PATINS A GLACE A SUSPENSION

ICE SKATE WITH SUSPENSION

Abrégé français

Patin à glace amélioré doté d'une suspension placée entre la chaussure de patin et la lame dans un boîtier de support de lame afin d'utiliser l'énergie cinétique produite durant différents mouvements de patinage pour augmenter la vitesse de ces mouvements de patinage ainsi que pour offrir un confort accru à la personne chaussant les patins. La suspension est conçue pour être fabriquée avec des ressorts hélicoïdaux ou à lames installés entre le dessous de la chaussure de patin et le support de lame. La suspension doit être installée dans le boîtier de support de lame de manière à la protéger contre les dommages et à offrir une structure de patin généralement sécuritaire.

Abrégé anglais

Disclosed is to an improved ice skate with suspension between the skate boot and the blade in a blade runner/holder housing in order to utilize kinetic energy generated during various skating motions to increase the speed of such skating motions and as well to provide more comfort to the wearer of the skates. The suspension is intended to be accomplished with either coil, or leaf type springs mounted between the bottom of the skate boot and the blade runner/holder and the suspension is to be enclosed in the blade runner/holder housing so as to protect the suspension assembly from damage and to provide for a safe overall skate construction.

Revendications

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. An ice skate having a boot portion with an outer bottom surface, a blade
housing and
a blade, said blade housing having an upper portion and a lower portion, said
upper blade
housing portion having means for securement of said blade housing to said boot
bottom
surface, said lower blade housing portion having an elongate groove
substantially the length
of said lower blade housing portion, which groove is configured and sized to
permit limited
vertical reciprocal movement of an upper portion of said blade within said
groove in the
direction of said boot;
said blade housing having longitudinally spaced, substantially vertical bore
means
extending upwardly from said groove, said blade housing having stop means
surrounding each
said bore means;
blade securing means fastened to said blade and having an annular portion
extending
upwardly from said blade and reciprocal within each said bore means;
means secured to an upper end of each said annular portion and in cooperation
with said
blade housing stop means limiting outward movement of said blade within said
groove; and
spring means within said blade housing and associated with said blade to
normally force
said blade outwardly and wherein, inward movement of the upper portion of said
blade within
said groove is against the force of said spring means.
2. The ice skate of claim 1 wherein said blade housing further includes well
means
surrounding said bore means and said spring means comprises a compression coil
spring within
each well means.
3. The ice skate of claim 1 wherein said spring means comprises a leaf spring.
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Description

