Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MOTION DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
01 A typical roller skate or in-line skate converts the sideways motion of the
skater into
forward motion, much like the motion used in a typical ice skate. While this
type of motion is
useful for propelling the skater forward, the skater typically also exerts
downward pressure on
the forward part of the skate. In a typical skate, this downward pressure is
not used to optimal
effect in creating forward motion. Also, in the case of in-line skates and ice
skates, the
balance required of the skater also demands additional energy from the skater
to maintain
stability.
02 Other types of wheeled vehicles, such as skate boards and scooters, tend to
require an
expenditure of energy without using the rider's weight and shifting motion to
optimal effect in
moving the vehicle forward.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
03 According to an aspect of the invention, a device comprises movable arms
attached to
a base of a vehicle at a pivot, the pivot forming a forwardly and downwardly
extending axis,
and the movable arms terminating in ground-contacting supports. According to a
further
aspect of the invention, the ground-contacting supports are biased towards a
positive camber
and toe out position and extendable towards a zero camber and zero toe when a
downward
force is applied to the device.
04 The ground-contacting supports may be wheels or ice skate blades. Each of
the
movable arms may be attached by a pivot. The pivot may be located on a
projection
extending from the base of the vehicle. The movable arms may be of unitary
construction and
formed from a flexible, resilient material.
OS The device may be applied to various modes of transportation, such as
skates,
skateboards and scooters.
06 These and other aspects of the invention are set out in the claims, which
are
incorporated here by reference.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
07 Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference
to the
figures, in which like reference characters denote like elements, by way of
example, and in
which:
Fig. 1 is a front view of a roller skate according to one embodiment of the
invention;
Fig. 1 A is a front view of an alternate embodiment of the device in a biased
position;
Fig. I B is a top view of the device of Fig. I A;
Fig. 1 C is a front view of the device with movable arms of unitary
construction;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the roller skate in a biased position;
Fig. 3 is a side view of the roller skate in an extended position
Fig. 3A is a side view of a brake for a roller skate in a first, non-activated
position;
Fig. 3B is a side view of the brake of Fig. 3A in a second, activated
position;
Fig. 4 is a top view of the roller skate in a biased position;
Fig. 5 is a front view of an ice skate according to another embodiment of the
invention;
Fig. 6 is a side view of the ice skate in a biased position;
Fig. 7 is a side view of the ice skate in an extended position;
Fig. 8 is a side view of the device;
Fig. 9 a side view of a skateboard according to another embodiment of the
invention
Fig. 10 is a top view of the skateboard;
Fig. 1 I is a front view of the skateboard in a biased position;
Fig. 12 is a front view of the skateboard in an extended position;
Fig. 13 is a side view of a scooter according to another embodiment of the
invention.
Fig. 14 is a top view of the scooter;
Fig IS is a front view of the scooter in a biased position;
Fig.l6 is a front view of the base of the scooter in an extended position;
Fig. 17 is a side view of a projection for a skate board;
Fig. I 8 is a front view of the projection for a skate board;
Fig. 19 is a side view of a projection for a skate;
Fig. 20 is a front view of the projection for a skate;
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Fig. 21 is a side view of a further embodiment of a roller skate according to
the
invention;
Fig. 22 is a front view of the roller skate of Fig. 21 with the wheels
unweighted;
Fig. 23 is a bottom view of the roller skate of Fig. 21 with the wheels
weighted;
Fig. 24 is a side view of a further embodiment of a skate according to the
invention;
Fig. 25 is a front view of the skate of Fig. 24;
Fig. 26 is a bottom view of the skate of Fig. 24 with the blades unweighted;
and
Fig. 27 is a front view of the skate of Fig. 24 with the blades weighted.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
08 In the claims, the word "comprising" is used in its inclusive sense and
does not
exclude other elements being present. The indefinite article "a" before a
claim feature does
not exclude more than one of the feature being present. The term "ground-
contacting
support" includes a wheel, an ice skate blade, or other device that reduces
inertia and permits
forward motion. When the movable arms terminate in wheels, they may be
referred to as
"axles". The term "toe-in" refers to the condition when a pair of wheels or
ground-contacting
supports is set so that their leading edges are pointed slightly towards each
other when seen
from the top or below. The term "toe-out" refers to the condition when a pair
of wheels or
ground-contacting supports is set so that their leading edges are pointed
slightly away from
each other when seen from the top or below. "Zero toe" refers to the condition
when the
wheels or ground-contacting supports are parallel when seen from the top or
below, neither
pointing toward nor away from each other. Camber is the angle of the wheel or
ground-
contacting support relative to vertical, as viewed from the front or the rear
of the vehicle.
