U.S. patent application number 12/609627 was filed with the patent office on 2011-05-05 for hockey skate.
This patent application is currently assigned to DASC, LLC. Invention is credited to David Cruikshank, Scott Van Horne.
Application Number | 20110101665 12/609627 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43924569 |
Filed Date | 2011-05-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110101665 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Van Horne; Scott ; et
al. |
May 5, 2011 |
HOCKEY SKATE
Abstract
A skate assembly includes a shell structure and a removable
tendon guard. The shell structure includes a heel portion, a
lateral ankle portion, and a medial ankle portion. The heel portion
is formed to cover a human heel. The lateral ankle portion is
formed to extend beyond the heel portion. The medial ankle portion
is formed to extend beyond the heel portion. The lateral ankle
portion and the medial ankle portion are spaced apart to form a
notch extending toward the heel portion. The removable tendon guard
is removably attached between the lateral ankle portion and medial
ankle portion to cover the notch.
Inventors: |
Van Horne; Scott; (Calgary,
CA) ; Cruikshank; David; (Delafield, WI) |
Assignee: |
DASC, LLC
Las Vegas
NV
|
Family ID: |
43924569 |
Appl. No.: |
12/609627 |
Filed: |
October 30, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
280/841 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 23/26 20130101;
A43B 5/1691 20130101; A43B 5/16 20130101; A63C 1/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
280/841 |
International
Class: |
A63C 1/00 20060101
A63C001/00 |
Claims
1. A skate assembly comprising: a shell structure that comprises: a
heel portion formed to cover a human heel, a lateral ankle portion
formed to extend beyond the heel portion, and a medial ankle
portion formed to extend beyond the heel portion, the lateral ankle
portion and the medial ankle portion spaced apart to form a notch
extending toward the heel portion; and a removable tendon guard
removably attached between the lateral ankle portion and medial
ankle portion to cover the notch.
2. The skate assembly of claim 1 wherein the removable tendon guard
comprises a first attachment point removably attached to the
lateral ankle portion and a second attachment point removably
attached to the medial ankle portion.
3. The skate assembly of claim 2 wherein the removable tendon guard
comprises a third attachment point removably attached to the heel
portion.
4. The skate assembly of claim 1 wherein the shell structure
comprises a toe portion formed to cover at least one human toe.
5. The skate assembly of claim 4 comprising a removable tongue
removably attached to the toe portion.
6. The skate assembly of claim 5 wherein the removable tongue is
comprised of thermoplastic.
7. The skate assembly of claim 1 wherein the shell structure
comprises an arch structure, between the toe portion and the heel
portion, that is proximate the medial ankle portion.
8. The skate assembly of claim 7 wherein the lateral ankle portion,
the medial ankle portion, and the arch structure comprise
thermoplastic.
9. The skate structure of claim 1 wherein the shell structure is
comprised of at least one of carbon fiber and aramid fiber.
10. The skate assembly of claim 1 comprising a blade holder
removably attached to a bottom portion of the shell structure.
11. The skate assembly of claim 10 wherein the blade holder
comprises a plurality of elongated attachment points that are
removably attached to the shell structure.
12. The skate assembly of claim 10 comprising a skate blade
removably attached to the blade holder.
13. The skate assembly of claim 12 wherein the skate blade has a
first blade height at one end of the skate blade and a second blade
height at another end of the skate, wherein the first blade height
is greater than the second blade height.
14. The skate assembly of claim 10 wherein the blade holder
comprises a textured surface that interfaces with the shell
structure.
15. The skate assembly of claim 1 wherein the shell structure
comprises a bottom surface that interfaces with a blade holder,
wherein the bottom surface is comprised of at least one of a
polyurethane, leather, and synthetic leather.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to skates, and more
particularly, to hockey skates.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Ice skating and inline skating are rather unique forms of
human locomotion. There a variety of sports that utilize ice (or
inline) skates such as, for example, speed skating, hockey, and
figure skating. A skate boot is generally constructed of a material
upper (e.g., leather and/or other synthetic material) adhered to a
last board. The base is bonded to an outer sole made of plastic,
rubber, or composite fibers, which effectively sandwiches the
folded edge of the material upper between the last board and the
outer sole. The rigid parts of the skate boot are comprised of the
sole piece and a counter piece, which in combination provide the
support structure of the footwear.
