Double Bowed Ice Skate Blade With Elongated Ice Contract Point

Abstract

The present invention is a double-bowed ice skate blade having an attachment section with a constant thickness and a blade section with a continually variable thickness, with the thickest segments occurring at the toe-end and heel-end of the blade. The center section of the contoured ice skate blade has a large radius, creating a flatter blade with a greater length of the blade in contact with the ice. At the toe-end and heel-end of the contoured ice skate blade, the radius of the blade is smaller, resulting in a more curved blade, and less length of the ice-contacting surface of the blade in physical contact with the ice. Because the segments of smaller radius are thicker, a greater cross-sectional area of the ice-contacting surface of the blade is in contact with the ice at the toe-end and heel-end of the blade.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of ice skates, and more specifically to a double-bowed ice skate blade with a variable thickness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a double-bowed ice skate blade.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a double-bowed ice skate blade.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a double-bowed ice skate blade.

FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a double-bowed ice skate blade.

FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a double-bowed ice skate blade.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of a double-bowed ice skate blade taken at the center of the blade.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of a double-bowed ice skate blade taken approximately ⅓ of the distance inward from either end.

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative exemplary embodiment of a double-bowed ice skate blade with smaller radius ends.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative exemplary embodiment of a double-bowed ice skate blade with a wider blade and attachment sections.

BACKGROUND

Hockey players are usually considered bad speed skaters. It is not a limitation of a player's ability which makes hockey players bad speed skaters, but rather a limitation of the skate itself. There are physical differences between hockey skates and speed skates which prevent hockey players from skating as fast as speed skaters.

Different characteristics of an ice skate blade, such as its thickness, radius and length contribute to a skater's speed and agility. For example, speed skate blades tend to have long, though thin, blades with a very large radius, meaning the blades are relatively flat. As a result, a large portion of the blade is touching the ice at all times. By pushing against the ice, speed skaters exert force along the whole surface of the blade touching the ice to propel forward. Therefore, the more blade touching the ice, the faster a speed skater is able to go.

However, performing quick turns and other agile movements is easier when less length and more thickness of a blade is in physical contact with the ice. Sudden and quick moves, such as changes in direction, require a skater to dig into the ice to exert force in a direction other than that in which the skater is moving.

Traditional hockey skates have a uniform thickness along the length of the blade, and are often curved at a radius such that only a relatively small section of the blade is contacting the ice. While providing surfaces intended to increase a skater's agility, traditional hockey skate blades are not designed to allow hockey players to skate as fast as they are able.

It is desirable to design an ice skate blade that allows for increased speed while retaining the qualities that allow skaters to perform agile movements.

It is also desirable to design an ice skate blade that provides skaters with more speed without losing agility that is adaptable to many skate boot styles and manufacturers.

Glossary

As used herein the term “attachment section” means the section of a blade which fastens to a skate blade holder.

As used herein, the term “bottom surface” means the flattened bottom edge of a skate which is in contact with the ice.

As used herein the term “double-bowed” means a structure with a variable thickness, wherein the thickness increases at the outer ends of the structure and creates an arched exterior surface and arched interior surface. A double bowed surface may have flared outer ends.

As used herein, the term “elongated exterior skate edge” or “elongated interior skate edge” means an interior or exterior skate edge which is in contact with the ice, and is longer than that which would be achieved with a single-bowed skate.

As used herein, the term “exterior ice edge” means one of the edges of the skate.

As used herein the term “exterior side” means one of the sides of a skate blade.

As used herein, the term “interior ice edge” means one of the edges of the skate.

As used herein the term “interior side” means one of the sides of a skate blade.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a skate blade with a double-bowed surface that results in an elongated contact edge between the interior or exterior blade edge and the ice. The double-bowed skate blade structure and elongated point of contact are critical to achieving increased velocity. The elongated point of contact area, which increases surface contact between the ice and the blade edge are critical to achieving a reduced turn radius.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the present invention, references are made in the text to exemplary embodiments of a double-bowed ice skate blade, only some of which are described herein. It should be understood that no limitations on the scope of the invention are intended by describing these exemplary embodiments. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that alternate but functionally equivalent structures and materials may be used. The inclusion of additional elements may be deemed readily apparent and obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. Specific elements disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one of ordinary skill in the art to employ the present invention.

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale; instead, emphasis has been placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In addition, in the embodiments depicted herein, like reference numerals in the various drawings refer to identical or near identical structural elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of double-bowed ice skate blade 100. As illustrated, double-bowed ice skate blade 100 contains three main sections, or layers. Blade section 10 is the lower portion of double-bowed ice skate blade 100, including bottom surface 15 which is in contact with the ice. Attachment section 30 is the upper portion of double-bowed ice skate blade 100 and includes skate attachments 32a and 32b. Transition section 20 is the middle portion of double-bowed ice skate blade 100 and provides the material transition between blade section 10 and attachment section 30. In various embodiments, attachment section 30 and blade section 10 may be a single piece or may be two separate pieces integrally connected using welding, clamping, adhesives or any other connecting means known in the art.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, attachment section 30 is a constant thickness and includes two skate attachments 32a and 32b. The thickness of attachment section 30 is constant to allow double-bowed ice skate blade 100 to be attached to any style skate boot known in the art. However, the specific design, configuration and number of skate attachments 32a and 32b may vary depending on a specific skate boot manufacturer's specifications.

