Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR ICE SKATE BLADES
The present invention relates to an ice skate blade and support for the
blade which attaches the blade to a skate boot.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Common ice skates used in skating have an elongate blade which is
arranged to slide along the ice surface. Attempts to minimise the friction
between
the blade and the ice using heat are shown a number of US patents. The blade
when of the heated type also must be mounted in an effective manner which
takes
into account the provision of the heating and control circuits which become
part of
US Patent 3,119,921 (Czaja) issued November 2nd 1962 discloses a
resistant heating element attached along a top of the blade on a skate with a
battery
mounted in the open area above the blade underneath the connection of the
blade
to the boot.
US Patent 3,866,927 (Tvengsberg) issued February 18th discloses a
similar arrangement.
US Patent 5,441,305 (Tabar) issued August 15th 1995 discloses a
heating system primarily for skis which appears to be speculative in nature
and
includes a number of different arrangements which could be used.
US Patents 6,669,209 issued December 30th 2003, 6,817,618 issued
November 16th 2004 and 6,988,735 issued January 24th 2006 all by Furzer an all
assigned to the present assignee disclose various arrangements of heated skate
blade.
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US Patent 5,088,749 (Olivieri) issued February 18th 1992 discloses a
skate blade mounting system where a metal blade has hook portions along its
top
edge which are pulled tight onto the molded plastic base by a screw and lever
arrangement.
US Patent 5,248,156 (Cann) issued September 28th 1993 discloses a
skate blade with a replaceable runner which is hooked at the font end and
fastened
by a screw at the rear.
US Patent 5,769,434 (Wurthner) issued July 23rd 1998 discloses a
skate blade formed of a plastics material with a metal runner.
US Patent 6,523,835 (Lyden) issued February 25th 2003 discloses a
skate blade system where the blade can be manufactured from various composites
and can be mounted using a hinging system.
US Published Application 2005/0029755 (Fask) published February
10th 2005 discloses a skate blade including an injection molded steel runner
which is
screw fastened onto a plastic holder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an ice skate assembly
for attachment to a boot and particularly a mounting arrangement therefor.
According to the present invention there is provided a combination for
attachment to a skate boot, comprising:
a skate blade member;
a support for the skate blade member having a bottom slot member
defining a downwardly facing slot for receiving the blade member in fixed
position
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along the slot, a front tower member and a rear tower member each extending
upwardly from the bottom slot member to a top portion for attachment to the
skate
boot;
wherein the blade member comprises a rigid metal blade and an over-
molding of a plastics material molded onto sides of the blade so that the
plastics
over-molding material is attached to the blade with a bottom edge of the blade
exposed below the over-molding material;
the over-molding material being wider than the blade so as to have
side surfaces adjacent an upper edge thereof each projecting outwardly to a
respective side of the blade;
the blade member being separate from and removable from the slot;
the over-molding material being molded to form a shape in transverse
cross-section for engaging into the slot such that said side surfaces of the
over-
molding material engage sides of the slot to hold the blade member in place
against
side to side movement;
wherein said side surfaces of the over-molding material are tapered
and engage into tapered sides in the slot;
wherein the over-molding material is shaped with shoulder members
on each side each projecting outwardly from a respective one of said side
surfaces
for engaging a respective shoulder on the slot member on a respective side of
the
slot;
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wherein the rigid metal blade includes a metal wedge member which
projects through the over-molding material to a position above the over-
molding
material for engaging the support;
and a tightening arrangement for applying a pulling force on the blade
member longitudinally along the slot member;
wherein the support includes an inclined receptacle for the wedge
member with the inclined receptacle and the wedging member having cooperating
inclined surfaces acting in a wedging action in response to the longitudinal
pulling
force to pull the tapered side surfaces of the over-molding material of the
blade
member in a direction into the slot of the slot member.
Preferably the blade has hook elements at spaced positions along its
length which are molded into the over-molding material to prevent the blade
from
being pulled downwardly out of the over-molding material.
Preferably the blade has mounting elements which extend through the
over-molding material so as to present portions thereof above the over-molding
material for attachment to the support above the slot.
Preferably the mounting elements include a wedge member on the
blade and wherein the support includes an inclined receptacle for the wedge
member and a tensioning member to pull the blade member longitudinally along
the
slot to pull the wedge member into the receptacle in a wedging action.
