BASE STRUCTURE FOR ROLLER SKATES

STRUCTURE DE BASE POUR PATINS A ROULETTES

English Abstract

A base structure for a roller skate includes a base having at
least two compartments, a bottom plate secured to the base, and a
number of wheel assemblies each of which is mounted in an
associated compartment. The bottom plate includes a number of
blocks formed on the underside thereof, each block being
received in an associated compartment. Each wheel assembly
includes a pivotal seat having a first end secured to the underside
of the bottom plate, a wheel seat having a first end pivotally
connected to a second end of the pivotal seat, and a wheel
rotatably mounted to a second end of the wheel seat. Each wheel
seat may be pivoted to a storage position in the associated
compartment when not in use. When skating is required, each
wheel seat is pivoted to an operative position, in which each
wheel seat bears against an underside of an associated block
while the wheel rotatably attached to each wheel seat extends
beyond the base for skating.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN
EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE
DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A base structure for a roller skate, comprising:
a base having at least two compartments;
a bottom plate secured to the base and including an
underside and an upper side, the bottom plate further including a
corresponding number of blocks formed on the underside thereof,
each said block being received in an associated said compartment;
and
a corresponding number of wheel assemblies each of which
is mounted in an associated said compartment, each said wheel
assembly including a pivotal seat having a first end secured to the
underside of the bottom plate and a second end, a wheel seat
having a first end pivotally connected to the second end of the
pivotal seat and a second end, and a wheel rotatably mounted to
the second end of the wheel seat;
wherein each said wheel seat is pivotable between a first
operative position and a second storage position in the associated
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compartment, and wherein when each said wheel seat is in the
first operative position, each said wheel seat bears against an
underside of an associated said block while the wheel rotatably
attached to each said wheel seat extends beyond the base for
skating.
2. The base structure for a roller skate as claimed in claim 1,
further comprising a metallic reinforcing plate attached to the
upper side of the bottom plate, and further comprising a plurality
of fasteners for securely mounting the reinforcing plate and the
pivotal seats to the bottom plate.
3. The base structure for a roller skate as claimed in claim 2,
wherein the fasteners are bolts.
4. A roller skate, comprising:
a base having at least two compartments;
an upper having a lower portion attached to the base;
a bottom plate secured to the base and including an
underside and an upper side, the bottom plate further including a
corresponding number of blocks formed on the underside thereof,
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each said block being received in an associated said compartment;
and
a corresponding number of wheel assemblies each of which
is mounted in an associated said compartment, each said wheel
assembly including a pivotal seat having a first end secured to the
underside of the bottom plate and a second end, a wheel seat
having a first end pivotally connected to the second end of the
pivotal seat and a second end, and a wheel rotatably mounted to
the second end of the wheel seat;
wherein each said wheel seat is pivotable between a first
operative position and a second storage position in the associated
compartment, and wherein when each said wheel seat is in the
first operative position, each said wheel seat bears against an
underside of an associated said block while the wheel rotatably
attached to each said wheel seat extends beyond the base for
skating.
5. The roller skate as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a
metallic reinforcing plate attached to the upper side of the bottom
plate, and further comprising a plurality of. fasteners for securely
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mounting the reinforcing plate and the pivotal seats to the bottom
plate.
6. The skate as claimed in claim 5, wherein the fasteners are
bolts.
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Description