CA 02324724 2000-10-27
ICE SKATE WITH SUSPENSION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to ice skates and more particularly to ice skates
with a suspension for the blade of the skates.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Spring loaded blades in association with skates have conceptionally
been known since at least as early as 1862, Ansley, U.S. patent No. 36,595.
U.S. patent No. 4,993,725, February 19, 1991 to BARNES ET AL discloses a
vertical spring assembly for a skate blade.
Nevertheless, generally all ice skates currently in use, including
pleasure skates, hockey skates, figure skates and speed skates are very rigid
in
construction in respect of the connection between the skate boot and blade
runner/holder housing, with the exception of the "Clap" or "Slap" style speed
skates, which incorporate a spring-hinged mechanism to essentially permit the
skate blade to remain in contact with the ice surface for a longer duration,
resulting in increased skating speed. The spring component of this unique
speed
skate is utilized to facilitate the return of the blade runner/holder to the
heel of the
skater's boot at the completion of each full stride, but it does not provide
any
suspension between the boot and the blade runner/holder housing.
It would be advantageous to provide an improved suspension system
between the blade runner/holder housing for ice skates and the boot portion of
the skate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
My invention relates to an improved ice skate with suspension
between the skate boot and the blade in a blade runner/holder housing in order
to
utilize kinetic energy generated during various skating motions (such as, but
not
limited to turning and the initial "push off" portion of the skater's stride)
to
increase the speed of such skating motions, to reduce pressure and tension
which
can lead to groin, knee, hip flexors and extensor injuries that are often
caused by
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CA 02324724 2008-01-25
overuse of extension and as well to provide more comfort to the wearer of the
skates. The
suspension is intended to be accomplished with either coil, or leaf type
springs mounted
between the bottom of the skate boot and the blade runner/holder housing. The
suspension is
preferably enclosed in the blade runner/holder housing so as to protect the
suspension assembly
from damage and to provide for a safe overall skate construction in order to
comply with the
current rules for equipment imposed by the National Hockey League, (NHL), the
Canadian
Hockey Association (CHA) and other skating organizations.
The invention in one broad aspect provides an ice skate having a boot portion
with an
outer bottom surface, a blade housing and a blade, the blade housing having an
upper portion
and a lower portion, the upper blade housing portion has means for securement
of the blade
housing to the boot bottom surface. The lower blade housing portion has an
elongate groove
substantially the length of the lower blade housing portion, which groove is
configured and
sized to permit limited vertical reciprocal movement of an upper portion of
the blade within
the groove in the direction of the boot. The blade housing has longitudinally
spaced,
substantially vertical bore means extending upwardly from the groove, the
blade housing
having stop means surrounding each bore means. Blade securing means is
fastened to the
blade and has an annular portion extending upwardly from the blade and
reciprocal within each
bore means. Means are secured to an upper end of each annular portion and is
in cooperation
with the blade housing stop means limiting outward movement of said blade
within the groove.
Spring means is within the blade housing and associated with the blade to
normally force the
blade outwardly and wherein, inward movement of the upper portion of the blade
within the
groove is against the force of the spring means. The spring means may comprise
a
compression coil spring within well means in the blade housing or may comprise
a leaf spring.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side view of a skate according to a first embodiment of the
invention.
Figure 2 is a side view of another embodiment of the invention.
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective schematic view of the blade runner/holder
housing
and blade of the first embodiment of the invention.
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CA 02324724 2000-10-27
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Turning to Figure 1 and Figure 2, there are shown a skate 10 with
boot 12 having a bottom 16, blade runner/holder housing 20 and blade 24. In
the
Figure 1 embodiment, there is shown the use of coil springs 30, 32 in the
blade
runner/holder housing 20. The embodiment of Figure 2 illustrates the use of a
leaf spring 40 in the blade runner/holder housing 20.
A minimum of two (2) coil springs 30, 32 or one (1) leaf spring 40
would be mounted between the boot bottom 16 and the blade 24 in the blade
runner/holder housing 20, to permit the skate blade 24 to move specifically
only
vertically up and down, either independently at each end of the skate, or
uniformly, depending on the forces applied and the angles of such forces, as
it is
compressed by the skater's weight and force and released as the skate lifts
off
the ice surface. The blade runner/holder housing 20 is to be made of strong
injection moulded plastic such as "Zytel", or other similar plastics being
used in
present day runner/blade housings, or any other suitably strong material which
can be moulded or formed to create a strong, but light housing.
The compression strength of the coil spring(s) 30, 32 or leaf spring
40 would be matched to a certain weight range and therefore a different
spring(s)
would be used for each weight range. If more than one (1) spring is used, as
in
the case of coil springs 30, 32, the compression strength of each spring used
in
each blade runner/holder housing 20 would be equal, or identical springs would
be
utilized.
The blade 24 is held in place horizontally along its length by a channel of
corresponding width in the blade runner/holder housing 20, with very tight
tolerances to negate any side to side or bending movement of the blade.
In a prototype of my invention, I employed a modified holder and
blade, (relating to the TUUK blade), as shown in Figure 3 of U.S. patent No.
4,074,909 and reproduced as Figure 3 herein but with revised reference
numerals. In my prototype, groove 50 is extended vertically upwards for the
entire length of the thermoplastic blade runner/holder housing 20 in order for
blade 24 to move up and down in the housing 20. Bolts 54 which, in my
prototype, were larger and longer in length than those illustrated in Figure 3
were
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CA 02324724 2000-10-27
welded to blade 24 and are reciprocal in housing bores 50. Larger nuts 56 were
threaded down on bolts 54 to limit the downward travelling distance of blade
24
within groove 50. High compression coil springs 32 were mounted over each of
the bolts 54 within housing wells 58 such that the springs 32 were held in
place
at the bottom by the housing 20 about bores 50 for bolts 54 and at the top by
the underside of the boot, (not shown in Figure 3). The upward travel of the
blade is controlled by the compression strength of the coil springs 32.
It will be appreciated that a modified design can accommodate a leaf
spring rather than coil springs. As schematically noted in Figure 2, with
bolts 70
welded to blade 24 and extending upwardly through groove 72, internal bores 74
in housing 20, which housing has wells similar to those shown in Figure 3.
Leaf
spring 40 has apertures through which bolts 70 extend and is held between the
top 80 of the groove 72 and the top of blade 24.
This invention is intended for adaptation in all classifications of
skating, including pleasure, hockey, figure and speed skating. The
construction of
this invention can be used in place of the spring-hinged construction in speed
skates. The type of blade, its length and construction, would be matched to
the
classification of skating and the blade runner/holder housing and suspension
assembly would be altered accordingly to house the appropriate blade. In the
case of speed skating for example, the blade would be of the same length used
in
present day speed skates.
When a downward force is applied to the skate blade, kinetic energy
is stored and the kinetic energy is released as each skate is lifted off the
ice. The
skates of this invention facilitate faster skating motions utilizing kinetic
energy,
reduce stress/strain/pressure on legs and associated joints (and thereby may
reduce muscle/joint pain and injuries) and generally provide a more
comfortable
skate, somewhat akin to the feeling of driving in a car with shock absorbers
versus in one without shock absorbers.
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