Preferably the wedge member is arranged adjacent the front of the
=
blade member and the tensioning member is arranged to effect a pulling action
rearwardly and possibly partly upwardly.
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Preferably the tensioning member comprises a captured nut on the
blade member and a screw on the support.
Preferably the captured nut is mounted for pivotal movement about a
transverse axis.
5 Preferably a bottom edge of the blade member is curved and both
the
slot and the over-molding material are similarly curved.
Preferably the over-molding material has sides which engage into the
slot which are castellated in a direction facing away from sides of the blade.
Preferably the blade has a bottom edge which curves upwardly at front
and wherein the castellated sides are arranged at the upwardly curved front
section.
Preferably the towers are hollow.
Preferably the towers each include a surrounding top edge flange for
fastening to the bottom surface of a skate boot.
Preferably each tower has a top edge flange with fastening holes for
receiving fastening rivets or other fasteners for fastening to the bottom
surface of a
skate boot and wherein at least some of the holes are elongate to allow
adjustment
of the tower on the boot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention:
Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a heated skate blade according to the
present invention showing the blade and mounting for attachment to a skate
boot
which is shown in outline only for convenience of illustration.
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Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of Figure 1 with
the boot omitted for convenience of illustration.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional of the embodiment of Figure
1.
Figure 4 is a side elevation view of the blade and battery power source
of the embodiment of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a top plan view the blade of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is cross sectional view along the lines 6-6 of Figure 2.
Figure 7 is cross sectional view along the lines 7-7 of Figure 2.
Figure 8 is cross sectional view along the lines 8-8 of Figure 2.
Figure 9 is cross sectional view along the lines 9-9 of Figure 2.
Figure 10 is cross sectional view along the lines 10-10 of Figure 2.
Figure 11 is cross sectional view along the lines 11-11 of Figure 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2, there is
illustrated an ice skate blade assembly 1. The skate blade assembly is of the
conventional ice skate type having a blade 2 and a holder 3 to support the
blade.
The holder has a hollow heel tower 4 and a hollow toe tower 5 each having a
top
flange 6, 6A around the peripheral edge of the tower which fastens to the
skate boot
by a series of holes 7 around the flange.
The skate blade assembly 1 is generally fastened through the sole
plate flange holes 7 through matching holes in the sole of an ice skate boot
(not
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shown) with mechanical fasteners (not shown). The heel 4 and the toe 5 of the
skate blade holder 3 generally are hollow.
A heating arrangement 8 is arranged to heat the skate blade 2 such
that the heat reduces the coefficient of friction of the blade 2 on an ice
surface. The
heating arrangement 8 has a heat control circuit board 9 mounted on the top
edge of
the blade and a battery 14 and battery control circuit board 14A in the hollow
heel
tower 4 of the holder 3.
A number of different possibilities for generating heat for the blade can
be used. In one option, the heating system uses a series of transistors 12A,
12B,
12C and 12D best shown in Figure 4 arranged at spaced portions along the top
edge of the blade within the central area between the two mounting towers 4
and 5.
Each transistor is mounted on an upwardly projecting portion of the metal
blade so
as to communicate heat thereto. The circuit has a thermistor 12 which controls
the
temperature of the blade by controlling gate voltage to the transistors. In
practice
the blade temperature is maintained just above freezing at a temperature of
the
order of 2 to 10 degrees Celsius and preferably of the order of 4 to 6
degrees. In
many cases where the player is off the ice for a short break as in regular
shifts in a
hockey game, the temperature of the box or other rest area is often
sufficiently high
that the heater is turned off during the break period off the ice and only
turns back on
when the player or skater is back on the ice for a sufficient period to cool
the blade
down to the temperature below the set temperature. This ensures that the
heater is
used only when required on the ice and the battery power is not wasted when
the
player is off the ice. This avoids the use of motion sensors or other timing
devices to
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control the heat application.
By taking the transistors 12 into the linear region of operation, a high
efficiency heat source is produced. The power source is a rechargeable battery
14
and is regulated for circuit operation and used to supply the transistors 12,
which are
preferably a field effect transistor (FET) or a power MOS-FET.
However
conventional bipolar junction type transistor can also be used.