CA 02258980 1999-O1-27
Base Structure for Roller Skates
Background of the Invention
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a base structure for roller
skates.
2. Description of the Related Art
The wheels of a typical roller skate are fixed to an
underside of the roller skate, and the user has to wear a pair of
shoes (generally sport shoes) before putting the roller skates on.
The user cannot walk on rugged surfaces when wearing the roller
skates. Thus, the user faces troublesome actions of putting on and
taking off of the roller skates when he/she starts or stops skating.
Taiwan Utility Model Publication No. 339688 issued on
Sep. 1, 1998 discloses a roller skate includes a base and a number
of wheels that can be pivoted to storage positions in the base such
that the user may directly walk through rugged surfaces without
troublesome actions of taking off and re-putting on of the roller
skates. However, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the base 1
includes a number of shoulder sections 2 to which the wheel seats
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CA 02258980 1999-O1-27
3 may bear against. The shoulder sections 2 and the overall base 1
must be made of rigid material to support the user. As a result, the
user feels uncomfortable when standing on the rigid base. In
addition, the wheel assemblies are mounted to the base 1 via an
interior of an upper 4 that limits assembly of the wheel
assemblies.
The present invention is intended to provide a base
structure for roller skates that mitigates and/or obviates the above
problems.
Summary of the Invention
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a
base structure for roller skates in which the wheels may be stored
in the base structure, and assembly of the base structure is easy to
accomplish.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a
base structure for roller skates that causes no uncomfortable
feeling to the user during wearing.
A base structure for a roller skate in accordance with the
present invention comprises a base having at least two
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compartments, a bottom plate secured to the base, and a
corresponding number of wheel assemblies each of which is
mounted in an associated compartment. The bottom plate includes
a number of blocks formed on the underside thereof, each block
being received in an associated compartment. Each wheel
assembly includes a pivotal seat having a first end secured to the
underside of the bottom plate, a wheel seat having a first end
pivotally connected to a second end of the pivotal seat, and a
wheel rotatably mounted to a second end of the wheel seat. Each
wheel seat may be pivoted to a storage position in the associated
compartment when not in use. When skating is required, each
wheel seat is pivoted to an operative position, in which each
wheel seat bears against an underside of an associated block
while the wheel rotatably attached to each wheel seat extends
beyond the base for skating.
The base may be made of resilient and shock-absorbing
material as the base merely accommodates the wheel assemblies.
In addition, assembly of the base structure can be finished before
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CA 02258980 1999-O1-27
attaching the shoe upper to avoid assembly of the wheel
assemblies via the interior of the shoe upper.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a side view, partially sectioned, of a conventional
roller skate;
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a roller skate in
accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a side view, partially sectioned, of the roller skate
in accordance with the present invention, wherein the wheels are
in operative positions;
Fig. 4 is a side view similar to Fig. 3, wherein the wheels
are in storage positions;
Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of another
embodiment of the roller skate in accordance with the present
invention; and
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Fig. 6 is a side view, partially sectioned, of the roller skate
in Fig. 5.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, a roller skate in accordance
with the present invention generally includes a base or sole 11
having two compartments 12 and 13 defined therein, a bottom
plate 21 mounted to an upper side of the base 11, and two wheel
assemblies 31 and 35 attached to an underside of the bottom plate
21. As can be seen from Fig. 3, the compartment 12 receives the
wheel assembly 31, while the compartment 13 receives the wheel
assembly 3 5.
The bottom plate 21 includes two blocks 22 and 25 formed
on the underside thereof and a number of positioning holes 23.
Each wheel assembly 31, 35 includes a pivotal seat 34, 36 having
a first end attached to the underside of the bottom plate 21 by
means of extending fasteners (e.g., bolts 24) through associated
positioning holes 23 in the bottom plate 23 and positioning holes
39 in the pivotal seat 34, 36. Each pivotal seat 34, 36 further
includes a second end to which an end of a wheel seat 33, 37 is
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CA 02258980 1999-O1-27
pivotally connected. The other end of each wheel seat 33, 37
includes a wheel 32 rotatably mounted thereto.
In assembly, the pivotal seats 34 and 36 are attached to the
underside of the bottom plate 21 by the bolts 24, and the bottom
plate 21 is then secured to the base 11 by e.g., an adhesive agent.
The base structure of the present invention can be attached to an
upper 41 after assembly of the base structure of the present
invention. The upper 41 includes an interior 42 for receiving a
foot of the user.
When the wheel seats 33 and 37 are pivoted to extend
beyond the base 11, the wheel seats 33 and 37 bear against
undersides of the blocks 22 and 25, respectively. Thus, the roller
skate may perform its skating function, as shown in Fig. 3. When
the wheel seats 33 and 37 are pivoted to the storage positions
shown in Fig. 4, the roller skate can be used as a normal shoe
such that the user may walk through rugged roads or surfaces.
The bottom plate 21 and the blocks 22 and 25 are made of
rigid material (e.g., semi-rigid plastic material) to reliably
support the skater during skating. The base 11 may be made of
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CA 02258980 1999-O1-27
resilient and shock-absorbing material as the base 11 merely
accommodates the wheel assemblies 31 and 35.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate another embodiment of the
invention, wherein a reinforcing plate 51 is secured to an upper
side of the bottom plate 21 by means of extending the screws 24
through positioning holes 52 in the reinforcing plate 51. The
reinforcing plate 51 is made of rigid material, e.g., metal to
provide additional support for the pivotal seats 34 and 36.
According to the above description, it is appreciated that
the base structure for roller skates in accordance with the present
invention may completely accommodate the wheel assemblies
when not skating such that the base may be made of resilient and
shock-absorbing material to provide a comfortable wearing for
the user. In addition, the base structure may be assembled before
attaching to an upper. The assembly procedure is easier.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to
its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other
possible modifications and variations can be made without
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departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter
claimed.
s

Representative Drawing