[0003] Recently, the sport of hockey has demanded improved skate
boot technology to allow athletes to reach higher speeds and/or
accelerate faster. As such, many recent hockey skate designs have
borrowed technology from speed skating for improved performance.
For example, speed skates are known to be comprised of a stiff
shell structure 100 such as the structure identified in FIG. 1. As
shown, the shell structure 100 is a unitary structure that includes
a rear portion 102 and bottom portion 104. The rear portion 102 is
formed to cover the rear half of a human foot including the heel.
The bottom portion 104 is attached to a skate blade at points 106,
108. Because of the unitary design of shell structure 100, lateral
energy is not wasted when a skater pushes from side to side and
thus the skater can realize increased speeds. In addition, as
shown, the shell structure 100 only partially covers a human ankle
and tapers toward the rear of the skate to give the skater improved
range of motion of the foot. For example, when using the shell
structure 100, the skater can move their foot up, down, left, and
right. This increased movement, due to the shell structure 100
partially covering the ankle, can also improve the skaters speed
and/or acceleration. Although, the shell structure 100 can improve
a skaters speed and/or acceleration, it is not practical for hockey
because the design does not include many desired safety features
required to protect the skater from impacts such as from, inter
alia, pucks, sticks, and skate blades.
[0004] One common safety feature of a hockey skate is a tendon
guard. Tendon guards are usually permanently attached to a rear of
the skate that extends above a skater's ankle and extend upward
therefrom in order to protect the skaters tendon from impacts.
Although tendon guards serve a useful purpose, they can reduce
movement of a skater's foot most notably upward and downward
movement (e.g., dorsiflexion and planarflexion), which is
undesirable.
[0005] Some skates have a tendon guard that is more flexible than
the outer shell of the skate allowing the tendon guard to flex
backwards and thus improving the movement of the skater's foot.
These tendon guards are attached to the top of an ankle portion of
the outer shell in a variety of ways such as, for example, via
stitching, over molding, thermal bonding, high frequency welding,
vibration welding, piping, zipper, adhesive, and staples.
Accordingly, these tendon guards flex at the point of attachment,
which can provide increased mobility of the skater's foot. However,
movement of the skater's foot is still somewhat restricted because
the ankle portion of the stiff outer shell covers the lower portion
of the skater's Achilles tendon.
[0006] Accordingly, a need exists for an improved skate boot that
can increase a skater's speed and acceleration while still
providing adequate ankle support and protection for impact sports
such as hockey.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The invention will be more readily understood in view of the
following description when accompanied by the below figures,
wherein like reference numerals represent like elements:
[0008] FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a speed skate shell
according to the prior art;
[0009] FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram of a skate according to the
present disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 3 is an exemplary exploded diagram of the skate;
[0011] FIG. 4 is an exemplary side diagram of a shell structure of
the skate;
[0012] FIG. 5 is an exemplary rear diagram of the shell
structure;
[0013] FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram of a removable tendon guard
according to the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram of a removable tongue
according to the present disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram of a side panel of the
skate;
[0016] FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram of a blade holder according
to the present disclosure; and
[0017] FIG. 10 is another exemplary diagram of the blade
holder.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] In one example, a skate assembly includes a shell structure
and a removable tendon guard. The shell structure includes a heel
portion, a lateral ankle portion, and a medial ankle portion. The
heel portion is formed to cover a human heel. The lateral ankle
portion is formed to extend beyond the heel portion. The medial
ankle portion is formed to extend beyond the heel portion. The
lateral ankle portion and the medial ankle portion are spaced apart
to form a notch extending downward toward the heel portion. The
removable tendon guard is removably attached between the lateral
ankle portion and medial ankle portion to cover the notch.
