U.S. patent application number 11/042881 was filed with the patent office on 2005-06-16 for antiskid device for inline skates.
Invention is credited to Cuerrier, Gilles.
Application Number | 20050127661 11/042881 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34654595 |
Filed Date | 2005-06-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050127661 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cuerrier, Gilles |
June 16, 2005 |
Antiskid device for inline skates
Abstract
The present invention provides an antiskid device which covers
inline skate wheels and which can be folded onto itself so as to
become half as long. In this way, it is much easier to conceal
inside a pocket or a pouch.
Inventors: |
Cuerrier, Gilles;
(Longueuil, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
INVENTARIUM
suite 1607
4050 Rosemont blvd.
Montreal
QC
H1X 1M4
CA
|
Family ID: |
34654595 |
Appl. No.: |
11/042881 |
Filed: |
January 31, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11042881 |
Jan 31, 2005 |
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10679527 |
Oct 6, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
280/825 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63C 2201/02 20130101;
A63C 17/002 20130101; A63C 17/20 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
280/825 |
International
Class: |
A63C 003/12; A63C
017/20; A63C 017/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 7, 2004 |
CA |
2,486,774 |
Claims
1. An antiskid device for inline skates comprising: a plurality of
wheel receptacles to receive inline skate wheels; said wheel
receptacles further comprised of a high friction means joined to a
pliable and resillient main body; a pair of straps releasably
attached to said antiskid device to strap around said wheels and
releasably attach to an assembly base by releasable attachment
means; a pliable hinge to link each pair of wheel receptacles
together to the next adjacent pair of wheels in line, to allow
clamshell folding of said antiskid device.
2. An antiskid device for inline skates as in claim 1 wherein: said
shell being pliable and resillient so as to allow for different
diameters of said inline skate wheels to fit inside said
receptacles.
3. An antiskid device for inline skates as in claim 1 wherein: a
plurality of wheel receptacles to receive inline skate wheels; said
wheel receptacles further comprised of a high friction means joined
to a pliable and resillient shell.
4. An antiskid device for inline skates as in claim 1 wherein: said
main body being of plactic resin coninjected with a high friction
elastomer material.
5. An antiskid device for inline skates as in claim 1 wherein: two
straps are fixedly attached to said antiskid device with one of
said straps being wrapped around a front wheel and back down
overlapping itself and going up in a "V" pattern to terminate at a
point on said wheel assembly base of said inline skate, and the
second of said straps doing a similar pattern but around a rear
wheel; said straps being secured to said assembly base by
attachment means.
6. An antiskid device for inline skates as in claim 5 wherein: said
straps being releasably attached to said assembly base by hook and
pile means.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation in part of pending
application Ser. No. 10/679,527 filed Oct. 06, 2003 and claims
further priority based on canadian patent application 2,486,774
filed Dec. 07, 2004
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to inline skates in general but more
specifically to a removable antiskid device that covers the wheels
of inline skates.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] Ever since inline skates became popular and, to a certain
extent, from the time of the older roller skates, the problem of
using those same skates off track has been a problem. As is well
known, afficionados of inline skating use them to go to work, some
messenger services even use inline skaters to deliver parcels. When
comes time to climb stairs or move around inside office buildings,
use public transit or roll down steep hills, rolling wheels can be
a hazard to both the users and surrounding people. Several
inventors have developped devices to cover the wheels of all types
of roller skates. As usual, some inventors like things heavy, bulky
and impractical with complex attachment means while others are a
bit more practical and provide for rather uncumbersome and easy to
use skate wheel covers. walking. The sole includes an elongated
sheet with releasable mounting members at opposite ends. The
mounting members may be attached to the skate in such a manner that
the sheet is drawn tautly over the wheels. The wheels are engaged
by an upper surface of the sheet while a bottom surface functions
as a relatively stationary walking surface.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,433 shows an accessory for a roller
skate used for blocking the wheels of roller skates. This device
comprises a plurality of elongated members that are made of
non-slippery material and sized to snugly fit transversely between
two of the wheels. These members are linked together, preferably by
an elastic rope which is forming a closed loop. The device can be
secured to the frame of the roller skate whenever required by
placing each member between two of the wheels to prevent the same
from rotating. This device is very advantageous because it is
inexpensive and very simple to install on a roller skate. It is
also very light in weight and compact, thereby making it easy to
carry.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,425 shows a flexible molded block for
immobilizing the wheels of an in-line roller blade skate which is
portable and easy to use. The device is a flexible chock with a
cavity in the center which cradles a wheel of an in-line skate that
it is installed on. The device immobilizes the skate wheel and
removes the stress and weight from the skate wheel, axle, and
bearings by resting on a frame assembly "18" of a skate. The wheel
chock cavity lip that is produced by using a in-line roller blade
skate wheel when making the molded chock, keeps the chock on the
skate, preventing it from slipping or sliding off. The device is
also small, light weight and easy to store when not in use.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,842 shows a skate converter adapted to
receive shoe skates and, which upon fastening, permits the wearer
to walk safely in shopping malls and buildings where skate bearing
persons are generally prohibited. The converter includes a sole
plate and two front and rearwardly spaced apart arcuate sections
all of which are covered with a treadlike material to easily grip
floors and rugs.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,881 shows a skate guard having front and
rear pieces with slots for receiving the front and rear portions of
a skate runner. A center piece is rigidly connected to the front
and rear pieces, and it is formed of a stretchable elastomeric
material which biases the front and rear pieces toward each other.
