Roller board

Abstract

A roller board including a board and two or more downwardly-disposed roller assemblies mounted on the board. Each roller assembly has an annular retaining collar with a spherical recess, a plurality of bearings seated within the recess, and a spherical roller ball rotatably seated in the recess in contact with the bearings. A stabilizer assembly is mounted between the roller assemblies to give lateral stability, and a false axle is provided in each of the roller assemblies for imparting increased friction upon contact with the roller ball. The false axle imparts a higher coefficient of friction on hard cornering, thereby simulating “carving” or digging in the edges of a snow board. The foregoing features combine to exactly simulate the sensation of using a snow board on snow.

Description

[0001] The present invention derives its priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/208,228 filed on May 31, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to sport boards, and more particularly, to a roller board design that simulates a snow boarding experience on hard terrain.

[0004] 2. Description of the Background

[0005] In 1965 Sherman Poppen developed a simple wooden board with a rope tied to the bow, and he named it the “snurfer.” The development came as the result of Mr. Poppen's love for surfing. He wanted to continue his hobby in the winter months, and the snurfer gave that same sensation on snow. Mr. Poppen began selling commercially, found some success, and as a result he is widely credited with the invention of snow boarding. In these early days the evolution of snow boarding was very slow. In 1979 Jake Burton Carpenter began making fiberglass snow boards, and he added bindings to help control the board. In the 1980's steel edges were added, and high-backed bindings soon followed to give more control on hard packed snow. As the sport and equipment became more refined, the popularity rose. Finally, about fifteen years ago winter resorts began letting snow boarders on their slopes, and this fueled the current snow board explosion. It is estimated that there are now about four million snow boarders. It has become an Olympic sport and a billion dollar industry. Unfortunately, it is a seasonal industry in most states. In much the same tradition as Sherman Poppen, there are many snow boarders who would like to continue their winter hobby in the warmer months. Ski boarding is a summer alternative, but the dynamics of traditional ski boarding are very different from snow boarding. Turning on a snow board is a gradual process during which the degree of forward friction can be controlled by “carving” or digging in the edges. A ski boarder, on the other hand, has no control over the amount of friction.

[0006] There has been one known prior effort to refine the design of a standard ski board carriage to simulate snow boarding. U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,941 discloses a roller ski board having a plurality of wheel pairs pivotally mounted under the board body. The wheel pairs result in an arcuate contact with the ground to achieve edging effects similar to an ordinary snow ski board. While the objective is admirable, the use of wheels inevitably sacrifices control over lateral friction. Wheels were meant to go in one direction: forward.

[0007] It is would be greatly advantageous to provide a roller board that more nearly simulates the feel of a snow board on snow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a roller board for hard-terrain use that closely simulates the feel of a snow board on snow.

[0009] It is another object to provide a roller board as described above which uses roller-balls rather than wheels to allow for lateral slip.

[0010] It is another object to provide a roller board as described above which incorporates a lateral damping mechanism to damp excessive lateral slip, thereby simulating “carving” or digging in the edges of a snow board.

[0011] It is still another object to provide a lateral stabilizer to simulate the compressive sensation as the edges of a snow board are dug into the snow.

[0012] In accordance with the above-described and other objects, the present invention provides a roller board including a board and two or more downwardly-disposed roller assemblies mounted on the board. Each roller assembly has an annular retaining collar with a spherical recess, a plurality of bearings seated within the recess, and a spherical roller ball rotatably seated in the recess in contact with the bearings. A stabilizer assembly is mounted between the roller assemblies, the stabilizer comprising a downwardly extending truck secured to the board and having a pair of wheels mounted thereon. In addition, a false axle is provided in each of said roller assemblies. Each false axle includes an axle snubber mounted within the spherical recess of the annular retaining collar for imparting increased friction upon contact with said roller ball. The axle snubber is preferably mounted on an adjustment screw and lock nut to allow adjustment of the degree of friction imparted upon the roller ball. The false axle imparts a higher coefficient of friction, thereby simulating “carving” or digging in the edges of a snow board. This exactly simulates the compressive sensation as the edges of a snow board are dug into the snow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and certain modifications thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an individual making use of the roller board 2 according to the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the roller board 2 as in FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the roller board 2 as in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a side cross-section of an exemplary roller 12 as in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary half-roller housing 22 as in FIG. 4, with enlarged bubble illustrations of an exemplary damper bushing insert 22 and bearing insert 32.

