Damper device for in-line skate

Abstract

A damper device for an in-line skate is provided, in which an impact caused by a non-uniform road surface during skating is absorbed and buffered in order to realize more stable skating. The damper device includes: a hinge member which is installed at the lower-front portion of a boot and the front portion of a wheel frame, and which is rotatably connected therewith; and a damper which is installed between a fixed bracket which is fixed at the lower-rear portion of the boot and which is extended down to the rear side of an ankle and the rear portion of the wheel frame.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an in-line skate which is well known in the field of leasure or sports, and more particularly, to a damper device for an in-line skate, in which an impact caused by a non-uniform road surface during skating is absorbed and buffered in order to realize more stable skating.

2. Description of the Related Art

The moderns are much interested in leisure and sports. According to spread of a five-day working system, spare times are increasing and thus much interest to the health grows high. Accordingly, the moderns have tendencies of positively participate in health clubs, fitness centers, or sports activities.

In-line skating is a representative example of sports activities. In particular, in-line skating is a favorite sport for young people. The in-line skating is an aerobic exercise which gives an exercise effect better than gymnastic aerobics, and provides people who ride an in-line skate with much fun. Accordingly, in-line skate dedicated roads are being constructed.

When a running surface is uniform and soft, in-line skaters enjoy a comfortable running. However, when a running surface is non-uniform or rugged, an impact transferred from the running surface via the wheels of in-line skates is directly transferred to the in-line skaters. As a result, in a severe case, the health of the in-line skaters can be damaged.

A Korean Utility Model Registration Publication No. 20-0332962 on Nov. 03, 2003 has proposed a wheel damper device in order to solve the above-described problems. The wheel damper device can absorb an impact which occurs at the time of collision to obstacles or jumping, in which the wheels of an in-line skate can be moved up and down or left and right.

The wheel damper device of the Korean Utility Model Registration Publication No. 20-0332962 is provided with a spring member mounted in a space formed between a skate frame and an ascending and descending member. Since the spring member is exposed to outside and is installed near the ground surface, foreign matters can be easily adsorbed and corrosion can easily occur.

Also, since the spring member is hooked on a hook, the spring member can be easily separated if a direct blow is applied to the spring member. Also, since wheels are indirectly supported to the in-line skate frame, a support force and a rigidity are lowered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a damper device for an in-line skate in which an impact transferred from a road surface during skating can be absorbed and mitigated at a wheel frame using a shock absorber which is mounted upwards at the heel side of a boot, thereby allowing stable skating and solving problems such as adsorption of foreign matters, corrosion, and structural unstability.

To accomplish the above object of the present invention, there is provided a damper device for an in-line skate including a boot, a wheel frame installed in the lower portion of the boot, and a plurality of wheels which are rotatably mounted in the wheel frame, the damper device comprising: a hinge member which is installed at the lower-front portion of the boot and the front portion of the wheel frame, and which is rotatably connected therewith; and a damper which is installed between a fixed bracket which is fixed at the lower-rear portion of the boot and which is extended down to the rear side of an ankle and the rear portion of the wheel frame.

Preferably, a fixing plate is installed in the lower portion of the boot, in which a fixing pin is installed so as to be detachably coupled via fixing holes of the fixing plate and the wheel frame, to thereby make an operation of the damper stop as needed.

Also, preferably, the damper comprises: a shock absorber which is integrally installed in the wheel frame, in which a strut rod which is withdrawn upwards is connected with a fixing bracket; a lower variable spring support being an adjuster which is rotatably installed around the lower portion of the shock absorber and which comprises a number of teeth which are engaged with a fixing protrusion in multi-step, to thereby control height; and a coil spring installed between the fixing bracket and the lower variable spring support.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the preferred embodiment thereof in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an in-line sake according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the whole structure according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a side view of the in-line skate according to the present invention, in order to illustrate an operation state of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A damper device for an in-line skate according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, an in-line skate to which a damper device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, includes a boot 1, a wheel frame 3 installed in the lower portion of the boot 1, and a plurality of wheels 5 which are rotatably mounted in the wheel frame 3.

In order to solve the problem that an impact from a road surface is directly transferred to an in-line skater as described in the conventional art, the present invention has proposed the damper which is mounted upwards from the wheel frame 3 to the heel side of the boot 1.

Also, in order to realize the up-and-down operation of the damper, a hinge member is installed at the lower-front portion of the boot 1 and the front portion of the wheel frame 3, and rotate mutually.

The hinge member includes a hinge frame 91 installed in the lower portion of the boot 1. Engagement holes 93 and 31 are formed in the hinge frame 91 and the wheel frame 3. The hinge frame 91 and the wheel frame 3 can be engaged by a hinge pin 11a and a hinge nut 11b via the engagement holes 91 and 31. A bearing 11c is installed in the hinge pin 11a to make a hinge function more smoothly.

Meanwhile, the damper is installed between a fixed bracket 13 which is fixed at the lower-rear portion of the boot 1 and which is extended down to the rear side of an ankle and the rear portion of the wheel frame 3. The damper is installed in the wheel frame of the in-line skate to thereby solve the conventional problems such as adsorption of foreign matters, corrosion, and structural unstability.

