Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02488419 2004-11-24
CLEAR ICE SKATE BLADE HOLDER
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a clear blade holder for an ice skate.
Background of the invention
An ice skate typically includes a skate boot for receiving a foot of a user,
an ice skate
1o blade for engaging an ice surface, and a blade holder holding the ice skate
blade and
attached to the skate boot.
A blade holder is usually made of a rigid polymeric material and is hollow in
construction, for weight considerations. Normally, a blade holder is opaque
and of a
specific color such as black or white. Some blade holders have been made of
transparent
material but have enjoyed limited success in the industry.
Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for improvements in the
appearance of ice
skate blade holders and, more particularly, for a clear ice skate blade holder
with
customizable visual characteristics.
Summary of the invention
In accordance with a first broad aspect, the invention provides a blade holder
comprising
a body having a top portion for attachment to a skate boot and a bottom
portion for
receiving an ice skate blade. The body is at least partly made of a clear
material and
defines a cavity. The blade holder also comprises a graphical element inside
the cavity
and visible through the clear material.
In accordance with a second broad aspect, the invention provides a blade
holder
comprising a body at least partly made of a clear material and comprising a
front pedestal
CA 02488419 2004-11-24
with a front inner surface, a rear pedestal with a rear inner surface, and a
bridge portion
interconnecting the front and rear pedestals. The front and rear inner
surfaces define
respective front and rear cavities. The blade holder also comprises a
graphical element
inside one of the front and rear cavities, the graphical element being visible
through the
s clear material.
In accordance with a third broad aspect, the invention provides a method of
customizing
a blade holder. The method comprises providing to a customer a blade holder
body being
at least partly made of a clear material and defining a cavity. The method
also comprises
1o providing to the customer a plurality of graphical elements, and selecting
a graphical
element from the plurality of graphical elements. The method further comprises
mounting
the graphical element inside the cavity of the blade holder body such that the
graphical
element is visible through the clear material.
15 In accordance with a fourth broad aspect, the invention provides a method
of customizing
a blade holder. The method comprises providing to a customer a blade holder
body being
at least partly made of a clear material and comprising a front pedestal with
a front inner
surface, a rear pedestal with a rear inner surface, and a bridge portion
interconnecting the
front and rear pedestals, the front and rear inner surfaces defining
respective front and
2o rear cavities. The method also comprises providing to the customer a
plurality of
graphical elements, and selecting a graphical element from the plurality of
graphical
elements. The method further comprises mounting the graphical element inside
one of
the front and rear cavities such that the graphical element is visible through
the clear
material.
In accordance with a fifth broad aspect, the invention provides a method of
customizing
a blade holder. The method comprises providing to a customer a blade holder
body being
at least partly made of a clear material and comprising a front pedestal with
a front inner
surface, a rear pedestal with a rear inner surface, and a bridge portion
interconnecting the
3o front and rear pedestals, the front and rear inner surfaces defining
respective front and
rear cavities. The method also comprises providing to the customer a plurality
of
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graphical elements, and selecting a graphical element selected from the
plurality of
graphical elements. The method further comprises affixing the graphical
element on one
of the front and rear surfaces such that the graphical element is visible
through the clear
material.
In accordance with a sixth broad aspect, the invention provides a method of
customizing
a blade holder. The method comprises providing to a customer a blade holder
body being
at least partly made of a clear material and comprising a front pedestal with
a front inner
surface, a rear pedestal with a rear inner surface, and a bridge portion
interconnecting the
to front and rear pedestals, the front and rear inner surfaces defining
respective front and
rear cavities. The method also comprises providing to the customer a plurality
of
graphical elements, and selecting a graphical element from the plurality of
graphical
elements. The method further comprises painting the graphical element on one
of the
front and rear surfaces such that the graphical element is visible through the
clear
t5 material.