[0019] FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the half-roller housing 22 as in FIG. 5.

[0020] FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are a top view, side view, and front view, respectively, illustrating a roller board configuration incorporating three evenly-spaced rollers 12.

[0021] FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 are a top view, side view, and front view, respectively, illustrating a roller board configuration with two pair of tandem rollers 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an individual making use of the roller board 2 according to the present invention. The roller board 2 generally includes two downwardly-disposed roller assemblies 12 that are permanently attached to a wood or fiberglass foot board 14. The roller board 2 is intended to be used on the same terrain as any skate board, inclusive of asphalt, concrete and other hard terrain. The roller assemblies 12 are extremely durable, much more so than most skate board skates, and they stand up well to extreme use.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the roller board 2 as in FIG. 1. In all respects, board 14 is a conventional snow board and the top may be left bare or mounted with standard snow board bindings for use with specialized boots. Each roller assembly 12 generally comprises an annular retaining collar 16 in which a spherical roller ball 18 is seated for uni-directional rotation.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the roller board 2 as in FIGS. 1 and 2. The retaining collars 16 encompass the bulk of the roller balls 18, and consequently the roller balls 18 are loosely but irremovably captured in the respective retaining collars 16. One roller assembly 12 is mounted toward the front of board 14 (preferably corresponding to the front foot placement atop the board), and one roller assembly 12 is mounted toward the rear of board 14 (preferably corresponding to the rear foot placement). A stabilizer 15 is mounted centrally between the two roller assemblies 12. Stabilizer 15 generally includes a downwardly extending truck 35 secured to the board 14 and having a horizontal axle 36 with distally-mounted wheels 37. Stabilizer 15 may comprise a conventional skate board skate inclusive of truck 35, wheels 37, bearings and associated mounting hardware (not shown). However, it is important that the wheels 37 should protrude downward to within approximately 2 mm of the floor when rollers 18 are making contact. The exact offset adjusts lateral stability and is largely a matter of user preference.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a front cross-section of an exemplary roller 12 as in FIGS. 2 and 3. It can be seen that the retaining collar 16 encompasses approximately 210° of the roller ball 18, thereby capturing the ball 18. Each roller ball 18 is preferably formed of a hard shatter-proof resin such as the phenol-formaldehyde Bakelite™. The retaining collars 16 and inner components of the roller assemblies will now be described.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary half-roller housing 22a as in FIG. 4, with enlarged bubble illustrations of an exemplary damper bushing insert 23 and bearing insert 32. Two half-roller housings 22a and 22b are secured together to form an annular whole, and the two halves are similarly machined to conserve costs. The half-roller housings 22a and 22b are machined aluminum with a durable polished exterior, and when brought together the halves form a spherically recessed interior. The interior surfaces of the half-roller housings 22a and 22b are machined at three 120° intervals to seat three ball transfers 45. The ball transfers 45 are commercially-available bearing assemblies each including a hardened ½″ steel ball bearing partially enclosed in a flanged retainer. The three machined recesses in the interior surfaces of the half-roller housings 22a and 22b are as shown in the enlarged bubble illustration at the top right, and include a cylindrical bore that provides recessed seating of the ball transfers 45. The cylindrical bore is two-tiered to seat the ball transfer 45 by its flange, thereby exposing the steel ball bearing toward the roller ball 18. In order to properly machine at three 120° intervals, two of the recesses are machined into one half-roller housings 22a, and one into the other. All of the recesses are machined at 45° angles with respect to horizontal to provide stable three-point support for the roller ball 18. This configuration provides a solid foundation for roller ball 18, and yet the roller ball 18 is able to rotate in a substantially frictionless setting. As a result, the roller board 2 rolls comfortably over rough and hard terrain. The roller-balls 18 (as opposed to wheels) are uni-directional and allow for lateral slip, thereby closely simulating the feel of a snow board on snow. However, to attain true realism it is necessary to incorporate a lateral damping mechanism to damp excessive lateral slip, thereby simulating “carving” or digging in the edges of a snow board. This is accomplished with a series of “false axles” each comprised of an axle snubber 62, snubber adjustment screw 64 and adjustment screw lock nut 66. Each roller housing 22 includes two false axles, one in each half-roller housing 22a and 22b. The false axles are seated in side-bores 68 drilled laterally into the half-roller housings 22a and 22b. The side-bores 68 each include a wider inner recess in the surface of the half-roller housing 22 leading to a narrower through-bore penetrating outward. The wider inner recess of side-bores 68 is designed to seat an axle snubber 62 shown at the top left bubble enlargement of FIG. 5. Each axle snubber 62 is an open-faced plastic washer having a recess on one side for seating a adjustment screw lock nut 66, and a closed concave face on the other said to conform to the arc of the roller ball 18. The axle snubber 62 sits flush inside the half-roller housing 22, the adjustment screw lock nut 66 sits flush in the axle snubber 62. A set screw 64 is threaded through the adjustment screw lock nut 66 and outward through the through-bore penetrating the half-roller housing 22. This way, the axle snubber 62 is adjustable outward against the roller ball 18 via set screw 64. In operation, the foregoing lateral damping mechanism serves to damp excessive lateral slip, kicking in during hard turns when the roller ball 18 is forced against a side-mounted false axle. The false axle imparts a higher coefficient of friction, thereby simulating “carving” or digging in the edges of a snow board. This exactly simulates the compressive sensation as the edges of a snow board are dug into the snow.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of a half-roller housing 22 as in FIG. 5. This illustrates a pair of spaced through-bores 72 on each side of each half-roller housing 22 through which set screws are inserted to secure the halves together.