Blade section 10 has a varying thickness along the length of blade section 10. Near heel-end 12 and toe-end 13 of blade section 10, blade section 10 is thicker, and tapers inward toward the center of blade section 10. As a result, bottom surface 15 is thicker near heel-end 12 and toe-end 13 than in the center of bottom surface 15.

As shown in the embodiment, blade section 10 has an exterior side and an interior side which are mirrors of each other. Blade section 10 also has two edges depending on which side a skater leans, either an exterior edge or an interior edge. The skate blade is advantageous because as a skater leans on one edge or the other, the entire center section of the edge may be in contact with the ice, as well as some of the bowed toe-end and heel-end sections. The curvature of blade 100 creates an elongated exterior or interior skate edge allowing a skater to have increased edge contact for speed and the ability to turn sharp and remain agile.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, transition section 20 provides a chamfer between blade section 10 and attachment section 30 as needed.

FIG. 2 is a side view of double-bowed ice skate blade 100. In addition to having blade section 10 of varying thickness, blade section 10 also contains portions of two different radii.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the center section (indicated by A) of blade section 10 is flatter than the end sections (indicated by B) of blade section 10. As a result, when double-bowed ice skate blade 100 is in use and a skater has weight equally distributed on double-bowed ice skate blade 100, a longer portion of bottom surface 15 is in contact with the ice. When a skater shifts his or her weight to heel-end 12 or toe-end 13, less length of bottom surface 15 is in contact with the ice, but a greater cross-sectional area.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the radius of center section A is between 20 and 30 feet, while the radius of end sections B is between 6 and 13 feet, as measured to the center of double-bowed ice skate blade 100. The specific value of the radii of portions A and B may be dependent on the length of double-bowed ice skate blade 100 needed to accommodate a skater of a given height and weight.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the radii of A and B are constant within the sections. For example, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the radius of A is a constant 20 feet for the length of segment A. The radius of A does not vary. Similarly, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the radius of B is 6 feet for the entire length of the B segments. This radius does not vary within B segments. In other words, a single double-bowed ice skate blade 100 does not have an A segment with a radius of 20 to 25 feet within that segment.

However, in other exemplary embodiments, the radii of segments A and/or B may vary to meet specific requirements of a skater. In various embodiments, the radius of B segments may also be different; therefore heel-end 12 and toe-end 13 may have different radii than each other.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, transition section 20 and attachment section 30 follow the radii of segments A and B. However, in other exemplary embodiments, segments A and/or B may be designed to different heights along their lengths to accommodate areas of different curvature.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, segment A is approximately the center ⅓ of double-bowed ice skate blade 100, while the B segments make up the end thirds of double-bowed ice skate blade 100. However, in further exemplary embodiments, the length of segments A and/or B may vary. Further, in other exemplary embodiments, the length of segments B may be different than each other as well.

FIG. 3 is a top view of double-bowed ice skate blade 100. As illustrated in FIG. 3, attachment section 30 has a constant thickness throughout its length. The variation in thickness of blade section 10 is visible beneath attachment section 30. For example, at heel-end 12 and toe-end 13, blade section 10 is visible beneath attachment section 30. However, as blade section 10 transitions toward the center of double-bowed ice skate blade 100, blade section 10 tapers inward on both sides to become narrower than attachment section 30 at the center of double-bowed ice skate blade 100.

Because the transition of blade section 10 from heel-end 12 to toe-end 13 is gradual, there are two points at which the thickness of blade section 10 and attachment section 30 are equal, as will be shown in FIG. 7. In various embodiments, blade section 10 and attachment section 30 may be the same thickness at the very ends and blade section 10 may still be narrower in the center.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of double-bowed ice skate blade 100. The tapered shape of blade section 10 is clearly illustrated in this view. Attachment section 30 is only visible beyond blade section 10 in the center of double-bowed ice skate blade 100 where blade section 10 is thinnest.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, blade section 10 has a constant thickness for its entire height. However, in other exemplary embodiments, blade section 10 may be tapered only at bottom surface 15, with the remaining portion of blade section 10 above bottom surface 15 having a different thickness. For example, blade section 10 could taper outward immediately from bottom surface 16 to become increasingly thicker as blade section 10 approaches transition section 20 and attachment section 30.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the thinnest portion of blade section 10 is 1.2 mm thick. In other exemplary embodiments, the thickness of the thinnest portion of blade section 10 may range between 1.0 mm and 3.0 mm. This range is a critical range. If blade section 10 is any thinner, it may snap or break if hit with a hockey puck or stick. If blade section 10 is thicker, it loses the speed advantages.