[0019] The skate assembly provides, among other advantages,
increased mobility of a skater's foot, which can increase skating
speed and/or acceleration of the skater. In addition, the skate
assembly provides safety features suitable for impact sports such
as hockey without compromising the mobility of the foot. Other
advantages will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the
art.
[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, an exemplary diagram of a
skate 200 such as an ice skate or inline roller skate is depicted.
The skate 200 includes a skate boot 202 and a blade assembly 204.
The blade assembly 204 includes a blade holder 206 and a skate
blade 250. The blade holder 206 receives and secures the skate
blade 250 in place.
[0021] The skate boot 202 includes a stiff unitary shell structure
208, a side panel 210 on the medial and lateral side of the skate
boot 202, a removable tongue 212, a removable tendon guard 214, and
an inner liner 216. The shell structure 208 can be made of any
suitable stiff material such as for example, carbon fiber, aramid
fiber such as Kevlar.RTM., heat moldable thermoplastic such as
Rhenoflex or other suitable thermoplastic that softens at a
temperature under 80.degree. C. For example, in one embodiment, the
shell structure 208 can include a layer of carbon fiber, a layer of
aramid fiber, and a layer of thermoplastic. In this example, the
layer of aramid fiber can be sandwiched between the layer of carbon
fiber and the layer of thermoplastic. In addition, the layer of
carbon fiber can provide a hard exterior surface to the shell
structure 208 and the layer of thermoplastic can provide a heat
moldable interior of the shell structure 208.
[0022] The shell structure 208 can be manufactured in any suitable
manner known in the art. For example, the shell structure 208 can
be manufactured using a wet lay-up process. In this process, the
thermoplastic is heated and shaped to a foot last. Next,
pre-impregnated (pre-preg) carbon fiber and aramid fiber are
layered over and onto the foot last. Thereafter, the layers on the
foot last are vacuum bagged and heated until cured.
[0023] The thermoplastic is positioned over areas of the foot where
maximal variation from individual to individual can occur such as
the arch (or instep), ankle, metatarsus, and/or other suitable
portions of the foot. In areas of the foot that have less shape
variance, composite fibers can be used to provide a rigid and
lightweight structure. The thermoplastic is designed to melt at a
temperature at or around 60.degree. C. although other suitable
thermoplastics are contemplated. As such, the skate 200 can be
placed in a conventional oven at or around 60.degree. C. for
approximately 20 minutes. Thereafter, the thermoplastic portions of
the shell structure 208 can be easily formed to a particular
foot.
[0024] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the shell structure 208
includes a heel portion 400, a toe portion 401, a medial ankle
portion 402, a lateral ankle portion 404, and an arch structure
405. The heel portion 400 is formed to cover a human heel. The toe
portion 401 is formed to cover one or more human toes thereby
providing protection thereto. The medial ankle portion 402 and the
later ankle portion 404 are formed to extend beyond the heel
portion 400 in order to cover and protect a human ankle For
example, in one embodiment, the heel portion 400 can have a heel
height 407 that is approximately 65% of the ankle height 403
although other ratios are contemplated. The medial ankle portion
402 and the lateral ankle portion 404 are spaced apart to form a
notch 406 extending toward the heel portion 400. In one example,
the medial ankle portion 402 and the lateral ankle portion 404 are
spaced apart by approximately 50 mm to 68 mm although other widths
are contemplated. For example, in one embodiment, a size 6 has a
notch spacing of approximately 60 mm, and a size 12 has a notch
spacing of approximately 68 mm. The notch 406 begins just above a
human heel in order to allow the Achilles tendon to move within the
notch 406 thereby increasing a skater's range of motion when moving
their foot up and down. As such, the notch 406 allows for increased
(or in some circumstances uninhibited) movement of the ankle
joint.
[0025] When the skate boot 200 is fully assembled, the removable
tendon guard 214 is removably attached between the medial ankle
portion 402 and the lateral ankle portion 404 to cover the notch.
More specifically, the medial ankle portion 402 and the lateral
ankle portion 404 are removably attached to removable tendon guard
214. In addition, the removable tendon guard 214 can be removably
attached to heel point 412 to further secure the removable tendon
guard 214 to the shell structure 208. As such, the combination of
the notch 406 and the removable tendon guard 214 provide increased
(or in some cases uninhibited) flexion and/or extension while
protecting the Achilles tendon.
