Shoe and wheel combination having detachable structure

Abstract

A shoe and a wheel device include one end detachably secured together with a projection-and-lock notch engagement. A toe member and a heel member are engaged on the front and the rear portions of the shoe. The wheel device includes one or more projections extended from the front portion for detachably securing to the toe member without additional fasteners or tools. One or more latches are attached to the rear portion of the wheel device for latching and securing the heel member and the rear portion of the shoe to the wheel device without additional fasteners or tools.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to U.S. pat. application No. 09/968,137, filed on Sept. 28, 2001, pending.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a shoe and wheel combination, and more particularly to a shoe and wheel combination including an easily and quickly detachable structure or configuration.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] Various kinds of typical shoe and wheel combinations have been developed and used today, and comprise a wheel device for detachably securing to the bottom of the shoe. Normally, the shoe includes two or more fasteners extended downward therefrom for securing the wheel device to the bottom thereof together with the other or the additional lock nuts or the like. The lock nuts may not be easily unthreaded and disengaged from the fasteners.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,512 to Chang discloses the other type of shoe and wheel combination including a wheel device having one end rotatably secured to one end of the shoe with a pivot shaft, and having the other end detachably secured to the shoe with a lock device or the like. However, the pivot shaft may not be easily disengaged from the shoe, such that the wheel device may not be easily and quickly disengaged from the shoe after the lock device has been disengaged from the shoe, and such that the wheel device may not be easily disengaged from the shoe.

[0007] The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional shoe and wheel combinations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a shoe and wheel combination including an easily and quickly detachable structure or configuration.

[0009] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a shoe and wheel combination comprising a shoe including a first portion having at least one passage formed therein, and a rear portion having at least one cavity formed therein, a toe member engaged onto the front portion of the shoe, and including at least one block extended downward therefrom and engaged into the passage of the shoe, the block including a lock notch formed therein, a heel member engaged onto the rear portion of the shoe, the heel member including at least one protrusion extended downward therefrom and engaged into the cavity of the shoe, the protrusion including an orifice formed therein, a wheel device including a frame having a front portion and having at least one projection provided on the front portion of the frame for engaging into the lock notch of the block and for engaging with the block and for detachably securing the front portion of the shoe and the toe member to the frame of the wheel device, the frame including a rear portion having at least one conduit provided thereon, the conduit including a bore and an opening formed therein and communicating with each other, the protrusion being engaged into the the cavity of the shoe and being engaged into the bore of the conduit, the opening of the conduit being aligned with the orifice of the protrusion when the protrusion is engaged into the bore of the conduit, and at least one latch pivotally secured on the rear portion of the frame, and including a first end having a hook provided thereon and engaged in the opening of the conduit, and for engaging into the orifice of the protrusion in order to engage with the protrusion and in order to latch the rear portion of the frame and the heel member together.

[0010] The frame includes a catch extended upward from the front portion thereof, the projection is extended forward from the catch.

[0011] The latch includes a middle portion rotatably secured to the rear portion of the frame with a pivot pin, and includes a second end having a knob for engaging the hook into and away from the orifice of the protrusion.

[0012] The frame has two pairs of wheels rotatably attached thereto with two respective shafts.

[0013] Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of a detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe and wheel combination in accordance with the present invention;

[0015] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the shoe and wheel combination; and

[0016] FIGS. 3, 4 are cross sectional views taken along lines 3-3, and 4-4 of FIG. 1 respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0017] Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-3, a shoe and wheel combination in accordance with the present invention comprises a wheel device including a frame 10 having one or more wheels 11 rotatably secured thereto, such as having two pairs of wheels 11 rotatably secured to the frame 10 with two shafts 12 respectively, for engaging with the ground or the like, and having a board 16 disposed or provided on the rear end thereof. The front portion of the frame 10 or of the wheel device includes a catch 13 extended upward therefrom and having one or more, such as three projections 14 extended forward therefrom; and includes a brake shoe 15 attached thereto.

[0018] The rear portion or the rear board 16 of the frame 10 of the wheel device includes one or more, such as two conduits 17 formed or provided therein and extended upward beyond or from the board 16 or from the frame 10, best shown in FIG. 4. The conduits 17 each includes a bore 18 and an opening 19 (FIGS. 2, 4) formed therein and communicating with each other, in which the openings 19 of the conduits 17 are opened outward relative to the frame 10 of the wheel device.

[0019] Two latches 20 each has a middle portion pivotally or rotatably secured to the respective sides of the frame 10 with a pivot pin 21, and each includes a hook 22 provided on one end thereof and engaged into the opening 19 of the conduit 17 and engageable into the bore 18 of the conduit 17, and each includes a knob 23 provided on the other end thereof for engaging or for disengaging the hook 22 into or out of the opening 19 of the conduit 17. A spring (not shown) or the like may further be provided and engaged between the knob 23 and the frame 10 for biasing the hook 22 to engage into the opening 19 of the conduit 17.

[0020] The shoe and wheel combination includes a shoe 40 to be detachably secured onto the frame 10 of the wheel device. The shoe 40 is preferably made of soft or resilient materials, such as the typical rubber or synthetic materials, and may be used as the typical shoes, such as the sports shoes or the like when the shoe 40 is disengaged from the frame 10 of the wheel device. For clearly showing the securing of the shoe 40 onto the frame 10 of the wheel device, only the shoe sole of the shoe 40 has been shown in the drawings, such that the shoe sole of the shoe 40 represents the shoe to be detachably secured onto the frame 10.

