IN-LINE SKATES, FRAME ASSEMBLIES AND ASSEMBLIES FOR MODIFYING IN-LINE SKATES
In-line skates, frame assemblies and assemblies for modifying in-line skates are provided. A representative assembly for modifying an in-line skate includes a grinding member configured for removable attachment to an in-line skate frame. The grinding member has a grinding sidewall and a grinding base, with the grinding base extending outwardly from the grinding sidewall. When the grinding member is attached to the frame, the grinding sidewall is positioned in an overlying relationship with respect to the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding base spans between the first and second sidewalls along the bottom of the frame.
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This application claims priority to copending U.S. provisional application entitled, “Functional Frame Concept for Use on In-Line Skate Frame,” having Ser. No. 60/720,656, filed Sep. 26, 2005, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe disclosure generally relates to the field of in-line skating.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ARTOver the past several decades, in-line skating has virtually replaced roller skating in popularity. Recently, an offshoot of in-line skating, known as aggressive in-line skating, has developed. Aggressive in-line skating involves, as the term implies, aggressive skating moves that tend to apply relatively high forces to the in-line skates. By way of example, it is commonplace in aggressive in-line skating to perform jumps and other maneuvers, such as “grinding.” Grinding causes the skate to scrape against a surface. For instance, a typical grinding move can involve sliding the skate along a surface, such as a horizontally oriented pole. Notably, the exterior surface of the skate, e.g., the exterior of the frame that is used to attach the wheels to the boot of the skate, typically becomes abraded due to grinding. Eventually, activities such as grinding tend to cause failure, e.g., cracking, of the skate frame.
In this regard, a conventional skate frame is a one-piece structure formed of a material that is selected either for providing high strength or improved grinding performance. Unfortunately, those materials that are capable of providing high strength typically do not provide adequate grinding performance and vice versa. Therefore, skaters have been forced to choose between a frame that is either strong enough to last, while providing poor grinding performance, or a frame that is generally weaker but provides better grinding performance.
SUMMARYIn this regard, in-line skates, frame assemblies and assemblies for modifying in-line skates are provided. An exemplary embodiment of such an in-line skate comprises a boot, a frame, axles, wheels and a grinding member. The boot has a bottom portion. The frame is attached to the bottom portion of the boot, with the frame having first and second sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom. The first and second sidewalls are spaced from each other, with the top wall extending between the sidewalls. The top wall is attached to the boot. The axles extend between the first and second sidewalls and the wheels are rotatably mounted to the axles such that at least a portion of each of the wheels is located between the first and second sidewalls. The grinding member is removably attached to the frame, with the grinding member having a grinding sidewall, a grinding base and mounting holes. The grinding base extends from the grinding sidewall, with the mounting holes being located in the grinding sidewall and being positioned such that the grinding member is attached to the frame by mounts that are inserted through the mounting holes and which support the axles. When the grinding member is attached to the frame, the grinding sidewall is positioned in an overlying relationship with respect to the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding base spans between the first and second sidewalls along the bottom of the frame.
An embodiment of a frame assembly for use with an in-line skate comprises a frame and a grinding member. The frame is configured for attachment to a bottom portion of the boot, with the frame having first and second sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom. The first and second sidewalls are spaced from each other, with the top wall extending between the sidewalls. The grinding member is removably attached to the frame, with the grinding member having a grinding sidewall and a grinding base. The grinding base extends outwardly from the grinding sidewall. When the grinding member is attached to the frame, the grinding sidewall is positioned in an overlying relationship with respect to the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding base spans between the first and second sidewalls along the bottom of the frame.
Another embodiment of a frame assembly comprises a frame and a removable reinforcing member. The frame is configured for attachment to the bottom portion of the boot, with the frame having first and second sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom. The first and second sidewalls are spaced from each other. The top wall extends between the sidewalls and has frame mounting holes extending from an outside surface of the top wall to an inner surface of the top wall, the frame mounting holes being sized and shaped to receive bolts for securing the boot to the frame. The removable reinforcing member has a bolt mounting hole formed therethrough and is located on the inner surface of the top wall such that, when a bolt is inserted through the bolt mounting hole and one of the frame mounting holes of the top wall, the bolt mounting hole is aligned with the one of the frame mounting holes.