The holder 3 defines an elongate bottom section 15 which extends
along the full length of the holder and defines along a center thereof a slot
16 for
receiving the blade. The elongate member 15 is connected to the hollow towers
4
and 5 so that the towers converge downwardly and inwardly from the top flange
6,
6A toward the bottom elongate member 15. At the bottom member 15, the moulded
body forming the holder is solid and this solid structure extends upwardly
into the
structure of the holder until the width expands sufficiently to allow the
structure to be
formed into the hollow towers 4 and 5 while providing sufficient strength
within the
holder body from the moulded plastics material.
Between the hollow towers, the holder includes a U-shaped area 17
defining a top edge 18 which is the top edge of the solid part of the body on
which
the bottom member 15 is formed. The top surface 18 curves upwardly at the
forward end to form a wall 18A which is the rear wall of the front tower 5.
Similarly
the top 18 at its rear curves upwardly to form a upward and forwardly
extending
portion 18B which forms the front wall of the rear tower 4. The front tower 5
thus
has a rear end at the rear end of the flange 6 which overlies the surface 18
and
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symmetrically a forward end of the flange 6A of the tower 4 also overlies the
surface
18.
The front tower 5 has a front wall 21 which extends downwardly to a
forward end 22 of the member 15. The rear tower 4 has a rear wall 23 which
extends downwardly to a rear end 24 of the member 15. The wall extending
upwardly from the member 15 to the base of the towers includes side ribs 25
which
extend upwardly and rearwardly as indicated at 25 and 25A together with
downwardly extending ribs 26 which connect from the inclined ribs 25 and 25A
to the
bottom end 15 to provide an attractive appearance.
As best shown in the cross sectional views 6 through 10, the member
defines a slot 16 in its bottom surface with the slot 16 extending upwardly to
an
upper end 27 and defining two side walls 28 and 29 of the slot. The slot
extends
only partly across the width of the member 15 so that two shoulders 30 and 31
are
formed at the bottom of the member 15 on either side of the slot 16. This slot
15 provides a receptacle for the blade so that the blade may be
inserted into this slot
and pulled up into the slot to be held in fixed position on the bottom of the
member
15 and held against side to side movement by engagement between the blade and
the slot.
The blade 2 includes a steel blade portion 32 and an over-molded
portion 33 of a plastics material. The over-moulded portion is moulded onto
the
sides of the steel blade 32 and across the top edge of the steel blade 32 so
as to
form a structural member rigidly and permanently attached to the steel blade
and
extending out to each side of the steel blade. Thus as shown for example in
Figure
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7, the steel blade 32 engages into the over-molded plastics portion 33 so that
it is
held in place within that plastics portion. The plastics portion 33 includes a
projecting element 34 with sides 35 and 36 which engage into the slot 16. The
over-
molded portion 33 includes top shoulders 37 and 38 which engage against the
5 shoulders 30 and 31 of the bottom surface of the member 15.
As best shown in Figure 3, the steel blade 32 includes a top edge 40
which has a complex shape for engagement into the over-molded plastics portion
33. The steel blade 32 has a bottom edge 41 which forms the skate blade edge
of a
conventional shape with slightly upwardly curved front and rear portions 41A
and
10 41B.
The complex upper edge 40 of the steel blade portion is shaped to
define a series of hooks which engage into the over-molded plastics portion 33
to
maintain permanent engagement therewith. Thus there is a front hook 42 at the
forwardmost end of the steel blade and this is received just behind the front
edge 43
of the over-molded plastics piece so that it is embedded in the plastics piece
and
acts to retain the blade within that plastics piece. Similarly there is a rear
hook 44
which engages into the plastics piece just in front of the rear edge 45 of the
over-
molded plastics piece.
The steel blade further includes upwardly projecting elements 46, 47,
48 and 49 in the center section under the surface 18 which project into the
area at
the transistors 12A, 12B, 12C and 12D respectively to which they are attached.
Some of these upwardly projecting members such as the members 47 and 48 have
upper hooks which extend forwardly and rearwardly respectively for engaging
into
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the plastics material to provide further engagement therewith. Further
upwardly
projecting portions 50 at spaced positions along the length of the blade also
provide
further engagement into the plastics material. The thermistor 12 is mounted on
a
central one of the projecting elements 12A.
Thus at some locations as shown in Figure 7 for example, the blade
extends only a short distance into the plastics material. However at other
locations
along the blade, the blade extends through the moulded portion 33 to provide
components projecting beyond the plastics portion.