[0021] The shoe 40 includes one end, such as the front end having one or more, such as three passages 41 formed therein for receiving the catch 13 and the projections 14 of the frame 10, and having a recess 46 formed in the front and upper portion thereof and communicating with the passage 41 thereof. The rear portion of the shoe 40 includes one or more, such as two chambers 43 (FIG. 4) and two cavities 44 formed therein and communicating with each other. The chambers 43 of the shoe 40 include a greater volume or width than that of the cavities 44 of the shoe 40 for receiving the conduits 17 of the rear board 16 respectively (FIG. 4). The shoe 40 includes a depression 47 formed in the middle or the rear portion thereof and communicating with the cavities 44 thereof.

[0022] A toe member 70 has a lower portion engaged in the recess 46 of the shoe 40 and includes one or more, such as three blocks 71 extended downward therefrom and engaged into the passages 41 of the shoe 40. The blocks 71 each includes a lock notch 72 (FIG. 3) formed therein for receiving the projections 14 of the frame 10 and for detachably securing the front portions of the shoe 40 to the frame 10. The frame 10 may include only the three projections 14 extended therefrom, without the catch 13, for engaging into the passages 41 of the shoe 40.

[0023] In assembling, the projections 14 of the frame 10 may first be engaged upward into the lock notches 72 of the blocks 70 and then may be moved forward to solidly engage into the lock notches 72 of the blocks 70 and to detachably lock the front portions of the shoe 40 to the frame 10. The toe member 70 is made of stronger materials, such as plastic materials, metal materials, composite materials, or the like. The front portions of the shoe 40 and the frame 10 may thus be easily and quickly secured together without additional fasteners.

[0024] A heel member 80 includes a bottom panel 81 engaged in the depression 47 of the shoe 40, and one or more, such as two protrusions 84 extended downward therefrom, such as extended downward from the rear portion thereof, and engaged into the cavities 44 of the shoe 40 and engaged into the bores 18 of the conduits 17 respectively. The protrusions 84 each includes an orifice 87 formed therein and aligned with the opening 19 of the conduit 17 (FIG. 4).

[0025] In assembling, the hooks 22 of the latches 20 may be engaged into the openings 19 of the conduits 17 and the orifices 87 of the protrusions 84 by the knobs 23, and may be engaged with the protrusions 84 for detachably locking the heel member 80 and the rear portion of the shoe 40 to the frame 10. The heel member 80 is also preferably made of stronger materials, such as plastic materials, metal materials, composite materials, or the like.

[0026] In assembling the frame 10 of the wheel device and the shoe 40 together, the blocks 71 of the toe member 70 may be engaged into the passage 41 of the shoe 40. The projections 14 of the frame 10 may then be engaged into the lock notches 72 of the blocks 71 and may be moved forward relative to the shoe 40, for detachably securing the front portion of the shoe 40 and to the frame 10 with the toe member 70, without additional fasteners. The hooks 22 of the latches 20 that are engaged in the openings 19 of the conduits 17 respectively may be engaged into the orifices 87 of the protrusions 84 respectively for quickly and detachably locking the heel member 80 and the rear portion of the shoe 40 to the frame 10. The shoe 40 may thus be easily and quickly secured to the frame 10 without additional fasteners, and may be easily and quickly disengaged from the frame 10 by disengaging the hook 22 of the latch 20 from the protrusion 84.

[0027] Accordingly, the shoe and wheel combination in accordance with the present invention includes an easily and quickly detachable structure or configuration.

[0028] Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A shoe and wheel combination comprising:

a shoe including a first portion having at least one passage formed therein, and a rear portion having at least one cavity formed therein,

a toe member engaged onto said front portion of said shoe, and including at least one block extended downward therefrom and engaged into said at least one passage of said shoe, said at least one block including a lock notch formed therein,

a heel member engaged onto said rear portion of said shoe, said heel member including at least one protrusion extended downward therefrom and engaged into said at least one cavity of said shoe, said at least one protrusion including an orifice formed therein,

a wheel device including a frame having a front portion and having at least one projection provided on said front portion of said frame for engaging into said lock notch of said at least one block and for engaging with said at least one block and for detachably securing said front portion of said shoe and said toe member to said frame of said wheel device,

said frame including a rear portion having at least one conduit provided thereon, said at least one conduit including a bore and an opening formed therein and communicating with each other, said at least one protrusion being engaged into said said at least one cavity of said shoe and being engaged into said bore of said at least one conduit, said opening of said at least one conduit being aligned with said orifice of said at least one protrusion when said at least one protrusion is engaged into said bore of said at least one conduit, and

at least one latch pivotally secured on said rear portion of said frame, and including a first end having a hook provided thereon and engaged in said opening of said at least one conduit, and for engaging into said orifice of said at least one protrusion in order to engage with said at least one protrusion and in order to latch said rear portion of said frame and said heel member together.

2. The shoe and wheel combination according to claim 1, wherein said frame includes a catch extended upward from said front portion thereof, said at least one projection is extended forward from said catch.

3. The shoe and wheel combination according to claim 1, wherein said at least one latch includes a middle portion rotatably secured to said rear portion of said frame with a pivot pin, and includes a second end having a knob for engaging said hook into and away from said orifice of said at least one protrusion.

4. The shoe and wheel combination according to claim 1, wherein said frame has two pairs of wheels rotatably attached thereto with two respective shafts.