PROTEGE-LAME DE PATIN

ICE SKATE GUARD

Abrégé anglais

ABSTRACT
A guard for an ice skate comprises two telescopically
movable parts lockable to each other in different positions
to adjust the length of the guard and having a channel in
which a skate blade is detachably held by a flexible tongue
attached to the front end of the front part . The tongue
permits insertion and removal of the skate blade in and from the
channel of the guard against the action of the spring force of
the tongue.

Revendications

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A guard for an ice skate comprising one or more parts
having a channel for an ice skate blade and spring means holding
the blade in the channel and against the spring force action of
said spring means permitting the insertion of the blade in the
channel and its removal therefrom, the spring means being a
flexible tongue which is attached to one outer end of one of
said parts and being flexibly displaceable by the tip of the
blade during blade insertion and removal.
2. A guard for an ice skate as set forth in claim 1, wherein
the tongue is formed substantially as an S, one leg of which
being attached to the front end of one of said parts and
transcending into an intermediate portion bulging in a direction
towards said part and arranged thereabove, said portion pressing
against an element of the skate when the blade is inserted in the
channel or removed therefrom, said portion transcending into a
free leg projecting forwardly past the toe-cap of the skate shoe.
3. A guard for an ice skate as set forth in claims 1 and 2
wherein the number of parts is two, one of which being
telescopically movable in the other and lockable thereto in any
one of a plurality of positions to adjust the length of the guard,
the two parts having parallel trapezoidal cross sections with the
grooves in the short ones of the parallel sides of the trapezoid,
the underside of said element which connects the blade to the
skate shoe resting on said parallel sides .

Description

The present invention relates to an ice skate guard
comprising one or more parts having a channel in which an ice
skate blade is intended to be détachably held.
A great number of different skate guards have been
developed and used and the designs thereof have been adapted
to several different types of skate blades. Conventional guards
of one type consist of elastic rubber blocks each having a
channel closed at both ends by substantially vertical walls.
A skate blade is detachably held in the channel by means of
said walls which press against both ends of the blade due to the
elasticity of the rubber material. A developed version of this
guard consists of a non-elastic material and is lacking the
substantially vertical rear wall but is provided with an elastic
loop which is moved to surround the skate blade behind the rear
column-shaped element connecting the blade to the skate shoe
whereupon the guard is moved forwards against the action of the
loop force until the substantially vertical front wall on the
guard can be moved upwards to hold the tip of the blade.
A similar conventional guard consists of a wood block
having a channel for receiving the blade and a yoke in the
fro~t end of the block preventing the blade from being moved
forwards and upwards. The rear portion of the blade is
prevented from being moved upwardly in relation to the block
by means of a springing clamp which is attached to the block
approximately at the center of one of the long sides thereof and
which is rotatable to a
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clamplng position where it partially surrounds the upper enlarged
edge of the blade between the two column-shaped elements connec-
ting the blade to the shoe.
The above described guards and other known guards
suffer from certain disadvantages. The most common disadvan-
tage is that the elastic material of the guard and~or the
clamping means (the loop, for instance) will break after having
been used a number of times. Another disadvantage is that one
and the same guard cannot be used for skates the blades and/
or members connecting blades and shoes having different shapes.
Other disadvantages are that each guard can be used for a very
limited number of skate sizes only and that the guard is not
firmly retained on the skate when it is subjected to heavy
stresses.
The present invention provides an ice skate guard
which removes the above described disadvantages.
According to the present invention there is provided
a guard for the blade of an ice skate comprising: a first elongat-
ed part having a channel extending longitudinally thereof to receive the
blade partially therein, said part at one end also having a recess opening
longitudinally into said channel, said recess having an inwardly-upwardly
inclined wall to form a socket for receiving one end of a skate blade, a
second elongated part having a channel extending longitudinally
thereof to receive the blade partially therein, said parts
fitting telescopically one within the other and having a
combined length greater than that of the skate blade, means for
fixedly securing said parts in various relative positions of
adjustment to accommodate blades of different sizes, and a
leaf spring element fixedly secured to the free end of one of
said parts and extending laterally in a direction toward a
skate whose blade is to be received in said channel, the
free end of said leaf spring element being formed to provide
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~S~9l36~
an inwardly - upwardly inclined surface to engage and retain
the remaining end of a skate blade within the channel and an
inwardly-downwardly inclined surface serving as a cam permitting
the downward force of the tip of a skate blade temporarily
to displace said leaf spring element and subsequently secure
the guard releasably to the skate blade.
In one embodiment of the present invention the means
for securing said parts in various positions of adjustment
permits adjustment in increments of fixed length and also
in increments of varying length.
In another embodiment of the present invention
the leaf spring element is at its free end formed with a manual
grasping surface for deflecting the same and releasing the
guard from the skate blade.
The greatest advantages with the invention are that
the guard is firmly retained on the skate also when it is sub-
jected to heavy stresses, that the guard easily can be mounted
and removed, that the guard is robust and durable and that one
and the same guard can be adjusted to be used for a great
number of different skate sizes and also can be used for skates
having different blade shapes and different shapes of the
elements connecting the blades with the skate shoes.
The present invention will be further illustrated
by way of the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view - seen obliquely from
above and from the front - of an ice skate guard in accordance
with the invention, and
- 2a -