[0026] As shown, the arch structure 405 is positioned between the
heel portion 400 and the toe portion 401 and is proximate the
medial ankle portion 402. The arch structure 405 is formed to fit
the medial longitudinal arch of a human foot in order to provide
arch support for the foot. The arch structure 405 can be made of
any suitable material. For example, in one embodiment, the arch
structure 405 can be made of a heat moldable thermoplastic that
becomes moldable at a sufficient temperature (e.g., 60.degree. C.)
such that the foot will not be burned. As such, in this embodiment,
the arch structure 405 can be custom molded to each individual foot
for greater comfort and fit.
[0027] Likewise, in one embodiment, the medial ankle portion 402
and the lateral ankle portion 404 can also be made of a heat
moldable thermoplastic that becomes moldable at a sufficient
temperature (e.g., 60.degree. C.) such that the foot will not be
burned. Accordingly, the medial ankle portion 402 and the lateral
ankle portion 404 can be custom molded to each individuals' foot
for greater comfort and fit.
[0028] Referring now to FIG. 6, an exemplary diagram of the
removable tendon guard 214 is depicted. The removable tendon guard
214 can be removably attached to the skate boot 202 attached
between the medial ankle portion 402 and lateral ankle portion 404
to cover the notch 406. More specifically, the removable tendon
guard 214 includes a first attachment point 600 and a second
attachment point 602. The first attachment point 600 can be
removably attached to the lateral ankle portion 404 and the second
attachment point 602 can be removably attached to the medial ankle
402. In addition, the removable tendon guard 214 can also include a
third attachment point 604, which can be removably attached to heel
point 412 to further secure the removable tendon guard 214 to the
skate boot 202. The attachment points 600, 602, 604 can be
removably attached to the skate boot 202 in any suitable manner. In
one embodiment, the attachment points 600, 602, 604 can be
removably attached to the skate boot 202 via bolts that pass
through tendon guard holes and tighten to t-nuts that are anchored
into the shell 208. Other suitable attachment methods are
contemplated.
[0029] The removable tendon guard 214 can include an exterior
portion 606 generally identified at 607 and an inner portion 608
generally identified at 610. The exterior portion 606 provides the
main support structure and can be made of any suitable rigid
material that provides pliability. For example, in one embodiment,
the exterior portion 606 can be an injection molded plastic piece
such as a pebax Nylon elastomer, ST 801 Dupont PS Nylon 66, or
other suitable material. The inner potion 608 is a padded material
to provide comfort when making contact with the Achilles tendon
and/or other parts of the lower leg. In one embodiment, the inner
portion 608 can be comprised of a suitable comfort foam wrapped in
a piece of Clarino.TM. liner material although other materials are
contemplated.
[0030] The removable tendon guard 214 has a narrow mid channel
design. More specifically, the mid channel 612 is narrower and has
a smaller dimension than the top width 614 of the removable tendon
guard 214. The mid channel 612 can be any suitable width that is
smaller than the top width 614. For example, in one embodiment, the
mid channel 612 has a width that is 1/3 of the top width 614. In
other embodiments, the mid channel 612 can be any suitable width
that is less than 59% of the top width 614 although other
dimensions are contemplated. The narrower mid channel 612 and
corresponding notch 406 in the shell structure 208 allow a human
ankle joint to extend more freely. For example, the back portion of
the lower leg and Achilles tendon can pass through the notch 406
and engage the removable tendon guard 214, which allows continued
movement through the increased flex allowed by the mid channel
612.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 7, an exemplary diagram of the
removable tongue 212. The removable tongue 212 can be removably
attached to the toe portion of 401 of the shell structure 208. For
example, in one embodiment, the removable tongue 212 can include a
tongue attachment point 700 that can be removably attached to a toe
attachment point 702 of the shell structure 208 as depicted in
FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. In one embodiment, the removable tongue 212 can
be removably attached to the toe portion 401 via a bolt (or other
structure) that fastens to a t-nut that is housed in the toe
portion 401 proximate the toe attachment point 702. The removable
tongue 212 simplifies manufacturing since the skate boot 202 and
the removable tongue 212 can be manufactured separately and
attached during final assembly. In addition, the removable tongue
212 can be easily replaced should it become damaged or for any
other reason.
