Tandem wheeled roller skate

Abstract

Tandem wheeled roller skates having braking means operable against the hubs of a pair of the wheels in tandem. When at least two pairs of wheels are mounted in line in tandem a separate brake is mounted on a front pair and another brake is mounted on the rear pair in order that braking pressure can be varied or applied uniformly in unison. The brake can be applied by the wearer of the skate by merely stooping and adjusting the head of a tightening nut.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to tandem wheeled roller skates. In particular the invention herein relates to an improvement in tandem wheeled roller skates that have for an object of use as sports equipment the purpose of employing them for exercising and strengthening the legs.

PRIOR ART

Prior methods of tightening the wheels have been known but the construction herein contemplates an improvement which allows a wearer to more easily manipulate the tightening feature.

It is an object of the present invention to provide in combination with a rigid supporting structure means whereby the resistance to rotation of the wheels or any one of the same may be varied and controlled through the agency of a large hand-operable screw and a pair of bearing plates on each pair of wheels as will be more fully explained hereinafter, the construction being such that whether a force is made to bear against free rotation by the tightening to be explained, or whether the wheels are to be allowed to run free, in either case equal rigidity and precision should obtain to the end, that skating may be learned and practised for enjoyment or for exercise with optimum confidence that no loosening or mechanical failure will lessen or interrupt its use.

A further object of the invention is the construction of a tightening means that allows both pairs or either pair of wheels to be easily demobilized by a wearer of the skate while it is on his foot to permit him to easily walk with the skate without the wheels rolling.

With the considerations and inventive objects herein set forth in view, and such others as may become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present invention consists of and is hereby claimed to reside in the inventive concept which is comprised, embodied, embraced or included in any method, construction, arrangement or combination of parts, or new use of any of the foregoing which may herein be exemplified in one or more specific embodiments of such concept, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the skate of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of one pair of tandem wheels showing the bearing or pressure plates with bolt and tightening knob exploded therefrom.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view through a pair of tandem wheels on the line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

In drawings, like character references designate identical parts in the several figures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

In order to first describe briefly the present invention in terms consonant with the accompanying Claims and to identify the parts defined therein, a tandem wheeled roller skate has been made wherein the wheels collectively designated 10 are arranged in a single file and substantially centrally to the horizontal axis of the skate, the invention being characterized in combining a supporting structure generally designated 12 consisting of a sole plate designated 14 and intended to comprise both the front and heel portions 16 and 18 thereof (FIG. 1) and a pair of spaced apart and parallel wheel-carrying plates generally designated 20, 21 secured at 22 to the sole plate and projecting substantially at right angles thereto. Wheels 10 are each apertured as at 26 to surround the hub 28. A tire 30 is provided on each wheel and is shown in axial cross-section (FIG. 2) to be generally circular with rounded edges for smooth running characteristics.

The hub 28 of each wheel 10, projects from the wheel to present a smooth disc shaped surface 13 on either side of each wheel. Each disc 13 is co-planar with an adjacent plate, an inner hub 35 projects outwardly from both sides of each wheel beyond the plane of the outer surface of the discs 13 but less than the distance of the spaced apart plates 20, 21. Each wheel is mounted on a nut and bolt assembly designated 38, 39 projecting through main hub 28 and inner hub 35. Bolt 39 acts as the axle for a wheel 10, which is free running thereon.

The invention herein devised comprises a tandem-wheeled roller skate 80 having a plurality of wheels 10 arranged in single file substantially centrally of and along the length of a foot support platform 70.

The skate has a pair of longitudinally extending spaced apart frame plates 21, 22 projecting downwardly substantially at right angles from the platform 70 and attached thereto to form a rigid structure therewith. There is a hub assembly 28 for each wheel 10, and a tire 30 surrounds each hub assembly 28. An axle means 39 is provided for each wheel and passes through the hub assembly 28 and through apertures 75, 76 provided through the pair of frame plates 21, 22. A nut 38 and bolt head 77 are provided to secure each axle between the frame plates with each wheel and hub assembly thereof free running therebetween.