These and other aspects and features of the present invention will now become
apparent
to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description
of specific
embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Brief description of the drawings
A detailed description of embodiments of the present invention is provided
herein below,
by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ice skate including a blade holder in
accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the blade holder shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective exploded view of the blade holder shown in Figure 2;
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Figure 4 is a top view of the blade holder shown in Figure 2;
Figure 5 is a side elevation view of the blade holder shown in Figure 2;
Figure 6 is a bottom view of the blade holder shown in Figure 2;
Figure 7 is a front elevation view of the blade holder shown in Figure 2; and
Figure 8 is a rear elevation view of the blade holder shown in Figure 2.
to
In the drawings, the 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.
IS
Detailed description
Figure 1 shows an ice skate 10 having a blade holder 12 in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. The blade holder 12 has an ice skate blade 14 and
is
2o attached to a skate boot 16 of the ice skate 10.
Referring to Figures 2 to 8, the blade holder 12 comprises a body 13 having a
top portion
20 for attachment to the skate boot 16 and a bottom portion 22 for receiving
the ice skate
blade 14. The body 13 has a front portion 24, a rear portion 26, and a bridge
portion 28
25 interconnecting the front portion 24 and the rear portion 26. In the
illustrated
embodiment, the front portion 24 is configured as a front pedestal, the rear
portion 26 is
configured as a rear pedestal, and the bridge portion 28 has a plurality of
apertures 29 for
reducing the weight of the body 13 of the blade holder 12. The upper edges of
the
apertures 29 follow a concave imaginary line while the lower edges of the
apertures 29
3o follow a generally straight imaginary line.
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The top portion 20 has a front top portion 21 located on the front portion 24
and a rear
top portion 23 located on the rear portion 26. Each one of the front top
portion 21 and the
rear top portion 23 is adapted to be attached to a sole of the skate boot 16
using fasteners
such as rivets, bolts, or other suitable fasteners. The bottom portion 22 has
a longitudinal
slot 25 for receiving the ice skate blade 14.
It is to be understood that multiple other configurations are possible for the
body of the
blade holder without departing from the scope of the invention.
to The front portion 24 is made of a clear material and defines a front cavity
30. The rear
portion 26 is also made of the clear material and defines a rear cavity 32. In
fact, in the
illustrated embodiment, the entire body 13 of the blade holder 12 is made of
the clear
material. However, it is to be understood that, in other embodiments, only
certain
portions of the body 13 of the blade holder 12 may be made of a clear material
while
other portions may not be made of a clear material. For example, in a specific
embodiment, each one of the front portion 24 and the rear portion 26 may be
made of a
clear material while the bridge portion 28 may not be made of a clear
material.
The clear material is a material capable of being seen through. The clear
material can be
2o colorless or colored. Also, the clear material can include a first region
characterized by
a first degree of transparency and a second region characterized by a second
degree of
transparency different from the first degree of transparency. The different
degrees of
transparency can be achieved, for instance, by a different surface finish or
thickness of
the first and second regions. The clear material may be a polymeric material
such as,
Acrylic, clear polymer or polycarbonate.
The body 13 of the blade holder 12 can be manufactured using known processes,
including but not limited to an injection molding process.
3o The blade holder 12 also comprises a front graphical element 34 inside the
front cavity
and visible through the clear material of the front portion 24, and a rear
graphical
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element 36 inside the rear cavity 32 and visible through the clear material of
the rear
portion 26. More specifically, the front graphical element 34 is characterized
by at least
one of a colored area, a mark, a symbol, and a logo visible through the clear
material of
the front portion 24. Similarly, the rear graphical element 36 is
characterized by at least
one of a colored area, a mark, a symbol, and a logo visible through the clear
material of
the rear portion 26.
In the illustrated embodiment, the front graphical element 34 is a front
insert 38 disposed
inside of the front cavity 30, and the rear graphical element 36 is a rear
insert 40 disposed
1o inside of the rear cavity 32. The front insert 38 may have a contour
following an inner
surface 42 of the front portion 24 defining the front cavity 30. The front
insert 38 may
also have a flange 48 that at least partially overlies the front top portion
21 such that
attachment of the front top portion 21 to the sole of the skate boot 14
secures the front
insert 38 inside the front cavity 30. Alternatively, the front insert 38 may
be affixed, for
instance by being glued, to the inner surface 42 of the front portion 24.