61C~
Figure 2 is a perspective view - seen obliquely from
below and from behind - of the skate guard shown in Figure 1.
As is shown in Figures 1 and 2 the ice skate guard
in accordance with the invention comprises two main parts,
i.e., one front part 1 and one rear part 2, each one manufactured
in one piece of hard plastic material. The rear part 2 has a
back wall 3 inclining upwardly-forwardly and limiting the back-
ward and upward movement of a skate blade 4 (shown by dash-
dotted lines) out from a channel which is formed by an upwardly
open relatively short groove 5 in a thickened rear portion of
the part 2 and an upwardly open relatively long groove 6 in the
part 1. These grooves are aligned. The wall 3 is relatively
high to increase safe holding of the guard on the blade 4
and to give the guard sufficient stability.
The part 2 has a paralleltrapezoidal cross section with
the short parallel top side open. The rear portion of the part
1 has a corresponding section and fits in the part 2 and is
telescopically displaceable within the latter to shorten or
lengthen the distance between the wall 3 and the front end of
the front part 1 in order to adjust the guard to the desired
skate blade length. Due to the trapezoidal section of the
parts l and 2 the part 1 cannot be removed from the part 2
in any other way than by telescopically pulling the part 1 out
from the part 2. The parts 1 and 2 may be locked to each other
in anyone of a plurality of desired positions. To this end a
number of holes 7 has been formed in both side walls of the part
1 and four slits 8 have been formed in both side walls of part 2.
The slits are on the same level as the holes 7. Four screws 9
are insertable in the slits 8 and screwed into opposite holes
7 after the desired guard length

9~
has been set. Due to the shor-t distance between adjacent holes 7
and the length of the slits an in~initely variable adjusting
posæibility is obtained. A~-ter screwing, the par-t 1 is ~irmly
anchored to the part 2.
The ~ront end o~ the part 1 i9 provided with an oblique
forwardly-upwardly projecting cur~ed surface 10 on which is
screwed or irl another way at-tached one leg 11 of a substantially
S-formed tongue 12 manufactured from a ~lexible, wear resistant
plastic matexial. 'rhe leg 11 is relatively long and extends along
a portion o~ the underside of the part 1 in ordar to ensure a
firm attachment o~ the tongue 12. ~he leg 11 transcends into an
intermediate por-tion 13 bulging in a direotion towards -the part 2.
'L'he portion 13 transcends into a free leg l4 projecting ~orwardly
past a toe-cap '~ on an ice skate shoe.
An-ti-slipping means 15 and 16 are attached to the bottom
surface of the leg 11 and to the rear bottom surface on the part 2.
'rhese means increase the friction between the guard and the ground
v~hen the skater is walking on his skates with the guards on.
Vlhen the guurd shall be mounted on a skate it is placed on
the ground with the grooves directed upwardly whereupon the rear
portion of the skate blade 4 is inserted in the groove 5 and is
pressed backwards against the wall 3. ~his position is shovrn by
means of dash-do-tted lines in ~igure 1. Then the front curved tip S
of the blade is forced downwardly ~rom the position shown in
Figure 1 to engage the tongue 12. ~he intermediate portion 13
and the leg 14 will be pressed for~ardly against the action of the
spring ~orce in the plastic material until the tip of the blade 4
has passed the portion 13 and this portion has come into contact
with the forward upwardly-ba¢kwardly inclining portion of the
clement 17 whioh connects the blade 4 with the schematically ~hown
skate shoe. After the tip of the blade has pa~sed -the portion 13

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the blaae 4 is situated in both grooves 5 and 6 and is held in this
position by the tongue 12 engaging the element 17.
In the applied position of -the guard the bottom sur~aces of
the element 17(on ea¢h side o~ the blade 4) are resting on those
top ~url~aces of the parts 1 and 2 havingr the grooves 6 and 5. 'I'his
is so because the height of the blade 4, i.e. the vertical distance
between the sharp edge of the blade and the bottom ~urfaces o~ the
element 17~ is less than the depth o~ the grooveq 5 and 6. In this
manner is prevented that the sharp edge o~ the blade contacts and
wears the bottoms of the grooves.
In order to make the alignment of the blade 4 easier be~ore
it is in~erted in the groove 6 suitable guiding means (not shown)
holding the blade centrally in relation -to the tongue 12 may be
arranged on the upper surfaoe o~ the tongue between the portion
13 and the leg 14.
rrthe removal o~ the guard i9 performed by pre~sing a ~inger
or an lce hockey stick~ ~or instance, against the upside o~ the
free leg 14 so that the portion 13 will be ~orced ~orwardly
whereupon the ~ront tip of the blade 4 and immediately therea~ter
the whole blade ~ay be li~ted upwardly ~rom the guard.
Even -though only one embodiment o~ the invention has been
described above and shown on the drawings it should be understood
that the invention is not limited to this embodiment but only -to
that which is stated in the pa-tent claims.