In more detail, the damper includes a shock absorber 71 which is integrally installed in the wheel frame 3 by means of an engagement pin 15a and an engagement nut 15b. A strut rod 71a which is withdrawn upwards from the shock absorber 71 is connected to a fixing bracket 13.

A low variable spring support (referred to as an adjuster) 73 which can rotate in a forward and reverse directions is installed in the lower circumference of the shock absorber 71. The adjuster 73 includes a number of teeth 73a which are engaged with a fixing protrusion 71b of the shock absorber in multi-step, to thereby control height during rotation at its axis.

The height control is to control tension of the damper. According to control of the height of the adjuster 73, tension of a coil spring 75 installed between the fixing bracket 13 and the lower variable spring support 73 can be adjusted.

Meanwhile, the damper device according to the present invention can be constructed to make the operation of the damper stop, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention. For this purpose, a fixing plate 17 is installed in the lower portion of the boot 1, and a fixing pin 19 is installed so as to be detachably coupled via a fixing hole 17a of the fixing plate and the fixing hole 33 of the wheel frame 3, to thereby make an operation of the damper stop as needed. The fixing plate 17 is integrally fixed on the bottom surface of the boot 1 together with the fixing bracket 13 by means of engagement elements such as screws. Here, the fixing hole 17a through which the fixing pin 19 is engaged is formed in the lower portion 17c which is extended from the fixing plate 17. The lower portion 17c in which the fixing hole 17a is formed is inserted into an intermediate space of the wheel frame 3. An additional sub-bracket 17d can be further installed in order to compensate for a gap between the lower portion 17c and the wheel frame 3. Also, a male screw is formed in the end of the fixing pin 19, and a female screw is formed in the fixing hole 33 of the wheel frame 3. Also, the male screw can be tightened with an additional fixing nut.

Hereinbelow, function of the damper device for an in-line skate according to the present invention will be described.

First, in order to make the damper device according to the present invention operate, the fixing pin 19 which has been engaged with the wheel frame 3 and the fixing plate 17 is removed. The in-line skate from which the fixing pin 19 has been removed can rotate around the hinge member, and can absorb an impact by the damper.

Meanwhile, when the damper absorbs an impact, the fixing plate 17 and the wheel frame 3 can contact and be collided with each other. To solve this problem, the present invention further includes a buffering pad 17b contacting the fixing plate 17.

The damper can heighten tension when the weight of an in-line skater is heavy. For this purpose, the low variable spring support 73 being an adjuster is made to rotate in order to compress the coil spring 75. In a reverse case, tension of the coil spring 75 is lowered by sufficiently extending the coil spring 75.

As described above, the damper device for an in-line skate according to the present invention can absorb and mitigate an impact transferred from a road surface during skating, since a large-scale damper which is mounted upwards at the heel side of a boot is installed at a wheel frame.

Also, the damper device is installed in each wheel of an in-line skate, thereby solving problems such as adsorption of foreign matters, corrosion, and structural unstability.

Also, tension of the damper which is applied in the present invention can be adjusted. Thus, an impact can be precisely absorbed and buffered in dependence upon the weight of an in-line skater.

As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to a particularly preferred embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it is possible for one who has an ordinary skill in the art to make various modifications and variations, without departing off the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A damper device for an in-line skate including a boot, a wheel frame installed in the lower portion of the boot, and a plurality of wheels which are rotatably mounted in the wheel frame, the damper device comprising:

a hinge member which is installed at the lower-front portion of the boot and the front portion of the wheel frame, and which is rotatably connected therewith; and

a damper which is installed between a fixed bracket which is fixed at the lower-rear portion of the boot and which is extended down to the rear side of an ankle and the rear portion of the wheel frame.

2. The damper device for an in-line skate according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing plate which is installed in the lower portion of the boot; and a fixing pin which is installed so as to be detachably coupled via fixing holes of the fixing plate and the wheel frame.

3. The damper device for an in-line skate according to claim 1, wherein the damper comprises: a shock absorber which is integrally installed in the wheel frame, in which a strut rod which is withdrawn upwards is connected with a fixing bracket; a lower variable spring support being an adjuster which is rotatably installed around the lower portion of the shock absorber and which comprises a number of teeth which are engaged with a fixing protrusion in multi-step, to thereby control height; and a coil spring installed between the fixing bracket and the lower variable spring support.

4. An in-line skate comprising:

a boot;

a wheel frame installed in the lower portion of the boot;

a plurality of wheels which are rotatably mounted in the wheel frame;

a hinge member which is installed at the lower-front portion of the boot and the front portion of the wheel frame, and which is rotatably connected therewith; and

a damper which is installed between a fixed bracket which is fixed at the lower-rear portion of the boot and which is extended down to the rear side of an ankle and the rear portion of the wheel frame.

5. The in-line skate according to claim 4, further comprising a fixing plate which is installed in the lower portion of the boot; and a fixing pin which is installed so as to be detachably coupled via fixing holes of the fixing plate and the wheel frame.

6. The in-line skate according to claim 4, wherein the damper comprises: a shock absorber which is integrally installed in the wheel frame, in which a strut rod which is withdrawn upwards is connected with a fixing bracket; a lower variable spring support being an adjuster which is rotatably installed around the lower portion of the shock absorber and which comprises a number of teeth which are engaged with a fixing protrusion in multi-step, to thereby control height; and a coil spring installed between the fixing bracket and the lower variable spring support.