[0028] Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiment and the concept underlying the present invention, various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept.

[0029] For example, FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are a top view, side view, and front view, respectively, illustrating a roller board configuration incorporating three evenly-spaced rollers 12.

[0030] FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 are a top view, side view, and front view, respectively, illustrating a roller board configuration with two pair of tandem rollers 12.

[0031] It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth in the appended claims:

Claims

1. A roller board, comprising:

a board;

at least two downwardly-disposed roller assemblies mounted on said board, each roller assembly further comprising an annular retaining collar defining a spherical recess, a plurality of bearings seated within the recess, and a spherical roller ball rotatably seated in the recess of each of the retaining collars in contact with said plurality of bearings.

2. The roller board according to

claim 1, further comprising a stabilizer assembly mounted between the at least two roller assemblies, said stabilizers comprising a downwardly extending truck secured to said board and having a pair of wheels mounted thereon.

3. The roller board according to

claim 1, further comprising a false axle in each of said roller assemblies, said false axles including an axle snubber mounted within the spherical recess of the annular retaining collar for imparting increased friction upon contact with said roller ball.

4. The roller board according to

claim 3, wherein said false axles further include an adjustment screw and lock nut for adjusting the degree of friction imparted upon said roller ball.

5. A roller board, comprising:

a board;

three downwardly-disposed roller assemblies mounted in-line on said board, each roller assembly further comprising an annular retaining collar defining a spherical recess, a plurality of bearings seated within the recess, and a spherical roller ball rotatably seated in the recess of each of the retaining collars in contact with said plurality of bearings.

6. A roller board, comprising:

a board;

a pair of two downwardly-disposed tandem roller assemblies mounted on said board, each tandem roller assembly further comprising an annular retaining collar defining a pair of side-by-side spherical recesses, a plurality of bearings seated within each of said recesses, and a plurality of spherical roller balls each rotatably seated in a corresponding recess in said retaining collars in contact with said plurality of bearings.