hoop and loop fasteners (Velcro)
or
the like.
The abovE: description of preferred embodiments should not be interpreted in a
limiting manner since other variations, modifications and refinements are
possible vvithin the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of
the
invention is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
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