An embodiment of an assembly for modifying an in-line skate comprises a grinding member configured for removable attachment to an in-line skate frame. The grinding member has a grinding sidewall and a grinding base, with the grinding base extending outwardly from the grinding sidewall. When the grinding member is attached to the frame, the grinding sidewall is positioned in an overlying relationship with respect to the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding base spans between the first and second sidewalls along the bottom of the frame.
Other systems, methods, features and/or advantages will be or may become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and/or advantages be included within this description and be protected by the accompanying claims.
The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
As will be described in detail with reference to several exemplary embodiments, in-line skates, frame assemblies and assembly for modifying in-line skates are provided that may be able to accommodate the desire for a high strength frame while providing improved grinding performance. In some embodiments, this is accomplished by providing replaceable components that exhibit desired material characteristics. By way of example, in some embodiments, reinforcing components (referred to herein as “removable sidewalls”) that are formed of metal can be attached to the sidewalls of a frame in order to strengthen the frame. Additionally or alternatively some embodiments incorporate a grinding member that is attached to a frame for providing a preferred plastic surface for grinding.
Referring now in detail to the drawings,
As shown most clearly in
In general, the frame includes first and second sidewalls 116, 118, and a top wall 120 that extends between the first and second sidewalls so that the sidewalls are spaced from each other. Access holes, e.g., access hole 122, are located in the sidewalls of the frame. A corresponding pair of mounting holes, i.e., one of the holes of the first sidewall and an opposing holes of the second sidewall, can receive a mount and axle assembly for supporting a wheel. Notably, the frame can be formed of various materials.
The first and second removable sidewalls 110, 112 are configured to attach to the first and second sidewalls of the frame, 116, 118, respectively. Preferably, the first and second removable sidewalls are formed of metal so that these components increase the overall strength and durability of the frame assembly. Notably, however, metal is typically not considered a suitable material for facilitating grinding. That is, the hard metal surface does not provide suitable frictional engagement with an object that metal surface contacts, e.g., a metal rail, thereby tending to give a user of the in-line skate an awkward feel during grinding. Additionally, such a metal surface also tends to damage the object that the metal surface engages during grinding.
In this regard, the grinding member 114, which is attached outboard of the first removable sidewall, tends to cover a substantial portion of the metal of the first removable sidewall and provides a highly desirable surface upon which grinding can be performed. Specifically, the grinding member incorporates a grinding sidewall 130 and a grinding base 132, which extends between the first and second sidewalls of the frame along the bottom of the frame. As such, the grinding base is located between at least two of the wheels of the in-line skate and provides an intermediate lower surface upon which grinding can be performed. Also note that, in this embodiment, the grinding base incorporates a lip 134 along its distal end that engages the second removable sidewall. Thus, at least a portion of the side of the frame assembly that opposes the grinding sidewall has an appropriately configured grinding surface, i.e., the lip.
As shown in more detail in
Sidewalls of the frame include the aforementioned pairs of access holes that are adapted to receive wheel spacers, e.g., wheel spacer 150. The wheel spacers are located on inner surfaces of the removable sidewalls. In this embodiment, the wheel spacers include a generally cylindrical base and a conical portion that terminates in a flattened end.
When mounted to the frame, the wheel spacers extend into the access holes (and any corresponding holes in the grinding member) and protrude into the interior of the frame so that the flattened end contacts the wheel. This tends to center the wheels between the sidewalls of the frame and prevents the wheels from contacting the inner surfaces of the sidewalls of the frame.
A frame assembly is depicted in an assembled configuration in
As shown in
Referring now to
As shown in
In
As shown in
Another embodiment of a grinding member is depicted in
In the embodiment of
In contrast, the embodiment depicted in
As mentioned before some frames may be suitable for grinding but may lack the strength and resilience necessary for enduring aggressive skating techniques. In this regard, the embodiment of
In this embodiment, more than one removable sidewall can be attached to a single sidewall of the frame—in this case, two attached to each of the sidewalls of the frame. Preferably, each of the removable sidewalls spans and is, therefore, mounted to two or more access holes (e.g., access holes 354, 356) that are used for mounting wheel assemblies. As these removable sidewalls tend to be formed of material, e.g., metal, that is stronger than the material used for forming the frame, attaching these removable sidewalls to the frame tends to improve the overall strength of the frame.