The pressure brake plate 51 extends between a pair of the tandem wheels and has at least two annuli 50 formed therein whereby one annuli is fittable over an axle of one wheel and the other is fittable over the axle of said other pair of wheels to allow the wheels to rotate freely when the brake plate 51 is positioned between the frame plate 21 and the hub assembly 28 of the wheel. A disc surface 13 is formed with hub 28 and extends outwardly of each wheel, surrounding each hub assembly co-planar with the annuli 13 of each brake plate. A large finger-manipulatable nut head 44 is provided substantially midway of the brake plate 51 between a pair of wheels and is adapted to bear against the plate 51 to bend it inwardly against the disc surface 13 of the wheel hub 28 thereby to induce braking pressure to the wheels.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The hubs 28 are each provided with the shown ball bearing assembly 42. The annuli 50 in the brake plate 51 free running on axle 39 surround hub 36 on each side of each wheel. The screw-threaded set screws 44 have an extension knob 45 internally threaded to mate with bolt 46. The head 47 of bolt 46 and knob 45 both pass freely through the frame plates 20, 21 at apertures 48, 49 respectively.

The inner face 55 of bolt head 47 and the inner face 56 of knob 44 bite into the mid portion of the brake plates 51, 61 as shown in FIG. 3 flexing the brake plates as shown. In the flexed position as shown in the drawings the brake plates 51, 61 bear against the wheel hubs 13 at areas 62, 63 and 64, 65 respectively. Although the brake plates 51, 61 are loose between the wheel and the frame plates 21, 22, they remain satisfactorily centered in virtue of the fact that the end extremities of the hub 28 protrude and thereby occupy a portion of the thickness of the brake plates provided by the central hubs 35 surround axle receiving apertures 26, therein as clearly shown in FIG. 2.

From all the foregoing it will be apparent that when the nut 44 is tightened, the brake plates 51, 61 will move imperceptably toward each other and against the hub disc faces to increase the friction acting therein and such pressure may be varied and controlled considerably according to the extent to which the nut 44 is tightened. The head 44 of the tightening means is made sufficiently large so that a skate wearer could easily stoop to vary the pressure of the brakes against the wheels without removing the skate.

In this way it will readily be appreciated that the present invention provides means whereby the legs of hockey players may be subjected to highly efficacious strengthening exercise and one which is identical with that for which their leg muscles are being strengthened, namely the playing of hockey on saktes.

To avoid the necessity of a wearer of the present invention having to change into ordinary street shoes after using the skate he can tighten the nut 44 fully to completely immobilize the wheels and thereby allow him to walk in normal step-by-step fashion as though wearing boots.

In FIG. 1, the platform 70 to which the skate is fitted is the sole of a boot, but the platform could be made with straps and the like to fit the normal shoe or boot of a wearer where the purpose of the skate was to be for mere play rather than as an alternative to ice skates for exercising the legs. A hockey player could use the present invention to keep his legs in shape between hockey seasons regardless of whether there was an ice rink available to him at the time since the skate herein devised can be used on any hard, smooth surface.

Various modifications may be made to the invention described and be within the scope of the concept disclosed. It is intended, therefore, that the foregoing disclosure shall be considered as illustrative of such concept and not as limiting the protection sought to any particular embodiment thereof.

Claims

I claim:

1. A tandem-wheeled roller skate having a plurality of wheels arranged in single file substantially centrally of and along the length of a foot support platform comprising in combination:

A pair of longitudinally extending spaced apart frame plates projecting downwardly substantially at right angles from said platform and attached thereto to form a rigid structure therewith;

A hub assembly for each wheel;

A tire surrounding each hub assembly;

An axle means for each wheel projecting through said hub assembly and through aperture provided through said pair of frame plates;

Means to secure each axle between said frame plates with each wheel and hub assembly thereof free running therebetween;

At least one pressure brake plate extending between a pair of said wheels and having at least two annuli formed therein whereby one annuli is fittable over an axle of one wheel and the other is fittable over the axle of said other pair of wheels to allow said wheel to rotate freely with said brake plate positioned between said frame plate and said hub assembly of said wheel;

A disc surface provided outwardly of each wheel surrounding each hub assembly co-planar with the annuli of said brake plate; Means provided substantially midway of said brake plate between said pair of wheels adapted to bear against said plate to bend it inwardly against said disc surface of said wheel hub assembly thereby to induce braking pressure to said wheels.