Thus as best shown in Figures 3 and 4, the steel blade includes a front
engagement portion 55 which projects through the over-molded plastics portion
33
to provide an engagement hook member which extends into a receptacle 56 in the
support. The hook member 55 has a rear surface 57 which extends upwardly and
rearwardly so as to butt against a correspondingly inclined surface of the
receptacle
56. It will be appreciated therefore that rearward pulling action on the blade
2 will
cause the inclined surfaces to pull the blade upwardly into the slot 16 so as
to force
the shoulders of the blade against the shoulders at the base of the member 15.
The rearward pulling action on the blade is provided by a rear
mounting member 58 of the blade. The rear mounting member 58 also projects
upwardly through the over-molded plastics member 33 to provide an upwardly
extending portion above that member. The rear mounting 58 includes two arms 59
and 60 between which is mounted a nut 61 received in a cylindrical bearing
surface
62 allowing the nut to swivel about an axis at right angles to the axis of the
nut.
Thus the nut has a cylindrical outer surface which is contained within the
cylindrical
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bearing surface 62 allowing this pivotal action to accommodate slight
inaccuracies in
the positioning of the blade relative to the holder. The rear wall 23 of the
rear tower
4 has a recesses hole 63 for receiving a screw 64. The screw has a head which
engages against a base of the recessed hole so that the screw can engage into
the
nut and by turning the screw the nut is pulled upwardly and rearwardly as the
screw
head butts against the shoulders on either side of the hole. Thus the turning
of the
screw 64 acts to pull the blade upwardly and rearwardly along the slot 16 so
as to
pull the rear part of the blade into the slot and so as to pull the blade
rearwardly
along the slot to force the front mounting portion 55 into the receptacle 56.
Thus the blade can be mounted on the holder by releasing the screw
and by removing the projecting portion of the moulded plastics portion 33 from
the
slot by pulling the blade downwardly. The blade can be reinserted by simply
inserting the blade approximately into its required position thus sliding the
front
member 55 into the receptacle 56 whereupon the screw and be inserted into the
nut
and the blade pulled up into place both longitudinally and upwardly.
As shown for example in Figure 6, the sides of the portion 33 within the
slot are slightly tapered and the side walls of the slot itself are slightly
tapered so as
to provide a friction fit between the plastics parts as the blade is pulled
upwardly.
Thus the blade is pulled upwardly until the shoulders engage between the
shoulders
on the side of the plastics portion 33 and the shoulders at the base of the
member
15. In this way a rigid mounting is provided by the engagement of the
shoulders
which prevent further upward movement and by the engagement of the tapered
sides which prevent side to side slopping movement of the blade within the
slot at
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the base of the member 15. In other words the top part of the moulded member
33
which engages into the sides of the slot provides a wedging action which
resists side
to side movement.
As best shown in Figure 2, the bottom edge 41 of the blade curves
upwardly and forwardly at the front end 41A and curves upwardly and rearwardly
at
the rear end 41B. The over-molded portion 33 similarly is curved upwardly at
the
forward end at 33A and is curved upwardly at the rearward end as indicated at
33B.
Also following the same curvature, the bottom edge of the member 15 also
curves
upwardly and forwardly at the forward end indicated at 15A and upwardly and
rearwardly at the rearward end indicated at 15B. In this way the blade and the
over-
molded portion 33 fit effectively into the slot 16 of the member 15 along the
full
length of the blade.
As best shown in Figures 4 and 5, that part of the over-molded portion
33 which projects above the top edge of the blade 40 in the region of the
front
curved section 33A has the sides of the over-molded portion 33 castellated as
indicated at 33C to provide a series of upstanding slots 33D in the sides. The
slots
33D are provided in each side of the over-molded portion and extend down to a
depth between the slots approximately equal to the width the blade. These
slots are
thus formed in the plastic part above the top edge of the blade and extend
downwardly to the top edge of the blade. Further slots 33E forming a further
castellated section 33F are provided behind the front mounting member 55.
These
castellated slots have been found to allow the mounting of the blade into the
slot 16
in a manner which reduces vibration of the blade during vigorous stopping
actions by
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14
the skater. They also add to the stiffness of the blade without adding too
much
weight.