[0032] Referring back to FIG. 7, the removable tongue 212 can
include an exterior portion 704 and an inner portion 706. In one
embodiment, the removable tongue 212 is comprised of one or more
layers of foam layers 708. For example, in one embodiment, two foam
layers are used that have different densities. In this example, the
softer layer can be positioned proximal a skater's foot and the
stiffer layer can be positioned on top of the soft layer (e.g.,
distal the skater's foot). This configuration can be advantageous
in that it provides comfort to the skater's foot and can reduce (or
in some cases prevent) lace bite (e.g., the effect of laces causing
localized pressure on the top the foot resulting in soreness and
bruising).
[0033] The removable tongue 212 is also comprised of one or more
pieces of thermoplastic 710 that softens at or around 60.degree. C.
for safe anatomical shaping. In one embodiment, the removable
tongue 212 is also comprised of two pieces of thermoplastic 710.
The thermoplastic 710 can be bonded to the tongue in any suitable
location such as the outermost foam layer 708 for example. The
thermoplastic 710 provides rigidity and support to the tongue. In
addition, when heated, the removable tongue 212 can be custom
shaped to a particular skaters foot. The foam layer 708 and the
thermoplastic 710 can be covered with a thin piece of black felt
material to provide added comfort if desired.
[0034] Referring now to FIG. 8, an exemplary diagram of the side
panel 210 is depicted. The side panel 210 can include an exterior
portion 802 and an inner portion 804. The side panel 210 is bonded
to the shell structure 208 and stitched to the inner liner 216 of
the skate boot 202. The side panel 210 can be bonded to the shell
structure 208 using any suitable solvent based adhesive such as
contact cement or other suitable adhesive.
[0035] The side panel 210 supports and houses eyelets 800. As such,
the side panel 210 is reinforced with a reinforcement material 806
in order to prevent tearing when the skate boot 202 is laced up.
Any suitable material can be used to reinforce the side panel 210
such as an aramid fiber material (e.g., Kevlar.RTM.), for example.
In addition, the side panel 210 can include a thermoplastic 808
that softens at or around 60.degree. C. for safe anatomical
shaping. The thermoplastic 808 further supports and gives rigidity
to the eyelets 800. Furthermore, the side panel 210 can be heat
shaped to the skate 202 boot during manufacturing. Moreover, when
the skate boot 202 is heat molded to a particular skater's foot,
the side panel 210 custom forms to their foot shape. In some
embodiments, the side panel 210 can include a synthetic leather 810
to provide an aesthetically pleasing skate boot design. In
addition, one or more portions 812 can be removed from the
synthetic leather 810 revealing the thermoplastic 808, which can be
used to display company graphics and/or logos if desired.
[0036] Referring now to FIG. 9, an exemplary diagram of the blade
holder 206 having various blade profiles attached is depicted. The
blade holder 206 can be attached to various blade profiles that
have different radial profiles in order to achieve variations of
sagital plane foot to ice angles. For example, the blade holder 206
can hold a substantially uniform blade 900 that provides a first
foot to ice angle 902 if desired. In addition, the blade holder 206
can hold a raised heel blade 904 that provides a second foot to ice
angle 906 if desired. Furthermore, the blade holder 206 can hold a
raised toe blade (not shown) that provides a third foot to ice
angle (not shown) if desired. Accordingly, the skate 200 can be
customized to each particular skaters requirements in order to
provide greater comfort and/or skating performance.