Similarly, the rear
insert 40 may have a contour following an inner surface 44 of the rear portion
26 defining
the rear cavity 32, and may have a flange 49 that at least partially overlies
the rear top
portion 23 such that attachment of the rear top portion 23 to the sole of the
skate boot 14
secures the rear insert 40 inside the rear cavity 32.
The front insert 38 may be of a first color, while the rear insert 40 may have
a second
color different from the first color. As noted previously, various other
visual
characteristics can be included on each one of the front and rear inserts 38
and 40 without
departing from the scope of the invention.
Each one of the front and rear inserts 3 8, 40 may be made of a polymeric
material such
as, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyurethane or polypropylene, polycarbonate.
These front
and rear inserts 38, 40 may also be made of carbon, fiberglass, titanium,
aluminum,
Kevlar, paper, cardboard or foam. Alternatively, each one of the front and
rear inserts 38,
40 may be made of a composite material or any other suitable material. The
inserts 38,
may be manufactured using known processes, including but not limited to
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thermoforming, blow molding or injection molding.
In other embodiments, the front graphical element 34 is applied directly on
the inner
surface 42 defining the front cavity 30. Similarly, the rear graphical element
36 is applied
directly on the inner surface 44 of the rear portion 26 defining the rear
cavity 32. In a
specific embodiment, each one of the front and rear graphical elements 34, 36
is
implemented as paint applied to the inner surfaces 42, 44. For instance, the
paint can be
applied using a paintbrush or can be spray-paint. In another embodiment, the
front
graphical element 34 is a sticker affixed to the inner surface 42 and,
similarly, the rear
1o graphical element 36 is a sticker affixed to the inner surface 44. The
sticker affixed to
each one of the inner surfaces 42, 44 can be any type of sticker, including an
ink transfer
sticker which is initially applied on a surface and subsequently removed in
order to leave
a design on the surface.
In other embodiments, the front and rear graphical elements 34, 36 may be
colored foam
injected in the respective front and rear cavities 30, 32. In fact, the front
and rear
graphical elements may be made of a material that can be catalyzed to a liquid
foamed
state and which will cure relatively rapididly. One such material is
polyurethane.
2o Although the above description and Figures 2 to 8 illustrate specific
embodiments of the
front and rear graphical elements 34, 36, it is to be understood that various
other
embodiments of the front and rear graphical elements 34, 36 are possible
without
departing from the scope of the invention.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the combination of the
clear material
and the front and rear graphical elements 34, 36 allows the blade holder 12 to
be imparted
with various colors and/or other visual characteristics. Furthermore, the
front and rear
graphical elements 34, 36 are protected from abrasion and deterioration due to
impacts
since they are respectively located inside the front and rear cavities 30, 32.
Each one of the front and rear graphical elements 34 and 36 permits a
customization of
CA 02488419 2004-11-24
the appearance of the blade holder 12. A hockey store can therefore provide to
a customer
a blade holder body being at least partly made of a clear material and
comprising a front
pedestal with a front inner surface, a rear pedestal with a rear inner surface
and a bridge
portion interconnecting said front and rear pedestals, the front and rear
inner surfaces
defining respective front and rear cavities. The hockey store can also provide
to the
customer a plurality of graphical elements to be mounted into the front and
rear cavities
or the store may receive from the customer an indication of the graphical
elements that
are desired to be present on the blade holder. For example, the graphical
elements that are
desired to be present on the blade holder can include the main colors)
associated with
1 o the hockey team, the logo of the hockey team, and the number of the player
on the hockey
team. Based on the selected graphical elements, the store can provide the
front and rear
graphical elements such that the front graphical element includes a colored
area
containing the main colors) associated with the hockey team as well as the
logo of the
hockey team, and the rear graphical element includes a colored area containing
the main
colors) associated with the hockey team as well as the number of the hockey
player. The
graphical element may be affixed to the inner surface of the cavity or may be
painted on
this inner surface.
Although various embodiments have been illustrated, this was for the purpose
of
2o describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications will
become apparent
to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of the present invention,
which is
defined more particularly by the attached claims.
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