Cuff pivoting of in-line roller skate

An improved cuff hinging structure of an in-line roller skate includes a plurality of wheels set straight under a chassis, a base portion mounted on the chassis, and a cuff connected to the boot of the base portion through pivots on an ankle support cuff, providing excellent resilience for the cuff and thus enhancing the durability of the skate.

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Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] I. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates generally to an improved cuff pivoting structure of an in-line roller skate and, more specifically, to an in-line roller skate which has an ankle support cuff that connects the cuff with the boot of the base portion and thus provides excellent resilience for the cuff as well as enhances the durability of the skate.

[0003] II. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Heretofore, it is known to construct an in-line roller skate having a base portion mounted upon the chassis and a plurality of wheels set along a straight line under the chassis.

[0005] An in-line roller skate of such construction typically has a base portion made of hard materials and enables the ankle to flex his ankle forward and rearward. As can be seen in FIG. 3, an in-line roller skate of this kind typically has a plurality of wheels (b) set straight in a line under a chassis (a), a base portion (c) mounted on the chassis (a), and a cuff (d) pivotally connected to the boot of the base portion (c). To put on the skate, a skater puts his foot into the base portion (c) and ties the cuff (d) on his lower leg so that his ankle can flex during skating.

[0006] The heretofore known in-line roller skate provides limited flexibility for the ankle with only one piece of cuff (d) pivotally attached to the base portion (c). The pivotally structure of this kind does not allow the skater to flex his ankle forward and rearward with ease and thus is more likely to result in injuries at the ankle during skate.

[0007] Further, the base portion (c) and the cuff (d) are connected with only one pair of trims (e) at the lateral sides that does provide sufficient rigidity in the lateral direction to endure all the pressure caused during skating and is to be worn out easily.

[0008] The present invention improves on the heretofore known in-line roller skate by providing a cuff hinging structure that connects the cuff with the base portion. A plurality of wheels is set in a straight line under the chassis. A base portion is put upon the chassis. A cuff is connected to the boot of the base portion through an ankle support cuff. The cuff hinging structure provides the skate with better resilience and adds durability for the roller skate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide an ankle support cuff that forms pivotal connections to the cuff and the boot of the base portion so as to enhance the resilience of the cuff and offers durability for the skate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The accomplishment of the above-mentioned object of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and its accompanying drawings which disclose illustrative an embodiment of the present invention, and are as follows:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a lateral view of an in-line roller skate according to the present invention;

[0012] FIG. 2 is an explosive side view of an in-line roller skate constructed in accordance with the present invention;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a lateral view of a prior art.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention comprises a plurality of wheels 2 set straight in a line under a chassis 1, a base portion 3 mounted on the chassis 1, and a cuff 4 pivotally connected to the boot 31 of the base portion 3. The cuff 4 and the boot 31 of the base portion 3 are connected through an ankle support cuff 5, which provides better resilience for the cuff 4.

[0015] Based on the structure mentioned above, the cuff 4 is indirectly connected to the boot 31 of the base portion 3 through the ankle support cuff 5, which allows the cuff 4 to flex forward for about 30 degrees and rearward for about 10 degrees. With this cuff hinging structure, the skater is able to move his ankle around freely and with comfort during intensive skating while lowering the risk of injury of the ankle.

[0016] Furthermore, trims 6a are set on lateral sides of the boot 31 of the base portion 3 and the ankle support cuff 5 for pivotal connection. Trims 6b are set on both sides of the ankle support cuff 5 and the cuff 4 for pivotal connection. Four pivots altogether enhance the strength of the cuff structure to endure the pressure produced during skating and thus provide the trims 6a, 6b with considerable rigidity in the lateral direction.

[0017] While only one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that various modifications and changes could be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention disclosed.

Claims

1. A cuff hinging of an in-line roller skate comprising

a plurality of wheels set straight under a chassis,
a base portion with a boot thereon mounted on said chassis,
and a cuff connected to said boot of said base portion,
an ankle support cuff;
wherein the improvement is characterized by
said ankle support cuff connects said cuff with said boot of said base portion whereby providing excellent resilience for said cuff.
Patent History
Publication number: 20030102641
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 4, 2001
Publication Date: Jun 5, 2003
Inventor: Shi-Pei Liu (Taipei)
Application Number: 10000348