The center piece has a downwardly facing tread surface, and it is
stiff enough to keep the front and rear pieces substantially
longitudinally aligned with each other when the device is not on a
skate runner. In a gap between the front and rear pieces, the
center piece has a runner-protecting portion which is no higher
than the bottom walls of the runner-receiving slots, and lies
between two vertical longitudinal planes which include the
sidewalls of the runner-receiving slots.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,955 shows a roller wheel guard for
in-line roller skates, is formed of an envelope-shaped body of
flexible material such as woven nylon, open at the top, with a
rubbery bottom. The envelope-like body receives the series of
aligned wheels and extends up to just below the boot of the skate.
Side panels of the guard have rear extensions forming at least one
strap to be wrapped tightly around the rearmost wheel or the brake
when the guard is installed. A further, vertical strap is included,
secured to the body and of an adjustable length so as to extend to
the top of the back edge of the boot, with an attachment such as a
clip for securing to the back of the boot, thus forming a handle
when the guard is in place.
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,270 shows an in-line skate cover
comprising a web, formed to surround the wheels of the skate on a
bottom, front and two side portions; and a tread on said bottom
portion of said web, being provided with a high stiffness to resist
bowing between adjacent wheels of the skate. The in-line skate has
a maximum cross sectional dimension at a position above the wheels
smaller than a cross sectional dimension through an axis of the
wheels, further comprising an inelastic drawstring in a conduit
formed on an upper edge of said web, for constricting an upper
aperture of said web at said position above the wheels. An elastic
strap is provided extending over a rear upper portion of a hind
wheel of the in-line skate. The cover has an open rear portion, and
easily accommodates skates of differing sizes. The cover is adapted
to be held in wrapped condition around an anatomical body portion,
to provide protection and/or support.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,724 shows an adapter comprising an
ice-blade mounted in a blade-chassis. The blade-chassis is a
plastic molding, which fits between the support rails of an in-line
roller skate, and is clamped therebetween by the spindle-rods that
serve as the spindles of the rollers. The ice-blade resides in a
channel in the blade-chassis, the roof of the channel, and of the
blade, being clear of, and below, the spindle rods.
[0013] There is a copending application by this inventor for a
variation on the invention of this instant application which
features side panels configured and sized to frictionally engage
the side of the wheels up to or near the axle so as to securedly
engage the antiskid device to the wheels.
[0014] Despite the numerous variations found in the prior art, the
problem remains that users with long feet require long skate wheel
covers which are cumbersome to carry when not in use. Some of the
inventions provide for a mere blocking of the wheels while allowing
the wheels to stil make contact with the ground. This can prove
ineffectual in some circumstances when a user applies pressure on
one wheel in particular which can occur in instances of climbing
stairs when the back or the front wheel of the skate makes contact
first. If a wheel is not perfectly blocked from rotating, an
accident can occur.
[0015] Because of the drawbacks of the prior art, there is a need
for an improved skate wheel cover device and that includes this
inventor's own copending application which is unfortunately not
universally usable as not all makes or models of inline skates have
the same spacing between the wheels and the frame to support the
wheels so that it can be too narrow to allow the side panels to fit
on some models and too wide to provide enough of a frictional
engagement on other models. That embodiment can work when
configured for a specific make or model of inline skates where a
certain thickness for the side panels would fit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known
devices now present in the prior art, the present invention, which
will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide
objects and advantages which are:
[0017] To provide for an antiskid device for inline skates which is
easy to install and uninstall.
[0018] It is a second object of this invention to provide for an
antiskid device for inline skates which can adapt to various wheel
diameters as well as wheel spacing.
[0019] It is a third object of this invention to provide for an
antiskid device for inline skates which is foldable onto itself in
order to be more compact when not in use.