"Negative camber" refers to the condition when a wheel or ground-contacting
support leans
inwardly towards the center of the vehicle from the bottom to the top of the
wheel or ground-
contacting support. "Positive camber" refers to the condition when a wheel or
ground-
contacting support leans outwardly and away from the center of the vehicle
from the bottom
to the top of the wheel or ground-contacting support. "Zero camber" refers to
the condition
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when a wheel or ground-contacting support does not lean in either direction
and forms a 90
degree angle with the ground.
09 A device applied according to one embodiment of the invention is shown in
Figs. I to
3. A device 10 attaches to a skate 12 having a boot 13 with a sole 14. Movable
arms, or
axles, 16 are attached to the sole 14 at a pivot 18. The pivot 18 forms a
forwardly and
downwardly extending axis 19, as shown in Fig. 2. The pivot 18 is preferably a
removable pin
angled forwardly and downwardly, forming the forwardly and downwardly
extending axis 19.
The axis 19 formed by the pivot 18 forms an angle with the vertical that is
preferably greater
than 45 degrees between the pivot 18 and the vertical relative to the ground.
Seen in another
way, the axis 19 formed by the pivot 18 preferably forms an angle with the
base 34 that is
between 15 and 40 degrees under normal operating conditions, as shown in Fig.
8.. In a
preferred embodiment, the pivot 18 is located on a projection 20 extending
from the sole,
although the pivot 18 could be located on the sole 14 in some other fashion.
For ease of
manufacture, the use of a projection 20 is preferred.
The movable arms 16 terminate in ground-contacting supports 22, such as
wheels. Ice
skate blades, as shown in Figs. 5 to 7, could also be used, although wheels
are preferred. The
movable arms 16 and the ground-contacting supports 22 extend between a biased
position, as
seen in Figs. I, 1A, 1C, 2, and 4 and an extended position, as seen in Fig. 3
and in outline in
Figs. l, IA, IC, and 4. A biased position exists when a skater or rider is not
exerting
downward pressure on the pivot 18 by pushing down on the forward portion of
the skate 12,
as shown in Fig. 2. When the movable arms 16 and ground-contacting supports 22
are in a
biased position, the ground-contacting supports 22 toe out significantly and
have positive
camber.
1 1 The motion of the device is best seen in Fig.l and Fig. 4. As a skater
exerts downward
pressure, represented by G in Fig. 1, on the forward portion of the skate 12,
for example, and
therefore on the pivot 18, the movable arms 16 extend upwardly and outwardly
toward the
front of the skate until the ground-contacting supports 22 are substantially
parallel to each
other, as shown in Fig. 3, having zero toe and zero camber. When the skater
lessens or
altogether removes downward pressure on the forward portion of the skate, as
at the end of a
stride, the movable arms 16 and ground-contacting supports 22 move back to a
biased
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position where the ground-contacting supports 22 are again in a positive
camber and toe-out
position. It should be understood that the principle of operation is the same,
whether the
device 10 is attached to a skate, a skateboard, a scooter, or other vehicle.
12 Preferably, each of the movable arms 16 is attached by an independent pivot
18 to the
projection 20, as seen in Fig. 1. When the ground-contacting supports 22 are
wheels, the
wheels may be attached to the movable arms 16 by spindles 24, for example, or
otherwise
attached to the movable arms 16 so as to be free-wheeling. The movable arms 16
may be
formed from a single, curved, continuous piece of material that permits
flexing, so that as
downward pressure is applied to the front portion of the skate 12, the curved
material flexes
upwardly and outwardly until substantially straightened, as shown in Fig. 1C.
However,
preferably, the movable arms 16 are formed from separate workpieces for ease
of
manufacture and for better durability. When the movable arms 16 are separate
pieces, the
movable arms 16 are preferably made out of aluminum or other lightweight but
sturdy
material that can be machined or formed to close tolerances. The movable arms
16 are
preferably curved at the end above the pivots 18 where the movable arms 16
come together to
permit smooth movement and to prevent locking up.