In this regard, the reinforcing members include bolt mounting holes 380, 382. Note that when a bolt (not shown) is inserted through a bolt mounting hole and a corresponding one of the frame mounting holes, the bolt mounting hole is aligned with the frame mounting hole.
The embodiment of
In
Additional recesses 384, 386 are located on the inner surface of the top wall. These recesses enable flush mounting of the reinforcing members with the inner surface of the top wall.
It should be noted that use of en embodiment such as that depicted in
The various components for forming an in-line skate, such as the embodiments described herein, can be provided as aftermarket components for replacement and/or modification of corresponding components on other skates. As such, consumer costs can be reduced by enabling such a consumer to replace those parts that wear out instead of having to purchase an entire skate. Additionally or alternatively, various ones or combinations of such components can be provided as sets, e.g., frame assemblies and complete skates.
It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments and that all elements recited in the claims are optional. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.
Claims
1. An in-line skate comprising:
- a boot having a bottom portion;
- a frame attached to the bottom portion of the boot, the frame having first and second sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom, the first and second sidewalls being spaced from each other, the top wall extending between the sidewalls, the top wall being attached to the boot;
- axles extending between the first and second sidewalls;
- wheels rotatably mounted to the axles such that at least a portion of each of the wheels is located between the first and second sidewalls;
- a grinding member removably attached to the frame, the grinding member having a grinding sidewall, a grinding base and mounting holes, the grinding base extending from the grinding sidewall, the mounting holes being located in the grinding sidewall and being positioned such that the grinding member is attached to the frame by axles, the axles being inserted through the mounting holes and supporting the wheels;
- wherein, when the grinding member is attached to the frame, the grinding sidewall is positioned in an overlying relationship with respect to the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding base spans between the first and second sidewalls along the bottom of the frame.
2. The skate of claim 1, further comprising a first removable sidewall located between the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding sidewall.
3. The skate of claim 2, wherein the first removable sidewall is formed of metal and the grinding member is formed of plastic.
4. The skate of claim 2, further comprising a second removable sidewall attached to the frame adjacent the second sidewall of the frame such that the frame is positioned between the a first removable sidewall and the second removable sidewall.
5. The skate of claim 2, wherein:
- the first sidewall of the frame has access holes through which the axles are inserted to support the wheels; and
- the first removable sidewall has an inner surface and wheel spacers, the inner surface being oriented toward the frame, the wheel spacers extending outwardly from the inner surface and being sized and shaped to extend through the access holes such that the wheel spacers prevent the wheels from contacting the frame.
6. A frame assembly for use with an in-line skate, the in-line skate having a boot and axle-mounted wheels, said frame assembly comprising:
- a frame configured for attachment to a bottom portion of the boot, the frame having first and second sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom, the first and second sidewalls being spaced from each other, the top wall extending between the sidewalls; and
- a grinding member removably attached to the frame, the grinding member having a grinding sidewall and a grinding base, the grinding base extending outwardly from the grinding sidewall;
- wherein, when the grinding member is attached to the frame, the grinding sidewall is positioned in an overlying relationship with respect to the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding base spans between the first and second sidewalls along the bottom of the frame.
7. The frame assembly of claim 6, wherein the grinding sidewall overlies at least 50% of the first sidewall of the frame.
8. The frame assembly of claim 6, further comprising a first removable sidewall located between the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding sidewall.
9. The frame assembly of claim 8, wherein the first removable sidewall is formed of metal and the grinding member is formed of plastic.
10. The frame assembly of claim 8, wherein the first sidewall of the frame has a recess sized and shaped to receive at least a portion of the first removable sidewall.
11. The frame assembly of claim 8, wherein the first removable sidewall has an upper extension protruding therefrom, the upper extension being configured to engage the top of the frame.