[0037] The skate blades are attached to the blade holder 206 via
attachment points 908 at each end of the blade holder 206. By
having the attachment points 908 at each end of the blade holder
206, the blade can flex when the skater applies force to the skate
200, which can result in improved control while skating. The
further the attachment points 908 are from each other, the more the
blade flexes. The attachment points 908 can be any suitable
distance apart to achieve the desired flex. For example, a 30.9 cm
blade can have the attachment points 908 separated by approximately
25.3 cm if desired. In another example, one of the attachment
points 908 can be approximately 3.2 cm from the front of the blade
holder 206 and the other attachment point 908 can be 2.5 cm from
the back of the blade holder 206 although other distances are
contemplated.
[0038] The skate blades can be attached to the blade holder 206 in
any suitable manner. For example, in one embodiment, a suitable
bolt and nut can be used to attach the skate blade to the blade
holder 206. As such, in this embodiment, the skate blade and the
blade holder 206 can be removably attached so that the skate blade
can be easily replaced. Other attachment methodologies are
contemplated.
[0039] In one embodiment, the blade holder 206 includes a textured
surface 910 that has a rough or slightly spiky surface. For
example, in one embodiment, the textured surface 910 can be
comparable to that of sand paper such as 60 grit or other suitable
grit sandpaper. The textured surface 910 engages with the bottom of
the skate boot 202 (e.g., the shell structure 208) when attached to
the skate boot 202. As such, the textured surface 910 causes the
blade holder 206 to bite into the skate boot 202 and thus inhibits
medial and/or lateral movement of the blade holder 206 with respect
to the skate boot 202.
[0040] Referring now to FIG. 10, a top view of the blade holder 206
is depicted. The blade holder 206 can be made from any suitable
polymer material known in the art. For example, in one embodiment,
the blade holder 206 can be made of ST 801 Dupont PS Nylon 66. In
another embodiment, the blade holder 206 can be made from a polymer
having more flexibility such as pebax Nylon elastomer for example.
The advantage of using different polymers having different
flexibility provides a skater greater customization to improve
performance and/or comfort. For example, a skater that wishes to
accelerate faster may choose to use a blade holder made of a more
flexible material such as pebax Nylon elastomer for example.
However, a skater that wishes to have a higher top end speed may
choose to use a blade holder made of a more rigid less flexible
material such as ST 801 Dupont PS Nylon 66 for example.
[0041] The blade holder 206 includes multiple attachment points
1000 that can be attached to the skate boot 202 (e.g., the shell
structure 208) via any suitable means such as a nut and bolt, a
rivet, and/or other suitable attachment means. In this example,
there are eight attachment points 1000 (i.e., four on each side) on
the front portion of the blade holder 206 and six attachment points
1000 (i.e., three on each side) on the rear (or heel) of the blade
holder 206 although any suitable number of attachment points 1000
may be used if desired.
[0042] The attachment points 1000 are apertures having an elongated
shape such as a slot, elliptical, or other suitable elongated
shape. Due to the elongated shape of the apertures, a skater can
adjust the position of the blade holder 206 with respect to the
skate boot 202 as desired. For example, the blade holder 206 can be
adjusted laterally in order to center the blade for each particular
skater's center of gravity. As such, the blade holder 206 is
adjustable with respect to the skate boot 202 and thus can be
adjusted to enhance comfort and/or performance for a particular
skater.
[0043] As noted above, the blade holder 206 includes the textured
surface 910 to ensure that there is no slippage of the blade holder
206 with respect to the skate boot 202 during skating. In one
embodiment, the bottom side of the skate boot 202 can be coated
with polyurethane or bonded with a thin piece of leather to further
aid the textured surface 910 in preventing movement between the
skate boot 202 and the blade holder 206.
[0044] Among other advantages, the skate 200 provides increased
mobility of a skater's foot due to the notch 406 and removable
tendon guard 214, which can increase skating speed and/or
acceleration of the skater. In addition, the skate 200 provides
safety features suitable for impact sports such as hockey without
compromising the mobility of the foot. Furthermore, the skate 200
has multiple components that are removably attached and/or
adjustable so that a particular skater can customize the skate 200
to meet their individual needs. Other advantages will be recognized
by those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0045] While this disclosure includes particular examples, it is to
be understood that the disclosure is not so limited. Numerous
modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents
will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present disclosure upon a study of the
drawings, the specification, and the following claims.
* * * * *