13 As shown in Fig. 1A and IB, the movable arms 16 may be attached by a single
pivot
18, but for ease of manufacturing, independent pivots are preferred, since the
movable arms
16 can be made to be interchangeable and are more easily removed if a repair
needs to be
made to one of the movable arms 16.
14 Braces 26 made out of a resilient material, such as a silicon plastic, may
be attached to
the projection 20, or otherwise attached to abut the sole 14 and the movable
arms 16 to exert a
downward force on the movable arms 16, pushing the movable arms 16 together to
the biased
position. Other methods of pulling the movable arms inwardly and toward each
other may be
employed, such as a spring or other resilient attachment capable of stretching
between a
biased position and an extended position, although braces 26 are preferred.
The biasing force is preferably less than the weight of the user, which
permits the
ground-contacting supports to arrive at a position where they have zero camber
and zero toe
when downward pressure is applied to the pivot. The biasing force may be
greater than the
weight of the user, such that the ground-contacting supports 22 never reach
zero camber and
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zero toe. However, a biasing force greater than the weight of the user is not
preferred, since it
is preferable to have the ground-contacting supports 22 arrive at a position
where the ground-
contacting supports 22 have zero toe and zero camber, so as to achieve optimal
propulsion
from the application of downward pressure on the pivot 18.
16 A rear-contacting support 28, such as a wheel, may be attached to the sole
14 of the
skate 12 toward the rear of the skate 12 by a spur 30 to provide stability and
to enhance
forward motion. A brake 32 may be attached to the spur 32 behind the rear-
contacting
support 28. The brake 32 may be slightly oblong, as shown in Fig. 2, or
otherwise shaped, as
in Figs. 3A and 3B such that when pressure is applied to the rear of the skate
12, the brake 32
may flip toward the wheel to exert an additional braking force on the wheel.
It should be
understood that additional rear ground-contacting supports could be used, such
as multiple
wheels. However, in a preferred embodiment, one support is adequate for the
purpose. Other
methods of attaching a rear ground-contacting support could be employed.
17 It should be understood that even when a skater is at rest and standing on
both skates
10, downward pressure is exerted on the forward portion of the skates 10,
which would result
in causing the movable arms 16 to move upwardly and outwardly in a forward
direction,
propelling the skater forward. However, the skater will move more quickly and
efficiently by
lifting a skate at a time in turns in a conventional skating stride. Also,
movable arms 16 could
be attached by a pivot 18 to the rear of the skate, with an additional ground-
contacting support
attached to the front of the skate, in which case, downward pressure on the
rear portion of the
skate would activate the movable arms. However, this is not preferred, since
the natural
tendency of a skater is to lean forward and apply pressure to the front
portion of the skate
rather than the rear portion.
18 A skate made according to the invention has the advantage of greater
stability than
that experienced with a traditional in-line skate or ice skate, and the skater
is also slightly
closer to the ground for more of the time because the wheels, for example,
attached to the
movable arms move upwardly toward the sole as downward pressure is exerted on
the front
portion of the skate.
19 It should also be understood that the device 10 may be attached to a base
34 of any
type of vehicle suitable for the purpose, as shown in Fig. 1A, Fig. 1C, and
Fig. 8. For
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example, as shown in Figs. 9 to 12, one or more devices 10 having movable
arms, or axles, 16
attached by pivots 18 forming a forwardly and downwardly extending axis 19 and
terminating in ground-contacting supports 22, such as wheels, may be attached
to a
skateboard 36. Also, in contrast to the device 10 as used on skates, for a
skateboard 36, the
device 10 preferably has a steel spring 38 made of spring steel or other
resilient means
attached to the movable arms 16 to pull the arms together into a biased
position when
downward pressure is not being applied to the device 10.
20 As shown in Figs. 13 to 16, a device 10 having movable arms, or axles, 16
may be
attached at a pivot to a scooter 40 having a handlebar assembly 42 and a body
44. The
handlebar assembly 42 may be attached to a handle pivot 46 so as to adjust the
angle of the
handle to enhance the effects of applying downward pressure on the device.
Preferably, the
device 10 is attached to the handlebar assembly 42 and not to the body 44 of
the scooter 40.