Turning now to Figures 1 and 2, the towers 4 and 5 are arranged to
extend upwardly to a position to engage the bottom of a conventional skate
boot. It
will be appreciated that in practice the heated skate blade arrangement of the
present invention can be constructed as a separate item for attachment to
boots
manufactured by skate manufacturers so that the heated skate itself can be
supplied
to a number of different manufactures for use with their skate boots.
The tower 5 at the front is of reduced height relative to the tower 4 at
the rear. Thus as is conventional the heel part of the boot is elevated above
the toe
part of the boot allowing the top flanges 6 and 6A to be attached directly to
the
bottom surface of the boot without the presence of a heel structure underneath
the
boot between the rear part of the boot and the top flange 6A.
The flange 6 surrounding the tower 5 is shaped so as to follow
approximately the shape of the sole part of the boot and thus is slightly
wider than
the heel part of the boot at the flange 6A of the tower 4.
Each of the flanges includes a series of holes along the flanges on
each side of the hollow tower and these holes are arranged to be fastened to
the
boot by rivets engaged through the flange from the underside and engaging into
the
receiving holes in the base of the boot.
Thus the sole has four receiving holes along each side for receiving
the four holes of the flange 6. The rear part of the boot has three receiving
holes on
each side for receiving the rivets from the flange 6A.
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The holes 7 in the front tower include some oblong holes or elongate
holes 7A on the front flange 6 which are elongated in a direction side to side
which
are the third ones from the front of the tower 5. The holes 7 in the rear
tower 4
include some oblong holes or elongate holes 7B on the rear flange 6A which are
5
elongated in a direction front to rear direction which are the middle ones of
tower 4).
This allows adjustment of the position of the flange on the base of the boot
so as to
allow slight side to side and front to rear movement of the mount for the
skate blade
relative to the boot for improved alignment and ease of installation.
As best shown in Figure 4, the heating element including the
10
transistors 12 is in the form of a circuit board 70 which is mounted on a
portion of the
metal blade which is above the strip 33 so as to project upwardly into the
slot 16 to a
height above the shoulders 37 and 38. The circuit board extends along the
center
part of the blade located between the towers and underneath the surface 18 of
Figure 3. The circuit board 70 carries the transistors and also the
temperature
15 sensor 13. The circuit board is attached to the top part of the blade and
is
encapsulated within the over-moulding material above the strip 33 but within
the
uppermost surface of the moulding material so that the whole of the circuit
board
including the transistors and the other components of the circuit board are
encapsulated within the moulded materials.
The battery power supply 14 includes a battery 71 and a battery
control circuit board 72 located underneath the battery. A conventional
battery
protection circuit 14A is part of the battery since the batteries are sold
with this little
circuit incorporated in the battery enclosure. The battery control circuit 72
carries
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the components for controlling the supply of power from the battery including
a low
power indicator. The battery 71 and the circuit board 72 are contained within
an
encapsulating material as an enclosed separate item which can be inserted into
the
hollow tower as an integral element to be contained therein. The encapsulated
battery power supply includes a pair of terminals 74 and 75 which are arranged
to be
connected to the blade for communication of current from the battery power
supply
to the heat control circuit carried on the blade.
As previously described, the blade itself can be removed from the
mounting and thus the terminal 74 and 75 comprise terminals of the spring-
finger
type which engage onto fixed terminals on the blade simply by pressing the
blade
into the gap between the spring fingers of the terminal 74 and 75. Thus simple
upward pressure of the blade onto the spring fingers at the required location
causes
the engagement between the terminals 74 and 75 and the requisite terminal on
the
blade. The battery power supply further includes a further terminal 76 in the
form of
a spring finger which extends from one end of the battery control circuit
board for
engagement with a stud or rivet 77 carried in the tower as best shown in
Figure 3
where the stud has a head 78 exposed at the rear wall 23 of the tower for
engaging
a charging system.
A charging system for the skate can therefore comprise components
which have a first terminal for engagement with the blade 32 and a second
terminal
for engagement with the head 78 of the stud 77. This provides a connection to
the
batter power supply through the battery control circuit 72. As explained
hereinafter,
the transistors are connected to the metal blade so that current can flow from
the
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17
metal blade 32 through the circuit of the heating control circuit board 70 to
the
terminal 75 and from the terminal 75 into the battery control circuit board 72
then to
the battery 14 through a wire. The opposite connection of the charging power
supply provides a connection through the stud 77 and the spring terminal 76
into the
battery control circuit board 72 then to the battery 14 through a wire to
provide the
charging action.