[0020] It is a fourth object of this invention to provide for an
antiskid device for inline skates which covers the bottom part of
all the wheels so that no contact between any of the wheels and the
ground can occur.
[0021] To attain these ends, the present invention generally
comprises an antiskid device which covers all the inline skate
wheels and which can be folded onto itself so as to become half as
long. In this way, it is much easier to conceal inside a pocket or
a pouch.
[0022] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more
important features of the invention in order that the detailed
description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in
order that the present contribution to the art may be better
appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that
will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject
matter of the claims appended hereto.
[0023] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment
of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited in its application to the details of
construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in
the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The
invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced
and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that
the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose
of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0024] As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be
utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods
and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present
invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded
as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not
depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0025] Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and
especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art
who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to
determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence
of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is
neither intended to define the invention of the application, which
is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to
the scope of the invention in any way.
[0026] These together with other objects of the invention, along
with the various features of novelty which characterize the
invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed
to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better
understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the
specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to
the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is
illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERED EMBODIMENT
[0027] FIG. 1 Isometric view of the antiskid device installed on an
inline skate (in ghost lines).
[0028] FIG. 2 Side view of the antiskid device folded.
[0029] FIG. 3 Side view of the antiskid device unfolded.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0030] An inline skate (10) has a pliable yet resillient antiskid
device (12) installed over its wheels (14, 14', 14 ). The antiskid
device (12) consists of a pair of wheel receptacles (16, 16'). Each
receptacle (16, 16') only cover the bottom part of the wheels (14,
14', 14"). A first receptacle (16) receives the front wheel (14)
and one of the middle wheels (14") and the other receptacle (16')
receives the rear wheel (14') and the other middle wheel (14"). The
anti skid device (12) consists mainly of a high friction (hence
antiskid) elastomer means (18) cojoined to and covering a
substantially large part of the exterior surface which is a made of
a synthetic resin to give it strength and rigidity. Two straps (28,
28') are fixedly attached to the antiskid device (12) with one
strap (28) being wrapped around the front wheel (14) and back down
overlapping itself and going up in a "V" pattern to terminate at a
point on the wheel assembly base (15) of the inline skate (10),
where it is releasably attached by a releasable attachment means
(29), and the other strap (28') doing a similar pattern but around
the rear wheel (14) and also releasably attached by a releasable
attachment means (29'). The straps (28, 28') are releasably
attached to the assembly base (15) by releasable attachment means
(29, 29') which can be clipping means or preferably hook and pile
means, although a variety of suitable releasable attachment means
can be employed to strap around the inline skate (10) all within
the scope of the invention. The "V" pattern creates a push-pull
force which stabilizes the receptacles (16, 16') so that they are
not pulled forwardly, for the receptacle (16) at the front of the
inline skate (10), or rearwardly, for the receptacle (16') at the
rear of the inline skate (10).
[0031] The straps (28, 28') are themselves fixedly attached to the
antiskid device (12) in a concave part (19) situated on the
underside of the receptacles (16, 16'). Receptacles (16, 16') come
in pairs and two of them are needed for a 4 wheel inline skate
(10). Each pair of wheel receptacles (16, 16') is linked to the
other by way of a pliable hinge (26). The hinge (26) is used for
folding each pair of receptacles (16, 16') by rotating them
together around the hinge (26) and mating them in clamshell fashion
to procure a more compact size so as to facilitate carrying of the
antiskid device (12) when not in use. Tabs (27) from one receptacle
(16) interlock with the other receptacle (16') in order to obtain
proper alignment of the two receptacles (16, 16') as per FIG. 6 and
in order to keep the antiskid device (12) in a closed
configuration, the straps (28) are used with one being folded
inside the closed configuration in the empty space available and
the other being wrapped around tightly so as to keep the antiskid
device (12) in its closed configuration.
[0032] The pliable and resillient nature of the antiskid device
(12) allows for different wheel (14) diameters to fit by flexing a
tongue (30) which is an integral part of the antiskid device (12).
Indeed, there are different wheel (14) diameters for different
inline skate (10) models and sometimes, even on a single pair of
inline skate (10).
[0033] As to the present state of technology, the preferred method
of fabrication consists in a coninjection of plactic resin covered
with a high friction elastomer material.
[0034] As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and
operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent
from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion
relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
[0035] With respect to the above description then, it is to be
realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts
of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape,
form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are
deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and
all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings
and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed
by the present invention.
[0036] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only
of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous
modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in
the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact
construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly,
all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to,
falling within the scope of the invention.
* * * * *