FIG. 5 illustrates double-bowed ice skate blade 100 from heel-end 12. In the exemplary embodiment described in FIGS. 1-4, heel-end 12 and toe-end 13 are approximately identical, with slight variation in length from skate attachments 32a, 32b and end thickness. However, in further exemplary embodiments, heel-end 12 and toe-end 13 may be more or less identical.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, transition section 20 provides the transition between thicker blade section 10 and thinner attachment section 30. Transition section 20 is shown as a chamfer between the two thicknesses, forming an outward angle from attachment section 30. However, in further exemplary embodiments, transition section 30 may be any tapering, edge, cut-away or other transition between the two thicknesses.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-section of double-bowed ice skate blade 100 taken at the center of the blade. As illustrated, transition section 20 provides the transition between thinner blade section 10 and thicker attachment section 30. Transition section 20 is again illustrated as a chamfer forming an inward angle from attachment section 30.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-section of double-bowed ice skate blade 100 taken approximately ⅓ of the distance inward from either heel-end 12 or toe-end 13. This is the point at which the thickness of attachment section 30 equals the thickness of blade section 10. As illustrated, because the thickness of attachment section 30 and blade section 10 are equal at this point, transition section 20 (shown in FIG. 6) does not form a chamfer, but rather is consistently the same thickness as attachment section 30 and blade section 10.

FIG. 8 is an alternative exemplary embodiment of double-bowed ice skate blade 100. Blade section 10 is still tapered to be thinner in the center of double-bowed ice skate blade 100 with attachment section 30 having a constant thickness for its length. Transition section 20 (shown in FIG. 1) provides a chamfered transition between blade section 10 and attachment section 30.

However, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the center section of double-bowed ice skate blade 100 (A) has a larger radius, and therefore flatter ice-contacting surface 15, than the exemplary embodiments shown in FIG. 1-7, and heel-end 12 and toe-end 13 portions of double-bowed ice skate blade 100 (B) have a smaller radius, and therefore more curved bottom surface 15, than the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-7.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative exemplary embodiment of double-bowed ice skate blade 100 with wider blade ends and attachment section. As shown in the embodiment, blade section 10 is thicker at heel-end 12 and toe-end 13 and narrower in the center of blade section 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the thickness of blade section 10 may range between 1.0 mm and 3.0 mm.

In the exemplary embodiments described in FIGS. 1-9, center segment A may have a radius between 20 to 30 feet. This radius range is critical for segment A. If the radius is any greater, bottom surface 15 will be too flat, making it difficult for skaters to perform agile movements when using the center of double-bowed ice skate blade 100. Similarly, 6 to 13 foot radius range for the end B segments is a critical range. If the radius is too large, bottom surface 15 at the B segments is too flat and similar to that of the A segment, and agility is lost. If the radius at the B segments is too small, bottom surface 15 at the B segments is too curved, creating an unstable blade.

When making a double-bowed ice skate blade 100, such as those described in FIGS. 1-9, it is not necessary to make and join three separate pieces of metal to obtain the desired radii. A single piece of material, having a single radius, may be worked, whether manually or by machine (such as with a CNC machine) to obtain the desired radii.

The varying thickness of blade section 10, transition section 20 and attachment section 30 may be similarly worked manually or machined (i.e., CNC machine). In some exemplary embodiments, a thick piece of material may be milled to obtain the proper thickness for attachment section 30 and transition section 20.

Double-bowed ice skate blade 100 is therefore easy to customize for a specific player's weight and height, as weight and height are determining factors for length and radii of skate blades.

Claims

1. A ice skate blade comprised of:

a bottom surface adapted for planar contact with an ice surface;

a blade section;

a transition section; and

an attachment section.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said ice skate blade is double-bowed.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said transition section is disposed at the middle of said skate blade.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said transition section provides a material transition between said blade section and attachment section.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said blade section is a single piece,

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said blade section is comprised is comprised of two separate pieces which are structurally connected at an connection interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said connection interface is comprised of interface selected from a group consisting of using welded material, brazed material, adhesive material and geometrically interlocking components.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said attachment section is a constant thickness.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said attachment is constant is selectively attached to a user-selected skate boot known in the art.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said attachment section includes at least one attachment.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said blade section has a varying thickness along the length of said blade section,

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein near the heel-end and toe-end of said blade section, blade section is thicker.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said blade section tapers inward toward the center of blade section

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the bottom surface of said blade surface is thicker near the heel-end and toe-end than in the center of bottom surface.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said section has an exterior side and an interior side which are mirrors of each other.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said section has an interior edge and an exterior edge.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said interior edge and said exterior edge are determined by selective user weight distribution.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein either said interior edge of said skate blade and said exterior edge of said are in contact with an ice surface, and center portion of said skate blade are simultaneously in contact with said ice surface.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the curvature of said skate blade creates an elongated exterior or interior skate edge.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said blade section further includes a chamfer between said blade section and said attachment section.

21. The apparatus of said claim 1 is comprised of portions of varying different radii.