As such, by pulling back on the handlebar assembly 42, the axis 19 extending
forwardly and
downwardly formed by the pivot 18 approaches an angle of 90 degrees with the
vertical, or
put another way, is substantially horizontal with the body 44 of the scooter
40., which may be
preferable on certain kinds of terrain, such as a downward slope, or under
certain operating
conditions, whether to increase or decrease speed, since a horizontal axis
will cause the
wheels to have zero toe and zero camber.
21 Preferably, the handlebar assembly 42 is connected to the body 44 of the
scooter 40 by
the handle pivot 46 being connected to a coupling 48, with the coupling 48
being connected to
the body of the scooter 44 by a pin 50 or similar method of attachment,
permitting rotation of
the handlebar assembly 42 from side to side so as to be steerable. Similarly
to the skateboard,
the device 10 has a steel spring 38 attached to the movable arms, or axles, 16
to draw the
movable arms 16 together when downward pressure is not being applied to the
device 10.
22 Figs. 17 to 20 show the projection of the device with some preferred
measurements for
constructing the device. Numerals showing all distances are measured in
millimeters. Figs.
17 and 18 show preferred machining or casting measurements for the projection
when used
with a skateboard, Figs. 19 and 20 show preferred machining or casting
measurements for the
projection when used with skates. It should be understood that the movable
arms 16 could be
attached by a pivot 18 to a base in some other fashion than by using a
projection 20, but for
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ease of manufacturing, and for adequate clearance of wheels or other ground-
contacting
supports, use of a projection 20 is preferable.
23 Figs. 21, 22 and 23 shows a further embodiment of a roller skate. Roller
skate 62 has
movable arms 64 attached to a base 66 of the skate 62 at a pivot 68 held in a
pedestal 69. The
pivot 68 forms a forwardly and downwardly extending axis 70. The movable arms
64
connect through connecting arms 72 to terminate at opposed rearward and
forward ends of the
arms 72 in ground-contacting wheels 74. Angle ~3 is the angle of the axis 70
to the base 68 and
is provided to give a desired degree of splaying of the wheels 74, and may for
example be
between 15 and 40 degrees. Angle a is the angle formed by the arms 64 with the
horizontal in
the unweighted position, and may also be between 15 and 40 degrees. Spring 76
is secured
to both arms 64 to urge the arms away from the base 66. In the unweighted
position shown in
Fig. 22 in dark outline, gravity or spring 76 biases the wheels towards a
positive camber and
toe-out position. In the weighted position shown in Fig. 22 in outline, and in
Fig. 23, the arms
64 move up towards the base 66 and thus extend towards a zero camber and zero
toe position.
The weighted of a person provides the weight or downward force required to
bias the arms to
the position shown in Fig. 23. In this embodiment, only a single pair of arms
64 are required.
The distance M from the front of the skate to the center of the pivot 68 can
be at a variable
position and may be closer to the front of the skate than to the back. The
distance K from the
pivot 68 to the center of the forward wheel 74 and the distance L from the
pivot 68 to the rear
wheels 74 may be adjusted for best performance of the skate.
24 As a person weights a skate in operation, the front wheels tend to move
inward and the
rear wheels tend to move outward, thus assisting in pushing the skate 62
forward. The arms
64 should be stopped from moving beyond being parallel with each other in the
weighted
position, so that they extend opposite to each other. This can be achieved for
example by
having the inner faces of the arms 64 abut against each other at the pivot. As
shown in Fig.
23, the arms 64 may dovetail with each other to share the same pivot. but the
skate 62 may
pivot in relation to the arms 64 in this flat position, by suitably designing
the pedestal 69, for
example, by permitting the arms 64 some play up and down in the weighted
position or by
making the pedestal 69 flexible, or itself pivoted on the base 66.
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25 Referring to Figs. 24, 25, 26 and 27, there is shown a further embodiment,
this time an
ice skate 82, according to the invention. The ice skate 82 has movable arms 84
attached to a
base 86 of the skate 92 at a pivot 88, with the pivot 88 held in a pedestal
89. The pivot 88
forms a forwardly and downwardly extending axis. The moveable arms 64
terminate in
ground-contacting blades. In the unweighted position shown in outline in Fig.
25 and in Fig.
26, the blades 90 are biased by gravity or spring 92 to tilt outward towards
the front and
downward (positive camber and toe out). In the weighted position, the blades
90 form a flat
parallel running position, namely zero camber and zero toe position.
26 Immaterial modifications may be made to the embodiments of the invention
described
here without departing from the invention.