12. The frame assembly of claim 11, wherein the top of the frame has a recess that is sized and shaped to receive at least a portion of the upper extension.
13. The frame assembly of claim 8, further comprising a second removable sidewall attached to the frame adjacent the second sidewall of the frame such that the frame is positioned between the first removable sidewall and the second removable sidewall.
14. The frame assembly of claim 6, further comprising mounting holes located in the grinding sidewall and being positioned such that the grinding member is attached to the frame by axles that are inserted through the mounting holes and which provide support to the wheels.
15. The frame assembly of claim 14, wherein:
- the first sidewall of the frame has access holes through which the mounts are inserted; and
- the first removable sidewall has an inner surface and wheel spacers, the inner surface being oriented toward the frame, the wheel spacers extending outwardly from the inner surface and being sized and shaped to extend through the access holes of the frame such that the wheel spacers prevent the wheels from contacting the frame.
16. The frame assembly of claim 14, further comprising means for preventing the wheels from contacting the frame.
17. An assembly for modifying an in-line skate, the in-line skate having a frame, a boot and wheels, both of which are mounted to the frame, the frame having first and second sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom, the first and second sidewalls being spaced from each other, the top wall extending between the sidewalls and being attached to the boot, said assembly comprising:
- a grinding member configured for removable attachment to the frame, the grinding member having a grinding sidewall and a grinding base, the grinding base extending outwardly from the grinding sidewall;
- wherein, when the grinding member is attached to the frame, the grinding sidewall is positioned in an overlying relationship with respect to the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding base spans between the first and second sidewalls along the bottom of the frame.
18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the grinding sidewall has mounting holes positioned such that the grinding member is attached to the frame by axles that are inserted through the mounting holes and which provide support to the wheels.
19. The assembly of claim 17, further comprising a first removable sidewall located between the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding sidewall;
- wherein the first removable sidewall is formed of metal and the grinding member is formed of plastic.
20. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising a second removable sidewall attached to the frame adjacent the second sidewall of the frame such that the frame is positioned between the a first removable sidewall and the second removable sidewall;
- wherein the second removable sidewall is formed of metal; and
- wherein the grinding member, the first removable sidewall and the second removable sidewall are attached to the frame by axles that are inserted through the mounting holes and which provide support to the wheels.
21. A frame assembly for use with an in-line skate, the in-line skate having a boot and axle-mounted wheels, the boot having mounting holes spaced from each other on a bottom portion thereof, said frame assembly comprising:
- a frame configured for attachment to the bottom portion of the boot, the frame having first and second sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom;
- the first and second sidewalls being spaced from each other;
- the top wall extending between the sidewalls and having frame mounting holes extending from an outside surface of the top wall to an inside surface of the top wall, the frame mounting holes being sized and shaped to receive bolts for securing the boot to the frame; and
- a removable reinforcing member having a bolt mounting hole formed therethrough, the reinforcing member being located on the inner surface of the top wall such that, when a bolt is inserted through the bolt mounting hole and one of the frame mounting holes of the top wall, the bolt mounting hole is aligned with the one of the frame mounting holes.
22. The frame assembly of claim 21, wherein the bolt mounting hole has a smaller diameter than that of the frame mounting hole.
23. The frame assembly of claim 21, wherein the bolt mounting hole is defined, at least in part, by a beveled surface that is configured to flush mount the bolt.
24. The frame assembly of claim 21, further comprising:
- a grinding member removably attached to the frame, the grinding member having a grinding sidewall and a grinding base, the grinding base extending outwardly from the grinding sidewall;
- wherein, when the grinding member is attached to the frame, the grinding sidewall is positioned in an overlying relationship with respect to the first sidewall of the frame and the grinding base spans between the first and second sidewalls along the bottom of the frame.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 26, 2006
Publication Date: Jun 11, 2009
Applicant: Renault S.A.S. (Boulogne-Billancourt)
Inventors: Kevin Oliver Raser (Snellville, GA), Scott William Raser (Snellville, GA)
Application Number: 12/088,155
International Classification: A63C 17/06 (20060101);