The encapsulated circuit board 70 is thus contained within the slot 16
above the shoulders 37 and 38. The control circuit 70 is also contained below
the
wall 18 of the support so that it is fully enclosed both by its own
encapsulation and
by the surrounding structure of the support.
The battery power supply 14 is contained within the rear tower 4 above
the elongate member 15 of the support and within the enclosed tower 4. The
flange
6A is sealed to the underside of the skate boot with the battery power supply
14 in
place. The sealing action can be provided by a gasket which overlies the
flange 6A
to provide an effective sealing action to prevent the penetration of moisture
from the
ice or from the environment into the rear tower 4 and thus into the area of
the battery
power supply. The rear tower 4 is fully enclosed and sealed without any
openings
for switches or connections since the tapered shoulder 33 seals with the base
of the
bottom support 15 when the screw 64 is tightened, apart from the stud 77 which
is
itself sealed into a hole in the rear wall 23 of the tower 4.
In order to avoid unnecessary openings into the hollow rear tower 4,
the manually operable switch arrangement for activating the power supply is
defined
by a pair of proximity switches 79 and 80 mounted on the inside surface of the
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hollow rear tower 4 at sides of the tower at a position where the fingers and
thumb of
a user can reach around the rear wall 23 to squeeze together on respective
side of
the hollow rear tower to engage the areas of the tower at the proximity
switches 79
and 80. The use of two proximity switches one on each side prevents
inadvertent
operation of the switch actuating the power supply by contact with an
extraneous
item such as a puck or other elements such as an opponent's stick. Thus the
actuation of the switch occurs only in the event that both proximity switches
are
activated simultaneously and are touched in a particular predetermined pattern
This
the microprocessor may be programmed that the sensors must be touched for a
predetermined minimum period of time or in a pattern like a computer mouse
double
click, that is they may be touched for at least predetermined minimum period
of time
but not more than a predetermined maximum period of time then released for at
least predetermined minimum period of time but not more than a predetermined
maximum period of time and then touched for at least a predetermined period of
time which is an extremely unlikely event unless controlled by the user
reaching to
the proximity switches by a finger and thumb.
The use of the proximity switches avoids the penetration of the tower 4
so that there is no possibility for moisture penetration through openings at
the
switches. Proximity switches are commonly available and utilize the electrical
changes effected by bringing the finger or thumb into close proximity with the
electrical component on the inside surface.
An indicator light or LED for indicating the activation of the power
supply is visible on the exterior of the tower 4 and is provided at the
location 81
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19
visible on both sides of the blade indicated on Figure 2. The LED itself is
shown in
Figure 3 as indicated at 82. At this location the plastics material forming
the
moulded skate support is made sufficiently thin that the illumination from the
LED is
visible on both sides through the plastics material without the necessity for
a
penetration of the LED itself through the plastics material. In the
arrangement
shown the LED is located at a position just above the top edge of the blade 32
in the
area just above the elongate support 15 and just behind the central heated
area of
the skate blade. The LED may itself be located within the tower on one or
other side
adjacent the proximity switches 79 and 80.
Turning now to Figures 4 and 11, the circuit board 70 carrying the
transistors 12 is located at the top edge of the blade 32 and enclosed by the
over-
moulding material 33. Since the transistor casing is made of an electrical
conductive
material, it is connected to the blade both electrically and thermally to
allow the
communication of current to the blade during the charging action as described
before and to allow the communication of heat from the transistor to the top
edge of
the blade. The transistor is encapsulated by the moulding material 33 so that
it is
fully protected and maintained at the required location.
While the application of heat from the battery power supply to the top
edge of the blade is preferably provided by the use of the transistors as
previously
described and as described in the prior patents of the present Assignees,
alternative
techniques for generating and applying the heat to the top edge of the blade
can be
used including commercially available resistant heating systems. In all cases
the
heating system is preferably contained or encapsulated within the over-molding
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material applied onto the top edge of the blade to provide the mounting as
previously
described. The heating system is thus protected by the over-molding plastics
material and by the insertion of the heating system into the slot within the
base of the
support so that it is also therefore contained within that slot and protected
from
5 engagement with materials outside of the slot.
